Thursday, July 31, 2014

365:212 - and there was great rejoicing!

365:212

This day was much better than the last! Little Gabriel took 3 full naps, the older boys slept, and mama even got a 20 minutes cat nap! As a friend reminded me, days like yesterday make days like today even sweeter!

365:211 - rough and tough

Meredith 11:31 PM No comments Edit

365:211

Day 211 was a rough and tough day. None of my 3 boys took naps (Gabriel slept a mere 40 minutes the entire day). This picture says it all.

365:210 - boy mom

Meredith 11:22 PM No comments Edit

365:210

If you had asked me 5 years ago, I would have sworn God had created me to be a "girl" mom. I grew up with just one sister. I love pink, sparkly things, tea time, and manicures. I hate bugs, dirt, sweat, and wrestling. Well, as they say, we plan, God laughs ;) He blessed us with THREE BOYS and boy has it been a crazy ride so far! I still hate bugs, I still hate dirt, and I definitely still hate wrestling. But…I LOVE LOVE LOVE my boys! They can drive me absolutely batty most days, but God is using them in great ways to grow me and change me. They bring us so much joy and laughter and I really am thankful for them. Anyway, I captured both boys playing with, what else, cars. It just reminded me how good God is in giving us exactly what we need to become more like Him. Samuel, Benjamin, and Gabriel, God is using you in amazing ways and loves you very much!

365:209 - avocado lime

Meredith 11:08 PM No comments Edit

365:209

Recently, my mom sent me a set of popsicle molds that I remember using when I was kid! I have memories especially of orange juice pops in the middle of the summer and being so excited that we actually made them ourselves! Being older and a little more sophisticated (haha.) I decided to make popsicles from a recipe I found online: Avocado Lime Pops. It may sound disgusting, but the idea of the avocado is to add creamy, healthy fats to the dessert to increase nutrition and creaminess. Well… I think I should have added more lime because, in the end, it ended up just tasting like frozen avocado. Not a huge fan. I look forward to trying new recipes in the future, though. Thanks, mom :)

365:208 - sleepover

Meredith 10:59 PM No comments Edit

365:208

So for EVER the boys have been begging for Samuel to sleep in the bed with Benjamin. Joshua was totally keen on the idea but I wasn't too fond. First, they stay up WAY too late wrestling, laughing, fighting, etc. And, as proven by this event, they wake UP too early as well! However, I decided to let them do it "just this once" and just had to document it!! They were so sweet sleeping in there together. I'm so glad that my boys love each other.

365:207 - smiles

Meredith 10:56 PM No comments Edit

365:207

More smiles from the babe.

365:206 - SIP week 3.

Meredith 10:42 PM No comments Edit

365:206

This is the group shot that I took of the SIP students from week 3.

365:205 - visitors and picnics

Meredith 10:35 PM No comments Edit

365:205

This day, we had lots of visitors to our little home. First Joshua's aunt Lori and her family came to visit us while they were in our area! It was so nice to chat and catch up a bit since we don't get to see them enough!

Later in the day, we had a big BBQ for the SIP program students in the back yard! Here, Cindy is holding our little Budda baby! He looked especially tubby this evening :)

7.24.14

365:204 - sunny evening

Meredith 10:56 PM No comments Edit

365:204

365:203 - big boys

Meredith 11:56 PM No comments Edit

365:203

365:202 - silly monkey

Meredith 11:21 PM No comments Edit

365:202

The end of the day came and I realized that I had yet to take a photo, so low and behold, here's one of Gabriel, just before he went to sleep for the night :)

365:201 - Benjamin/Abba time

Meredith 11:16 PM No comments Edit

365:201

It's rare that the big boys get one on one time with Joshua because they are usually always together, but here is that rare moment for Benjamin! He loves his abba! I'm not quite sure what they were looking at but I thought it was so adorable!

365:200 - It once was lost...

Meredith 11:01 PM No comments Edit

365:200

...And now it's found!!! After days of searching for the second red shoe, Joshua found my missing shoe in between our mattress and the futon couch. We really thought we had searched high and low, and we aren't sure how it managed to make its way in the couch, but I'm glad to have it back! :)

365:199 - exercise for the babe

Meredith 11:44 PM No comments Edit

365:199

This fun bouncer has been around since Samuel was a little guy and each boy has enjoyed it. This was the first time putting Gabriel in it and he didn't look too comfy, but I do think he'll learn to love it like his brothers did :)

(7.18.14)

365:198 - sweet smiles

Meredith 11:30 PM No comments Edit

365:198

This day, again, I did not capture a photo. However, I did get a video on the iPad that I found to be super adorable!

(7.17.14)

365:197 - Gabriel is two months old!

Meredith 11:19 PM No comments Edit

365:197

Gabriel, what a hunk! This little guy is bringing his family so much joy these days, especially his mama! He has been giving us all such sweet smiles and coos and is a pretty content baby. At this point, he is sleeping between 7 and 9 hours a night, eats about 6 times a day, and is our most flexible baby yet (I guess the third baby kinda needs to be, huh?) Gabriel is definitely not scheduled as strictly as his brothers were and finds himself being rocked to sleep MUCH more than his brothers were. I'm enjoying the snuggles :)

Gabriel went in for his two months appointment and is 15lbs, 3oz and is 24 inches long! Big boy!

365:195 - splish splash

Meredith 12:06 AM No comments Edit

365:195

Another summer afternoon splashing in the hose!

365:194 - the missing shoe

Meredith 11:49 PM No comments Edit

365:194

I bought a pair of knock-off TOMS for the Sara Groves concert and was super stoked to have a new pair of shoes. Well, the day after the concert, Benjamin was wearing them around the house and next thing I know, one shoe is missing. We looked EVERYWHERE and could not find it! We even checked in the dumpster! Yuck!

365:193 - no photo, no phone, no good.

Meredith 11:44 PM No comments Edit

365:193

So it's obvious that I am playing catch up with my photo project but it has been a bit busy around here. This day, I did not take a photo with my camera and though I'm quite positive I would have taken a photo on my phone, it died just days ago, leaving me without the pictures that I took since the last back up (which was a long time ago!)

It has actually turned out to be a great blessing not having a phone. I have been on social media MUCH less and have come to realize that I really don't need the time-sucking device that has become such a vital part of me. HOWEVER, my gracious parents just upgraded their phones and are sending me one of their old ones. Although it has been nice not having the iPhone attached to my person, it's pretty important that I have a way of contacting my husband and others if ever in need. So I'm super thankful to my parents for their gift to us in giving us a phone! Thanks, mom and dad ;)

365:192 - Sara Groves

Meredith 11:37 PM No comments Edit

365:192

If anyone knows me, they know that I love Sara Groves. She was the first Christian artist that I was introduced to when I was about 15 years old, by my dad. Her music has ministered to me in so many ways and in every season of my life. She has such a presence in our home as both Joshua and I love to play her music through the house on a regular basis. It truly moves us to worship God as her lyrics are strong, biblical, and personal.

We got the opportunity to host a concert here at Placerita Baptist Church (the church that we are members of…and LOVE) and to host a dinner for her in our back yard! It was such a treat to invite her to our home (she loved our little cottage!) and to hear personal stories from her. She is such a genuine lover of people and has such a kind disposition. You can tell that she loves the Lord through the lyrics of her songs, but it is even more obvious in personal conversation!

We had some amazing help in putting this event on and we could not have done it without Jenny Lotz, Cindy Mudd, and Amber Dennis. I know that they don't want credit or glory, but I just can't stress what an encouragement and help they were to us. It was such a blessing to bless Sara with them and bring God glory for His provision in it all! Thanks, friends!