Another little peek into our summer...

Thought I'd share a few more pictures....

Finn loving his football and growing up oh so fast!

Captured! Musical beds in progress. You never know who will wake up where! It's a mystery!Our trip to the newly added on to nearby zoo...

Monkeys watching monkeys.

Since the expansion the zoo has brought in some colorful friends.

Let's just say little boys get great pleasure out of "rainbow booties"

Started to feel like we were visiting The Lion King

And now we have Nala on Pride Rock...

Giraffes! You don't even know how excited I was to see some real zoo animals!

Yawning tigers, oh so ferocious!

More new additions. So when are the elephants coming?

Last time we came I whined a lot about the lack of real zoo animals, because really, a goat and a llama don't count.

This time I left the whining to the shorter people.

This one was hot...

This one was thirsty...

This one was hot, thirsty, and had a slight disdain for all zoo visitors who filled the bleachers at the sea lion feeding display leaving him no place to sit.

This one is not mine, although I might have opted for a trade, I never heard him whine.

We should have known it was time to go when we saw this face...


And I probably should have put down the camera when I saw this one...

But if I had I wouldn't have captured this little moment of brotherly love on camera...

Thank God for moments like this one...

...it makes it all worth while!

Praises and Promises...

I know I have neglected my blogging promises lately, but it's summer, and it's crazy, but it's good and I am so grateful for that! I promise there will be an upswing in the future, however I cannot predict the date!

Praises...

Warm summer evenings.

Nights with grown up girls.

Free Movies.

Big comfy reclining movie seats and little hands covered in popcorn butter.

Making it through Home Depot with only a small amount of whining and no injuries.

My husband who sometimes does sweet little things I don't expect.

Lily getting to be such a big help.

Mike never complaining when i go for a grown up girls night. The fact that he can bath, feed, and put kids to bed all by himself! I didn't think this was such a big deal till I chatted with some who's husbands can't do such things.

The promise of clean air for Finn and big yard to run in! Soon I'll blog more, but for those of you that haven't heard, we signed a contract on a house yesterday. It's funny, I thought I'd be jumping up and down, but I just feel hopeful. And maybe a little like I wish I had tab at Lowes paid for by a random stranger! =)

I feel like we have been so blessed and I think we are all excited about a new chapter in our life.

For this minute, I am yet again most thankful for all those sleeping safely and soundly all around me.

Thank you Lord, for a beautiful day.

A peak into summer

Here, in pretty random order, are pictures from our summer so far...

Max & Dax in deep T ball related (or not)conversation. Coach Nick showing Dax where you go after you hit the ball. (God bless these coachFirst Day of Soccer

You know it's a whole different game when the goaly wears the shirt on his head.
VBS our friend Claire thinking the whole thing was just nuts.

Max, Molly, and Friends blowing bubbles.

Really it was just a 4 year old free for all

Drumming

July 3rd's July 4th celebration with friends.

There are more to come. Actually there were more attached to this that have somehow disappeared. You may see some more VBS, more soccer/Tball and other goodies soon!

Hope your summer days are going well!

Excuses, Excuses...

So, I haven't blogged in forever. It's not you, it's me =). I felt honored to have a few commenters remind me that I was shirking my responsibilities. Friday I started a post with lots of pictures to update you all on what has been going on here for the past weeks, but someone needed something and the pics take forever to seek out and upload and I jumped ship midstream. Good thing for Blogger's automatic save as you go! That post is still half loaded and will be coming to you soon!

For now I thought I'd just do a short praise list so you know we are still here and are feeling very excited at the moment!

I am so thankful that after 6 months of misdiagnosing Finn this fall/winter that they finally found it wasn't recurrent pneumonia caused by cystic fibrosis or some sort of immune deficiency, but instead just an extreme mold allergy that induced asthma attacks that mimicked pneumonia.

I am grateful for Flovent inhalers and cute little baby face masks that allow such a little guy to take such big medicine. We are blessed that since he started on meds even living in the house with the mold ridden basement has not induced another trip to the ER since diagnosis.

I am in awe of God's timing.

I am grateful for falling house prices and low interest rates.

I am grateful for strange Mold inspectors with cryptic messages that disappear and turn up later with messages that all of the sudden make sense and make you smile.

I am grateful for a little boy who seems to know things outside his scope.

I am grateful for daughter who is learning to deal with change.

I am grateful for a two year old who calls everything "thingy" as in "what that thingy called?" and "I love that thingy"

I am grateful for a brother with knowledge and experience to reassure and encourage his big sister.

I am grateful for parents who are just as excited as we are and are willing to stand behind us.

I am grateful for God's wisdom, and his amazing timing.

I am grateful for bad days that send you out driving around to find some peace.

I am thankful for a husband who finally got on board, he was apparently just waiting for God, little did I know.

I am thankful for friends and strangers who have prayed for our journey for days or for years.

I am thankful that God rewards diligence.

I am thankful that we have good friends!

I am grateful that I have spell check that kept me from using the word "greatful" a whole lotta times!

I am grateful that tomorrow holds amazing promise. If you pray for a smooth tomorrow for us, I will share the story of what has been going on around here then. =)

I am thankful for you and I am thankful for all those sleeping in this house around me!

Have a beautiful Saturday!

Counting My Blessings and asking for prayers...

There are moments we have this split second revelation that in a matter of minutes our lives can change in a way we can't even fathom.

Sometimes we have those moments in our own world. Last week we had one. I was standing 2 feet from Dax while he sat on the side bar of our swing (about a foot off the ground). With all the crazy things he does, this one didn't even make me concerned. He wasn't goofing around, he was just sitting. He lost his balance went over backwards and landed on the back of his head. It made that sound, that horrible sound and blood started pouring out. To make a long story short, 5 hours in the ER, a wound that ended up being the wrong shape (round) to be stapled, a head CT due to the ER doc suspecting a depression fracture, which turned out to just be soft tissue damage, and a late night mother/son dinner at McDonald's, we made it home where I felt so blessed to have three sleeping children.

Sometimes we have those moments where we stand on the sidelines and watch in horror as the unthinkable happens in the life of another family. The blessing is, we have the ability to pray for them, to ask God to let us carry just a tiny piece of their burden if it could lessen it for them. A young family in my hometown suffered a terrible loss last night. The very simple story is here.

The bigger story is that this couple are friends of both my brother and sister in law and Mike's brother and sister in law. This family is a strong family of faith with a 5 year old little girl, Cara, and twin boys, Ethan and Evan, who are just a few months younger than Dax. Ethan has lost his twin brother. I can't even imagine how that would feel. There is nothing we can do that is bigger than praying.

Praying and looking at our own children in that misty midnight light in broad daylight. You know the light...when you stand beside the bed and they are sleeping peacefully and you feel this ache in the deepest corners of your heart that can't possibly love another human more. We are so blessed to have every minute we have as they grow. Today, for the Dell family, do it middle of the day, when part of you would rather be soaking in a warm bath and reading a book. Remember what a blessing those crazy moments really are.

Praises for what I would have missed if I was where I planned to be...

I planned not to be home tonight.

A friend lost her dad earlier this week, and it hasn't been so long since I lost mine. That sting comes bubbling to the surface whenever someone I care about gets dealt the same blow. We learn from it, we grow through it, we survive because HE carries us through it, but really, let me be honest, it still sucks. I know how much it meant when people showed up at my dad's service for me. Those old friends and new friends. People who lived around the corner and those who traveled for hours. There was a bit of a pile up at the end of the line of my friends, and just the sight of them, their hugs, their being there brought me to tears. It made me feel held.

In my infinite wisdom I wanted to be there for my friend. I know there were many from here making the trek. Many from our Bible study and Sunday school were headed that direction. And really, that was my plan.

Seems though, that sometimes what I think are the right plans may not be. Due to all sorts of logistical issues I ended up at home this evening.

If I had been there I would have missed...

the electricity going out

dinner made completely on the grill and eaten outside

special ice cream treats left over from last night's visit to Mission Survivor (a youth group event, I promised to blog them, I will!)

ice cream treats dripping off little boy bodies

three children, two naked and one dressed, running through the hose, soaping up outside and running through the hose some more

I would have missed their giggling, their splashing

God planted me where HE wanted me, he kept my friend and her family close to my heart, circling prayers through my head for them as they walked through this evening and He left me living this night, this perfect summer evening.

If I had been where I planned to be I never would have captured(straight out of the camera) the amazing sunlight washing over everything as it went down this evening over the joy of little boys exploring their world.

My day was changed, morphed, because I was not in control. He reminded me of those little moments that make life so beautiful.

Tonight, I don't feel like running away. I can't say that the thought of that Calgon commercial did not run through my mind earlier today, but tonight I'm at peace and I pray that all those who were where I thought I should be will find those same moments of peace.

Garage Sale Praises...

I finally quit freaking out that even though we weren't supposed to open until 4 there were people on the street at 10.

Dax played his first game of Tball! He was on Max's team which was great! He loved the coach's high 5's. He was kind to his teammates and listened to his coach which made up for his not having a clue how to play. The whole idea of a bunch of four year olds playing an organized sport gave Lily and I a great laugh!

Lily, oh was she ever a great help today! Even though she didn't want to get out of bed, I couldn't have made it through this day without her!

Finally getting everything together! So we only opened at 3:15...

Mike helping clean up...I was so glad when he game home!!

Meeting nice people!

Making a bit of $$$.

A new friend not holding it against me that I was totally non hospitable when it came to garage sale bathrooming. I sort of flipped at the idea of her going into my house for the first time during the garage sale wrath...oh my, it was just bad! Maybe by Friday it'll be ok!

The weather! It didn't rain at all this evening, actually turned into a beautiful night!

Getting to go to bed so we can get up and do it all tomorrow...knowing by nap time tomorrow we will be done!

Good night all!

Sigh....is it Friday yet?

Mostly this is just going to be lots of pictures! More of my time with Allie/Finn, although I still haven't gotten through all of them! A few showing you what my Finn has been doing while we've been slaving over yard sale prep here!

Tomorrow is the big day! Yes, yard sales in this town are Tuesday and Wednesday, if someone knows why this is, I would love to know!! We have Dax's first day of Tball/Soccer and then on to yard sale time. We've got tons of baby things if you're in need! Shhh...don't say it too loudly, but Lily is parting with some of her doll furn, iture. She's even letting some of her Bitty Baby stuff go. If you need a bitty baby high chair, changing table, or stroller for your twin dolls you might want to stop over. I might let you take a sneak peak, if I know you!

This week has been long already and it's only Monday! Prayers are headed out all over for friends and youth and sweet little girls. Hope you all have a beautiful Tuesday!

Quick Preview and Short Praises

It's late (I'll change the time stamp on the post so you don't know just how late!) so I'm keeping it very short! I did promise you pictures of Allie and Finn so I'm giving you a very brief preview, because there are so many that I like!

As for my praises...

Sunny crisp, sweetly golden June evenings

Laughter with friends

Encouragement that I've been praying for

Hope, new horizons, possibilities

A Husband who just stays with the little people so I can laugh with the big ones!

Joy, music