Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Rend Collective Experiment - Come On (My Soul) OFFICIAL


you know people always have the soundtrack to their lives?
our family is no different.
i love music... all different kinds.
but i'm by no means an expert.
i just like what i like... and know what i don't like.
simple sounds... happy lyrics... guitars... clapping.
and songs sung to jesus.  yes!
those are all good things for my heart.
and so when we found these guys a few months ago, we were smitten.
big m and i, of course.
when the song 'build your kingdom here' was touted as the official song of the camp staff where big k went, well, we were pretty excited to SING with them!  
haha!
so this album is our soundtrack to summer 2013.
just go and download the entire album... because it sorta rocks.
and i think i need to hang out with these people.
they look like a lot of fun, don't they?
come and dance with me, will ya??!!





when you're done watching that song... watch and listen to 'build your kingdom here'... amazing!!!

Friday, July 19, 2013

the making of a big girl room



my oldest has been begging asking us for a new room for a couple of years now.
she's desperate for her own space and privacy.
she's an introvert by nature.
there's no doubt that she absolutely loves people and likes to be with them...
but she also craves her solitude and quietness.
basically, she's my mini me.
we are so much the same, it's not even funny.
i've been wanting to give her her very own room for a while however i wasn't quite ready to bunk up the other two.
our "baby" is sorta crazy.
she really is.
and up until a couple of weeks ago, she was still sleeping in her crib.
i think it was due to a few reasons...
she, being the baby and our last, i was desperately trying to hold on to her babyness.
also, she never complained being in a crib.
not once.
and she never got out either.
it was sorta nice.
ha!
she can sometimes be a little crazy in her bed while falling asleep.
singing, talking, just generally being loud.
sharing a room just seemed like a bad idea during the school year when her older sister needed her sleep.
we weren't in any rush.
so we decided to wait until summer to make the switch.
and i also wanted it to be a BIG deal to big k.
i wanted to do a complete room make over.
turning a nursery into a big girl room.
i looked at the calendar and decided to make the time to do a 'while you were out' of sorts.
remember that show?
big k was leaving for camp and going to be gone for three nights.  i had three full days to complete the make over.
i cleared out the room first and took all of baby h's stuff out.
then i painted.
goodbye baby yellow... hello light blue!
my mother in law graciously helped me.
she's the edging queen... i knew i couldn't paint without her help!
after the painting, big m and i put together the bed.
actually... scrap that... just big m put together the bed.
i had a meeting i had to attend that evening.  ;)
he was a little upset assembling that white beast... probably better that i wasn't around.
most definitely there would have been a fight or two.... or ten.
after the bed was set up in the room, the fun could begin!
putting all her clothes in the right spots... making buntings... making poufs... decorating and pulling the room together.
it was all a lot of fun!
we didn't tell her anything when we picked her up from camp.
and thank goodness her little sisters didn't let the secret out either.
once we got home, we surprised her with her brand new room!!!
it was amazing!
she was completely shocked and so thrilled.
i hadn't seen a genuine smile that big for a long time!
she's been so happy in her new space.
she loves her new room.
i can tell she feels comfortable and respected.
now i just have to remind her that she can't lock her doors any time she wants to.
tweenage years... here we come!
here's some photos of the progress... transformation from baby room to new tweenage lair.



i couldn't resist taking some shots of baby h in her crib for her last night.
these pictures are so precious to me.
she looks equally tiny... and equally big.



unbeknownst her her... this was her last night in the bunk bed, sharing a room with her little sister.
i tried to not shed a tear!

walking into her new room...

sheer shock!!
excitement sets in...
and she's absolutely thrilled!!

beyond happy!

details of the room.






on the phone with nana, sharing the good news!




that little candy dish was left for her by her nana, dropped off earlier in the morning while we were picking her up from camp.
so sweet and thoughtful!





one of the best surprises i've pulled off!!
so happy for this girl of mine.
i'm looking forward to many heart to heart chats in her new room.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

summer busyness

i love summer.
surprisingly though, summer wasn't my favorite season growing up.
it was always winter... fresh white snow!
but now, as an adult, summer is where it's at!
maybe b/c i'm old and my body can't handle the extreme cold anymore?
who knows?
but i absolutely adore summertime!
i love that we have no schedules of sorts.
we all get up when we get up... and we mostly get to bed when we get to bed.
no rigidity.
this is good for me because i can tend to be a control freak.
so letting some of these rules go out the window in summer is good for my girls.
i can let loose too.
but somehow what i can't get away from this summer is still having a full calendar.
sure, we don't have school or extra curricular activities...
but we have playdates, cousin dates, beach days, camping trips, birthday parties, camp, lemonade stands, vbs, races, meetings, swimming.
the list goes on... and on... and on.
it's all good stuff, don't get me wrong.
but it's still busy... and, sorta draining.
the older my girls get, the busier, it seems, we are.
i know i didn't always enjoy it back then, but now in hindsight, i long for the days when my girls were babies.
we didn't have all these people to see, places to go.
we just stuck around home.
had naps, played in the yard, went for walks, read books, cuddled and colored.
i need to get back to that simple life.
i need to be able to say no in summer too.
even though everything is fun filled... slowing down still needs to be a priority.
with less than 6 weeks left of summer, i'm gonna try hard to be present with my girls.
i will attempt to leave days on my calendar empty.
no plans... let the day unravel how it does.
actually, i will try very hard to do that... and let what comes, come.