For the rest of us!

Fireworks

Games

Art

Feasting

Fishing

For the Rest of Us

Anyone who knows me well knows that my favorite holiday of the year is Festivus. (And Seinfeld fans recognize the allusion!) About 11 years ago my dad's side of the family gathered together over the 4th of July holiday for a mini, non-formal reunion. My Grandma Polly was born on July 3 so it seemed like a good time to celebrate family. We had so much fun on that extended weekend that we decided to do it again the following year. The second year my cousin Karri made t-shirts commemorating the occasion and the third year we dubbed it "Festivus." As siblings and cousins married and procreated, the gathering continued to grow! Now it's not surprising to have over 60 folks at Festivus, both family and friends.

When we discovered our due date for Quinn was July 4, we realized that we'd have to forgo Festivus this year. This makes me really sad, bordering depression. Hence, we've considered some crazy scenerios to make our trip happen, including, but not limited to:

1. Driving up with a newborn baby. (I do realize that this would turn the 16 hour car ride into a 24 hour car ride! Not sure Jess is up for that.)

2. Giving birth at the farm. (Hey, my cousin Melissa is a doctor and Uncle David has been around birthing animals much of his life. Most of my cousins have 3 children, that's a lot of collective knowledge of the birth and labor process. There's a commune down the road where I'm sure hippie moms have mid-wife experience.)

Reality wins and grounds us here in the south. We really aren't going to make the reunion this year.

So, one of my dear friends, knowing how very important Festivus is to me, took it upon herself to plan an alternate Festivus. Since December she's been scheming and researching the elements of our family traditions. Last weekend she brought together three of our closest families in a Festivus-for-the-rest-of-us weekend. She TOTALLY surprised me, I had no idea! (Ask Jess, I'm a super hard person to surprise!)

Let me tell you, she did the research! She emailed my cousin Karri months ago and arranged for t-shirts. She emailed my mom for family recipes. She picked Jess' brain for important activities to include. She somehow captured the Festivus spirit. I am in awe of the love that my friends showered over us! We had such a blast!

Thank you, Stephanie. You are a dear friend with amazing vision. I am so blessed by your friendship and love.

A brief glimpse

I am rarely savvy to the 'bigger picture' in life, but occasionally God gives me glimpses of how He protects and provides.

As many of you know, Jess was terminated from his job on March 1st. This has been hard on us in many ways, but it has also been a time where we have grown in our faith and in our marriage. I struggled with this lifestyle change since I was planning on staying home for a year and focusing on raising Jake and Quinn. (After all, isn't that what God really wants for moms?) After reconciling the disappointment and confusion, I've gotten adjusted to the thought of being a working mom in the fall. We were able to obtain insurance through my job and Jess commenced on finding a new career. (He's still looking.) Today we found out some interesting news...his former company just laid off several underwriters and closers. This would have included him and if it happened this week, then we'd BOTH be unemployed and uninsured.

Our God is awesome.
He protects.
He provides.
I love Him.
I trust Him.

Not sure how this path is going to unfold, but I walk forward in faith.

Thanks for your prayers, friends.

Praise

God is pretty amazing.
I'm feeling especially grateful for his abundance right now.
He has been covering us with blessings in advance of less than ideal circumstances.
Jess' temp job ended today. It's discouraging for him to start anew in search for employment.
The future could be scary.
I could be anxious.
But, I walk forward in trust and faith.
God will provide, even if it doesn't look the way we expect.
We will learn how to be better stewards of His resources.
I appreciate our health and love.
Amen!

Language Aquisition

A couple of months ago Jake started peppering his reponses and questions with "huh?" Jess and I looked at each other and theorized that he picked up this less than ideal interjection by listening to someone at his daycare. Every time I dropped Jake off or picked him up, I'd try to figure out which kid, or teacher, was the offender. Finally after two weeks I found the source:
DADDY. Yep, our very observant son studied his dad's language patterns and picked up something we hadn't even noticed. Once the discovery was made I noticed that Jess DOES say "huh?" several times a week. Fortunately, now Daddy is more aware and tries to filter this ugly sounding filler from his vocabulary. About a month after this discovery, Jake started saying, "I gotta" before doing anything. For example, I'd ask Jake to go to the potty and he'd respond with "I gotta play with my toys first." or "First, I gotta color." Obviously the delay in responding to my request was the first issue I had to address. Initially we thought the "gotta" was kind of cute. Then it grew old. And then I realized that Jake picked this quirk up from ME. Since then I've been more selective in my use of "gotta."

Stair Steps

Kimmie due in August. I'm due in July 4 & Brandy is due in June.
It's fun to celebrate bellies!

Flora

The roses in front of our home are exploding with life and color. They bring us such joy in their wildness and unpredictability. Fast growing, they'd quickly take over our front sidewalk if we didn't keep them trimmed.


Neighbors gave us this ceramic"Dios Bendiga este hogar" (God bless this home) sign a year or two ago. Not only is it beautiful but I love the sound it makes when a breeze taps it against the wooden fence. Jess planted these flowers this weekend in honor of my 37th birthday. Hopefully they'll have better luck than any of the other plants placed in this window box over the years!



My birthday present...an herb garden featuring chives, cilantro, thyme, rosemary & basil!

Strawberry buds forming create anticipation of a not too distant harvest!

Last year we planted Thai basil, a gift from a neighbor, and it thrived in this spot. We are hopeful for this sweet basil to have similar success. I love being able to walk outside and pluck a vegetable or herb from the 'garden' in order to enhance a meal. Wish we had more space to grow our favorites!