diller diaries

day 48 - family fun

2012-02-17T22:44:00.001-05:00

it was a beautiful day to spend as a family! we made the trek up to caberfae ski resort this morning for a sunny day of skiing. it was a gorgeous day and we had a blast together. all of the kids made their first successful runs down a black diamond.

here is caleb at the top of the black diamond about to go down! he was so excited!!

luke is telling me about his run and asking me to stop taking pictures - you would think he'd have learned by now that momma doesn't stop taking pictures for anything!!

go dave go - let's see how high you can jump!

after skiing we headed into rockford to JD's Pizza Co. to celebrate susans 55th birthday. it is always fun to all get together! and of course the pizza was awesome!!! if you haven't yet made your way out to JD's i highly suggest you check it out. happy birthday susie - we love you!!!

day 47 - one project done

2012-02-16T21:49:00.001-05:00

the kids came to work with with me this evening while dad and i finished painting the floor. after it was all said and done we were able to spend a little extra time together around the dinner table and enjoy four baskets of chips and salsa and a delicious mexican meal! the kids spent the majority of the evening showing off their magic tricks and telling stories to their papa.

it is so nice to cross one major "to do" off our re-model/construction list. the floor turned out great and i can't wait to see the new fixtures come in and begin decorating!!!

day 46 - paint isn't just for walls

2012-02-15T22:22:00.000-05:00

over the last several weeks i have been working on a remodel at work which includes the construction of a brand new showroom. i have had the pleasure of working closely with my dad through this project and although the hours are long it's fun hanging with my pops!

we decided to paint the floor. the base coat was painted last night and tonight we began the process of figuring out the faux finish we would do on the floor. although we had already decided on a different "look" we had to call an audible when we realized the floor base paint had been done in urethane and we had planned on an acrylic. to make a long story short; our original design wouldn't work and we needed to come up with a new design.

we finally came up with this pattern. we ended up going with a different color and i can't wait to finish it up tomorrow!

day 45 - a very sweet valentines

2012-02-14T22:17:00.001-05:00

when we asked what the kids wanted to do for dinner tonight in celebration of valentines luke was the first to respond with - PANCAKES!!! caleb added that we could have lots of fun toppings and lilly requested we make heart cookies to decorate.

we all had so much fun filling our pancakes with fresh fruit, syrup, chocolate sauce, ice cream and whipping cream. whoa! what a dinner!!!

then came the cookies. i had them cooling while we ate so we could decorate them after dinner. truth is, it ended up being me decorating cookies all by myself. i think everyone else was in a sugar coma and spent the remainder of the night vegging out. i did promise lilly i would save a few cookies she could decorate tomorrow. happy valentines day!!

day 44 - care package

2012-02-13T22:35:00.001-05:00

today we received a fun care package in the mail from our grom jennie in salt lake city. the kids loved opening up their card and eating their yummy treat!

getting the valentines package in the mail today reminded me of all the years my mom sent me v-day packages while in college and beyond. i loved getting those silly cards, yummy treats and little trinkets. thanks mom! we love you!

day 43 - sick and still smiling

2012-02-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

i knew by late yesterday afternoon that lilly was definitely coming down with something. the cough that sounded more like a bark and her overall demeanor was so un-lilly-like, i began preparing myself for a long night and upcoming day. thankfully, she slept through the whole night (thank goodness for cough medicine).

i spent the majority of the day with her in my arms cuddled watching movies - at one point she even fell sound asleep. having her balled up on my lap snuggled in tight with her blanket, pillow pet and sucking on her fingers i was reminded of a time not that long ago when she was a baby swaddled in my arms.

time goes by so fast and although i never wish for any of my kids to be sick, i did find myself treasuring my day holding my sweet little girl.

day 42 - silly boys

2012-02-11T21:49:00.001-05:00

the boys in my life are silly. they keep me laughing all the time and can bring out the "goofy" in just about anyone. as I came down the hill today they were waiting for me and Lilly in this pose.

day 41 - plcbc

2012-02-10T21:57:00.001-05:00

We are spending the night up at camp tonight. We had a quite a dinner at the blue slipper (lots of memories) and played cards before dinner. Love my family and fun adventures!!

day 40 - "go to" dinner

2012-02-09T21:24:00.000-05:00

our families "go to" dinner is stir fry! i don't have a recipe (which is both annoying and great) - which is probably why it is our go to dinner when i can't think of anything else to make. we try to make a menu every week, as fly lady instructed **side bar note** if you have not heard of fly lady go and check her out - we have been implementing many of her ideas/techniques for over the last 8 years. i have said many, many times that she both saved my marriage and sanity **end of side note** but some weeks, no matter how hard you try to stay on top of your game, you fall behind. we had no menu for this week, drum roll, STIR FRY! the beautiful thing about this meal is opening your fridge and pulling out all the veggies you have, chopping them up adding garlic and then creating a sauce out of whatever ingredients you have available. tonight i made a toasted sesame seed and spicy peanut sauce with veggies over brown rice - voila! dinner is served and was quite delish if i don't say so myself.

so, the next time you are staring in your fridge trying to figure out what to make for dinner grab your wok or frying pan and make a stir-fry. you don't even have to have meat - all those veggies are fabulous over brown or white rice!!!

day 39 - tongue twister

2012-02-08T21:51:00.001-05:00

"three popular pigs partied on pogo sticks at the park" by Lilly Diller

Funny girl shared this at dinner tonight.

day 38 - long day

2012-02-07T22:22:00.000-05:00

everyone has those days that start early and end late. today just felt exceptionally long and i felt exceptionally inadequate at every level. on my drive home from work (next to tears) my hubby reminded me that i wasn't letting him or the kids down and reminded me i was doing the best i could. isn't it amazing how sometimes just hearing those simple words, "you're doing a good job and you're not alone" is all you need to hear. i hate the idea that i may be giving off the impression that i have "it" all together or all my ducks in a row when the reality is i feel like i am falling apart and can't get/do anything right. no, i'm not having a pity party for myself or looking for accolades, just sharing the truth. HA! maybe i should wait and share this with my therapist as opposed to putting this out there for everyone else :) oh well - welcome to my blog :)

i love that dave knows just the way to make my heart melt and feel better. he sent me this video to let me know he was there to take care of me and that i didn't always need to be the one to take care of everyone. gotta love being a team player!!

in other "funny" diller family news. i have heard several funny stories about what is in store for our family including: dave taking a job in chicago at a mega church - dave starting a new church - dave taking on a new job as a professor....and to take the cake, dave being the new chaplain for the new york giants (he even got a call from the muskegon chronicle asking for an interview) -- too funny!!! the truth is - we have NO idea what God has in store for us next. we love where we are, have no intentions of moving, love our church family and have absolutely no idea what tomorrow brings and are abundantly thankful for all we have today.

day 37 - the best parts of me...

2012-02-06T21:31:00.000-05:00

i couldn't think of a better picture than me with dave and the kids as we are all FINALLY home after a week and half of traveling (with only a quick stint home in the middle). they truly are the best parts of me! i can't imagine walking through life with anyone but them and although i know my kids will grow up and move on (hopefully:)) i am blessed beyond words to be with them now and look forward to all the life dave and i have to share together through all the stages of our lives.

day 36 - super bowl!!!

2012-02-05T23:45:00.001-05:00

We had the amazing privilege to join one of the production crews and help out at the pre-game and half time show. There aren't enough words to express how awesome and surreal it all was. Standing at the patriots sideline a few feet in front of Tom Brady and shoulder to shoulder with Coach Belichick during the national anthem and then sitting on the field at about the 30 yard line for the halftime show - whoa!!!!!

day 35 - bring on indie!!

2012-02-04T23:07:00.003-05:00

We made our way to Indianapolis this morning to meet up with our besties to hang out with them. More details to come tomorrow. I was told I wasn't allowed to spill anything :)

We did enjoy a fabulous dinner at Benihanas (Jamye's favorite!!) and shared a table with a family of one of the top executives from the patriots. After they left the table we quick googled him and found out his name was Floyd Reese and he is the senior football advisor for the team. Pretty cool.

day 34 nothing

2012-02-03T19:51:00.001-05:00

I literally have nothing to blog about. It's not that today was a boring or even unproductive day. Just that there was nothing all that memorable. I love days like today. They make you feel normal and not quite so crazy. I hear my pillow calling my name.

day 33 - guinea's burial

2012-02-02T22:36:00.003-05:00

lilly named her christmas present from two years ago guinea checkers diller. we have affectionately called him "guinea" since then. if you know me then you know i am not a fan of animals. however, as i walked in the house today and saw the empty space in our kitchen where guinea's home once was and missed his chirp i began to cry. it is amazing how death (even of a pet) allows you to see a different perspective of life.

we walked our kids through the grieving process of the only pet they have ever known by having them decorate a box to bury guinea in as well as place loving items and write a note. we did not do this for the animal but for our kids. some, or even many, may think we are corny or silly - but i don't care. i love and adore my children and want them to know there is a place for things that may seem silly. a place to cry over the death of guinea pig. a place to not fear death but celebrate life. and most importantly that their mom and dad love them more than they could ever imagine.

lilly asked that guinea be buried by the garden. she felt that he would love to be by the parsley he loved to eat. precious.

caleb has had the most difficult time with his emotions - there have been quite a few tears. so, in the back of my head i keep thinking, are you allowed to bury a pet in your backyard? - ok, back to being sad with my kids.....

we did stand around the burial site and pray. again, not for guinea but for our family. i am oh so thankful for my sweet family and for the little pig who came into our lives for a moment.

day 32 - new art

2012-02-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

after walking a trade show for the last three days i decided i needed to create myself. seeing all sorts of art is inspiring. vegas has been fun - but i'm ready for home.

i used an old photo of a tree i took years ago - it is always fun to go into the archives and see what new things can emerge!

our guinea pig died this evening. each of the kids are expressing their grief differently. caleb's is with tears. luke's is by being goofy. and lilly is just quiet. i wish i could have been home with them, face-time makes it a bit easier.

day 31 - playing

2012-01-31T22:39:00.001-05:00

Playing with their money is much more fun then playing with your own. Yeah for 17 & 23!!!

day 30 - once a Pohlad always a Pohlad

2012-01-31T00:23:00.001-05:00

Hanging out with my dad and brother - love my family!!!!

day 29 - this for that

2012-01-29T22:07:00.001-05:00

it always amazes how you can get on an airplane and in a few short hours be somewhere totally different. however, today that was made even more apparent as i flew out of a blustering grand rapids to palm trees and warm air in las vegas!

this is what it looked like heading into the GRR airport!

this is what it looked like stepping out of LAV airport - not bad!!! only wish my hubby was with me!!

day 28 - little bit of pampering

2012-01-28T20:53:00.003-05:00

i worked all day today in preparation for an upcoming trip and remodeling taking place in the office. as a result i missed out on my fam today - boo! i ended up catching up with dave and lilly after her soccer game and her and i were able to go and get our nails done together. i love doing special little things like this. we chatted about her game, school and just other random topics - like valentines day.

after we got home the boys shared some of the fun still frame movies that had made. gotta love how creative these kids are and how technology can empower them even further! below are a couple of the boys video creations!!!

this is the one caleb came up with - he told me his lego guy was break dancing - hilarious!

next is lukes creation called, "betrayal". i wish he would have recorded his commentary. great job boys!!

i thought i better share this one too!!!

day 27 - movie night

2012-01-27T23:26:00.001-05:00

we love going to the movies. tonight dave and I went with friends to go see "the grey". at one point dave turned to me and said, it's like jaws but with wolves. he couldn't have been more right on (in my opinion). if your up for intense and unsettling then this is the movie for you! I really did enjoy it and of course the popcorn courtesy of the popcorn bucket!!!

When we got home the kids were watching "what about bob ?" sooooo funny. I truly LOVE this movie and was tickled we got to watch the end of it with the fam.

day 26 - game night

2012-01-26T20:07:00.002-05:00

our middle son, luke, LOVES to play board games. a day doesn't go by that we aren't asked to play a game. i on the other hand really don't enjoy playing board games - i get bored too quickly. with the exception of settlers of catan i basically hate board games (especially monopoly). nagel, aka the saint, will almost always say yes to a request to play monopoly, phase 10, creationary, rumi-cube, etc. bless his every loving heart!!

after dinner tonight the kids began playing a game. although everyone is smiling in the photo, it did not end well. lilly was left crying, luke was sent to his room and all three are already in bed for the night (it's 8:04pm)! YIKES - how can a good thing go bad so quickly? why is it that i so easily lose my temper when my kids aren't being gracious or kind to one another? reason #32 why i dislike board games!

day 25 - create a frame and bacon

2012-01-25T22:26:00.002-05:00

ok, "create a frame" and bacon have nothing to do with one another other than the fact they both are things i will be highlighting about today :)

i was invited by a friend to a "create a frame" party tonight. i brought lilly with me and we had a blast!! Lacy, started the business in mid november of last year and has already had 16 parties. i can understand why, they are soooo much fun. lilly is already BEGGING me to host one. if you want more info visit her facebook page. here are the creations lilly and i came up with

i made a cute little photo frame. i love making these simple little flowers out of ribbon - i'm thinkng i need to make more as accessories for lilly

lilly made this darling plaque and hung ribbons down it to hang her hair bows, pictures, whatever. i don't know why i was so surprised at how well she did on it - but i was. she really is amazing!

now for the BACON. i find this trend soooo funny and had to share. i was asked by one of our largest customers to design a line of art around bacon. now, i have seen bacon art all over etsy, at trade shows, etc., but i still find it funny. especially after i came up with this gem of a product........

yup, you are seeing right. it is a clock. i made the minute and hour hand out of bacon strips as well as the roman numeral markings. my buyer LOVED the piece and can't wait to test market it.

dave told me i sold my heart to the devil creating such a horrific piece. wait till he sees the entire line! out of curiosity - has anyone seen or, even better, bought a bacon inspired piece of art?

day 24 - dessert

2012-01-24T21:41:00.000-05:00

i'm not sure if in your household you grew up having dessert after all your dinners - but in mine we did not. i don't find this to be a detriment to my upbringing and as such we don't have dessert all that often in our house. now, my kids my attribute our lack of sweets to the fact that i don't need/crave/want sweets all that often. SOOOOOO when we have guests at the house my kids are ex-tactic when they realize there is DESSERT!!! tonight was one of those nights.

thanks again to pinterest i found a great post of strawberries & angel food cake kabobs drizzled with chocolate!!! so, as soon as i got home from work i made some angel food cake, got the strawberries/blueberries ready and made up this fabulous dessert. it was super easy. the kids got to help make it (and of course eat the left overs) and we all enjoyed it in the end. i may not feel the need to make a dessert after every meal from now on - but desserts like this remind me of how simple and delicious they can be!

day 23 - report card

2012-01-23T20:43:00.000-05:00

today was report card day for the middle school. caleb at some point during the weekend told both dave and i at different times that other kids in his class got paid for good grades - even as much as $40 per "A". although dave conceded to getting paid when he was growing up i on the other hand thought the idea was ridiculous.

great job caleb on your straight "A's" and no you will not be receiving any monetary compensation, or at least not yet :) i couldn't help but be curious about what other parents do in situations like this. thoughts?

day 22 - change

2012-01-22T22:15:00.003-05:00

change is inevitable. change happens whether you want it to or not. regardless of your preparedness, certainty, or even lack of certainty - change is all around us. it happens within the obvious changing of seasons or the complexity of growing older.

as i sat next to my oldest, caleb, during church this morning and watched as he followed along with the scripture reading and listened to his father teach i couldn't help but reflect on how much has changed. not only in our immediate family but within our church family over the last several years. we have had many ups and downs. we have celebrated in weddings and the births of babies, seen families leave, friends move away, shed tears over the loss of loved ones, watched our children grow older and make commitments to follow Jesus, witness baptisms, broken bread and seen lives changed by the grace of a loving savior. i love my church and the people who make up our community and love that my children have been surrounded by God loving people who have demonstrated to both us and our kids what it looks like to love one another.

tonight we had our annual church meeting to reflect on the past year and look to the future of the church. after a wonderful potluck dinner and celebration over the fact that our large debt to the high-school had been paid in full, dave, my pastor, my husband, my best friend stood before our church community and shared that change was again in our midst. even though he and i have been praying/fasting/preparing for this time of change it is amazing how when it is once spoken out loud how real it becomes. we know God is calling us away from the community he had once so clearly called us to co-create with Him and others. we believe He has new and exciting plans for our family as well as for His church. although we do not know what the future holds we know we serve an amazing and creative God and we move into tomorrow and the changing season with anticipation, excitement and faith that planting a church was never about dave, me or the diller family but about Jesus!

day 21 - super saturday

2012-01-21T18:30:00.000-05:00

today was just a fun and productive day. i ended up making a batch of granola and granola bars this morning and then spent the afternoon in the craft-room painting with the kids.

granola bars are super easy to make and ohhhh so delicious. i wrapped them each individualy in plastic wrap and now we have a wonderfully easy snack. when i have a bit more time i'll share the recipe.

granola is even easier to make then the bars. the kids love having it for breakfast, adding to parfaits or just eating by the handful.

i don't usually ever share my art/designs (thinking about starting) on my blog but i had so much fun painting with the kids and in the end loved how this piece turned out. i must say this no less then 20 times a day to my kids!!

day 20 - "a family that...."

2012-01-20T22:26:00.000-05:00

tonight as we pulled into the driveway dave said, "a family that plays together stays together, i love you guys. thanks for playing". i couldn't help but smile. i love my adorable family!

we had another great day of skiing today - thanks to lots of fresh, fresh snow. if it only hadn't been so darn cold. the kids are doing great - i am so proud of how well they are doing and their willingness to try, try, again.

day 19 - make me crazy spaces

2012-01-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

i'm not gonna lie - there are several spaces in my house that make me crazy! my personality type is not one that requires or even needs everything to be in order or in place BUT i do have a very difficult time knowing there is disorder hiding behind a closed door. i think ultimately it is the fact that when there is a mess behind a closed door/cupboard i feel like i am pretending to have all my crap together when i most certainly do not :)

our back closet is one of my crazy spaces and if you look closely i am a contributor to the chaos. there must be 50 pairs of shoes (no lie) thrown between the floor and two baskets in this closet. YIKES!

day 18 - calendar meeting

2012-01-18T20:42:00.001-05:00

even with all the technology and syncing available using google calendars and my iphone i still love writing everything down on a calendar. there is something about seeing it and writing it down that works for me. i also LOVE how the kids can see it and know at a glance what is going on. dave and i meet at least once a month to have a "calendar meeting" to go over our schedules, coordinate and pray about the upcoming days. tonight is our calendar meeting - not very romantic but VERY necessary!!

day 17 - what do you see...

2012-01-17T21:23:00.000-05:00

lilly jane sees things. when she looks at a picture of a flower she doesn't just see a flower but all the colors that came together to make the flower. when she sees the letter "B" she sees a butterfly. when she sees a baby she sees a little being who she wants to play with. when she sees me cooking/baking she asks how she can help. when she sees me cleaning she will grab the duster and get to work. when she hears music she sees an opportunity to dance. when she sees glitter and fabric she sees a craft. when she sees paper and pencil she sees an art project waiting to emerge. when she sees another child she wants to play. when she sees a ball/swing/friend/board she ALWAYS chooses to play. when she senses pain she looks to console. the amazing thing about lilly is that when she "sees" she moves, she does something, she communicates, reacts. she amazes me - she teaches me.

today she went outside after school with the intention of playing. after a while i looked out the window and realized lilly had shoveled the driveway. not because i asked her to, but because she could see that it needed to be done. i can't wait to see what God has in store for this sweet girl!

day 16 - family fun

2012-01-16T22:37:00.001-05:00

Fun day skiing at crystal mountain. Who doesn't love a day off of school!!!

day 15 - snow forts!

2012-01-15T23:04:00.001-05:00

luke could play and play and play in the snow. today, he finally had the opportunity!! the snow plow left a HUGE pile in our front yard which lent itself perfectly for an awesome snow fort with tunnel, slide, steps and hole. he was outside for hours and can't wait to go back out and work some more on his creation.

day 14 - Mary macs tea room

2012-01-14T20:23:00.001-05:00

Delish!!!

day 13 - pitty pats

2012-01-13T23:12:00.001-05:00

Long exhausting day ended great with drinks dinner and peach cobbler at pitty pats. Love working with such a great gal who I can laugh just as hard as I work with.

day 12 - flying

2012-01-12T19:06:00.001-05:00

I realized this morning that one of the great things about flying is that you can fly above the clouds and see the sun. Even when it's raining and gloomy below.

day 11 - packing

2012-01-11T23:12:00.001-05:00

i totally stink at packing. i'm leaving for three days and i have enough clothes for over a week. what is my problem?

day 10 - new day|new project

2012-01-10T19:39:00.002-05:00

i knew lilly had a friend coming over today and as usual i knew she would want to do some sort of craft. thanks to pinterest i found the following craft at the blog, a bit of sunshine. it was soooo easy and the girls and i had a blast making the t-shirt scarves and flowers.

one of the steps requires that you stretch the t-shirt. the girls had fun dancing around the craft room stretching out the t-shirts.

here is a close-up view of the girls masterpieces. they can't wait to wear them to school tomorrow.

in other news. caleb and his friend finished off their science project today. here is the video of their rube goldberg project!

day 9 - if you give a kid a pillow....?

2012-01-09T20:36:00.001-05:00

they will make a decorative photo frame/pillow with extra fabric, buttons and ribbon....

lilly came to me this evening and asked, "mom, do you have a pillow you don't need? i want to make a craft out of it?" caleb immediately jumped in and got an old pillow he had (as, at the moment she asked i was in the middle of making dinner and was too busy to accommodate her seemingly silly need). a little less than a hour later lilly emerged from the craft room with this fabulous piece. i was shocked! she did the entire project by herself using scraps of fabric, ribbon, buttons and the all important hot glue gun. i love this girls brain and her ability to create. i love my caleb's willingness to jump in and assist and love on his sister. how did i get so lucky?

day 8 - heart shaped

2012-01-08T21:28:00.001-05:00

today while baking I looked down into the bowl I was preparing to let my dough rise in and this is what I saw. Heart shaped olive oil. I'm pretty sure the olive oil was trying to tell me that it loved me as much as I love it :)

day 7 - ski day

2012-01-07T23:38:00.001-05:00

for christmas this year santa outfitted the family with new skis/snowboards. today was our first opportunity to try it all out. although we "lived" mostly on the bunny hill all day - we had a blast!!!!

old dog/new tricks. dave tried out snowboarding today for the first time. he and lilly took lessons and both were doing great by the end of the day - way to go!!!

when i was about 5 years old my uncle bruce brought me to this exact same hill to teach me to ski. today he taught my boys. it was so much fun and my cheeks now hurt from all the smiling i did all day watching, remembering, laughing, and making new memories.

although luke brought home a pretty decent goose egg on his forehead from a big fall - it didn't stop him.

lilly got a snowboard and after her lesson with daddy she was up and down - up and down all day. she did get a little discouraged but in the end she didn't let that slow her down but for only a minute. i am so proud of her - i'm not sure i could have done even a tenth of what she did today. and more importantly she said she couldn't wait to go out again!!!

day 6 - multiplication

2012-01-06T22:02:00.004-05:00

we are currently working on A LOT of multiplication with lilly. we have had great success using math magician to help her learn and practice her math facts. there is nothing better than the size of her smile when she runs to share her 100%. way to go lilly jane - keep up the good work!

day 5 - pay it forward

2012-01-05T22:54:00.001-05:00

i don't normally choose to re-post or play along with facebook games but when a friend posted about "pay it forward in 2012" it seemed a confirmation to a thought i had earlier in the day...

so, i make bread. almost exactly a year ago i began making our own sandwich bread, rolls, hamburger/hot dog buns, etc and have LOVED it!! i have found baking to be its own form of creative outlet and have loved trying new recipes and making up several of my own. being out of commission the last several days i had fallen a bit out of my normal baking routine and realized this morning it was time to get baking! as i was forming the loaves i began to think about the Lords prayer; "give us today our daily bread..." and was thinking about how i could be used quite literally to be Gods hands in bringing forth His truth by giving away bread - blah, blah, blah - and then i thought about how hokey that sounded. THEN.... came "pay it forward" on facebook which is all about giving away something homemade. i LOVED the idea and couldn't think about a better thing to give away then, bread. why do i doubt the spirits leadings? with a humble heart i would like to make you bread - all you have to do is let me know :)

day 4 - Little Gifts

2012-01-04T20:16:00.005-05:00

thanks to a sweet friend dropping off soup i had some delicious "first food" to put into my depleted belly after a daunting 24 hours of the flu. although i'm not totally out of the woods i have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. my prayer now is that no one else in the family gets it.

the other "gift" came in the way of a superb marketing piece from a darling restaurant we visited a couple months ago in chicago called Sapori Trattoria. i was so surprised by the gesture i thought it was worth the shout out. oh and the food was great and the service was awesome - the maitre d' even called me to let us know that our table was ready early at our request. check them out if you're looking for some great italian food and are in the chicagoland area!

day 3 - flu

2012-01-03T21:38:00.001-05:00

bring on the fluids to my very dehydrated body.

day 2 - saying goodbye

2012-01-02T19:52:00.002-05:00

today we said good-bye to my mom as she set out on the next journey of her life. over the last couple of months we have had the joy of her living with us during this transitional stage. it was hard not to cry and caleb needed a bit of time to just let it all out. the kids ran with mom's van as it traveled down our street - it was pretty precious. we love you mom and pray for safe travels!

day 1

2012-01-01T19:50:00.002-05:00

it was a beautiful thing to participate in communion this morning with my church family as one of the first acts of the new year. i am thankful for this sacrament and am privileged to share in it.

as we begin a new year i have decided to do my best to document my families moments through pictures. my goal is to post one a day. enjoy!

first day of school!

2011-09-17T13:38:00.003-04:00

its pretty hard to believe another school year has already started. it's even harder for me to believe one of my kids is in middle school! that's right, caleb started the 6th grade this year and couldn't be any more excited about it. he has a great group of teachers and friends and is loving riding the bus to school every morning. luke is in the 4th grade and has lilly's old teacher from last year - he has told us time and time again that he, "really likes his class". lilly is our big 3rd grader and can't wait for school to start each day. she loves her friends and could talk our ear off about her day - i love it!!!

gr photo | art prize | family fun

2011-08-12T09:03:00.008-04:00

yesterday we drove into downtown grand rapids to participate in the gr photo project that is currently taking place. the goal for the artists, rita & dionel, is to have as many people go out and snap & submit pictures of six pre-determined locations within the downtown area for a collaborative art project for art prize. the finished piece will go on display sept.22 with-in the windows of the van andel arena!!!

what made this soooooo much fun for us and the kids was the "hunt" for the foot prints. in order to get the right shot the girls have stenciled large bright orange foot prints on the ground. the kids had a blast searching for the prints and would start yelling in excitement when they found them. from there the kids would pose in front of the location and i would stand on the footprints and shoot. super simple and way fun!

here are the kids out hunting for the footprints on the blue bridge!!

here are the six photos at each of the spots we took... 1) blue railroad bridge 2) calder plaza 3) van andel arena 4) gr art museum 5) gr public library 6) pantlind (amway grand plaza). if you want further information make sure to go to their website, which is also conveniently mobile ready (which, if you are on location is quick and convenient!) at www.grphotoproject.com. you can also watch a great segment of the artists which played last night on Fox News.

so grab your camera, friends, family, neighbors, a stranger standing close by and go have a fun outing supporting the arts!!

daily commute

2011-08-10T08:15:00.004-04:00

four days a week i wake before the sun rises and head out to work. my commute in the morning takes me about 40-45 mins and it amazes me every day how the scenery changes. more times than not i think about how i wish i had my camera to stop and snap a few pictures. yesterday, i remembered!

i stopped at lake harbor park and stepped out on the channel to snap these! the sun was just rising over mona lake and it was AMAZING!!

the fog that settled over the lake and above the ground created such a mystical view. i took a minute and watched a grandpa with his grandson get their fishing gear and boat ready and couldn't help but think of what a magical time it was.

moving from water to farmland - again the scenery changes! the corn is soooo tall and creates such a beautiful contrast against the blue sky. the wild flowers are everywhere and make my heart melt.

hope you are able to enjoy your day to the fullest!!

birthday girl

2011-08-01T15:39:00.003-04:00

who wouldn't like to celebrate their birthday in the big apple!! well, that is exactly what our lilly jane was able to do this year. she turned 8 years old on july 31st and we celebrated in style. we started out the day taking a quick taxi ride to the empire state building then had a fancy breakfast at brooklyns finer diner in times square and then finished off the morning at the ginormous toys 'r us in times square before we gathered back up at the hotel to fly home. luke couldn't help but ask if he could celebrate his next birthday in the "big city".

lilly is full of life, energy and enthusiasm. her smile is HUGE and her laugh contagious. she loves to spin (especially when she is wearing a skirt) and she is always up for anything!

lilly and her cousin sylvie (pictured above) are only two weeks apart in age. the girls are two peas in a pod and i can't get enough of watching them skip, dance, talk, sing, giggle together. i can only imagine the trouble they would get into if they lived closer than 2000 miles from each other :)

daily word

2011-07-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

“It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us in sending his Son to be the way to take away our sins.” I John 4:10

Salvation is God-given, God-driven, God-empowered, and God-originated. The gift is not from man to God. It is from God to man . . . Grace is created by God and given to man.

giving up on fb

2011-07-19T17:23:00.008-04:00

yesterday i deactivated my fb account. this was not a decision i thought or contemplated over for hours/days/months. it was one that happened almost rashly :) although i have appreciated the connection fb has allowed me to have with friends and family around the country. the reality is, i found myself depending on those pseudo connections, updates, pictures, etc. to fulfill my need for connection. when the truth is, i wasn't really connecting with anyone beyond a very surface level. i don't want surface level relationships and i have no desire to pursue an illusion of friendship/connection with people. my hearts desire is to build authentic relationships with people who desire to live life with me; the good, bad, and even ugly.

i may choose to reactivate my account at some point. but, for now, i think the better option is to pick up the phone, send an email, play with my kids, or even set up a date to go out for coffee.

market/soccer saturday

2011-04-30T15:47:00.006-04:00

ahhhhhh.....the opening of the muskegon farmers market warmed my heart today. even though i knew most of the produce wasn't local i was able to purchase spring lettuce (clipped yesterday) and carrots and potatoes that had been stored through the winter by a local farmer. i also found my way back to the market to buy some brats from creswick farms for dinner tonight. i've already got the buns rising and can't wait to eat them up!

it was all i could do not to buy a bunch of flowers. however, i did hold back since i haven't quite figured out our budget for flowers and what i would like to do yet - but, they were soooo wonderful to see.

one of the tough things about having all three kids playing soccer is that they all play at different times, fields, and even cities depending on the week. i'm not sure i'm going to be able to make it to a single one of lilly's games this year. fortunately dave is her coach and so he is at all her games!

the boys playing out on their fields. caleb's team lost 3-2, luke's team won 4-2 and lilly's team also won 6-2 this week. way to go!!!

the long wait is over!

2011-04-29T16:43:00.003-04:00

it has been a long - hard - snowy - wet - cold - winter! and although we have had some nice days over the last several weeks and the grass is turning greener and buds are popping up all over the place and the daffodils, tulips and (my favorite) lilly of the valley are beginning to bloom. the most significant sign to the end of winter is the opening of the farmers market. YEAH!!! tomorrow is the opening day for the muskegon farmers market!! i can't wait to walk the aisles and smell the fresh cut flowers and see all the produce (although it may be few). i can't wait for the week to come that i won't have to grace the doors of a meijers - I AM SOOOO EXCITED!

on a similar note, i am planning on putting in my garden next week. i am already planning on doubling the amount of space i did last year and having one plot specifically for herbs and the rest mostly for tomatoes and then cucumbers, zucchini, squash. my goal is to can as many tomatoes as i possibly can by the end of summer to hopefully get our family through another LONG winter.

so, if you live in the muskegon area go out and support the local farmers market tomorrow!

milk run musings

2011-04-28T13:03:00.006-04:00

i was making my weekly "milk run" this past week and realized something, that i thought, was pretty funny. **side note: for those of you who don't know, we joined a cow/herd sharing program at the beginning of the year. what this means; we are part owners of a cow/herd on a dairy farm which allows us to obtain raw milk (as a by-product of the cows) directly from the farm. **

on to the funny observation...
the farm we go to is Green Pastures Farm and Grassfields (where we buy all our eggs & meat) in coopersville. now, this is a very convenient stop for me since i work in allendale three days a week and drive straight through coopersville. if you've ever driven down 68th street (coopersville exit) you are immediately aware of a couple of things, first, the smell - mostly due to the trash dump and second, the farmland. now, i drive this drive ALL the time and it wasn't until yesterday on my milk run that i observed something else upon passing another dairy farm (i don't even remember the name) in which i could see all the cows under a large pavilion one right next to the other eating out of troughs. no idea how many of them were crowded in the space - but it struck me. i didn't get more than a mile further down the road when i came upon another farm (not sure of the name or what they do with their cows) but they too were eating out of troughs, however had more room to move and a hay pile in the center of their "pen" to choose to eat from as well as a pavilion to walk under and lay down. hmmm, i thought as i made the turn to our farm and then i literally laughed out loud as i looked and saw "our" cows grazing in the pastures eating grass, walking around, laying around. i'm pretty sure they were enjoying the day :) in that split second i realized, again, that we are making the right choice for our family and how grateful i am to have this as an option.

so, not sure if you think we are crazy or not but if anyone is looking for more info i'd be happy to answer any questions or at the very least tell you more about our experience.

new eyes...

2011-03-29T20:27:00.002-04:00

we found out a couple of weeks ago that luke needed glasses. he is the exact same age both caleb and dave were when they first found out that glasses/contacts would be a part of their life. we ordered the frames online (great pricing!) and had the script filled today. i'm so happy he is excited about them and isn't at all apprehensive about his new accessory.

blowing it

2011-03-11T14:47:00.002-05:00

i blew it today. no, i didn't stink out my house. i blew it with my husband. the person whom i want everyday to know that i love deeper today than yesterday. the person i share children with. the person i treasure above all others on earth. and still i blow it.... BIG....at times. what is it in us that makes us more aware of ourselves, our needs, insecurities, wants, desires, etc. that allows us to "fail" so miserably with the ones we love the most. the worst part about today is that i somehow feel justified in my actions and emotions. i find myself thinking things like, "didn't he hear me when i said..." or "he did this more for him than for me". marriage is hard, and i am reminded of that today. i am reminded of the fact that i will probably cry as much as i laugh. that i will feel anger for as much as i feel joy. that my kids will hate and love me all at the same time now and as they grow older. that dave will fail me as many times as i fail him. that life is hard.

hmmmm....i'm obviously having quite a day. anyone else out there ever feel like this?

creative jar

2011-03-07T16:03:00.005-05:00

it seems the most common phrase i hear lately is, "mom, what can i do?" or "i'm bored!". although the easiest solution at times is to let them play on the computer, watch tv or play video games, dave and i have felt compelled not to let them fill their free time with too much of any of that and help them pursue other creative ideas. in theory, this sounds like a great idea, right? however, the execution is much more difficult when the question, "can i watch tv?" comes when i'm in the middle of making dinner and i can't come up with a creative idea to save my life.

my solution has come in a creative jar. dave and i spent an evening this past week coming up with 20 or so different creative ideas and put them on little slips of paper and then inside a glass jar, which now sits on our kitchen counter. the only rule to the creative jar is that if you pull it you have to do it. we promised the kids there are only fun/creative tasks nothing like cleaning the toilet.

the kids are so excited about our new game and couldn't wait to dig-in to the jar and pull their first slip. here is a snapshot of what each of them created. caleb had to create a recipe he would like to make and write/draw it out. you may not be able to see it clearly in the photo, but he made up "caleb's kung pow serano dish". lilly's slip required she make a picture only using hole punches. because she became really overwhelmed by the idea of gluing down a million tiny circles i decided to let her use any of the larger punches i had. she made a house. luke's creative pull was to make a time capsule and map. i forgot to take a picture of his actual time capsule before he buried it in the backyard. but, i did get a shot of his map, which says, "open on march 6th, 2016".

i know we are going to go through this jar rather quickly - and it took us a long time to come up with ideas we did. i would love any suggestions you might have!

would you rather?

2011-02-27T15:36:00.009-05:00

all weekend i've thought about the fact that i should be in LA right now - working the oscars with my dear friend. however, here i am - still in muskegon under yet another foot of snow (ok, maybe i'm exaggerating a little bit, but not much). i've thought about how much fun it would be to see all those celebs walking the red carpet all decked out. my hearts desire is to get a photo of me with bob newhart (since missing an opportunity at the emmys last year!). my mind has raced with all the fun i know i'm missing out on. since embracing the fact that i wasn't going to find a flight to LA for under $450 i have been playing the "would you rather?" game in my head - it has gone something like this....

would you rather be cleaning the toilet or telling brad pit where to sit?
would you rather be watching more snow fall or be in a tank top?
would you rather be vacuuming or directing on the red carpet?
would you rather be yelling at the kids are hanging out with your friend?
etc......

however, i have to say in the midst of the disappointment i have had such a blessed weekend celebrating with friends, hanging out with my family and watching season 3 of alias. although, i may have missed out on one opportunity i had others that made up for it ten fold including making oreo cupcakes with my little girl! as i sit here thinking about how we laughed and made such a mess together and out of nowhere telling me, "i love you mommy" i realized how much i would have missed out on had i not been here. so, as i sit and write this i am playing a new game of "would you rather"....

would you rather laugh, sing, dance, create, bake with lilly or "work" the oscars?
would you rather watch caleb read his story or watch fake smiles & bodies walk a red carpet?
would you rather celebrate a 33rd & 1st birthday of dear friends or watch as people pretend to be friends?
would you rather have to wear a winter coat in MI or be around for the 1st snow in over 30years in LA?

needless to say, i have had an amazing weekend and i am so thankful for my life, friends and family. i also realized the most disappointing part about not being able to go had very little to do with the oscars and everything to do with "being" with my dear friend. at least we have next year :)

here is the link to where i found the recipe for the cupcakes - they are DELICIOUS!!!!

"lost in new york" by caleb diller

2011-02-26T20:25:00.005-05:00

today we joined many other families from churchill elementary for the 2nd annual book fair at barnes & noble. caleb was one of many students who was picked to read a story they had written. although he was very nervous - he did a wonderful job. i'm so proud of him! for you proud grandparents, dave video taped his reading and you can view it here.

granola time

2011-02-25T09:00:00.006-05:00

our family LOVES granola. so, i have been working on creating a great granola recipe that everyone will enjoy. the best part about making granola is that you can't really screw it up and you can add just about anything you want to the mixture. i thought it may be fun to share lilly's and mines most recent granola concoction (the best, to date, if i don't say so myself).

Ingredients
4c. old fashioned oats
1/2c. sliced almonds
1/2c. unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2c. unsalted raw pumpkin seeds
1/2c. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. veggie oil
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix oats, nuts, brown sugar, salt & cinnamon. In a small saucepan warm (don't boil) oil and honey, whisk in vanilla.

Pour honey mixture over oat mixture and stir well with wooden spoon. We use our hands to mix it too - it is REALLY important to make sure the wet and dry mixtures are evenly distributed. Spread granola over a large jelly roll pan.

Bake for 40 mins - stirring gently every 10 mins. DON'T OVER COOK! we made this mistake the first time we made it :) if you are adding and dried fruit add it after it is cooked.

Let cool completely on wire rack and then ENJOY!!

Let me know if you decide to make it - I would love to hear how your next batch turns out. If you are a mom with kids this is a GREAT recipe to make together, lots of measuring, pouring, mixing with relatively little mess!

Thank You For This Chicken

2011-02-24T09:43:00.004-05:00

My hubby, Dave, posted the following earlier this week on his blog and I thought it appropriate to share on my blog too :) I haven't really wanted to delve into sharing about our choice over the last couple of months to drastically change how and what we eat. Mostly because I don't think I wanted the added pressure to "live up" to whatever precedence I may be setting for our family. With that said, I was blessed to read what Dave wrote this past week and realized that we have made some pretty drastic changes in our food preparation and consumption and that this is something to celebrate not hide from.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Recently at the dinner table our son Luke offered the prayer before dinner and surprised me with his words, “Dear God, thank you for this chicken, the farm it came from, and please look after all of the other animals.” In this prayer Luke reminded us of some things we had forgotten.

Our food comes from somewhere.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but with all of the instant “food” so readily available to us, it becomes easy to forget (or even know) where our food comes from.

In being reminded that our food has an origin, we’ve begun asking: “Where does our food come from?” Asking this question has been a bit like opening Pandora’s Box. “Just exactly what kind of plant grows a Twinkie?”, “Do these cookies really come from tree-dwelling elves?”, and “If this apple is labeled, ‘organic’, then what kind of apple is this?… ‘Industrial’?”

Our questions have led us to make some changes in the food we purchase. Each Tuesday Misty stops by Grassfields Farm on her way home from work to pick up milk, eggs, and whatever meat they have available (we started back in January). After our first experience we instantly appreciated the taste and quality of the food but even more have grown to appreciate being able to build a relationship with those who grow/raise our food. Participating in this local farm has reminded us that we are part of a bigger creation and that we have a responsibility (and privilege) to steward what God has made.

I recognize it is in part due to our “affluence” that we have the opportunity/choice to purchase food from a local farm. Not everyone has the means of transportation to connect them to locally grown food (we live in a part of the country where farms are still common, unlike many of our cities which have become “food deserts”). Further, fresh/clean/whole food is more expensive (a cheeseburger from McD’s is 99 cents, and a head of broccoli costs close to 2 dollars). As a result, we’ve had to make some choices in the food (and amount) we purchase.

Instead of buying 2lbs of beef from the grocery store we purchase only 1 lb. at the same price from the farm. In buying less food we have begun to look at what we eat differently. Don’t get me wrong, we have plenty to eat, but having to purchase less food means that we cannot afford to think of food in terms of “mindless consumption”, instead food, animals, and the farms they come from become a “gift”.

Another gift of purchasing local food has meant that we’ve had more prep-time in preparing meals. At first this may sound more like a chore (we are all busy with the hurriedness of life) however, purchasing ingredients to make our meals has caused us to slow down. Lilly, peeling carrots for dinner, has developed a deeper appreciation for the food we eat and Caleb, chopping lettuce for salads, has caused him to be more curious about eating “leafy greens”. Instead of Mom “heating up dinner” our meals have become a family affair, full of conversation and meaning.

Is this something we do each night? No. We still have evenings where soccer games and gymnastics cause us to eat on the run, but those times are becoming less and less. We may never be able to fully live off of locally grown food however our hope is that as we do our part to steward the food resources in front of us we are able to create better, more intimate connections with our community, our kids, and our Creator.

That is something to be thankful for.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

well said dave!!

you & me

2010-11-11T09:10:00.003-05:00

it has been FOREVER since i last blogged. i don't have any real excuse except that life is busy. but, whose isn't? so, in true "misty" form i thought i would just dive back in with this photo.

we recently went on a family photo-shoot with my dad and not only had a lot of fun but came away with some great pictures. i absolutely fell in love with this one and had fun editing it too. dave and i celebrated our 11th anniversary back in september. there aren't enough words to communicate properly how much i love him and how precious our marriage and friendship is. i consider every day a blessing and honor to be walking through life together.

first day of school 2010

2010-09-09T13:10:00.005-04:00

i figured there was no better time than now to start blogging again, so here i go...... this week the kids started school. we have had an AMAZING summer full of fun, friends and family and we have enjoyed it to the fullest. now that school is upon us i am excited for the chaos to begin.

we have taken this same picture since caleb was in kindergarten - how fast time goes by!

luke started 3rd grade this year. he was the most nervous out of the bunch in the morning but came home with nothing but excitement in his voice for the upcoming year. i am so proud of him and how hard he has worked over the summer to be as ready as he could be for the upcoming school year.caleb is in the fifth grade. he likes to remind me that in only four short years he will be a freshman in highschool. he loves being back at school with his friends and can't wait for the challenges that come with being a fifth grader.

sweet lilly jane started 2nd grade. as many of you know this was a hard decision over the last year - not knowing whether we should move her on or keep her back to repeat 1st grade. as dave and i pulled away after dropping them off on their second day we both knew we made the right choice to move her on. she has progressed by leaps and bounds academically over the course of the summer and she was probably the most excited out of all the kids about going back to school and learning new things. i am so proud of her!

easter 2010

2010-04-12T12:56:00.003-04:00

recording with gabe

2010-03-31T22:42:00.004-04:00

so, i had the very fun opportunity to record with gabe davidson (aka: brian leibrandt). we did a cover of "hallelujah" together and i sang back up on several of his other songs. although i sing often in the shower, church and around the house i don't do a lot of recording - so, i had to share! click here to listen/buy the cd "less is more" - gabe did a great job!!

preparing for tomorrow

2010-02-28T21:40:00.004-05:00

i am a big fan of getting as much done today as you can in anticipation of tomorrow. a number of years ago i was introduced to flylady and our families household changed dramatically as a result. some of her main points is to shine your sink before bed, get dressed and tie your shoes in the morning and do whatever you can to prepare for tomorrow, today. some of the other things we have enlisted into our household routine based of the flylady regimen is to clean using a timer (15 mins. max per room), instead of cleaning we call it "house blessing", creating and following a weekly menu. i am thankful for a husband and kids (note pic of kids packing their lunches for tomorrow) that is very helpful in maintaining our household with me and for the help flylady has given me over the years to let go of the perfection of maintaining a household. in it i have found peace and feel as though i am able to actually "live" in our home and enjoy our household to the fullest - or at least most days :)

stepping outside your comfort zone

2010-02-27T23:31:00.001-05:00

Oh dear

2010-02-26T23:56:00.002-05:00

in my attempt to play my 2nd game of soccer i ran out on the field pre-game to warm up and kick the ball around. and then it happend, "ouch", i felt a snap in my quad and in that split second i was faced with the decision to fall on the ground and cry or stand there and smile until dave noticed that something was wrong. i ended up standing there with a bizarre smile on my face tring to get daves attention. finally he ran over and helped me to the side-lines. oh my goodness, there is a reason i'm not athletic. seriously, you can hurt yourself! i sat the entire game out with an ice pack. fortunately my sweet son prayed for me to feel better and that the rest of the team would be safe as they continued to play. we lost.

67 days

2010-02-25T21:29:00.003-05:00

lilly asked me today to count how many days until florida. we looked at the calendar and counted...67 days! this year will be our fifth year heading to our favorite getaway, don pedro island, for two weeks. we have some dear friends who have opened their condo to us over the years and we have enjoyed it to its fullest. these trips and memories remind me how important vacations as a family are. sometimes i can't believe how much the kids remember from our times and how much they love remembering every trip.

therapy

2010-02-24T23:05:00.005-05:00

i see a counselor. i actually have an appointment tomorrow morning with jodi boyd at westshore integrative health. therapy/counseling has been an amazing journey for me and i am so thankful to have the opportunity and insurance coverage which allows me to see her and share my heart every other week. my road to ongoing counseling began as a quest to "fix" my insomnia when the traditional route of medical care wasn't working. now, over a year later, i can't help but look at counseling as a necessity for the well being of my mind, heart and soul. i have found it to be a safe and unapologetic place for me to just "be" and learn how to empower and love myself enough to move beyond my own anxieties and live life to the full potential that God created me to. i love to talk about my experiences with counseling and am very open about the fact that i see someone and have encouraged many a friend to at least consider seeing someone. out of curiousity, what are your thoughts on counseling/therapy? why do you think there is, at times, such a negative stigma with the idea of seeing someone about the way you feel?

muscle confusion

2010-02-23T22:20:00.002-05:00

my body hurts. literally. hurts. after playing my first game of soccer my body is paying the price. i have done some pretty intense workouts and felt it over the next couple of days but i swear, nothing like this! i have heard it said that day 2 is the worst (which would be today) so, i am hoping tomorrow will be better. i like to walk and move without my muscles screaming at me. dave is enjoying laughing at me and reminding me that our next game is friday night. which reminds me, if you are looking for a good laugh and live in the muskegon area come on out and cheer us on. i guarantee a good laugh - at least a me :)

soccer

2010-02-22T00:33:00.002-05:00

i am not a soccer player. or at least not until tonight. over the course of the last 13 years there has been a lot of soccer in my life. however, tonight i became a player. i don't like to admit that i am competitive, but i am. i had a blast out on the field and can't wait for our next game next friday at 10pm (in case anyone wants to babysit). i am not great or even good - but it is a good time.

box vs. bottle

2010-02-20T21:23:00.004-05:00

with our mimi and papa in town we got in the car and headed into grand rapids for the afternoon. we began our adventure by going to modern skate where my brother steve works and watched some pros at "work". luke is really into skateboarding and stood in awe (as we all did) at these amazing athletes. afterwards we drove into downtown and spent the next couple of hours walking the streets and enjoying the day. one of our stops was market street deli on monroe. that is where i saw my very first box of water. the story the owner shared with us is that some young local guys thought it would was smarter and more environmentally sound to box water instead of bottle it and have over the course of a relatively short period of time have been able to market such a product nationally. we bought a box ($1.61) and shared the crisp, clean water. thought it was pretty funny and wanted to share the image. i love creativity!!

family game night

2010-02-19T23:34:00.002-05:00

i love that our family loves to "play" together. i was thinking tonight as we all sat around the family room talking that it won't be to long before the last place my kids will want to be on a friday night is home playing a board game with their parents. so, i am soaking in these precious times of family fun while i've got them. the kids were surprised tonight with an impromptu visit from our mimi and papa from naperville. we all got to play one of our favorite games, pictureka! daddy won, this time!!

happy birthday susie

2010-02-18T21:56:00.003-05:00

we had a fun evening with family celebrating susie's birthday. susan, is my beloved step-mom who turned 53 yesterday. i am blessed to have her in my life and love that she is a part of our family. susan, you are a beautiful woman, wife and mother. thank you for loving me, my family and my dad.

boring

2010-02-17T20:46:00.004-05:00

i am literally posting today just because i am committed to posting every day this month. nothing spectacular happened today, it was just a regular ordinary day. as i reflect on today i am reminded that ordinary days are as much a blessing as a spectacular day. i am blessed to be living such an ordinary life full of taking kids to school, making lunches, doing homework, grocery shopping, and all the other things in between. i am blessed to have gone a date with my husband tonight while the kids were at church and can't wait to eat chocolate ice cream in bed while watching last nights episode of lost. what a life?

journals

2010-02-16T21:37:00.005-05:00

do you journal? in a way blogging is a sort of journal i guess. i loved to journal and doodle throughout high school and college. i have several pages of written prayers, dramas and nonsense documented on paper. it's fun to go back and read them and remember when life was so less complicated and yet far more dramatic. i can't say i actually stopped journaling however i did change how/why i journal. shortly after lilly was born i decided to start writing to my kids. i have three journals, one for each of them, and in them i write to them and pray for them. i tell them what they are doing or what funny things they are saying sometimes i write concerns or even my own frustrations with them. i used to try to write in one each evening before i went to bed, now i'm lucky if i write in one each week. but, i'm so happy i have them and feel so blessed to see how God continues to move and work within each one of them. one day i hope to give each of them their journals, my hope is that they will receive it as a gift. they are each such a gift to me (at least most days).

reminded

2010-02-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

dave reminded me today that because the kids were off school today, it was still valentines weekend and not too late to distribute the kids cards and decorate the cookies. so, i thought it totally appropriate to share this image! we had a blast this weekend celebrating our families love to the fullest.

good intentions

2010-02-14T23:40:00.003-05:00

some times i feel like my life revolves around good intentions. take these valentines day cookies for example. my intention was to bake valentines day cookies and decorate them with my kids and have a festive time last night. when time got away from us, we told the kids we would do it today actually on valentines day. and then today came and after church i needed a nap and before i knew it, it was time for the kids to go to bed and the cookies still sat undecorated on their cooling rack. also note that i had made the frosting and pulled out everything to decorate the cookies, all we needed to do was sit down and actually "do" it. similarly the kids valentines cards, that were purchased with the intent of giving one to each of them, sit inside their meijer bag awaiting the 30 seconds it would have taken to make a good intention a reality. i am good at coming up with good ideas, i am even good at implementing them, but i suck and following through. i hate this about myself. fortunately, i know i am loved in spite of my good intentions by both my husband and my kids. hopefully the cookies will still be good tomorrow!!

my valentine

2010-02-13T22:49:00.009-05:00

a few weeks ago dave went to denver for mid-winter (yearly conference for covenant pastors). while there he put his christmas money to good use getting a new tattoo. i knew he was thinking of having my named inked on his arm - but it still surprised me when he texted me this image with my name inset a sacred heart. i thought it was appropriate to share this photo as dave is my valentine and has my heart. cheesy i know, but oh so true!

opening ceremonies

2010-02-12T22:37:00.003-05:00

we are watching the opening ceremonies right now. although it is WAY past the kids bed times i am so happy to be sharing this with them. caleb is really excited to watch the games and you can almost hear his own dreams finding life as his excitement continues to escalate for the upcoming games. i can't remember the first time i watched the olympics but i do remember sitting in awe of the athletes and i loved hearing their stories. some things never change. do you have a favorite olympic story?

favorites?

2010-02-11T22:05:00.002-05:00

i am a week behind on private practice (this will be a spoiler, if you haven't seen it yet...) and got to watch last weeks show this afternoon. so, the topic of favorite child came up when a family was faced with a decision to save one of their twin daughters with their newborn sons cord blood. the father at one points says (my version, of course) that "parents don't want to admit that they have a favorite, by they do...i love nikki but save kelly". well, it got me thinking. not so much about what kid i loved more, because i love all my kids. but it made me start thinking about how i relate to each of them differently, one maybe more easily than another. however, my love for each of them is so deep i don't know that i have words to describe it.

thank goodness for snow plows & little boys...

2010-02-10T21:26:00.004-05:00

i would like to say a great big thank you to my boys who shoveled our front walk after school and to our wonderful snow plow! of course we pay for the snow plow and the boys didn't complete the job without tears, yelling and a "talking to" from dad. however, at the end of the day i am thankful to know it has been taken care of. speaking of being taken care of, i took care of lilly today. she stayed home sick from school. i thought we had already gotten everything there could be gotten for this winter season, however it seems more infection is lurking. boo! i woke up with her around 2am with a horrible croupy cough and then sat with her the majority of the day. one of the hardest things to observe is your child just lying there willingly. it makes you take back all those times you cursed under your breath at them for being SO full of energy. she is keeping all fingers and toes crossed that she will not have a fever in the morning because she really wants to go to school. tomorrow is there 100th day of school and their valentines day party - she has her clothes already picked out for the occasion. we'll see.

so, more people than i realized actually read this blog **blush**, with that said, i have had several people ask me how our conversation went with lilly about repeating first grade. dave and i told her on saturday morning. based on the advice her teacher (the amazing tracey fritz) we told her that she was asked to be a "first grade expert" next year and that she would be able to help the new first graders in her class next year. at first she was very excited and then like a light bulb going on she began to realize that her friends would be moving on to 2nd grade and that she wouldn't be with them. there were a few tears but in the end we were able to end on a very positive note and she continues to be excited about her new title. thank you to all who prayed for this conversation and we continue to covet your prayers as we try to be the best parents we can be to these munchkins.

answers...?

2010-02-09T22:33:00.002-05:00

lots of promises very little answers.... i can't believe we are so hooked on this show. in all honesty we didn't start watching the show until the second season - but we have been loyal viewers ever since.

shopping...with kids...

2010-02-08T22:19:00.003-05:00

it is amazing how fast kids grow. just when you think you are going to be able to save a few bucks, you realize the kids have outgrown (or blown holes in their jeans) their clothes. so, today we found ourselves at old navy looking for new clothes for the boys. thankfully, we had money set aside from christmas (thank you mimi and papa) to buy plenty of things. the kids were AWESOME at the store, which is saying something. as i was checking out i looked over and all three kids were posing with the mannequins at the front of the store - hilarious!

saints win!

2010-02-07T22:18:00.004-05:00

in case you're living under a rock and didn't hear, saints won the super bowl. i wasn't really rooting for a team but we had fun hanging out with friends. every year super bowl sunday has a special little place in my heart because it marks the anniversary of the first "date" dave and i ever went on 13 years ago. back then he was just a guy i had a crush on - now i love that he is the guy who is my best friend, father to my kids and husband. happy super bowl sunday!

sharing a bit from my past...

2010-02-06T21:33:00.002-05:00

we had a family packed day of fun today beginning and ending with great food! dave and lilly opened up the "diller diner" for breakfast this morning and made blueberry waffles - yum! we then proceeded to head to grand rapids to watch avatar in 3D at the imax. we thought that an hour early would get us there in plenty of time to get tickets - but the show was already sold out. so, we ended up just seeing it in 3D. we all really enjoyed it - caleb and luke "loved it". afterwards we headed to east town for chili dogs and one of my old stompping grounds; yesterdog! it was awesome!! it brought back so many memories walking into the joint and realizing nothing has changed - i swear the same kid behind the counter is the same one that served me back in highschool. caleb L-O-V-E-D his cheddardog, luke was not as impressed, which began an evening debate about who made a better chili dog, portillos or yesterdog. don't get me wrong i love portillos - but when it comes to chili dogs yesterdog has my vote!

exact quote from luke as i was taking his picture, "i get they are going for an old look, but i don't like the 'dirty' look". he cracks me up!

yum, yum, yum!!!

lilly jane

2010-02-05T22:34:00.002-05:00

sweet lilly jane is 6 years old and in the first grade. as of this past week she has lost another front tooth and loves to flash her toothless smile to just about any one. speaking of her smile - she has one of the best smiles i have ever seen. there are times when i think her smile might swallow her face because it is SO big! hmmm, lilly jane.... she is bursting with innovation, creativity and athleticism. she struggles academically - however she knows/understands colors and style unlike any other child i have ever met. she radiates confidence and isn't afraid to walk up to a complete stranger to compliment their shoes, hand bag or even nails if she is so inclined. she still sucks her two fingers and uses one of my shirts to snuggle with. she is very sensory oriented and needs to touch EVERYTHING. one of her favorite colors to use while coloring is brown - she told me once she loves to use the color brown because it seems to "go with everything". what little girl, or kids for that matter, loves to color with brown? lilly will find out this weekend that she will be repeating first grade. i'm a bit nervous at how she will take it - since she is very social and has a lot of friends however we know that it will be the best thing for her and her academic future. lilly LOVES her babies and shows off her lovey dovey side when she is playing with her baby dolls. for christmas we bought her a guinea pig and she treats it like her very own baby, wrapping it in a baby blanket and pushing it around in her stroller throughout the house. i love watching her play "mommy". lilly is a natural leader. my daily prayer for lilly is that she won't be discouraged when she academically struggels and that we will find ways to help her work to her strengths (which are many!). I pray that she will continue to be surrounded by people who will encourage her creativity and not squelch it. i love my sweet lilly jane and can't imagine my life without her energy and enthusiasm.

luke duke

2010-02-04T21:58:00.004-05:00

where to begin with this one! out of all the kids i feel like he is our most complex...or maybe he is the one i have the hardest time figuring out. luke is funny - really funny and yet very unsure of himself. although he can cry easily - he fights hard. he loves to play and will invite anyone to join in on the fun. if he believes he is surrounded by something unfair he will do everything in his power to make it right. he struggles with anxiety yet can come off as though he is the most confident kid in the room. he is very competitive yet struggles with competition. he asks very difficult questions and seems to be ok when we are unable to give him a definitive answer. he embodies justice and can become physically ill when he is made aware of a cruelty or injustice whether it be in our house, community or world-wide. he oozes love and compassion. he is a math wiz and loves to figure out stategies. my daily prayer for lukie is that he will find peace throughout his day and not fall victim to his anxiety/worry and that God will continue to build on his innate character to love justice and mercy. he is amazing!

caleb david ...

2010-02-03T21:46:00.002-05:00

since i posted newborn pics of the kids yesterday i thought it would be fun over the next few days to post their most recent pics and share a bit about each one....caleb is 9.5 years old and in the fourth grade. caleb is very smart and has an amazing ability to communicate his thoughts, feelings and emotions both verbally and written. he works really hard to be funny (which he is about 60% of the time) and isn't easily intimidated. he is strong, not strong willed, but strong in spirit. he is quick to be compassionate no matter the cost to his reputation and regards friendships as precious. he loves to read, draw and write comics. he is both clever and creative. my daily prayer for him is that God will protect his innocence and further grow his compassion for people. i adore him!

when they were babies....

2010-02-02T18:11:00.003-05:00

this past weekend we re-did lilly's bedroom and in the mix of it all i found her newborn hospital picture. as i stared at that little wrinkly baby in the photo i started to cry. now don't get me wrong i can cry along with the best of them, but this cry was different. it quite literally came out of nowhere. in that moment i realized that i didn't remember her or the boys as babies. sure, i remember the crying, the not sleeping, the spitting up, the not sleeping, the soar nipples, the not sleeping, but i couldn't remember what they looked like. over the last couple of days it has driven me crazy trying to remember, so i finally went in search of newborn pictures of each of them and thought i would share them (they are all 2weeks old in these photos). it's hard to imagine how fast time goes by when you are in the throws of it all.

allowances

2010-02-01T12:09:00.008-05:00

in case you haven't noticed, i haven't blogged in a while :) so, i thought i would start off the month of february with a BANG and try to post every day this month! although the last several months have been filled with fun and adventure i've decided to release myself of any need to write about what has happened in the past months (unless of course i want to) and instead focus on what is happening in our lives at this moment.....

today we are introducing allowances to our kids. yes, dave and i may be a bit on the delinquent side of this however we just hadn't ever really sat down and came up with a good system in which to distribute money to our kids and in turn help them to understand what appropriate giving, saving and spending looks like. now i'm not saying we came up with a fool proof plan/idea however i am excited to begin this process of stewardship with our kids.

although all of the kids will be receiving their first allowances this week we decided that the amount in which each child will receive is dependent on their age (caleb $2, Luke $1.50, Lilly $1). however, in an attempt to make our lives easier and help the kids to feel as though things are more equal we came up with "diller dollars", theylook similar but each have a different value. this way we are will be able to distribute our "diller dollars" accordingly each week and then have the kids cash in their "diller dollars" at the end of each month for real money which we can then help them divide into what will be given, saved and available to be spent.
in accordance with receiving their allowances we are also establishing a "responsibilities" sheet for each child. this sheet will list out each of the kids daily & weekly responsibilities which will be expected of them in order to receive their allowance. at this point we have kept them pretty basic, because at the end of the day i really want my kids to stay kids for as long as possible.so, now i'm curious.... parents, how do you "do" allowances with your kids? what are your thoughts on allowances? how did receiving or not receiving an allowance shape you?

passion

2009-10-20T13:20:00.003-04:00

lilly is in gymnastics and up to this point has enjoyed it. however, yesterday i saw something come alive in her at the gym. for the first time yesterday she did a back flip on the trampoline. i had a perfect shot of her face just before she jumped and then as she landed on her feet. her whole body emitted this kind of new life and energy that is hard to describe. i told dave it was like watching passion being born. anyway, it got me thinking about where passion comes from and how it drives us to do things. it got me thinking about what i am passionate about and what i am actually doing to fulfill my passions, dreams and desires. kind of ethereal, i know, but something to think about....

luke duke

2009-10-08T11:10:00.005-04:00

i got this great shot of luke a couple weeks ago when we were playing at our friends house. i know i have said this a million times but, it is so bitter-sweet to watch your kids grow up. thankfully we have cameras and photographs to help capture all of these precious moments.

hierarchy of swear words

2009-10-02T11:45:00.002-04:00

kids ask A LOT of questions. it seems as though most of my conversations with each of my kids since they began talking was in response to one of their "why" questions. as the kids are getting older the questions have not ceased - however they have gotten much more intense, funny & significant. our oldest, caleb, is never shy of asking for a more thorough explanation for whatever is on his mind. at the ripe age of 8 we had a full blown trans-gender conversation. a few months ago we had the "sex" talk with him. and the other night we talked about swear words. he began this conversation, out of the blue, by asking, "what does the 'f' word mean?" and why is it SOO bad?" i took a deep breath and began in with my best answer. he than asked, "is one swear word worse than another... like, darn, dang, damn?" to this (with a slight giggle in my heart) we started talking about the hierarchy of swear words. it was so funny sitting there with my 9 year old talking about how the level of offensiveness determined how "bad" the swear word was....to be honest i hadn't ever thought about it like that before.

so, what kind of funny conversations have you had with your kids?

gap casting call....

2009-09-24T08:55:00.003-04:00

so, i was looking for another way to waste time yesterday and entered the kids in the gap casting call contest. these are the pics i chose to enter. so, if you are looking to waste a few minutes (like me) CLICK HERE to vote for the kids (you can vote once a day if you are REALLY in to it!) and once you login you can also print out a 20% off gap coupon!!!

thanks!

all about caleb...

2009-09-18T08:19:00.002-04:00

calebs first project this school year was to create an "all about me" poster. i had to share it. i love how creative he is and willing to think outside the box. i love that he wants to be a cartoonist when he grows up. i love that he drew a picture of a monkey taking a shower! seriously, you can't make this stuff up!