rain rain go away

the rain has been lingering around here this last week

while I don't mind a little cloudy, rainy weather

I do seem to miss the sun so//

daddy is sweet enough to take ellie out to play regardless of the weather

grateful for daddies {smile}

besides, if there weren't rain

then I wouldn't get to see this darling munchkin

standing with boots so wet in my mud room

say "cheese" ellie {grin}

feeling more settled lately

enjoying having hubby working at home on paperwork so frequently

happy for the middle of the day kisses

loving our little family

realizing who I truly am...humbling, this mother role is

keeping me close to Jesus/ on my knees for wisdom

which is a good thing

ellie is holding a cup of cheerios for those of you who were curious...

 life is full of these moments

moments I just try to hold on to and not miss

keeping my camera nearby in hopes of capturing them forever

I want my children to know how very much their mommy loves them

always always

so I write//

a journal with pictures to remember this fleeting, precious time

Was it Lost?

Do you remember when I told you about the phrase Steve uses when I call him and say, "I found something!  He will often say "Oh, was it lost?"

Well, we had that conversation again recently.

I was at a second-hand store of sorts and found this toddler bed that was adorable.  I had never seen anything like it.  It supposedly held a regular sized single mattress.  And it was absolutely adorable.  Oh, I already mentioned that!

Steve got the call.  He came and met me and said I could take the lost find home!!!!!

BUT

When we got it home:

it didn't fit where I thought it would,
it didn't hold a single mattress like the lady mentioned it would, (because I already had one of those)
and, now I was sad about my wonderful find.

You do remember that my husband is Mr. Handyman Extraordinaire?  He is, you know.  And he fixed that bed all up and made it so that it would hold that single mattress.

Then it involved rearranging a whole room!  Goodness, what have I gotten myself into.


Here is the rearranged room with the "find".

The headboard has a cute teddy decal.

And the baseboard has a cute bunny decal.  (as you all know, we are VERY partial to bunnies at this house!)

Now, the real challenge begins.

Will Ellie take a nap in this new find?

The first attempt produced no nap.
The second attempt produced no nap.
The third attempt...the same...no nap. 

However, Ellie never got down from the bed, she didn't fuss, and she just didn't take a nap.  We have a preschool right next door.  Ellie is very fascinated with the children.  She would just watch them out the window.

But, we were not going to give up on this.  After all, this bed was a great find!!!!!


The fourth attempt was a grand success!

Every attempt after has been a grand success.

Ellie and her bunny now sleep in a big girl bed that was lost but has now found a new home!

findings

in going through some notebooks the other day 
I found this piece of paper with such words of wisdom, 
I had to share it with you all

Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company...church...a home.

The remarkable thing is that we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past...We cannot change the fact that people will react in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play upon the one string we have, and that is our attitude...

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.

Charles Swindoll

{during the aftermath of the California wildfires, my dad and I volunteered

with Samaritan's Purse to offer help to those that had lost everything...

we would take a site of a home that had been completely reduced to rubble, and proceed to remove all the mess, taking care to preserve any treasures that were left, and leaving the owners with a swept, clean foundation to begin again with...we also presented each and every household with a Bible that we had all signed and prayed over...the real essence of beginning again//

anyway, this paper was given to us volunteers at the beginning of one of our long workdays, 

and I find it so simply profound}

mother's day 2012

mother's day this year was made even more special by having the addition of the little mr. hudson to hold and love on...a mother twice over...

I am so blessed

while my family was out of town gallivanting over in coeur d'alene,

we spent the afternoon and evening 

celebrating with my in-laws

{this is huddy-buddy, as my dad calls him, with his little cousin, adler maltby

adler is just three weeks older than hudson}

the guys and my jay's younger sisters made us mamas a beautiful and flavorful dinner consisting of grilled hamburgers, brats, and colorful, marinated chicken and vegetable kabobs...with fresh fruit salad...mmmm...

 and for dessert: chocolate and coconut creme pies

so good!

it was a lovely, sunny day//

just the type of day that makes you want to spend every minute outside delighting in it

and, we got our first official picture as a family of four!!!

it's about time, ha

{ellie being silly and sticking her tongue out, and hudson almost smiling in this shot}

thank you gentlemen and emily, anna, and katie for the wonderful dinner

and thank you, Lord, for the beautiful day, the gift of being a mother, and the blessing of our mamas to celebrate too