{a birthday}

Happy Birthday to me!!!

33...wow:)

Cuddling in bed with my sweet loves of my life = a happy birthday.

Trying to get a good picture with no funny faces is impossible..for all of us:).

 Sometimes the funniest faces just seem so "real life" that I have to add one in the mix to help me remember their little faces and glances that they might out grow when they are older and that I will probably eventually forget.

(birthday loves and kisses)

{healed}

Eliza had her final check up with the cardiologist and also the heart surgeon.  She needed to get another echo and also some blood work done. 

The results are in....

She is doing so well!!!  Her heart is showing rapid signs of healing and is already going down to the regular size it should be.  Everything looks normal and they all can't believe how much she is thriving now!  What wonderful news!  No more appointments for one year!  Hooray!!!

{a piano}

God blessed me with a beautiful piano from the 1940's. 

I found it last year at a Catholic church and they ended up just giving it to me because I immediately fell in love and I guess they realized it was truly meant to be.  I had been wanting a piano forever...BUT

I could not get myself to buy a boring old piano without any life and history and...BEAUTY. 

   One late night I had a thought to check craigs list once again.

 I wanted an antique dark wood, curvy piano.

This is what was advertised...

My heart stopped.

  I thought that it was probably sold, or that it was in horrible condition (I could not tell from the fuzzy picture).  I called the church the next morning and asked if I could see it right away.  The church was only 10 minutes away.  I had Eliza and Henry with me of course and so I was hoping they would be really good while we were in someone else's place of worship.  They were fantastic!  The secretary's name was Angel :)  She was so nice as she led us into this beautiful library filled with statues and old books and...my piano.

Sometimes God gives us exactly what we want, not always in our timing, but in His.  Life had been very difficult for our little family.  I was not sure we were all going to make it through.  I needed desperately to feel God's love, to have something joyful and surprising, a reminder that God is in His heavens, that He is looking down on me and KNOWS...knows my heart, my loneliness, my sickness, my anger, my sadness, my hopelessness, my tiredness...that He knows me.

 God blessed me with a piano.

I will always remember that God truly knows who I am and knows my taste:) and loves me. 

Every time I sit and play on this beautiful piano I will always remember the miracle of hope and love I was given when I was in a very dark time in my life.  I hope my children will also remember this story as they grow and learn how to play the piano that they will also remember that God is indeed their Father who intimately knows them, their wants and needs, and especially their hearts.

 

Henry was a great missionary that day!  As we were leaving he noticed a cross hanging on the wall.  He began telling Angel all about Jesus Christ and how he was crucified, was resurrected, and lives today.  He was three years old.  She was so impressed with how much he knew at such a young age that she started asking me about our church.  There is now at least one person in that church that knows "mormons" truly believe and teach of Christ!

{dirt}

Henry has always been drawn to dirt.

He can sight dirt a mile away, even if it is the only piece of dirt..or mud:) in a very large area.

Because of this we thought we would build him...

a dirt pit!!!

We mostly refer to it as our dirt box.  We thought we would use dirt instead of sand because it seemed that kids played much longer and were more entertained by dirt, especially Henry.  Sometimes you will see a pile of kids all playing in a tiny patch of dirt by a sidewalk digging with sticks and no one on the playground. 

Henry LOVES his dirt box.

He ALWAYS needs a bath afterward.

Eliza is now old enough to join in the fun without eating (very much) of the dirt.

Sidenote:  This is our backyard.  This is what it looks like coming out of winter, but I love when they plant corn in the field.  It is part of why we are happy staying here for awhile.  It makes me feel like I am not scrunched in and I am surrounded by land.  When they build homes in our field, I am outta there!

The pictures never do the dirt or mess justice do they?

{a basement}

After much thought and prayer and looking and deciding and thinking and worrying and wishing....we have decided to stay a little bit longer in this home.

We have been so blessed to live where we do and have really loved it for many reasons, but my dream has always been to live on land!  I would love to live on a farm or by some woods or by sprawling fields with trees and maybe a river.  I would love to be surrounded by nature and to just have a little bit of space to breathe and live a slower paced life.  I would prefer to not live in a neighborhood, but if we have to than this one is great!  The timing was just not right for our family to move, but someday I will be writing a post about our new homestead:)....

In the meantime we are finishing our basement so we can have a little more space for visitors and wild kids!!:)

Here are the before pictures: