ten smile miscellany!

oh my goodness...it feels like forever since i've shared ten smiles. life has just been constant....and with jilly on the move (and i mean seriously on the move...people, she never stays still...and can get from one room to another in an instant!) i just don't have nearly as much time as i used to (not that i had tons to begin with!). we've also been spending a considerable amount of time outside...enjoying the spring. but here they are...some smiles. maybe ten...maybe more...maybe from the past week...maybe from the past month...who knows!

1. a wonderful weekend away with my beloved...it was fabulous. we went to Cincinnati...stayed in a hotel for two nights...visited IKEA and filled (and i do mean FILLED) our van with goodies...a desk and bookshelves for our new "office" downstairs...a comfy cozy chair for the creation of a sitting area in our master bedroom...new countertops for the kitchen...and lots of decor goodies, including a new duvet cover and decor for our bedrooms. while i am stoked about the home projects (as we have been talking and thinking about this for SO long), i'm smiling even more about getting to spend an entire weekend with just my hubby...no kids, no interruptions, just the two of us. it was beautiful. we talked...we laughed...we reconnected...we planned and dreamed...we gamed....we were together...and together is delightful. we also took some self-portraits (if only i could share the whole bunch because they are hilarious...and the process of taking them resulted in many laughs...as i seemed completely unable to get us both in a picture without chopping half of mike's head off....of course, maybe the laughter was also partly due to the fact that we were totally wiped out from our day (and i do mean DAY) at IKEA.

2. a sweet libbers who has become amazingly more compliant when it comes to her hair (and yes, that is a huge smile...because seriously folks...my girls hair is a battle most mornings!). she has been asking me to braid it, etc...and while i am by no means "talented" when it comes to doing hair, i have been having fun!

3. this girlie...'nuff said. if you haven't already, you should check out the previous post and hear her sweet little chirping "dah dah"...sweetness! she is growing and changing every day and has gone from mastering the dragging crawl to getting from her tummy to a sitting position...and she even has tried to pull herself up on things a few times...eek...where did my baby "blob" go. but no, really, while i miss some of the little snuggliness i LOVE this stage and am soaking in all the laughter and chattering and movement...she is beyond precious!

4. sprinklering! it might be april in indiana, but it has been HOT some afternoons, so i finally broke out the sprinkler...and then the paintbrushes and bowls of water...and then the spray bottles...and that equated to an entire afternoon of happiness and laughter. love it!

5. my three girls. we've had some fun "all three girl" moments in the past week....all three girls hanging out in the pack-n-play together--laughing and playing...all three girls taking their first bath together, which was giggly sweetness!

6. oh, and i mentioned my weekend away with the hub, but i failed to mention what a smile it was to know our babies were in FABULOUS hands with grandmommy and poppy, who offered to come down and stay at our house with them. AND, not only were the girls well taken care of and played with, but we came home to a freshly mowed (and weed sprayed!) lawn, clean laundry, a finished drywall project, and a slightly more organized garage....amazing! what a blessing from my parents AND for their grandgirlies....i have a sneaky feeling they are still trying to catch up on rest though! :) thanks mom and dad!

7. tasty new recipes. i've been trying boatloads of new recipes lately, and we've had several that were quite tasty...like the toasted orzo risotto with butternut squash tonight (even jillian tasted and enjoyed that!)...or the roasted chicken thighs with orzo last night...and several others. it is great to break out of the recipe rut a bit.

8. a visit from my sweet, dear jill and her boys this morning...what a breath of fresh air to have some time to catch up with one another and simply be together. now that we have 5 kiddos between us and busy lives to keep up with the time together isn't as frequent or uninterrupted, but it is an absolute and complete blessing!

9. MOPS spa day...always a good thing. i so enjoy the gals at my MOPS table...real, genuine ladies...seeking to follow Jesus and instill that love of Jesus in their kiddos...what a blessing to share life along the journey.

10. a much less cluttered house...i did some major de-cluttering, rearranging, etc. in preparation for our new projects. we were able to sell one of our couches, and i have a growing pile/room of stuff for a garage sale soon. it feels great to be able to "breathe" a bit...even though it has meant a few weeks of me being really, really busy. and i'm excited to see things already starting to come together...i spent much of yesterday grabbing any moment i could and repainting the room yellow...the exact color is "sunrise beach"...and it is oh so cheery and bright and goes delightfully with the white desk and shelves we bought (not to mention the white our cabinets in the kitchen will eventually be...although that is a bit further down the road in project-land). then last night mike assembled the desk while i assembled the desk chair (and then sat in it to cheer him on!).

11. Sunday night game night. we've been getting together with a group of friends a couple Sundays a month for games and dinner....which is right up my alley. we played "settlers of catan" last time...and had a blast...gotta love good company!

12. a sweet friend who knew i was having a rough week with kate...she called on her way to drop her little guy off at preschool and offered to pick kate up to play with her other kiddos for the morning. what a blessing....and, honestly, a reprieve. by the time she dropped kate off after lunch i had accomplished a few things, spent some quality time with elizabeth while jilly napped...and was ready to enjoy kate again as opposed to feeling overwhelmed by her intensity.

13. Proverbs. that is a punch you in the gut smile...but good. i've been reading a Proverb a night most nights before bed...and then again in the morning...so practical...so convicting...such great direction for my prayers and life.

and i could go on. we are so blessed...even in the midst of a wild and crazy phase of life. thank you Jesus!