carboard

The June gloom came in August this year and we have had many a day with a foggy morning and breezy afternoon. I am not complaining though because we had an amazing June and July and I wouldn't trade it at all. But with the cooler weather we have done some more inside activities. One night I dumpster dove for some carboard boxes and made a kitchen for Hallel and a car for Simeon. They were super fun to make and didn't cost a thing. I used old material, old playdough, fruit baskets, a silver mixing bowl for the sink, and some foil for the burners. I got most of the ideas out of Parents magazine and then improvised some of my own. It was a fun project. Of course the next day they were destroyed and by the end of the week totally trashed. I love how being a mom keeps me humble in the most simple matters of life. But something I did notice throughout the week was how they made it their own toy and interpreted it through their own eyes. They had a blast and that's all that I hoped for anyways.

plain old cardboard

 after the remodel 

 Sim's car

 driving to the grocery store

The past week I've noticed that every time Lita cries that Simeon says to her,"it's ok Lita I'm here, I'm right here." It is the sweetest thing ever. Unfortunately, Lita doesn't know what he is saying but she sure does love her brother. I just keep wondering how many times the Lord has said, "it's ok Stacy I'm right here, don't worry or cry."

it's been awhile

Sorry for the delay in blog posts family. 
Summer got busy with travels and outdoor fun. We were in a time of wondering what was next. And our internet access changed. Yup, those are all my excuses and so now on to the post.
I am going to fill in the gap of time with a list of gratitude rather than naming off things we have been doing for the past two months.

1. One of the things that I have been learning through this time is that God provides exactly what we need. Just as the Israelites had manna and quail for just that day. God is providing our needs just for today. While we are planning for the future He seems to be calling us to stay simply in the present. This is stretching us to walk by Faith. And it's good.
2. Josh has gone through the steps of revisions that the publisher requested for turning his dissertation into a book, and it is moving closer to being in print. We have seen the Lord's hand in several ways to get to have this opportunity.
3. Simeon had his first day of no accidents in his big boy underwear and using the toilet, not just the potty chair. A significant goal for him after about two months of intense training for the second time.

4. A wonderful day spent with my sister and her family at the Discovery Kingdom. So special to make memories together with the cousins.
5. God's provision of work for Josh. Everything from a temp job at a parking booth to digging out a tree stump to freelance editing and teaching German and more. Needless to say, Josh is not bored.
6. The provision to live on campus for another semester with out the stress of school.
7. My women's study on Knowing God. It has been so good to get to know Who I am putting my faith in and just how He is so much greater than me and how He deserves all of me.
8. The ability to exercise somewhat consistently. I thought I would never jog again after giving birth to Hallel. And I get to jog in a beautiful place amidst God's creative glory.
9. Our incredible families who pray like crazy for us and love on us in so many practical ways.
10. My children who LOVE to smile and giggle and be silly and bring our lives so much joy. And my incredible husband who keeps our life steady and sane with his consistent walk with Christ.

Well, that sums it up for now. So until next time, hopefully sooner. I will leave you with a few photos.

Lita loves the Boppy

 feeding ducks in Sonoma

watching the cousin ride a roller coaster

pizza extreme after a long day of fun

big eyes

 big smile

 big sister with a big owwie  

 big boy being goofy in Lita's bouncy

 spittin image

 can't believe how grown up Hallel is getting

z is for zoo

i am so excited to write this post because it was such a fun day! seriously, Josh and I said, "are we having more fun than the kids just watching them have fun." im still not sure who was having more fun.
 we have been  talking about going to the zoo for awhile now because the kids are just at that age where discovering new animals is super exciting. we walked in to the zoo and saw the zebras and giraffes. the kids were so excited i could feel Hallel's little heart pounding when i held her up to see. the rest of the day her and Simeon ran around giddy from one animal to the next. it is pretty crazy how big and interesting animals look in real life as opposed to a book or animal planet. i love how our God puts evidences of His amazing craft in front of us for our enjoyment.
we kept asking the kids what their favorite animals were and i think the bears and the gorillas took 1st place. Goodnight Gorilla is currently our book of choice and so the REAL Gorillas were definitely a fave.
we also stood around and watched a grumpy(i would probably be grumpy too if i had to get in the bear enclosure) zoo keeper put a bunch of fish in the water and some veggies around some rocks. when she put the barbed wire back up two bears came running out and racing to get the fish. one bear kept splashing right in front of us to get food. it was an amazing sight.
we ended the outing with a ride for Hallel on the carousel horse. she was so excited that her horse and all the other animals were going up and down and around.
 the kids were so exhausted when we got home we put them to bed early and had a friend come over while Josh and I went back into the city to see the bears again. only this time it was the cubby bears playing the sf giants. we almost beat them in the last two innings but it was not too bad to be beat by the home team. it was Lita's first game too!
watching the penguins eat

 peacock feathers

 our little peacock

 our little spider

 watching the bald eagle

 two bear sisters that we watched eat

 polar bear

 colorful parrot

 kangroos who were too sleepy to jump

 peaceful emu

 yelling, "jump kangaroos jump!"

 Lita having fun in the stroller

 rhino

 happy girl

 the game

daddy dates

 scrumptious!

more scrumptious!

Josh and I have been trying to do special things with the kids lately to make sure we are balancing love with discipline. It is so fun for them to be at an age to take them on dates. Last week Josh took Hallel to the $ Tree and Sim and I stayed home to play blocks. Hallel came back with a pink piggy bank and a popsicle tray. Josh said it was so fun to see her get excited about a pink piggy and wanted to get Sim a blue one too. The next day the kids and I made some orange juice popsicles with fresh strawberries! I love summer treats.

This Friday is my turn to go on a date with Josh and I'm super excited! More to follow...

 he turned his hat backwards all by himself to make some serious builds

 making strawberry pops

 scrumptious too!

old fashioned fun

 My Grandpa was a collector of junk and restorer of cars. When we were little girls we rode in the local parade in his bright yellow Model T and threw candy to the kids. Some of our favorite memories of Grandpa and Grandma's house were dressing up in my Grandma's vintage clothes and playing "wedding" outside on her lush green grass and throwing hydrangea flowers on the ground during our pretend ceremony. If I remember right I was often out voted by my other 3 sisters and had to play the groom's role.
I think that through these young memories I have a special place in my heart for vintage things and just
having old fashioned simple fun.
This week when the kids were looking out their favorite window where they look for deer and other animals and watch daddy leave and return from work. We noticed that they could see their shadows up on the wall. Seriously, for how many centuries have kids been enamored with their shadows? And it is still so much fun! We entertained ourselves until the sun shifted and they were gone! I love having simple fun with my kids.

monkeying around

My favorite little monkeys just being themselves!

little mamma with her Bunny Bjorn

 Making oobleck

 ooey gooey fun

Super duper slide at a local carnival

Hallel in jumpy house heaven

sistas

funny faces

 shaving cream

 making designs

 the artist

 laundry day

favorite climbing tree

 cheese