Our week ~ July 8

The cats were very happy to have us home for another whole week instead of watching us repack suitcases and take off again. :)

I am thankful for creative kids, especially during times like these last couple of weeks, when we have continued to have lots of rain.  They've been crawling the walls a bit without their usual outdoor play every day, but it could be a lot worse!  This week David made a space shuttle.

 This is what he named it...

 ...and this is why!  The "compartment" down by his feet is for space-going cats to ride in, and Mindy is always very accommodating of his ideas.  I think she would be perfectly happy to go to the real moon in a real space shuttle as long as she got to be with her boy on the trip!

 The next day, Molly was grumpy because she wanted a box, but didn't want to be in a box with anyone else...so David made her a house.  She has taken naps in it all week.

 When Abigail needed something to entertain herself with, I went to the basement and dug out my favorite Barbie toy from my childhood -- an island hut.  We used fabric to make 'sand' and 'ocean' and she played very happily!

 Tuesday night, we had a long-awaited break from the rain, complete with a lovely rainbow.

 Wednesday we had hearing checks (both kids were essentially stable).  Since the weather was still nice, we rewarded ourselves with a visit to the splash park afterwards.

This week we also had a milestone moment...David was promoted out of the children's ministries at our church and into the youth group!  It was a weeping, wailing, sobbing, but-he's-still-my-baby and not big enough for youth group yet wonderful -- but always bittersweet -- moment! ;) (I really did behave myself, I promise...and we are thrilled to have him under the ministry of our dear friends, the Kichers!)

On Thursday, Bruce and I got to go on a date (we celebrated our 15th anniversary while we were at the Wilds last month!).  We went to the High Museum in downtown Atlanta to see an exhibit of 17th century Dutch "Golden Age" paintings (Rembrandt, Vermeer, etc) that are on loan to Atlanta from the Hague -- and especially to see a painting I love, Vermeer's "Girl With a Pearl Earring."  It was even more stunning and captivating in person, of course.  There was no photography allowed in the exhibit (and I forgot to take of picture of us together somewhere else in the museum...whoops), so this image is borrowed from the High's website.

Last for this post, but certainly not least, we enjoyed Skyping with Aria last night.  She and Abigail love to play this "cousin-speak" game -- Abigail pats the back of her hand against her mouth to make the "bwah bwah bwah" noise...

 ...and then Aria does it back to her!

Sometimes I rue the busyness of modern life...but on the other hand, I am very thankful for the technology that lets us "visit" with faraway family!

New scanner = Wedding pictures!

We recently got an all-in-one printer so that I have the capability to make copies for school (especially important since our new history curriculum requires a lot of duplication).

Of course, Molly inspected it to make sure it was acceptable.

And since it's also a scanner, I have been able to start scanning some of our wedding pictures -- hooray! I have a lot more left to add, but this is a start!

It was such a wonderful day...an amazing start to an amazing life together! (...it was eleven years ago now...we look like such kids!!!) :)

Happy 11th anniversary to us!

Eleven years ago today, I married the man I love most in the world...

my best friend, my husband... the man who is God's fulfillment of the dreams and prayers that have been in my heart since I was a little girl. I'm so thankful for the blessing of my Bruce.I love you so much, Bruce -- thank you for making me your wife eleven years ago and for the joy you have brought to my life every day since! I love you!

Old man alert :)

Happy 35th birthday, dear husband of mine... I love you more than words can express, and I am so thankful to have you in my life!

Early Valentine's Day celebration

Since Bruce and I won't be together on Valentine's Day :( , my darling husband suggested that we celebrate early with a date at home. Although we weren't supposed to exchange gifts, he brought me tulips and truffles (he argued that they didn't count because every woman should get flowers and chocolate on Valentine's Day...and I just didn't have the heart to disagree after I saw the name "Lindt" on that bag!). He also very practically pointed out that the flowers are live, which means that I can take them to Florida with me to enjoy. He always has a good argument to support his opinion...he should have been an attorney. :)Last night after the kids went to bed early (as is our custom on Saturday night anyway, since they need the rest before the busyness of our day on Sunday), we got all ready and enjoyed a lovely dinner (filet mignon [with mushrooms for me], Brussels sprouts, and cous cous), complete with candles, our heirloom lace tablecloth that my grandma made for us, our good china, and fancy water goblets. For dessert we had still-warm brownies baked with chopped up Snickers sprinkled on top...yum. We enjoyed good conversation (not a surprise, since, 11 1/2 years after we started dating, we have yet to run out of things to talk about!) and a wonderful time together.My sweet husband even "showed up" for our date dressed up in date attire -- a fun surprise, since I hadn't mentioned to him that I was planning to dress up!We also enjoyed the perks of a date at home in that we both got to wear our slippers, we didn't have to drive home when we were done eating and tired, we spent way less on dinner than we would have if we went out (Kroger had filet on sale this week :)!), we didn't have to pay a babysitter, and when I got cold halfway through the meal, I got to wrap up in a fuzzy blanket while we chatted and ate. :)

Happy (early) Valentine's Day to my beloved... I love you, Bruce!

Out with the old...

Today I took the tree down...when Abigail realized what I was doing, she was very sad and asked why we had to take it down. I responded that we had to take it down so that when Christmas came again, we would be able to put up a new one. After a minute of pondering, she decided that was acceptable (phew). I can understand her sentiment, though -- every year I'm always a little sad when the tree comes down. But today, as with every year (and buoyed primarily by the thought of clutter removal in my house), I forged ahead, all the while blending the sweet and bittersweet reminiscences of this year with those of years past and being grateful for the blessings I have been given. I reflected on my saddest Christmas season ever -- in 2006 -- when I was pregnant but having difficulties, and we lost the baby a few days after Christmas. That was a brutal holiday season. I never would have guessed that two Christmases later, we still would not have another little one added to our family. In one sense the sadness of it takes my breath away. In another sense, it makes me treasure my two beloved children even more, and hug them a little tighter, because I realize more fully what an incredible miracle every baby truly is. I reflected on fun traditions we continued this year -- getting our tree and then going to Starbucks together, frosting Christmas cookies with my kids, gradually filling my house with extended family as Christmas Day approached, roasting marshmallows in the fireplace on Christmas Eve, singing Happy Birthday to Jesus on Christmas morning. I reflected on the new traditions started this year -- making a gingerbread house with the kids, making krusciki with my mom, binding a quilt together (Mom, did you know that's a tradition now?!). And then (amidst contorting to look under and between branches to make sure I didn't miss any ornaments, and trying to remember how I wrapped the lights so that I could unwrap them without tangles, and covering the front of my sweater with needles, and dropping a multitude of glass balls and cringing while I waited to see if they'd break on impact), I reflected on the sweet memory of Christmas Eve eleven years ago when Bruce asked me to marry him...wow. And then I paused in the midst of ornament packing and garland removal to admire my sparkling diamond ring in the colorful glow of the tree lights. Not a year goes by that I don't do that very same thing, and somehow I expect to continue that tradition for the rest of my Christmases. The novelty of wearing that diamond solitaire has worn off, I suppose, but I still get a thrill every single day when I look at it on my hand and see it sparkle; and this year has added an anniversary band to commemorate the ten wonderful years we have spent together as husband and wife. With much joy, I reflected on the truth that the preciousness of the man who gave that lovely ring to me deepens with each passing year. My very best Christmas present ever? No question -- the gift of my Savior sent to earth. An eternal gift. My very best here-on-earth Christmas present ever? That one's easy, too -- the gift of my husband...and the beautiful diamond ring he gave me, too. :)

Christmas dinner date

Tonight Bruce and I went to our firm's Christmas dinner at Vinny's. (For those interested, I had a delectable Pear & Arugula Salad with aged goat cheese and cherries and pecans, then filet mignon with shiitake mashed potatoes, then an apple tart with homemade vanilla ice cream... yummmm...we of Polish descent sure like our food!) The kids stayed with a beloved babysitter, so they were happy, too. We rarely get a night-time sitter, so it's always a special treat for all of us!

School year milestone

Bruce pointed out this morning that

we have now completed

one-sixth of our 2008-2009 school year

...wow!

~

(That's one of the reasons I love him so much...

he's always handy for pointing out

random and obtuse -- but very interesting --

facts of life!!! He is my very own and very loveable geek!)

No more water, no more politics...and a straight jacket might be next!

Although I don't have any "real" pictures to spice up this story, I thought I'd share it anyway. Most of my posts are about what happens around here in the daytime, but lately the nights have gotten rather exciting, too. My sleeps-like-a-rock husband has started sleepwalking. Over the last couple of months, he has awakened himself several times by pouring his glass of water on the floor, on himself, and even in the bed. Two nights ago, he woke me up twice by pawing at the blinds, insisting that he was pretty sure he saw something, once by stomping around the bed, and once by repeatedly pushing down on my stomach and muttering about the Republican National Convention. Each time, I told him he was asleep, he tried assuring me he was awake, and after I turned the light on and coaxed a bit, he came back to bed and commenced his sound sleep. New house rules: No bedside water unless it's in a sippy cup. No politics before bed. (No more large ice cream sundaes right before bed, just in case they're contributing.) If that doesn't work, we may have to resort to restraints. And in the meantime, if he should show up on your doorstep in the middle of the night, please call me!

Eleven years ago today...

...Bruce and I headed out as friends

to dinner and a baseball game...

and left as a couple.

It was eleven years ago today that we started dating...

a day that we fondly refer to as our "dating anniversary".

~

I love you, Hon...thanks for that wonderful evening

and for the even more wonderful years that have followed!

I am so thankful to have shared them with you...

Happy 11th dating anniversary!

Florida trip pictures (tenth anniversary)

...for more pictures of the fun our kids had with their grandparents while Bruce and I were away, visit my mom's blog. She did a fantastic job of blogging their adventures so that I wouldn't feel too cut off from my kiddos! (thanks, Mom)

Tenth anniversary celebration - Monday

Our last night at the beach...

Tenth anniversary celebration - Sunday

Yesterday, after a leisurely wake-up time and then 'church' via two John Piper sermons Bruce had downloaded, we headed over to the beach for the day...

Note one of the few ways in which we are opposites. I love the sun...Bruce loves the shade! He was slathered with SPF 50, and I just worked on darkening my shade of brown!!!

I went between sunbathing and bobbing in the Gulf (see me, below?). Eventually, I talked Bruce into trying the water with me, and we had a blast floating together and enjoying the water. It's so lovely, both in color and temperature -- the bottom is ripples of clean white sand, and the water is a translucent greenish-aqua color. Wow! After a couple of hours, we headed back to enjoy low tide in front of our hotel, where we beachcombed and found several gorgeous shells. We went to dinner, visited a little gift shop, then headed back to the beach for sunset...Even though it was hazy, it was still lovely. We finished the day with a slice of pie at a beachside cafe and then another starlit stroll on the beach.

Tenth anniversary celebration - then and now

Our hands on our wedding day in 1998

Our hands now, in the Gulf of Mexico (with my new ring!)

Tenth anniversary celebration - Saturday

Yesterday we had a pretty lowkey day -- we drove down the coast and gawked at all of the beachside homes, strolled through some touristy shops, and then picked up pizza from Gondolier's for dinner and enjoyed it back in our hotel room while we watched TV. Later on we sat out on our balcony for a while to play Boggle and watch the ships and boats come in and out from the Gulf. We were both asleep fairly early, and I slept until 8:45 this morning, which is a big deal for me!

Below is a picture especially for David and Abigail. This pirate ship sails past our hotel regularly. (Do you think there's any treasure on board, kiddos?!)

The next picture is one of Bruce down on the main pool deck, retrieving the Boggle dice that I inadvertently dropped from our fifth-floor balcony. At that point, Bruce decreed that I could be the hourglass-flipper, but HE is now the (permanent) official shaker. :) Any of you who know me can picture this scenario...!

(PS -- I finally added wedding pictures to our anniversary post...see June 27th)