~five~

A certain little man in our house has been counting down the sleeps until this big day! 

It finally arrived!

He's a full hand now.

He used to be a hand full, but not anymore.

No more tricky finger-holding-down when someone asks him how old he is. Now all he has to do is hold up his entire hand. It's kind of a big deal.

He's kind of a big deal. This guy is my daily reminder that I really don't know what is best for my life. We had our plans all made and then God decided He had something else in mind for us. Someone else in mind....

2008

He was born big...and asleep. He was the biggest baby in the NICU. The nurses didn't quite know what to do with such a chunk. He had more rolls than the Golden Corral on a Sunday afternoon.

2009

Age 1: Still a chunk, but so much fun! He spends his days keeping up with big brother and keeping Mom on her toes. His favorite past time: dumping boxes of cereal on the kitchen floor. Then laying down in it to eat. He loves tractors and food and balls and food. And when he holds still long enough he likes to snuggle.

2010

Age 2: Speech therapy was a big part of our lives around this time. We did lots of sign language and lots of praying. Many nights I prayed that God would cause his mouth to work so that one day he would use his words to do great things for the Kingdom. I still remember the morning I walked into his room (after a night of tossing and turning feeling like God wasn't hearing my prayers over other matters) and he greeted me with a boisterous "Mama! Mama!" He reminded me that God definitely does hear our prayers and answers in His perfect timing.

2011

Age 3: Everyday our living room floor is turned into the Island of Sodor. 

Every. Single. Day. 

Ty loves Thomas the Train. And love may not be strong enough of a word. 

2012

Age 4: Can you say Mr. Personality? The boy who took forever to talk now takes forever to be quiet (not that I'm complaining). He's using words like "actually" and "apparently" often and correctly. He even taught himself to ride a bike without training wheels. He loves RescueBots and playing in his sandbox. He's the most affectionate out of all 3 kids and still isn't afraid to kiss me in public. 

2013

Age 5: He loves telling jokes and laughing at them too. He adores his Daddy and likes to mimic him whenever possible. All grown up and ready to go to Kindergarten. He doesn't understand why he has to wait until summer is over. All along everyone kept saying you can't go to Kindergarten until you're 5 years old. Well, now he's 5 and he's ready to go. Mom? She's not so sure if she's ready yet. 

Happy Birthday, Tyson Hunt!

I'm so glad God chose me to be your Mama. I can't even begin to imagine what my life would be like without you. You have an enthusiasm and energy for life that I wish I could tap in to. Your laugh is contagious and your smile melts my heart. I love that you are not afraid to do your own thing. That shows me that you have great potential to be a strong leader. My prayer for you is that you would lead others in a compassionate way that takes them right to our Savior. 

I love you, Ty Guy!

~Mommy

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 46

(so much for posting twice a day)

A Gift in Losing, Finding, Making Something

1. A Gift in Losing
2.5 years ago when we were looking to by a house, we "lost" what I thought was the right house for us. We placed a bid and the bid was rejected. No counter offer. Just a big fat "NO".
Turns out, we didn't really lose it at all. It's just not where God wanted us.
I'm glad He always knows best.

2. A Gift in Finding
I found a new pair of running shoes (my favorite brand....Brooks) on sale. Regular price $95. My price $59.

3. A Gift in Making Something
It is a true gift when I make a new recipe at our house (or even an old one) that everyone like to eat. You know the ones -
"Wow, Mom. This is so good."
"Can we have this every night?"
"This is my favorite."
And all the plates are clean. And all the bellies are full.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 45

(My lack of posting has gotten way out of hand! It's time to get back on the joy horse. I will post at least twice a day until I can catch back up.
Okay, I will try and post at least twice a day until I can catch back up.)

3 Ways You Feel the Love of God

1. His pursuit of me. Even when I don't pursue Him or don't feel worthy of being pursued....He still pursues me.

2. My church. There is never a Sunday morning that I wake up wishing that I didn't have to go to church. Our church family, our pastor and the abilities that God has given me to serve my church family definitely are proof of God's love.

3. He answers my prayers. Not always when I want, not always the way that I want. But always when I need and how I need. He's so smart.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 44

3 Gifts Behind a Door

I kept things pretty generic and simple.
But generic and simple gifts shouldn't be overlooked because they're generic and simple, right?

1. The food we have behind our refrigerator door.
We are never hungry. Honestly we probably eat too much and throw away too many leftovers.

2. 2 working vehicles behind our garage door.
They may be old and have lots of miles, but they work and are paid off.
The garage door is a huge gift too! So thankful that we have a 2 car garage and I don't have to scrape my windows every morning in the winter!

3. The clothes and shoes behind our closet doors.
I don't think that needs any explanation.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 43

3 Hard Eucharisteos

I had a hard time coming up with 3 of these because our lives have by no means been hard. We haven't suffered great loss or heartbreak. We are healthy and provided for and happy. Our kids are cute and fun and smart and my husband loves his job. There are times we have struggled and wondered and cried about things. So from those moments I choose my 3 "Hard" Eucharisteos recognizing that by many other's standards these would not be considered "hard" at all.

1. The 3 year long wait to sell our house.
This could be a whole post in and of itself. But for right now I'll keep in short.
3 years is a wholeheckuva long time to wait. It was definitely hard. Feeling like God was silent, or ignoring, or indifferent was hard. But thankfully we know that He was none of those things. We might not have heard Him because our ears weren't tuned in to Him correctly.
But He was definitely working.
And molding.
And teaching.
And pruning.
And moving.
Thank God for the 3 year lesson.

2. Anna's bully incident
Yet another story that could be longer. And I promise to write about this one in length later because it is just too good of a blessing not to share.
Anna was recently bullied at school. And while in the moment it was hard, to see how God worked in her and through her was nothing less than amazing.
God is SO very good to us.

3. Ty's arrival
The week long stay in the hospital at 33.5 weeks followed by a week of bedrest at home only to have to schedule an induction 5 weeks later to encourage his birth.
The unexpected (short) stay in the NICU for our 9 lb. 11 oz. chunker because he was born asleep (dangerously low blood sugar).
The immediate signs of reflux at only a few hours old.
The Upper GI to officially diagnose the reflux (where the radiologist said he had never seen a baby reflux that quickly) and then the various combination of meds until we could find the right one that afforded the poor baby a restful nights sleep.
I was one tired and emotional Mama, but praising God for my sweet boy.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 42

3 Gifts in Working

Because I have 3 "jobs" I thought I'd pick one gift from each of them.

1. Using my college degree
Honestly, when I got my bachelor's degree I chose it because it was the fastest course for me to complete. I was working full time and had an idea that we were about to start a family. I didn't want to be in school for another 3-4 years (I had already done 2 years for my associates degree) so I chose the adult program degree completion program. I could put most of my credits toward a B.S. in Organizational Management and be done in 18 months. 6 months into the program I was glad I chose that option when I found out my first baby would arrive 3 months before I was done.
I always wondered what I would do with an Organizational Management degree.
Thankfully God knew and He had a plan all along.
Although I only work 5-10 hours per week, that degree prepared me for my job with The Crossing. It's exciting to use what I've learned and enjoy doing it.

2. Creativity that pays
About a year and a half ago I started dabbling in a little bit of graphic design. It was more for myself than anything. But as I created more, persistent family members encouraged me to open up a shop on etsy.com to try and sell what I made. It was simple enough to do so I did. And thankfully so as my little side job brings in some extra cash each month.

3. Lunch with my kids
Because I work from home and at home, I have the flexibility to go in and have lunch with my kids on occasion. I really enjoy getting to know my kids' friends and watching them interact. It is a gift to have the ability to do this.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 41

3 Times You Heard Laughter Today

1. In my Sunday School class
I teach the PreK/K class at church every Sunday. Typically my class is made up of 4 boys. What a joy. I love hearing their laughter as they play together!

2. During Church
Our church is blessed with a wonderful pastor/teacher. He teaches straight from the Word. Currently he is doing a series on the book of Romans. It never fails that he will make us laugh every Sunday morning. And always more than once.

3. In our Small Group
We started a new small group tonight. We host it in our home. I really enjoy having people over and especially this time since we have 4 new people in our group that I've never gotten a chance to hang out with. I knew our group was a good mix when there was plenty of laughter tonight. What a blessing.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 40

3 Surprise Gifts - Unexpected Grace!

1. Unexpected Guests at Zane's Basketball game
Zane had quite the cheering section at his basketball game today. Family was in town for his birthday part so they were there to support him. The some friends from church showed up to cheer him on as well. He felt pretty special!

2. Love poured out on the Birthday Boy
Today at Zane's birthday he was blessed with exactly what he wanted! He has been saving his $ for a while to be able to buy his own iPod touch. Today his grandparents and aunts and uncles delivered and he got the rest of the $ he needed for his iPod. He is one excited little boy. And as a parent it is definitely a gift to see your child so happy!

3. Painted fingernails!
The fact that I have fingernails long enough to actually paint is probably a surprise to most people who know me. Today my sister-in-law brought some awesome gray fingernail polish so I had to try it! Who doesn't like gray?

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 39

A Gift Broken, Fixed, Thrifted

A Gift Broken
We have an ice maker in our freezer that doesn't make ice. It isn't exactly broken, there's just no water line to our fridge that we can hook it up to. It's one of those luxury things that we just haven't gotten around to taking care of 2+ years after we've moved here. It will definitely be a gift when we can get it working again!

A Gift Fixed
It's a stretch to call this one "fixed" but it's definitely a gift that I figured out how to clean my microfiber couch. We got a dark colored couch to help hide the stains that inevitably come with 3 children. What I didn't expect was the water juice rings that kept showing up. But thanks to Pinterest I discovered spraying the cushions with rubbing alcohol and rubbing with a sponge was the perfect way to make them look new again!

A Gift Thrifted
I purchased this lovely lady from a local thrift store a few years ago. Only when I acquired her she was a lovely shade of yellowish gold. My husband looked at me like I was crazy when I brought her home. But I had a vision for her and looked like this:

She's the favorite chair in our house now. So. comfortable.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 38

A Gift at 11:30, 2:30, 6:30

1. A Gift at 11:30
Thursday I got to go watch Anna participate in the City Wide Spelling Bee. Back in December she won the Spelling Bee for the entire 5th grade at her school so she represented her school at the City Bee. The school corporation has 10 middle schools and each school sent 4 kids. She made it to the 3rd round. Shortly after she got out they started giving words that I had never heard before.
At 11:30 I was proud to be walking out of that Spelling Bee with my daughter.

2. A Gift at 2:30
This is the time each day that the school bus drops Zane off. It is definitely a gift to have him walk in the door each afternoon.

3. A Gift at 6:30
My parents came to watch Anna play in her first Varsity Basketball game. Afterwards they came to our house and we had dinner together. It was a gift to have them at her game and a gift to have them sitting at my dining room table.

~eight~

This weekend we've been celebrating our middle child.
He had his first ever friend party last night. We invited 8 of his friends from school thinking that maybe only 5 would attend.
All. 8. Came.
So counting my 2 we had 10 cats to herd crazy boys to corral.
Now I know why birthdays only come around once a year.

The truth is, it was pretty special for this momma to watch how other kids really truly adore my son. He has some great friends and from the sound of it, he's a pretty great friend himself.

So tonight I pay tribute to my boy. Hard to believe that it has been 8 years since he greeted me (2 weeks early) like this:

2005

He came out screaming and has been just as passionate ever since!

2006

Age 1: This is when his ~4 year long obsession with wheels began. He loved anything with wheels and would just watch them spin. Soon after this we found a steering wheel at a garage sale that he carried around everywhere. After that broke (from normal wear and tear) he carried a Wii wheel EVERYWHERE. It was like an extra appendage. 

2007

Age 2: This is when his personality started to develop and he realized that he could make his sister laugh. My favorite memory from this age is when he learned to sing "Folsom Prison" by Johnny Cash.  The video still makes me laugh.

2008

Age 3: Remember that passionate attitude I talked about? This was the year of John Deere. He really wanted a John Deere cake but had this reaction when he realized I put his tractor on it. This was also the year we were in the throes of food allergies. About 2 months before this picture was taken we found out he had multiple food allergies. Big life change for all of us!

2009

Age 4: He has always been such a great big brother. I have truly loved watching my boys grow up together and see their friendship develop.

2010

Age 5: It was about this time his obsession with Mario began. You may remember my post about his undying affection for Princess Peach? I'm telling you, when this kid latches on to something he is intense!

2011

Age 6: In school now and growing faster than ever! The kid who at one point didn't want to have anything to do with learning is now reading and loving math. This year we struggled with some anxiety, but he persevered and filled his "tool box" with coping skills.

2012

Age 7: This year's obsession has been sharks. He knew everything about sharks. The biggest, the fastest, the meanest, the nicest. When we went to the aquarium in Epcot he impressed one of the curators because he could answer all of her questions and then tried to teach her stuff. Shortly after this picture was taken he because extremely interested in basketball and the sharks became extinct.

2013

Age 8: And this year we have Mr. Basketball. He could talk your ear off (and then some) if you would let him. Player names, numbers and stats. And he can play the game just as well as he talks it. Every day he shoots hoops. If it's warm enough he's out in the driveway. If it's too cold he shoots on his homemade court in the basement or the mini hoop hanging on the back of the front door. A bouncing basketball can be heard in our house whenever he is home.

But I wouldn't want it any other way.

Happy Birthday, Zane!

Your relentless enthusiasm for the things you enjoy is such a wonderful thing. I am so proud of the way you study and learn about the things you love. My prayer is that one day you will take your passionate spirit and do great things for the Kingdom of God. You are such an amazing boy and I love you bunches!

Love, Mom

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 37

3 Gifts Found Outside

1. The light of dawn
It's finally starting to get light outside when I drive Anna to school.
I love the promise of day as she begins her day.
A light to shine on her as she lets her light shine.

2. A snowblower
Truth is I don't use this gift that much. And sometimes it doesn't do so well on the heavy stuff. But it does come in handy for Tony sometimes.

3. My garden
Right now this gift is covered in about a foot of snow. But in the spring and summer it's one of my favorite places to be. I'm already dreaming of what to plant this year.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 36

A Gift Stitched, Hammered, Woven

1. A Gift Stitched
Zane has needed a new winter coat all winter. The sleeves on his current one are too short and it has a hole in it. I've been looking for a new one, but either the ones I find are too expensive or the ones that aren't don't have any left in his size.
But good things come to those who wait.
Last night a friend/cousin blessed Zane with a "new" coat. What could be a better than a hand-me-down coat from him favorite teenager?
A gift indeed.

2. A Gift Hammered
There are lots of things that have been hammered in my house. Some on purpose. Some not.
Just the other day Ty took a hammer to the piano bench. It was a toy hammer, but still did some damage.
He's a strong kid.
But for my real gift hammered {I'm not even sure if he used a hammer on it.}
My dad made Anna a nightstand for her birthday. She's been asking for one for almost a year now. I suppose it makes her feel all grown up?
Well she got one. My dad made it and my mama painted it.
Even if no one used a hammer, it's still a gift.

3. A Gift Woven
13 years ago when Tony and I got married, my Great Aunt gave us this afghan that she made for us. At the time it didn't match anything in our home. We kept it around and I'm so glad we did. Because now it matches my living room perfectly.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 35

3 Gifts Found When Bent Down

1. Hugs
I love when I get hugs from my kids. To get them from my boys I either have to sit down or bend down. Anna's getting so tall I can stand up straight for her hugs.

2. Legos
The boys usually like to drag the buckets of Legos into the living room to play. I suppose the gift in bending over is finding the leftover Legos that are hiding in the carpet so I don't step on them when I am unaware. Legos really are a gift though. Countless hours of creating and playing with my boys have been logged because of them.

3. Humility
On Monday mornings I go to Leadership Training Circle for BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) we begin every session with prayer.
On our knees.
There is humility in bending down on my knees before God.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 34

3 Gifts Found in Writing

I felt like this day could be interpreted more than one way.
3 gifts found when I write
OR
3 gifts found when I read what someone else writes
Handwriting or printed?
So. Many. Questions.
So. Much. Writing.

1. Hand written notes from my kids.
Anna writes them most often.
Zane usually draws me something to do with basketball.
Ty usually draws pictures of me and him together.
I suppose 2 of those technically aren't writing....I'm taking liberties here.

2. Truths of Scripture
I'm thankful to God for writing the Bible.
It is truly a gift

3. Sunday School Curriculum
I teach the Pre-K Sunday School class at church. I'm so thankful for the gift of those who write the curriculum I use. It allows me to teach the truths of Scripture in a way that my kids can grasp.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 33

3 Gifts on Paper

1. CPR/First Aid Certification
Today I was blessed to receive free CPR and First Aid Certification. It was a 3.5 hour class, but I feel blessed to have received the instructions and even AED training.
I had to go through the certification as part of my training to be a coach for Girls On The Run. I am very excited to be a part of this organization and have a positive impact on the girls in our community!

2. Coupons to Krispy Kreme
Does this need any explanation?

3. Season tickets to Bethel Basketball
Someone gave us a pair of season tickets this year. This afforded a few daddy/daughter dates for Tony and Anna.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 32

3 Gifts Red

1. I'm stealing this idea from a friend:

I like my red gift filled with unsweetened ice tea, please. 

2. Netflix

We don't have any sort of fancy cable in our house. It's just to darn expensive. We get the basics that somehow come "free" with our internet service. Ssshhhh....don't tell Comcast.

But we love us some Netflix! 

3. Cherry pie

I don't like cherries or cherry flavor. 

Except I really like this cherry pie.

Anna picked cherry pie instead of birthday cake this year.

I ate too much.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 31

A Gift on Paper, In a Person, In a Picture

1. A Gift on Paper
I met a friend for lunch today and she brought a me a bouquet of yellow daisies in a beautiful vase. Along with it was a nice note expressing appreciation of our friendship.
A gift in a vase and on paper.

2. In a Person
Anna had her first basketball game tonight.
Zane was there watching the game and cheering for his sister....even after confessing his distaste of watching "women's basketball" (He must get that from his father.)

3. In a Picture

This picture is just a reminder of the gift that I received in going to Ireland.

With my husband.

I've always wanted to see Giant's Causeway and on this trip I got to see it and so much more. 

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 30

3 Old Things Seen New

1. Our backyard playset
It's not getting much action these days seeing that it's covered in about 8 inches of snow. But our wooden playset was old to someone else who didn't really want it in their backyard then it became new to us when they passed it along.

2. Grape Laffy Taffy rope

I used to eat these things all the time in high school. After school and before track practice we would often go to the town gas station (Jason's Pantry) and I would buy a few. 

You don't see grape LaffyTaffy that often anymore. But I found these at Meijer today.

3. 

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 29

A Song Heard, A Soft Word, Light Seen

A Song Heard
Tony and I recently discovered a new band.
Rend Collective Experiment
{bonus: they're Irish}
Listening to their new album today was definitely a gift. But these guys do a version of my absolute favorite hymn, so that's the one I chose.
Take a listen here:

A Soft Word
Hmmmm.....I can't say I hear too many of those around our house.
Unless it's when one of the boys whispers the word "fart."
But, I have to say that whenever Ty says the words "Mom, wanna snuggle" I definitely get all soft inside. And thankfully he still utters those words on a regular basis.
He's a heart melter.

A Light Seen
The lightbulbs on my microhood (I think that's the technical term for the microwave that hangs above the stovetop) have been burnt out for almost a year now.
Cooking dinner can get a little dark, especially in the winter. But for the life of me I could not find the specialty lightbulbs that fit the darned thing.
But thanks to our Handyman friend who can't help but step in and help out when he sees a need. He tracked down those not so typical lightbulbs and delivered them to me.
Let there be light!