15 years ago

I was hoping to get the proposal video edited and uploaded for today, but hasn't happened.

Needless to say, 15 years ago today Scott came into a room of first graders that I was teaching a lesson on LOVE to and asked me to marry him. And I said "what are you doing here? why are you doing this here?" in complete disbelief that he had pulled off the surprise of MY LIFE. (I am SO not easily surprised by anything ever) Of course I said "YES" and the rest is history. :) Sort of...

It was a wonderful proposal, creative, sweet, thoughtful and MORE than I had ever dreamed. My parents walked in the room behind Scott in full support of it all, it was perfect. And the screaming first graders made the day that much more special. And the fact that the local Mpls NBC station caught it all on film for the evening news was even more of a riot.

The video is most classic, and sometime I will figure out how to get it on here for you all to see. A beautiful ring for me, chosen completely by Scott. He didn't believe in "looking at rings" together as that was HIS gift to me, and candy rings for all of the kiddos wrapped by the jewelry store. He missed no detail.... I told him I wanted to get married in April, he told me he didn't believe in engagements ANY longer than 6 months, so we both got what we wanted. He proposed on September 30, 1994 and 6 months later, we were married April 1, 1995.

love you my Love and happy 15 years!

Raising Boys

Some days are easier than others, some days everything seems just as we would have it to be...and then there are afternoons like these. Don't ever allow yourself to believe every day is a perfect picture of a day in our house.

Raising boys isn't easy. We do count it a blessing and a privilege, but not easy. To raise a young boy into a young man who is respectful, hardworking, God fearing, kind hearted, sensitive, sweet, honest and joyful...not an easy task.

We are committed to doing our very best, and to praying every day for our boys and for ourselves to become wiser, more patient, loving and just plain better parents. But easy? Nope..never. Thank goodness we are not alone, God walks alongside us through it ALL.

Kicking baby

This morning both Drew and Jack came in bed with me to snuggle before school and baby was awake at the same time. For the first time both of the boys were able to feel the baby kick and roll around. They were very excited! Jack's face was priceless, his mouth was open wide and his eyes WIDE too. Amazed by it all.

Tommy was a little bit sleepy and climbed in a little bit later but not awake enough to feel baby. Another time...

Tucked in their beds

Boys are home...all tucked in their beds. I think this is one of my very favorite feelings in the world. Having everyone home, in beds, quiet, the wind is blowing outside...Scott even fell asleep laying with Jack. He has driven over 4200 miles in the past 4 weeks, and drove almost 12 hours today, so I am letting him sleep until I go up to bed.

I love my boys...all of them.

Home sweet Home

Pregame outside the stadium....my Brutus shirt looks a bit 3D with my tummy

One of the best parts of the game...the band spelling Script Ohio

We are home, well I should say I am home. Scott dropped me off and then headed north to meet my Dad to get our boys. They should be home in a couple of hours. I can't wait to see them.

We had a terrific weekend. I LOVE being with my Love. I love being in the car and talking, eating out together, staying in a hotel with him, waking up with him, shopping with him...I just LOVE HIM! This week we will celebrate the day we were engaged, September 30, 1994. So 15 years, almost exactly this weekend, we have been officially "together". Of course we did date for 10 months prior to being engaged. But I am being very official. And I LOVE that I fall more in love with him each year, sappy I know, but so very true.

We enjoyed our time, got some Christmas shopping done for the boys, had dinner with our good friends, the Townsleys on Friday night, relaxed before the game on Saturday in the hotel. And then got POURED upon at the game. Shows you how much I LOVE Scott for sitting through that rain. It was a fun game though despite the rain, winning is always fun.

Proof of the RAIN and LOOK I am smiling...and for those of you who don't already know...I REALLY REALLY don't like to be outside in rain. Inside while raining, YES love it. But not in it. So this picture is proof of my love for my hubby.

Refreshed and renewed.

My Buckeye weekend with my Love

Well, it is almost my turn for my Buckeye weekend with my beloved hubby. We are heading out tomorrow when he finishes with some work commitments he has, we are driving this year. :) So lots of bonding time in the car, not sure we will go all the way to Ohio on Thursday. We will get to Columbus for Friday night for sure, the game is on Saturday and we will head back right after the game and stay somewhere enroute home. It will be a quick trip, but regardless we are looking forward to time alone together.

The boys will be home with Miss Emily and her new hubby Ross. This will be the first time we have ever left the boys with anyone but my parents for an overnight. Mom couldn't come due to a High School Reunion she has. Saturday, Ross will drive the boys to MN so they can meet Dad and head to the Vikings game on Sunday with him. Jack is hoping for a lot of Charlie and Alice time as well.

The boys are excited to have time with Emily and Ross, then in MN with cousins and watching the Vikings game...we are excited to have time away. After baby comes it will be awhile.

Sweet baby of Ours

We got to see baby again this morning, this time my parents were with us. They had never seen an ultrasound before so they were amazed by it all. It is pretty amazing even to those of us who have seen one before. :)

Baby was moving a lot today, very busy little thing. Heart rate up to 158 today. Measured at 1 lb and 1 ounce and probably around 11 inches according to the sonographer. Once again, we had the student sonographer we had the last time. :) She is pretty slow even after 4 weeks of practice. But once the real lady came in we were able to see a lot more, heart beating, legs, arms and even the little ones perfect little ear. So SO cute.

Only a couple of pics to take with us, and none were great. May scan one in later. Looks a lot like 4 weeks ago.

We also had an OB appt this afternoon with our regular Dr. He was very pleased with the results of the ultrasound. He says that although the umbilical cord is not attached to an ideal location he doesn't think it will be an issue. We will continue the ultrasounds to be sure all is well and baby is growing properly and getting enough nutrients, but he felt that this would not be a big deal for our little one. So that was wonderful to hear. Please continue to pray that baby is healthy and strong.

Sweet sweet boys

We had the boys regular individual pictures taken later in August by Susan Johnson, who has photographed the boys for the past 4 years I believe. They turned out AWESOME! The boys all know her so well and are themselves when she shoots them. Here are some of my favorites...these are the ones I just ordered.

This is one that Drew and Jack really posed, wanted to stand on these pillars :)

My notes

When I was a little girl I saw that my Dad always left my Mom a note on the counter when he left for work. I didn't realize it at the time but I found a lot of joy, security and comfort out of reading the notes my Dad left for her, I always read them, she left them there all day long. Usually on a sticky note.

When Scott and I were married, and after 2 weeks of a honeymoon we settled into real life in Omaha. And he left for work before I ever did. And it took about a week of marriage at home until I realized I missed reading my Dad's notes to my Mom and that I WANTED to have a note to wake up to every morning as well. Scott had been great about sending cards and notes while we were dating but now we were married. It was one of those early on in marriage conversations we had...I told him, less than a month into it, that I really wanted to wake up to a note from him every morning if he was going to leave before he saw me. And he agreed and said that would be an easy thing to do, and if it was something I wanted and needed he would do it.

So here we are, almost 15 years later, and this was my note from Wednesday. He and Tommy had gotten home late on tuesday and Scott had to be in NE early Wednesday morning...

It has been sitting on the corner of the counter ever since, the boys read the notes their Dad leaves for me and I am guessing there will be 3 young men leaving notes for their wives someday and carrying on the tradition their Dad has done for me, and my Dad did for my Mom.

Love those and save many of them...

P.S. More info on the notes: Many times my Dad would leave me a note on my pillow, or by my bed as I got older and he wasn't there to tuck me in at night. My Mom wrote notes to me often too, always in my lunches for school. I try to remember that with our boys, Drew keeps every note I send in his lunch box so I KNOW that the little things, mean a lot.

Proofs

I received the pics back yesterday of our family pics in Winterset from July. I then realized I never posted the real files on here, just the ones I took of my computer screen. Here are my favorites and the ones that I ordered.

Proverbs 31 devotion for today....great reminder

I Want What She Has

17 Sep 2009

Lysa TerKeurst

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Proverbs14:30 (NIV)

Chances are, if you're like me, you've struggled with comparison and envy.

My house looks great until a friend redecorates. Her clever color combination and crafty restoration abilities have created rooms that look as though they've stepped straight from a magazine. Suddenly my home feels outdated and plain.

My kids seem great until I'm around someone else's who excel in areas my kids struggle in. I see her kids quietly reading books that are well advanced for their age and loving every minute of it. I compare that to mine who would rather have their right arm cut off than to read books that are barely grade level all the while asking me when they can go do something else more exciting. Suddenly I judge myself for not making reading more of a priority when they were younger and feel like a sub-par mom.

Suddenly all that I'm blessed with pales in the face of comparison. I'm blinded from seeing what I do have in the face of what I don't have. My heart is drawn into a place of ungratefulness and assumption. As I assume everything is great for those that possess what I don't, I become less and less thankful for what's mine.

And here's the real kicker… things for the person I'm comparing myself to are almost never what they seem. If there's one thing that living 40 years has taught me, it's that everybody has not-so-great sides to their lives. Whenever I get an idyllic view of someone else's life, I will often say out loud, "I am not equipped to handle what they have, both good and bad."

God has taught me a lot about how to nip a comparison in the bud so it doesn't develop into full blown envy and jealously.

The statement, "I am not equipped to handle what they have, both good and bad," has been one of the greatest realizations God has given me. Every situation has both good and bad. When I want someone else's good, I must realize that I'm also asking for the bad that comes along with it. It's always a package deal. And usually if I'll just give something enough time to unfold I can often be found thanking God that I didn't get someone else's package.

One of the first times I came to understand this truth was in middle school when I met a beautiful girl at the Children's Theater in my town. We were both budding child actors cast in a Christmas play. During rehearsals I can remember seeing her long dancers legs move in ways my stubby limbs never could. Her legs were muscular and lean and graceful. Mine couldn't be described with any of those adjectives.

One day there was an unusual pain in her left leg. And then a doctor's appointment turned into a battery of tests that turned into a hospital stay that turned into a diagnosis. Cancer. A surgery to remove a tumor turned into an amputation turned into a complete life change. Her world became filled with words no child should ever have to know: chemotherapy, prosthetics, hair loss, and walking canes.

As a young girl I was stunned by the whole thing. Especially because I clearly remember night after night after watching her glide across stage, I would ask God for legs exactly like hers.

… not equipped to handle what they have, both good and bad.

I don't want to paint the picture that every good thing someone else has will end with a tragedy. That's not the case. Sometimes others' good things are simply fantastic. But they are fantastic for them - not me.

…not equipped to handle what they have, both good and bad.

Dear Lord, thank You for only entrusting me with what I have and who I am. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

First day of preschool

Found this today while organizing...

One of my favorites of my big brother Mike and me. The first day of preschool at St Albans Preschool. I'm guessing it was 1974? or 75? We would have been 3 and 4? Maybe? Don't we look great? Nap mats in hand ready to go. The outfits came from Mom's favorite store "Chocolate Soup" cute name for a store don't you think?

The boys are back

Scott and Tommy arrived home safely tonight in time for a late dinner, both are tired out but had a great time. A full weekend, 2 rounds of golf, 2 football games, a visit to the farm, the Wayne County Fair...a very busy 5 days away. Loads of memories made...

A few of my favorite pics from their trip. *for some reason I cannot get it to upload any more pics tonight. will try again tomorrow

Playing the Scarlet and Gray course at Ohio State, a first for both of them

(Tommy wanted to match...cute huh?)

At ESPN College Game day in Columbus

Doug and Kathy (Scott's brother and sister) came to the game, Doug lives in Virginia and Kathy in Ohio about 25 minutes from the farm

At the Ohio State vs. USC game

Sunday at the Cleveland Browns stadium watching Farve's first game as a Viking

Tommy already asked if he HAD to go to school tomorrow, our boys are very much alike, when they get home from being away...they want to STAY home. Tomorrow morning should be interesting. And YES he IS going to school. :)

Our baby

I am heading out the door to bible study but wanted to post this picture from last nights open house at school....Drew and Jack were so proud to show me everything. They are loving school. Tommy and Scott are still in Ohio, so they missed it.

In Drew's classroom they have a board where you can write your prayer requests. I found this written on on there. I just about cried, oh how I LOVE that our boys call the baby "OUR BABY" not the baby, not Mommy's baby, not your baby, not Mom and Dad's baby but OUR baby. Priceless little word OUR is to this Mommy.

This baby is a GIFT to us ALL...and the boys get that.

Doesn't surprise me one bit

Just got an email from Mom...cute story I must share, really shows the kind of guy my Dad is...and if you haven't figured it out by now, I adore my Dad.

Tonight Mom and Dad are going to the Twins game in the suite...one of the last in the metrodome, Dad is the chairman of the Sports Commission there. Well my Dad invited the ambulance EMT guys (from northern MN) who helped save his life when he was stung by the hornets a month or so back at the cabin. He invited them to join him in the suite.

Cute part...he told the head ambulance guy, when he called, that he was welcome to bring his wife, or significant other...the guy said I dont' have either but could I bring my brother?

Kind, thoughtful, compassionate man my Dad is. This gesture doesn't surprise me ONE bit.

Missing my boys

We are going on night number 4 apart...Scott and Tommy still in Ohio. Don't get me wrong I KNOW they are having a great time. They have been golfing, to the Ohio State game, to the Browns/Vikings game, to the Wayne County Fair, to the Dalton Dariette. They have seen the Townsleys, Uncle Doug, Aunt Kathy, Grandma and Grandpa Shisler...Cindy the dog. But we are missing them here...

We had a great weekend here. It was fairly quiet. Yesterday Drew went to his football teams game, remember he cannot play due to his mono coming back, but he still likes to go to the games and see his friends and help on the sidelines. Last night we watched a great Ohio State game.

This morning was church and Sunday School. Scott and I are leading a group of 6th grade boys this year, and I am loving it, even without my own 6th grader there or Scott today. It's a great age and I love boys. A fun new curriculum at church too in that age group, I really see the kids enjoying it and loving it. Which says a lot for boys that age I think.

Jack did have his first flag football game today, I forgot my camera but did take this shot on my phone to send to Scott. So cute, mouth guards this year which is very cool according to Drew and Jack. Hence Jack's smile, he insisted on wearing it for the picture so Daddy could see it.

Tonight we had mac n cheese and some pigs in a blanket and snuggled in to watch a movie, one we hadn't seen in forever about a chimp named Jack. The boys loved it and it was a nice quiet end to an easy weekend.

Jack's been trying hard to feel the baby move, but so far he just feels me breathing. But LOVES to talk to the baby, and he and Drew both LOVE to think about what it will be like. (Tommy too but he isn't here) Side note...we had lunch at Jason's deli today after church and there were twin babies probably 8 months sitting by us, and Drew says "Mom every time I see a baby I just can't wait until ours is born. Doesn't it make you just wish January were already here". I LOVE that our boys are so excited to be brothers again...just feel like that is SUCH a gift.

To our boys in Ohio...enjoy your last day there tomorrow, soak it all in. Know we are so happy you are having fun, but that we ALL miss you a lot and can't wait to get you under the same roof as us. xoxo

Jack's Daddy and me trip

Jack and Daddy before the game

with Brutus, not an easy guy to catch

making cookies at the hotel

can you guess what he is eating here?

pool time

Jack on his beloved tractors!

breakfast at one of the favorite spots, Bob Evans

climbing the stairs of the grain bin, a little higher than Mom would prefer

visiting Grandma and Grandpa Shisler on the farm

Seeing Aunt Kathy at the farm

A few of my favorites from Jack's Buckeye weekend last week with Daddy....when I compare to last years pics, not a lot different as far as activities go. Jack loves what he loves, doesn't change. Just a little bit older this year. Love the tradition of it all.