Party Pictures

Had to post a few before I crash for the night…these parties wear this Mama out…in a good way.  I think my FAVORITE part of these is Jack's SMILE.  He is BEAMING in nearly every single one.  This is WHY we do the things we do…all for those smiles.  All for our children to feel extra special for their birthdays…

This is it…enjoy

Thankfulness: Day 17

Today I am thankful for boys.  I truly LOVE being a boy Mom.  I am sitting in my kitchen waiting for an 11th birthday party to begin.  There is a laser tag course set up in our backyard, there is LOTS of camo (I may even be wearing cute camo shoes myself), and guns, glow sticks and inside there is birthday cake, pizza, pop, maybe even a camo garland I whipped up to add a slight bit of girly decor.

I will post pictures later, but as I wait for the party begin I am thankful.  I am thankful to be a Mom.  What a gift.  Let the party begin.

Thankfulness: Day 16

Today I am thankful for my big brother Mike.  I am thankful for so much about him.  Only 12 months apart did NOT make it easy for my parents, especially my Mom.  But being that close in age has brought SO much blessing.

 "sharing breakfast in VA"

 "Playing at Grandma Lu's farm"

 First day of preschool.  

Fishing this summer at the cabin.

I am thankful for the kind of brother he was to me when I was little, he didn't let me get away with much of anything. He called me out on everything.  He was tough and wanted me to be tough.  He didn't appreciate my constant tears.  But yet he was always understanding to me.  Just when I thought we would never get along, we would be best friends.  Every family vacation he and I would bond and play together non stop.  When my first boyfriend broke up with me his response was "hey do you want me to go beat him up"…umm no.  But I loved his protection of me.

I was always so proud to be his little sister at school.  He was such a talented athlete and always such a good friend to so many that I LOVED telling people he was mine.  He was never too cool for me in high school, perhaps in elementary, but after that NEVER.

I loved his reactions to the different boys I dated, and I dated quite a few and quite a few that he was NOT happy about.  He let me know. He had an opinion on EVERY SINGLE ONE!  And he wasn't very good about "faking" that he liked the ones that he didn't.  I KNEW if I didn't date someone that passed his standards he would tell me.   Some of his guidelines I was given for a husband came during  a LONG drive home from my freshman year of college where he and my "then" boyfriend loaded the car up of my dorm stuff.  90 degrees outside, 4 flights of stairs and this is how it looked  10 boxes for Mike= 1 plastic bag for "the boyfriend", 4 pieces of furniture for Mike = 1 6 pack of coke classic carried by the old "BF" and so on…and a dinner out where Mike paid for ALL of us and not by choice.  Hence the 3 hour drive home was a lecture to me about boys, dating and marriage.

Some of Mike's guidelines for marriage
1. He opens doors
2. He ALWAYS pays for stuff.
3. He is LOYAL to his team, whether they win or lose, STICKS with his team.
4. He is ALWAYS respectful to you.  NO excuses.
5. He is NOT a pretty boy.

I love his heart, he has one of the biggest hearts around.  He would give someone the shirt of his back without any thought.  He is just that kind of guy.  After I was home with baby Max, 5 days in the hospital, 2 blood transfusions later…he came down for a day, my Mom had left, Scott really needed to get to a meeting…and so Mike drove down here to take care of me and help me with Max, took a day off of work to take care of his baby sister and her baby.  What a guy huh?

Today he is driving his oldest son Charlie, down to Ames so that I can meet him there and Charlie can come to Jack's birthday party that's tomorrow.  What a guy huh?  That's a long drive, and tomorrow we will meet him part way back with Charlie after the party.  When I thought it was too complicated to make it all work, he just offered to drive farther.  He is SO good to his family, and always has been so good to me.  I am so thankful for you Mike.  I love you.

Thankfulness: Day 15

I love clean.  I mean I really LOVE order, clean, organization….I love it to a fault I think sometimes.  I crave it, I find rest in it.  Weird I know, but very true.  I sleep better when things are clean.  No joke.

For those of you that have read the "5 Love Languages" books, I have determined there is a 6th Love Language.  I am calling it the "Act of Organization and Cleaning".  I honestly feel so LOVED when my Love, or our boys, clean something, or organize something.  It obviously doesn't mean the same when I have to harp on them, or get frustrated to the point they do it just to keep me happy.  But when they clean something ON their own, AND do it well,  it makes my heart smile.

When my Dad comes to take care of the boys, with my Mom, typically he "surprises" me with cleaning my car (I mean REALLY cleaning it, think Mister Car Wash) and filling it with gas.  I LOVE that, it makes me feel so loved.

Scott cleaned the garage this week, AND changed light bulbs without my even pointing them out…and the house is clean at this moment AND I got my car washed yesterday too.  So today I am thankful for a clean house, a clean garage and a clean car.  

Thankfulness: Day 14

Thankful for the honor Drew received yesterday at the Des Moines Optimist club luncheon.  He was elected by his teachers and staff at school to receive this award.  Each Junior High in Des Moines nominates a boy and a girl, one of each from Jr High and one of each from High School.  Drew was chosen from Des Moines Christian, as the Jr high boy.

We received the following note from the school counselor a couple of weeks ago,

Each year several of the area Optimists clubs sponsor a youth appreciation luncheon and ask area schools to nominate 2 JH and 2 SH students to represent their student body.  I always ask our teachers for their nominees.  This year Daniel Hawley, Abby Hart, Greta Larson and Drew Shisler are our nominees.  These are students are are friendly, helpful and concerned about their school, community and others.

The 4 kids from DMCS, were taken to a special lunch yesterday hosted by Optimist International.  Scott attended as well as some other parents. He snapped pictures, shocking I know.

The plaque the kids are holding in this picture says

"In recognition of upholding the dignity of youth, for showing sincere devotion to the welfare of others and for generous and unselfish contributions to society,

 Drew Shisler

 is hereby commended on behalf of the Optimists Clubs of the Des Moines metro area. "

Proud of Drew, the kind of young man he is becoming.  What a fun honor. 

Thankfulness: Day 13

Today I am thankful for good health.  I am thankful for good Dr. appointments, healthy children, healthy parents and siblings.  I am thankful for the medical options we have in our country.  I am grateful for a God who can heal and always heals one way or another.  

I am thinking of a friend who is headed in the car right now to see her Dad, her very sick Dad.  She is bringing her sons to say goodbye to him.  I am grateful they are getting this opportunity.  I am thankful for the promise of eternity for those who believe.  

I am thinking of another friend who has a baby girl who was just fitted with hearing aids at 6 weeks old, who is watching her daughter experience sound for the first time.  How often I take hearing for granted, and even complain about the noise in our house. 

I am thinking of another friend who is sitting in the hospital right now while her Mom is in surgery to see what part of the cancer brain tumor they can remove.  Can they remove any?  What will her prognosis be?  This same friend who only 4 years ago sat while her own daughter had a brain tumor removed and is now healthy and fine.  So much for one person to handle.  

I am thinking of another dear friend who is headed to Mayo later this week, in the hopes that there will be answers to ongoing health stuff she has going on.  I am thankful for places like Mayo Clinic and for the Dr's who study and work so hard to research and to help people.  

I am grateful to be healthy right now, for only God knows what tomorrow will bring.

Thankfulness: Day 12

I am thankful today for photography, for the joy it brings me.  I have always loved photos, I had my bedroom covered in them from Junior high-college, now our home is full of them.  I started scrapbooking photos LONG before Creative Memories had the ideas.  

What I love MOST about a photo is the emotion it brings me, the memory that it brings back.  I love that it can capture that one moment in time.  MOST of my favorite photos are not the posed ones, but are the ones that capture raw emotion.  

I love that our home is filled with them, I love taking photographs, I love making our boys digital books, I love looking back at photos and reminiscing.  It never gets old to me.  

One of my recent favorites…after finishing up family photos in South Dakota…kids running…Drew leaping, Dad clapping, Ariana on her phone, Jack about to run into me…Just love this memory. 

Thankfulness: Day 11

When we were in Costa Rica one of our team members, my friend Kim, who also goes to our church with us, decided it would be nice if we would sing worship songs on the way to the Orphanage.  It was one of those things that sounded like an okay idea…and it ended up being much more to all of us.

As the days would go on I would hear random people on our team humming this song in particular  "10,000 Reasons" or sometimes called "Bless the Lord Oh my Soul".  It somewhat became a theme song to our trip.  When I made a video to share our trip at church and at school it was the very first song I put on there.  

My friend Makila posted this version of the song on her blog today.  I loved it.  It takes me right back to riding that bus to Limon.  I am so thankful for this trip, for music and how God uses it in our lives.  Missing those kiddos tonight. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPI_DIqICP0&feature=youtu.be

Thankfulness: Day 10

Today I am thankful for my Dad.  I don't know many girls who are as blessed as I am to have a Dad like I have.  He has been, and continues to be one of my favorite people on this earth.  I can ALWAYS count on him, and ALWAYS have.  He is the guy who prayed with me at bedtime, sat on the edge of my bed and listened to my tears, told me the "real" stuff about boys and what to look for, always told me I was beautiful and special and always believed in me and my dreams.  He was my protector and I always knew that I could count on him.  

I don't take it for granted that I have this amazing relationship with him.  I don't take it for granted that he is always just a phone call away….  He is a man of great integrity, he loves like no one I know and he has one of the biggest hearts around. 

My very first love…