February...it happened.

February is a bit of a blur.  But I know it happened.
So before the morsels of memories I have left are gone completely, I'll try to summarize. 

The main gist of February is that our nephews and niece were staying with us.  And during February, it became our responsibility to determine where they would live.  I won't go into the details here, but lets just say the conversations and decisions were incredibly emotional, and it was a process I would not wish on ANYONE.  So.very.hard.

And during all of that, we celebrated the life of RRL's sweet grandmother when she went Home.  Her death was the culmination of many years of illness after a stroke and we were all thrilled to know she was reaping her eternal reward.  But it is always hard to say goodbye, especially to someone who was such an amazing example, a real pillar of faith, in our family.

In the midst of the difficulties, I want to remember that we had some sweet time with these sweet faces.

We celebrated Valentine's Day with a festive breakfast, a fun craft and a silly face picture.

 

We took all six kids to the science museum (we win the crazy award).

We tackled potty training...and celebrated the victories with a girls' trip to buy a new babydoll.

We had an obstacle course (which was so much fun, it got its very own post!).

And just enjoyed watching our kids love their cousins. 

There were many tears in February.  But there was also much laughter.  I'll remember both.

ABL

Tips and Tricks: Obstacle Course

In the age of pinteresting (can that be a verb?), I'm sure posting Tips and Tricks on an ordinary ole blog is quite pointless.  Who knows?  I've completely steered clear of pinterest.  Here's an easy idea for some serious family fun, requiring little to no prep and zero money spent.  I've posted about this idea before.  But because it is a family favorite around here, I decided to share again. 

And what's fun with two kids surely is MORE fun with six right?

So, here's an update to an old favorite...the Obstacle course.  Make your own stations, inside or outside and let the kids help come up with ideas for "obstacles" using things you find in the house or garage.

Here is ours from a windy February afternoon when there were six munchkins to entertain.

Everyone line up at the start

 And divide into teams of two for completing the course.  On your mark, get set...

 GOOOOOOO.  Down the hill on your riding toy of choice.

FIRST- complete the kick-ball challenge and work together to get the ball in the bucket.

Find number TWO where you and your partner have to scurry through the tunnel.

At number THREE, you will have worked up a sweat- stop for a water break, guarded by baby June and friends.

Watch out for the lava cracks at number FOUR.  Hop, skip and jump over the danger zones.

Then around and around you'll go when you navigate number FIVE- the balance beam around the flower bed. 

 Your almost there, but first you'll have to pull your partner along in Number SIX...the wagon ride.

YOU made it!!  The FINISH is a slam dunk for you!

Whew!  We worked up an appetite in our little challenge. The best part about putting your "course" in the front yard is you attract the attention of neighbors.  A great way to get to know those that live nearby!  Which in our case was a huge VICTORY because one of our favorite neighbors offered to take us to McDs for some post-obstacle-course celebrating! 

A fun afternoon indeed!  Try it at home and let us know about some of your favorite obstacles.

ABL



MMM: Growing Soap

This activity was brought to you by the letter D.

For Uncle D.

Who sent us this super fun link with the idea for this bit of Monday fun.

"Ivory Soap Explosion"

If you try this at home, you have to use IVORY soap.  Something about the air pockets in that soap makes this work.  Other than that, all you need is a microwave.

First, cut the soap into pieces.  The website where we got the instructions recommended quarters.  But we couldn't resist the urge to try more.  The bigger the better we decided!

Put it in the microwave, set the timer for about 90 seconds and watch it start to grow (it probably won't take the whole 90 seconds).

We did it over. and Over.  AND OVER.

and they never got tired of watching it grow.

It was pretty cool to see the before/after difference and feel the light fluffy after product.

I actually don't have pictures of the best part...the after-math-bath. The kids loved breaking off pieces of the soap chunk, floating them in the tub and playing with the soapy mess. They've never been so clean!

What a great Monday. Thanks, Uncle D!

ABL

Celebrating FOUR!

Cbug had a big time celebrating his fourth birthday.  He had several different celebrations and for our number/date-loving-boy it was a little hard for him to understand that they weren't all on January 3rd.  This is the boy that always knows exactly what day of the week it is and what date it is on the calendar and has all of his family member's birthdays and ages memorized.  In fact, when we were at Grammy's house to celebrate she said "do you want to blow out the candles on your birthday cake?" he responded with "But today is January 6th." We all quickly glanced at our watches/phones to check the date.  He was right.  How dare we question?  So we explained that sometimes birthdays get celebrated other days. He pretty quickly recovered from the confusion when there was cake, presents, friends and family involved.

We celebrated with our little team of 5 by giving him his present before school

(which was greatly enhanced by the fact that trash truck came by right as he was going for his first ride.  still one of his very favorite things).

and going to get donuts together.

We celebrated at school.

and we celebrated Cars style (shocking) with friends and family at the playscape. 

Such a fun celebration of our big boy!  Even if it wasn't all on January 3rd.  And if you ask Cbug what he thought about the celebrations...

He'll give it a thumbs up!

We sure love our Cbug.

ABL

RESOLVE

Why do "New Year's Resolutions" get such a terrible rap?
I agree, I find the guy I saw out keeping his New Year's exercise resolution by walking in the park...with his full coffee cup...quite hilarious at times. However, there is something to be said for starting the year with resolve. I've been that half-hearted-park-guy on many of the personal goals I set. But it does seem like a FANTASTIC idea to treat each year as a clean slate, analyze the past to prepare for a better future, commit to things that will be beneficial to yourself, your family and others, etc.
Then again, if you happen to be slightly type A and have an occasionally obsessive/compulsive personality, dreaming up New Year's Resolutions can be dangerous, too. This coming from the person who once read a whole series of books, not even enjoying the first one, just because it was something I had started. So I'll be the first to admit, I can occasionally (cough, cough) take my own great ideas, once intended for fun or for doing good, and carry them to a quite unmanageable extreme.

 Case-in-point: I once had an idea that it would be one of my "New Year's goals" to eat the Dairy Queen Blizzard of the Month. Every month. AND since I only ever eat Blizzards on road trips, our family of 5 would pack up and go on at least one road trip EVERY.SINGLE.MONTH. Does that sound reasonable to anyone else? For some reason it sounded perfectly attainable and like a lot of fun to me when I was standing at the beginning of the year, looking at my clean-slate. I even had grand plans to blog about it. RRL listened sweetly to the idea, said it might be a little extreme, but let me dream away anyway. And dream I did. Until I came back to real life in about February. Lets just say...it did not happen. And really, it was of no consequence.

But there were a few things with slightly more consequence to which I had great "resolve" last year and that I plan to carry forward into this new year. The difference between these goals and the whole Blizzard/Roadtrip fantasy is the foundation. And out of the foundation- the purpose. I've mentioned once (or a hundred) times before, that RRL and I strongly felt the Lord preparing us, well before we stepped into 2011, to be able to walk through a difficult season. One way He did that for me was to propel me into a year of self-discipline. Starting in the fall of 2010, I really started taking a look at areas of my life, my marriage, my family, that needed a little more "resolve". All I really mean by self-discipline is a sincere look at the areas of my life that make it "healthy" and a little more intentionality behind how I treat those areas. Before I even really knew just how important a routine of self-discipline would become for me, the Lord began pressing it firmly on my heart.
Just because it was pressed there, though, does not mean I achieved it perfectly...by any stretch. So, as I start 2012, it is time for a bit of an evaluation. I'm going to share with you my goals for self-discipline this last year and try to be honest about my progress and the 2011 results. And then share some ways I'm going to continue this same journey in 2012, RESOLVED to continue down the path the Lord set before me. Doesn't that sound a little more like what a New Year's Resolution should be about?
I mean, not that the Blizzard of the Month/Family Roadtrip idea isn't still rolling around in the back of my mind, too ;)

There were lots of random goals I set for myself in some key areas (physical health, financial health, family health, spiritual health).  Some may seem a little (or in some cases A LOT) random, but detailing out the reasoning behind each would take forever.  I know because I started this blog by doing just that and even I got bored with it.  Can you believe it?  This is actually the abbreviated version.  You are welcome.
I'd call that a Success
Read and journal Through the book of Nehemiah
Do not purchase drinks when eating out (no Starbucks, no Sonic, no tea at McAllisters or Celebrity, etc)
Complete financial commitment to Greater Things

A Good Effort, with plenty of room to Improve

Be intentional about how I spend time I have alone with RRL

Plan meals for two weeks at a time and grocery shop accordingly

Blog regularly to document good memories for our family

Plan ahead to make time I have at home with the kids more valuable (MMM)

Run/Exercise 3+ times every week

 

Thank Goodness 2012 offers a Fresh Start

Better sleeping habits with regular bedtime and waketime

Make the bed everyday

 

After evaluating these goals and the impact they had on me and our family, here are some things I am "resolved" to work on in 2012:

HOME- make the bed. declutter. retrieve/recover our bedroom.

HEALTH- Have a regular bedtime and waketime. Run. Drink water.

FINANCIAL. Ask and expect that the Lord will present regular opportunities for generosity. make decisions based on what allows for generosity not on what compares with others.

STORIES- share ours.  Listen to others.  Blog.

FAMILY- Guard Monday mornings with my kids.  Regular dates with RRL. Plan ahead for family dinners.  Consistent circle-time at night.

SPIRITUAL- to be honest, I'm not sure the specifics of this one yet.  seems a little backward right?  "Read Nehemiah" was such a clear directive this time last year.  not sure where to go next.  journal through another book?  keep working through Nehemiah? Read through the Bible from the beginning?  I'm not sure.  just being honest.

So there you have it.  A small glimpse into what isn't really a new resolution, but maybe a new boost in my resolve as I start this new year.  Here's to you and your fresh-slate in 2012!  What are some of the ways you are asking the Lord to make this the best year yet?
ABL