If you have been following me for any time at all, you know that I pretty much fail every week to take pictures. This week, though, there are LOTS of them. So, I decided that instead of giving you stories or ministry updates, I will share our week in pictures.
For the fourth week (maybe its only been 3 weeks?!?), we had another Nor’easter come through….Nor’easter #4. Thankfully, my parents got out of town right before it hit. They canceled school on Wednesday (which rarely happens!) and we ended up getting over a foot of snow that day. We had a great time enjoying an unexpected day together and getting to do it playing in the snow and cooking favorite “snow” treats like soup and chocolate chip cookies. Our dear friend Marie even trekked all the way from Brooklyn to join us for some of it. Now we are ready for spring!
Friday, we had staff meeting and a fun team social at a delicious Peruvian restaurant. Then, we headed back to an apartment to play games. Then, Saturday morning, I flew to Raleigh to get to witness the marriage of some friends of ours. It was too expensive for all of us to travel so I took one for the team ;). Because Brynn is now officially weaned, I considered it my I-AM-DONE-NURSING-FOREVER celebration trip. I met my friend Ellen from Boston at the airport, we saw lots of fun friends at the wedding (including our old NC State team who we love), had meals with dear friends, visited our old church, and stayed with a really precious friend of mine. I flew back EARLY this am so Ed could work (there should be a law about waking up before your kids when you don’t have them with you) so it was a whirlwind of a trip, but it was just the breather and refresher this momma needed.
While I was gone, Ed had a bunch of meetings and trainings with our church that he had committed to, so we had to arrange lots of people to help with our kiddos. Thank you Marie and Stephanie and Faddy. It takes a village and you are ours! The weekend I was gone also was the same weekend Ed won 4 free tickets to see Marvel Universe Live so we hired a sitter to stay with Brynn and he drove (thanks for the car loan Doran and Amy!) the other three kiddos to the coliseum. They had a blast seeing the characters and getting all kinds of sweet treats. Thanks to this night, Blake won’t stop karate chopping with his hands and feet all around our house.
Sunday afternoon, Ed broke out the big guns and celebrated the spring and summer that hasn’t arrived by letting the kids watch Moana while sitting on beach towels, under an umbrella, eating popsicles. Seriously, dad of the year award. He sets the bar so high…come on Ed!
Today, after flying in early this am, I made Kinsley’s birthday cake and we celebrated her birthday tonight. Thankfully, she wanted stuffed crust pizza for her birthday dinner, so that made that part of the celebration super easy. She wanted a Shopkins cake and found this one on Pinterest…she said I nailed it…truth be told, it was one of the easiest cakes I have ever made. She opened gifts and then we had to pull her away from everything to get to bed for school tomorrow.
I can’t even believe that tomorrow I will have an 8 year old. She is so compassionate, sensitive, friendly, and such a huge help to me. This girl is a typical first child and her tendencies mirror my own from the rule following to wanting to do well in school to having to have it all planned out. So thankful for her and the ways that the Lord is using her to grow me and teach me so much about him, her, and myself. I love that just this year, you made a decision to follow Jesus and we have seen fruit of that decision in your life. I can’t wait to spend many, many more years loving and being challenged by you and I can’t wait to spend eternity with you in heaven!