It's My Birthiversary!

November is a big month for me -- it's my birthday month (it's my first 39th birthday this year!) ;-), and it's my anniversary month with Rodan+Fields.

This business changed EVERYTHING for me....not only our finances, but my friendships, my sense of purpose and wholeness, my family's dynamic, and my skin.  I'm a new person since this business, and I'm so thankful for this blessing in my life.

All that to say....I FEEL LIKE CELEBRATING! 



In other news, I'm feeling so blessed and loved.  All joking about aging aside, I love having my birthday.  And I really don't mind aging at all.....would I rather be here and now with my wonderful kiddos and a full, happy life?....or 5, 10, 15 years ago with my younger bod?  It's a no-brainer.

My birthday was filled with phone calls from loved ones, hugs and kisses and crayon drawings from my kiddos, and a general feeling of...

I'm alive
On purpose
I LOVE this!

Life is good, friends.  It's not perfect.  It's not tidy.  But, it is good, and I'm so happy to be here!

I'm not the only one with a recent birthday though.  Remember that tiny little bundle who kept me hopping when I started this blog?

He just turned FIVE!

I am head over heels in love with this little boy, and I take every possible opportunity to hold his little hand in mine and to kiss his soft cheeks.

He is the very definition of "little boy"....loud, rambunctious, messy, funny, exhausting....and I wouldn't have him any other way.

He has the craziest ability to stop, drop, and sleep wherever he is:

And he just generally spreads joy and smiles everywhere he goes!  I can't imagine life without my Tommy!

We had a fun little party for him.  Let's see if I can get some YouTube videos linked up here:



I love you, Thomas!  You're extraordinary and wonderful!!

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Can't Keep Up!

I have the happy problem of having so many fun and wonderful things going on in my life that I simply can not document them all.  I know, you feel terrible for me, don't you? ;-)

Let's seee....First and foremost, we have a very full house right now!  My husband's brother and his family moved in with us.  Yes....moved IN.  They're going to be here for about 6 months while they purchase a piece of land and build a house.  Thankfully, I love them to bits, our kids love each other, and we have a big house!  They've been here about a month now, and I'm loving it.

Sorry for so many blurry pictures.  I've definitely gone over to the dark side....it's just so much easier to shoot a quick photo with my phone than it is to lug my big camera around, then transfer everything!  Just another reason I really want that new phone....better camera resolution. Here are some snapshots of life at our house lately....notice the love busting through every picture :-)

Nick and Esther

Sammy with Stella

Thomas and Milo - good buddies

Thomas's 5th birthday (!!) was extra fun with family to celebrate with us

Cracking up!

And YESTERDAY....a new little addition....Meet Sadie Lynn:

So this is who's living at our house right now:
4 adults
7 kids ages: 10,9,6,5,5,3,one day

W.O.W. :-)

Let's see....what else?

My kids are all doing wonderful.  Ben has started the cello, which I'm loving.  Here's a video of him tinkering around even before lessons began:





Ben, Clara, and Sammy are all excellent students -- learning and growing and just happy busy little people.  I'm so proud of them all!

Thomas -- my baby -- turned FIVE!  Unreal!

We had a wonderful time celebrating our spunky little joyful man!  First, we had a celebration with his friends....homemade power ranger pinata, cupcakes, gifts, and games.

My Luke is such an amazing Daddy -- eternally patient and always
looking for fun things to do with the kids :-)

 

Movin' on up from the scoot bike to a big boy bike with pedals!

  

Then, on the actual day of his birthday (which is a school and work day for the rest of our family), Thomas and I had a sweet day of fun and snuggles.  We spent 3 hours building a Lego space shuttle in the morning (I love that he still has his chubby little baby boy fingers and cheeks):

Then we met Daddy at McDonald's for lunch....of course, as always, the box is the best part:

And then we went to the Boise Aquarium for an afternoon of petting sharks and "oohing" and "ahhing" over all the amazing creatures we saw:

This little boy of mine is such an incredible joy.  I sincerely don't think there's been a day since he's been on this earth that I haven't smiled and/or laughed out loud.  He's busy, joyful, affectionate, smart, and thoughtful.  Thomas.....I love you to bits, and I'm so very proud of you!!

A snapshot of my Thomas as a 5 year old:

See why I'm always smiling? :-)

Whew....this has been a marathon post....and I've barely caught up!  'Till another day...

If you'd like to be in touch with me on more of a regular basis, Facebook is where I'm at most days.  You can find my personal page here:  Daiquiri Facebook

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Clara Rose {Eight!}

It just doesn't seem that long ago that my little Clara Rose was toddling around the front yard with the sunshine making her little pig-tails shimmer in it's warm light....

And now she's EIGHT.  She plays basketball.  She reads.  She takes showers instead of bubble baths.  We share socks...what is this time warp I'm stuck in?!

Someday, my kids will start wondering "who am I?" and "what am I supposed to be doing with my life?". I love to document their passions as children, because I want them to remember these things that make up the fabric of their lives.  

So, Clara, at eight years old you love....

Playing basketball:

Basketball was such a fun part of my childhood too - I played from 3rd to 11th grade.  This is the photo from my first year of bb - can you pick me out??

(I'm #5)

Well, you don't really LOVE homework, but you've sure become a hard worker!  I'm  proud to see you studying so hard...reading...doing math...making friends.  You're wonderful!  Do you remember this project, Sweetie?  You were "Star of the Week" in Mrs. Gottesman's class, and you had to make a diorama of a scene from one of your favorite books.  You made quite the "Pink Room" from Pinkalicious!

Another part of you that I'm so very proud of is your tender nurturing side.  You are quite the little mommy!  You love to help, encourage, and frankly...boss people around (I suppose just like your mommy)!  You have a tender heart that is often masked by your bold and enthusiastic side, but I see you, little girl!  I see your love and gentleness.  You take such good care of the people (and animals) in your life, and I love that about you.

As is our family tradition around here, we celebrated your birthday over the course of about a week.  There was the local Grandmas and Grandpas, the Wisconsin Grandparents, our little family, and your friends.  It was quite the event!

You were blessed with some wonderful gifts, like a new speaker set for the iPod you saved up for this year and a gorgeous hand-crafted pen from Grandpa:

Thomas just wasn't interested in a nice picture for your birthday.  That's okay - this is a better representation of our lives right now anyway!

 Instead of the traditional party we've always had, you opted for the big-girl party this year.  We had 4 of your favorite friends over, and I drove you girls to see "Megamind" at the theater.  Then we came back to the house for some more fun.  It was nice outside, so you girls spent a couple of hours running around the back yard:

And instead of cake, we did rice-krispy sculptures instead!  I scooped a big lump of warm and gooey treat on your plate, and you all made your own creations.

Well, most of you did, anyway.  *Some* of you just piled it straight into his mouth.

Sammy's flower:

When you learned that we'd be decorating with frosting and sprinkles later, you wisely made a "cave" that would obviously be filled with chocolate frosting ;-)  That's my girl!

And then the gifts...such generous friends!

And for dinner, it was Daddy's famous pizza.  He put on quite the show for you, and you each got to top your own pizza :-)

And then...the fun of decorating and eating your yummy sculptures!

My Dear, Sweet, Crazy Girl,


I'm crazy about you, Sweetie.  I love your spunk.  I love your courage.  I love your strong hugs and tender kisses.  I hope you know as clearly as Daddy and I do that the world is at your feet.  You have a big heart, big dreams, and an even bigger God...the sky is the limit!  


Whatever you decide to pursue in life, I'm behind you 100%.  Daddy and I are your biggest fans, and we're so very proud of you.  


Many hugs, kisses, and all my love,
Mommy

***********

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