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“If you happen to be in town...”

... would you go to prom with me?” 11 years ago Wes asked me that question over the phone and it changed our relationship, and our lives, forever. That’s another story for another time. But almost 4 years ago, one of the first nights after bringing Sophia home from the hospital, Wes repeated that question and I just wept openly. I could weep now just thinking about it. He said it because we both couldn’t believe this life God has given us. Amazed at the love story He’s written us. Amazed at how we now had a child together. Making babies, being parents, raising children for the Lord, it’s exhausting and definitely a strain on marriage at times. But more than that, it is a new level of intimacy and fun that you just can’t experience without kids. Since Sophia, we journeyed through a miscarriage which also drew us closer and bonded us in a new way, Liza’s pregnancy and now almost two years of life, and in 8 days we will be holding our newest baby, Lydia June. As we prepare for her birth o
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Christmas Tea

Recently I read an incredible book called “The Lifegiving Table” by Sally Clarkson. One of the things she does every year is have a Christmas Tea as a way of celebrating her friendships. She invites her closest friends over every year around Christmas as a way of thanking them. I thought that was a great idea and something I could do. So I made a list of my closest kindred spirits and sent out an invitation. My mother-in-law is amazing and had the girls the whole day of the Tea so I could prepare both my home and the food and then they also spent the night at her house so I could rest the next morning. That was a wonderful gift and I’m so thankful for her because it allowed me to also really enjoy and be refreshed by the evening. And it was so much fun. We started out mingling and then filled our plates and mugs and sat around our dining room table and chatted all together for almost three hours. I had a few questions lined up to help conversation flow and to help us learn from one a
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The One Thing She Wanted To Do

Lately, I’ve been trying to ask Sophia what she would like to do that day. I want her to have a wonderful childhood and I want her to enjoy her days. Of course we won’t always be able to do what she wants, but if it’s something tangible, than I want to do that with her and for her. I thought, what if the things we fill our days with really aren’t what she wants to be doing. So the other day the one thing she wanted to do is play the “pop-up” game which is the game “Trouble”. Some times I utilize snack time as a time to do something with her that is harder to do with Liza- like a craft, or read a longer story, because Liza is preoccupied with her snack. So I thought maybe we could play a game at that time but it didn’t work out. And as the day went on we just didn’t get to it. That night as I was giving her a bath, I told her we were going to do something really special. She lit up, “what Mommy?!?” “We’re going to play the pop-up game in your bed!” And we did. And had so much fun. When
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Toddler Problems and My Some-What Solutions

I was talking with a good friend yesterday about our toddler problems. And she said one of her friends who has older kids had told her recently, “little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems.” I can’t stop thinking about that profound statement as I’ve been living with these little toddler problems having the woe-is-me attitude. I wanted to share our tiny little problems and the things I do to help solve them for anyone that may find them useful or for my future self and future toddlers. These are little problems and not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I need this reminder constantly when I feel like I’m sinking. 1. Screaming/ crying in the car. Liza has always been terrible in the car. I keep thinking soon it will end but it hasn’t so far. So, I decided last week for my sanity, any trip longer than 10 minutes I’m giving her a lollipop. And it works like a charm. 2  Up through the night and awake early. I go to bed as soon as I can. Always by 10:30. Some times by 8
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Prayer for Liza

Liza is sick once again. Fever as high as 104 and yesterday was almost constantly wheezing. I encouraged Sophie to pray for Liza after tucking her in to bed last night. When she got up this morning I asked Sophie how she slept and she said “really good and I asked God to make Liza all better!” I knew that if Sophie would pray for Liza, God would show her He hears her prayers. Sure enough, Liza’s breathing is significantly better and she’s barely feverish. Thank you God for hearing her prayers and showing her your presence, faithfulness, and that you hear us.
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Denny’s

I recently discovered that kids eat free on Tuesday nights at Denny’s, so for the past two weeks, I’ve taken the girls there and we’ve had such a delightful time eating out and enjoying each other. With Wes on 3-11, I often lack motivation to cook a nice meal for just the three of us, and I also get lonely. So I thought this would be a great thing to do with the girls- enjoy a hot meal and each other’s company out in public. I hope to keep it a tradition if we’re able. Sometimes we read books while we wait for our food, and other times the girls play with figurines, sometimes I play and sometimes I just sit back and watch them amazed by their sweetness, cuteness, and creativity. It’s teaching them manners and how to behave in public. And it’s teaching me to slow down and enjoy them. We shared many laughs together tonight and I think it’s safe to say, we are all going to bed with our cup full.
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Staycation

When Wes and I first got married I proposed the idea of getting away 3 times a year, even if it was just for one night. For each of our birthdays and for our anniversary. Each celebration perfectly spaced by 4 months. And for the most part, we've kept to that and it's been wonderful. We've been to a few bed and breakfasts in Gettysburg, New Holland, and the Finger Lakes. A hotel in a nearby town, camping close to home, Vermont with friends, and a night away for a wedding in Lancaster. I feel so blessed for having each of those opportunities. This little tradition has been pivotal in our marriage and purposefully creates time for us to have fun and relax. We laugh, we eat, we play. It's wonderful. For my birthday, Wes suggested just staying home and doing things around town. So we found a time my inlaws could watch the girls and made it happen. It was delightful and I feel so refreshed. We went out to lunch, napped, went for a hike, went to a book sale, went out to dinne
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