Avery's Birthday Party!!

Avery requested a party at the park to celebrate her 9th birthday.

Easy. 

We started at home with a couple of cute friends. 

 But when we arrived at the park we quickly multiplied!

Lauren organized a scavenger hunt for the girls. 

Next she created an obstacle course for them...we were really happy to have Lauren back home from camp just in the nick of time to help with the party! 

Avery was very specific in her game requests...one was a silly string war. 

 Rogue Baker came through with ISU themed cupcakes! 

Somehow a water war started, Im not sure how. 

Oh wait, yes I am...Jordan started it. 

I think it was everyone's favorite part.

Although searching for and then bobbing for apples was also really fun!

Tori really wanted to try! 

So cute. 

Present time!

The whole gang! 

Happy 9th Birthday Avery Elizabeth!

Well I'm pretty sure this cannot be happening!

You are NINE?!

Oh my Avery. 

I wish there were words for me to describe how my heart feels for you. 

I wish there was time in my day to show you how special and wonderful you are. 

I wish I had the eloquence to tell the world how my life is blessed simply by glancing at your smile. 

Avery in every storm of my life you have been able to bring me some sunshine. 

You are our sweet sweet spirit. 

But girl, I will tell you, we did not think that would be the case. 

You were one crazy infant, baby and toddler. 

You scooted yourself across the room at 3 months old. 

You potty trained yourself just after 2. 

You had bumps, stitches, a broken bone and constant skinned knees. 

We were always telling you to SLOW DOWN!

And somewhere along the road while we were not looking, you did just that. 

You are now my girl who pauses to notice the sunset, the flowers and the bugs at your feet. 

Strangers stop and smile at you...its just your way...its a gift you have to make people happy.
And you've had it since the day you were born. 

You were born to make people smile. 

I could not love that more about you. 

You are the first to notice if someone is sad. 

You are the first to sense when something is wrong. 

You feel so deep, hurt easily and worry way too much. 

You are by far our most sensitive. 

I am so sorry my girl, you are just like your mom. 

(SUCH a good big sister!!!)

Avery there is nothing in this world like an Avery giggle. 

You fill our home with beauty and fun. 

You love to play games and create adventure. 

If you had it your way we would constantly be on the go, but there would be plenty of time for snuggling. 

You crave one on one time a lot. 

And I wish I could give it to you more. 

Being stuck in the middle of this family is hard. 

(Boogie boarding with Dad! Two peas in a pod!)

From the first moment I saw your squiggly little body I was so proud to be your mom. 

You are growing into such a wonderful young lady. 

(Heading out into the waves...no fear)

I pray for you on your 9th birthday that you never lose your sense of adventure or your ability to know when someone needs a hug or a smile. I pray that you will learn to rely on Jesus when your worries get too big. I pray that your self confidence will grow and you will never be afraid to show the real Avery. Because trust me, she is something amazing.
I am in wonder about how people can go through life without having you in it.
That is a world I do not want to know.
Thank you for being part of our world. 

We still cannot believe you are 9! 

Lets make a deal ok, no double digits...lets just stay 9. 

(waves conquered!)

We love you Avery. 

You are A VERY good girl.

And we could not imagine our lives without you shining in it. 

Love, 

Mommy and Daddy 

There it goes again,

...my heart, just walking around outside my body

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

April 2013 

Happy Father's Day, Jordan

My greatest blessing this side of heaven is that these 

five kids of mine, have this man as their dad. 

playing at Grandma's House

One night this week Jordan and I took the kids over to mom's to do some yard work. 

They had fun walking around and picking out certain types of flowers in her yard. 

They amazed me...because I know I did not teach them this!

It was my mom. I love her for that. 

Here they are under the trellis my dad built. 

Normally it is covered in climbing flowers. 

 One of the flowers they discovered was this Bleeding Heart. 

These two could tell me all about it. 

Torrance was a BIG help with the yard work!

Until she decided that playing hide-n-seek would be more fun. 

Mom would have loved spending the evening with them this way....

The House

This past weekend we finished up the bulk of the work at mom's house.

It was a lot of work. a lot.

And most of it was not fun. We scrubbed, vacuumed, hammered, painted, polished, carried, lifted, scrapped...

All the while I reminded myself...This is in honor of my mom and dad.

This is my reasonable service. This is my joy.

This is how I give back in a small way for the life that they gave to me. For the childhood I loved and the memories that cannot be taken away.

This is how I say thank you.

Sunday as Nick and I were polishing literally the last boards in the house, as we got closer to the door, I was in tears. I think my tears were polishing the floor with the oil.

I did not want it to end. Its been over a month of time spent there not doing fun things, not spending time with my kids, ect. Its been emotional and dirty.

But closing and locking that door that day, and knowing that the next time I would go in would likely be to put it up for sale, really stung.

As Nick, Stacie, Jordan and I stood in the front and stared up at the beautiful, huge home...the sun came out. After a day of clouds and gloom..the sun chose to shine.

And I took that to mean that mom and dad were pleased. They saw that something that they had held so dear and precious...was also held dear and precious to us. We wanted to leave it perfect. We wanted to honor them in how we left it.

Driving away that day made it more clear than ever that a piece of my heart will live in that house forever. I could have stared at those beautiful parquet floors in the dining and living room for hours.

I wonder how many games of Pepper were played in that dining room? Or how many huge family meals filled with debate, sarcasm and laughter we consumed there. 

Or how many old movies were shared in the living room, how many fires we all enjoyed in that huge fireplace?

We'll never know. But we'll never forget how they built our family.

So the next chapter begins as I listed the house today. I hope it sells quickly, to a wonderful young family who will cherish it and make as many of their own memories.

And just like everything in my life these days...I am in a huge turmoil...because I also hope that it never sells and that I'll be able to walk through those rooms and smell my family and hear those voices for the rest of time.

Verse of the week!

'We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed...

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

I needed that hope this morning. 

Bring it Tuesday.