It was a LONG road trip, and it was good.

When we went to Texas in June, we decided to drive! Ticket prices were double what we normally pay and we would have to rent a van for 10 days, so it was much cheaper. Plus, we knew it would be an adventure! We knew the kids were good car travelers, but we weren't sure how Jubilee would do at 9 months old. The drive is 25 hours (plus traffic, stops, etc) so we did it in three days. I have to say, it was (mostly) great! The kids were incredible, all three. Two decisions I'm glad we made and that I think made the trip much smoother for us: No screen time and split the big kids up. 

First, screen time. Because there was no expectation for movies or games, they didn't ask or know it was a possibility! So, they listened to music and colored, slept, asked many questions, sang, looked out the window, etc. I kept all of the books, coloring sheets, snacks, etc. up front with me and would hand them back a new one every once in a while to keep things fresh. When we were considering trying to borrow a dvd player Joel said, " No way. When we made trips to OK when I was little I remember looking out the window for hours and dreaming of being a cowboy. If I would have had games to play or movies to watch, I probably never would have cowboyed when I grew up!" I love that. So true that kids need time to think and "be bored". So, bless there hearts, they really were such troopers. 

We put Amelia in the back and kept Sam in the front with Jubilee and that helped a lot too to cut down on bickering, etc. For Jubilee, we would leave right at her nap time in the morning and then stop about an hour after she'd wake for a nice, long break. Even if that meant stopping at Target to let her crawl around if there wasn't a nice park to be found. Overall, minus hotel stays (it's SO much harder in hotels with a baby who doesn't co-sleep! Yikes!), she was pretty easy peasy. 

Another goal of ours was no fast food, and we succeeded until we reached the first TX Taco Cabana we came across!:) We just took an ice chest and would stop at a grocery store at meal times when need be and then ate out a couple of times. We could have gone even cheaper with camping along the way, which we considered, but thought a good nights rest was a better option (which, ahem, we didn't get anyway dear Jubilee). Here are some pictures along the way. Pagosa Springs, CO and Santa Fe, NM were our favorite picnic/park stops! 

Though the days were long, there is something special about being in this little "capsule" with just your family. Joel and I had some of the best talks ever on our way home and I'm so thankful for that time (he didn't stay with us during the stay in TX, just flew in to drive us home). I always say I'm not a good road tripper. I get antsy, I get car sick, etc. But like so many things, once I had kids there just isn't time to think about my own complaints, and wouldn't you know it, I was grown and stretched and enjoyed it all the while! Anyway, we are gearing up for another long drive, this time to the Oregon coast, and so I knew I better get or Texas trip documented first or it would never happen! Lots more to catch up on!! Jen

My brothers' children plus my children plus three matching dresses from Mammy, equals lots of cuteness. I'll treasure these cousin pictures and even more so watching them all play so busily together that afternoon during our TX visit. What a gift these little nieces are- such amazing girls! 

Wish I could kiss their cheeks right now! Jen

Happy 4th of July!

So, it has been a while! Goodness, I'm so ready to get back into a rhythm of writing about our daily life. We are ordering me a new hard drive tonight, so hopefully it won't be too long until I'm back here much more often. We've got a lot to catch up on! To start, we had a great time celebrating the 4th this year. We dressed Jubilee up in a little sunsuit the other day that was my dad's when he was little and had a quick photo shoot with she and Sam (Amelia is not big on photo shoots:). Love it!

Then mom had her "full moon date" with the kids and they made delicious cupcakes from scratch, hula hooped the night away, and just had a fun evening together. This will be their last date for a while as mom is moving back to Texas in about a week. Sob. :(


Then today we went to a beautiful mountain lake with friends and the kids got to ride in a boat for the first time! Amelia, our little wild one, loved tubing and riding on the surfboard behind the boat. Faster, faster!!

So, good times! I hope you guys had a great day too! Jen

P.S. I forgot how much Sam loves fireworks!! I shouldn't be surprised since he appreciates beauty so much. As we watched them from our bedroom window tonight he said, "It looks like God is coming down to earf." Oh Sam, our thoughtful little guy:)

Sunny Days...

Roses to cut and cherries to pick, backyard swims, trips to the farm and red butte and Liberty Park...adventures abound during our sunny days and I love it.
My computer died a while ago now- I lost many, many pictures and videos that I foolishly had not backed up:/ It's been good though in many ways. No blog reading, no pinterest, and I just deleted FB off my phone after reading an article called " how to miss a childhood"- yikes! So, I'm blogging from my phone, which isn't ideal, but I want to keep blogging- keep recording these days and moments that I love and don't want to forget.
Hopefully more soon,
Jen

Sammy's treasures.

I was tidying up the upstairs, and when I saw this little display of treasures on Sam's bedside table I had to capture it. It's just so him. :)
Jen

In a friend's mountain cabin this weekend with Joel and Jubilee, celebrating our 13th anniversary! The fresh air, the amazing view, birds and deer, a moose and rabbits...such a great place to rest and reconnect, and just drink this beauty in. Happy Anniversary to my love. I hope we just keep growing in grace towards each other year after year,
Jen

Mama's Day.

French toast, new bird feeders and bird houses ( does he know me or what?:), hand made cards, planters filled with herbs and flowers, watching Sense and Sensibility in the middle of the day, back yard picnic...yes, Joel goes all out on Mothers Day. Every year. It makes me feel so special and loved.
Watching the kids make " mud cakes for Mother's Day" in their sand box this morning, I just felt a surge of thankfulness. For them, for being their mama, for the gift of motherhood. It's so easy to think of the little daily failures- a lost temper, a cluttered room, laundry undone, words unsaid...but as I watched them play and reflected on our days and Joel and I talked about how BIG they are getting I just thought, " Don't waste your moments being overwhelmed by the failures Jen, celebrate the daily beauty. It's flying by."
Thank you Joel for supporting my dream of spending my days with our children- thank you for finding worth in that and for encouraging me in it. It's a gift and I know that.
There isn't a Mother's Day that goes by where my heart doesn't ache for those in the throes of infertility,miscarriages, of expectations having to change, of adoption challenges and seemingly impossible waits...I have felt some of that deep down pain, and I can only translate receiving these gifts into thankfulness. Daily, is my hope. And oh how I hope for others who long for children to be given the gift of motherhood, and for the thousands of children waiting, to be given the gift of being mothered.
All for now,
Jen

He drew this for Amelia and said, " I wanted to draw a big heart so she'd know how much I love her." :)

Ok sun, work your magic!:) I love when I manage to get all the diapers out on the line when it's sunshiny! They were in real need of a natural bleach treatment, so today felt extra good to get them out.
Right now Jubilee and I are sitting in the shade next to the beautiful tulip garden Joel planted- I'm always so shocked when plants and vegetables actually grow- so wonderful! Anyway, something was knocking into the fence beside me and I couldn't figure out what it could be since our neighbors just have teeny dogs and chickens. I guess not any more- it's a goat! Well, we will certainly have to go visit that little cutie! This neighborhood is always surprising us. Just yesterday I was feeling a little discontent, missing our old house where we could walk everywhere. When I told Joel how o was feeling, he said he feels like our home now is a retreat for him-away from the busyness and commercialism of our other neighborhood. I like that.
Guess that's all for now. I have a little Jubilee pulling up on me- she's pulling up on everything!
All for now, Jen