celebrate the small!

I'm celebrating some small things today.  Join me?

1. Operation-run-with-the-jogging-stroller-again is underway.  I've done it twice now and I can still walk and talk.  Celebrating that!
2. Two little dudes are dressing themselves -- two days in a row without being told!!  I can't even begin to tell you what sort of freedom that is for me.  Sure, some things were on backwards and nobody had underwear on today but I'm still celebrating the progress.
3. Brad is home for breakfast.  For four-and-a-half years, Brad had to leave the house before 6am almost every Mon-Fri.  Now that he is has begun his new job, and still gets to have breakfast with us, we're all pretty happy.  Although, the non-morning-people are still non-morning-people even when he is here every morning.
4. Post-wide garage sale tomorrow!  Half of our garage has been full of half of our stuff (slight exaggeration) for some months now.  We weren't sure if we would be here still for the post-wide sale or not. But we are!  Naturally, we are hoping to sell, Sell, SELL!!
5. I wrote my five-minute-friday post on Friday.  Its the little things, I tell you.  You can read it here.
6. Happy.  I just cannot hear that song and not feel happy.  I don't care if its cliche, we'll shake it like freaks up in here every time we play it. Every. Time. Thank you Pharrell.  
7. Speaking of music celebrations.  You can't make me stop playing the new NEEDTOBREATHE album.  Or the Ellie Holcomb one.  Back and forth, over and over with those two.  Perfection.
8. It's May.  My favorite month of the year since birth.  It's my birth month, Brad's birth month, Mother's Day, the end of school, and the beginning of summer all rolled in to 31 days of lovely.  What's not to celebrate?

What are you celebrating today?  It can be small, or big, or just fun.

celebrating small

Just a quick list of little things I'm celebrating on a Friday afternoon.

1.  Riding with the windows down.  Brad used the van to load up pack-n-plays, car seats, and whatnot for the foster care office supply closet.  The little dudes were delighted to have their car seats in the Aztec and control of the window buttons.  They remind me so often, "its the little things."  {You can barely see a little hand reaching out that back window!}

2.  Friends and family to pray with.  I know this isn't small.  But sometimes I forget to celebrate the treasure that it is. . . that I can send an email or a text and ask for prayer.  Or grab a few friends at bible study and ask them to come lift another friend in prayer.   I was just thinking about what a great, great treasure that is.

3.  Trash picking.  Brad is a reluctant trash picker.  I have no problem with it because it is a very 'green' thing to do. Anyway, when he got home from Bible study he asked Wilson to come help him get two tiny bikes from the trash.  This morning two very happy boys shrieked with joy.   And the landfills are that much emptier. Boom.

4. Ankle crossers.  Irresistible.

 
5.  Easter candy.  I can't help it.  I've already eaten all of the Gobstoppers and Bottlecaps but we still have some Nerds left.  Don't worry I keep it in a bowl on the fridge so the boys won't get sick from eating it all.

 6.  Kitchen Success.  Y'all.  I'll never be a food blogger.  But I have got to tell you how amazing dinner turned out last night.  It was almost an hour late, which I think always adds to the deliciousness of it.  I spatchcocked my chicken because I forgot to put it in the crockpot in the morning.  I slathered it up with some olive oil and s+p and popped it in the oven.  I then chopped up my sweet potatoes because I knew the chicken wouldn't roast long enough to bake the potatoes whole.  At the last second, I decided to rough-chop a yellow onion.  I tossed the potatoes + onions with some olive oil and s+p, then put them on the baking sheet with the chicken.  I didn't even stir them while it all roasted.  {Did I mention Brad wasn't home?}  45 minutes later and the world's most delicious sweet potatoes emerged.  Oh my word.  I didn't want to share any of it.  Even the-boy-that-refuses-to-eat-a-baked-sweet-potato ate his entire serving.  I didn't offer seconds.  The chicken was fine too, but it didn't change my life.

7. Teachers.  WJ's teacher asked him to wear his medal today.  I'm giddy over the fact that she wants to celebrate his efforts.  WJ + WC both told us about the morning announcements Monday when they said, "Walker Lutz ran his first 10k over the weekend."  

What small things are you celebrating?

things to celebrate

Remember how I am trying to celebrate the little things more often?  Thursdays seem like a perfect day to do this because I go to PWOC in the morning and I'm always grateful when I walk out of there.

This week I am celebrating a handful of things,  they don't necessarily feel small to me.

1. Nobody called their teacher a jerk at church this week! This was not something we could celebrate last week.

2.  I got to sew some really-ridiculously-adorable baby girl things.  Sewing is generally a relaxing creative outlet for me.  I'm grateful I have a space to do it.

3.  I got an email about a month or so ago from the mother of one of my friend's from church.  She asked if her small group (from another local church) could donate some items to our foster care office supply closet.  Here's a picture of the group with some of their donations.  They also donated a new pack-n-play and a whole bunch of training bra sets.  This is such a huge blessing!

4. I was catching up with a friend of mine at PWOC this morning, we chatted about Brad's retirement, then we talked about a couple friends that have moved from here.  We were just listing off the ways God is blessing each of them and doing little happy dances on their behalf.  I realized what a glorious gift it is to have a friend like that.  It is a joy to celebrate others' wins.  The joy is magnified when we do it in community!

5.  Wilson, Walker, and I all passed the 6-mile mark last week during our long run for the running club.  The boys don't always love the idea of running, but they are pretty much rock stars in my book.  We're running the 5k at Cascade Hills the week after next.  Register here! {PS - God gave us a super fun reminder that He is in the details.  The PE teacher that started the running club is in the small group up there that donated to the foster care closet! So cool, huh?}

5. Brad bought me a thanks-for-coming-on-the-Army-adventure-with-me gift.  Totally unexpected.  Its the first laptop I have ever owned.  If I told you what he wrote in the card you would likely bawl, so I'll spare you.  He put the sticker on for me today. 

What are you celebrating today?  I'd love to celebrate with you!

celebrating small.

I think I mentioned sometime last fall that I wanted to be more intentional about celebrating the little things.   

 

• Today, I am celebrating four (!) mornings-in-a-row with a quiet moment for a cup of coffee and some Jesus time before four boys are up.  If I am being honest, I think some mornings it's the coffee that pulls me out of bed -- Brad brews it before he leaves.  But I meet Jesus then too, so its a win-win. {Brad gave me a mug and some decals for Valentine's Day.  He bought them at Midtown Coffee House which serves Land of A Thousand Hills coffee. Now we have a local source for purchasing coffee that we feel good about!}

• I'm also celebrating that the little dudes slept until "the furby" turned on.  Which is technically an owl, but it reminds them of Walker's furby, so that is how we all refer to it.  Its an alarm clock of sorts and it lights up at 7am signaling its time to wake-up.  Most mornings there are a few reminders about staying in bed until "the furby comes on."  L + F are so much happier when they sleep until 7.  Its weird but true.  So this morning was just all around lovely! I couldn't help but giggle at how this picture of the owl turned out.  I'm celebrating that too :)

• I'm also celebrating the spring-like weather this week.  I know it won't last but it is just so delightful.   We are outside people.  Every last one of us is happier with some outside time. 

• Another little thing, which is actually pretty huge, is this lightness and rightness that I sensed as I walked out of church last night.  It is a feeling of unity and single purpose, and I would be foolish to take that for granted. I love what God is doing through Cascade Hills Church -- and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

• Finally, I am celebrating my scream journal.  I updated it with some verses so when I have to make an entry I'll be staring down some truth.  This is helping immensely.

How about you?  Do you have some small things worth celebrating today?  Do you have a routine for regularly celebrating the small?

celebrate the small

You know when you are just plain grateful?  I'm having one of those weeks.  Which is really crazy because Brad + I have had an awful head cold which makes me not-so-awesome to be around.  However, God reminds me how much I need Him in my least awesome moments, which makes me profoundly grateful for His faithfulness at all times.  This post is just a reflection of some of the things that I am grateful for today. 

I had such a lovely morning in the foster care supply closet.  Truly.  I found out that the car seat + stroller that were donated have been given to a family that was recently reunified.  They needed a car seat for baby.  I hung up a bunch of new donations and rearranged a couple of shelves to make room for some toys and books.  I had BIG plans to take a bunch of pictures.  Then my timer went off.  So you'll have to wait on the pictures. {Sorry!}

In other news, I made THE best pork roast last night.  It was simple and came out perfectly moist and flavorful.  I am only telling you this because it is so rare that I cook a roast so well.  I have started a board on Pinterest for recipes that I have tried.   I was very creative in naming the board, "Tried."  This way, I can go back to that board when I am doing meal planning.  Smart, huh?  I am keeping the recipes I hated there too, so I don't accidentally make them again.  Gross.

Walker and I have registered for our first 5k.  It's a night run, called the Glow K 5K.  It benefits the Wounded Warrior Project.  I think he is going to be a super star!  Sometime last week, it clicked for him that he can run.  Prior to last week, we had to have a come-to-Jesus-meetin in the middle of every run.  I told Brad that I think I have a clear picture of what it must have been like for him to run with me when I first started running.  He is a good man.

Wilson continues to love football.  He likes to play it.  On game day.  At recess.  And as a video game.  He also enjoys watching practically every televised game - regardless of who is playing - unless of course it is an SEC game, then he refuses to show interest.  In the past, I had thought kids that were into sports, were that way because their parents forced them into it.  I was wrong about that.

Lincoln and Franklin are getting huge.  At lunch today they wanted apples.  They both said, "Don't cut it, momma!" Seriously, the 10-year-old still likes his apples cut, but these two.  They want to be big.  Also?  We are having some issues at childcare at church + Bible study.  We are trying separate classrooms at church.  They tend to play off of one another and it can spiral out of control pretty quickly.  In case you wonder what this might look like, I offer this {completely hypothetical} example:

Lincoln throws a toy.
Teacher says, "Lincoln toys are not for throwing."
Meanwhile, Franklin whips a toy in the opposite direction while looking at the teacher that is finishing her sentence to Lincoln.
Teacher says, "Franklin, we can't throw toys, one of our friends could get hurt..."  Teacher's voice trails off as she notices Lincoln laughing hysterically and picking up a toy to throw.  At her.  Face.

Yes, I do believe that is how the spiral begins.  I am hoping to one day find a way to tap into positive peer pressure with one another, but for now we are trying separate classrooms.  They actually do not seem to mind the time apart, so it might be a good thing for them.

Brad and I persist in prayer for what God has planned next for our family.  We still do not have a timeline for when Brad will be separated from the Army but he continues to search job postings and send out resumes like a boss.  We trust that God has worked out the details ahead of us, and now we wait for Him to reveal those details as the time comes.

I am going to try and do a better job of telling our story here.  You know, the everyday stuff that holds so much of the joy but seems small?  I want to celebrate the small here.  I want to collect it into words as I savor the little tidbits that matter so much.  I hope in doing so, you'll celebrate your small too.  It all matters.  Aaaand now I have this song stuck in my head.  Naturally.