grateful heart

Hey all.

I'm starting off this week linking up with Ember Grey's grateful heart Monday.

There is so much to be grateful for, but this week I am especially grateful for this past weekend! We were able to get away for a couple of days as a family and it was soooooo nice. It definitely wasn't the perfect vacation, but we were able to walk away from it with only a few tears shed (mostly mine... okay, some from Eve, too) so I'd say it was a success.

We went camping in southern MN. When we got there, the woman working in the state park office was super kind, and immediately upgraded us to a better site because there were a lot of cancellations. I was kind of wondering why people were leaving...? I thought it had to do with the flooding that has been causing a lot of problems in the area, but it turns out it was because of the awful mosquitoes! No joke, within, like, 20 minutes of getting out of the car, my kids' faces looked like they had the chicken pox. :( It was so bad. I am a camper, and have camped in pretty extreme conditions, but this was by far the most difficult situation I've ever been in on a camping trip. What can you do when your defenseless kids are being eaten alive!?

We stuck it out one night... then left early and went to a hotel. Ha! It all worked out though. The kids were troopers. And to be clear, I didn't cry because of the mosquitoes. We picked a campground that's near a lot of amazing hiking trails, but unfortunately a lot of the trails were super muddy or underwater entirely. I cried because I fell and slid down a ridiculously muddy hill WHILE HOLDING EVE because God forbid she step in the mud (she is a little princess), and it was just a totally awful, slightly embarrassing event. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, I was screaming, Andrew and Elliot were like a quarter of a mile away, totally fine, ... sigh. Camping adventures. Somehow, Eve only ended up with a tiny blob of mud on her foot. I was literally covered in mud, head to toe. Oh well.

It's good to be home, and we will try again next year.

Happy Monday!

grateful heart

It's Monday, which means I am linking up with Ember Grey to share something I am grateful for.

Over the weekend we celebrated Elliot's first birthday (he turned one on May 15th) with my family & some extended relatives. While I always love seeing family, it was an extra special party because my grandparents were able to come! They hadn't seen our house since we moved in. They are in their mid eighties and aren't getting around very much these days, so it was truly an honor to have them over. I had relationships with 5 of 8 great grandparents growing up, and it's such a blessing to see my kids interact with my grandparents, too. I have thought Elliot resembles my grandpa Fox for a long time now, and this is only being confirmed as he grows up and comes into his features.

My grandparents are so full of wisdom. They have traveled the entire world, and they have done so many amazing, selfless things. They inspire me, and have been such a source of comfort throughout my life. Picking raspberries from my grandmother's garden is one of my earliest memories, and that alone created in me a love for gardening, which is a huge part of who I am now.

I know, I'm a little sappy! But I know this was the only time my grandparents will ever be in my house, and it won't be long now until they move out of their own home, their home my grandpa built with his bare hands, and into a retirement home. It's been a thrill to introduce my babies to them, and to receive their blessings over our little family.

We love you!

Thanks, always, to Ember Grey for hosting the link up!

grateful heart

It's Monday and I am linking up with ember grey to share something I am grateful for!

I have been waiting for this day for about a month now... I am so, so grateful that my little girl is home today! She was visiting her missionary grandparents in Japan for almost a month. She had an absolute blast but we missed her so much. She and grandpa flew in this morning around 5 am, and she is still awake and going strong, that crazy kid. It's like 1:00 in the morning Japan time.

We are so happy to have her back, and so thrilled that she was able to have this experience. My grandparents were also missionaries in Japan. I first visited them overseas when I was about four, so it's just really cool to see my daughter experiencing the same things I did. Parenthood is so great.

What are you grateful for this week?

grateful heart monday

little conversations

Once again, I'm linking up with ember grey to share a few things I am grateful for. I love this idea of taking a minute on Mondays to reflect, and to start off the week with this mindset is wonderful!

Today I am so grateful for SUNSHINE. It rained for what, five days straight last week? I love rain, and we needed it, but going on a long walk today with the babies, soaking in all of those rays, was exactly what my body and soul needed. Having the time to just walk and pray while the kiddos rested quietly in the stroller was such a treat!

And I am grateful now that they are sleeping in their beds, giving me a chance to read some blogs and write a little. ;)

grateful heart

raining for days..


I just discovered a great link up yesterday over at this blog and am so excited to join in. One of my focuses
this year has been to do all things without complaining or arguing, so this challenge, called Grateful Heart, fits in perfectly. Of course, I am not one but TWO days behind, but lets get started anyway, shall we?


This week I am grateful for:

My parents. They have sacrificed so much for me and my sisters over the years, and just this week they found out they have an opportunity to move back to Japan. My mom grew up in Japan, and some of the best years of my childhood were spent there, so this is very exciting. It's home for them, and I can't wait to see what my parents can do free of kids. (My youngest sister graduates from high school this year.)

My teething baby. I may not be grateful for the teething, but one of the two teeth Elliot has been working on FINALLY poked through on Monday, so there is some relief, anyway. Poor guy has had a rough couple of nights but he is a perpetually happy baby. When he was teething for the first time, I didn't even know about it. He never fussed or cried. One morning he smiled at me, and there was a tooth! He is quite different from his sister who, well, lets just say is a little more dramatic. ;)

Lastly, I am so grateful for my husband, Andrew. He works out of town 4 1/2 days a week, some days from 6 am to midnight, just to provide for our little family. He is someone I admire, and who encourages me in everything I do. We will be married four years this June! Time really does fly.


What are you grateful for this week?

Thanks to Emily for this link-up!