Summer is Over

Yep. Summer is over.  It’s time to put on the snuggie and blog.  Ha! I don’t actually have a snuggie.  Maybe I should get one? For now, my big sweat shirt will have to do. It’s hard to know where to start since I haven’t blogged since May. We moved to the burbs of Minneapolis in May, and I think I may survive the rest of seminary!!  I know it’s ridiculous, but there is so much more space, light, and air it feels like. Even though i can see into several of my neighbor’s yards and they into mine, I love it and am so thankful to be here. It is definitely an adjustment having neighbors.  I got a text just last night from one of them to say that my back porch light was on.  I didn’t know that it was, kids, you know.  But, I did feel a little creeped out.  It was kinda like, “Hey, I can see you. But, you can’t see me”.  Thankfully, I know these neighbors fairly well.  But still…

Anyway…The summer in a nutshell: We pretty much followed the northern law and lived outside. We took walks and biked, and pretty much had a picnic everyday, and swam as much as I was willing to haul four kids to the “beach”.  If Annaleigh hadn’t eaten a pound of sand each time we went, we would maybe have gone more.  My kids got crazy dark, and had a great summer.  In fact, I miss it already. No tears, Jess, no tears.

Josiah turned 5 this summer, and someone should have told me what turning 5 would do to my little guy.  He learned how to read, write, ride a bike with no training wheels, swim and swing all by himself!  Say what??!! And he learned how to say things like, “Ding-Dong, Momma’s wrong” and “This is the most boring job I’ve ever had”.  To be fair, I usually am wrong when he says that, and the “job” was to find and pick up dirty diapers.  Some of you may have just judged me for actually having to have a “job” like that, but sometimes poop happens when you are in a hurry, and don’t have time to take it to the diaper genie.  After a few found diapers he said, “Mom, I’m diaper hunting!”, and then the most boring job ever turned into the most AWESOME job ever!  *maniacal mom laugh*  So, yeah, Josiah grew up this summer.

We got Claire and Aaron these http://www.stridersports.com/ bikes. SOOOO awesome!  If you are looking for Christmas presents for your littles these are so cool.  We are huge fans! Also, I’m reading this kids’ series http://wingfeathersaga.com/ which is a super fun read for those with kids that can read chapter books or for those of you who enjoy reading fun stuff. (those are my Christmas present plugs)  And, the last summer tid bit is that Annaleigh is nearly walking now!  I feel like she was just born yesterday.  Maybe, it’s because I still look like she was born yesterday.  Somehow all the pins on Pinterest of people exercising just isn’t cutting it for me. hmmm… But guys, hold on to those babies.  They grow so fast!!

School is going well for the hubs, as usual. 🙂  He added a second job, pastoral assistant to north campus head pastor, to the whirl wind of our life, and it has gone surprisingly well.  It is amazing how God can take your time and some how multiply it into being enough. Don’t get me wrong, we see less of Daniel than before, but the time we do have him is usually rich and full. Also, the Lord provided a second car for us, so I’m not house bound anymore which helps A LOT!  Can I get an AMEN? I’m doing a Beth Moore study, Jesus the One and Only, and I love it. We recently covered the feeding of the five thousand, and was reminded that God can multiply ANYTHING we give him.  And, He has truly done this with us. I’m crying as I write this because our God is so good.  He is so faithful.

I was thinking the other day about how when you fly in an airplane and in your ascent as you rise above the cloud line you the sun is shining as brightly as it ever did, even if it was cloudy and stormy when you took off. While I was thinking about this I felt the gentle tug of the Holy Spirit, that this is what it means to trust in His goodness in the midst of the trial of life. No one would ever doubt that in an actual physical storm the sun wasn’s shining just above them right above the storm just as it always did.  I hope I can remember this as trials come my way. We just have to get our head up over the storm to see Him. You never know when your turn for trial will come.  And, honestly, we have them everyday, right?  Some very minor compared to others, but taxing on your joy nonetheless.  It helps in the fight for joy, as Piper would say, to see His glorious shining light of the faithful sun each day; even if we have to look through the clouds to see it.

Thanks for reading, and as usual, for your reward, a few pictures of my sweet babies.  I’ll have to add one of Josiah later. I’m on Daniel’s computer…