Makes My Heart Smile

I had so much fun living it up two weeks ago! Well two weeks ago (how has it already been that long?) I was frantically trying to pack and make lists and plan for the multiple family members it took to care for my clan while I was off gallivanting with some of my favorite people!

Jer and I got to use some air miles and fly to see the Ducks play in Arizona. He has a goal to see Oregon play in all of the Pac12 stadiums I think in the next 10 years...something like that. So when Ben and Missy decided they were going to drive to Tempe as a family and then take off to go camping at the Grand Canyon we knew we had to be at least some part of it....I'll get to that in another post. This one is all about how my husband loves me so thoughtfully!

On Sunday night (my flight left at 7:20 Tuesday morning) I had a breakdown. I was feeling sad, and overwhelmed. 

Sad for all of the heartache that has been around us, and touching those we love dearly for a while and some doozies that crept up kind of recently. I didn't realize how I was internalizing all of the sadness I was feeling for people I care so much about. And overwhelmed at everything I had to do! Planning to be away from four kids with Jer starting it already out of town and school and Dr appointments and home community and mildly sick children, and of course all the laundry still had to get done. Like I said, overwhelmed.

And Sunday night my sweet husband asked me why I was so quite, and I just shared the tip of the iceberg and then I kept talking, and then I started blubbering. 

So I blubbered, and talked, and talked and talked, and he smiled and listened. And it was exactly what I needed.

So when I woke up Monday to my lists of things to get done I was feeling a little warn for the wear, but hopeful. And I walked into the kitchen to find this note/list of his own.

It was the most important list of all and it met me right where I was, spoke my language, showed his love for me and pointed me to the promises I have in Christ. Through my husband Christs love was revealed to me. What a gift!

Clipping

Every day the kids come home from school they inform me where the got to on their clip chart. It's a behavioral tool that is used where you start on the green can move up for good behavior our down for poor choices. Well they also include friends that 'clipped off' that day, that's where they do so good they clip off the chart and onto the teachers necklace and a jewel gets added to their clip. It's a very big deal, and both Payden and Lincoln have a jewel which means they've successfully 'clipped off'. I am one proud momma.

Well the other day Payden was telling me how one of the kids "got all the way down to parent contact. That's when you have to go to the office and call your parents, but if you can't get a hold of them then you have to talk to the principle. And I think that actually sounds kind of nice, because the principle is a girl and she is nice and she smells like Grandma Tammi" a giggle escapes me, "no I'm serious she really does. She really smells exactly like Grandma Tammi, I know because she sat next to me for a minute at the beginning of school and I thought Grandma Tammi was there and then I realized she smells like Grandma Tammi"

Oh I love her descriptions of life!

What Do You Want To Be?

I realized with all the cute things on pinterest that help document first days of school, new years, fathers day's, birthdays, I don't remember ever asking my kids what they want to be when they grow up. That might just be my tired momma brain but today, I went ahead and asked them.

Hailey wants to be a person that finds out things about people me:"An investigator?" Yeah a vextigat...inbextiga...in, what you said, yes what you said.

Payden wants to be a teacher "oh a teacher that teaches dance and music and stuff"

Taylor wants to be a princess

Lincoln wants to be a movie maker. "And like do voices for characters in the movies"

I love these kids!

Shady Dell

Shady Dell, it's in Molalla and I had never been. There is a group of guys, and gals I guess, that love their trains. And they've turned a hobby into an experience. So on a donation run mini train station we headed on an unseasonably warm October Sunday.

I got to ride on the back of the motorcycle with my honey while the kids rode with Grandpa Roy.

Blurry but there is something amazing about experiencing the world on a motorcycle, the smells, the sights, it's a different perspective and I love it!

Mini trains that you can ride on. 

We were on a real steam engine.

And took about 4 5-10 min rides. Looking carefully you can see all 6 of us!

It was a beautiful afternoon, and I wish I would have had my actual camera with me.