Because of This...

I am not sure exactly how much blogging will be going on this week. We are in the process of packing up this house, moving stuff to the other house, (which is thankfully only about 5 minutes away) cleaning at both houses, running to the store 45 times a day because I realize I don't have enough curtain rods, or anymore cleaner, or that I forgot we need rug pads, etc. It's been a bit of a whirlwind and probably won't slow down until the beginning of next week.

But I am making a point, in the middle of all the extreme busyness, to remember to be thankful for all those things that are making me so busy and a lot crazy. I'm thankful for the hands and feet I have to get all this done, and the flexible kiddos who really act just about the same about of wild whether we're here or there or have skipped naps or not, (last night we cleaned at the new house until 8pm, and then went out to eat because we realized that we had only had the skittles and drink they had picked out at the dollar store, and didn't get home till 9:30 and the worst that happened was a little whining and Jericho watering the restaurant floor with his water cup), and that typically my pregnancies treat me well enough that until they stick me in a hospital bed I feel pretty much ok, just bigger and a bit slower. So, if anyone needs me I'll probably be packing and cleaning and running to the store and homeschooling and...yeah. See ya next week. ;)

Cabin Fever

I don't think I myself have cabin fever...but my kids, oh my goodness, they are losing their little minds. It's so stinking nasty cold outside...their energy-filled bodies NEED to be outside and it's just so cold that there is no way I'm going out there. We've braved the snow a few times to let them play. But they are somewhat like their mother in that aspect, and they really don't enjoy being out in it for but so long. They'd rather eat it...so I keep making snow cream.

As you see from the picture below, Jericho especially was a little terrified of the snow. So naturally we took pictures and videos. ;) He finally "warmed up" to it, but at first he wasn't impressed at all and was pretty much convinced it was poisonous. 

Merrick stuck to his typical outdoor activities, snow or not. Although he did take a break or two to throw snowballs at his siblings, which they loooved. Not so much.

This is Jericho, still not sure about moving from that few inches where the snow hadn't quite covered the porch.

I think the snow might have been worth it since I managed to get this shot, with no crying/running away/biting/hair pulling whatsoever, in about 15 seconds flat. I said "stand together right there and let me take a picture", and they stood there and said "cheese". It was magical, I tell you. But just as I've gotten these three trained, we are about to introduce a 4th variable to the ever volatile multi-kid shot. Asking for it.

They seriously need some snow pants, but I made them wear two pairs of jeans...and that apparently didn't stop them from making snow angels anyway. I figured as long as they were getting some of that energy out, we could deal with the consequences of frostbite and hypothermia later. It's quiet from my spot just inside the door on the back deck, so I'm not going to nitpick. ;)

Mundane?

I had kinda gotten out of the habit of taking pictures with my real camera. It's so heavy, and my iPhone is always handy. (When I do manage to stray too far from it, Jericho is always kind enough to bring it to me. So I can't get away from it even if I try.)

At the beginning of the year I had posted about how I was trying to do a "Joy Dare", where I write down/take a picture of at least 3 things each day that I'm thankful for. I've been trying to make an effort to use my mark ii for that...because for some reason it just seems to show these gifts more in the way I actually see them...with depth and color and grit and life. So I've left it sitting out, on a shelf Jericho can't reach mind you, so it's easy to grab when it's needed. Miraculously, the older two have learned that you never never ever touch Mommy's real camera.

All of these shots are just some of the things I've noticed during our somewhat mundane, routine days. (I did have a bit of a meltdown about this exact thing this morning...Mondays and getting back into that "mundane" are just so hard sometimes. But I think the point of this noticing of the things around me is a way to break out of that. There is so much beauty in the everyday routine, and so much I skip over when I just focus on how if I pour one more glass of milk today...)

Noticing just how proud Tirzah is of her outfit...crazy leg warmers over pants and all, or how thrilled they were about our new printer and how it prints things from mommy's phone, or Jericho's constant ability to make us all lose focus on school and laugh...

Or Merrick's skinny white arms and how much he's grown, and Jericho's obsession with the vacuum even though he's really scared of it unless it's turned off, and those chunky legs sticking out of his diaper...(I'm soaking that up for now, since I'm going to try potty training him soon and that's a phase of his life we hope to be soon leaving behind)

And Tirzah's constantly crazy hair (static is not our friend)....and how one day she won't need me to keep brushing it out of her face (but I probably will anyway)...

And the fact that Billy cooks me lunch when he comes home for lunch...because he knows I haven't slowed down to eat more than a few nibbles of stuff leftover on kiddos plates all morning.

If I'm learning anything from this, aside from how much I love really seeing life through my camera, it's that if you're looking for the gifts you'll find them. Sure, it might be mundane to load nerf darts into Jericho's nerf gun 42 times today...but I'm grateful that he's here to ask me, and that he has siblings to shoot. That probably doesn't sound right...but if you know anything about this family, you get it. ;)

Grace Covers a lot of Miles

I'm not sure how many people, besides those who live locally and the running community, have heard about the runner, Meg Menzies, who was tragically hit and killed last Monday by a drunk driver. But it's a story that has really hit close to home around here. Partly, because we are a family of runners, and partly, for me at least, because I felt really close to the story since Meg was also a SAHM of three young kids, just out for her morning run. It was hard not to think the "it could have been me" thoughts. So often I head out the door to little voices yelling, "run hard, mommy! we love you!" and return to more yells...so glad I'm home. I couldn't stop thinking about how those babies' running mama never walked back in the door. I didn't even know her, but just couldn't stop feeling such a heartbreaking ache for her family left behind.

The running community really is like a big family...it's one of the things I love about runners. They are goofy, a little crazy, sometimes a little strange to the casual observer...but they do stick together and have a special bond. Runners all over the world, 90,000 runners I think was the last number I heard, all dedicated their Saturday miles to a member of our "family" as a way of celebrating her life and showing support to the ones she left behind. It was amazing to watch, also, how her faith was also splashed all over the media. She was a believer, who died doing what she loved and left a legacy of a joyfully lived life.

This joyful living of what is often just the tough everyday of life is synonymous with running for a lot of us that do it. It's tough, it sometimes seems like it's not worth it to those watching from the sidelines. It's easier to just sit on the couch, or not push through to tough stuff. But when you're out there...running OR living...you realize you're alive. You're not just getting by. When you're pushing up or hill, legs burning and lungs aching...you realize in the discomfort of the moment how blessed you are to be moving and breathing. When you're living your life, seeing grace in the hard stuff and the routine, you realize you're looking at gifts straight from God's hand, and can't imagine closing your hand to those gifts even though sometimes they hurt.

While this was a heartbreaking story, it's also worship stirring to see how grace covered so many miles through one girl who loved to run.

Packing Heat...and Just Packing

We've been slowly but surely chipping away at the packing for our move in a couple of weeks. Well, some of us have been packing. Jericho is really something like a cat. You know how cats LOVE cardboard boxes? (Maybe that was just our cats? No idea. But they were obsessed.) He won't get out of my boxes. We've left this one in particular empty, because it keeps him so busy I can actually get school/packing/chores done for once. (He's usually spreading terror like a mob boss, so this is a nice change. Why didn't I think of this before?)

Speaking of terror and mob bosses...he's equally obsessed with his birthday nerf gun, (Merrick got a nerf gun for Christmas, and Jericho tried so hard to take it that we got him his own for his birthday.) even though he's chewed most of the "bullets" in half. Also, more cat similarities. If I'm not careful, I might find him catching mice.