Well, just moments ago, Wesley's crib is out of this house, the bedding back in original packages, and the diaper genie in the garage. We've rearranged his room and while he only has a toddler bed for now, and we're still using the changing table for toy storage, it definitely looks different. Wesley took part in dismantling the crib and even after there was no sign of it left, he walked in his room, sat on his t-bed and said, "Hey, where's my crib???" :) We had a feeling he would eventually catch on.

Yes, many of you might remember my post in August about putting the toddler bed up and you probably assumed the crib was long gone. Well, it wasn't. Wesley much preferred the crib, and well, we just didn't care, so we let the whole thing slide. But today was the day to finally say goodbye. And that crib has been used for 10 years straight, so it really is GONE. It had no ummf left in it, so it's days of slumbering with my children are over.

It felt good to take everything down. I'll admit it. And that's all I'm going to say about it for now. :)

We just said goodbye to the last 2 of our 7 guests here for Thanksgiving. Bri's family came in town for a week and there were 11 of us stuffed into our house. Phew! But it turned out so awesome. I couldn't be more pleased with how things went, the weather, the food, the kids' behavior, etc. God was with all of us and we were all able to really enjoy eachother's company. What a gift. I have not hosted a holiday since Noah was 1. And before that, I never did. So this was only my second time to host a holiday. I loved it! I am always blessed by everyone else's hospitality so it felt good to give back. Now if I could only get my whole family to come up! (13 might be a little over the top) :) Here are a few pics of our time together. I'll post more once I get them from my SIL. I hope you all had a great turkey day and felt a new level of thankfulness this year!

*****Yep, I wrote this a couple weeks ago and never posted it. What a great representation of my life right now! Well, I'm about to post about Thanksgiving, so I figured I'd better finish this and get it up here. Thanks for your patience. :)

Ya, I realize I don't officially "work", but I feel like it this week. I'm not one to get very stressed around the holidays. I'm serious, I don't! I love the flurry of activity and the family visits involved. However, in complete honesty here, I realized Sunday morning, as I was leisurely sipping my coffee that I had been miscalculating that I had 2 weeks left till family got here. As this hit me like a brick, I gingerly walked over to my calendar and hoped my eyes wouldn't see what my brain just figured out. Yep. Sure enough, it was one week exactly till the inlaws came (7 family members). Oh crap.

So that whole bit about not being stressed during the holidays went flying out the window. Not only am I hosting Thanksgiving for 11 of us (and yes, 7 houseguests for a week), but we're also celebrating our Christmas together which means presents need to be bought and wrapped. Now, because I'm so on top of it, I had already bought most of the presents. :) But the whole idea of grocery shopping, planning and cleaning the WHOLE HOUSE in one week was a bit much. Plus, Noah has all these preschooly activities this week (including being STAR of the week!) and it's also the last week of our women's Bible study at church that I'm helping lead a small group. Throw into this pot the fact that Brian and I decided to join this crazy training program called CrossFit and you have a bunch of stuff piled on top of me. Lord, help!

The Bonnie Rait song is playing through my mind right now. I used to LOVE that song in my weepy teenage years and would dramatically play it over and over in my bedroom. Anyone else love that song?

Anyway, this morning I was reading my Bible and I read the passage "Be still and know that I am God. " I decided to be still and start praying. :) In my head, I uttered the words "Make me love you more, Lord." And almost immediately I felt Him saying, "I cannot make you love me". I realized the obsurdity of my statement. It goes against his nature to make me love him. I thought to myself, 'then how can I learn to love him more?' I remembered something I learned after being a mother one time around with Noah. I stupidly tried to make Noah sleep---something he tried with every ounce of his being not to do. When Wesley came around, the wisdom appeared that I couldn't make Wesley sleep. I could only give him opportunities to sleep. He would have to do the rest. And obviously, after awhile, he learned to sleep when I gave him those opportunities. God brought that to mind, I think, to tell me that he is constantly giving me opportunities to love Him more. Whether I notice them and take advantage is completely up to me.

Very rarely do I feel these clear lessons appear mentally while praying. So I hope me putting it to paper (or computer screen) helps you in some way in your desire to love God more. I believe one easy way is to find the wonder of his creation===especially here at fall time. So pretty! Please leave a comment if there is something that helps you in your journey to love God more.

I simply couldn't think of a creative title, so there you go. :) The Spicers are still here. Kickin' along. It's mid-October and the cool weather has swept in and left everyone a bit unprepared. But the trees are GORGEOUS and I've got to get myself out there to take some pictures. Our friend Paul Begin from childhood and Pepp is coming for a visit this weekend. We're very excited. He has had a rough year and we're so glad we get him for a couple days. I really love having visitors. I feel like I'm in my element when I'm getting ready for guests. I love cooking for people and through observations I've taken from other hospitable friends, I've learned ways to (hopefully) make people feel at home and comfortable. So please if you are ever in need of a little vaca, please come see me! :)

Let's see, how are we doing? We have much to be thankful for. Noah is having a great year so far at preschool. His teacher tells me wonderful things about him and he's learning so much every week. Noah is really into numbers and drawing. I would say those 2 things make up his study time. He can play on a calculator for an hour and recite various addition equations all day long. Now, doesn't that make the financial dork in me proud?! Would you believe the other day he said, "Mom, like, what are we going to DO in heaven???" And of course, being the not-so-short-with-words person I am, I started to remind him of the garden....and how Adam and Eve didn't have to work till they sinned....and so chances are we won't have to do any kind of "work" in heaven, etc etc. Well, Noah didn't sound very pleased and he said, "Well, I'm SURE they will atleast have calculators for me to work on up there!" Yes, dear, I'm sure they will. :) Noah is also doing Upwards soccer and LOVES IT. We love it to. Definitely a fun sport to cheer him on in!

Wesley. Now where do I begin with him? I'm head over heels in love with him. I mean it. I cannot stop kissing him and smelling him and loving on him all.day.long. He is absolutely adorable in everyway (aren't I humble?) and makes me laugh all the time. He's very bright and comes up with the most amazing statements. He has picked up a lot of slang and that's particularly funny. He still loves books and puzzles. He likes diddling around by himself but also adores playing with Noah. He was sick all last week, so of course I'm thrilled to have my little energy bug back in action.

Brian is doing well. He's super busy at work and continues to travel but I never cease to be amazed at his bright ideas and success, professionally. He'll actually be home for the next few weeks which is an unusual blessing this time of year!

I am keeping busy. I help lead a small group at my Friday morning Bible study. That is going well and I've met some really awesome people this year. Between cleaning, playing, and driving hither and yon I seem to stay pretty occupied. I will be going on a "girls" weekend with my best friend (and college roommate) here in the next few weeks and I'm really starting to get excited. It seems inconceivable that we will have eachother's undivided attention for 3 days (not to mention surrounded by gorgeous scenery). God has blessed my life with a husband who was eager to let me do this. After that we have family visiting for turkey day and then more family to go visit for Christmas. Many a good thing in store this fall/winter!

I made my first of apple and pumpkin pies this fall!! It has been so fun buying more local produce. We even bought eggs, cheese, and sausage from local farms lately. Man. cheese from a local farm is TONS tastier than the Kroger cheese I've been buying for years. Too bad I had to drive 40 minutes to get it. :)

Okay, signing off for now. Gotta go get ready to pick Paul up from the airport!

Sorry folks, this will seem like a doom and gloom post which I try to keep from writing much. But I'm in that kind of mood today. Our weather got cold this week. lows in the 40s, highs in the 50s. Almost 48 hrs after this started, both boys got stuffy. Now today Wesley has a fever. We were inside almost all day. This can't be the beginning. It can't. I'm simply not ready or mentally prepared to begin the days of 'Oh crap! Shut the door before the air bites off my face' yet. Now me being the dramatic person that I am must warn you that it will be getting back to 70 or so this week with lows in the 50's. So all hope is not lost. But it was really gloomy today and the sun didn't show and I just felt ick. Plus, the minute one of my kids gets a fever, it is. just.terrible. I feel like we're trapped in a closet. Now Wesley was acting mostly happy and normal today, so it should be no big deal right? But this is the season Bri travels a lot and the whole no warm sun thing coupled with any illness is pretty much my worse form of torture. This is when I long for family. I can beat down the door of any family member regardless of sickness usually and most definitely when I'm a loner. Then I don't feel like I'm in a closet, I feel like the old days of being a family and growing up together. We were always around eachother sick and it was no biggie. Which I could write a whole post right now on having these weird feelings of wanting to be a little girl again and having my old family back, etc etc, but I won't. It's depressing, slightly weird, and simply not gonna happen. Don't tell me you haven't ever thought that, because I don't want to hear it. I might just tell you that you're lying. :) And yes, I LOVE my family and my kids and my husband and we are jolly and I wouldn't trade them for a minute. So there is nothing to worry about if you are one to worry.

Two of my best friends in TX have delivered babies lately and so this could be part of realizing how absent I am from the life I knew for so long. I have one friend here who had a baby recently but that's it. Most of my friends are done having kids and so there is none of that to be a part of. Also, there are moments when I realize it's getting a little foggier for Noah to remember things about our life in TX and how pretty soon here, Indiana will be the bulk of his background.

Do you see what ONE MEASLY DAY of bad weather does to this girl??????!!!??? So leave comments that make me laugh or remind me of a memory with you or that tell me you are sending me lots of presents in the mail. Any of those will help. :) Hopefully tomorrow, being Sunday, and being "my favorite day of the week" as my Dad always told me will turn this mood around. I'll let ya know..........

"And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. ....Then the God of peace will be with you. " Philippians 4:8,9

I'm in the middle of a Bible study at church called Me, Myself and Lies by Jennifer Rothschild. This study has zeroed in on my #1 struggle....my thoughts. They are my constant companion and mostly consist of judgements, labels, insecurities and lies. And it seems that since I began this study, Satan has been putting extra muscle behind his attacks on my mind. I think he realizes that if God can cause a breakthrough in this area, and restore my thoughts to love, truth, and peace, then he has lost his most valuable tool in my destruction. So before I go on, please if you think of it, pray for me in this struggle. I cannot be too proud or naive to think that asking for prayer in this area wouldn't greatly improve my chances at victory.

One thing I've found myself doing a lot lately is engaging in a frantic list of things I need. I need yoga! I need a massage! I need someone to watch Wesley a few hours a week. I need more dates with Brian. I need more time by myself. Now none of these things are wrong or invalid. In fact, at some level, I really do want them all. But the whole and sum reason behind all of them is to attain a peace that I so strongly desire. It's like I feel my shoulders crunched up to my ears and I'm trying to find anything that will cause me to feel relaxed, whole, and at peace. Last night, in the middle of a meltdown, I started upon this list again...trying to think which items I could attain the fastest and my plan for getting them. And I felt God tell me: I am your peace. Nothing will give you the feeling that you are looking for but Me.

Skip with me ahead to this morning as I settled in to my Bible study. One of the first verses I was told to look up was Philippians 4:8. And I instantly knew God was so right, and I was so wrong. He is always looking out for me and trying to show me what is best for me. Not only does he know how badly I need to rearrange my thought closet, but he even tells me in the end it will give me peace! Peace, peace, how badly I desire you! After I heard God talk to me last night, I even had this vision of me putting up scriptures all over the house to make myself see, remember, and think about His Word. I mean, what else out there is pure, lovely, true, and excellent? Nothing with those characteristics bombards me daily. Nothing. In fact, quite the opposite. So today I begin the proactive task of surrounding myself with His truths and promises so that the God of peace will be with me.

God is not a liar. He wouldn't tell me that fixing my thoughts on truth and love will give me peace if it won't. So I'm believing Him, and taking captive the icky thoughts in my mind. I'll hopefully have stories of victory to share with you as time moves on. :)

my bath was kind of comical. How did yours turn out? After 15 minutes of adjusting my body so that I could be down in the warm water but high enough so that I didn't submerge my magazine, I threw my half soaked pages (no lie) out of the bath and just sat there (I mean, whose idea was it to read a magazine in the tub anyway???). The window was open and all I could hear were the night crickets. Now that was relaxing. I had this little satchel of lavender and rosemary that had been sitting in the tub and it wasn't doing anything. I didn't smell it, it didn't make the water smell, I was kind of perturbed. So in the final seconds of sitting there, I picked it up and crushed it over and over in my hands, rolling it as tightly as I could. Suddenly, as if just awoken, all the smells overpowered me. It was amazing! I just kept sniffing the little bundle as if an addict and letting the herbal properties wash over me. They really do work in case you wondered. :) The hot water alone had made my head a little dizzy---the good kind---and now I felt more relaxed.

After the bath I plopped down in my bed--the very thing I said I don't like to do---and read my magazine while Brian was downstairs absorbed by the Bears game. I could hardly keep my eyes open but I trudged through cuz there were some really interesting articles. All in all, a good exercise in relaxation and that's my tale. Did anyone else out there attempt the bogus idea of reading in the bathtub???

We just finished dinner as a family. I mentioned, "I think I'm going to take a bath so I can read a magazine." Noah says, "YOU want to take a BATH?" I said, "I know, I never want to. But I think it might be the only time I can read a magazine quietly." Brian said,"You can read one tonight" insinuating that he will be glued to the Bears game and so obviously I'll have all the time to read a magazine. But I never want to sit there and read a magazine while in the same room with him. I also don't feel like being up in my bedroom when he's downstairs watching TV and the kids are asleep. So, as stated before, I believe the only way I can effectively read a magazine, is to do it while sitting in hot scented water....possibly even sipping on a margarita.....while everyone is awake and doing their own thing without me.

This whole scenario is simply a recurrence of the same desire, different year. I remember so clearly when Noah was about oh, 10 months (all the way up to 20 months) and I would bring a blanket out to our front yard in Flowermound and arrange a bunch of toys on it. I would then set up a chair for myself and then plop Noah down on the blanket. This was all in the name of possibly getting a shred of sun on my skin and you guessed it, reading my magazine. I would no sooner turn over one page and Noah would throw a toy off of the blanket onto the grass and then whine for it. He wasn't big on the tickly feeling of the grass and so crawling on it wouldn't have crossed his mind. So I'd put down my magazine and then stand up to walk over and get the toy. I'd sink back down into the camp chair, open up my magazine and then start over . As you have experienced many times yourself (I'm just going out on a limb here!) the neediness of a child on a blanket is suprisingly constant. Oh sure, I had a couple friends who's babies would lay there comatose for an hour while their mommy could do whatever she pleased. That miracle of a habit never made it to the Spicer household.

Now today, 4.5 years later, it isn't picking up thrown toys. It's answering the constant tidal waves of questions from both of my children. As soon as my answer seems to sink in and the water settles, another even larger/more intense/more pointless/more critical question follows. Today we had a moment of silence at church that lasted, oh I don't know, maybe 2 minutes. I sat there thinking how funny it is that humans (or maybe Americans) have to be instructed to remain silent for it to ever occur. The silence I heard for those 2 minutes was glorious---but completely involuntary if you will. We had to be told to WAIT for the prayer to begin---knowing full well that people (myself included) simply can't stand to be quiet and would never on their own accord decide to sit in silence for 2 minutes. But friends, that is what I CRAVE. That is what makes reading a magazine (Real Simple, if you must know) so fulfilling. The ability for me to sit and look at pictures and read meaningful words and reflect without ever once being interrupted. I save magazines for quiet times when Brian is away, and pedicures. That's pretty much it. And sometimes (read: almost always) I'm too tired when Brian is away to focus and so I put it off. I'm not a pick-up-a-magazine-11 times-before-it-is-finished kind of gal. I like to read them all in one fail swoop or at most, split it in half between two nice reads.

So instead of reading a magazine right this moment, I'm typing about my desire to read a magazine. See how screwed up we are? Ha! It is time folks. I'm heading to get this funny little pillow that will possibly make taking a bath a tiny bit more desirable just so I can sit in my bathroom alone and read my magazine. I know, you are thinking that sounds kind of nice. You are thinking you might just go try this on for size. Well, go, be free, and enjoy your magazine. Let me know how it worked out for you. I'll surely do the same!

What a Day I say, what a Day.

His choice of donuts. More toys than you can even picture strewn across several rooms in the house. Teachers at church that love him so much and said Happy Birthday to him. His choice to go wherever he wanted for lunch (Chilis). Playing new games, laughter, friends running everywhere. Cake and more cake!! Golfing with Daddy and Papa. Football in the backyard. Family from near and far calling on the phone to wish him a very happy birthday. Prayers to thank God for this special boy that has grown to be 5 years old. Dirty dishes all over the kitchen that were filled with yummy food. Being parents for the last 5 years to one incredible boy.

We are blessed.

We are blessed.

tasting the ranch from lunch an hour ago. Love Buccetos. Hate the aftertaste.

smelling fresh sheets that I just folded.

watching the trees dance in the breeze out my window.

listening to the new Need to Breathe CD. Heavenly.

touching my keyboard and holding a cup of water simultaneously.

feeling excited for Brian to walk through the door from a business trip.

loving my friends....Misty, Carrie, Cindy and Beth to name a few. :)

desiring another baby!

wishing I could make impromptu visits to Texas, California, Colorado, New York and Montana.

thanking my Creator for always knowing what is best for me.

needing to get up and do some cleaning. :)

Not really. But we did have a blast at a Need to Breathe concert with our friends Misty and Thad. I have to tell you, people, if you don't listen to them, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!! They are amazing. And in concert, even better! The lead singer's voice is incredible, completely natural and flawless. They jam. We felt young and old all at the same time. Please, if you haven't heard them, go check em' out on ITunes. Their newest CD released today in the stores. But every single one of their CDs have been amazing. Here's some pics of our night out on the town!

I just said goodbye to my parents about 15 minutes ago. We have spent a week together and they just drove away to take the long journey back to TX. While I'm not a newbie to IN like last summer, their visit still meant so much to me and I find myself feeling a little sad and sentimental. You might remember me talking about these same emotions when my mom finished a visit last fall.
There is just something about being with my parents that lets me take a break and focus on being a daughter instead of just a mom and wife. When they leave, it's like a horn in my face that it's back to the grind of going a million miles a minute (sometimes) and kinda feels sad at first. Suddenly I am the one making every decision, cleaning every mess, and ultimately responsible for everything. A wonderful accompaniment to these roles is to wake up SICK, the very morning they are leaving. My first instinct is to think if I have anyone that can save me and take the boys off my hands for a few hours so I can sleep. I had many people to call in TX that fit that description. I have people that would say yes here too, but I would end up feeling a little guilty. A close friend in Texas, Kristen, was always just a phone call away and she would happily take my kids for me. She has her own wild and woolly kids, but she truly loved having my kids there. I never felt guilty. I trusted her.

Trust is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. That's what so great about having mom and dad here is I trust them 100%. There is just something precious about being with people that you trust 100%. I can be completely transparent and never let my self conscious get the best of me. What a blessing! I think part of trusting is understanding expectations. I trust God is who He says He is and that He is all powerful, loving and good. But I definitely confuse myself about His expectations and tell myself lies based on the world and my earthly father-daughter relationship. Then trust becomes a little harder and more complicated. It was sooooooo good for me to re-read The Shack recently and I'll discuss that in another post. But ultimately I loved gaining back my perspective on who God is and what He does and doesn't expect of me. He simply wants a relationship with His child. And it is the most freeing, trusting, burden-less Father-daughter relationship there could ever be. So now that my parents are headed back to their life in TX, I feel my heavenly Father telling my heart to commit some precious time to Him. I can trust Him. I'm not alone today while I muster up energy to clean, do laundry, and attend to my children. He is here. He is letting me be a daughter even when my most obvious role is a mother today. I just have to practice remembering that!

I'm kind of freaking out right now. We picked up a toddler bed from our neighbor tonight and Brian got it all set up in Wesley's room (with his crib still there). I methodically reminded Brian how we did with this with Noah.......first we let him look at it and get used to its presence....then we let him take naps in it but still sleep in his crib at night....etc, etc.
I gave Noah a late bath tonight and walk about of the bathroom to find Wesley's door already closed and Brian told me he put him to bed. I said, "Did he ask about the big boy bed at all??"
"He's in the big boy bed" Brian says.
Ummmmmmmm, what?????? "I'm not ready" is all I could keep saying. I didn't even get to look at him! There's no turning back. One night in the big boy bed and he'll never want to sleep in the crib again! And I'm kinda progression-oriented so I can't rationalize putting him in the crib some nights and not others. What just happened???? My baby..........

Nice title huh? Well, it is a preview of a very diverse post I will write here. There is much to write about and I know you want to hear about Costa Rica but I just don't feel like pouring over the details, so I'll give you a few highlights of the last week.

• Costa Rica was beeeeee-utiful. Weather was perfect---only rained one day. They were on mountain time, so Brian and I were up at 6:15am every morning so our days were nice and long.
  
• We ate lots of good food. Costa Rican food is like authentic mexican food with more flavor. So that's yummy.
  
• There are lizards/iguanas everywhere. Big ones. So we named one of them Rico that we passed every single morning as we left our bungalow.
• We went ziplining and that was a huge highlight. I highly recommend doing it if you every have a chance. It's not scary at all---totally exhilarating. I was just sad cuz I didn't see a sloth zipping next to me.
  
• I got stung by a jellyfish.....within 2 hours of arriving at the hotel. I know, crazy. After spending half my life in the Pacific Ocean, this is the first time that has ever happened. But really, it's not a big deal. I think it's a bigger deal picturing that thing touching your body than the actual pain. And I didn't even see it, so there you go.
  
• My sister is a rockstar for watching my kiddos (and hers). Everyone had a blast and I am as thankful for the time my kids got to spend with them as I am getting to spend time alone with Brian. I would have loved to actually be here in IN to visit with her more (since this was her first time visiting). Kimmy, I love you! You are the best!
  
• Today I went to see Julie & Julia with my friends Cindy and Beth (as well as brunch and shopping). I truly can't remember the last time I shopped for clothes with girlfriends. I am not a shopper and this was much more fun than I ever thought possible. I think it was because we didn't even plan on going---the movie theater lost power and we had to kill time somehow............so TJMaxx reaped the benefits of the power outtage. :) Anyway, the three of us had so much fun browsing and recommending clothes for eachother. My amazing husband let me spend 7 hours away from home today and that was perfect in everyway.
  
• But the true high point was seeing Julie & Julia. Please go see it as soon as you can. It's a perfect movie in many ways. Nothing bad, crude, or inappropriate. The couples in the movie are married which is a WELCOMED change. The food looks amazing and my head flew back many times as I laughed heartily at the film. But truly, at it's core, it's shows two great partnerships and the journey of marriage. It shows how women seek to be defined these days and back in the 50's. And yes, if you know me at all, you know I love cooking, love food, love reading about food, etc. So it's a hard movie not to love. Meryl Streep does a homerun job and I couldn't critique her if I wanted to. I have countless memories of my dad and I watching Julia Childs all growing up on TV. My dad loved to imitate her voice (who doesn't?) but he also loved to see her cook. So did I. I think at the end of the film, it says her Mastering the Art of French Cooking is in it's 57th edition. I presume after this movie gets seen enough, it will be in it's 80th printing before too long. I know I have a sudden itch to learn french cuisine!
• To tie up this random post, I wanted to declare I have 2 itsy bitsy teenie weenie pumpkins growing on my vines. Pumpkin plants grow amazingly fast. The variety I'm planting are small sugar (pie) pumpkins and will be perfect for decoration and cooking. Since they are small, my guess is I don't have to wait near as long for them to mature as you would huge jack-o-lantern ones. Anyhoo, it gets me very excited for the fall, even if that does mean that summer has to end, and cold weather will be ushered in shortly after fall. :(
  

Alrighty folks, I realize I haven't been very studious in blogging lately so it's not like you'll miss me much more on vacation right? Brian and I are about to embark on our 10th anniversary trip to Costa Rica. The kids are being cared for by family and all is well in the world. I'm giving myself a little positive self talk cuz at the moment I'm feeling the whole separation anxiety, guilt, fear junk which is so NOT appropriate. I would really appreciate your prayers that Brian and I have a truly memorable trip with lots of relaxing and growing closer than we have the past 10 years. I really want this to be the best trip we've ever had and 90% of that happens in my head---not circumstances. So join with me in prayer that I can leave my mommy duties alone for a few days and just remember how much I love being an adult=====an adult in paradise! I also appreciate your prayers for the kids that they stay safe and healthy. We're on a bit of an injury spree so it needs to stop the minute I walk out the door. :) Half of Noah's face is purple (not an exaggeration) and Wesley got hit in the head close range with a rock today leaving 3 little gashes in his head. He was tough though and nothing serious, thank goodness.

I hope all is well with those of you that read my blog. I'm not sure what my deal is lately but I seem to have lost my mojo. Hopefully a nice vacation will cure that right up and I'll be back in full effect shortly. See you all soon!

Sometimes I feel like 10 times a day I'm asking myself if anyone else thinks like me. You know, when you are totally nodding your head while your kid asks you a question and your mind is off in Jumanji.....those kinds of thoughts. Brian has to sometimes physically pull me back into the present because I'm off somewhere thinking of the deepest, weirdest, craziest, saddest things that human beings can possibly think of. Have you been there? I think that it takes being around someone who is so not a deep thinker that makes you feel one of two things: a psychopath or a genius. So lately I've had moments of feeling very intelligent, or very unstable---wonderful options if I do say so myself. I think I've passed on this gene to Noah. That kid asks me some pretty insane questions and I can see just where his mind is headed after I answer.

Why does God make some people think so dang differently than others? Ya ya ya, there's the whole bit about challenging one another and revealing new things/ideas/answers, but most of the time I think it's just frustrating. And no, I have no direction for this post whatsoever, so if you are searching, don't. For instance, there was recently some legislation that passed here that allows the Athiest Society to post ads in the city buses that read "You Can Be Good without God". Really? Now what are they hoping to gain by posting these signs? A bunch of people suddenly leaping for joy and saying "Phew! What a relief!"? I mean, I'm totally baffled by this. I think those of us that are true believers feel we really aren't capable of being good without God---because afterall, all good things come from Him. But the world of course is quick to believe that yes, naturally, you can be good without God. I know "good" people that have no relationship with God whatsoever---but that doesn't change the fact that He created them--and created them in His image. Anyhoo, just something I've been stewing over for the last 24 hours after reading the paper. Oh and to touch on that, there's the whole story of the guy in NC that was supposedly the nicest, wisest, most helpful neighbor around and turns out he was orchestrating some major terrorism plot. So maybe you can be "good" without God but not all good. And does any of his good really matter at all if he was planning on blowing multitudes of people up somewhere down the line?

I know, heavy stuff. And yet, right in the middle of these thought patterns I'm given a net by one of my sons and told I'm a princess and to put it on my head. So I do, and then I act like a 5 yr old and laugh and then boom---I'm back at the brain business. It. never. stops. I just wonder at what level of conscienceness God really intended us to be at. Why did he give us levels of thought, if you will? Why are deep thoughts considered to be usually darker, sadder, more serious, etc?

Anyway, totally not a pick-me-up post. But I do have one more recognizable "deep thinker" for ya to wrap up this odd segment. Closing thought, but Jack Handy:

We went to the lake last weekend and saw all the people camping and it got our camping juices flowing. We are hoping to have our first "real" camping trip in the next month or two after we've purchased a few necessities. Until then.....................




....our backyard worked like a charm! The boys had the best time ever and Noah and Brian even slept all night in the tent. We had a crazy cold front come in and it dropped into the mid fifties. They stayed toasty in the tent and woke up with some great memories made. It was fun for Brian and I to see the tent up since it hasn't been since our ole married-no-kids days. Now we're all ready for the real thing sometime soon!

We've spent a lot of time outside in July. The weather has been gorgeous and we have enjoyed God's creation so much. Oh! And Wesley threw away all his pacis!!! Just a random factoid I thought I'd share. :) It's been 2 weeks and he is doing great. He saw a pic today of him sucking on one and he got a little sad, but that's it. We're so proud of our growing boy. So here are some pics of July.
The boys pouring water on my feet. They are such good sports!



Best buddies, Drew, Wesley, Noah and Rachel.
Cuties at the park having a pow-wow.
The Spicers on the 4th of July.
Noah swimming confidently in his floaties on the lake.

****I started writing this post on 7/7 and am determined to finish it tonight. I apologize for the ridiculous delay!

After working out in the garden (a new pumpkin patch plot I'm digging up) and getting sweaty and dirty and nasty, I would much rather sit back and look at a magazine or watch TV while the boys are still sleeping. HOWEVER, if I don't come back around and write my "highs" from our Texas roadtrip, I just may never do it. So here are some pics to complement my words.

First off, the road trip was fantastic. Really, it was. The boys were amazing---didn't flinch at being in the car that long. We stopped in Memphis for the night which is 7.5 hours from Bloomington. It was perfect timing as it was midnight TN time. Then the next day, we headed the final 6 hours to TX. Because all of the suggestions my amazing friends gave me on Facebook, I came prepared with so many things for the boys to do. However, they didn't even get into a lot of it because they were content to just be. They didn't even watch much TV which shocked me cuz I got a bunch of new stuff from the library.
This cross was HUGE!!


Next we got to my parents house and it was such a wonderful welcome. Unfortunately, I took no pics of the boys in the garden, or playing with Mee-ma and Papa which was such a bummer. I just can't believe I forgot. But here are the boys playing in Mee-ma's bath after a super sweaty Texas day.
On our way out of Tyler, we stopped at this awesome park/museum that is owned by Brookshires---a large grocery store chain there. Once again, I should have taken pics of this museum. It had real stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes from practically every continent. The boys were amazed. Then we went outside to the park where they have an old train and firetruck that you can climb on.




Then we went on to my sister Kasey's place which is in big D. We had a great time visiting with her and the boys of course savored their time with cousins, Connor and Payton.






We spent the next couple days visiting with our good friend's the Chapman's and the Ashlocks. The Ashlock's have been mentors to Brian and me in many ways and we miss them dearly. We had a blast being with them as they prepared to send their first daughter Amber off in marriage. Pics of that in a minute. Here are some pics of Noah, Taylor, Bubba (lil' David) and Wesley. They are the best of buds and we enjoyed thoroughly hangin' with Kristen and Dave just relaxin. Too bad I took pictures of no grownups!

The Woodwards are some of our best friends who we've traveled with on mission trips in the past. We had a nice splurge of a dinner at Morton's one night and then we visited later in the week again. Pitifully, the ONLY pic I took was this one of Amber reading to Carter and Wesley.
We spent a few days at my oldest sister, Kim's house. Noah and Wesley were in heaven having unlimited time with their cousins. I of course, loved watching them play and relaxing with my sisters. We also got to spend Father's Day all together with my dad and that was incredibly special. We don't know when the last time that happened---maybe 15 years or more!




We left my sisters and headed for a quick visit at the LST office. I loved seeing some of my old co-workers and catching up on all their happenings. It is almost impossible for me to believe it's been a year and a half since I've worked. Amazing how time has flown. But I am completely sure that God has me doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing----teaching, loving and caring for these 2 little rascals I call Noah and Wesley. :) We spent 2 nights with my good friend Stephanie and her 2 boys (her hubbie was out of town). It was so nice to catch up with her as I had not been very good at keeping in touch. The boys had a blast with her 2 little boys Jake and Cole. They spoiled us with all their neat toys as you will see below.




We closed our trip with the wedding of Amber Ashlock and Trevor Cates. It was a beautiful night and the wedding was perfect. We saw many familiar faces and the boys had so much fun. Noah kept saying, "I can't believe I'm at a wedding!" It was so cute. Here are couple pics of the wedding. Unfortunately I could never get a good pic of the boys. They looked so cute in these outfits Aunt Kasey bought them.

So there is FINALLY the summary of our trip. It has been 3 weeks since we got back and July is flying by. We loved our time in TX and even the road trip parts of it. It was nice to spend time together as a family even if it did feel weird being a "visitor" in TX. :) Thank you again to everyone who hosted us!! We love and miss all of our family in TX so much!