Multitude Wednesday

35. restored internet access!
36. the timing of our internet outage to coincide with my need to refrain from blogreading so I could get off the evil comparison wagon

37. grace that is greater than all my sin

38. great music I was introduced to in college that still ministers to me today

39. great friends from college who introduced me to said music

40. my friend Maggie from college

41. whose blog post I completely relate to

42. a group of women in Louisville I am so excited to see tonight and have missed for the last three weeks

43. beautiful days in Louisville

44. that make 4 year olds say that they are thankful God made the world

45. the ease with which she gave thanks this morning when usually it's a tooth and nail fight all the way to preschool to get her to give thanks for one thing

46. the perfect breeze

47. on a beautiful day

48. in which to fly the dragon kite

47. from Chinatown

48. which she requested

49. the look on her face as she flies it by herself 50. the toddler's excitement to be out of the stroller and in the grass
51. the toddler's glee to push the stroller by herself

52. Daddy being a part of it all

53. the smiles on the faces of the passersby as they watch our family

54. Kern's Kitchen Derby Pie

55. Calvin Borel

56. It knocked me down, it dragged me out, it left me there for dead. It took all the freedom I wanted and gave me something else instead. It blew my mind, it bled me dry, it hit me like a long goodbye, and nobody here knows better than I that it’s a good thing. Love is a good thing. It’ll fall like rain on your parade, laugh at the plans that you tried to make, it’ll wear you down till your heart just breaks and it’s a good thing. Love is a good thing.It’ll wake you up in the middle of the night, it’ll take just a little too much. It’ll burn you like a cinder till you’re tender to the touch. It’ll chase you down, swallow you whole, it’ll make your blood run hot and cold. Like a thief in the night it’ll steal your soul, and that’s a good thing. Love is a good thing. It’ll follow you down to the ruin of your great divide, and open the wounds that you tried to hide. And there in the rubble of the heart that died you’ll find a good thing. Love is a good thing. Take cover, the end is near. Take cover, but do not fear. It’ll break your will, it’ll change your mind, it’ll loose all the chains of the ties that bind. If you’re lucky you’ll never make it out alive, and that’s a good thing. Love is a good thing. It can hurt like a blast from a hand grenade when all that used to matter is blown away. There in the middle of the mess it made you’ll find a good thing.Yes, it’s worth every penny of the price you paid. It’s a good thing. Love is a good thing. Do not fear.

Multitude Monday

I've been considering joining this Gratitude Community for some time. This morning, I'm diving in:

1. Four days alone with my husband...

2. ...in San Francisco!

3. Good friends who love and care well for our children (for free)

4. God's grace that caused our children to eat well and sleep well for our friends

5. travelling mercies

6. happy reunions

7. fresh baked sour dough bread...

8. ...with peach vinegar

9. In-and-out burgers and fries

10. Ghiradelli chocolate ice cream

11. real chao mian in Chinatown

12. delicious food in Haight-Ashbury

13. Helpful bus drivers and native San Franciscans

14. Sausalito

15. biking across the Golden Gate Bridge

16. the sound sea lions make

17. a Boxcar Children book about SF to help 4 year olds understand where we went

18. Giving souvenirs to 4 year olds, who like the airplane peanuts best of all

19. Remembering the anticipation of getting airplane peanuts from my dad when he would go on a trip

20. Joy from the Lord that is bigger than vacations...

21. ...and is available on the Mondays when life gets back to normal

22. A washer and dryer in which to do massive amounts of laundry

23. having plenty to keep me busy and to keep me from the despair of "an empty day"

24. an abundance of clothing (even if it's all dirty)

25. money to replenish our pantry and fridge

26. having just enough food left so I don't have to run to the grocery store right away

27. friends that clean your house in just the right ways

28. a job for my husband to go to on a Monday morning

29. the ability to enjoy joy (Ecclesiastes 2:25, 5:19)

30. a home to take care of

31. a husband who loves me in spite of my many sins and weaknesses

32. children who are very forgiving

33. clean sheets and towels

34. Walter Wangerin books

photo update

Sorry (grandparents) for the blogging drought. We've been too busy living life to record it! Here are some shots though from Susannah's recent visit to Louisville. You can see in the sidebar our best attempt at a family photo. I really, really wanted to get one on Easter, but as soon as we gathered everyone together Caroline started screaming! Of course. I should devote a blog post to all of our failed family photo attempts. A grandma in town can mean only one thing...an excuse to go to the Butterfly Garden Cafe! I promise we had more fun than it looks like we did in the pictures...even despite the fact that I spent most of the meal standing up with Caroline and Katie dumped her entire glass of iced raspberry tea all over herself and the floor. At least Katie looks cute in the pictures!

a holy experience

Just had to share this incredible blog I found through my friend Tara's blog. Go to it, and savor.

More birthday

To celebrate Bean Town's birthday (yes, we call her Bean Town...long evolution on that nickname), we had a joint-party with a family whose youngest son is about a week younger than Caroline. As you can see in the final pictures, we are unabashedly trying to arrange their marriage.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Happy Birthday, Caroline!

Caroline, oh, sweet Caroline, we love you so much. You bring such unique joy and happiness to our family. We love your slimy open mouth kisses (that sometimes involve biting), we love the spider walk you've figured out so you wouldn't get tangled in your dress, we love how you never fail to hear a single airplane that flies overhead (about 45 a day), but most of all we just love YOU! Happy 1st birthday, little Peanut/Bunny/Carebear.

March 20, 2009A few days oldApril 2009June 2009July 2009August 2009October 2009December 2009March 19, 2010

You know it's Spring when...

...the Dairy Kastle opens!

I must admit. Ever since the warm spell we had a few weeks ago, I've been compulsively driving by the Dairy Kastle several times a week to see if it's open. Yesterday when the girls and I were out for a walk, I saw that the boards had been taken off the windows...could it be? We strolled over and the owner told us that it would be open tomorrow...which is today! So, did we go? You betcha!

As if it weren't enough for the Kastle to be open, Katie also had a St. Patrick's Day party at her preschool...and I got the privilege of helping with it! It was so fun to visit her class and see the other kids, although their teachers said they were being unusually quiet. I like to think that they were blown away by the cupcakes and punch I made (which I confess I was a little stressed out about...but that's another blog post).