Post overload!

Ok, I got WAY behind on the blog the last 3 months- here is my attempt at catching up. I tried to highlight the big stuff, the funny stories, and the good pics :) There are a lot of posts, so sorry about that! Ha! Hope everyone is doing good, would love to hear from you all!

Weekend in Seattle

Presidents Day weekend we got out of dodge and drove up to see another Hughes family that we love! We had a great time hanging out in Seattle with Adam, Bridget and Brady. Fun, relaxing, and even got to see some sights. The kids all had fun playing together!

Meeting Molly and Sam

Our new niece and nephew arrived a few weeks ago, and we finally got to go meet them! Amazing, beautiful and tiny little miracles! And it's ALWAYS fun to see my nephews, who seem HUGE now next to these babies- congrats Crystal, JD, Austin, Jack and Charlie on the two new additions to your sweet family!

Me and Samuel John

Ben with Molly Rose

Austin and Emma catching up over some Orange Floats

My mom with all EIGHT grandkids- so fun!!

Jack and Ben holding babies and talking basketball

Charlie and Katie- best buds

Emma with Molly- she is SO HAPPY to have another girl cousin!

Ben and Katie contemplating life

My kiddos!

What's been going on with Miss Emma?

Emma wants a cell phone pretty bad. And since THAT’S not going to happen for a LONG time, we let her download a free app on her Ipod that let’s her text those that WE say she can text J Dave and my mom helped her get it set up yesterday. It’s not a cell phone by any means, but she thinks it’s pretty darn cool.
When we got back last night, Emma asked, “Hey mom, can you sit with me at the kitchen table?” I thought maybe she wanted me to keep her company while she finished her homework, so I said “Sure!”
We sat down, she whipped out her Ipod, and said, “Awesome, now we can sit and text each other!”
“You mean instead of TALKING to each other?” I asked.
“We do that all the time”, she replied, “this is WAY more fun!”
I’m hoping the novelty will wear off- I got a text from her at 9:30 later that night that asked if I could bring her some ice water….starting to wonder what we’ve done…

She also just finished her first basketball season! She had a great time, and improved sooo much! She went from crying in the middle of the first practice, to actually dribbling and passing in games! Here are a few pics from the season:

AND, Emma got to go to her very first DANCE! And she had the best date of all- her dad! Dave took Emma to the father-daughter dance at her school, and they had a great time...good memories for them :)

Life is good for this spunky 3rd grader of ours!

Miss Kate

** Breaking News**
Katie is potty trained!!! I could NOT be more thrilled about this! NO MORE DIAPERS in our house! We actually tried to start potty training her last summer, but she was SO stubborn and freaked out by it, we just backed off- she wasn't ready. And then 3 weeks ago we tried again. After a couple days of accidents, she figured it out- and hasn't looked back. She's even been waking me up at night to go potty- awesome!!!
Here a a few stories about her:

Katie would not help pick up her toys yesterday, so I told her to go sit on time-out. She stood there staring at me so I said again, in a very stern voice- “Go sit on time out right now.”
The tears welled up in her eyes and she said, “Mommy, don’t talk frustrated at me, because I’m beautiful.”
Oh, boy….

Katie yelled from the other room, “Mom, I want some juice!”

I peeked around the corner and said, “Is that how we ask for juice?”

She paused and then said, “Oh. Sorry. I want some juice right now!”

I love 3 year olds. Most of the time.

At the library today Katie made a new friend. I watched from the other side of the room as a little boy walked up to her and said, “You want to be friends and read together?” She said “Sure!” and they sat down to look at a book about pumpkins. I love how it’s so easy to make friends when you’re little and don’t have any insecurities yet- wish it was that easy for us adults..

Anyway, about 5 minutes later she came running up to me and told me she had to go #2 really bad. “Ok, lets go.” I said.

She ran back over to the little boy and told him very seriously (and loudly), “I have to go poop right now but when I come back we can still be friends.”

He hardly glanced up from the book and said, “Ok.”

The next time I meet someone new, maybe I should skip the boring pleasantries and just tell them I have to poop but still want to be friends…it worked well for Kate…

She's pretty amazing, but I'm biased...

The Captain

Here are a few recent stories about Mr. Ben (AKA Captain- as he sometimes dubs himself):

This morning we were calling it close to get to school before the first bell. As I pulled up to the front doors for the drop-off I told Ben (who had never been late before) that if the bell rang before he passed the office, he would need to check in there. “I know what to do mom“, he said confidently as he waved goodbye and followed Emma into school.
Now fast forward until tonight. As I am tucking him into bed I asked “So, did you have to check in at the office this morning?”
He took a big deep breath. “Yes, and it was SO embarrassing. Why have you never practiced my last name with me?” He stared at me. I was at a loss for words.
“So, what did you say when they asked you?”
“I just said what came to my head- I’m Ben David Nicole. They looked at me kinda funny,” he said.
“Sorry buddy, that’s rough,” I told him.
“That’s why we HAVE to practice my last name from now on!” He said with conviction.
“Ok, but I thought we’ve been practicing that for the last 6 years,” I said, “But apparently we need a little more practice”.
“Yep, we do.”

We went to the store to get a few needed groceries, and Ben decided to take what was left of his birthday money with him. He had exactly $4.oo hot in his pocket. As I was scanning the magazine racks, I heard an excited squeal of delight.

“Mom, I found The Green Lantern! They have it here!” He came running over clutching the movie. (He had been searching for this for a few days.)

“Oh, very cool. But how much is it? “ I said giving him THE look.

“Well, it’s $10...But if you buy it for me I PROMISE to pay you back and talk more respectful all the time!”(We’re having a little trouble with this right now). He said all this with 100% sincerity in his voice.

I stood leafing through my magazine, avoiding eye contact while contemplating this major decision. “I’m not sure, I gotta talk to the big guy about this one.,” I finally said while giving a head nod in the direction of Dave.

A few quiet seconds passed and then I looked down at Ben. He was looking up at me wide-eyed. “You mean God?” he asked. “I sure hope He says yes.” Then  he walked away I’m assuming to give me a chance to pray right then and there.

That’s not who I was talking about, but I’m sure glad Ben knows we can talk to God about anything…

As the kids sat down to dinner tonight they were fighting like crazy-about EVERYTHING. I said, “Stop talking to each other! Don’t look at each other, don’t touch each other. Stop making each other mad!”

They sat sulking while Dave and I put the food on the table. Things were going smoothly until it was time to pray. Emma and Ben both asked to pray. Emma went first and said the standard “Thank you God for this food” prayer. I started to feel good, like this might be a good family meal. 

Then Ben bowed his head and said very loudly, “God, I pray that Emma will start being nice to me. Amen.” (insert chaos again).

I’m pretty sure he had that planned the minute I told them to be quiet, but maybe I’m being over dramatic…

A look back at Disneyland-and what I learned

“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise."
C.S. Lewis

It’s been 38 days since we got back from Disneyland. And this is the first time I have convinced myself to re-live the trip and write about it- not because I intentionally like to torture myself, but because I needed to see every bit of good amidst all the bad.
As most of you know, I couldn’t even post the pictures from our trip (the few we had anyway) let alone talk about it much. I think I cried for a week once our plane touched down in Portland. But God has been working on my heart through all of this- even when I’ve been fighting Him every step of the way. I learned things about myself that needed to change, I’ve learned a lot about trusting in God’s perfect plan, and I certainly learned where every single bathroom is at the happiest place on earth.
But before I lay out what’s on my heart, I’ll give you a quick re-cap of our much anticipated trip to Anaheim, California. (especially for those reading this that have no idea what I’m talking about so far-ha!)
Travel Day-
  Spirits are SKY-HIGH! The trip we’ve been dreaming about for years is finally here! We pick up the kids from school and head to the airport.
**Highlights**
-no one cried going through security (believe me, it’s happened before)
- The kids cheering when the Flight Attendant came on and said, “And for our passengers going to Disneyland, have a great time!” So far, the trip was perfect.

 
Day 1-
Up bright and early ready for Disneyland! The kids were in complete awe and amazement as we walked down Main Street.
My first clue that something ominous was about to happen? I fell off the Dumbo ride.
YES, go ahead and read that sentence again- because it’s TRUE. Not while it was spinning, of course, but totally fell on my face climbing out of it while everyone waiting in line watched me. Maybe we should have called it quits right then and there…
**Highlights**
-Ben lost his tooth coming out of Star Tours
-Emma rode the Matterhorn 4 times
-Katie yelling, “I love this ride so much!” and the top of her lungs on Pirates of the Carribean.

Day 2-
Ben woke up and puked. I walked a mile to Target to get medicine. I walked a mile back. I started puking. No Disneyland today. I don’t remember much else.
**Highlights**
-Dave took Emma and Kate to Downtown Disney to sit in the sun. Apparently that was really fun, assuming the alternative was listening to heaving back at the hotel.
-It was AWESOME to try and use what little Spanish I know to explain to the poor housekeeping lady that our bed sheets and towels were covered in vomit. I wanted to hug her and say how so very sorry I was. While she cleaned our room I held Ben out in the hallway and tried to not dry-heave. (Later he told me it was fun spending time with me all by himself- kids are so positive).

Day 3-
We tried to go to California Adventure in the afternoon. We bought $50 worth of corn dogs and milkshakes that no one ate, and stared at the Mickey Wheel that no one wanted to go on. We visited EVERY bathroom in the park on this day.
**Highlights**
-The kids rode Helmets Chew-Chew train 5 times because it was slow and didn’t spin.
-We watched the Pixar parade and got to meet Lightening McQueen.
-We learned that it is entirely possible to walk miles and miles carrying kids while feeling naseuos and breaking out in cold sweats.

Day 4-
Emma woke up at 3am throwing up. Katie also threw up but mainly because our room was so disgusting. Dave took Katie to Disneyland in the morning and I took Ben in the afternoon. Emma does not remember this day.
**Highlights**
-Katie dancing with Mary Poppins
-watching Jedi Knight training with Ben
-watching the fireworks from our hotel room while sipping ginger ale and eating saltines. The occasional barfing noise in the background just added to the ambiance of the evening.

Day 5-
Tried California Adventure again. We had to rent another stroller because Emma was too exhausted to walk. Ben couldn’t even eat Cotton Candy. Dave almost passed out in the middle of Buena Vista Street. We mostly sat in the sun and didn’t talk much.
**Highlights**
-Watching Aladdin
-no one threw up while we watched Aladdin
-seeing Katie’s face as she watched the Disneyland Parade

        Day 6-
Dave wakes up sick. He can’t even sit up. I didn’t know what to do. There was  no way we could all be holed up in a tiny hotel room all day. I make the long walk over to the parks with Katie. Then I walk back and get Emma and Ben a few hours later. We all just want to go home.
**Highlights**
-Buying Ben an $8 hotdog and then realizing ½ an hour later that we left it on the condiment table. So I bought him another $8 hotdog that he promptly dropped on the ground after a few bites. I asked him if those 3 bites were worth $16- he said “Yes”.
- Riding CARS with Emma and Ben
-watching Katie meet Tinkerbell and Aurora

Travel Day home-
Katie wakes up sick. I almost kiss our taxi driver because I’m so grateful to be going home. We make it through 2 plane rides only by the grace of God. Dave is so sick he only has enough energy to look straight ahead and carry kids and suitcases when he has to.
**Highlight**
-As our plane began its descent, we left the warm sun and slowly entered into a thick layer of clouds. Ben looked out the window at the thick fog and rain and said, “Now it feels like home!”

So, there ya have it. Even as I write all this I can’t believe it happened this way. But I am slowly- slowly- seeing some humor in it all. Dave and I have been through a lot together, and this week was another doozy. But we survived, we pulled together, and maybe one day we’ll realize that this trip wasn’t about breaking us- it was actually about strengthening us.
It wasn’t the trip we had planned. NOTHING about it went how I had pictured in my head. But I’m not the one in control. Even though I want to be. And that’s one of the things God is teaching me. I did everything in my power to make this trip a success except give it over to God. I’m not saying that He was punishing me, I’m simply saying I needed to learn from this. I’m not in control and sometimes hard things need to happen in order for us to grow. I love the saying “It’s not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” SO TRUE.
God has also been speaking to my heart about something else. I put a lot of stock in this trip. A LOT. For years I had only dreamed of being able to take the kids to Disneyland. Then as it became a possibility, I began to think this trip was going to be the answer to everything. The last year had been pretty rough. Katie was sick a lot, and had to have surgery. Emma had been dealing with insomnia. We had lots of family things we were worried about and  Dave had been working really hard. We were TIRED. Emotionally and physically.
We needed a break, and for the months leading up to the trip, I thought it would solve all our problems. It was all I was thinking about, and all I was putting my hope in. Have you ever wanted something that bad? I desperately wanted to reclaim some sort of peace for our family, and I thought this trip was it. It was going to renew us.
But my hope was in the things of the world. And that’s what God has been telling me since we got back. My intentions were good but my focus was not in the right place- My hope should be in God. All along God was there, waiting for me to put my hope in Him, to know and understand that HE was what I needed- what my family needed. 1 John 2: 15-17 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
Now, I’m not saying that a trip to Disneyland is bad. Or that buying a new car or clothes is bad. Those things are fun and special. But it’s our attitude about these things that matters. I hadn’t intentionally left God out of the equation, but I desperately knew I had things to learn from this trip. God is our refuge and our strength. He alone can renew us in the way we need. He is our hope. Not a theme park. Not a new house. Not those awesome shoes in the mall window. These things will make us feel good for awhile, but they will not solve our problems. God will always be there for us.
Always. Put you hope in Him.