I'm dreaming of a...

...shadowless groundhog.

I'm dreaming of walking out to get my mail barefoot, without 14 layers of clothing.
I'm dreaming of wearing flip flops and skirts without pantyhose.
I'm dreaming of early mornings with the windows wide open, sunlight streaming in, and the music of birds filling my ears.
I'm dreaming of long family walks after dinner and sitting on the front porch until the mosquitos start biting.
I'm dreaming of evenings spent at the ballfield, eating hotdogs and cheering for my daughter and her team.
I'm dreaming of family campouts, playing all day with the kids, making smores, and sitting up half the night with my hubby by the campfire.
I'm dreaming of days spent chatting with my best girlfriends by a pool while our kids swim.
I'm dreaming of laying on my back with my girls looking at the stars that are finally out at 10PM.
I'm dreaming of cookouts with friends and family...juicy grilled burgers (by my hubby, the Grillmaster himself), coleslaw, corn on the cob, fresh bright red tomatoes, strawberry pie...and little smiling faces dripping with watermelon juice.
I'm dreaming of hikes through the woods at our favorite local State Park...the beautiful trees and ground covering, the piney smell, the sound of birds and toads and crickets.
I'm dreaming of fishing and canoeing and kayaking.
I'm dreaming of 4th of July picnics and parades and fireworks.
I'm even dreaming of weeding and mulching and the sound of the lawn tractor and the smell of fresh cut grass.
I'm dreaming of powerful, awe-inspiring thunderstorms...when you just can't help but stop whatever you're doing to sit and watch and marvel at the awesome power of our Creator.
I'm dreaming of family bike rides through the neighborhood.
I'm dreaming of meeting new friends as we watch our kids play at the park.
I'm dreaming of snow cones (topped with marshmallow, of course) from our favorite produce stand on the way home from church each Sunday.
I'm dreaming of laundry that is finished so quickly because in place of bulky jeans and hoodies are shorts and t-shirts.

No. I'm not complaining about winter. I'm just daydreaming about when it is over. That is the one thing that I LOVE about winter - It makes us appreciate the other beautiful seasons of the year.

Too busy receiving to give

I am so very blessed each and every morning by the inspiring blogs I read. So blessed, in fact, that I have nothing left to give back to you. As I sit down to my computer in the quiet hours of the morning while the children are still thankfully sleeping, I am touched by the inspiring thoughts and life-changing events that are happening in the lives of my blog buddies.

This morning, for instance, I started off by praying for Nicole whose name was lifted up for prayer by Darren LeBlanc. I then moved on to Octamom's blog where I laughed out loud over her toddler Ty Pennington "wanna-be". After that, I wept tears of joy while reading about the very special baby Courtney got to hold yesterday and the miracle that just recently happened in his life. I then cried more tears of joy while reading the birth story of yet another sweet baby at Angie's blog Bring The Rain. I followed the link in her blog to her very first post and wept tears of pain and grief as I read once again the heart wrenching story that begins her blog. I dropped in on Ashley to see if her baby had arrived yet. She's still patiently waiting while caring for sick children. I then read a very convicting post by Gretchen about teaching our children about the love of our Savior by loving them with the same mercy and compassion He shows us.

After I finished dropping in on my favorite bloggers, I looked at the time and jumped up with a start. I once again had spent about 40 minutes "blogging" and had not typed a single thing (except for maybe a few comments). It was way past time to start getting myself presentable and waking up my sweet sleeping children. Oh well! Maybe another day...only if all of my blog buddies suddenly turn boring and un-inspiring.

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

**I had a great post forming in my mind yesterday after studying a passage in Jeremiah. I never did get time to put it into words for you. Maybe that will also happen another day. I did manage to sneak in a few moments to share this little tidbit with you as everyone was busy doing their own thing...a rare occurance in the middle of the day here at Homeskoolmommy's house.**

It's a...

We still have to decide on a name, but she looks healthy and is developing right on target for my due date. Maia is getting over her disappointment rather quickly, and Hannah is ecstatic! As soon as the U/S tech told us the sex, Hannah looked at Maia and said, "See! I told you it's a girl!"

Christmas pictures

I was desperate to have some good pictures of my girls to frame this year. I got them together at home and had a photo shoot. Not a one really turned out. The camera I was using was on the fritz and every picture came out with lines through it. Out of probably 50 shots, these were the only decent ones I got:

Sooo, off we went that same night to find a "real" photographer with a "real" camera. Here is what we got. I think they turned out beautiful!

And my absolute favorite...

Happy New Year from our family to yours!

8 Years!

Apparently I put too many pictures on this one and it's not working as an embedded object. Sunday was my sweet Maia's 8th birthday. Click here to check out the scrapblog I made for her.

Blog Writer's Block...and a little meme

So I haven't posted in a LOOOOONNNNGGGG time! Sorry, guys! Just been so busy and haven't had the brain power to sit down and compose a post that will interest you. So I found this over at Happy To Be Called Mommy's blog and thought it would be easy enough to repost. I'll be back in full force later this week as I'm working on a special post for my oldest daughter's birthday.

A special meme about my hubby -

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV: what is on the screen? FOOTBALL!
2. You’re out to eat. What kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch or French
3. What is one food he doesn’t like? Casseroles, meatloaf, anything with dumplings
4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? We don't go to bars or drink
5. Where did he go to high school? Public school for 2 years, then Christian school with me for last 2
6. What size shoe does he wear? 13
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He currently collects old computers and parts...not officially, but I've got a half a room full of them. A real collection favorite would have to be Ravens memorabilia.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? ummm...I think it depends on his mood, but possibly a Reuben or Chicken Cheesesteak
9. What would the Husband eat every day if he could? potato chips...I think he does actually eat them every day
10. What is his favorite cereal? Corn Flakes
11. What would he never wear? A dress. Makeup. lol (Ditto on that one, Bethany)
12. What is his favorite sports team? RAVENS!
13. Who is his best friend? Me.
14. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? Lose or forget things...I'm a little absent-minded
15. How many states has he lived in? just one
16. What is his heritage? I'm so embarrassed! I forgot!
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind? It would have to be a pie. He doesn't really like cake
18. Did he play sports in high school? Track team - focus on discus
19. What could he spend hours doing? watching football

Your turn to repost...Let us know in the comments if you did so we can see yours :)

In Sweet Memory

The due date for our little one that we lost in May came and went this weekend, with no labor pains and no big "It's a ________" balloons in the yard. It was just a regular weekend of laundry and errands and shopping. Although I'm now 13 weeks along in my pregnancy with this baby, I will never, ever forget our sweet beloved baby waiting for us in Heaven.