HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO ME

So, I turned 36 a couple of Fridays ago.  The last week and a half has been filled with all kinds of craziness, so I'm just now getting to the blog post about it.  I took a commemorative photo for the occasion.  Actually, Bella took the photo.  Perks of getting older and having slightly older children.

There are pros and cons to this aging gig, and I am definitely experiencing both.  I love my current skincare regimen, but I have developed blepharitis in the last year, which is a major bummer.  Also, I find random things in my body that are sore - did I pull a muscle?  I'm sure it was that super strenuous working out that I am always doing - that or just life.  Life makes me "pull muscles" now that I am 36.

But, I mostly like aging.  There is so much learned along the way, and it is nice to be able to apply wisdom to real life.  Like learning to eat better and realizing that it really truly helps you feel better.  Imagine that.  Also - getting enough sleep matters.  A lot.  Am I always great at these things?  Umm, no.  But, I do feel like I am making real gains that I am thankful for.

At age 36, I've also seen a lot of God's faithfulness.  Though I do not always understand or necessarily like the ways that God works, I do trust him completely.  He is good and faithful and has proven that time and again in my life.  36 years deep, I trust him more than ever.

To celebrate 36, I drove home from Branson with my husband and four children.  After about two hours of being home, a babysitter came, and John and I had a lovely night on the town that included three restaurants and a pedicure for us both.

At the last restaurant, they actually comped the dessert and champagne for us, because we get dessert there so regularly. 😂🙈👊🏻🙌🏻

I've seen some pretty amazing stuff in this first week of being 36, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of the year holds!

PLAYING CATCH UP

I feel behind on most things in life right now, blog included.  I take that back - I'm actually caught up-ish on laundry, so there's that.  And that's a lot.  All is not lost.  But, I'm behind on stuff like email and paperwork and cookies and making meals for my family.  I did finally get the Christmas trees that I was calling Winter trees off of my porch.  🤦🏻‍♀️

Here are a few of the things that've made up our days, besides our Branson trip.  I shared brunch and my heart with these lovely ladies that I've been doing a Bible study with throughout this year.  We've had rich conversations that have led me closer to the Lord, and for that, I'm forever grateful.  I'll miss my Thursday mornings with each of these women!




One of my new favorite people had a birthday party where we painted signs which was SO MUCH FUN!  Happy Birthday, Marla!

John and I made room for a quick day date and took in Kent Walker's Artisan Cheese for lunch.  It is a definite must visit for Little Rock.  The cheese flights are on point, and there are views of the capitol from the dining room.  My salad was delicious, and John's sandwich left nothing to be desired.  They offer cheese tasting tours on Saturdays, so I think we'll schedule one of those soon!  Yum.

Dinner that same day was a little less original (Whole Hog, a favorite family standby), but we did get to see our children do this. 🤷🏻‍♀️



We are planning an international trip this summer that will require passports for all the peeps, which requires both parents and children to all go to a passport acceptance facility together with all the required paperwork.  There are a lot of requirements.  But, we got the job done at the library I grew up going to, which was a fun bonus.

(I still do this with my tongue when I write. 😜)

Three year olds sometimes still get mad even at libraries.  And they throw their shoes.

Later that same day we attended a wedding of a dear couple who met at and still works at one of our restaurants.  It was being translated from Spanish to English, so it took a little longer and most of my peeps could not hack it, though it was lovely.  We are so happy to celebrate with them - they make couple number 5 that has met and married from our restaurant! 🎉🎉🎉




The food was amazing, and someone made a surprise CFA cake for them - such a fun treat!

The beginning of spring break brought a couple of laid back-ish days.  The girls and I saw Beauty and the Beast which we LOVED.



The big girls also spent some time with grandparents planting things - can't wait to see what grows!



In other news, I got a call from John asking me randomly how my visit to Sam's was.  I was puzzled, because I had never told him about it.  Turns out, my wallet had fallen out of my purse, and they had managed to find his number and call him.  It had been turned in, and when I went to retrieve it, everything was there.  Praise the Lord.  The ladies at the desk said that most people never get their wallets back, so I am very thankful for the grace that I was shown that day.

BRANSON SPRING BREAK FUN

The past several years we have taken some quick spring break trips with friends.  This year, with very little pre-planning, we embarked on an adventure with the Head family for a couple of days spent in Branson.  Our party of 12 went on the road. 👊🏻



(the four adults in the CFA parking lot where we loaded up on chicken before the massive 3 hour drive. it seems that children are always always hungry until it is time to eat a meal when they seem to be never hungry. Maybe that's just my kids.)

We had several "firsts" this trip:

Our first time at a Hibachi grill (the kids mostly thought it was great, though the twins were particularly nervous about the fire, and at one point Bella was against the wall when the chef started throwing vegetables for us to catch in our mouths 🤣😮🥕)

Our first time at Fritz's Family Adventure - a super fun place that recently opened in Branson.  We all had a blast - though it made for a late night.

(They had a mini-ropes course for littles with harnesses and everything!)



(Bella rocked the big ropes course with John!)


Our first visit to the Sight and Sound Theatre to see Moses.  It was amazing - truly.  They use live animals and all kinds of other effects - the production level was unbelievable.  Talk about having the Bible come to life!  3 out of 4 of my children made it through the whole play, and Violet got to hang with John a lot in the lobby- so much so that they gave us a complimentary DVD and gave Violet a stuffed lamb. 👊🏻😂🐑

We had our first visit to Mel's Hard Luck Diner where the wait staff sings while serving you.  This was highly entertaining for everyone, though not all of the boys at our table enjoyed having their hair ruffled by a singing waitress.  William was so worn out from the fun that he slept through much of dinner, and because it was the night before my birthday, they sang to me.  After the singing, a man who introduced himself as Santa also came over to wish me a Happy Birthday.  Gosh I love Branson.

(Why Santa doesn't always dress this way is a mystery to me.)

Besides firsts, we also had several family trip standbys.  There were pancakes and cinnamon rolls for breakfast on our two mornings there.

There was fun downtime just playing with friends and going on "Nature Walks" near the golf course we were staying on.

There were a few unpleasant instances, like when Lily got overheated and motion sickness kicked in and she vomited in the car around 10:00 pm on our way back to the condo after Fritz's.  She was so proud that she didn't get any on her new shoes, and she immediately felt better, thank goodness.  During one afternoon, it was reported that kids were playing with play dough on the carpet.  We did discover that by "kids," this mostly meant one kid, and it looked like she was giving hot pink play dough CPR when we got down there.  Nothing is more fun than cleaning hot pink play dough out of someone else's carpet. 😒

On our last morning, we headed to mini-golf and had a grand old time.  It is amazing to see how much more fun things get as our children get a little older.

(To speed things up, John created "Twin Golf" where they would hit their balls at the same time - this delighted them both, and they would giggle and giggle as they chased their balls down the green.  So cute.)

We rounded it all out with a quick picnic lunch before we hit the road and the storms blew in!

It was a great quick trip with great friends, and we are so thankful for the time away as a family.  Peace out, Branson.  I'm sure we'll be back!

Here's Court's take on the fun!

SPRING FEELS & FAITHFUL GOD

I've written about this before, but I seem to always feel things deeply in the spring.  So many of the hardest and best things in my life have come in the spring, and my whole being seems to remember that, even when I don't always consciously acknowledge it.  As the flowers bloom and weather turns moody, I find myself extra sad or glad for indiscernible reasons.  I'm a delight to be around, as you might imagine, especially when I don't understand why I'm having bonus feels.



Today has taken me on an extra emotional journey - one that is not yet over.  It's not my story to share, but I am connected and heavily invested in it.  I have hit my knees both literally and figuratively in prayer today.  There has been great rejoicing, and we have many reasons to hope for a miraculous outcome.

As I hope and pray, I've been going over God's incredible faithfulness in my heart and mind.  He is SO good and SO faithful - even when things do not turn out how we wish or hope they would.  Just this evening, I reread through my blog posts from this exact time four years ago.  Our adoption of the twins held far more questions than answers, and we walked a perilous tight rope of expectations and trusting God while also trying to keep up a tiny guard against the pain that could have come.

What I didn't realize at the time is that the pain would come no matter what.  There is no guarding yourself or avoiding it.  The pain is part and parcel and central to the experience.  It is entwined with the parenting and the joys and the love and the beauty.  In the end, the beauty is deeper, richer and truer because of the pain.  Isn't that always true in fairytales?  It has to get dark before the magic can make it lovely.

And come what may - God is faithful.  He has proven himself time and again in my life, and I can trust in him.  He is far more real than the magic in fairytales.  He wants me to lean on him.  He wants prayer to be my only resort.  He wants to remind me how little control I have and how much everything is always in his hands no matter what.

Today, this oft-quoted passage rings more true than ever.

Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We can and should be rejoicing. The Lord is near, and I am thankful, and God's peace does transcend all understanding - it will be my guard as we all walk forward.  Praying and hoping for God's best.