Multitude Monday #366-413...

"In the midst of the meaninglessness, in the midst of the randomness, in the midst of things that don't make sense, every once in a while you stumble upon something that is so beautiful that in that moment you say 'Aww, look at that...that makes me think their must be more to this life than this.'" Andy Stanley

366...boys calling out signs of spring on a gray and dreary day 367...placing words in their "holy space" 368...warm soapy water and dirty dishes 369...snow covering the muddy yard 370...SNOW DAY! 371...boys sled riding 372...Will's first sled ride
373...little hands helping me bake 374...Micaiah's phone call to Daddy..."Will you please come home early so we can go sled riding again?" 375...Daddy home early for sled riding round 2
376...sled riding as the sun sets
377...quick dinners
378...John 15:1-11
379...solitude in the car
380...Wes' worship at night
381...Micaiah's worship in the morning
382...parent support at Department of Education
383...resting eyes to relieve throbbing head
384...snow boots and snow pants for outdoor fun
385...progress reports showing progress
386...a morning to play games
387...the birds singing
388...an Occupational Therapist's help
389...a child old enough to tell me what hurts
390...rain
391...a watch with 3 different alarms to remind me of medication dosing
392...hide and seek with Eli ("I will hide right there and you find me")
393...sky waiting to "open up" until after I got the kids and the groceries in the car
394...sunshine streaming after the rain
395...vibrant greens
396...seeing the lights of home
397...muddy yard (reminder that boys play here)
398...Time of Your Life, Part 5 by Andy Stanley
399...little boys with blueberries in their mouth
400...splotches of paint in bathroom sink and on towel (little boy creative)
401...neighborhood playground
402...a child reading one of our favorite children stories
403...baby babbling "Ma, Ma, Ma"
404...rooster costume pattern on the internet
405...my husband's sewing abilities

406...a little boys delight in "boot farts" 407...this sermon 408...hike with the boys 409...touching train tracks

410...boys exploring

411...Joshua mastering the fireman's pole for the first time

412...6 people 12 times shot 2
413...Ecclesiastes 3:11 and the hope for eternity

6 people 12 times...February...

this was taken today during a hike at one of our favorite parks...we went looking for a Geocache and ended up finding a really fun "tire park" as we came out of the woods. Wes set the camera on one of the tires and set the timer...Will decided that he would rather not participate this month.

here is a link to last months photo...January

Surprise...

5 inches of snow just as you were counting signs of spring! The boys started sled riding on the driveway...

Eli and Ian

but when Will was finished his morning nap we drove around the corner to the sledding hill...
Micaiah and Joshua spent the afternoon motor planning on how to stand up and go down the hill with just the right amount of balance

most of the time Micaiah resorted to sitting down when he felt like his lack of balance might land him face first in the snow...

Joshua however, quickly learned that when this balance thing was not in your favor...pull out some sort of trick that involved either a jump and roll or a dive into the snow (as you can see from the ice crystals that developed in his hair and the placement of his hat).

Will spent the afternoon on my back...including the time Eli and I decided to sled down the hill...Micaiah said he smiled the whole way down!

Multitude Monday #312-365...

Hakarat Hatov~ Hebrew for recognizing good
"The secret embedded in the Hebrew is that gratitude depends on not getting something good, but on recognizing good...no matter how much we lack, no matter what difficult times we are passing through, every one of us can find a myriad of things to be grateful for...gratitude is a feat of consciousness which requires a 'back to basics' mentality, becoming cognizant of all the rudimentary things we usually take for granted."
Sara Yoheved Rigler

312...a good nights sleep
313...conversation with a friend as we walk the neighborhood
314...boys enjoying God's creation
315...boys piled up in the stroller
316...fresh air blowing through the house
317...a friends counsel
318...boys belly laughing as they have a "diaper" fight in the early morning
319...seeing Will's excitement when Wes comes home from work
320...snuggling with freshly clean baby before bed
321...Cadbury mini eggs are back on the shelves
322...kids waking early, asking if Uncle Josh is here
323...hearing his excitement as he calls to say he's on his way
324...Micaiah and I spending the morning cracking the code of Enigma
325...the "hunt" for his gifts
326...a handmade bookmark from Joshua
327...seeing him smile and catch my eye
328...a doctor that "walks with us"
329...dinner with my brother and his wife
330...seeing all the kids piled in next to them as they try to eat
331...getting baby kisses early in the morning while the house is quiet
332...hearing Will babble "Da, Da, Da" all day long
333...the boys sharing their excitement for the aquarium with Uncle Josh and Aunt Alison
334...the excitement over sitting in the "Splash Zone"
335...the dolphins delivered and splashed them!
336...catching a beautiful sunset
337...a late night conversation with my sister in law
338...tunnel rides back and forth as we yell to hear our echo
339...donuts gifts in the morning
340..."Today is the Day" drum send off for Uncle Josh and Aunt Alison
341...suitcase waiting to be packed
342...books/notes piled high
343...trusting God
344...full round moon
345...hearing of a friends healing prayer
345...rejoicing over talks changed at just the right time to provide encouragement
346...reading about His love
347...breakfast with my mentor
348...thanking her for spurring me on to "Remember" God's faithfulness
349...giving her this book
350...seeing God weaving thoughts together
351...seeing myself as a disciple in the boat
352...a friend read aloud
353...an afternoon nap
354...dinner out with friends
355...deep friendships...sharing life with one another...praying for one another
356..."Love...a divine invitation"
357..."I will trust you."
358..."eucharisteo always precedes the miracle"
359...finding encouragement in this passage
360..."Look, listen, love"
361...a long embrace from my husband
362...coming home to my 4 boys...loud, excited and welcoming
363...a clean house
364...an afternoon riding bikes outside
365...my word for 2011 (I decided this at New Years but it seemed fitting to be the 365th gift)...LOVE...

A Special Visit...

Uncle Josh and Aunt Alison...we haven't seen them since they left for their honeymoon in August...

as you can tell the boys are so excited they are here!!

Winter Hike...

Joshua excited about finding the bridge...

snowball baseball...

Micaiah's shot of us...

Joshua's Rendition...

of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff"...click on the play buttons below...

Multitude Monday #281-311...

"The highest form of prayer is to the goodness of God...God only desires that our soul cling to him with all of its strength, in particular, that it clings to his goodness. For of all the things our minds can think about God, it is thinking upon his goodness that pleases him most and brings the most profit to our soul."
Julian of Norwich

so I continue my journey toward 1000 gifts as part of the Gratitude Community...attempting to "see" his goodness throughout my days

281...God's reminder to pray NOT worry
282...baby splashing in the bath
283...neighbor helping with the kids so I could make an important meeting
284...morning muffins with Eli and Will
285...Eli retelling the story of "The Two Little Trains"
286...Book club discussing this book
287...a friend joining me
288...profile of sleeping baby in my arms
289...LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD
290...switching gears and learning to roll with the punches
291...a baby cold that DID NOT turn into bronchiolitis
292...watching Will try to catch dust particles in the streams of sunlight
293...flour dust flying from indoor construction site
294...Eli making Will laugh as he eats his lunch
295...Micaiah's fascinating facts as he climbs into bed with us in the morning
296...Eli's forgiveness
297...worship in the car after news I'd rather not have heard
298...a friends text of "The Lord is your helper, don't be afraid."
299...freshly clean kitchen counters (just one side but it's better than nothing!)
300...buffalo, rhino and zebra pancakes on Saturday morning
301...catching the beautiful colors across the sky at sunrise
302...flowers from all the men in the house
303...a family winter hike
304...boys sliding down snowy hill on their bellies
305...reenactment of The Three Billy Goats Gruff on the bridge in the woods
306...our valentines day message
307...dinner date with Wes
308...a "treasure" box and journals for years of memories
309...packing heart shaped sandwiches in their lunch boxes
310...making heart shaped sugar cookies with Eli to surprise the boys after school
311...that the Lord sustained me through a week of sleepless nights with the little one sick

Happy Valentine's Day 2011...

Time to put on your creative thinking cap and see if you can decipher our annual Valentine message...

WE LOVE YOU!!!
love, the mace6

sticker art work...by Eli James
a link to our 2009 message and our 2010 message

Big Boy...

Multitude Monday #261- 280...

"All together now—applause for God! Sing songs to the tune of his glory,

set glory to the rhythms of his praise."
Psalm 66:1 The Message

261...drums playing
262...babies dancing



263...mild day in February

264...baseballs flying mitt to mitt

265...little one happily riding his bike again

266...dance party right before bed

267...my Dad juggling for Will and hearing him laugh

268...hearing Micaiah playing the drums and singing "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" before school

269... watching a snowball fight in the backyard

270...beginning Monday morning with worship

271...quiet house on a Sunday

272...gerbera daisies on the table

273...showing the boys that these were the same flowers in my wedding bouquet

274...library books

275...that Joshua stopped sucking his thumb

276...watching Micaiah's drum lesson

277...snowball baseball

278...brothers bunked up all in one room

279...baby reaching and pulling face close for a kiss

280...little boys dreaming of the lake

In Honor of the Super Bowl...

I am posting pictures of Micaiah's most recent creation...

"Pro Bowl Stadium" in Honolulu...I tried to add descriptions but they may be difficult to read without clicking on the picture itself...

This is the AFC vs. the NFC....

set up for a "Hail Mary" play...

The Joy of Love Day 3...

"Then and Now"

Then...
Micaiah not quite 3 years old playing his little drum set

and Now...
playing at Uncle Josh and Aunt Alison's wedding this past summer days before his 8th birthday

His love for the drums has never changed. I had the joy of taking him to his drum lesson last night and was overcome with emotion as I sat and watched him play. He and his instructor have developed quite a relationship...my favorite part was the back and forth fill play.

The Joy of Love Day 2...

During the month of February I am participating in The Joy of Love photography class...I took a class from Kelly last year and continue to be amazed at the amount of information that I gained. She is a gifted teacher! The goal for Day 2 is "How They Look"...Kelly says...
"What you’re trying to capture is the TRUE essence/expression/attitude/posture that SCREAMS your loved one!"

So for those of you that know Eli...did I accomplish the goal of Day 2?