Multitude Monday #1119 - #1149...

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:33-35

Monday, July 18th
1119...celebrating 13 years of marriage to my loving husband
1120...flowers from him
1121...dinner complete with a homemade heart shaped napkin
1122...O's game with Micaiah

Tuesday, July 19th
1123...a cardinal shouting loud from a neighbors rooftop
1124...peace in the midst of chaos
1125...hearing him work with his tutor...she made it so much fun

Wednesday, July 20th
1126...an air conditioner in this sweltering heat
1127...getting dressed up for our anniversary dinner
1128...a great dinner at a fun little seafood place
1129...good, deep conversation

Thursday, July 21st
1130...my breakfast date with Eli
1131...watching him bee-bop to the Jazz music in the background and then hearing him say "Mommy I like this music."
1132...boys using the fan to make their voices sound funny
1133...a much needed break
1134...my handy husband that fixed our washer that has not been working properly for over a week
1135...forgiveness and prayers offered at night after a long day

Friday, July 22nd
1136...exciting possibilities
1137...packing them up to go to the lake with Daddy
1138...another chance to see the depth of Joshua's love for others
1139...watching him take risks as he played with his baseball friends at the pool
1140...snuggling with Micaiah

Saturday, July 23rd
1141...babysitters
1142...watching 2 baseball games uninterrupted
1143...ice cold rags to cool his neck
1144...gatorade to replenish in sweltering heat
1145...us all together again

Sunday, July 24th
1146...worship that brings me in the presence of the Lord
1147...words that touch deep places in my soul
1148...deep-heart level conversations with Micaiah
1149...slip and slide fun with Daddy

Weekend Baseball Tournament...

He was so excited..."We can steal and lead off Mom."
So during the second game I decided to try and get a shot of him hitting...the game was tied 8-8 with one out and Micaiah was up to bat...

He hit a double!


He then stole 3rd base and his buddy Ryan M. hit a single that allowed him to run in and put the team on top 9-8. Glad I decided to get the camera out when I did!

Micaiah and Ryan K. resting in between games.

A Lazy Summer Afternoon...

Summer To Do List...

At the beginning of summer the family came up with a list of things we would like to do...at the top of Micaiah's list was an Orioles game...so when we saw that with 5 fill up's at BP you would earn 2 free tickets...he and I made it our mission.

I thought for sure he and his Daddy would go but when he and Wes were discussing the game... Micaiah said he wanted to go with me because "I don't think Mommy's ever been to an Orioles game."

I've been to some Orioles games but none as exciting as this...O's vs Red Sox...big hitting...we stayed the whole time and even though we lost, Micaiah helped me see things during the game that I may have never noticed and with so much excitement that the guy in the next seat told me multiple times through the night "I love it." This boy loves baseball through and through.

Multitude Monday #1098 - #1118...

This video of Laura Story playing her song "Blessings" was played at the end of the sermon yesterday at church...I feel like God continues to help me process these last 7 years and the trials I've been through. There have been so many blessings in the midst of these years...many would not have come without the trials themselves.

In her bio, Laura Story says "But there’s a decision that I find God is asking us to make: whether we are going to choose to interpret our circumstances based on what we hold to be true about God, or whether we’re going to judge what we hold to be true about God based on our circumstances.”

Counting His gifts in my life has been one of the ways that I continue to remember that God is faithful and good, even in the midst of things that don't make sense or in the midst of stories that I would have hoped for a different ending.

Monday, July 11th
1098...boys excited to attend VBS
1099...one thing checked off the to-do list (it's actually been on there for months)

Tuesday, July 12th
1100...help from a neighbor
1101...hearing my watch chime the hours...a reminder to pray
1102...going to sleep listening to my husband sing and play the guitar

Wednesday, July 13th
1103...his delight in the pebble harp
1104...chocolate no bake cookies

Thursday, July 14th
1105...early morning quiet
1106...a little boy with a walking stick
1107...cool wind rushing through the woods as we hike

Friday, July 15th
1108...opportunities to grow in compassion
1109...how Daddy makes it all better (Eli's lip boo boo from the playground)
1110...hearing Joshua sing "Beautiful One" during rest
Saturday, July 16th
1111...an 11 miler
1112...his hands turning the pages of a book
1113...his focus

Sunday, July 17th
1114...his story during this sermon (12:40 on)...
1115...grass clippings all through the house because of slip and slide fun

1116...a family bike ride after dinner...Eli and Will in the bike trailer...Josh on the trailer bike and Micaiah riding his own

1117...how he is adamant about getting a hug and a "squeeze cheek" kiss from his brother before bed
1118...this quote from Laura Story "We have a faithful God. Every promise he’s kept, every need he’s met.”

video: if you received this post via email, please visit www.ouradventurewithboys.com to view the video

A Message to Daddy...

1, 2, 3...

GO!!!!

He screams it with such enthusiasm that we're afraid he may loose his voice!

video: if you received this post via email, please visit www.wjmace.blogspot.com to view the video

Multitude Monday #1073 - #1097...

I am reading Complete Digital Photography, by Ben Long this summer...the other day, he was talking about how as adults our brains "edit or abbreviate our visual experience so that we do not become overwhelmed with visual information." And then he went on to say...

"Little kids are different. Because the world is a new place for them, they notice far more detail. They have to see these details because they haven't yet learned to abbreviate the visual complexity of the world down to simple symbols like desk. Unfortunately, for a photographer, the visual complexity of the world is also the raw material for your photography. So you don't want your brain to abbreviate your experience, you want it to see every detail. In other words, you want to learn to see again, as you did when you were a kid."
Complete Digital Photography, Ben Long

Wow...I couldn't help but see this as another reminder from God to "SEE"...so I continue my list of endless gifts finding joy in "seeing" the sacred in the everyday...

Monday, July 4th
1073...a day to celebrate my husband's birthday
1074...kids tramping through a hidden stream

1075...salamanders swimming

Tuesday, July 5th
1076...mounds of laundry- a reminder of a great long weekend at the lake
1077...that the dentist affirmed him with the same phrase we normally do
1078...time to celebrate

Wednesday, July 6th
1079...Joshua's birthday breakfast
1080..."GOD IS LOVE" written very large in the dirt on the back of a box truck...a great early morning reminder
1081...meeting Daddy for a picnic
1082...a rescue my family had been praying for

Thursday, July 7th
1083...a mini cleaning spree
1084...watching Joshua delight in his friends
1084...open play at a local "Bounce Place" that doubled as his birthday celebration

1085...milkshakes with his friends to top off the evening

Friday, July 8th
1085...witnessing the creativity of our Maker as we walk through the Aquarium...the multitude of colors, the detail and even the humor...
1086...an early start to the lake
1087...a fun "pit stop"

Saturday, July 9th
1088...the joy in jumping off of the dock


1089...a boy and a bucket of rocks

1090...our kids as friends

1091...a late evening boat ride

1092...his exclamation that "this was the best day ever at the lake!"

Sunday, July 10th
1093...him all alone on the road
1094...time to read in the sun
1095...a glimpse of them through the kitchen window

1096...for Wes' diligence in extinguishing the smell in the van
1097...His reminders

Happy 7th Birthday Joshua!...

Joshua enjoying his breakfast this morning...

"I love that you are a friend to everyone." ~Daddy

"I like when you let me wrestle with you." ~ Will (with a little help from Mommy)

"I like to have dance parties with you." ~ Eli

"I love that he is nice and plays Star Wars Lego's with me." ~ Micaiah

"I love your care free spirit and the way you love other people." ~ Mommy

Happy Birthday Wes...

As my grandmother used to say "God knew you were going to be a firecracker!"

I love that your birthday is one big celebration...you deserve it!

We love you!

Multitude Monday #1045 - #1072...

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name."

Psalm 100:4

Joining with the Gratitude Community to "give thanks to him and praise his name."

Monday, June 27th
1045...that he stayed home to watch Will
1046...our kids learning about gratitude
1047...hearing over 100 kids sing out praises to Him

Tuesday, June 28th
1048...David Crowder worship in the morning
1049...thinking on Philippians 4:8
1050...snickerdoodle chex mix
1051...dinner out with small group girls!

Wednesday, June 29th
1052...boys and kazoos
1053...a super hot husband (looks like Wes got a hold of my gratitude journal but I'm going to add it because I agree)
1054...Daddy's breakfast with Joshua
1055...dancing with Will in the kitchen
1056...a chance to extend grace

Thursday, June 30th
1057...a hurting neighbor that I had never met stopping to knock on the door for support during the early days of motherhood because she "knew I had a lot of kids."
1058...Micaiah teaching Eli to throw and catch grounders
1059...prayer for a brother

Friday, July 1st
1060...that God gave me boys
1061...bags packed and waiting to leave for "camp"

Saturday, July 2nd
1062...a 9 miler!
1063...that Daddy packed up all the boys to come cheer me on although our timing was a bit off...it's the thought that counts!
1064...how Wes has a way of calming stressful situations
1065...that Napa didn't close until 6pm

Sunday, July 3rd
1066...God's reminders of his love for us displayed in the beauty of his creation (Rom 1:20)
1067...low maintenance friends
1068...perfectly timed rain
1069...fireworks lighting up the sky
1070...that Will laughed at them...I thought for sure he would be scared (gotta love this kids personality!)
1071...pizza mountain pies
1072...late night talks around the campfire