stacie's sacred space

dive in

i'm yearning for the lazy days of summer.

i don't want to wish any of my life away though.

exhaustion has the best of me.

i've had sick kids a bunch over the past six weeks.

i might worry too much and waste some energy when my kids are sick.

maybe, maybe not.

the spring weather we are having today is awesome.

i just really want to lighten up the schedule and pack a bag for the pool.

that's it!

spring is gonna be busy and fast so i'll just enjoy that while i have it!!

so here are some pics from last august at mom's pool when the j kids got to swim with some of their cousins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sunshine = happy

the morning started off a little slow, or uhhh, full of crankies in the house.

i was all up in my head going through all that needed to be done.

the kids were bickering.

ink was smearing on the thank you cards janie was writing.

i was looking at cluttered counters and small messes everywhere!

everything was driving me crazy!!

the sun was shining outside.

that right there helps me figure out how to get happy.

blue sky, bright sun, ahhhhhh.

i got to take a walk in the woods with my bestie.

a bunch of my pent up energy was burnt off right then.

then i got to go out on a date with my camera and kara!

and i got cuddle time with each of my favorites.

when forgiveness and fostering an environment for reconciliation are top of mind, opportunities to live it out appear magically.

*******************************************************************************************************

here's my new friend, graduating senior, future babysitter, kara.

 

 

insta saturday night

i consciously chose not to bring my camera with me tonight.

good thing iphones can capture moments even if they are blurry sometimes.

man, i was wishing i had more time to do a photo shoot with my kids.

sometimes it's hard to be the momma and the photographer though.

we were downtown.

they were dressed up.

we went to church at the cathedral.

we found a new park i heard about and couldn't wait to get to.

all of this because meredith and eric got married.

woohoo!! congrats you two.

our wishes for them included have fun, love much, enjoy many happy times, and fill your home to the brim with kids.

the dance floor, photo booth, food and cake tables, and candy bar were all favorite spots for this tribe!

the toast by the father of the bride and the dance with him and his daughter brought me to tears.

i was thinking about my dad and his toast.

i was thinking about how awesome he was.

i was thinking about how grateful i am that he got to do that for each one of us kids; even if one wedding happened after we already knew about the stinky cancer he got.

it was a good night!

 

 

 

 

 

dreaming

 

i'm dreaming of a vacation to the ocean.

with my five favorite people.

as soon as possible.

to take morning walks.

to feel the warmth of the sun.

to make drip sand castles.

to run into the ocean and go out as far as joey wants to go.

to take pictures.

to look at that spot where i see heaven and earth colliding.

sometimes i have to dream it up in my mind just to get through another ordinary day.

maybe i need to listen to a gift from the sea by anne morrow again.

that book is awesome!!

it helps me to slow down, breathe a little deeper, connect with my soul, and remember who i really am in this fast paced culture we live in.

twenty two

1. we've lived in our house for exactly ten years today!

2. the longest i've ever lived at one address is fourteen years.

3. i am tired.

4. lent is the easiest time for me to practice self discipline.

5. i'm challenging myself like never before this year.

6. i felt great on my run today, and things hurt now.

7. i am proud of my kids for who they are and who they are becoming.

8. when i left "muffins with moms and misses" at johnny's school the sun rays shining down were gorgeous.

9. i felt the presence of God on that drive.

10. i thought a lot about my dad and heaven today.

11. i like all of the different things i hear about that people do during lent.

12. i need to get my beans and a bowl and a jar out so we can start that practice again this lent.

13. the kids get so excited that the easter bunny will turn those into jelly beans in 40 some days.

14. i realized today that my nephews next birthday (it was yesterday), he will be twenty one on the 21st. i like those birthdays.

15. it's the geeky and party girl mixture in me, i guess that makes me like the combination of celebrations and numbers.

16. we get to go to a wedding this weekend.

17. i can't wait to dress the kiddos up, and i have no clue what i'm wearing.

18. i don't make it out here as often as i would like to, but i do make it to instagram almost daily.

19. i had to force myself to take some deep breaths today.

20. i want to practice good habits each and every day during lent.

21. i'm off to a great start, and i need to get out of bed to go floss my teeth before i fall asleep.

22. i had the day off work today, and it was so nice to wake up at six instead of in the three o'clock hour.

***************************************************************************************************

p.s. i loved reading this about lent.

i have heard people who don't believe in lent because jesus wouldn't want us to deprive ourselves. he sacrificed himself for us! that's enough.

and i've been asked whether or not this is just creating more guilt in my "house." uhhhh, i don't know, maybe.

the practice of lent has changed my soul and brings me closer to God every single year so i'm not going back. that's it!

a few gifts from my weekend

thanks, mom and dad, for the gift of my catholic faith.

thanks, God, for the grace of the sacraments that's easy to be open to.

thanks, rosie, for a reason to gather at mom's house.

 

 

 

 

 

the aftermath

i'm still cleaning up from last week's events.

life keeps moving.

fast!

valentine parties, homework, appointments, school lunches, ear infections, special birthday dinner with friends, plans for the upcoming weekend.

overwhelming, yep, a little. fun too!!

i am still going through pictures.

here's some of the art we created at the party.

this little guy

 

he's making my heart heavy right now.

i don't like what's been happening over the past month.

complaints about his leg, a fever, a limp, a quick doctors visit, an xray and some bloodwork took us to a night in the hospital.

i haven't felt "normal" since then, really.

i put "normal" in quotes because i ponder that term a lot ... what is it really besides a setting on my dryer?

then that word came up again in his diagnosis of cortical desmoid which is a normal variant.

now he has a junky cough and a runny, runny nose.

i don't want him to be sick anymore.

he's so cute and so fun (most of the time)!

now he's funny about his right leg, he's irritable, he's stiff, he's just not himself.

all that combined is what makes my heart so heavy.

and when my heart's this heavy, i don't feel like myself either.

sigh.

good thing we are so busy that i don't have much time to dwell on all this.

and it's great that i catch little glimpses of his smile and his joy!

that pic was taken at the end of janie's bday party.

i can see how an afternoon of girls makes jeff feel!

paaaaarty!

birthdays are pretty good around here.

they ALWAYS start with birthday breakfast (most often krispy kreme donuts).

 

sometimes we even have parties.

this was a big one!

 

emma has celebrated every single birthday with janie-brain.

cousins are awesome!

 

greer is janie's best dance buddie.

you wouldn't believe the friendship that can be built in 30 mins. a week!

 

anna has been in class with janie the past couple years.

she's a "b" kid so her cubby is always close to janie's too.

she's a quiet and sweet soul!

 

alaina is in class with janie this year.

she happens to live right by joey's best friend so janie sees her around that culdesac too!

 

sydney is janie's brand new friend this year.

i can see why they are great buddies ... they both have three brothers, and they both have a nice mix of sweet and sassy to them!

 

ellie is janie's long time friend.

these two have been together at church group meetings as toddlers to preschool and now it's mostly on the playground and playdates!

 

sweet caroline became janie's friend because of their big sibs (joey and ella) who have been in class together for four years.

they got to be in kindergarten and have such fun being girlie girls together!

 

maura and bridgie are more long time friends of janie's.

our families hang together, and both of them helped a whole bunch at the party!

 

this girl smiled and posed and hammed it up a bunch on her seventh birthday.

pure joy!

 

lots of love in this picture.

janie's building her home team!

 

it was a heARTY party.

 

she even got silly with her painting ... an "old man's face."

 

hearts, polka dots, and pink, oh my!

 

she couldn't even stop smiling to blow out her candles!

 

the gifts are the special friends who came to celebrate with her!

thank you from the very bottom of our hearts!!

 

****************************************************************************************************

here are a couple more pictures in case you thought i was super momma.

i had a lot of help!!

dave and the j kids were patient all week while momma was busy, my friends popped in throughout the week to help, my bestie was on the phone or texting me to help me through cake baking and any "crisis" that came up for me, my neighbor even ran out on that cold, cold saturday to pick up balloons and help me before the party, and some of friends were right here by my side to help with the party (the painting, the keeping me sane, the gaming, the picture taking, the ice cream scooping, the laughing, the snack serving, the boo-boo kissing).

 

 

yep, both above and below.

these are some super special momma friends!

my heart is swollen with all the gratitude.

 

 

 

seven looks good on you, janie.

big stuff has happened ... from six to seven

you continue to make us laugh, you are the reason there's pink and turqouise in the laundry, you are flexible, you go to school all day long, you are kind and caring, you ran around on the soccer fields, you picked up a dance class (hip hop and ballet now!), you are brave, you are helpful, you are the only you we have!!

i couldn't be happier to have that you-y, you in my life, jane-brain!

i love you so much!

you are a gift in my life.

funny farm

see what kind of sillies happen in my house?

it's a lot of fun celebrating birthdays here.

i can't wait to show you some of the awesome pictures from the heARTy party!!

we are all exhausted too.

just in time for a full week of birthday lunchin, valentine partyin, dancin, hoopin, even a little travelin ... a crazy, crazy calendar.

it's a good life i have. yep, a good life we work hard to achieve.