boy stuff: you know..... dirt, rocks, & buildin stuff.

hi guys.

so, i've been busy this week.

you know,yard stuff.

diggin, waterin, plantin, building stuff.

guy stuff.

i got a little sweaty {and just a tad dirty},

but like any man would do, i just cooled off with the hose.

no bath needed for me, ok mom?

just a man and his hose.

while i was busy diggin, waterin, and building stuff {aka:throwing rocks off the deck} my dad was workin too.

he's makin a fire pit and supposedly we're gonna roast marshmellows and stuff.

but we'll see.

i think mom and dad just wanna put me to bed and stare romantically into each other's eyes next to a fire......

you know, mushy stuff.

oh and guess what?  today, mom got pretty mad when she was working outside.

she tried filling the wheel barrel up with way toooo much dirt, and then it fell over.

and then she had to pick it all back up with a shovel.

i didn't see it happen though, i was with grammy at hobby lobby gettin some stuff.

but she told us when we got back.

jus doin work

:)

the little things.

things are heating back up in the midwest again :)

but i can't complain. 

for some reason.... i'm like a moth to the streetlight when it comes to being in the sun.

my mom is in town this week :)

isn't it awesome how the Lord totally knows what you need, when you need it?

she is a blessing tenfold when she comes to visit.

let me explain,

this morning i was out the door by 8:50, WITHOUT MY CHILD.....

i spent the first 13 blocks of the drive listening to zacchaeus was a wee little man,

but by block 14?  i was jamming out to jj heller.  WITH a smile on my face.

the times that i get to attend bible study, meetings, etc...without romes in tow or going through the {strangely annoying process} of finding a babysitter.....are close to nonexistent.

but today?  

when i backed out of the driveway, realizing i didn't have to leave 38 posty notes with instructions on how to keep my child alive, because my mom just knows what to do with him and when?

it was glorious.

so i was off,

me and my rickety old toms.

"it's the little things" 

it's just so true.

it's the little glimpses of grace that get us through our day.

we simply can not get enough of "utssssside"

romy begs for it 48 times a day, and i typically oblige.

i mean why not? mr leif trapped both exits of the deck, so roman can't escape.

this way, i can actually wash a dish or too with him busy and not playing koala bear on my leg.

so as any other afternoon would have it,

we spent it outside, with grammy :)

and, i'm a bit of a happy girl.

because tonight my love and i slipped away {for like 20 minutes} on a date.

i mean it was quite romantic.

we stopped by three rock/stone places.

we're totes gonna bust out a sweet backyard.

we'll be roastin mellows in no time.

oh it's the little things, like dates to rock stores, that keep your marriage hoppin.

a monday confessional

sometimes, i come off of weekend highs a little bummed.
not a lot, just a little.
an it's monday, daddy's back at work, so let's pout for about 13 minutes, kind of deal.

but then, in a flash, i reflect back to my manic mondays as a working mom...... packing ALL OF THE STUFF.....running out the door LATE......fighting back tears as i left my boy with someone else.

being a working mom wasn't for me.

however.........if i'm not careful, and intentional, "staying home" can suck me in, making me feel like i have no motivation to do anything today, can we just watch lion king all day?"

and today? this monday? i was having one of those days.
as i was pushing play on lion king, i thought, what the WHAT?
no no no. don't get sucked in. 

go! get up! at least go on a walk to get a donut for cryin out loud!

so.

we did just that.

but........

not before we invited a couple friends to tag along.

they will remain nameless {ha!}, but can i show you just how rad being a mom is?

our text convo went as follows:

ME: good morning sweet friend, if you're looking for a reason to get out of the house, roman and i don't have any plans today :) you are welcome to come over......however, roman does have a runny nose! there is a donut shop just 3 blocks from our house, we could go walk and get a donut.

HER: ummmmm......yes please. i was seriously just thinking about how bored we're going to be today. my little one has a runny nose too, but i'm pretty sure it's just allergies. i'll text you when we're ready.

ME: lol. i'm borderline choosing to be depressed on the couch because we have nothing planned, so i decided to text you, u r my only hope to get off the couch........please come rescue me from my pathetic self :) let's go eat a donut.

HER: that's even more pathetic.....we're getting up and around just to go get a donut :)

ME: i mights just get glazed instead of glazed with frosting, then i will feel better about our healthy breakfast choice  :) {laughing out loud}

aren't we fun.

mom's of the year, i tell ya.

but anyways, we DID go to a park after retrieving donuts.

this mom gig is pretty sweet.

sweet indeed

sunday. hallelujah.

roman is nose deep with a stuffy stuffy cold. so he and dad stayed home from church. it's weird to drive without roman. i usually make it about halfway to my destination listening to kiddie tunes before i realize it. ... i usually go first to teach sunday school, and then my boys meet me for church :) but today, i sat alone. and it was weird. and it was good. i was able to give full attention. normally, i'm wrangling my toddler to sit still or normally, i'm wondering how he is doing in the nursery. but today? full focus. what is it about being recharged for the week? it's so good to get fueled up again. ... i remember when i was little my mom used to say, if she missed church it was like something in her week was missing. i didn't get it. i could have easily skipped right over the church part and got straight to the "hang out at my grandmas with all my cousins" like we did every sunday after church as a child. but now? i get it. thank you HolySpirit for working in me. ... but as it goes, on my way home, a few ideas such as: "i should go get lunch in peace!" or "i should browse the mall!" or "maybe i should walk around homegoods now that romy isn't with me for once!" sparked into my mind. they came bursting forth like little kernels of popcorn. but they weren't carried out into action. something is so weird about this motherhood gig. even though it was just 9:15-12:15, even though it was just three hours. i was dying to get home to see my boys. spending time with them just means more to me these days, than drooling at anthropologie. yeah, i know. it's crazy. but its good crazy. ... besides, i came home to little snotty nose {literally} and his dad, both in good moods, and ready to plan our backyard firepit project. it's what we do, mr leif and i. we dream up projects. we {he} map them out. we {he} draw up plans. and then usually only carry about 50% of them out. but this one? it's happenin. {maybe} no, for real, it is. {i think} we like to dream. it's fun, you should try it :)

all in a week's time.

it's silly isn't it?

how we make plans.

we write things on our calendars.

we make phone calls and organize our agendas.

but, rarely, do things flow as we thought they would.

and now, as i look back on our week, and reflect once again on how God's plan is so very different than my plan, i realize

once again,

that there's so much grace in the day to day.

grace is overflowing.

grace swept me off my feet this week.

and ever so gently, the Lord presented it to me.

in multiple ways, at multiple times.

and i smile now,

as i look back and realize the presence grace had,

it came in the form of friendships, dinners, laughter, and hugs.

it came in spending time together, tears, listening, and forgiveness.

and it came in truth and honesty.

...

our week began so random.

we went to the pediatric orthopedic doc.

{romy's got the case of bowlegged-pigeon toed-cuteness.}

and good news presented when momma heard "future athlete",

and shoulders relaxed when xrays were fine,

and gummy vitamins were bought when omega 3's were advised :)

oh, and fun was had in the pretty kickbooty waiting room.

and the loveliness continued:

mamma/baby errands to the store.

romes? meet the candy isle.
but all too quickly, there was a bump in the road.

our normalcy was rocked to the core.

and, while dusting ourselves off, and getting back into this game of life,

we paused for some keylime pie.

and wouldn't you know,

even in the craziness.......there's always time for snuggles.
soon after things were settling back in to routine, romy took a nose-dive.

literally.

roman got his first bloody nose right after refusing to eat dinner at papa kenos.

the little dude is teething like a madman and, well, this poor tumble didn't help :(

he's a tough one though.

his nose bled longer than his tears shed.

in no time, he was bustin out truck noises, like nothing happened.

{and this momma took like 37 pictures on our drive home}

and, as it turns out, long weeks produce crazy amounts of joy for when the weekend is finally here. today {saturday}, we dominated the term laziness. mr leif, romes, and i never left a radius of 3 blocks from our house. good thing we have a park across the street.

and a little sonic treat for the adults.
and one for the child, too.
we soaked up our time together,

realizing the overflow of blessings we've been given.

at times, feeling like we don't deserve any of them.

but knowing we're so grateful.

and recognizing they are gifts.

and rejoicing in the Father that gives them :)

romes continues to get bigger.

i don't know how it happens so fast.

one moment he's content to just sit in a stroller, and stare at the trees.

and the next, he's mastered the ability to climb up the playground equipment.

what's next? he'll be dunking a basketball?
oh, life is good.

and even in the very darkest of areas, as we saw briefly this week, HE reveals Himself.

and if we keep focused, we can look to the LIGHT for guidance.

whether it's guidance for ourselves, or guidance for another.

God is SO good.

happy weekend!!

a weekend.

home depot. deck time. bbqs with friends. it was one of those really good weekends. {with a side of screaming kid, unexplainably, multiple times} ............but there's no need to dwell on the negative :)

family trips to home depot + dreaming about new deck furniture. water table + working in the yard with dad. snuggling with mom + {after crying for over an hour causing us to miss church}. romy sharing his special little people with sam, bram, and asher + pinterest strawberry recipe to share with friends.

jamaican me crazy.

i asked my friends for lots of prayers.

because, well, i was worried.

......about the two flights and 2.5 hour bus ride there, and back

......about the "what if" romes needs medical care, can i trust the jamaicans?

......about roman's napping and sleeping....would he sleep? would he be a crab bucket?

......about losing all of his pacifiers

......about roman getting an ear infection

......about more random things.

and then it happened.

crazy stuff, good stuff, all of the stuff.

and we survived.

the stuff.

+ we made it *just* in the knick of time for our first flight.

+ we met up with my inlaws and the boys in atlanta for some much needed help in chasing roman around the airport. {kid doesn't stop running}

+ we successfully changed romy's clothes while walking down the airplane ramp thingy before our second flight. {because romes puked all over. because he was running around. like a wild man}

+ i stayed calm about roman's rash that started spreading by the time we arrived in jamaica

+ i didn't seem to freak out when roman practically licked all of the windows on the {notveryclean} 2.5 hour bus ride to our resort

+ i held my tongue when we arrived to the resort, romes needed a fresh diaper {BAD} and we weren't taken directly to our room

+ we had champagne upon arrival

+ we watched romy fall in love with the beach.

+ we noticed that he doesn't really mind drinking ocean water. HA

+ we realized the rash got worse

+ we saw the resort RN

+ we were referred to a jamaican doctor

+ we were prescribed three different meds

+ we noticed the rash got better

+ we drank more champagne {why not? they stocked our fridges for us}

+ we never sat all the way through a meal because romesters must run around ALL of the time

+ we didn't lose all the pacifiers

+ we didn't run out of diapers

+ we got to ride in an air conditioned bus for the 2.5 hour return ride to the airport

+ we only thought we were involved in a drug scam one time, {our bus driver sidetracked to a random town to drop off a mysterious "white sack"}

+ we made it on time to both flights

+ and romy only pooped on the plane twice

see?

told you there was crazy stuff and good stuff :)

but really,

the first night we were there i **almost** allowed myself to minihyperventiliate wanting to be home so we could go to the doctor clear up the dang rash on romes.

but i didn't, mr leif and i prayed {well he prayed, and i sniffed}

and then i felt the most amazing rush of calmness take over.

something i came away from this trip was realizing how thankful i am to know our happiness isn't things like vacations {and unlimited redstripe}

YES we get excited for them and YES we enjoy them {to the max} but we know they come and go.

we knew going in, that it would be a bit tricky to travel out of the country with a toddler.

it went SO surprisingly great.

and we knew that traveling with a toddler meant no magical expectations could exist.

so,

we set out with gratitude, knowing that our happiness lies in things above.

and not in things of this earth, like vacations.

YES, we had an amazingly marvelous time,

and, YES we were in awe at the beauty of the beach,

but we are still grounded in the realities of life.

knowing that vacations are such a nice break in the pace of life,

but knowing our hope is in the Lord, and not in suntans, free frozen drinks, and bob marly gifts galore in the gift shop.

so,

a big ole' "everyting is gonna be alright cheers" to our vaca in the jamaica.

and an even bigger cheers to the revelation of what prayer can do........

....... realizing i managed to stay strangely calm the entire five days throughout all sorts of toddler "stuff" can only have one explanation -- the Lord answered not only my prayers, but the prayers on my behalf from my friends and family.

now THAT's the umbrella to any fruity drink i've ever had.

SO happy that even through this crazy "we brought an 18 month old to jamaica" vacation, i am still learning how GOOD our God is.

ok.

ok.

i'll quit.

{but really, i didn't want this to be a "look at our amazing life....we got to go to jamaica.....everything's perfect....." post. i wanted to be real. ok? ok}

the "problem" with pictures is, they often portray this magical perfect life.

because who really likes to take photos of tantrums, spit up, and little cars being thrown across the restaurant? {well actually that sort of sounds like fun to photograph}

but really, normally for those ugly moments, the camera is tucked away.

but just know they happen.

in everyone's life.

especially in ours.

but also know that EACH day we smile, because we know that our God gives us JUST enough grace to make it through those moments :)

so, now, here's all those happy pictures, hehe.........

we'rrrrrreeeee back!

we are home.

our time in jamaicaMon was SO good.

romy is taking a two hour nap this morning {praise GOD}

and i'm unpacking,

doing laundry,

and CLEANING all of the stuff that was all over the airplanes and busses. yuck.

i can't wait to stream through the photos and post a little recap :)

but for now, here's the boys when romes had his first taste {literally} of the ocean:

happy tuesday, oh wait, it's wednesday?

:)

marco?

polo.

did you lose us?

don't worry.

still here :)

life just gets crazy busy amazingly awesome sometimes.

but i'll do a quick recap. because this is supposed to be our little family scrapbook thingy.

and we can't just forget about march now can we?!!

ready to get SLAMDUNKED with photos from my phone?

ok.

here's a blast from the past {month}

we ate cheddar puff things from trader joes

we went out ate weird food at this new restaurant on the plaza. wouldn't recommend the place. can't even remember its name. sorry. but i WOULD recommend dates. they ARE the bestest. ps. do you wish you could still go to prom? i do.

i actually cooked something yummy.

i saw the pretty sky in between the buildings of DT KC

i decorated a wall.

we had doctor appointments

we found the hot chocolate powder stuff. and ate it.

we took baths {duh}

we ate frozen yogurt

we took even more baths. because it's so hot outside. and we get very dirty. and we get dirt under our fingernails. and sometimes we try to kill time in the afternoons until dad gets home {lets be honest}

we drove to nebraska. and stayed for like 6 days. mega family time. yummy. there was a wedding too. it was fun. we danced. a lot. and shook our bootys. even my sissy did and she's preggo AGAIN!!!!!

my parents came to visit. and we worked in our back yard. a lot. and we found this wall. under a bunch of vines. we were glad. and hot and sweaty.

we discovered how hard of a worker romy is. and discussed whether or not we should hire him out on craigslist. just for a little extra spending money. i mean, targets colored skinnies are only 23 dollars. but i want them in every color.

we declared our romy a prince. or at least burger king did. as we drove up the I35 to nebraski

we played SO very hard with second cousins at the wedding. {like so hard romes puked all over his shirt} it was either A) from running around and jumping too much or B) from eating too much dirt. i'm an awesome mom.

we loved on cousin charlotte. actually she loved all over romy and he wasn't havin it. they'll be best buds one day. either when she stops kissing him. or he learns to appreciate her kissies. not sure which will come first.

we spent time with grammy abbi at the park in my hometown. a bit of nostolgia being back home. my kid is playing on the slides i used to? yikes.

mom came back to visit. again. but we always welcome her with open arms. she and mr leif did more landscaping. i ate chocolate easter eggs. and hung out with my sissy.

my mom brought home a bunny.

and then we found out bunny was a rent to own. she brought the animal home FOR US TO KEEP.

oh mother. you so sweet. but after roman smacked the bunny in the face, and then tried to bead it as if we were in mardi gras, we decided. no pets for the leif home right now.

because we'd rather visit animals at the farm {LOVE deanna rose farmstead} romy loved the goats. at one point in time, he had one goat behind him with its 2 front paws on his back and another off to the side sucking on his fingers. romes didn't care. he's like ace ventura in pet detective.

charlotte fed the baby goats some milk. romes couldn't participate because he wanted to drink the bottles. silly kid.

i tried to be a snuggly with my boy. because i can't stand it, i'm so in love with him.

we had so much cousin time. water table time. and sunshine time. sniff sniff.....we didn't want them to go back to denver.

cheese.

and now, we are learning how to slamdunk our animals into the bubbles. fun times folks. {but seriously, GOD is so good.}

oh, and here's romy's passport photo. because we are flying out to jamaica on friday morning.doesn't it look like a mugshot?!!!!! BAAAAAWAAAAhahahehehehah. romy. so baaaaad.