i have been spending every spare moment practicing worship songs for the women's retreat and i just want to say that the power of worship is incredible. i feel God's presence each time i start to sing and i feel Him pulling me in and teaching me and chastising me. it is beautiful....why did i ever stop? how did i let myself quit doing what God has called me to do?

if only there were more hours in a day with nothing to fill them with but worship!!!!
someday there will be, right? when the kids are more independent and when i have a husband around again?
or at least there is heaven!! when i get there i think i want to spend the first few years just resting at Jesus' feet. resting and soaking in His presence and enjoying my freedom from the world- and then i have about a million and a half questions for Him and after i get to ask those i want to WORSHIP. forever and ever.

my fingers are so sore and my voice is tired but still i practice because i don't have all the chord progressions down or all the words memorized.
and while i practice my kids are either fighting or emptying drawers and cabinets or asking for help with homework or standing beside me yelling "MOM!!" over and over....
but it has been good for us.

if you think of it say a prayer for the retreat tomorrow.

i know, i know. it has taken me way too long to get to this post :) i've been swarmed with kids and laundry and gamenights and football parties.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!

seriously, we had the time of our lives.
the resort was so BEAUTIFUL and the food was amazing!!!

we spent our days playing beach volleyball and lying in the sun.
we went kayaking on the ocean and we made lots of friends.
everyone thought we were on our honeymoon, and it was so funny to see their reactions when we told them our honeymoon was 10yrs and 4 kids ago :)

checking in. we got there and ate and then slept for 12 hours straight. heaven.




ahhh the sweetness of doing nothing.




cece...excellent volleyball player and fellow believer.


and the FIRE app on the ipad :) it even crackles.
the fire went with us to every dinner and while we laid by the pool at night. our waiters and fellow diners thought it was hilarious and one of them even touched it to see if it was hot.


our private dinner on the beach....unforgettable!!








las vegas night. fermin always had us laughing- especially on the volleyball court.












kenneth and evelyn. they called us the modern day cleavers. i think it was a compliment??












my karaoke buddy. we sang a duet together- a song i didn't know which made it all the more fun and entertaining i'm sure.











fermin on karaoke night- i was not the one who inspired the napkins in the ears- just so you know.












these ladies were SO FUNNY!! and the one to my left was an amazing singer!!!


and last but not least.....the volleyballers. spent lots of quality time with these guys but we couldn't converse cause they don't speak english. they even kept their own score of the games in russian :) a beautiful sight, aren't they??


mexican night :) how do you say, "this hat is too heavy" in spanish???


LOVED the balcony


sad to leave...


missing the kids didn't really set in until our last day. then we could not wait to get home to see them.
we got in late wednesday night and they were all asleep, so we had to wait til the next morning. at about 6:30am i heard ty and shaeya talking in bed so i got up and climbed in bed with them and heard ALL about EVERYTHING they did.
i asked them if they missed me, and shaeya said, "yea, one night we laid in bed and talked about you for a really long time until we both had tears in our eyes...."
so sweet.

and then wren....i was so anxious to see her. as soon as i heard her rustling around in her crib i crept into her room and peeked my head around the corner. she looked at me, and i said, "wren, mommy's home!!!!"
to which she said, "NURSE."

i almost caved. i just wanted to hold my baby, but she proceeded to throw the world's biggest tantrum because i wouldn't nurse her.

and just so you know, it is still going on. everyday she climbs in my lap and says "nurt. nurt please."
and when i tell her that only babies nurse and that she's a big girl now she says, "no, a baby. a baby. nurt."
i am staying strong and trying to just enjoy my new freedom. :)

we decided that 10 years is too long to wait until our next get away. it was absolutely amazing and fun and rejuvenating. and it was great to remember that we are really fun people when you pull us away from all of our work and responsibility :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED WITH THE KIDS WHILE WE WERE GONE!!!!!!!

now it's back to the normal chaos.
and i'm leading the worship at the women's retreat for my church this weekend, and dave wants to be hanging drywall by the end of february.....



****this is my disclaimer for my grandma and my mom and a few others in regards to the pink dress and the necklace-
i was on my 2nd honeymoon. it only comes twice in a lifetime....****

tuesday night.....which means 3 days til MEXICO.
and this is not the time to be blogging.

i have koa climbing around on my lap and wren beside me getting into drawers and trying to take her diaper off. ty is listening to music full blast in the kitchen, and shaeya is writing something and constantly asking me how to spell words.

shaeya is really into the whole note writing thing.
she never directly gives me the notes she writes, she just leaves them where she thinks i will find them.
and they always make me laugh.





i have all the pre-vacation thoughts running through my head at a million miles an hour. thoughts like:
"clean out the van before you go so no one sees the kind of filth you drive in everyday"
"give warning of wren's passion for climbing into the bathroom sink and turning on the water"
"find passports, sunscreen, and that cute little black dress i bought 4 years ago and only wore once"

we've had our fair share of bloopers in the last few weeks that i've been too busy to write about:

koa falling in the toilet

ty brushing his teeth with soap (which may have been my fault- long story)

koa going to school with pink permanent marker all over her face and especially in her eyebrows

koa repeatedly telling me that she had to go potty while we were in a store. i kept telling her to 'hold it' until she finally yelled out, "OHHHH.....you're gonna be SO MAD at me when i pee my pants!!!"

and one of me getting completely stuck in a corset type top in a fitting room.
let me just say that if there really are surveillance cameras in those rooms like they say there are, then that clip of me will definitely end up on youtube somewhere. especially the part where i am pulling and twisting and flailing and jumping and then someone comes by to ask how i'm doing and i very calmly answer "great! thanks!"
i was very close to having to ask for help. praise the Lord that i didn't.

oh and the one where i attempt to go sailing through one of those revolving metal pole thingys that are in menards only to find (very abruptly find- i have a bruise to prove it-) that it doesn't turn in the direction i was coming from.

let's not forget realizing my licence is expired

and the 2 cases of credit card fraud on both of our 2 credit cards- nothing like having to freeze your credit cards right before leaving the country

and wren spilling her food and drinks. wren spilling everyone else's food and drinks. wren falling off tables and pianos and chairs......

and speaking of wren-
i'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that i am still nursing her- or "nurt" as she calls it.
and this is the last week of that since i'm leaving, and i am sad.
if i'm not nursing than that means i don't have a baby.....
but i figure this is the best way for us both to be done. and it's time. i suppose.
hopefully she still loves me when i get back....

well ya HAD to know that these were gonna end up here, right girls??

last night my sister threw me a 30th birthday party. it was SO MUCH FUN.
i am so thankful for each of these amazing women. they are all SO beautiful inside and out and they are a whole lot of fun.
i love you all!!!!































































and to top it all off, they each brought me a little something to wear on our vacation.
SO WONDERFUL!!!!!!
i am so thankful for the "stuff," girls-
let me just say that 10 years and 4 kids later it was much needed.

thanks again, ladies, it was a blast!!!

now it's back to motherhood for me.
shaeya and tekoa were fighting this morning, so i pulled shaeya aside to have a talk with her. i told her all the many reasons why it is important to be nice to her sister.
then i told her how she would be very thankful for her sister's friendship in the future, like i am with my little sister.

i said, "just like how MY little sister threw me a really fun birthday party last night- tekoa could be doing that for you someday, shaeya."
to which shaeya said, "yea, well, i'm gonna be too busy for girl's nights with all my horses to take care of....."
so there. :)

enjoying my last saturday with the kiddos before we leave.

how am i going to leave them?!?!?!?