What a WEEKEND!

We ended up having a VERY full weekend, which is making it a little hard to find my 'get up and go' pants this morning!

Friday night we had our AWESOME friends, The Fernstrum's, offer to keep our kiddos for us so that we could go out for dinner. This was SUCH a blessing! Our kiddos were excited to go over and play with theirs, I was excited to get time to spend talking with Rob and eating out kid-free. The big bummer came when Rob told me he wanted to eat at China Buffet in Sioux Center. Yes, I know. I thought it was my birthday week still too and that I should have had a say...but, nope ;)

So I agreed, despite the fact that I have not liked that buffet at all the times I have been there. Hence the bummer....GREAT conversation, WONDERFUL company....DISGUSTING food! I don't know, I am being a little dramatic (I can, this is my blog ;) but I just don't like their food. I came to the conclusion later after talking with Rachel (who doesn't like it either :) that next time Rob wants Chinese buffet he can go with the boys and I will save my turn for a trip to mexican or the hatchery :)

Saturday was also a full day! We spent the morning doing some sorting and making some trips to Bibles for Missions. However, the excitement came when our friends from California, Randy and Carol Halma...our parents during the time we lived out there...came to join us for lunch!

Randy and Carol with the rest of their family at their daughter, Erin's wedding. We flew out for this wedding this past August!

They were eager to hit up the Pizza Ranch while they were in town and we are usually always game for a good buffet :) It was SOOOO great to catch up with them! They are actually my college roommate, Tracey's parents--and she and her husband, Bryan are currently expecting twins!
Tracey and I snuck into the dorms when she was here to visit a while back and snapped a picture by our old room :)
So we had lots to talk about and catch up on. Our girls did great and we stayed at the Pizza Ranch talking well past the time that the buffet closed. They did get to come back to the house and chat longer too ;) We are so grateful that they took the time to drive down and spend the afternoon with us! They are definitely one of the reasons we miss SoCal!!!

After the Halma's left, I quickly laid down for a nap. Toby was sleeping and Addy needed to sleep. I will jump at the opportunity to "help" Addy get comfy and rest a while :)

We then spent the evening with the Weber's (who live just down the block from us). They had called and invited us over for a turkey dinner. They too have family that is out of town and they just felt like they don't get the chance to enjoy making a turkey over the holidays and getting to enjoy the leftovers. We got the better end of this deal, in case you weren't picking up on that ;) We had a great evening with them and enjoyed a few GREAT rounds of the Disney version of Headbandz! (GREAT game for your young kiddos btw!)

Thanks guys for hosting us! We had a GREAT time!

Oh wait! There is still a day of the weekend left...another day that was filled with fellowship :)

On Sunday, we went to church and then immediately head out of town to my parents house in Lennox, SD. We had a GREAT opportunity to meet up with some of their friends, Torrey and Heather Babb.

Torrey and Heather are the hearts behind The Mission Ball.

I encourage you to read more at the provided link...Here is their definition of what the ball is...

The Mission Ball is simply a soccer ball covered with Biblical text. It includes the 10 Commandments, God’s simple plan of Salvation, and selected Scripture. The Mission Ball is made of quality materials and is durable enough for normal soccer play. The Mission Ball is hand stitched for better quality and a longer life. The text is silk screened onto the leather and will not easily rub off during play on rough surfaces.

The ball is AWESOME for mission trips--The Mission Ball is currently available in 21 different languages (let me know if you or your church is headed out on a trip and I can hook you up with some!), VBS, Sports Camps, Operation Christmas Child, Gifts, Fundraisers, or just playing soccer in the backyard!

I really enjoyed our conversation with the Babb's. We didn't even talk about the Mission Ball much but moreso they were able to share with us about their other endeavors. The Babb's are leaving on Wed on a one-way ticket to Haiti. They don't know exactly how long they are going to be there or even certain of living arrangements once they get there but they are CERTAIN that God is calling them to return. They served down in Haiti the majority of last summer with Mission Haiti, filling in for long-term missionaries Corey and Lynn Grimm (who was actually the youth pastor before Rob here at Trinity! HA!) and Heather working on a large jewelry project down there with the Haitian women. It was fun to share their excitement, hear their stories and moreover tangibly see their hearts to serve and follow the Lord!

So wonderful to meet them! If you are interested in supporting the Mission Ball you would be supporting GREAT ppl! And if not...REMEMBER the Babb's in your PRAYERS in the weeks and months to come!

Sign that I am not sleeping well...

Arghhh....that is how I initially felt when I woke up this am :( I seem to sleep the hardest from whenever Toby is awake around 4/5, until like 15 minutes before the girls should be heading out to school. Yeah, I know! This is not a good routine to be into...every day I throw any idea of getting up to walk, pray, or read out the window!

But, this is the routine we have seemed to taken on. It has been recently complicated, however, by the fact that Toby has neither been sleeping well or feeling well. He is up a lot at night, he won't suck on his binki (making him harder to comfort and console), and he DOES NOT want to sleep anywhere but right next to me. Precious, yes (for about 5 minutes), but this mommy needs some sleep!

I know that I haven't been sleeping well in the midst of all of this b/c I am having SO many vivid dreams...most which as of lately have not been pleasant :(

Here are a few of the dreams I have had in the past couple nights...

I was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and given 4 months to live
Rob was divorcing me--"I'm done" was the explanation for that one
I lost a child in the Mall of America
I sent my girls to school on picture day with their hair a mess

Can you understand why I wake up hard?!?!?! So tired and trying to grasp the reality that awaits me that day...not the world I am coming out of that seems so vivid and real!

Trying to find my rhythm...

I love reading other ppl's blogs! There are so many AMAZING authors out there of wonderful blogs and of such variety!

This is a link to an AMAZINGLY, REFRESHING, and HONEST post that I just read today from the "Momastery" blog...a great post on the challenging job of parenting and a refreshing outlook on time--chronos time vs. kairos time ;) MUST READ!

I originally started to blog for the sole purpose of keeping family and friends up to date on our lives, when we don't get to see them daily or just get busy. Now, as I continue to read more and more blogs...I find myself wanting to process, to spew, to just be real with the "community" of ppl "listening" in on my life.

But I find that so difficult...not the being real part, I have never really had a hard time sharing life with ppl. But the part that would be how much do I say. Some things belong in a journal that is kept for me and my heart, and others are fair game...does that make sense? So how am I able to share my heart and our lives without crossing that line of giving out "too much information"?

I am seeking to find that rhythm...

I think when you are in ministry, you unfortunately take the road of keeping so many things to yourselves. You don't want ppl to see you struggle b/c you are leading their kids...you want to put your best foot forward as often as you can b/c you are an example...

But I want to walk with ppl on the journey! I want to share my struggles and covet the prayers of those around me...I want to share my heart and be encouraged by other warriors of the cause.

So I am seeking to find that balance, all the while trying to read other blogs...blogs that encourage my heart and grow my faith...blogs that make me laugh on the hard days and give me that place to just cry and let down.

I want to be that...I want to use this space to allow God to SPEAK through our lives. I want it to just REEK of the glory that we daily try to give to Him (like my yummy Scentsy warmer--mmmm, how the smell can so quickly fill up our home). The LORD is at work in our lives--He ALWAYS is...but HE is moving in ways that we couldn't fathom or imagine and I look forward to sharing that and processing that in the days and weeks to come!

But in the meantime, I seek to find my blogger rhythm ;)