How is your Monday going ? It's 10:16 and we're all in our jammies currently. However, two children got up at six a.m. and did their schoolwork. And I did get fifteen minutes of prayer/bible reading time in before Lily texted 17 billion emoticons to four friends, and Hayden (almost) successfully climbed to the top of the lamp on my nightstand. Don't worry, his proud little cackle gave him away, and I managed to snap this pic two seconds before rescuing my nightstand, lamp, and Hayden from impending disaster.
A little catch up before I post some exciting news...
We went to the coast for a few days last week. What was supposed to be an overnight trip turned into a three day stay. Sam took my van to work while we were there, and dropped by the mechanic in Lincoln City to have a month-long knocking noise checked out. So on Monday - his birthday - the mechanic told him that the van's front axel was about to fall apart. Which would explain the knocking noise. Meaning our wheel could have fallen off at any time last month... including the long winding drive to the coast. (I'm at this moment picturing several angels underneath our van, frantically holding the axel together, muttering under their collective breaths- somebody tell these people to get their freaking van checked out !!) A thousand dollars and a few days later, we were on our way - safely- back home.
Note to readers: if you hear a loud knocking noise going on in your vehicle... maybe don't wait a whole month to have it checked out. Your guardian angels will thank you.
And can I just say here that I have the sweetest husband in the world. Things were a little tight at the end of the month for us... 17 birthdays in one month means the last birthday (Sam's is on the 31st) gets whatever is left over in the bank account for presents. Which this time around, meant he got a cake and a card. And a trip to the coast at the house we stay at for free. And he still had to work all day. And then receive a thousand dollar repair bill on our van. But you know what he did when he came back from work in the loaner van ? Gave me the biggest hug, smiled his million dollar smile, and took me on a thirty minute walk to sightsee. About halfway through our walk, the heavens opened and dumped a bucketload of rainy birthday wishes on us... we laughed the whole jog home, and decided the best birthday presents are the ones we get every day : the simple pleasures of spending time together as a family, eating a nice meal together, and praising God through it all.
In other news...our Rice Ranch Garden Project is going full steam ahead...
We have spinach, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, onions, celery, squash, carrots, basil, and lettuce plants ... that all started as tiny little seeds just a few weeks ago. The kids are loving watching these little miracles happen right before our eyes. Every day we wake up and check the laundry room, where our seed trays are really beginning to look like a virtual harvest. I can't wait to taste this stuff !
I know this pic could be flipped to make it look more... aesthetic. But this is how I took it - a lovely little cooking project lying at my feet ... evidence that Lily has been practicing her culinary skills in the living room again. Apparently she knows how to open the fridge, and someone... ahem... left a carton of eggs within her reach. Last week I opened the blinds to find all my missing measuring cups, a whisk, and several mixing bowls, carefully arranged on the window sill. I'm sure the neighbors have been wondering why on earth the new family on the block thinks decorating with kitchen items is a cool thing to do. Don't ask me how I never noticed the arrangement in the front window when I drove up to our house... daily ... probably the same reason I thought it would be a good idea to just turn up the radio to drown out that knocking sound in our van. #justcallmemrsmagoo
Hayden has been doing the sweetest tricks lately. One of our favorites- asking him "how big is Hayden ???? Sooooo big !" - and up fly his little arms. He also stood alone a few times in the past few weeks. He's been cruising around all the furniture for several months, but he probably heard me say one too many times "I don't want my baby to grow up so fast", and promptly held off on walking before he turns 11 months. I can't believe he will be a year old next month. Why do those last few weeks of pregnancy crawl by, but the first year is like a sprint to the finish line ?? Not fair.
So now for our little bit of exciting news. I entered Lily's pics in a model search. Someone on Instagram tagged me in the contest, and when I saw the darling moccs that Lily could model if she won, I swooned. I didn't think we had much of a chance... there were over 2600 entries in the contest, and those kiddos were allllll so adorable... I didn't know how Kimmie from Hello Mess was going to be able to choose just a few entries out of such a pool of cuteness.
Last Monday she announced the top 16 candidates that she had chosen, and she said that on Friday she would announce the winners - the kids chosen to model her new line of moccs coming out this year. Hello Moccs are divine...here's a peek at what she's been selling already :
So on Thursday night I received the sweetest email... more than being chosen to be a Hello Moccs Brand Ambassador, this mama's words just touched my heart. She told me how much she had fallen in love with Lily from the moment she saw her picture...
"Just knowing that a little smiling angel will be experiencing life in some shoes that I put together is enough for me. Little toes that you counted- little feet that you kissed- adventures that she is experiencing- her little feet are bringing so much joy."
If you've been reading here any length of time, you know what a sap I am. I tried to read her email to my husband, and of course I cried. And two seconds later one of my kids heard the news and ran out to the garage to scream the news to his siblings . Lots of cheering proceeded... if it weren't almost ten o'clock at night we probably would have thrown a party and invited the whole neighborhood over to celebrate. What can I say, we love any excuse to party at The Rice Ranch :)
I'll be sharing more details of this new adventure in the days ahead.. like how Lily is going to have a Hello Mess Mocc named after her... and posting lots of pictures of her wearing her new moccs.. but for now I have a gaggle of kids to attend to. And knowing how things go around here, a broken egg or two as well...
Happy Monday !!
 |
| his right leg is indeed, scaling the nightstand |
A little catch up before I post some exciting news...
Note to readers: if you hear a loud knocking noise going on in your vehicle... maybe don't wait a whole month to have it checked out. Your guardian angels will thank you.
And can I just say here that I have the sweetest husband in the world. Things were a little tight at the end of the month for us... 17 birthdays in one month means the last birthday (Sam's is on the 31st) gets whatever is left over in the bank account for presents. Which this time around, meant he got a cake and a card. And a trip to the coast at the house we stay at for free. And he still had to work all day. And then receive a thousand dollar repair bill on our van. But you know what he did when he came back from work in the loaner van ? Gave me the biggest hug, smiled his million dollar smile, and took me on a thirty minute walk to sightsee. About halfway through our walk, the heavens opened and dumped a bucketload of rainy birthday wishes on us... we laughed the whole jog home, and decided the best birthday presents are the ones we get every day : the simple pleasures of spending time together as a family, eating a nice meal together, and praising God through it all.
 |
| what do you mean, we're out of yogurt ?!?!? |
In other news...our Rice Ranch Garden Project is going full steam ahead...
We have spinach, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, onions, celery, squash, carrots, basil, and lettuce plants ... that all started as tiny little seeds just a few weeks ago. The kids are loving watching these little miracles happen right before our eyes. Every day we wake up and check the laundry room, where our seed trays are really beginning to look like a virtual harvest. I can't wait to taste this stuff !
I know this pic could be flipped to make it look more... aesthetic. But this is how I took it - a lovely little cooking project lying at my feet ... evidence that Lily has been practicing her culinary skills in the living room again. Apparently she knows how to open the fridge, and someone... ahem... left a carton of eggs within her reach. Last week I opened the blinds to find all my missing measuring cups, a whisk, and several mixing bowls, carefully arranged on the window sill. I'm sure the neighbors have been wondering why on earth the new family on the block thinks decorating with kitchen items is a cool thing to do. Don't ask me how I never noticed the arrangement in the front window when I drove up to our house... daily ... probably the same reason I thought it would be a good idea to just turn up the radio to drown out that knocking sound in our van. #justcallmemrsmagoo
Hayden has been doing the sweetest tricks lately. One of our favorites- asking him "how big is Hayden ???? Sooooo big !" - and up fly his little arms. He also stood alone a few times in the past few weeks. He's been cruising around all the furniture for several months, but he probably heard me say one too many times "I don't want my baby to grow up so fast", and promptly held off on walking before he turns 11 months. I can't believe he will be a year old next month. Why do those last few weeks of pregnancy crawl by, but the first year is like a sprint to the finish line ?? Not fair.
So now for our little bit of exciting news. I entered Lily's pics in a model search. Someone on Instagram tagged me in the contest, and when I saw the darling moccs that Lily could model if she won, I swooned. I didn't think we had much of a chance... there were over 2600 entries in the contest, and those kiddos were allllll so adorable... I didn't know how Kimmie from Hello Mess was going to be able to choose just a few entries out of such a pool of cuteness.
Last Monday she announced the top 16 candidates that she had chosen, and she said that on Friday she would announce the winners - the kids chosen to model her new line of moccs coming out this year. Hello Moccs are divine...here's a peek at what she's been selling already :
So on Thursday night I received the sweetest email... more than being chosen to be a Hello Moccs Brand Ambassador, this mama's words just touched my heart. She told me how much she had fallen in love with Lily from the moment she saw her picture...
"Just knowing that a little smiling angel will be experiencing life in some shoes that I put together is enough for me. Little toes that you counted- little feet that you kissed- adventures that she is experiencing- her little feet are bringing so much joy."
If you've been reading here any length of time, you know what a sap I am. I tried to read her email to my husband, and of course I cried. And two seconds later one of my kids heard the news and ran out to the garage to scream the news to his siblings . Lots of cheering proceeded... if it weren't almost ten o'clock at night we probably would have thrown a party and invited the whole neighborhood over to celebrate. What can I say, we love any excuse to party at The Rice Ranch :)
I'll be sharing more details of this new adventure in the days ahead.. like how Lily is going to have a Hello Mess Mocc named after her... and posting lots of pictures of her wearing her new moccs.. but for now I have a gaggle of kids to attend to. And knowing how things go around here, a broken egg or two as well...
Happy Monday !!
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