Lane's Birthday Party

Lane had a fun party. It was a little stressful for me, I am not going to lie. I won't go into details, but I will say that the kids had fun and that's all that matters. I told Lane he could invite a couple kids from school and then Kristian and Hunter came too. It was so nice that Jason and Elaina (Kristian and Hunter's parents) were able to help me! Estelle loved Jason and he held her a lot of the time.

We had a camo theme. So I got a cheesy plastic camouflage helmet for the boys and a whole bunch of other goodies.

Cupcakes, pizza, chips, and veggies and dip made it easy on this party planning mama!
One of the dads (Reese's buddy from work) brought an old parachute.
We turned the patio into a fort full of guns and army guys.
We played melt the ice block that has an army guy frozen into it! Thanks Michele for this idea!
Target shooting

A tank pinata, look at that focused face!

He always gets a little embarrassed when we sing happy birthday.

Lots of great gifts! He got this Lego truck from his Grandma and Grandpa, he has been wanting it for SO long!

Jason and Estelle, buddies :) We missed having daddy at the party. He would have been such a help and Lane would have loved it too, but this is the way it goes around here. We plan for something and then usually it gets turned upside down! Overall it was a good party for the kids. I try to be simple about things though, and it just never turns out that way, oh well! Happy, happy birthday Laney Pants!

Lane's 7th Birthday

Words could not describe what Lane has meant to me in the last seven years. He has been such a well behaved, mild mannered kid. It has been such a blessing and joy to watch him grow. I can hardly believe we have a seven year old.

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

6 years old

SEVEN!!!!
We had a party for him on Saturday. It was a camouflage theme. Lane had a great time, but we were sad when at the last minute Reese had to go on a trip and miss Lane's party. But I am thankful, this was the first birthday of Lane's that Reese has missed, so we are doing pretty good :)

Lane is in first grade this year. I love this age, watching him learn SO much! I can't believe how just in the last few weeks he has really gotten the hang of sounding words out. He is also a good friend and brother, he shows empathy for others and that makes me so proud. Another thing that's been really fun this year is AWANA. Lane started this year and I can't believe how much he is learning about God and the bible. I used to be a leader for AWANA when I was pregnant with Lane. I love the program because of the biblical base and memorizing all the verses. Having that knowledge is so important. He looks so cute in his little vest and he gets so excited when he earns jewels.

I will share pictures of Lane's party soon. Happy 7th Birthday Lane!!

Busy Couple Weeks

We have had a very busy last couple of weeks. We've had lots of doctors and dentist appointments. It seems like they come in spurts and we have a whole bunch at one time. Three of those appointments were dentist appointments for me. I ended up having to have a root canal. I have never had one before and I was in quite a bit of pain for about a week afterward. Pregnancy has really been hard on my teeth. But I think I am past the worst of it... thank the Lord!

We went to Legoland for our friends Kristian and Hunter's birthdays a couple of weeks ago. We had never been there for Halloween time. The Brick or Treat trail was fun for the kids. Those three boys have so much fun, and Reese and I had a great time visiting with Jason and Elaina too!

Last week we had the fall festival in our neighborhood. They have fun rides for the kids and games. Lane always has fun at it. The kids got in their costumes which is always cute.
Here is our little ducky. Cutest duck I've ever seen.
And the ARF trooper without the mask. Don't ask me what an ARF trooper is. Something from Star Wars. I think he just liked the black and white camo.

This past week my friend Lindsey came to visit us. It is always fun to have her here. We got to do a little shopping, we ate a couple yummy meals out, watched a movie two of the nights, and hit up Starbucks. It was great girl time.

We are now preparing for our "birthday season." Lane, Reese, and Estelle all have birthdays within 3 weeks of eachother. I used to love to plan birthday parties. I had so much fun making food, planning games etc. I have lost some of that ambition. I am sad about that, and hopefully I can get that back. We are having a little get together for Lane this weekend. I think it will go well but I have just had a really hard time getting it all together. He is pumped about it though, so just watching him have fun will be worth it :)

Tasty Tuesday: Cranberry Dijon Pork Roast

This time of year, I love crock pot meals. Usually we have an after school activity going on once a week and having dinner ready to go in the crock pot gives me one less thing to worry about. This is a great one. I made some roasted root vegetables to go along with it including carrots, turnips, parsnips and sweet potatoes, just cube them up, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 375 for 30 or 40 minutes.

Cranberry Dijon Pork Roast (Taste of Home)

Ingredients

• 1 boneless pork loin roast (2 to 3 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 envelope golden onion soup mix
• 1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

• In a large skillet, brown roast in butter on all sides. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; sprinkle with soup mix. Add cranberry sauce to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Pour over roast.
• Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast to a serving platter; keep warm. Strain cooking juices and stir in mustard. Slice roast; serve with sauce. Yield: 6 servings.

Any Ideas?

Remember the adorable embroidery hoops with fabric hanging over Estelle's crib? Well, they have slowly been ripped off the walls by someone who is supposed to be sleeping.

By "someone," I mean this one pictured below. Thankfully I have a video monitor and have caught her doing it and taken them away from her before she could dismantle or destroy them. Look at that mischievous little smile.

I saw this picture the other day on Pinterest. They are hanging from the ceiling....a possible idea I guess, but then what do I do above her bed? Anyone have any ideas?

HAIR

This little one if finally getting more hair! The other day I attempted to put a clip in it. It worked, it fell out every once in a while, but it worked!
I am not sure why, but Estelle is called a boy ALL THE TIME! I hadn't said much to Reese about it, then we took her to Costco. Reese was pushing her in the stroller and someone called her a boy. I told him that people say that all the time and he said that it was like the fourth time just while we were in Costco that someone had said it. I don't dress her like a boy....I don't even think she has boyish features. Hmmmm. Anyway, maybe the clip will help?

Paying Attention to What God is Saying

I feel vulnerable. Ever since Case died I have felt more anxiety than I've ever felt in my life, like at any moment something else can happen. So I brace for it. In the over year and a half since his death I have gotten so much better. I can feel myself relaxing, but then something will happen. A natural disaster, a threat to our country, a threat to my community and my family because of my husbands job. A lot of people live their lives thinking it won't happen to them. But I guess I can't tell myself that, it can happen to anyone, that is the scary reality. In my life I have been called a worry wart but my response to that would be, "no, I am a realist." I know what it feels like to have something ripped from you, my mom and then my son, amongst other smaller losses. Sometimes I wonder if God is really there. But then He usually speaks to me through something. Today He spoke to me through my devotional, which I almost just skipped reading all together. But I decided to pay attention to what God was saying, and I am glad I did.

Since we are His children, we will share His treasures-for everything God gives to His Son, Christ, is ours too. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will give us later. Romans 8: 17-18

Here is the part of the devotion that stood out to me:

"Does it sometimes seem as if you've lost everything dear to you, and do you wonder what else is going to be taken from you? Someday each one of us will leave this earth and let go of everyone we have loved and everything we have enjoyed. We'll be left with only our eternal inheritance. But Paul has done the math, and by his careful calculations he assures us that what we suffer here is nothing compared to the glory of our eternal inheritance. NOTHING. It seems a stretch to us from where we sit. But if you don't trust his calculations, if you do not highly value your eternal inheritance, you will overvalue what God has given you on earth and your grip on it will become a tyranny to you. But as you value the privilege of being an heir with Jesus, you will begin to live like the glory he will share with you one day is worth everything it may cost you. You will see your suffering as a severe mercy that keeps you from falling more deeply in love with the comforts, securities, and pleasures of this world so you can anticipate more fully a rich and rewarding inheritance in the next."

I honestly don't know if I can take anymore heartache, but I am reminded today that if I grip too tightly, it will control me. I will do anything to protect my family, my children. But I need to do what I can and leave the rest to God. And trust that in the end we will enjoy a indescribable inheritance together.

Lane, Mommy, and Estelle 4/2011 (Andrea Gallagher Photography)

Daddy, Case, and Mommy 12/2009