Five on Friday (March 31, 2017)

Wow...how is it Friday already? I had such good intentions of posting on Monday and I blinked and it's the end of the week. Seriously, life just gets so busy some weeks that they are whizzing by too quickly. Here is a recap of our week:

1. Today was all about Spanish. Ella had a field trip at the Mercado Central on Lake Street in Minneapolis. It was for her Spanish class at West. Jason and I took her so we got to enjoy some latino culture as well. The kids all took part in a scavenger hunt which involved going around the various businesses hunting for their objects. The only rule was that they could only speak Spanish...
in espanol, por favor. :) We also got to have some authentic Mexican food and wowza, it was delicious. I completely enjoyed the eating. It was a lot of fun to be a part of her world and do this field trip with her.

2. Hattie had her follow-up appointment with Metabolic yesterday. We drove down to Children's to meet with Dr. Vargas and get labs done. It was a hard appointment in some respects and yet wonderful in others. I always feel like a pretzel when I go to these. My emotions get all twisted up and I get so lost in thought. Being there brings me back to a point two years ago when all of this began. It reminds me of the horrors we have endured and both the physical and emotion toll it took. My eyes flooded with tears as my heart ached in the memory of just how hard this has been and how much I wish I could take it all away for Hattie. The toll has been very high. And then suddenly, I'm twisted, and I force myself to look just how far we have come. Out of the depths of sadness, heartache, and pain we have climbed. I've researched so much and fought so hard for my girlie. And God has done immeasurably good things for us. He has brought us to a place where things are stable in certain regards and for that I am humbled and so incredibly grateful. The Dr. (whom I can't say enough good things about) gently laid out a realistic outlook. It was a little hard to hear since some of my fears were put into words and confirmed, but I can't lose hope and I can't disregard how God has taken care of Hattie. I'm done with talking about this for now.

3. Wednesday brought the long awaited Awana Grand Prix. The kids raced their cars and we were proud parents watching as they zoomed down the track. Some faster than others and some more like a turtle...but proud of them and their efforts irregardless. It's just so much fun to be your children's biggest fans. Even Hattie got in on the action. Her car was made from leftover wood from Ben's pine wood block. She painted it up herself and Jason and Papa put on leftover water bottle caps for the wheels. Once the official race was done, the commander let her put hers on the track. It zoomed down and amazingly was the second fastest car out of the Hubler submissions. She was so proud.

4. Tomorrow Ella and I are headed to church to make shoes for kids in Uganda. So many children who live there walk barefoot and end up with chiggers in their feet which can hurt so much. In fact, it can be so painful, that they can end up losing the ability to walk. To take care of the problem, an adult literally takes a safety pin and digs the little bugs out. Unsanitary. And to top it off, they use the same pin on multiple children, spreading the blood and along with it disease. A simple cure is a pair of shoes. We are working with an organization called Sole Hope. We cut plastic from milk jugs that serve as the sole, and denim from old jeans for the rest of the shoes. Those cut-to-size materials are sent over to Uganda where they sew them up and attach them to pieces of rubber tires for the bottom. And viola...no more chiggers and no more threat of spreading lethal diseases. An opportunity to teach my children how to serve and that the world is so much bigger than their little bubble is an opportunity I'm so grateful for.

5. Cora was showcased this week on our friend's facebook site. His name is Nick NickCantRun and he is undertaking a serious pledge. He's training for an ironman in order to raise funds (a very large amount) to provide water for people living in Africa through Compassion International. Cora has been learning in Awana that Jesus wants us to care for and serve others. She decided that after hearing what Nick was trying to do, that she wanted to do extra chores around the house to earn money to donate to him. He was so touched by her heart, that she became his first "donor spotlight". I couldn't be more proud of this girl and her heart. I just know that God is going to do big things with her.

I'm speechless. 6 short weeks after launching Nick Can't Run I'm excited to announce we've hit $10,000 in fundraising. 🙌🏻🙏🏻🙌🏻

I thought it would be great to celebrate this milestone with my first donor spotlight: Cora Hubler.

Cora's donation of $20 is in my top 3 all-time inspiring donations in my 5-years raising money for @worldvisionusa

...

Her precious note said this: "In AWANA, I am learning that we need to help others. My mom told me about you and we watched a video about what you are doing. I also saw how much work you are doing to give them clean water. I decided to earn money to donate to you. I think you are really strong for doing this."

Wow...All the feels. Thank you Cora! ❤️

Five on Friday (January 20, 2017)

Highlights from the week:

1. The weather has been awesome this week! I don't venture out much in the winter, but when the temp is 20+ degrees, I take advantage of it. The kids and I spent a lot of time tinkering around on the pond. As I sit here typing, the water is dripping off the roof. In fact, we are supposed to get rain today...in January...in Minnesota...God knew I needed this. :)

2. Jason has been in Austin, TX for work since Tuesday. Sure makes a momma appreciate her husband when he leaves for the better part of a week. Since myself, Ella, and Hattie have all had miserable colds this week, I am anxious for him to return this afternoon to help me out again. Plus we miss him. It's been especially hard on the boy...he loves his Daddy something fierce.

3. Our first chatbook just arrived. I am so excited about this as it's an easy way for me to print out and journal our day-to-day family adventures that don't include a whole bunch of rambling. I love the blog, don't get me wrong, but small snippets from Instagram are a quick, fun way to capture little memories. They are already proving to be a hit with the fam.

4. We are starting to get excited about our Florida trip coming up in March. I know it's still 50+ days away, but the ocean is already whispering my name in the middle of the night. Seriously, it makes me simply giddy when I think about it for any length of time. I have about a million lists going already: menu, items for the ocean, grocery list (since we will be cooking most of our own meals), what to pack overall, who needs sunglasses/sunhat/new swimsuit/water shoes complete with everyone's sizes, a folder with all our travel information, and of course 8 weeks worth of lesson plans so we can learn all about Florida's swimming creatures and where to find them before we even set foot on the plane. Did I mention I'm a planner and that I'm excited?

5. Grammie started up Waffle Wednesday again this week and the three littles couldn't be more excited. They might have even let out a squeal when I told them what Wednesday's plan included. Grammie taught them all about opossums...I think she may have single-handedly worked an entire month's worth of science into one afternoon. (Woot, woot!) They even have a resident opossum that lives in their brush pile and "Blossom" even made an appearance to the little girls had science come to life right before their very eyes.

Five on Friday (except it's Monday...January 16, 2017)

The highlights of last week were:

1. Jason has worked a ton. It seems as though there's never an end in sight as his to-do list is constantly getting added to. With all the extra hours being put in during the beginning of the week, it allowed for him to work from home on Friday...which also meant a family outing for lunch to meet Nana and Paul.

2. Last week proved to be very challenging in regards to Hattie's tummy. We have been in a valley as of late and this week was no exception. Probably some of the hardest nights we have had in a while. The pain was enough to wake her up out of dead sleep multiple times a night causing her to cry out and crunch up into the fetal position. As a parent, this is hard to see. It's difficult when you know you have no idea how to fix it and yet have all the desire in the world to do so.

3. West started back up for Ella and as much as she is enjoying it there, it's always hard to get back into routine. (insert: nagging from mom)

4. Busy schedule from last week: I volunteered at the Concessions at Pact so I can get my volunteer hours in for the month. My shift was from 4-8:30...that means a lot of requests for hot dogs, power-aids, and popcorn. And a lot of standing for me. I have one more shift yet this month. I signed myself up for a pile of spots so I can make up for the lack of volunteering at the beginning of the school year (since I was busy getting our own school going). Mom and I went to the convention center in Mpls to the Hardware Hank Convention. Julie and Gary showed us around and it was fun to be a part of their world for an afternoon. It came complete with a massage. Afterwards we went out for supper at Dino's. I forget what a nice break it is to eat without having to remind people to stay in their seats or cut food up into bite size pieces. Awana and Kids Choir started back up for the second half of the year.

5. Nana and Paul took us all out to the theater to see Sing on Friday. It was utterly and absolutely adorable. I plan to purchase this one when it comes out on dvd. 

Happy Friday....hmmmm...or Monday!

Five on Friday (Dec 23)

1. We had a quick visit up north this past weekend. Without Mom and Dad living up there anymore, it's getting harder and harder to make the trip. I love not having to be in the car for 5+ hours as that was pretty much pure misery with 5 kids, but I really miss my extended family. As families grow and get busier with their kids (us included), it's harder to steal away and go off visiting. I knew I needed to see Amma before Christmas and my heart ached to see everyone else as well. We set out on Thursday right after Ben got out of school. I had the van packed and movies at-the-ready. A quick stop at Mom's to pick her up and we were on our way. We stayed at Whit's house which is becoming a fast favorite. All the kids play so well together and I can't imagine a place that feels any more homey than hers. It's a welcoming home for sure.

2. This week is getting the better of me...I have once again disappointed the planner in me and am scrambling to get all the presents and food prepped for Christmas Eve. We are spending it at home with the kids, enjoying some family time together. Christmas Day will be at Nana's and then Grammie and Papa will be hosting Christmas on December 30 since Jamie and Jordan will both be home for the holidays. Some day I hope Christmas will slow down, but at least this year we get Christmas Eve...and I'm so thankful for that.

3. Mom invited me to the Ladies Christmas Brunch at River of Life a few weeks back. It is becoming a tradition (our second annual one) and one that I look forward to each year. Last year Jill was there too, but since Willow was born just a week before, we are giving her a pass this year. The brunch is so fun and relaxing. The men of the church serve the meal and wait on you. Dad was our personal waiter, bringing us tea and anything else we would ask for. They also have vendor tables set up all around the perimeter of the room so there is even a little shopping to be had. It was lovely and I really enjoyed getting my mom all to myself for a morning. Disclaimer: don't mind the hair sticking up off the top of my head. It was like that all morning and I've had to just get over it...so you will too. :)

4. When you have been diagnosed with CVS (cyclic vomiting syndrome) and are forced to carry throw-up bags in your vehicle...at least your little one can make the best of the situation. Apparently these bags also make great foot warmers. Just thinking now that I better make sure that she didn't put a hole in the bag, or we are going to be in for a fantastic surprise when we really need it for it's intended purpose.

5. This weekend was bitter cold. No...frigid cold. Hmmmm.....nasty cold? Sigh. It was ridiculous. No...it was beyond ridiculous. We bottomed out at -22 degrees and that was just the actual temperature. With the wind chill figured in, it was a balmy -40+. You couldn't even get out to pump gas without your skin literally hurting and your nose freezing up. I know this because I was forced to stop for gas. Honestly, if our weather were normally like this, I would be packing our house up and looking for a new destination. I hate winter. Did I just say "hate"??!!? Yep....sure did. I don't even like it when it's 20 degrees outside...but -40 just makes me plain ol' cranky. I long for summer already.