Birthday stay-cation week has come and gone.  The girls and I are missing Derek (and my family, and Brad, Julia, Brynne, and Hadley) as we go it alone once again.    It was a wonderful week full of so many blessings and even some hard eucharisteo. But I’m grateful and I’ll let the gifts speak for themselves.

2210-  of the ways that God showed He loved us this week.

• Brad managing to pull of his surprise for Julia and getting her down here to visit with us without her ever having caught on! 8+ months of planning a success for him!
• 4 toddler girl twins roaming in my living room
• Hadley’s excitement about the boat in the pool
• Aeralind swimming all the way across the pool all on her own!
• Brynne and Bronwyn struggling through their own pool disappointment but coming out smiling
• Extra long naps
• Guys going shopping while girls stayed home and chatted
• Wandering slow and face to fact through grace and marriage and family
• Laughing again about the Maggots
• My girls sharing grapes with Julia’s girls
• Pizza outside while the rain held up
• Walking, running, and squealing through the park
• Bronwyn running back to keep checking on Brynne and Brad and smiling
• Hadley running back and forth between me and her momma, grinning as I tickled her
• Failed attempts to get all four girls to sit on a swing and look at a camera
• Aeralind lying on bench swings and asking to “wock”
• Being present while while two tired toddlers sing Skinamarinky dinky dink “eye lub you!” to me and Derek
• Night time hugs
• Worn out babies and parents
• Long nights
• Husband warm and curled around me in pain
• Clean and empty tummy and bowels
• The body’s ability to cleanse itself
• Julia, Brad, and girls having a morning to themselves while I recovered
• Cool air and warm sunshine
• Beautiful wooden rocking horse give to us by our moving neighbor
• Bronwyn yelling “neigh!” and Aeralind repeating “wock” as they ride their new horse
• Quiet morning of shopping alone
• Little Aeralind climbing down the stairs at 9pm so apologetic that she was unable to climb back into her crib to sleep
• Girls pulling newly stained stool out from under our bed to snuggle with us under the sheets
• Taking pictures of Julia’s family at the park

• The perfect little birthday party: small and including all of the girls favorit things (spaghetti, the pool, owls, cupcakes, sugar)
• Pefectly half-frozen slushie textured soda.  I never drink soda and it was so good!
• Watching Bronwyn sip Ruthie’s soda slushie.  Her cold face was hysterical!
• Aeralind scared of blowing out her candle.
• Bronwyn gleefully blowing out both candles.
• Toddler running laps around chairs squealing, panting, and falling.
• Aeralind climbing out of her crib, standing quietly in the hallway until daddy saw her.  Her whispering “Daddy, ca ca.” (poop).  So sweet.
• Little girls cleaning windows and walls and tables with rags.
• New birthday morning tradition: Birthday Tea!

• Girls enjoying sips of watered down and milked up with a dash of sugar tea
• Birthday omletes
• Half a cupcake with breakfast
• Aeralind climbing in our bed shortly after she woke up- annoying, but oh so sweet.
• Derek being home for over a week
• Getting a morning showering instead of a naptime shower multiple times this week.
• Million of daddy changed diapers: what sweet sacrifice!
• Perfect birthday morning at the park
• Girls transfixed and delighted by being surrounded by ducks, geese, and pigeons as they tossed bread.

• A hysterical impromptu romp in the fountains
• Probably some of the last running around semi-naked moments caught on camera

• Super surprise visit from Jen and Abel.
• Seeing Aeralind be bashful
• Watching Bronwyn love on Jen
• Momma made sleep sacks
• Missing Derk now that he’s at work– he’s beyond helpful and so amazing!
• Hearing wisdom preached.