Royal goodness!

Our 3rd annual trip to Royal Tokyo for Nikki, Brent and my birthday's was a huge hit once again. We were all dreaming about our food from the moment we scheduled the date...and it didn't disappoint.

Tony is the man and cooks up some mean chicken and steak...

(my hat was way too big)

It was a treat to celebrate my 31st birthday with these amazing friends!

As if a salad, soup, bowl of rice, shrimp, chicken, steak wasn't enough... Luke polished off an equivalent of 3 fried bananas.

Praising God for the gift of 31 years of life!

Jam session

The kids rocking out to some music...

clearly they were into it and didn't miss a beat!

Busted

These two crazy kids (college students who used to be in our Youth Group) showed up at our house armed and ready to saran wrap the garage. Much to their chagrin, we had the windows opened and could hear their shenanigans. A couple times I said to Luke, what's that noise outside? After it kept up, I finally went to the window to find Kyle and Brittany trying to run and hide from being caught, but they were busted! We invited them in to chat for a while and I enjoyed that much more than spending the morning cutting down their handiwork.

No pain, no gain!

I'm one of those sick people who actually likes to exercise. In fact, sometimes if I go too long without raising my heart rate I get a little crabby (just ask Luke and the kids.) What I wouldn't consider myself is a runner. I've always thought to myself that you must really be gifted by God if you can run any distance at all because it truly was that daunting of a task to me. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that some people can run so far and not fall apart at the end :O). I always wondered...how do they do it?! So I started out on an adventure that has taken me to a place I never thought I could go. I started consistently running a couple miles and felt that was a huge accomplishment. Then I put a new goal out ahead of myself ...5 or 6 miles and then 7 or 8. Today by about mile 7, I said to myself "no pain, no gain." And off I went. Today I reached a whole new level of achievement I never thought was possible in my stocky, solid frame....13 miles flashed across the monitor. I did it! I am shocked and so thankful to God for allowing this girl to have the stamina and the legs to do something I never thought I could do. So tonight I'm celebrating a goal accomplished and a God who gives us the strength and ability to do all things (Phil. 4:13).

CEYC softball team

The Cutting Edge Youth Center 2010 softball team...

A fun time was had by all despite our 1-8 record.

Nap time...

Everyone was exhausted and needed naps on Saturday afternoon so we thought doing a family nap would be fun. After about 20 minutes the kiddos settled in and we all took a good nap. Obviously I woke up before the rest of the crew. The girls slept at the head of the bed and the boys at the foot. Not sure that it was the most comfortable nap I've ever taken but it sure was worth the memory!

Helping hand...

Traeger took it upon himself one morning to go to town cleaning all the dirty dishes. Of course it was one of those moments I wanted to suggest he chose to do something else because he might make a mess on the cabinets and the floor but decided discouraging such an act of kindness wouldn't be a huge benefit to me in the long run. Encourage now and they'll want to do it later...if it were only that easy, right!

How old are you?

When I went downstairs to grab something, Ataly ran to the top of the stairs and started whining until I would come up and get her. So I walked up the stairs, looked at her in disappointment that she was whining instead of using words and said, "How old are you?" (Meaning since you're two, you can use words instead of whining.) She had her arms crossed in front of her body and said, "14." Some days I wonder :O)

Probably one of those, you have to be there to think it's funny moments but I had to make a post so I don't forget about it.

Meeting Ellie Grace

On probably one of the hottest/most humid days of the summer, we drove over to Green Bay to meet Miss Ellie Grace, hang out with her siblings and mommy and daddy too! We were so thankful her mommy and daddy didn't mind her hanging out in the heat.

We met at the Green Bay Zoo and ate our picnic lunches.

The girls couldn't contain their excitement about being together and at the zoo.

I loved the snuggles from this peanut. Truly, you just forget how tiny they are.

Although after giving birth to 8 lb 4 oz and 9 lb 4.5 oz babies, I can say ours were never this little.

Proud Uncle Luke holding Ellie for the first time...

And a sweet little kiss was a must!

Traeger's turn to hold his new cousin....

and then Ataly's.

So thankful for cousins...6 within 4 years.

I think they will have a lot of fun memories together in the years to come.

The girls rule over the boys six to...

four!

Who comes up with an idea like this?

(And I know it's not the moms :O))

As if one time wasn't dangerous enough :O)...

I guess I was encouraging the idea by taking pictures.

Thanks Port Hatfields for meeting up with us in Green Bay and allowing us to

celebrate with you in the arrival of Ellie Grace!

Who am I letting define success?

Why is it that after running 7 miles, packing lunches and taking the kids on a play date at the lake, running Traeger to 5 day club, cleaning the bathroom, mopping the bathroom and kitchen floors, hosting the neighbor kids for playtime in the driveway for 3 hours, taking the kids for a bike ride and all the other "emergencies" that happen in a day I felt guilty that I was exhausted by 7 pm and felt like I still needed to do more and was searching for more significance.

When I finally called it a night at 10 pm God had brought light to my guilt for which I am thankful for (I'm still on the journey of living and understanding my freedom in Christ). Who exactly am I letting define my success? Our world (Satan) whispers lies to me telling me if I just do a little more or accomplish something big I will be somebody. I am who I am by the grace of God alone. I need to be devoted to Him in all that I do because He is the way, the truth and the life. There is nothing more that I need to add or do to gain significance in His eyes. Through it all, my focus needs to be on God and what He is calling me to instead of listening to the deceitful lies Satan is speaking that if I just did a little more I would be somebody. Since I have died, I no longer live for myself but for Christ (2 Cor. 5:14,15)

So I can get a lot accomplished in any given day, but it is only successful when lived out in His strength, power and leading. The challenge is to keep my focus on my power in Christ and what He is doing through me and shut out the whispers Satan is trying breath that if I just do one more thing than maybe I can call it a successful day. I have been rescued from the domain of Satan's rule and transferred to the Kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13)

I love my role as a mom and I'm going to fight Satan's attempts to steal my joy and significance in Christ!

Can't beat the price...and the fun!

Our local Hardees has a sweet deal going where the kids meals are .99 cents on Tuesdays. You can't beat the price and the fun. So last night we rode our bikes to Hardees and enjoyed the sweet deal.

Of course their daddy takes it to a whole new level and tosses the kids quite high in the ball bin which brings about much delight to them.

While mommy just tries to enjoy the outbursts of joyful giggles instead of worrying about the last time those balls were cleaned. It's building their immune system, right!?

Are you ready for some baseball?

Outdoor play dates...

Backyards... driveways...parks...lakes....

are just a few of the places we've enjoyed having play dates with some of our friends.

and just another reason why

I LOVE SUMMER!

First digger...

We were riding our bikes to our friends house for a play date when suddenly as we were making the last turn into their driveway, Traeger hit a patch of gravel . I was right behind him and watched the whole event unfold. I haven't had any bad dreams yet but let me just say I have a whole new appreciation for bike helmets. I'm pretty sure my son would have significant damage to something dealing with his head had it not been for the helmet (and I'm not just exaggerating). It was like slow motion as Traeger slid sideways in the gravel and his head (helmet) bounced like a ball on the cement . With wails of frustration and sadness, on his own accord, Traeger jumped back on his bike and rode to park his bike in the friend's driveway. It happened in the right place because our friend's had all the supplies we needed to clean up the wound on Traeger's elbow and a popsicle to help distract from the pain (as I dug the rock out from his elbow). I now have hydrogen peroxide and gauze pads on my Walmart list just to have on hand. God is good and protected Traeger that day and this mommy is thankful for just a minor scrap on his elbow for his first digger. I guess it's all part of the adventure, right!

You just gotta love her...

After pulling out every bedtime stalling tactic in the book and me responding appropriately,

Ataly says, "Momma, will you pray for me more?"

Now what's a momma to do about that?

I prayed :O)

Ellie Grace

John and Nicole welcomed their 4th child...

Ellie Grace Hatfield

into the world July 30 @ 12:10pm, weighing in at 6 lbs. 5 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long.

We have not yet had a chance to meet this sweet miracle but look forward to when we'll get to hold her in our arms.

Hatfield Hotel open once again...

Projects checked off the list

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bike rides

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out to eat

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non-stop chatting

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cuddle time...

are just a few of the reasons we love when Grandpa Bruce and Nonnie come into town!

Unexpected phone call

Around 4:00 in the afternoon we got a call from an old seminary friend Jon (who lives in MO) saying that he was in WI for military training at Fort McCoy, had a pass 'til 10pm and wondered if we would be up for meeting him half way to catch up. Without any hesitation, we agreed to meet and made plans. Within 3 hours we were seeing him face to face, sharing hugs and catching up on the last couple years. I guess Luke's connected with him on different occasions about the book Jon is writing but I haven't had that chance. What a blessing it was to see an old friend and pick up right where we left off as if no time had passed. The time went way too quickly but we soaked up every minute we had with him.

Vacation Bible School

Songs, Bible verses, crafts, and friends....

these were just a few of the things Traeger loved about attending VBS this year (or in his words "I loved the whole thing mom!"). It was a real treat to watch the program on Friday. He's growing up right before my eyes...to see him interact with his friends and totally get into the activities proved that he indeed is a big boy!

Sackett Lake

The sun was shining bright and the temperatures were ideal, so I packed up the kids (and brought the neighbor girl) and headed out to Sackett's Lake. We all had a blast taking it all in and enjoyed a picnic supper to finish off the night!