Challenges

Our past week was filled with many challenges.  Through it all, I find myself reflecting on those many moments with a renewed awareness of God's presence in all of our lives - from little things to life-changing events.

Our week started our on a low note as we received word that Uncle Mike's father passed away very unexpectedly.  This event shook us up a bit, and of course left us grieving for Mike, Kerri, Aubrey and Wesley.  It also found us appreciating our so many blessings a bit more deeply.  Alex, Tierney and I attended the visitation and funeral later in the week, while the older girls spent time with Grandparents and enjoyed some special time with them.

Friday evening, we changed gears and focused our prayers toward my friend Kathy, who began a 24 hour run at a local event in hopes of completing 100 miles.  Though it was close to bed time, we decided to load up the girls around 7 and head to Allegan to spend some time walking with Kathy, keeping her husband Tony company and letting the girls burn of some pent up energy.  

We arrived shortly before Kathy stopped for a short break.  Ezri was anxious to run immediately!  So, after a quick 2 minute break, Kathy started out again and Ezri and I joined her to jog around the track.  Ezri amazed me, keeping pace with Kathy with no trouble, and running continually.  She was just so excited and energized to be out moving.

 Alora also loved being able to get out and move.  She took Daddy and Uncle Andy around for many laps, but found most of her enjoyment with the hula hoops, basket balls and other things she could play with inside the track.

 She did put in a lap or two with Kathy as well, though, keeping up pretty well.

 Even Daddy ran a mile or so with Kathy!

 This Mommy, who planned to walk for a bit and help kids get energy out, ended up running over 2.5 miles with Kathy!

 After several hours, we decided around 10;30 it was probably time to put kids in bed.  They were definitely tired by then!  Saturday morning we woke up, got some things done around the house, and prepared to go back to Allegan again.  Kelly, Jacci, Becci and I, all friends with Kathy, had plotted weeks earlier, to spend Saturday cheering her on and putting in some miles to help her toward completing the 100 mile goal.  We got matching shirts that said "Team Kathy: A Division of Team Emmett" and met up before seeing Kathy together.

 Then, as Kathy headed around one end of the track, we headed the opposite direction in plan to meet her allow her to see our shirts.

 The plan worked perfectly!  After her confusion about the people walking the wrong way around the track, she noticed the faces and then the shirts and lost composure :)

 For the next couple of hours, Kelly, Becci and I walked many miles with Kathy as she ran.  The girls spent even more time running and playing, burning lots more energy.

And then, we all had the honor to be a part of the final lap as Kathy completed her 100 mile run in 23 hours and 50 minutes!  What a celebration, it was so exciting and amazing to witness.

 And it made me especially grateful for the wonderful friendships that the past year and a half have presented me, all in answer to prayers I often forgot to pray. 

Sore after a little less than 10 miles in 24 hours (no training, which I paid for), I was also so grateful for the opportunities the weekend provided our whole family, and that we got to do it together.

Fun, Friends and Family

It's that time again...

The girls and I enjoyed a couple of afternoons outside in the snow this past week.  We all needed the fresh air and change of scenery.  Between colds and fevers, it seems like the germs have been rolling around in the house for a couple of weeks now.  Just enough to be annoying for a few days for each person.  First thing on the list - catch snowflakes!

 Or, just be cute...

 We tried to make a snowman one afternoon.  While the snow packed well, it did not roll at all, so we spent a considerable amount of time packing a snowman piece by piece.  We had fun anyway, and the girls were quite proud of the result.

 We took advantage of the sunshine one day, opening up the shades to let the light and warmth in.  We got so excited about the sun that we decided a picnic needed to happen, so the girls and I had lunch together picnic style.  Sadie was especially excited about the food and Alora being so close to her level.

 Saturday, the girls got to go to a birthday party for their friend Allie.  They wore their princess dresses to the party and enjoyed a fun afternoon playing together, inside and outside.  We only get to see Allie at church every other weekend, but Ezri and Allie are such good buddies, so we were thrilled to be able to have the chance for the girls to play together for the day.

We also got to see Uncle Michael, Aunt Becky, Opa and Oma on Saturday afternoon, as Uncle Michael is in town for a few days.  The girls had not seen him since August, so it was nice for them to have the chance to visit and play with their aunt and uncle for a short time.

Baby sister has been working on standing alone (usually on accident) and has even taken two steps on her own this past week!  With tooth number 2 visible now, her little grin is taking on a new look.  She chatters away all day long, and is quite entertaining.  She is right in with her sisters much of the time, following them around and enjoying their chaos.  At night, after the big girls have been put to bed, she thinks it is hilarious to sneak into the hallway and the squeal and crawl as fast as she can into the girls' room to visit and play.  It is quite amusing for all of us to watch and hear!  And then, once she winds down, she crashes for the night and Daddy and I enjoy snuggling that sweet little baby.

Happy Birthday Alora!

We started our week off last Sunday with a birthday celebration for Alora.  

She was so excited to have a party with friends and family, she could hardly wait to get home from church!  Our home was filled with many of Alora's favorite people - Great Grandma, Grandpa & Grandma, Opa & Oma, Ucle Andy, Uncle Jay & Aunt Becci, Daddy, Mommy, Ezri and Tierney.  While we waited for all of the guests to arrive, she was thrilled to help me set the table with her purple polka dot plates and napkins.  She was also quite excited to wear her party hat!

On the menu for the day, per her request:

- crackers and cheese

- peas

- pizza

- "apple spider" (apple cider, or sometimes applesauce, so we had both!)

- oranges, bananas, grapes, blueberries, apples

and of course, cake!  To be specific, a purple cake, with purple frosting and sparkly stars all over it.  Who am I to deny my little princess her dream cake?  So, I got creative in the kitchen :)

 Presents had her attention from the moment they arrived, so she was quite excited when it was finally time for her to open them.  

 Cake time was also at the top of her list for the day :)

 Each year, I like to take a generation photo with my grandma, mom and the girls.  Each additional child makes it harder to get everyone looking, but hey - close enough!

 Between Alora's birthday party and her actual birthday, we had a few days of anticipation.  One night, Ezri decided she wanted our family to have a camp out and even drew up plans for where everyone was to sleep.  With me getting up early to cross kids, we decided it might be best to have a full family camp-out on a weekend.  So, the next best thing was to get the ball tent upstairs and let Alora use her new sleeping bag for a mini camp-out.  The girls had a blast!

Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, she spiked a fever and had a very restless night.  She woke Wednesday very subdued, and I was afraid she would be sick all day.  Thankfully, as the day went on, she spunked up and was able to enjoy her special day.

On Wednesday, Alora turned 3!!!  When she woke, she found bows hidden all over the house.  Each bow had money taped under it.  She soon caught on, and was excited to find all of the money and put it into her piggy bank when the hunt was over.

 After a day of resting, lots of movies and not much eating on her part, we finally got through dinner and onto her favorite part of the day - cake and presents.

 She was thrilled get some skates, complete with helmet and pads.  Soon, she was practicing all around the house!

 She also loved her "dew berry" dress and wand.  Not sure where "dew berry" came from, but hey, she's excited and using that amazing imagination of hers, so why not?

On Saturday morning, we took the girls to the Byron Fun Spot with our friends the Sebrights for a few hours of skating.  With Alora having just received skates and both girls having practiced for days in our house, they were both quite excited!  

Tierney even got to go out on the floor in the stroller, and thought it was fun, kicking her little legs all the time.

Four skating kids plus a baby in a stroller equated to some very busy adults, and a lot of bending over to help hold them up, but we all had a wonderful time together.

And, towards the end of the time, Ezri went from skating with help, to skating on her own with the use of a little cart, to even attempting to skate all alone and doing so quite well!

 Poor little Tierney had a rough Saturday nigh and Sunday, with a fever and a rough cough that had me up all night as well, questioning whether or not she needed to go see a doctor.  Thankfully, she finally found some comfort sleeping on my chest as I sat upright, and the morning brought a happier baby.  We ended our week with a Super Bowl party at our house. Overflowing with friends, children, good food and laughs, we enjoyed our time together, and even a few commercials.