9 Years Ago . . .

Nine years ago . . . at precisely 5:00pm . . . the Lord blessed us with a 4lb 11oz one month early beautfiul little girl. There were multiple months of bed rest . . . 25 hours of labor . . . one hour of pushing . . . 7 days in the NICU . . . and worth every extra worry, doctors appointment, effort and prayer.

Her name means Grace for without God's hand upon her, she wouldn't be here. She has the most tender spirit, loving heart and thoughtful demeanor. She amazes us every day with her intelligence, maturity and sweetness. She is an avid book reader, incredible piano player and caring older sister. She loves to play basketball, soccer and golf. She is great at taking care of her younger niece and nephew. She is a loyal and thoughtful friend. She was an answer to prayer. She made me a Mommy and Travis a Daddy . . . roles we prayed for our whole lives. I am so grateful for her and am so blessed to be here every step of the way as she continues to shape and grow into a beautiful young lady. Hannah Grace Marsh - you are loved!

A "where in the world is summer" Daybook

Outside my window... 
Rain and clouds. I know we live in Washington but COME ON!!! On Monday it was so hot here we actually all wore tank tops and shorts. Tuesday, HAIL!!!! What in the world. God, do you have an ETA for summer around here because we would really appreciate it.

I am thankful for..
Imaginations. Haley has a friend over today and they just came downstairs with pictures they made for me. When I said thank you, I was told that I was really the mean queen and that I liked the pictures but I had no friends so I had to tell them to lock themselves back into their castle because I didn't know how to draw and they were only allowed to take walks on Sunday but it was time for their lunch and they could only eat grapes. (Oh to be a kid!)

I am thinking about...
The summer . . . ok . . . not the weather. We've already discussed that. I mean, the no-one-has-school-or-piano-or-kids-club-at-church-sleep-in-be-spontaneous-or-lazy-or-productive days.

Learning all the time...
To be happy with my accomplishments for the day. Why do we have to continually learn the same lessons over and over again? I go through phases of doing this well and then phases of not-even-close. I used to create a list of things I've done . . . as I completed a task (like a load of laundry) I'd write it on a list so instead of looking at a "to-do" list that I'd barely touched, I had a long list of things (big or small) that I did. I just reminded myself that is a good idea . . .

From the kitchen...
Leftover stir fry. Haley had a late dentist appointment the other day and when we got home, Travis was there to greet us with a huge bowl of incredibly delicious stir fry . . . and he even washed the dishes from the day!! Wow I love this man.

I am creating . . .
A growing list of "books I read" for the year . . . watch out Sarah . . . I'm gonna keep my title from last year!

I am working on...
Organizing the garage. Here's another of those never ending jobs. When we had our big neighborhood garage sale recently we had to stack a lot of stuff I was sorting and organizing all together to throw a tarp over and set up tables. It was totally worth it. (We made enough money to buy a nice new grill for the family.) But now I have to re-sort some stuff and get it all in a usable place.
 
I am going...
To take the girls to the library after school. I love how much our whole family loves to read. And Haley, as our newest lover of books, has gotten so good at reading, she can pick up anything she wants now out of the shelves and read it. It's so fun to watch her passion grow . . .

I am hoping...
That we can enjoy every bit of the upcoming weekend. Saturday we are meeting my family for a Fathers Day/Hannah's b'day lunch then we're off to a retirement party for Travis' closest co-worker friend. Then Sunday is church and Father's Day and Hannah's official 9th birthday. It's a lot of celebration and fun.

I am reading...
The Sound of Butterflies by Rachael King and How to Talk so your Kids will Listen and Listen so your Kids will Talk by Adele Faber. I'm reading the parenting book with my friend Melissa. It lays out different areas to work on and tips on how to incorporate them. I'm not sure exactly what I think about it yet but it never hurts to get new perspectives and ideas to ponder in this journey of raising kids.  

I am praying for...
Difficult transitions.
   
I am hearing...
The dishwasher. Wait! I need to go write that on my "I did it" list!

Around the house...
Clean rooms for the girls. They get themselves so overwhelmed that they don't know where to start in cleaning their rooms. I sat with them yesterday afternoon for two and a half hours getting them back to a system they can upkeep. Included in this process was a big purge of stuff. They have so  much stuff!! They love to play and appreciate what they have but do two little girls really need 14,000 pet shops and doo-dads to go with them? (Ok - maybe I'm exaggerating a little but it sure feels like that many when you find them EVERYWHERE!!)

One of my favorite things...
Finished scrapbooks. I used to spend a lot of time putting together scrapbooks for the family. I still have a few boxes of photos that I'd like to complete but with the blog (which if you have one - you have got to check out Blog To Book. All you have to do is enter the dates you want to go in your book and they do all the rest compiling all your entries and pictures - the whole nine yards. For Christmas, Travis told me to print the last two years of our blog - one per book. They are absolutely beautiful!!) and the ability to make quick and easy books on Snapfish, I don't intend to continue printing all the pictures and taking each one and pasting it on a page. BUT Hannah was asking me the other day to tell her more about when she was born. We pulled down the scrapbook and sat side by side looking at all the pages and the pictures and the journaling. It was such a special time together and was worth all the effort.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
After the horse riding birthday party, my mom took Hannah, Haley and I to see Madagascar 3 in the movie theater complete with a huge bucket of popcorn. It was such a fun treat to sit together and giggle at the mis-adventures of those crazy animals take place in 3-D.  

Having a HAY Day . . .

Hannah's birthday party was spent at the local equestrian center with our new favorite horse teacher (Miss Pam) and our new favorite horses (Molly and Cross Fire). The kids had so much fun!!

The only trouble we had was when we tried to like the candles on our "Ranch Animal Cupcakes" . . . we tried to light the candles . . .

And we tried to light the candles . . .

And finally, with many hands, we successfully lit the candles!!

It was a wonderful celebration for a wonderful little girl. And the equestrian center (if you're local, you HAVE to check this place out . . . ask me for the name!) took care of everything . . . horse lessons, horse rides, races, hula hoops, pinata, goodie bags, decorations, set up, tables and chairs and even napkins . . . and it was all led by Miss Pam. Do you know what I did? I stepped back and enjoyed watching my little girl have a wonderful birthday party! I didn't have to clean, or serve, or entertain . . . and I don't have ANY clean up to do after the party!! Thank you thank you thank you Miss Pam for making Miss Hannah's 9th birthday so special!

Giddy Up

We have found a new love in our family . . . horses. Who would have thunk it? Hannah's birthday is coming up and we were brainstorming a cool activity for the party. Travis was flipping through the local paper and advertisements and came across a coupon for a stable close to our home that offered a birthday package any little girl would love. Along with the discounted party, there was also a coupon for discounted riding lessons. We decided it would be a lot of fun for the girls to have some lessons before the party so they'd feel like an expert for the big event.

We put on their boots and away we went . . .

In two lessons (just an hour each time), they learned how to brush the horse, put on a saddle, ride the horse, stop the horse, turn the horse, trot the horse, weave the horse in and around barrels and smile non-stop from beginning to end.

The big party is on Sunday . . . two and a half hours of horse fun (with no clean up or prep from mom). Hannah can't wait. And in the Marsh girls future?? More brushing horses, putting on saddles, riding horses, stopping horses, turning horses, trotting horses, weaving horses in and around barrels and non-stop smiling from beginning to end. Watch out rodeo . . . the Marsh girls are going cowboy!

Unbelievable Story

I take my freedom for granted here in this country. It's turning on a faucet to get water, going to the grocery store to get food, dropping my kids off for a safe day of school, and I go to church on Sundays with no one waiting at the door except a sweet old man who signed up to be greeter for the week. I don't think twice . . . until I read a book that opens my eyes to the world out there.

I recently finished reading "Son of the Underground" by Isaac Liu. He's is the son of Brother Yun - an enemy of the state imprisoned for most of his adult life. What horrible thing could one do to become an enemy of the state? For the government to keep such a close eye on him and his family that they tell his mother to have an abortion when she becomes pregnant with a child from him? He believed in Jesus. And he was brave enough and willing to tell others about his belief.

I am not so naive to the fact that there are incredible hardships endured by others about the world. But until you walk a mile in someone else's shoes, or read an almost unbelievable story of one family's experience, you do not realize just how oppressive and terrifying and very real some people's lives are . . . just for standing up for the freedom's we have every single day. 

I am writing this blog proclaiming that I love Jesus without a single repercussion expect that some people may choose to differ on the subject. I am more aware of just what an incredible freedom that is for me today.

To win a free copy of this book, simply put your name in the comment section and I'll notify the winner.

Marsh's in the Dark

We have been in the dark the last three weeks. Not in the dark dark. We have lights and lots of beautiful  windows in our new home to brighten the days. We have been without TV . . . and without the internet. Now let me first address the internet. It has been driving me crazy. I'm not on the computer ten hours a day. I check my email once or twice a day, check a couple great blogs and post one here every once in a while. Without it, I have felt like I've been in a lonely cave. BUT - no TV has been amazing. Initially, I started to worry about the shows we like to watch and won't be taped and we won't be able to watch and blah blah blah. BUT - two days in, nobody missed it or even cared. We started reading a bunch more together. We all went to bed sooner because we weren't distracted by "just one more show." We had more mindless conversations together. We played more games. Overall, it was fantastic. Yesterday, the TV and internet were fixed. I was/am excited to check my email (I had 56 messages . . . lots of junk mail but some fun as well), post a blog, and read some long missed blogs of friends. But as soon as I heard the TV turned on downstairs, I got a little misty. I'm gonna miss the quiet evenings. I'm gonna miss having to create some fun without pointless distraction. BUT - I know that we have made some good habits. And wouldn't you know . . . we enjoyed an episode of chopped together as a family, and turned off the set. Sorry TV . . . you've gonna get a bit dusty around here.