the important list

Much love,
Katie


p.s. Come and link up for it's a God Thing on Saturday and Sunday.

check 'em out

I have two super sweet bloggers to introduce you to. Amanda and Karen were kind enough to pass along the versatile blogger award my way recently. However, since I did a post on it awhile back, I'll save you the facts about myself again since you can read them here if you are interested. Instead I'd rather share with you a list of rockin' blogs that I've come across recently.

... schilling times ...
Blessed Momma Musings
everyday lovely
heartland farmhouse
we are the holden's
The Heart of a Homemaker
The Honey Pot


Trust me, I L-O-V-E all the blogs I follow. These are just fairly recent for me and I thought I'd encourage you to check them out. Feel free to look up my page where all the blogs are that I follow. I'd tell you what page that is, except I'm tech challenged. I'm sure you know which page I'm talking about since most of you are much more adept than myself when it comes to this blogging gig.

Stop on by and tell them hello. Let them know you came from here and that I think they're awesome!

Much love,
Katie

embracing different

There are certain moments in life when you are the audience member to a scenario in which you were once one of the lead actors.

You want to interrupt the story line unfolding before you.

But this is not your script.

You show restraint. You know better. You've been there.

You have to remain silent. For you would not know what your know now unless your drama had it's final scene. No movie ends at the climatic scene. There is always a conclusion.

Good or bad, there is a moral to the story.

So today when I watched a new boy, Josh, enter into the circle of 3-5 year old soccer players on Jack's team warming up, I knew I recognized something familiar.



Difference.

Josh has Down Syndrome.

His mom held her wiggly young daughter in her arms as she fixated on her son's every move. She patiently prompted him to follow directions. She calmly redirected him when he refused to participate. She chased her little one who was not wanting to be held back by her mama when there was a vast field to explore.

Eventually, I watched as her face give way to frustration.

I've been there.

So many times.

I've been that mom losing sleep over whether or not other children (and dare I say, their parents) would accept our oldest son, Luke, for being different since he is a kiddo with Asperger's Syndrome.

I worried excessively about him being prepared for the different world around him, instead of teaching him how unique his ability to see the world around him differently is.

Josh's mom took him home midway through practice today. I know her heartbreak. I know her frustrations. I know her loneliness. I just pray that she'll find the strength to bring him back and realize that he and our children will be better for it.

Much love,
Katie


*please forgive phone pic. : )

dare to follow your heart

Kev and I just got back from Las Vegas. I'm beat. My eyes are blurry, yet I feel refreshed.

I'm not a club going girl.

Or a gambler. I'm far too practical.

But this girlie likes to sit by the pool, read PEOPLE magazine, and sip a cool, refreshing mojito with my hubby by my side.

I missed my boys, but I need that time to recharge every once in a while.

I didn't bring my camera.

Or check blogs.

I checked out of it all.

Which leads to this next part. When is it that we check out of what we are passionate about before wiping bottoms, staying up nursing colicky babies, and wiping sweat off our foreheads as we put a defiant toddler in time out for the hundredth time?

My blog friend, who will become a real life, in person friend this week when we meet for lunch, has started painting after putting it aside for a bit.

She's a mom of one super cute dude. She's busy. I get it. But, she has had painting on her heart. Without letting doubt or excuses interrupting her path, she forged ahead and followed her heart.

Please check out her work HERE:

This is not a give away. She doesn't even know that I'm writing this. I was just looking at her amazing work and had the desire to share. And so following Alyss' lead, I followed my heart and here we are.

Go say "hey there girl" to Alyss and let her know that you think her art rocks. It does. Pinky swear.

And then sit quietly for a moment and ask yourself what is on your heart. Are you willing to follow it?

Much love,
Katie

It's a God Thing Sat. and Sun. Link-Up

A couple of months ago, I attended a bag party. It was along the lines of Pampered Chef.

I have to confess that I'm not typically into these kind of parties, but I wanted to support my friend and the option to sneak away for a few hours didn't sound too shabby either.

One of the items was a large tote to be used in the trunk. You know, a place to store all the junk.

The junk that you cling to, but don't know where to put it.

The junk that you keep in hidden view as you drive your car with the exterior seen by all.

But the junk is still there. And no matter how stinkin' cute your new tote bag for your junk is, the junk is still junk just sitting in the trunk.

It made me think about what junk to I have in my trunk? What am I trying to conceal from God and others? Am I trying to fancy up my junk by hiding it in a stylish tote?

Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Much love,
Katie

leaving the mess behind

There is something about summer that lets me embrace taking it easy. And when Kevin and I had to trade cars so mine could be repaired and detailed, my house suddenly turned into a tornado. I took one look at my entry way and kitchen counter and wondered how I had room for all of the stuff in my car.

When the boys excessively took out computer paper for drawing and forgot to put the lid back on, I just ignored it. For I knew that a lid not properly put in it's place was not going to destroy me...so unlike my usual type A self.

As I glanced at the chaos in my house from my car "stuff" and my children's play, I embraced it. I left the growing pile of dishes in the sink and declared it a day to check off one of our summer fun list items.



One, I love the sastifaction of checking off list items. Two, I was more looking forward to saying "good-bye" to a house overwhelmed by mess and "hello" to a warm afternoon of duck feeding at a local lake.



I know some of you have the privilege of real lake adventures, but we have the ocean and I couldn't ask for more. So I'll take the man-made lake and say "thanks."

The boys gleefully sprinted from the car to edge of the grass where the concrete edge meets the glistening water.

Without much coercion, the ducks spotted the brown chuncks of torn bread and rounded up their winged, webbed-feet friends and popped over to catch a quick bite eat.

Much to my boys' dismay, the visit was cut short by the ducks refusal to stay and socialize.

Once the boys accepted the terms of their food only relationship with the ducks, they moved on to fish with thin sticks for poles.

They waited. And waited. And waited.

How do you break the truth to them in moments of pure determination?

No bait=No fish, dudes.

I kept that to myself and watched in anticipation to see what course of action they would take without my interference.

It wasn't a problem for Charlie who was convinced he could just catch one with his hands. And as I watched him, I was conflicted with my extreme germaphobe nature of what was lurking in the water with the blissfulness of observing him in his perfect 5 year old world.

No bait=No problem for Charlie.



I sat on the thick cool grass under the protective shade of a weeping willow and gazed at my boys. I thought about each boy.



One who methodically tore his bread into tiny pieces so he could have more of it and make it last.

One who just threw whole pieces in and jumped and shook his hands out of pure enthusiasm.

And the wild 3 year old who surprised me by his gentleness and patience.



When the bread was gone and the sun had drained the fuel from their boy energy tanks, we came back home to the same mess from earlier, but it felt much lighter.

Fun does that to the soul.

Much love,
Katie



p.s. Don't forget to link up and visit It's a God Thing on Saturday and Sunday!

random happies and a lil' drama

I went to Ikea yesterday. I love IKEA. I used to be a snob regarding IKEA. Then I had kids and decided to stay home. Hence the reason I now super LOVE IKEA.

It doesn't hurt that I can check in 3 boys who were driving me nuts with their potty talk (Jack), tattling (Luke), and sassy talk (Charlie).

I gave my usual, "Be good. Make good choices" speech.

Then I bent down and looked Jack (3) in the eyes and very clearly said, "no potty talk. No climbing on your brothers. No yelling at other children."

Have I mentioned that although he's a sensitive little snuggle bug, that he's going through the terrible 3's and we're tempted to find a bootcamp for preschoolers?

I went to buy a dresser for Jack and Charlie's room. I found the dresser along with these colorful knives I desperately needed and a tray that is too cute, but I really didn't need. But it's IKEA and I can afford to buy something that I don't really need when it is $7.




Have I mentioned that I love IKEA yet?

When I picked up the boys, I was greeted with, "Mom! Jack was soooo horrible."

He managed to do e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g I clearly instructed him not to do.

So no frozen yogurt cone for him. I stuck to my guns as he threw the largest tantrum of his life as we walked out of IKEA and through the parking lot. I'm sure everyone in San Diego heard him wail, "I want ice cream!" over and over again.

Lil' dude was not getting his ice cream.

As we were half way home, Charlie urgently announced that he had to go to the bathroom. I pulled over at Target and found these beauties on sale for $12.99. They had me at "hello."

I almost don't care that it is hot and sticky. I want to throw on a pair of jeans and wear these sassy red flats stat.



Hope your week is filled with some awesome random happies too.

Much love,
Katie