What it means to say Grace before our meals...

When the Lane was born I was completely overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for a HUMAN.

Overwhelmed in a good way! I was excited don't get me wrong....but I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best. 

There were ridiculous amounts of what I thought were life or death decisions to make.

I would go online to try to find information about how to best care for my baby and I would end up walking away from the computer without a lick of useful information due to the overwhelming-ness of it all.  A simple Google search brought me tons of articles about GMO's, the ever-evolving conversation about carbs are bad vs. good, why diapers could cause cancer, how Johnson and Johnson corporation is run by the devil himself, why breastfeeding and making homemade baby food is the ONLY WAY, photos of kids happily guzzling green smoothies, and detailed horrific videos about where our grocery-store meat and milk actually come from.

The pressure these ‘voices’ put on me to do the perfect right thing for my kid can be a very large burden in life.

And let's just say it is not letting up. The world is always coming up with all the bad don't have, don't eat, don't use anymore... and it can be overwhelming! 

{[Especially after a fast of eating whole foods and feeling great then eating everything inside for a week just because you can.]}

I feel like if God was in the flesh right now He would put his hands on my shoulders and say this,

“Laurel.  You do the best you can to eat a balanced diet, feed your kids the best they will eat in the moment and then you trust that when you pray before a meal – He hears it.  He is in control.  He loves you.  The end.”

My father's words (in my head) opened my eyes to an aspect of faith and trust in Him that I have let go of in my quest of what I perceived to be the ‘perfect’ mom, wife, and homemaker.

God will not say to us when we get to heaven, “Did you grind wheat for your child’s sandwich bread?”

God cares about the condition of our hearts.

When my heart gets filled up with fear about things like the pesticides and refined flours in this world, I am no longer trusting Him.

Most of the time, we cannot afford to buy organic. So I buy the regular kind, prepare it faithfully and lovingly for my sweet family, and then when we sit around the table and pray that God will have the final say on how that food is processed in our bodies.

Now, hear me out.  I am NOT saying you should just scrap everything, buy KFC every night and think that grace will cover all the blocked arteries you have coming in about 10 years.

No, we still need to be responsible.  We need to make good decisions for our families and feed them the best we know how.  We need to strive for balance in our eating.  We can learn to listen to His voice if we think He is calling us to try something new (like making bread from scratch, cutting back on processed foods, exploring Paleo, or the Mediterranean Diet, or finding the best menu options for an ill child’s struggling digestive system like a gluten intolerance etc....)

But we cannot get into the idol of thinking that WE carry the burden of our loved one’s or our own health for the rest of life on this earth.

Because what happens when you see Or hear of a bunch of people who were enjoying some spinach (SPINACH, for crying out loud) and ended up with E. Coli?

Or what happens when you take all-natural pre-natal vitamins and have no caffeine during your whole pregnancy and your child is born with life-threatening health issue and has to have major surgery. 

Are we going to shake our fist at God and get angry at Him because we thought we were doing everything ‘right’???

Our world is BROKEN, dear ones.

BROKEN.

The point is, eating (like driving a car, getting on an airplane, and pretty much everything else) is an act of faith.  We could eat as ‘clean’ as we possibly could and there would STILL be disease and sickness.

At the end of the day, our job is just to do our best to be good stewards of the body Christ has given us (and those of our children) – the bodies that Christ died for – and then we allow GRACE to fill in the gaps.

Remember, whenever Jesus sat down to eat, He gave thanks to His Father.

He acknowledged the Giver of ‘daily bread.’

How awful would it have been if the people on the hillside said to Jesus as He passed out miraculously multiplied loaves of bread and fish, “Does that bread have gluten in it?” or “Does that fish have mercury contamination?”

Instead, they were thankful.

So when you sit down as a family to eat peanut butter sandwiches on store bought bread, don’t forget to bow your heads, close your eyes and truly give thanks.

He’s got this.

Be wise...be grateful...have self control...and remember to celebrate!

The whole baking your own bread works for some super amazing people.

But this mama prefers to buy hers at the store and spend my time baking cookies instead for my four cookie monsters! 

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.” Luke 12:29-31 (NLT)

21 DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING 2016

Today is Sunday January 10th.  (it is actually Tuesday January 26th...I was going to blog through my whole fast and just transfer what I was journaling into my blog buuutt that didn't quite happen...I did indeed journal through my whole fast but the blogging just didn't happen so here I am writing one blog post on the whole thing) This little tid-bit was from Jan. 10th and I'll leave it in and pick up down below -{ Currently as of today I have completed a full 6 days(and am currently on my 7th day) of Fasting and Praying with a ton of people from my church (and all over the world). Our church suggests (but of course it is your own choice if you participate or not) to fast for 21 days in the first month of each year. There is SO much backround about fasting, why people fasted in the bible, why we should fast now etc.... but I am not writing a post on that today, however I would like to do that someday because I think a lot of people (myself included until last year) do not  know much about fasting.}

Picking up on Jan. 26th...one thing I'd like to add about fasting is....fasting is NOT to twist God's arm or put on a show to impress Him (or anyone else for that matter)....the goal is to line up your heart with God's heart...and by doing that and joining with Him in unity during that time...this immense power is unleashed. Fasting sharpens our focus on prayer. Not everyone choses to fast from food....but all of us can eliminate something from our diet or our routines and let God grab our spiritual attention that we so commonly cloud up with "other" things.

Last year was the first year that I fasted. Now I have taken breaks from social media before...but more from conviction of over use...I had never fasted in the form of the right posture of my heart until last year. My husband and I chose to each fast from "sweets" last year and I too refrained from social media...not so much in the fast form but because along with fasting comes prayer...and I know myself all to well and if I am to be praying, seeking, and listening during these 21 days with the most intention that I have...then I knew that social media would just distract me from being that much more devoted in prayer. So this year I also took  a break from social media but the fast I chose to do was the Daniel Fast.
Last year when I was still breastfeeding Lyric and I didn't want to do a major food fast but this year I knew in my heart that I was seeking major stuff and wanted to place myself in a major fast.

The Daniel Plan is based out of Daniel in the bible who fasted for 40 days. There is a book called The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren and that is the fast I did (for 21 days only). There is also a journal with a daily devotional and places to keep record of your food choices, your fitness, and of course your prayers. When you do this fast you are giving up coffee(ahhhh the biggest thing I struggled with when it came to agreeing to God to do this fast), sugar, red meat, processed food, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol....what you CAN have is....Water(or decafinated green and black teas), chicken, turkey(from the bird not the package), veggies, fruits, sweet potatoes, nuts, beans, natural peanut butter, eggs, salmon, whole wheat bread, quina, brown rice, hummus, and I think a few other things that I didn't dip into...these above are mainly what I ate (except the salmon and turkey...never got around to making or ordering that.)

Now that the logistics are laid out there....let me set this up by saying I was by no means excited at first about this fast....but for some reason I had a strong hankering in my spirit that I needed to do it. Even weeks leading up to it my hubby said "Are you really going to do this"..."you're not going to lose weight are you"?!? And I toiled and toiled and toiled with the fact of well I could do it IF I could just still have coffee....maybe I'd just do it all but the no coffee...BUT if it was easy...then I would be defeating the purpose. So the week before the fast I started "weaning" myself a little bit here and there...I started with having NO lattes! Only black coffee and only one-two cups a day. I skipped eating lots of sweets and started upping my veggie intake. The hard thing was I had just had the flu right after Christmas so I was hungry and knew that if I was going to fast that I needed to build up my strength and start eating right. SO all week I ate good....a lot healthier than I had been since the week before was Christmas! By the weekend I decided I was going to try to eat high calorie foods and try to gain 5 pounds before the fast because I definitely did not want to lose weight on this fast and because I had just had the flu. As the week went on God already was prepaing my heart and getting me more and more excited for the fast. Sunday January 3rd was a good service at church and when I got home I cleaned out my cupboard and got rid of all the stale things, bad things, and left overs and prepared some meals and healthy snacks for the up coming week. Let me add this tid bit of information....Sunday was the first day Lyric didn't take a nap....which I thought was caused by big brother Lane being distraction since they share a room...but I'll come back to that later.

Monday morning I woke up ready for action. I set my goals for what I was fasting from, why I was fasting and spent my time with God. I even weighed myself (which you do the first day, 10 days into it and then at 20 days) and had succeeded in gaining 6 lbs! I was above my average weight and excited for the challenge...and excited to feel the healthiest I had ever felt...I was actually excited to eat "whole" real food and I was MOST excited to start seeking God and feeling His presence like never before. Monday was a good morning (minus the slight nagging no caffenine head ache...those headaches stayed persistent for 7 full days)
But Monday afternoon was a different situation....it was Lane's first day back to school after Christmas break and Luke's too! I loved on my Lyric like never before and we had some great one on one time. But in the afternoon...screaming and crying...no napping and super fussy! Then at bed THE. SAME. THING! This was not our baby and of course had me very distracted. So Tuesday I took him to the doctor to get him a check up (even though he had no fever and actually the runny nose he had for the couple weeks prior had subsided). Well low and behold...sweet Lyric had a double ear infection! His first one ever and our pediatrician said his right ear was very bad. I felt terrible! He showed no signs of being sick. Off to the pharmacy I went for his medicine. Day after day after day through out this week...Lyric would not nap or go to bed easy...and was not sleeping through the night. The poor baby could not lay flat from all the pressure from the fluid. After super hard non stop crying Thursday afternoon I called the doctor back and they said for me to give him benedryal at bed along with his amoxicillian to see if this would help assist in drying up the fluid and the pressure in his ear canal. Thursday night was a little better and by Friday he finally napped, went to bed without crying, and slept through the night. I had to rebuke the devil from our house and we had to do spiritual warfare against this attack! We still had our small group here inspite of a stressful week and we all prayed together that we would keep the devil under our feet and let nothing get in the way of us all fasting (from differnt things) and seeking God!

SO thankful for our small group!

Saturday he was like a whole new baby and I was like a whole new momma.
We spent the day relaxing and healing as a family and it was much needed.
The next day...we went to church(and got to get out of the house) and we heard an amazing message on being "Connected to your Purpose". It was absolutely wonderful.

When I started this fast I started a journal. I started the day before and wrote down what I was seeking...but I decided to leave that from this blog because now that the fast is over I feel like that is something that God has in His hands and I'd just like to keep it right there!

I set a goal to develop a balance with Sugar! I laid down my addiction to sweets and coffee! I want to still enjoy them in life but more minimally and in much moderation and after this fast I plan on having 1-2 cups of black coffee a day, and dessert, candy or treats one at time! (NOT eating a whole bunch of cookies for breakfast and lunch!) Back to the 5 food groups! NOURISHMENT! Fuel for our body is what is important! And raising these boys with the best intentions a chef and baking momma can have!

I have been blessed(well I think it is a blessing) to be a person that has  A LOT of energy. And I know that (when that) energy is focused it has enourmous power.
I want to spend time reading my bible and with Christ at least for 15 minutes each morning and I want to get in the habit of journaling again! I want to be listening to worship music at least once a day (which is usually the norm around here because my husband is on the worship team at our church and he is always playing, practicing, listening etc and I have a kids worship cd in our car that the boys love and we listen too.) And to continue to  exercise 3 days a week like I already had been!(I did skip lots of cardio on this fast because I knew with a lower carb diet skipping that would be best for me!)

My theme Song for this fast that God laid on my heart was "Keep making me" by sidewalk prophets.
"Til you are my one desire, til you are my one true love, til you are my breath, my everything, Lord please keep making me."
My desire is for the the Lord to be the manager of my life...to surrender to His will and not my own. AND to rest in His amazing grace.
I had been praying for God to give me a word....He gave our pastor a word for our church for the year, another pastor I love to listen to online He prayed for a word for the year for his church and I too wanted a word too.
I would need to do a whole septerate post on all the ways he revealed it to me....but after many reassuing moments...the word he gave me was SIMPLE!
This word was something I prayed and sought after during my fast too!

The 21 days wasn't SIMPLE. It was amazing! And it was more than I could have asked for or imagined. I didn't really talk about it a whole lot to my friends, family, or even my hubby during the fast because it wasn't about anyone else...their thoughts...their approval...or my pride.

It was about me and God(period).

I am thankful though for the encouragement from the people that did know and the love of my sweet hubby who didn't set the coffee pot for the mornings to tempt me to a super yummy smelling house of coffee aroma sure Casey's appreciated his business of the past month.

I learned so much about myself during these past 21 days. I have learned to praise God for what He gave me and for what He hasn't given me. I have learned that what I have and where I'm at is exactly what I need for this season in my life. I have learned that I am enough because He is (and always has been) MORE than enough. I learned a deep contentment within me that was longing to be on the forefront of my daily life. I have learned that it's not about what's next but about what's right now. I have learned not to take for granted what I have while thinking about what is next...because I don't ever want to have to experience what's gone to make me realize how amazing what "was".

I could go on and on and on about more that He revealed to me but in a nut shell I have a new found, refreshed sense of contentment, peace, and gratitude of abiding in an ever striving world. I have refocused my heart to be Jesus centered in a self centered world and I pray I can continue to stay that way as the world spins around me.
As for now...I DID have an amazing piece of chocolate brownie birthday cake my mom made for me and I froze (my birthday was during the fast so I had no cake) and coffee yesterday (one day post fast) for breakfast!(At 5:15 am...which wasn't too bad...my hubs thought I'd be up eating it at 3:00am! haha!)And today I enjoyed the caramel brownies my sis had made for my birthday and I will continue to feast and enjoy sugar and my daily coffee AS WELL as my new found like for veggies and hummus and trying to keep a well balanced intake for "good for you" foods that I often never thought about before! I think I ate more "greens" and super foods this month than I have in the combined past 6 months! LOL! I have been a pretty healthy eater this past year...BUT healthy stuff I like...not like vegtables and stuff! So this is so great that now I am actually liking more stuff like that. EGGS!

And I started...
a new book yesterday to continue in my commitment to reading, journaling, and staying in God's word and I am so excited about that daily habit that was created as well!
God is big enough to move a mountain...and I get that with my whole heart...but I also know that I am a fleshly human...and the suggestion of it taking 21 days to make a habit and 21 days to break a habit really resonates with me and with His strength and my obedience I am looking forward to the new habits I have developed and broke and to a super "sweet 2016".

A comforting time....

I have been fasting for 16 full days now! I have probably 100 posts I need to write on this topic but for now I am just posting this....I want to be able to refer back to all of these amazing ways God comforts us! 

The book of Psalms has become a great encouragement to me on a new level and after doing some research these specifically are just amazing! 

1. Psalm 30:2 – God not only hears you, but He will help.
2. Psalm 30:11 – God will turn your mourning into gladness.
3. Psalm 31:24 – God will strengthen you.
4. Psalm 32:10 – God’s steadfast love and mercy surrounds you.
5. Psalm 33:20 – He IS our help and shield.
6. Psalm 34:4 – He will deliver you from your fears.
7. Psalm 34:15 – God SEES you! And He cares about what is going on right now!
8. Psalm 37:4 – Delight in the Lord, and what HE delights in, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
9. Psalm 37:24 – You may stumble but remember; GOD has YOU.
10. Psalm 40:3 – Others will see your heart for God and trust Him because of you.
11. Psalm 46:10 – I know times seem dark and dismal, but never forget that God will be exalted among the nations and entire earth!
12. Psalm 49:15 – God Redeems your soul! He has power over the grave!
13. Psalm 51:12 – Lost your Joy? God will restore it. ASK HIM!
14. Psalm 55:17 – You can cry out to God ANY TIME of the day!
15. Psalm 56:3 – No matter how afraid you are, you can always Trust Christ.
16. Psalm 63:3 – When you feel as though you have nothing left but God’s love…God’s love is all you need.
17. Psalm 64:1 – God KNOWS you’ll be fighting the enemy.
18. Psalm 67:7 – God will bless us.
19. Psalm 70 – (all 5 verses) You are not the only one that cries out to God asking him to HURRY.
20. Psalm 71:14 – You can continuously HOPE in the Lord.
21. Psalm 73:26 – Your heart may fail, but you can count on God to be your strength forever.
22. Psalm 77: 1-14 – There WILL be times when nothing comforts you and deep sobs of pain will be what your heart cries out.  It’s ok.  Empty yourself of this so that God can fill you with remembrance of all of his mighty works.
23. Psalm 84:12 – You are truly blessed when you put your complete trust in God.
24. Psalm 86:10 – God is great and does wondrous things.  Will you take time to see it?
25. Psalm 86:15 – God is full of compassion.
26. Psalm 92:1 – Never let anyone dull your sparkle for the Lord. Keep praising!
27. Psalm 93:1 – God reigns and will do so forever!
28. Psalm 100:1 – You don’t have to have a magnificent voice to praise the Lord.
29. Psalm 103:17 – His love is from everlasting to everlasting.  Have you really taken time to consider this?
30. Psalm 104:31 – God rejoices in his works.  YOU are part of HIS plan.
31. Psalm 126:5 – You may sow in tears but you will REAP in JOY!

A few reasons I love being a mom of all boys

1.   I love their fiery spirits.

I love how they’re ready to right all wrongs and jump into danger. How they grab their swords and fight to the death. (Okay, not literally, but you know what I mean?)

2.   I love their tender hearts.

Just when you think he’s the toughest, roughest, sort of kid, he surprises you with the softest word or kindest touch. Melts my heart. Every time.

3.   I love how they smell like dirt.

You didn’t think I’d say that did you. Or at least that I’d mean it. But I did. And I do. I love that musty smell they have—a bit like the dog’s toy that got left outside for a couple of days. Like bugs and grass. Earthy. And sometimes just downright muddy. 

4.   I love their mischievous impulses.

Like when they hide under the blankets of my bed and wait patiently for me to come in…and hear me scream for the one millionth time(pretending I didn’t see those wiggly, giggling bumps under the cover?) 

5.   I love how they wrestle, tussle, and attack.

Keeps me young. And limber and strong. I probably would have never wrestled a day in my life …if I didn’t have to fight off a bunch of animals who can often appear suddenly out of nowhere.

6.   I love their protective instinct.

In spite of all that, even at such young ages they can be quite chivalrous. They can’t bear to see me dragging a heavy load out to the trash. Or to get hurt. Or cry. I try to tell them that “I’m ok" but they don’t seem to quite believe me. They want to save me from all harm. And that’s okay with me.

7.   I love how they can make me laugh.

And, oh, how they can get me going! And once they get started? There’s no stopping them. Sometimes laughing until tears stream down my cheeks. Especially that middle  one. The ham. 

8.   I love their constant motion.

Oh my goodness. Never walking. Always running. And do your boys ever sit still?? Because mine certainly don’t. They wriggle and squirm and twitch until I…send them outside. GO PLAY! Whew. 

9.   I love how loud they are.

I never thought I’d say this. But here I am. I’ve actually grown fond of the way they slam the doors, shout to each other in the same room, and sing full volume while in the car. I mean, who needs a quiet house? (Okay, I do. And that’s when I send them back outside!)

10.   I love how hard they work.

It makes me smile to see them to their very best to keep up with their daddy. Whether feeding the dog, pulling weeds, or mowing the lawn—they’ll give it all they’ve got. (Not that they don’t need a little push now and then….)

11.   I love all the funny noises they make.

The grunts. The burps. The motor noises. And, well, those other somewhat indescribable and rather embarrassing noises too…..

12.   I love their sweet snuggles.

Does it get much better than that?!? Dusty, sticky, and stained—I’ll take cuddles from the boys any way I can!

13.   I love how they argue over who gets to make my coffee in the morning.

Somehow I have convinced them that this is one of the highest honors a man can have. I know. I’m sure I don’t deserve it, but I drink it up all the same. One spoiled mom. 

 14.   I love how they look up to their dad.

Yes, they know he’s not perfect, but he’s their dad. And he’s their hero. And the boys love and respect him.

They also know that they are deeply loved by him.

15.  I love how I can see more and more clearly the calling God has on their lives.

I can see how they would need that high level of energy and that kind of drive to do the things that they were made to do.

In some ways so much has changed. 

But my favorite is still that they are my sons, but far more that they are my friends. 

So you can probably see why I love being a mom of boys.

It’s the best.

The very best.

What 2015 looked like in Deckerville...

JANUARY:

This momma turned 31...we and my hubs got me a new tattoo for my birthday(the Hebrew word for TODAH: to praise God with an outstretched arm)

Lyric was 11 months old and was really enjoying everything his big brothers were up to. It seemed like a non stop trio by this point

My hubby did an AMAZING job and giving our kitchen a facelift this month!

And sweet Lyric was walking while holding on to things all around the living room but not walking on his own quite yet.

FEBUARY:

It is such a special month with having two babies being born that month! Luke turned 3 on February 14th (our little "sweetheart") and Lyric turned 1 on February 18th! We celebrated by having a big party at the discovery center in Clinton on Valentine's Day morning! It was so much fun!

Biggest brother was so sweet and loving even thought it wasn't his birthday! I was so proud of this little "heart throb"

Cutest THREE year old ever!

My "ONE" (a little nickname he has now developed!)

MARCH:

We LOVE the start to nice weather. Bundled up walks, coloring easter eggs and making Easter crafts, eating on the deck etc....always makes the few nice March days seem magical! AND I went to a Hearts at Home conference and got to meet Lysa Terkurst!! It was an amazing and life changing Christian mommy conference I won't ever forget!

APRIL:

SPRING GLORIOUS SPRING!

My favorite season

Easter selfie....not easy with a 4,3&1 year old!

I think this is the best Easter pic we got!

A picture of daddy and his boys!

Our birthday BOY! 5 WAS HARD FOR ME TO SWALLOW!

We had a fun taco bar party at our house for him and as always I made his cake!

So excited and proud to be 5!

I mean could matching head to toe be any cuter? Wonder if they will look back at pictures like this and be like "MOOMMM" haha:)

Lane's birthday was so fun! Daddy had to work on the actual day but I took the boys to the park for a picnic and for Lane to ride his new razor scooter that Daddy and I got him!

And that night Daddy and I took him out on a date just us! It was so nice! I think we need to make this a tradition!

Momma and her boys one Sunday after church!(Gotta keep documenting those matching outfits:)

MAY:

Each year May is so special...it's Mother's Day and My sweet Hubby's birthday AND our wedding anniversary. This year was extra special because we went away for the night for the first time since we have had kids! We stayed in Galena that weekend and it was so so SO much fun!

Mother's Day picture with my boys

Out to celebrate the birthday boy

Mother's Day morning wearing the awesome "boymom" shirt my hubby got me for Mother's Day

On our way home

The birthday boy...31!!

Lane had his last day of preschool (the left picture is his first day of preschool 2014)

This picture is from my dance recital and Lane tumbled for the first time in the recital! He did awesome!

Crafting it up with my boys

My favorite picture of Lyric EVER! He is so stinking sweet!

Memorial day was hot so we swam out back for the first time!

My hubs and I squeezed in a day date riding our bikes along the Mississippi River...definitely a memorable date:)

JUNE:

SUMMA SUMMA SUMMER TIME!!!

As always one of the top 5 days of the year! Union pacific train days...and our boys were in HEAVEN! Such a fun day, completely free, and the happiest times! Daddy has the best job!

The next best thing for summer is Zinnen's pool...I was a little worried taking all three myself because I just wasn't sure how well they swam for being a year older....and OHHMMGGEE they blew me out of the water! Lyric LOVED his little floated and never needed any assistance and the big two were swimming machines without life jackets by the end of the summer! What I first started off thinking could be "a lot of work" ended up being the most relaxing days of the whole year. So proud of our boys! They are most definitely little fish!

And swimming in our back yard was a daily occurrence as well

What is summer without super drippy ice cream cones

The boys set up to have their first lemonade stand on the city wide garage sale day

We celebrated the best daddy in the whole world on Father's Day

Luke had his yearly Check up in Chicago and it was WAY better than expected...they said he looks so good that we can skip year four and wait to come back for the last visit when he is 5! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

Mommy and this guy spent a lot of time on the deck watching Lane practice with daddy for tball! It was Lane's first year and he was so excited to use a "real" bat.

JULY:

Was a pretty similar month as June...lots of tball, lot's of swimming, lots of after dinner walks, and a ton of fun!

We stayed home on the 4th of July and my sister and Her hubby and our sweet nephew came over for a cook out!

The boys had a blast doing smores, sparklers, and swimming in the pool!

AUGUST:

This month was HUGE! Mainly because we became "school parents". The whole summer was heart wrenching knowing Lane would be going to 1/2 day kindergarten in August and I can't even begin to tell you how many times I cried through out the summer. My AMAZING hubby had some vacation days to use so he took a few days off to soak up this big moment and be apart of it all....well after many tears leading up to it he ended up taking the whole week off. I am SO glad he did. It was also fair week in town so having him home made that even more fun!

Fun at the fair

Paddle boat ride with Daddy, Poppy, and Coco at the park! They LOVED that!

A simple day at the park after church one Sunday!

As if Lane heading to school wasn't hard enough, we found out he needed glasses a few weeks before school started and they came in the afternoon of his first day. He also got a short haircut to go with his new specks! "IT was a BIG day" and Lane handled it so graciously! He is the most adaptable kid and we are so thankful how easily he goes with the flow.

Sweet brother missed him so much

The day before school started we took the boys to the Oregon splash pad and it was SO fun! It was the best last day of summer we could have ever asked for.

Lane's last day of T-ball!

Daddy got to go to Wrigley field in Chicago and see the Foo Fighter's perform! He loves Dave Grohl's amazing guitar playing skills and it was on his bucket list to see him play. So happy he got to go!

Matt and I took our boys and our nephew to the I-80 truck show...it was a day with lots of rain but still totally worth it.

SEPTEMBER:

Me and my littles stayed busy having picnics, visiting parks, and going on at least one walk a day while biggest bro was at school.

Our sweet Jesus boys before church

Our sweet Lukie boy started preschool! This was a mommy and son breakfast date the day before.

Luke did amazing. He goes to the Christian preschool two days a week down at the end of our block. He was so happy to start school and was so big and proud to walk right in.

Picking him up on the first day

Oh that embrace was wonderful

Taking a family selfie in the same spot Mommy and Daddy had wedding pictures taken

I had some SUPER special moments just me and my sweet Lyric when the big two were at school!

Lane got sick so only Luke and I got to do paint the town this year. We had a blast even though we were missing the other three.

A September night looking for barges at the Lock and Dam

OCTOBER:

The big season change is always so nice! We love fall and all the yummy treats and festive things it brings!

Momma and her boys at the first pumpkin patch of the year

Lane LOVES to read and be read too. We started reading him chapter books without pictures and he loves it so much!

We went o Brookfield Zoo for the first time up by Chicago! Probably one of the top 3 best days of the whole year. Happy, well behaved, over joyed boys....super blessed parents.

On the way home from the zoo we ate at Portillios! One of our favorite restaurants! Made it there twice in 2015! Woot woot! Now there is one in Rockford though so we will have to make trips more often!

Since Lane is a 1/2 day kid at school he misses Math in the afternoon so I have been homeschooling his Math everyday after his rest. So far it is going great! I cherish those moments with him! And if he does end up taking a big nap daddy works with him at night and my husband is SO smart and full of tons of patience and lots of extra knowledge! The man should have been a teacher...he does great helping Lane with homework!

Bath time babies

A random Sunday morning that I took a picture Matt doing what he loves most!

We had our annual pumpkin carving contest at our house with my side and Matts side of our families! Always SO much fun!

We got to go on a super fun hayrack ride at our nephew Easton's birthday party and the boys LOVED that!

Lyric had the cutest skeleton comfy outfit for the party! He was so adorable in it!

Halloween breakfast!

Since Lane was actually "SIMON" from Alvin and the chipmunks for Halloween....we needed a different costume for his school parade so he went as a spider! He was so adorable!

Here is our 2015 Halloween costumes....

Dave, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore

from Alvin at the chipmunks! My favorite costumes yet!

And ummm since the boys kept telling me I could be "Dave's mom" for my costume...Matt and I came up with this super quick throw together SUPER MOM costume for me

NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER:

We were super excited for the holidays to begin with our three little turkeys!

We had family pictures done in November and they turned out great!

Lane got some hand me down football jerseys from his big cousin Chase and loved getting into the football season with daddy this year!

Lane had his first school science project. He did baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring to make a hot lava volcano.

It snowed for the first time and the boys loved sledding at Ammy and Poppy's new house

Snuggling with daddy one night

We went to our annual festival of tree's visit.

Always such a special day each year

Thanksgiving morning me and my hubs and his super great beard he grew out this year and was so proud of :)

Happy Thanksgiving 2015

The day after thanksgiving we went to Aunt TT and Uncle Ry Ry's house for Annual Christmas movie night

Lane had his first school Christmas program! He did awesome!

Poppy finally got his train table back in order after they moved...this was a super happy day for the boys

Daddy and Lyric on Christmas Eve morning

We took the boys to the Wisconsin Dells on Christmas morning for the weekend of Christmas...here is sweet Lyric sleeping on the way

We had to leave early because I got the flu but we had an AMAZING two days! Here we were 24 hours after we got home and I was feeling better playing a little hungry hippo before bed.

I helped put on a women's brunch for our church...Here is my momma and I on our way there!

Matt and I host a small group called T.G.I.F....every other Friday at our house...here we are celebrating the holiday with them. We all went bowling after the Morrison Christmas walk!

Aunt Katie and Uncle Ricky had us all over for pizza on Sunday and Santa came for a visit!

Luke's preschool Christmas program for his school...He did SO GREAT!

All ready for his Kindergarten Christmas program!

Momma and her boys getting ready to go to Lane's program

Family picture after the program

The MOPS group I go to twice a month had an ugly sweater Christmas party! It was so fun!

All dressed and ready for their Christmas program at Church!

Supportive little brother ready to go!

Lane and Luke did amazing at the Crossroads program! Both held letters!

Christmas 2015

Playing a little GOFISH with Lane one afternoon while he was on Christmas break from school!

                                    
Happy to take a couple selfies on our 8 year anniversary On 12/23/15 the day Matt asked me to Marry him!

Lane's new mini ipad he got from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas

Christmas Eve Morning picture attempt

Our tree Christmas morning....the boys were surprised with a big box with a poster board in it that said we were leaving to go on a water park vacation! (plus packed bags, new goggles, etc...) and their three gifts from santa and stockings full of snacks for the car!

Ready to hit the road!

Wisconsin Dells Christmas 2015

We stayed at the great wolf lodge! It was decorated for a "snow land" and it was magical to say the least!

Super sweet Lyric was an angel the whole time!

My brave adventurous boys with their super handsome and awesome daddy!

Water baby!

Luke loved the wave pool!

Lane did all the BIG slides! He was so so brave!

I had to take this picture because many many MANY posts ago on this blog I posted a picture of Luke sleeping next to me in a hotel bed and he was 3 1/2 months old wrapped in his swaddle blanket....and it was the night before his surgery. I'll never forget sending it out to our family and asking for extra prayers that night. I had a huge moment seeing him in a hotel sleeping almost the exact same way. Thank you Jesus for our perfect, healthy, whole, and strong Lukie boy!

Here we are the restaurant called Buffalo Phil's where they bring your food on a train! OH MY!!! THEY WERE SO HAPPY!! Loved this so much! I'd drive up for the day just to eat here again!!

It was an AMAZING year and we give all the praise and glory to God from whom all blessings flow!!