today

so it's been one of those days, weeks, months.... however long it may last.
and this is how i've been feeling -
weary.... self-focused...incapable...weepy....impatient.... critical....beat...lazy...unstable...
yet oddly enough i still feel this deep sense of peace in my heart, "on Christ the solid rock i stand". really these days I feel like it's more like on Christ the solid rock I lay, or lean, or something other than stand.
i've seen my focus be less on God and more on me... i can tell that's happening when many thoughts run through my head such as "shoot, should i not have said that?", or "what do they think of me now"...
and I can hear my own voice, at a much more Spirit-filled moment of my life saying "Elisabeth, that is not what matters."
and it really isn't...
When I become big in my own eyes things get ugly. I have my rights to sleep, to rest, to be taken care of, and that is just not how it needs to be when I am Jesus' and He is filling me.
ugh.
it's ok to be weary and beat and weepy and i will sometimes think critical, selfish, prideful thoughts, but please God, fill me with you....
that is my prayer today.

videos that make me happy

the boys get out the chairs and put on concerts at least once a day. Their most popular number these days is "Hallelujah".... Simeon just sings it and sings it in whatever form he desires, and Justus yells/ sings "woo-yahhh.....woo-yahhh".
I just had to share this one highlighting Simeon's bilingual skills=)



So there are NBA playoff commercials playing this year that are amazing.... they make me so happy every time I see one. I think the idea is brilliant. I'm determined to put a link on here so you can watch them - my explanation of the commercials would do them no justice.
I'm pretty sure that if you've seen them, you know what I'm talking about....
It helps to love the NBA and all the guys but still.... I'll hopefully be back with a link.
Anybody seen them?
More to come soon....

a new week, a new park

a bit chilly today, but we put on our hoodies and went for a walk ....
well, mostly a walk - except for those approximately 4 minutes when I thought it might be a good idea to run while pushing the stroller. there's a reason there are double strollers and there are jogging double strollers.
mine is not a jogger. and i prefer to blame the difficulty of the situation on the stroller.
anyway, we stopped at a park that until now we'd only seen in passing...
one more park to add to our wonderful list of parks to choose from!
In Simeon's words, "Wow!! This is the biggest park of all!!"
It's really not - but to him, today, it seemed like it, and so it was all good....

whatever my big brother does, I can do too!

caught in the act of snot-licking!! i think one of our
most said phrase as of late is
"don't eat your boogies"
hmmm...

boy are we thankful for our pedestrian-friendly, full-of-parks town!!!
and one more thing.... today i put salt in my coffee for the second time in as many months.
how can that happen? i'm the one that assigns what goes in what canister.
it is grosser than you imagine it to be, i promise you.

just a note

a quick note:
be sure to read my blog with the sound on.... if not you'll miss some real good music.
that's all.

the list....

21) Joanna spending her lunch break with me
22) the wind on my face
23) nap time
24) The Jesus Storybook Bible
25) being brought to tears when reminded that Jesus is all that matters
26) waiting for someone at the airport
27) Dunkin Donuts
28) patience
29)flip-flops
30) speaking a second language
31) my boys holding hands with each other

we love the sixers

So Monday night was the Sixers fan appreciation night. I told Tom that we sure deserve to be appreciated. What a terrible, terrible season. So many disappointments, missed shots, not closing out games, seemingly a lack of effort, ugh, i could go on.....
yet i still love the sixers, and i still get that excited tingly feeling inside of me every time i get to a game and see them out there and they announce their names.... im ready to give them a chance just one more time....
anyway, we all went, it was the first time all 4 of us were there together.... tom's mom and dad and ben and melissa went too.... great fun!

Justus stood at the edge saying "dalaaa! dalaaa! dalaaaa!"

love it.

my dancing boy, who seems to get excited by many of the same
things as his mommy =)

so at halftime we were walking all the way around on suite level and Thaddeus Young (who's hurt) walked RIGHT by us, like inches away.... Tom managed a "hi Thaddeus" and i managed a big big smile because i was so stunned and excited. I told tom that i wish id had a grasp on the moment enough to ask for a picture with him. Wouldnt you know he walked right by us a few minutes later and once again i was stunned speechless, just a big, hopefully recognizing (like so he knew that i knew who he was) smile on my face....
it was super great and made me super excited....
and then...... drumroll please...... Simeon and I were able to go out on the court after the game and meet Jason Kapono and he gave us his game jersey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was so great. really it was all simeon's thing but since he was so young i chaperoned =).... and he actually was melting down quite a lot by the time it was our turn.... it was pretty late. he asked Kapono "can i play basketball with you?" and he must not have heard him and didn't answer and this upset Simeon quite a lot. on the way home he said " i think that he didn't answer because he's so tired from his long long game and he needs to go home to bed."
hes so sensitive, and thinks through all sides of a situation.....
someday he'll realize what a cool experience we had.
AND Kapono had an awesome game on monday, shot 82%, definitely the best game of the season to get his jersey. we have his jersey! awesome.
didn't get any pictures cause i was holding my boy, hopefully ill have some later.... but heres Elton Brand.....

and here's Simeon after the fact - totally spent.
We got him a drink, that fixed the problem.

Simeon sporting the new hat he got and the Kapono jersey.....

Justus is such a pro at saying "cheese" these days....

Last night they closed out their season with yet another loss in Orlando.....
I am ready to see all the great moves we're gonna make this offseason and we'll be more than ready to start this all over in October.
But it's time for this season to be over.
Such a fun night for the Panters=)

the formula

Anyone that knows me knows that I love my sister. Really - we've got something unbreachable - and although we might not now be quite as similar in our body language, responses, laughs, etc.... as we sometimes were when we spent every day together, there's surely no coming between us.
Last week we had the oh so rare chance to spend a nice chunk of time together - just the two of us - to do whatever we want. So this is what we did: we walked to the park, played tennis for a while, walked home, went and got some really amazing takeout and then watched a movie.
This past week I have discovered, after all these years, that for Jo and I, there is a formula that will always, always result in the best time together. So here it is:
some kind of running around/exercise +
some form of good eating +
something great to watch =
perfect fun
And really that's the order that it's gotta be in.
Think about how many combinations you could come up with using that formula... countless!
And to think that there were times in our lives when that's all we had to do with our free time.
wow. =)

what a weekend

our last few days in pictures.....

Simeon got a new bike!
Just last week we prayed for a bike for him and
a few days later Aunt Kristen called to see if we would want this!
Thank you Jesus!

Justus didn't get a new bike and he was a bit distressed....

"But I don't have a helmet!" said Simeon....
Luckily he found something that works almost as well...

nothing makes Justus happier than when he gets to "shoot ball"

They hunted for Easter eggs two days in a row!
They loved it....

racing for the last one....
the little brother wins!

hugs for their little stuffed animals on Easter morning!

Yesterday we spent the day on a farm in PA....
my dear friend Aimee's parents live here and it is
breathtakingly beautiful. So relaxing, peaceful, full of life...
I hadn't seen Aimee in 6 years, had never met her beautiful little girl...
it was a wonderful day!

Sophia quickly became a buddy after a little while of shyness.
Simeon says she can't be a buddy though, because she's a gwirl.

It took Justus only about 20 minutes to fall into a creek,
hence the lack of clothing.
No surprise he wanted right back in...

gathering the eggs from the hens....
we also saw little lambs only a few days old.

Farmer Justus in outfit #2

beautiful......

Aimee and I....

We had such a great weekend - the boys are pooped, a little burnt and a little grouchy. I am sleepy, a little burnt and glad to spend a day at home. We spent a whole day with the Panters, a whole day with the Reamers and the weather was amazing. We played croquet, picture telephone, basketball, frisbee... had lots of talks and ate lots of yummy food.
Once again, much to be thankful for!!!

go outside

Ah.... this weather... and to enjoy this breeze, this sun, this spring feeling on Easter weekend?
So so wonderful....
we have wonderful plans of yummy food and lots of time spent with family this weekend.... i'm loving it.
Justus isn't letting me get much done because turns out I am a human jungle gym. If i am not standing up, then i'm fair game.... its slows me down quite a bit. I love my boy.
At MOPS yesterday he got quite a few compliments on his "mohawk".... which in all truth was just the leftover hairdo from the milk and cereal he wiped all over his head.... whatever works, right?
Last night Simeon was having trouble sleeping and I laid in his bed and retold Him the whole story, starting from when God made the world, ending with "Jesus is alive", and what that means for us. Every time I am challenged/aware of how I share God's truth - what little parts can he understand? Also humbled to be able to share God's truth, which at some point will rock his little world, to my 3 year old...
the older I get the more I see that it is only God that works and stirs hearts.... yet I, as their mommy, have quite an in to their hearts and minds...
and I always remember what Jesus says about the faith of a child. It seems to me that understandable truths for him may be: Jesus loves me. Jesus can help me be kind to my brother. Jesus can help me obey. Jesus is always with me. Jesus always hears me when I talk to Him...
but I want to let God be God, even in how my little boys learn truth.
Last night tom got home from work late and we went for a walk and there were many races to be raced on 8th ave.... the boys would start off holding hands.... Simeon said "Ready...Set... Go!".... he'd let go of Justy's hand and take off, pick a random spot and say "I win!!" and Justus would stop wherever he was (always a distant 2nd) and jump and say "ahh ween! ahh ween!" Precious.

I remember that through much of my growing up, I felt quite a lot of guilt around Easter time...I felt as though my mind wasn't on the Lord enough, and I would try so hard to focus on what He did.... I remember feeling like I wasn't moved enough, wasn't grateful enough, wasn't focused enough....
but my God has rocked my world enough the past few years that I feel free, loved and alive... these events that we are celebrating this weekend ARE LIFE.... how is there any separation between what Jesus did for us and anything else?
define yourself as radically loved by God... be free!