{for the love of COFFEE}

Today, all I want is a cup of coffee. A warm cup in my hands; a chance to wake myself up, clear my head and start my day. Preferably in peace. Not. Gonna. Happen. It's one of those days (ok, with three small children in the house everyday is one of those days) where it takes me two hours in to morning before I even have a moment to myself to actually make the coffee. Then it's a matter of finding the time to actually drink it. Typically, I have the first sip or two before I go off helping someone with this or cleaning that and the next thing I know another two hours has passed and I'm reheating the coffee over and over again before I finally give up. Or, like today, I sit down and actually try to down a few sips when Claire comes and kicks the mug over and spills the said coffee all over the living room floor. Agh!!!! One day my house will be empty and I'll have hour upon hour to drink my coffee in peace and quiet. I'm sure it won't be nearly as great as it sounds. Until then, I'm embracing the busyness and remembering the ones who are keeping me so busy are far greater than a cup of coffee ever will be. Happy caffeinating....hopefully you're coffee fix today goes better than mine did!

xoxo,

ali

{forever reign}

It's Easter week and this year I'm focusing on quieting my heart, slowing down my life a little and taking the time to reflect on what the death, burial and resurrection really and truly mean in my life. This is my favorite song of the moment and it perfectly depicts just why the work done on the cross is so essential to all aspects of my life.

Forever Reign by Hillsong United

You are good, you are good

When there's nothing good in me

You are love, you are love

On display for all to see

You are light, you are light

When the darkness closes in

You are hope, you are hope

You have covered all my sin

You are peace, you are peace

When my fear is crippling

You are true, you are true

Even in my wandering

You are joy, you are joy

You're the reason that I sing

You are life, you are life

In you death has lost its sting

You are more, you are more

Than my words will ever say

You are Lord, you are Lord

All creation will proclaim

You are here, you are here

In your presence I'm made whole

You are God, you are God

Of all else I'm letting go

This is Jesus. He is good, loving, my light and my hope. He is peace, he is true...he is my joy and my life. I can't think of a day that goes by when I don't need the Lord to show up and take over because I've got it all wrong and he's sufficient to meet my every need and shortcoming. If it weren't for Easter Sunday.....if he really didn't conquer death.....then he would've just been a mere man and I wouldn't have this indescribable gift. But He IS risen. And I will never be the same because of it.

xoxo,

ali

{egg hunt}

This morning I took Claire and Madeline to the MOPS Easter egg hunt. SO. MUCH. FUN! There is a sweet couple that has a gorgeous property that they graciously lend out each year to put on this event for the kiddos. It was absolutely adorable. The girls decorated their bags for the hunt and then had the best time scouring the beautiful grounds to find their eggs. Once they collected their eggs, they got to crack them open, collect their candy and turn the empty eggs in for a prize! Next, they took a tractor ride around the yard and then we played games on the lawn (three legged races and spoon&egg races)....this was their favorite part. The mommies all had to race as well and it melted my heart to see the kids all cheering their moms on from the sidelines. PRECIOUS. I'm pretty sure Madeline wanted nothing in the world more than for me to win and I'm pretty sure a big gust of wind knocked my egg off the spoon and I lost at the last minute. Oh well! The very best part of the morning was when the sweet hostess gathered all of the kids inside her living room to share the Easter story with them and to give them a sticker craft on the resurrection to bring home. Such a precious morning celebrating our risen savior with my precious little girls. I am so thankful for the generosity of the Rementov family and for all the effort they put into making such a special time for our kids. I can only hope that when I'm older and my kids are grown I will make an effort to bless other the way they bless us. Lots of pics to follow!

xoxo,

ali

{day trip}

Today, Ryan constructed a playhouse for the girls (yay!!). We wanted it to be a surprise, so the deal was that he would spend the day assembling it and I would take off with the girls. How do I kill 8 hours on a cold, rainy day? The Pottery Barn outlet, of course! The girls were less than thrilled to be taking the long ride to "horse and buggy town", but we decided to make the most of it. We spoke in English accents for a good part of the ride, looked out the window at the beautiful farmlands while girls dreamed up what their farm would be like if they had one, browsed around our favorite antique store to scope out treasures "older than grandma mimi", we stopped to play at the playground and then it was kid's choice for the restaurant for dinner. It was a fabulous day filled with so many adorable memories with my gang. And the shrieks of joy when they saw their new playhouse was so, so worth it!

Oh, and one of my very favorite parts of the day was this: As we were heading out to leave for the day, I pulled up to the drive through to grab lunch for the girls. Emma informed me that she had already packed everyone's lunch. Sure enough, I looked in the back seat and there were three little lunch boxes complete with pb&j sandwiches, juice boxes, bottled water, a snack and a piece of candy for dessert. Ha! I love that girl. I better watch out or before I know it I'll be out of a job!

xoxo,

ali

p.s. I'm not a huge fan of the "orangey cedar look" so I'm really pushing to have the playhouse painted pale yellow to match our real house. Wish me luck!;-)

{almost that time again}

I just came across this picture of my two littles at their 3 & 5 year old check ups. Yesterday I ordered the invitations for their birthday party which means that party planning has officially begun....which also means that before I know it we will be sitting in Dr. Dorn's office again in those adorable little gowns and my adorable (and silly!) little girls will be a whole year older. Boooooo:( Dear time, please. stand. STILL. Or at the very least...slow down just a little?

xoxo,

ali