Girlfriends

The words from the "Cheers" theme song come to mind. "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came..."
Last weekend, I took a camera shy Dawn (not pictured) and Kim and met up with a group of girls from "up North". I can't begin to express what therapy it was for me to be with very good friends again. It has been very lonely here in a new town. It takes a lot of effort and time to build friendships. Lately, I feel like life is a long line of introductions. Hello, my name is Jill, I have four kids, yes...they are ALL boys, blah blah blah. I had no idea how completely relaxing and wonderful it would be to just "be myself" with good friends. You forget how important it is to just have a history with someone. I slept little, laughed hard and cried even harder at the thought of saying good-bye again. We all went to a conference for moms called, "Hearts at Home." I could write an entire page on the conference. It was very affirming and encouraging. I picked up some great advice on every topic from marriage and parenting to cleaning and organizing better. My highlight was meeting the author of a book I've had for 9 years about moving. How appropriate (as I'm currently clinging to her book) that I would have the chance to tell her thank you for being obedient to God and writing it. I got to room with my very dear friend, Jenny. We shared some big laughs and a slightly uncomfortable bed with a large mirror for a headboard. It doesn't get any funnier than that! I guess despite the tears over parting once again, I can say that I have a deeper appreciation for friendship. I feel blessed to have people in my life (even though they are far away) that know me very well and love me anyway. And as I ponder the fascinating concept of friendship, I am reminded that this kind of love from 'sisters' is only possible because of the amazing love of the One that created us. We love because he first loved us! 1 John 4:19 I love you, friends, and I already miss you!

Where Art Thou, O Tooth Fairy

A milestone: Nate lost his first tooth. He was excited when he told us that it was loose, but a little freaked out about what came next. Over the next few weeks, he worked on the tooth until it was lying perpendicular to the rest of the teeth in his mouth. :) Daddy helped him pull it out and we put the tooth in the pillow where Nate anxiously fell asleep next to it waiting for the tooth fairy. At 5am, Nate woke up to use the bathroom. When I was helping him back into bed I noticed that he was messing around at the foot of his bed. He very sadly proclaimed that the tooth fairy had forgotten him. I quickly responded that maybe the tooth fairy had several stops to make and would be stopping by later in the night. Hmmmm, well, the tooth fairy didn't sleep after that. She went back to bed plagued with guilt over forgetting something that she had been celebrating a mere 9 hours ago. She then worried about getting older and forgetting things. After sitting in bed for what seemed like an eternity...she crawled into Nate's room and traded the tooth for money. With four kids and lots of teeth to go...the tooth fairy better start taking her Vitamin B supplements and hope her memory improves!

This place is a zoo...

Okay, so we were actually at the zoo. We took a Sunday afternoon to visit the zoo as a family. What a difference it is to see the animals on a 45 degree day instead of a 95 degree one. The animals were very active (including my own animals). But it was one of those days that just worked out great. We had a picnic in the car, saw the animals and enjoyed being together.

Family Hike

We hiked around a little lake in January and I took a few pictures of the boys enjoying the fresh air. Strangely, on the day we took this walk, it was 65 degrees.

Snow Days

In Wisconsin, we NEVER had snow days. The only time I remember them canceling school was when we got 17" of snow in one day. Down South, they cancel school every time snowflakes start flying. And even more interestingly, they don't wait to see what it is like in the morning, they cancel the night before the snow even starts. We've officially had five snow days this year due to snow, ice and sleet. What an interesting transition it has been for these "northerners"!! When 4-8 inches are expected, the news crews go into "storm mode" and update the weather every 15 minutes. It is a frenzy! They tell us that this has been the 'snow-iest" Winter in years. We have enjoyed sledding down the hill in our backyard. Hopefully you'll enjoy the pictures.

Fell off the face of the Earth...

I wish I could give a good reason for not updating since November of last year. But I can't, so I won't. Let's just say that it has been a bit difficult to get into my groove here in this new location. But hopefully things are on the upswing! :) I'll post a few pictures to show you what we've been up to over the Winter. Enjoy