William Lewis

 Seven years ago....I was under the knife. 

 Having my 3rd c-section. 

 Awww....I remember when I found out (with ultrasound) I was having a 2nd son...I cried.  I wanted a sister for Isabella worse than a brother for Jack.  And now...I see ONCE AGAIN how much better God knew what I needed then I knew myself.  As soon as William was born I was in LOVE.  He was such a content little baby.  I remember putting him down for a nap when we got home our first week together and he would fuss just a little bit until I got to the door, and quietly put himself to sleep. WHAT??? Amazing.

 Isabella was 3, almost 4....and she sure did love being a mama.  It was like a live baby doll for her.  Isabella was eager to please, happy to help.  My transition to 3 was smooth sailing compared to when we brought #2 home.  It seemed like we were always soothing or holding someone who needed attention, two years earlier.  So I was shocked to see my days although busy, easy.....since Isabella entertained Jack while I took care of this little honey.

 Before I knew it we were building a house, living in a basement apartment and celebrating William's 1st birthday.  HOW TIME flew!

 The next year we were settled into our house, I was pregnant with #4 and William turned 2!!  During that phase he loved tractors.

 At 3 William was into monkeys!! 

 At 4 he loved the Cars movie and I did a race track "4" for him.

 Pie for 5. 

Oh my goodness....at the time William turned 6 we had moved another 3 times.  But were settled in for 4 months. (I'm sinking my roots in here...folks) William was in the middle of his kindergarten year and enjoyed full days of school. 

William Lewis, you are pure joy.  I love how you love people, love to please, and look for ways to be a help to me and others.  I love your enthusasim about life and how  you love to jam and dance.  You crack us UP!
You have a very tender heart towards Jesus, and I love your questions about God, Jesus, and heaven.  You make me think when you ask all your thoughtful questions.
You have been talking about a DSI for over a year, dreaming, making paper DSs' and pretending to play on one for the last few months.  You've worked hard and saved all your birthday money (from last year and this year), Christmas gifts of cash, and allowance....making yourself practice so much discipline to not waste it......and today it was very exciting to go with you to Target and split the cost of one with you.  I wish I would've thought to take a picture of the pride & excitement on your face inside the store.  :)  It's so fun to see you share this exciting toy with your brother and to see all your hard work of saving pay off.
I love you William~you are a gift I treasure every day.  Love, Mom

Siesta Key

 Last week we were on vacation on Siesta Key. On our last night there, we did an impromptu photo session.  And it just so happened that one of my friends, was out on the beach that night.  She has a natural gift of photography....and agreed to snap some pictures for us.

 I love him.

 And I love these little ones too.

Lookie there at her skills.  She took all the people walking in the background...out.  Like poof.  Their gone!  I love her skills.  

Thanks Cindy!  You rock!!!   

Awkward & Awesome -Volume 2

Yes, Yes, I'm one date late on my Awkward/Awesome Wednesday post.  But I had very important business to take care of yesterday.  As in Target, Meijer, shoe shopping, lunch, & "my van is severely rusting~I need an estimate...stop."  It was an awesome day.   

Awkward

1. While my oldest is folding laundry she asks, "Mom, why do you have such silky, pretty underwear?  It's not like anyone sees them or says 'Hey, Nice UNDERWEAR.'"

So I respond, "Well actually daddy does."

{Come on she was baiting me!}

Her response was, "Uh, sick!  I don't think I was supposed to know that."  Which was kinda funny & kinda awkward all at the same time.

2.  Seeing a friend has a *burger hanging from her nose.  But you are not sure if is one, (maybe it was really a large piece of lint or something) and how do you say that with someone you don't know super well.  Excuse me, I think you have a burger hanging.  AWKWARD!!  So I didn't say anything.  It seems the longer we talked the more fixated I got on it...and I almost burst out laughing, in the middle of a serious conversation.

*Note* Edit: That was actually a BOOGER hanging from her nose.  Not to be confused with an actual HAMBURGER hanging from one's nose.  Thank you Amber for finding that error on words!  It would be pretty AWKWARD to have any food hanging from your nose.  

3.  So WHOO HOO...Donovan won a trip from work to the Breakers which is totally AWESOME!!!  And when booking a massage for my hubby today, the person taking my call asked if, "Mr. Gingerich has a gender preference on who would give the massage."  To which I said, "I don't think so, either is fine.  Just make sure if it's a she, she's not to good cute."  To which there was silence from the other side of the phone. O.K. Thank you Ms. Breakers. Thank you for making this an awkward moment.  I'm a totally confident wife of 13 years...really I am. {well not if she's 20, cute, and very funny.  Then I'm not so confident.} Just a little laugh will be good & fine. :)

Awesome
1. William had got a candy treat from school.  It was fun dip.  After finishing the candy stick, but still had powder left he came up with an idea to mix up a little experiment.  Water, fun dip & milk.  When I came into the kitchen I hear him telling his daddy, "You know what, while I'm drinking this creation of mine I feel stronger already."  Awesome!    Milk, it does a body good.

2.  The estimate that came back on my rusty Chevrolet - you know the song right???  (O.k. well it's not a Chevy~but funny I had to google what make it was.  It's a Chrysler van folks.)  And can I just say I love Shapeline Autobody in Elkhart?  They are fair, honest, and friendly.  And one more plug~anyone need a van come December?...it's still for sale.

3.  Seeing a bag full of beach towels, goggles, & swimsuits all packed and ready to go into the van.  Beside it?  A bag full of snacks for the 22 hour trip.  Awesome!

31 tote *GiVe-A-wAY!!*

Lookie here little friends...It's a give away.  I'm not hosting it but my new friend Erin is.  Just click on the pile of laundry up above and you could win!!  The prize is a tote from 31!!!  So go on over and leave a comment, you could win a little treat.  BTW....this is the "Awkward & Awesome" lady I linked on my last blog.  Promise you will love her blog....check it out!  :)

Awkward & Awesome -Volume 1

My neighbors, daughters, sister (maybe if you say it out loud it will make sense??? ) has this blog & on Thursday's she does an "Awkward and Awesome" segment.  Which I love.  She has some seriously hilarious material. So to be totally original here, I'm going to also do Awkward & Awesome only on WEDNESDAY.  Wow!  Look at me all thinking outside of the box & everything.

So to start this weekly event...I'm starting slow....because I can't think of that many "awkward" moments that my kids won't kill be mad at me for later.  So here we go.  I'll just give you two each.

Awkward

1. After a very emotional and awesome movie last night Like Dandelion Dust  (look my first addition and I overachieve by putting both into one category) and after the movie raised lots of questions from our kids.  From Jack: "why can't we just adopt a little black boy?" Then after the others were in bed our oldest, Isabella asks "why did you want to have babies/get pregnant instead of adopting?"  I told her I really really was hoping and praying that God would let allow me to be pregnant.  I wanted to know what it was like to carry a baby and nurse. (yes, as in breastfeed, using the word "nurse" so that she didn't actually imagine herself suckling)

Then out of my husbands mouth (who up until this moment was silent) says, "I thought that is what I was for?"

He should have honestly remained silent.  AWKWARD.  Poor thing, my little 10 year old.  We are learning everyday what not to do with the other 3 children by practicing our parenting on her.  

Yes, it's not so easy anymore to talk over their heads.  Her & Jack are almost as tall as us & very very intelligent.  Don't judge, unless you have a 10 yr old or older.  It's tricky. 

2. Usually my husband drops off the kids at school, but one day a couple of weeks ago, I was on duty.  While dropping my boys off at their school my oldest got out & did not shut the van door. Apparently Donovan just conveniently pushes the "close the door button" every time and they scurry off to class.   So me trying to be the funny mom put down the passenger side window and said, "JACK, buddy this isn't daddy's van...my automatic doors don't work~you'll have to shut it" Thinking that would be something funny & interesting (I know sarcastic/weird funny in retrospect)  for the door attendant/school employee to get a kick out of.  So Jack comes back to the van and pushes the button for the automatic door.  Again, telling him...Uh...honey that doesn't work.  ALL THE WHILE THE ENTIRE car pooling~ mom's in their beautiful SUV's and mini van's {with automatic doors that work} wondering what IN THUNDER is taking me so long to pull forward so they can drop their precious children off.  Jack looks at me like I've forgotten to put my head on that morning and could not even fathom shutting the door by hand. (He hasn't been in my van in a long time)  We would've never made it in the 80's.  All the while the door attendant/school employee looking at me, like I had forgotten to have that fixed.  AWKWARD.    (Don't worry I looked into that honey...It's over $450 for one door motor.)  With the other $500 we already put into this van this winter....the door was a no go.  

  Pretty sure that this is God's plan to keep me humble.  On a happier note, with this warm weather the door has been working intermediately.   

On another note this van will be for sale come December when we acquire Donovan's company van.  It really is a great van, really it is.  There is hardly any rust...and uh....wanna a good deal????

Awesome

1. This: got done yesterday.  

EEEAAAKKKK!!!!  Absolutely love walking into organization!  I would've taken a picture of before...but it was very scary!!  And by the way....I know that looks like a lot of clothes.  It is.  Hello, I am Heather and I have a clothes fetish.  But I cleaned out & sorted and have 2 gigantic shopping bags of things to sell to you.  More details to come on a garage sale this spring. 

2. This weather!  Are you kidding me with a high of 54 degrees today???  I have 4 lines of laundry on the clothesline today.  That is the most awesome of all today. And a high of 62 tomorrow???  I may just get out my swim suit and lay out.

winners

Winners of the sucker sticks are:

Wanita

Darla

Jewel

Jess

&
Mary

Congrats!!!

Please email me your address and I will mail them out!! 

 I love you to all my readers, you encouarge and inspire me!!!  :)

before and after

 So...I've been caught up with a few things....sorry!  You are not forgotten.  I'm still here.  

On a side note: the contest from the previous post for some exciting Sucker sticks ends Saturday.  I will draw the winners that morning and mail them out.  I'm sure you are on the edge of your seat.  

Speaking of seats.....

 We've had these chairs for over 6 years....they were getting a little crusty (as in dirty) around the edges.  I would spot clean them on occasion, but with not any really great success.

 And for my birthday I got a gift card for Hobby Lobby.  Such a hard decision on what exactly to pick when you have free $$$.  But I found this great fabric on the sale table for $5/yard.  I was so proud of my self for finding the screw driver, figuring out how to get the seats off (actually it was 2 screws~a very easy process) and getting this project off the runway....

 

 I headed out to the work bench in the very cold winter laden garage...(as in full of crap from the summer that we have not been able to use for 5 months)  Navigating my way around bikes, flower pots, camping chairs, lawn furniture, well you get the picture.... finally arriving the work bench and found the staple gun!  Now normally I would wait for my handy hubby to get home for the next part but because I am such a impatient determined kinda gal.....I thought, Gee, why can't I do this?

I'll tell you why

because I couldn't even figure out how to load the stupid staple gun.  Or find the right size staples for that matter.

 So look at me with my scotch tape skills. 

 Now just so you know hubby did arrive home.  He did ask me, "why didn't you just wait for me to help you?" and he did complete the project with staples, & they are perfect! 

What a difference it makes to see happy clean fabric on my chairs.  We now never allow people to sit on them, so they will stay this way.