"Joyful & Triumphant"

*Happy New Year*

Photo by Libby Asay Studio

Welcome 2016!  May this be a year to work hard, find peace in our decisions and create a sustainable plan for our future. May God go before us and hem us in (Psalm 139).

It was, of course, my every intention to post an official Christmas card letter, but this year it will be that of a New Year card!  We are truly looking toward 2016 with excitement and angst as we seek new opportunities, make some life-changing decisions and wholeheartedly pursue the plan our Creator has for us.  But before we jump the gun on that, here's a look into our 2015 year in review.

The Papa
Brian transitioned from Coronado Springs as a Housekeeping Manager to supporting WDW Lodging Line of Business as a Quality Auditor.  He enjoys upholding the company's cleanliness standards and also loves having weekends off with his family!  In his free time he has become quite the chef & has enjoyed multiple rounds of golf & visits to the gym this year.  We love Brian for so many reasons, but he is the pillar of stability and strength in all of our lives.

Photo by Libby Asay Studio

The Mama
Tricia finally began feeling healthy after finding out she is allergic to wheat, rye & barley! Although this was not something she would have ever expected, her quality of life has been richly impacted by consuming a diet that allows for her body to function properly!  Feeling good translated into joy in every other facet of life.  She had the energy to conduct a "great purge" and let go of at least 9 garbage bags of stuff.  She began getting up before the kiddos twice a week for some heavy gym time, and continues to get out & push her double stroller...allowing her to finally shed the last of the baby weight this fall.  She continues to adore her job & praises God for the opportunity to work outside the home.  Mama is loved for many reasons, but probably most for her ability to find ways to spend quality time with each member of her family.

Photo by Libby Asay Studio

The Big Sis
Carly lives in the world of imagination & has spent hours playing in princess dresses & with princess dolls. She found a new love for musical theater with the introduction to "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music." Her favorite food is olives, her favorite color is blue & she would prefer playing with friends over doing anything else!  When at the playground, Carly desires to swing through the duration of our stay & can simply not get high enough!  She is becoming quite the young lady as she articulates how she feels through expressions and words such as, "I am upset, I love you more than anything, Thank you for making the food you make, Luke is frustrating me right now, It made me sad when you said that and Can you do me a favor?"  We love Carly for many reasons, but her sweet, imaginative spirit stimulates joy throughout our house.

Photo by Libby Asay Studio

The Little Buddy
Luke changed & grew like any one-year-old would do!  Turning foot steps into sprints & babbles into words, his personality, preferences & charm continue to show through more & more with each passing month.  He loves balls, trucks, giraffes, TRAINS & anything his sister is playing with.  At any playground he heads straight for the biggest slide & dives on head first.  He is our little snuggle-bug and his affections make our hearts burst.  Luke is loved for many reasons, but his charming sense of humor and tight squeezes can keep us going for days.

Photo by Libby Asay Studio

Wishing love and joy and strength and peace as we turn the proverbial new leaf of another year to you and yours.

Photo by Libby Asay Studio

Photo by Libby Asay Studio

"There's So Much To Be Thankful For"

I love living in Florida October-January.  Those four months are typically bliss.  I think I could live anywhere in October just because pumpkin, harvest & the red/orange/gold combo makes me happy.  In Central Florida, October is the month we all crave and we are so relieved when it finally arrives.  Some years it brings the cooler, 80-degree weather; and sadly some years it stays in the 90s.  This was a year was a little of both.

There are a million happenings around here once the holiday season kicks in (which of course is September 15th...) so it adds spice to the everyday.  Here are some ways we celebrated Fall in the month of October:

Garden Grill Character Dining
GG in EPCOT is on our top 10 list. It's Harvest themed so the best time to go is Oct/Nov.  Brian came home one evening and surprised us with reservations.  We got dressed up in our fall gear (permission to laugh that I'm wearing a tank top with boots) and had a wonderful dinner out as a family!

Harvest Bible Chapel Fall Festival
Carly still remembers this from last year...all the cars lined up so we could trick-or-treat past them. They DO put on a big hoopla! I love that Harvest is willing to take such care in making sure these events are well organized, safe & fun. It's so easy to invite friends to join.

Carly's best friend, Kate.

Kate has a little brother, Blake, who is just a few months older than Luke

You'll notice Bert ditched his hat immediately

Carly cherishes Dani! She's like a big sister to her. :)

These girls are near & dear to Carly's heart as her Puggles classmates from last year.  Not a week went by that she didn't include these gals in her stories.  Love their mamas, too!

Pumpkin Painting
Carly is into "little tiny" things so of course she chose the smallest pumpkin she could find for her pumpkin this year.  Naturally, the boy who copies all of her moves, went with one the exact same size.  I always go for the one most round...and Daddy usually admires our pumpkins rather than choosing his own. ;)

Halloween
Bert & Mary Poppins!! I am so happy Carly chose to be Mary Poppins!! What fun we've had learning music from the great Julie Andrews this year!  Trick-or-treat is such a kiddo favorite...and our two little sugar-crazed miniatures think it's the best day of the year.  Daddy is the candy-passer-outer at our house and I am the trick-or-treat escort.  We have a good system down. ;)

I didn't realize a little make up would make her look like a pageant girl :/

Autumn Decor
I love decorating...but doing it on a budget can be frustrating.  I have a rule that I only purchase one new seasonal decor item per holiday per year.  This banner was my purchase for this year & broke the bank at $4.

I excitedly bumped into this frame for $8 at a garage sale and decided to turn it into something that housed a kiddo art project for each season.  I think these painted leaves are a nice addition to the little tip-of-the-hat to autumn we have around the house.

Tastes of the Season
Pumpkin bread (thanks, Mom for making it gfree!), Butternut squash soup, Taco Dip, Baked Apples, Puppy Chow, Apple Cider & Pumpkin seeds are among our favorite eats during fall.  Actually...I am willing to try ANYTHING made with pumpkin...it may be my favorite food.

The kids really enjoyed helping me make pumpkin cupcakes for their Puggles teachers.  And we had fun eating them, too!

The Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue
Brian's 28th birthday was celebrated with his Uncle Dick & Aunt Crystal at Hoop-Dee-Doo!  We avoid taking our kiddos out to eat at all costs but we figured with a show going on it would be better. We were mistaken.  Fortunately, Crystal saved the day & entertained Luke on her lap through the entire show.

Happy end to fall!! Let the "Holiday Season" begin!!!

"Favorite Things" {July, August & September}

Precious Moments

Carly: "Mom...I love you all the way back to your toes...and I love ya more than anything."

Me sobbing when I heard my Nana had passed away..."It's okay, darlin', there, there...don't cry.  It'll be okay, I promise..." as she wipes the tears streaming down my face.

Luke:  "Mama...mama....mama....mama....bapa"

When he has done something wrong and is about to get punished, he throws himself into my arms and rests his head on my shoulder.  Buddy...I think you're sorry to be punished, not sorry for your actions. ;)

He fell off the ottoman onto his back and was experiencing pain on a more intense level than he usually does.  Brian came to his aid, picked him up and comforted him.  He began asking him what hurt, and after listing nearly all of Luke's body parts and hearing a "Yes" to each one hurting, both of us were laughing pretty hard.

Healthful Living

I always learn a new, healthy and delicious recipe when I'm with Anna.  When I stayed with her in August...she taught me that sauteing up some Kale, shredded carrot & chopped mushroom in a pan then adding eggs was the perfect breakfast. I make this fritatta-like bliss at least twice/week.  The kiddos even love it!  Even if you are a Kale skeptic...this one is worth trying & will make you feel good!

It tastes & smells better than it looks ;)

Places & Spaces

Carly getting quite excited to go to the "Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo" and the experience that came with the transformation into Cinderella!

The little bit of fall decor I have around the house...particularly this piece the kiddos helped me with. ;)

Growing Minds

We have spent hours adoring both Mary Poppins & Sound of Music!  Our family will BURST into song at any given moment spawned by any sort of sighted reminder of these precious films.  If we see a bee...we will sing..."When the dog bites, when the bee stings..." or if we are excited we will sing "Step in time!! Pick your knees up step in time!"  We have never been big believers of our children growing their minds by watching TV...but that philosophy changed when they were growing by learning MUSICAL THEATER! ;)

We used old crayons to make new ones...(actually this ended up being very bad and may have started a fire...you can ask if you're interested)

We practiced our colors with blocks

We went to the Science Center for a birthday party and Carly got to pet a snake! (eww)

Luke enjoyed the critters, too ;)

We played with ice cubes and learned that they melt quickly outside

"Split Thee Ice Apart" {Luke 21 Months}

If you saw a recent video of Luke I posted to Facebook, you'll know that this song; you know--the group of men cutting ice at the beginning of Disney's Frozen--is Luke's current favorite song.  We think he just likes grunting & smashing things...

I like this new & quick format of commenting on my boy. He's 21 months! Next post he's two!  Little brother is growing so fast, understanding nearly everything we say and finally spitting out some of those helpful words!

I love Lukey for...

1. The way he says, "Yes" to answer most questions...with a little hint of a German accent
2. How he quickly rests his head on our shoulders and wraps his arms around our neck on his way to time-out
3. His speedy little legs that have forced me to a running speed when trying to catch up to my little wanderer 
4. Always asking for more of whatever good toy/food/activity/etc he is having/doing
5. Copying every move of sweet big sister
6. Walking past the oven or stove and giving it a little blow just to cool it down. ;)
7. Placing his sweet 32-pound body on mine anytime I'm laying on the floor
8. Watching his very skilled left-hand throw a ball
9. Hearing him yell "Basketball!" every time we pass the courts in our neighborhood
10. Continually enjoying sweet bed time snuggles in his rocking hair.  He is still so affectionate!

Lukey-boy can still drive a mama nuts by...

1. Digging in my potted plants
2. Taking off his diaper and finding something fun in there to play with
3. Pushing, hitting and pulling on his sissy
4. Expressing his strong opinion through the likes of screaming so loud he cannot hear what I'm trying to communicate with him (he's nearly two...shouldn't he be more rational?! *wink*)
5. Throwing anything & everything out of frustration, joy or orneriness.  Seriously.
6. Refusing to allow a proper diaper change
7. That little look he gives us right before or in the midst of deliberately disobeying.  It's like he's decided, "No punishment they can give me is bad enough to prevent me from doing this..." OR "This is totally worth the punishment that will follow!"
8. Finding that water has been left out and proceeding to dump it all over the carpet...every. single. time.
9. His obsession with the dishwasher to the point that he's nearly broken it a few times
10. His crazy-good skills at making messes

Actually, the top-10 nuts list was hard to come up with! He's such a sweet little boy and we love him so dearly.  Being able to communicate on a 2-way street is such a game changer and that is what's changed the most over the last 3 months (well, that and his body that will. not. stop. growing [PTL!]).  Although he still very much struggles to get out his words in any sort of articulate manner, he is TRYING...which is an improvement on even a month ago.  He DOES understand what we say to him which only allows us to reinforce the rules, expectations, and most of all, our unconditional love for him.  I really do thank God every day for giving us a son to love. :)

"Five-Hundred-Twenty-Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred Minutes"

This jersey is a big deal.

When we had Carly, everything in life came to a screeching halt; well except for work.  We sort of developed this mentality that the sacrifice for having a healthy family (speaking in an emotional health way) simply meant giving family 100% of our non-working time.  It was so difficult for us to find the balance between family time, couple time & individual time...we just couldn't seem to do it all.  And by "we" I suppose I mean "me."  Since my poor husband has to deal with a wife who struggles with balance in the first place and then a wife who was facing post-partum depression, Brian essentially succumbed to my need for him to give up hope of any extra-curricular activities so that he was available to his family. Being the wonderful man he is, he never complained and actually agreed, reminding me that "this is the season we are in right now...and that's okay."

But oh how I envied the moms who could say yes to the occasional girls night, a quick coffee date, a morning run, a weekend get-a-way or for Heaven's sake a date night with their husband!  And I'm sure he missed golfing on any sort of regular basis, the occasional poker night, watching sports uninterrupted...and even playing video games.  But there was no way under the sun with our crazy work schedules, lack of family support (proximity-wise) and fear of not pouring enough of ourselves into our marriage or our parenting that I was going to have time for a ladies Bible Study...or that Brian would have time to join the church softball team.

Funny how seasons come and go.  In the midst of it; even something as simple as what I've described above; from the inside appears that you'll be stuck in that season for the rest of time...or at least until the smallest in the family is in high school.

But here we are, a new job for Brian that has given him an extra 10-15 hours/week that he's NOT at work, children who are no longer babies, a church down the street and a community of friends to share life with, and all of a sudden we are saying yes to things we wouldn't have dreamed saying yes to even one year ago.  Every Monday night Brian plays in a Parks & Rec Softball league.  And every Wednesday morning I attend a women's Bible Study.  How we've grown in the past 4 years: it's a big deal.

So this jersey makes my heart happy.  It represents a new season of flexibility and opportunity; at least for now.

"Life is Worth the Living Just Because He Lives"

August 19th I said goodbye to my Nana. Well actually I suppose I said goodbye earlier that year, March 2015.  But we had communicated since then.  August 19th she had a massive stroke.  Her body wanted to recover and press on living, but her mind did not.  She slept for 5 days and I have full confidence that her soul went to meet her maker on August 24th.

I had a terrible week leading up to her death.  I had taken on 60 hours of work in 7 days, committed to a few extra activities I normally don't commit to, booked flights for me to fly home alone with the kiddos, prepared 3 songs for the funeral, did a LOT of crying (I am not one who runs out of tears) and the night before we flew home began packing at 11pm...only to wake up at 5am to catch a flight to Iowa.  And of course in the midst of those things my nana had died.

Death sucks.  It's a hard pill to swallow.  Weather baby was 6 weeks in utero or a woman 99 years old...its a life...and a loss...and it must be grieved. Now everyone does this differently...so differently in fact that people almost never say the "right" thing to a person suffering a loss.  But we are inherently good human beings--designed in God's image--so we do our best to support one another.

I must say I was showered with love and affection and support and blessing, THANK YOU for checking in, sending cards, texts, emails and phone calls.  Knowing that my family was in the thoughts and prayers of my closest friends was a blessing to me. Thank you!

Funerals are great.  In my opinion.  They bring such closure to a traumatic event.  It's a time to say goodbye, celebrate life, reflect on wonderful memories and prepare for the difficult days, weeks, months, years ahead.  It depends on the loss and the person left behind.  So, flying home and being with my ENTIRE family (minus Joshua, Zola & Piper who I believe showed sacrificial love by staying home) was needed.  We held hands and all said goodbye together (I mean, not literally). I am so glad I had the week following her death to be in the same physical proximity as my family members.

There's one thing I realized about myself that I will note more intentionally in the future. I need to say goodbye.  Actually say it.  Not in a "hey I realize you could go at any time so I'm not getting my hopes up to see you again" (can you imagine...that would be stupid and awful!) but in a "I need you to know that I love you, cherish you and my life has been impacted by watching yours" sort of goodbye.  I composed a lengthy letter to my Grandpa and read it to him while he was laying on his death bed (even though at the time we didn't know that was the end).  Speaking those words to him helped a great deal in my personal journey of grief.  I didn't speak those same words to Nana, and I'm still really struggling with that.  So, I had started a letter to her before she passed....hoping I would get to read it to her on her 100th birthday.  I was advised to finish it...so I did.

Dear Nana,

100 years!! What a thrilling number!  I marvel at the experience you've had since 1915...all that you've seen, all that you've done, all the people you have loved.  Pre-WWI, pre-Titanic tragedy, pre-motorized vehicles, planes...you have evolved with a quickly changing world and have done so with grace & poise beyond what most could undertake.  You've been a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, a great-grandmother and a great-great-grandmother.   I cherish that we have 5 living generations.

Nana, I must share with you the impact your life has had on my spirit.  You have influenced my thoughts and my actions and have modeled some of the key life lessons I yearn to mature into understanding.  When I think about you, I find myself holding onto these words:

Balanced.  I don't think a woman lives to be 100 without having an incredible capacity for balance. You don't indulge or deprive.  In fact, I chose the word "balance" as my "word" for 2014 (yes...I have a yearly "word"...you'll have to excuse the nerd in me) in your honor.  Whether it is food, exercise, cleaning, cooking, spending, saving, talking, listening, reading, watching, observing, sharing...you simply appear to be in harmony with life, relationships & Christ.  Please teach us all how to have more hope and less stress.  I might add that you aren't completely balanced.  You love and you pray...whole-heartedly.  Thank you for loving unconditionally and being committed to praying for me, my husband and my children.

(you can tell I finished the letter after her death as I moved from present tense to past tense...)

Strong.  Goodness by the time you had reached age 20 you had been through real trials. You had mourned the loss of your father, given birth to a baby that lived only 2 short days and were in the midst of helping your husband work through a severe illness.  I suppose God gives us strength to endure at the time it is needed but He certainly sustained you through some difficult times.

Refined.  The dictionary defines "Refined" as: To become pure, fine, elegant or polished; to make fine distinctions in thought or language.  I believe the older you grew, you became exceedingly more polished, elegant, creative, distinct, lovely.  You had a firm grasp on our changing world and rather than being confused, frustrated, melancholy...you embraced it and chose to see the beauty of allowing oneself to evolve through life.  You held tight to the promises of Christ and chose to cast your cares upon Him.

Thank you for being a model of a saintly woman in my life.  I love you, I cherish the times we spent chatting...the times you spent listening to me go on about my own "struggles" and joys...the many times you partook in humor...sometimes at your own expense...and the life lessons I will take with me as I continue my own journey of living a long and fulfilling life.

With deepest love,
Tricia

PS--I don't' think I quite understood just how much you loved chocolate until your funeral.  I've always wondered why I prefer chocolate over any other food and now I know it is hereditary!  A dear friend once bought me an ornament that read: "I'd give up chocolate...but I'm no quitter!" I wish I would have shared that with you. ;)

It feels good to write that.  It feels good to publish it.  I hope maybe it blesses you, even a little bit.

5 Generations

2012

2014

The last photo I took of Nana (2015)...the youngest & oldest member of the "Stubbs" clan.