Wish I knew how to work a bow and arrow.

 My Saturday activities included:

-Sleeping in til 7:45 after a very late teen night the night before. (Really, I rarely "sleep in." My body just won't allow me to do it. It gets the amount of sleep it needs and I'm up and at 'em!)

- Coffee, reading, and browsing online while in bed.

- Ran quick errands around town while everyone was still puttering around the house.

-Made Pizza Bread and I admit, it was amazingly deeee-lish. (my hubby's word, not mine.) 

-Cleaned all the rooms in the house except for the kids' room, that's their responsibility. (I tell ya, there's something satisfying about keeping house...I love doing it.)

-Showered and enjoyed leisurely styling my hair with no rush.

-Lectured a boy on the importance of playing nicely with others and using good sportsmanship. (good grief, I think it's the third time I've talked to him about it.)

- Played catch in the backyard with my husband (all time favorite thing to do.)

-Climbed a tree and imagined I was Katniss - all I needed was a bow and arrow.

-Lay in the grass on a sheet and read while in the warm of the sun (that is, until a squirrel wouldn't leave me alone.)

- Went to a friend's for dinner and played a very long rigorous game of Catan, Cities and Knights...

-Came home and my husband got the chance to see his KU Jayhawks make it to the Championship game of March Madness. 

It's been a good day. 

What was your saturday like?

orange blur

There's this kid we know who just really really really wanted a bike.

He kept staring at the ones hanging upside down in our garage, both of them being way to big for his little self.

He kept talking about bikes he used to have before living with us...but all 4 of them had been stolen from him.

Both Ryan and I have a love for biking and prefer this form of transportation when it's nice out, so we understood that itch of wanting to ride on a nice day out.

I'd been praying that God would provide a bike for this kid. 

I put up a bulletin on my work's bulletin board, as well as a shout out on Facebook.

I would have accepted any kind rusty old worn out bike, I just wanted something that he could pedal along with me while i ran or biked. 

So I kept praying. 

about 7:30 one night this week, our doorbell rang.

Little guy was in the shower, Ryan and I were picking up the house from the day.

One of our neighbor friends was on our doorstep and said," Hey, I have a bike for you!"

I stared at her and all I could think was "How did she know...??"

Although Facebook isn't a daily ritual for her, she had gotten on and glanced at her feed, saw my status about bikes, and walked on over to our house.

I was in awe.

a Beautiful orange bike...with pegs, a rearview mirror, flashing front and back lights...just beautiful.

and she blessed us with it. She gave it to us and when i wheeled it back to our house with her, lil dude was stunned that someone would just come over to our house and ask if he could use this bike.

He wasn't quite sure...a little cautious about it, but then when he got used to the idea, his face was beaming.

He's had the bike for two days and makes a beeline for his it right after school. 

First thing he asks to do is after school is to go bike riding. 

It's really pretty fun to watch him go up and down the street on his bike.

We've already had one pretty impressive spill on the bike-scraped up his knee and elbow when the bike flipped over him-but he's proudly showing off his bright yellow bandaged knee.

Today i ran to the store and stocked up on bandaids and bandages...because i'm quickly seeing how easily boys get hurt when they try tricks and stuff on wheels. 

anyways, we feel so blessed.

We also just feel so fortunate to have such a great example for lil one to see how God even cares for the things such as a bike. 

It's sweet knowing, acknowledging how incredibly detailed in love and care God is....

even showing a 9 year old how what he enjoys and loves to do is important to God.

For a lil guy who has never known how important he is to anyone at all...he was amazed how God cared that he really wanted a bike.

Delaying Tactics

I remember when I was a kid and my dad or mom was getting me and my sisters ready for bed and I (unintentionally...of course) would come up with lots of things to talk right about the time it was ready to climb into bed.

*insert Filipino accent*

"Kristine Ann! Delaying Tactics!!!"

"Delay, Delay, Delay, Kristine Ann!" 

I never understood the importance of getting to bed AT bedtime. 

Now I understand.

Boy, do I understand now.

Because now, we experience the other side of "Delaying tactics."

Except the kid we deal with is much more creative with staying up past his bedtime.

"Ryan, I forgot to ask you...where does the water go after I go number one or two?"

"Kristine, I forgot, I wanted to sing you a song."

"Can I drink some coffee?"

"I forgot to brush my teeth."

"My stomach hurts."

"Whatcha watching/doing?"

"Can I help you do dishes?"

"Did you know I can make shapes and letters with my fingers?"

or he'll do things quietly like come up behind the couch and give me a head or shoulder rub. (that one is hard to say no to).

or give us slow 100 second hugs while saying good night. ("Thirrrrttttyyyy-oooone, Thirty-twooooooo, Thiiiirty-threeeeeeee...")

And this is a SHORT list of the lovely things he likes to do at exactly 8:30 at night. 

Lol, but I can't complain too much about it. 

He's pretty compliant and easy-going about rules. 

He used to come out every couple minutes to tell us things he'd "forgotten" to tell us, but we quickly figured that out and put a stop to that by saying unless it was some absolutely urgent, he'd have to wait til the next day to tell us.

Daddy and Mom, I understand now...

Ryan's Birthday Ball

This gift was a blast to do with the little guy.

We went shopping for all the little gifts,

we colored and wrote the notes,

we took turns wrapping the different gifts inside this ball, 

and we spent a couple afternoons together doing this for the man we both adore.

 Lil guy was beside himself with excitement as he watched Ryan unwrap each layer. 

Hidden under those layers were lots of fun little surprises with notes attached to them.

Oh, and we did all this while in the restaurant.

It was awesome as the pile of streamers got bigger and bigger as Ryan unwrapped.

Just a fun little birthday surprise that the kiddo and I could do together. 

I don't think Ryan's ever seen a ball like this before-so it was kinda fun how many little presents were hidden in this birthday ball.

We had a "ball" making it, giving it, and watching him unwrap it!

29 touchy feelies...

29!!!

That's right, twenty-nine!!!

29 wonderfully weird reasons I/we ADORE you!!!

 1. Your sweet tooth makes serving dessert to you fun...

2. You have many women in your life that love you...your momma, sista, grandmama, myself, your sista's in law, your mother in law...i think we all think you're pretty precious.

3. Activities are always much more fun when you join in...whether it's games, sports, walks, talks, etc...

4. You know how to talk sports...it's crazy what kind of a talent that is...like how you made conversation with our driver...and we left with a new friend.

5. Your snuggliness in the morning when I'm trying to read my Bible and drink my coffee...it's my favorite part of the day. However writing in my journal is practically impossible when you're snuggling and I'm trying to balance my coffee and pen at the same time;)

6. You're really really great at teaching/preaching the Bible....and you get better as time goes on.

7. When you walk out in your KU sweats or shorts, KU shoe slippers, KU hoodie, and start watching a KU game, I can't help but laugh.

8. You're inability to wait til your actual birthday to open birthday cards or gifts from people...glad my gift isn't being released til March 7th!!

9. Your techy-ness is awesome. Means that we're both up to speed on the times and technology.

10. The way that you're starting to live off coffee just like me...love that we're sharing coffee time with each other throughout the day!

11. The way you roughen Lil guy up before bedtime...*sigh* he loves it when you poke, tickle, and chase him to bed.

12. How you get so into basketball games that you insist on sitting in the STUDENT section where I am mistaken as a student, and then start coaching from the back of the bleachers and then the whole student section turns around to see who in their section would do that.

13. The fact that my kids will have an fabulous sweet daddy.

14. Your nerdy love for Anime/ Naruto. 

15. The way you beat everyone and crush them to pieces in Settlers of Catan/Cities and Knights.

16. The way you organize all your stuff...black socks here. white socks there. ties right here. shoes aligned perfectly. 

17. How I can lean on you when I'm grumpy or annoyed with something. 

18. The way you can quote Nacho Libre-word for word.

19. How you take me to see things that only I want to see in theaters, but yet, you still take me...like the HIgh School Musical broadway show and movies like "The Vow."

20. How confident and bold you are about things that I'm unsure about. You're so strong.

21. How much little guy wants to make you happy...and the smile you put on his face when you give him attention.

22. Your counsel, wisdom, and careful words that you give to others...I'm amazed by you.

23. Your sense of humor and the fact that you and my little sister can stay up late into the night watching stupid youtube videos and laughing your heads off.

24. The way you grill a steak...mmmm...

25. How you LOVE to read theology books and expand your knowledge on the Bible.

26. The fact that you are from now til June 10, FIVE years older than me...mmm, i always liked older guys;)

27. The way you can still carry through a sermon well while the lil guy (unknown to myself or others in church) is making weird and funny faces at you the whole time.

28. How you dedicate your time to teach so many younger guys how to be a man of God.

29. How I get to spend my whole life and many many more birthdays celebrations with my best best friend.

Happy 29th birthday, Ryan!!! 

I love you!!!