what a wreck!

this post has been a long time coming. I don't know why i've put it off, i guess it just makes it all so...final.

but two weeks ago, we were able to travel down to the dc temple.

it was a nice sunshiny day. perfect

it is a glorious sight.

on our way down, we saw tons of birds in the sky. if you look closely at the top, you can see all their patterns. 

we decided to just come home right after the temple. we usually go to the zoo or into the city for sight seeing, but we voted against it just so we could get home and relax- not really wanting a late night. 

our plans were foiled by a concrete barrier on the freeway. 

we hit it. more accurately, side swiped our entire left side of the car. the side air bags deployed. we miraculously made it to the side of the road (with limited visibility) without hitting anyone. we were waiting on the side of the free way while huge semis were zooming past us making our entire car shake. 

Baby C took the brunt of the accident. the air bag struck her in the side of her face.  this pic is of the second day. it looked a lot worse the second day, but she was a trooper. she would say cheese just before i took a pic.

luckily a policeman came by and offered his help. 

He called a tow truck and ambulance. When everyone got there, they realized we needed another car to transport everyone. The tow truck driver called his godmother, who came and took all the girls. The boys rode with the policeman.

the boys first, and hopefully ONLY time in the back of a police car

they took us to the tow lot, which also happened to be their house. The policeman drove dad 35 minutes to harrisburg to pick up a rental car. I stayed in the office of the tow truck place, with 5 kids, and EVERY tiny CARS trinket you could ever imagine. not helpful with two babes. Luckily, we walked to  a nearby park to kill some time.  When we were sufficiently frozen, we headed back to the office to wait another 45 minutes. i figured i would let the kids watch the iPad, when i turned it on, 8% charge left. it lasted until 5 minutes before c got back. perfect timing.

This is what our car looked like I -doesn't look so bad, but after assessing it, they had to total it :(

and c's face, the first day.

I have a hard time putting into words the gratitude i feel for so many little miracles and helps along our way. People were placed in our path who were so generous and kind. Giving rides, pez to my kids, goldfish crackers- showing us so much kindness. Most of all, I feel so much gratitude to my heavenly father. I know we were protected. For a family of 7 to be able to walk away, virtually unharmed, from hitting a concrete barrier traveling 70 on the freeway, I know there was divine intervention. 

My heart was filled to overflowing as I reflected on the many ways we were blessed. Our little family was watched over. 

Heavenly Father was mindful of us as we were on our journey. 

Our little family matters to Him. 

a little sweetness

Faith in the Lord is trust in the Lord. We cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing. As a result, no matter how strong our faith is, it cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him in whom we have faith. Remember this when your prayers do not seem to be answered in the way or at the time you desire. The exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is always subject to the order of heaven, to the goodness and will and wisdom and timing of the Lord. When we have that kind of faith and trust in the Lord, we have true security and serenity in our lives.

This was an answer to my prayers.
 Grateful to know that Heavenly Father is listening, and that I was too :)

This was part of  a talk taken from Elder Dallin H. Oaks.

our march

this march has been a brisk one. not gonna lie, kinda getting tired of it. i dont think we've hit above 35 for a long time now.

 i want some sun.

i thought popsicles might help it feel like summer.

 b snitching frosting, as only b can do

b also wanted to do a puzzle. i think he got out 9 and scattered them all over

 j got to build a mini snow man, she was so proud

 i find c like this all the time. she gets anything she can find to stand on to give her a little extra height

 when i cant find B, his new favorite spot is by the iPad, trying to listen to pepponi by piano guys.

 we got a package from grandma for easter, the kids were pretty excited.

but G loved the plastic wrap most

 me on the other hand, i found these delicious little delightful treats. these are hard to find. it's been a few years. mmmmm. i know i'm in the minority, that people are lovers of the cadbury ones, the crunchy candy shell is what i'm after. 

how do you know the Lord loves you?

I must say, i hate posting this. It shows weakness that I don't know if I want the world to know-but I have felt so blessed, I had to share.

So, last Friday was a doozie. I was NOT at my best parenting. I was feeling tired, run down, angry and under appreciated.  G, my 7 year old had just finished up a round of amoxicillin for strep. He woke up Friday morning, complaining it hurt, again. I told him to go to school and call if it got worse. He wouldn't give up (but coming from this particular child who doesn't love to go to school....). I told him I would take him to the Doctor that morning. It was a normal crazy morning. Getting all kids dressed, lunches packed, fed, changed diapers, shoes and socks, coats and backpacks and out the door at 7:25 am! We got outside and it was 17 with the wind chill-Didn't add to my already depleting mood.
Dropped off two kids, and headed to the insta care. Wrestled with the two babes throughout the appt. B kept running and turning off the light-during the visit ( about 4 times), all while I'm trying to calm C who has decided to just scream relentlessly for 20. Got the strep culture back, it was positive. I went home, and waited an hour while the Pharmacist opened. Got everyone BACK into jackets, socks, and shoes. In the middle of doing this, I said a silent prayer/lament to Heavenly Father. Something along these lines. 'Heavenly Father. I need something. I don't even know what. I need a new perspective. I dont even know what to ask for. I  just need help.'
Went over to the grocery store. Put C's shoes back on, she had managed to get them off in the 1 1/2 minutes we were in the car, all while being pelted by freezing arctic wind. I carried the two babes and was struggling to get them buckled into the cart, while trying not to cry. I verbally say, 'this wind is so stupid' (Pretty much, at this point, everything is stupid). As I was struggling to situate the kids a nice, older looking gentleman, approaches me and says, 'I envy your situation in life.' I think I laughed out loud, and very sarcastically replied, 'oh yeah?' He said, 'I have fought in a war and travelled the world. But nothing brought me more happiness than raising my two kids. I envy your situation in life. Your kids will bring you the most happiness.' I sheepishly thanked him and fought to hold back the tears as he continued to his car. Heavenly Father heard my prayer.
He sent a kind man to give me perspective that I was having a hard time seeing.

hard wood

This is the drive to the place where a friend referred us to get our hardwood floors from.

Amish country through and through.

The road you see led us right to this old farm and the place for the hardwood. 

Who gets to see this amazing beauty on the way to pick out their hardwood?

 as a side note; i was quite curious when we saw these white buggies. 

we only ever see black amish buggies.

 i googled it and found out that it indicates a nebraska amish settlement, and they are also found at big valley pa. They also have no windshield on their buggy. (does anyone else think its slightly funny that i can google something to find out about amish communities-i'm just sayin')

february blahs... what gets us through

february is a long month. i realize it's 'technically' the shortest but, WHY does it drag on for so long

we keep sane by 

shopping at wegmans and frequenting their doughnut counter

 watching trains pass by the back yard...

 adding new art work to our walls..... (much to the dismay of the parents in the house)

 wondering how my hutch became the storage for legos

knowing that this little man is the culprit

 C added some new accessories to her wardrobe

 when C refused to sit in her high chair, J happily obliged and has now eaten here at each subsequent meal

 this little guy is perfecting his thievery skills. i phones, cookies, tums, you name it

we have also been watching cream puffs cooking in the oven.

 lastly, guess what i HATE cleaning up..

YOGURT!

it is my nemesis.

curse the day that this cute little guy learned how to unpick my fridge lock, open the fridge and learned how to open yogurts... my life hasn't been the same since.