Bumblebee Grace: Birthday Week Stay-cation

Birthday stay-cation week has come and gone. The girls and I are missing Derek (and my family, and Brad, Julia, Brynne, and Hadley) as we go it alone once again. It was a wonderful week full of so many blessings and even some hard eucharisteo. But I'm grateful and I'll let the gifts speak for themselves.

2210- of the ways that God showed He loved us this week.

Brad managing to pull of his surprise for Julia and getting her down here to visit with us without her ever having caught on! 8+ months of planning a success for him!
4 toddler girl twins roaming in my living room
Hadley's excitement about the boat in the pool
Aeralind swimming all the way across the pool all on her own!
Brynne and Bronwyn struggling through their own pool disappointment but coming out smiling
Extra long naps
Guys going shopping while girls stayed home and chatted
Wandering slow and face to fact through grace and marriage and family
Laughing again about the Maggots
My girls sharing grapes with Julia's girls
Pizza outside while the rain held up
Walking, running, and squealing through the park
Bronwyn running back to keep checking on Brynne and Brad and smiling
Hadley running back and forth between me and her momma, grinning as I tickled her
Failed attempts to get all four girls to sit on a swing and look at a camera
Aeralind lying on bench swings and asking to "wock"
Being present while while two tired toddlers sing Skinamarinky dinky dink "eye lub you!" to me and Derek
Night time hugs
Worn out babies and parents
Long nights
Husband warm and curled around me in pain
Clean and empty tummy and bowels
The body's ability to cleanse itself
Julia, Brad, and girls having a morning to themselves while I recovered
Cool air and warm sunshine
Beautiful wooden rocking horse give to us by our moving neighbor
Bronwyn yelling "neigh!" and Aeralind repeating "wock" as they ride their new horse
Quiet morning of shopping alone
Little Aeralind climbing down the stairs at 9pm so apologetic that she was unable to climb back into her crib to sleep
Girls pulling newly stained stool out from under our bed to snuggle with us under the sheets
Taking pictures of Julia's family at the park

The perfect little birthday party: small and including all of the girls favorit things (spaghetti, the pool, owls, cupcakes, sugar)
Pefectly half-frozen slushie textured soda. I never drink soda and it was so good!
Watching Bronwyn sip Ruthie's soda slushie. Her cold face was hysterical!
Aeralind scared of blowing out her candle.
Bronwyn gleefully blowing out both candles.
Toddler running laps around chairs squealing, panting, and falling.
Aeralind climbing out of her crib, standing quietly in the hallway until daddy saw her. Her whispering "Daddy, ca ca." (poop). So sweet.
Little girls cleaning windows and walls and tables with rags.
New birthday morning tradition: Birthday Tea!

Girls enjoying sips of watered down and milked up with a dash of sugar tea
Birthday omletes
Half a cupcake with breakfast
Aeralind climbing in our bed shortly after she woke up- annoying, but oh so sweet.
Derek being home for over a week
Getting a morning showering instead of a naptime shower multiple times this week.
Million of daddy changed diapers: what sweet sacrifice!
Perfect birthday morning at the park
Girls transfixed and delighted by being surrounded by ducks, geese, and pigeons as they tossed bread.