title from sarah mclachlan song of the same name:

It’s not that unusual
When everything is beautiful
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when it’s time to snow
Don’t need to teach a seed to grow
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

Isn’t it remarkable
Like every time a raindrop falls
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Birds in winter have their fling
Will always make it home by spring
It’s just another ordinary miracle today
 
When you wake up everyday
Please don’t throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
‘Cause we’re all a part of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle
Do you want to see a miracle?

It seems so exceptional
The things just work out after all
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Sun comes up and shines so bright
And disappears again at night
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

It’s just another ordinary miracle today

 

I’ve been wanting to document the “ordinary miracles” for quite some time. I love Ali’s perspective on life and scrapbooking. I’ve never been able to join in on the cool things she does…one little word,december daily, etc. Nor have I been able to commit to something like project 365.

I thought I’d document in my own little way, by blogging about it. When I can, no pressure…I will take daily photos and do a blog post about them. Documenting the everyday “ordinary miracles”.

You won’t see the babies much in these photos. I am always holding one, and the other is usually asleep in the swing or bed.

I also wanted to take mundane, daily photos b/c most days I can’t remember what I did!

So here’s what a day is like at our house right now.

Right to left, top to bottom:

1. 6 am- devotional. I haven’t read my bible or done a devotional in a while, and it was time to change that. 2. How funny is it that the topic of my devotional today was “today is a gift”? All about taking life’s challenges and turning them into growth opportunities, chances to let God shine through you. 3. On the phone, holding the babies, trying to make their 2 month checkup appointments.

4.Tackling the dirty dishes in the sink. Told you they were there!! 5. 7 am- bigs up, breakfast time 6.Superwhy on the TV

7.Babies down, I have a chance to quickly check my email. 8. 9 am- Sadie has a meltdown b/c I brush her hair. 🙂 9 and 10. Girls pick their outfits and I help them get dressed.

11.10 am- I’m feeding the babies, the bigs are bringing me food they have “cooked” for me in their kitchen. 12. I take everyone to the library. HUGE mistake. Uh, hello libraries are a place to be quiet…smart move, mama. Not!

13.I need coffee NOW. Run through the McDonalds and figure I might as well get the girls happy meals. They deserve a special treat, and by the way the babies are screaming in the back of the car, I don’t think I’m going to be able to make the bigs lunch. 14.Feeding the babies (again) while the big girls have a picnic on the rug. 15. 12 pm Nap time for the babies…maybe I’ll get to lay down too! Sadie is napping, Harper is having quiet play time.

16. Scratch that nap idea- here comes sadie. she’s wild. 17. and now she is attempting to lay down with the babies. lovely. 18. 2 pm- I’ve abandoned the idea of a nap and now we are doing art- we talked about new year’s fireworks and the girls painted them yesterday. today we add glitter.

19. A lesson on snow. First the girls color a snowman. 20.Then we make snowflakes using q-tips and glitter. 21. While the girls are snowflaking it up, I check the SC boards.

22. 5 pm- I pop a casserole in the oven. 23. 6pm- Blue Moon time!  24. 7:30 pm- the babies are sleeping, so I read the bigs the books they chose at the library.

8pm- bedtime for bigs, littles, and mommy. 🙂 I stay up later when J is here, but when he’s not it’s lights out for me.

 

Whew!!! there it is! I know that in a month, this list will be completely different!

The past 2 days I’ve had the luxury of all four kiddos sleeping or resting at the same time. That’s what’s happening as we speak and oh, is it delicious. I’ve got my coffee and I’m doing a whole bunch of NOTHING!!!

I hope your Thursday is beautiful.

xoxo

s

 

 

 

 

 

lucy:

 

 

 

 

 

cate:

 

yes i’m reusing this one b/c i LOVe it:

 

 

i think we are having a growth spurt. eating ALL the time, grumpy/cranky.

the other night we slept FIVE hours in a row. when mommy woke up she felt like a new woman! she said her eye finally stopped twitching and she could finish a sentence! (whatever that means!)

we like to scream really loudly at the same time when mommy is driving. or when we are in the checkout line at babies r us.

mommy had 35 dollars in toys r us rewards and daddy isn’t around, so she had to go use them for diapers, etc. we screamed all the way through the store. mommy was sweating LOTS and looked like she was having a mini nervous breakdown. plus side? everyone felt sorry for her and helped her. 🙂

i (cate) weigh over six pounds.

i (lucy) weigh over seven pounds.

we are masters of busting out of the swaddle. but if we are NOT swaddled we smack ourselves (or each other) in the face with our hands and will not sleep for longer than 5 minutes at a time. it’s time for mommy to invest in a miracle blanket. or two.

we love bath time. we scream, but when mama pours the water on us we LOVE it.

newborn diapers fit us perfectly right now.

we are starting to smile and make kiiiind of cooing noises.

happy wednesday!

xoxo

 

 

**giveaway still open in the post below!**

four years ago:

this brown eyed chubby baby was the center of our world. we were at fort benning, georgia and jimmy was in captain’s career course.

my world didn’t expand much outside of my house. i was learning how to be a mom and how to balance everything.

 

three years ago:

i could go the the playground every day if i wanted to..i just had one kiddo. but i was 8 months pregnant with either a sadie or a ben.

we had so much fun and went on so many adventures. i took her everywhere with me. we lived in harker heights, texas.

 

two years ago:

it was just me and my two little chicks. j was in the korengal, we lived in waco.

i was scared if j would ever come home so we stayed busy. really really busy. church, school, ballet. play dates, day trips.

it was different taking them places because sadie was a lot wilder than harper. but we went. and made so many memories.

 

a year ago:

we were in fort benning, georgia. all together. it was so wonderful seeing jimmy every day. we went fun places like the drive through animal safari (where i got the funniest picture EVER).

but i was also content to stay at home. making a home. enjoying all of us being together.

 

 

 

and now:

we are in savannah georgia. and we’ve added two more to team howell. i don’t go anywhere much. and most days i don’t even get out of my pajamas.

i won’t lie. sometimes that’s frustrating.

we may or may not be starting to…

lose it a little bit.

especially b/c j’s not around the next few weeks.

but it’s totally worth it because i have these little snugglebunnies.

 

and really….sanity is overrated anyway. 😉

 

happy happy tuesday!

xoxo

 

 

and yet…

right at home. exactly where he is meant to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

he’s just as much at ease surrounded by pink, high pitched giggles, and pastel birthday cakes as he is in camo.

he’s able to think calmly under pressure in a war zone and paint toenails.

jump out of an airplane and brush hair and do ponytails.

give orders to his men and say “OH GOODY!” when one of the girls tells him something they are very excited about.

do a zillion mile road march and play prince charming to harper’s cinderella.

and each time i see him with them i fall a little more in love with him.

happy 32nd birthday to our prince (errr major) charming.

xxo

s

 

 

 

 

i want to:

run.teach my body to run. take care of my body, get back in shape. i’m not defining this by a number on the scale, or a size on a tag. i just want to feel good about myself.being part of move more eat less is something i’m really looking forward to.

learn how to shoot fully in manual. no more of this AV stuff.

sew. take my singer off of the shelf and use it. learn how to make this t-shirt.

find a church. be really active in my church community. i tend to rely on my faith when i’m scared, worried, overwhelmed. i need to get better at growing in my faith all the time. not just when i need Him.

have a date night (more than one, but let’s be honest…i’m hoping for just one) with jimmy.and kissing. always lots of kissing. 🙂

i will:

turn 34.

celebrate sadie’s third birthday.

watch harper start kindergarten.

watch my babies turn one.

go through two more deployments.

stay in savannah through 2012. which is a long time for us!

keep making things i love for studio calico and jenni bowlin. dream gigs. so grateful to be given the opportunity for another year!

 

i am determined to:

be happy. grateful. courageous.

it’s pretty simple. i don’t want for much…home, happiness, love, making things…friendship, laughter…

and to

do it all with grace…my word of 2011.

I resolve to handle pressure with grace. To weather this year’s deployments with grace and with a smile on my face. To model grace to my girls.  

Grace is moral strength. Elegance. Kindness.  Gods grace is the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.

I may have not been blessed with physical grace, but I sure can choose to exhibit it in my character.

This year I will be kind. I will say thank you and look people in the eye. I will smile at others when they cross my paths. I will  not let the fact that I am having a bad day change the way I treat people.

Happiness is my responsibility.

Here’s to 2011. Lots more blogging, and sharing, and I hope you will all stick around for it. I love each and every one of you, thanks for a year I could only dream of. xoxo

s