House Guests

The Fall of my Junior year in college I chose to study abroad for a semester in Cambridge England.  I had this romantic idea of living with a host family and developing a lifelong friendship...piece of cake right?  My University didn't offer any abroad programs so I left Vanguard for the year in search of one that would specifically place me in a home...not a dorm. I had grown up knowing a very special couple from the Netherlands that my father had lived with during his college years and I always dreamed of having a similar experience.  On my housing questionnaire I requested to preferably be placed with a Christian family with children and by God's provision I received just that and more!  I found myself living for 3 months in a little village just outside of Cambridge with the Slaymaker Family.

Slaymakers:  Andy, Dorte, Jack (7), Ralf (5) and Anna Marie (1),  

I instantly fell in love with kids and couldn't get enough of their accents.  The boys would always sneak up to my room to be with me and I would let them just talk forever =0)  Jack loved playing games and tossing a baseball with me in the backyard and had the greatest smile.  Ralf I called my monkey man.  He would climb anything...especially me.  He was adorable and always called me a "silly banana".   Anna Marie  and I were buddies.  I loved sitting next to her at the dinner table and I eventually taught her how to give high fives.  I remember listening to her speak her first words and thought the way she said "daddy" with an English accent was about the cutest thing ever!

I was so blessed by my host parents Andy & Dorte.  They opened up their home and their family to me and for that I have always been so grateful.  I always enjoyed their company, had great talks over tea, learned how to make a Danish apple Cake and a traditional English Christmas Cake, jumped for hours on the trampoline with the kids, watched Pride & Prejudice for my 1st time with Dorte...best movie EVER, and always seemed to stand on the wrong side of the car when Andy would drive me into town. The whole drivers side is on our passenger side got me every time.  I have always spoke very fondly of my time with the Slaymakers and told my dad that if I didn't have such an amazing family back home in the States I would have just stayed with them =0)

Now nearly 12 years later  I had the joy of hosting Jack Slaymaker and a few friends for a month. Those who know me well knew how excited I was to welcome him into our home!  The last time I saw him he was the same age as Michael, our oldest son and looked like this...

The past month has been too busy to blog about but soooooo worth it!!!  These 3 guys were quite adventurous!  

While Jack & Matt stayed for an entire month Adam was only with us for 2 weeks so the first 14 days were jam packed with surfing, sky diving, bull riding, backpacking in the High Sierras, a gun range, Angels game, batting cages, trampoline park and more!  

All said and done a month was not enough time.  Saying goodbye was hard.  While they had crazy adventures during their stay they also spent a lot of time with our kids.  The gave piggy back rides, put together puzzles, played soccer, colored, read books and spent countless hours playing.  Our kids couldn't get enough of them =0)  Stephen always found his way into one of their laps and insisted that they buckle him in the car...not mommy or daddy.  And while the girls loved following them around and playing it was Michael who really found a friend.  He finally had someone big enough to play with and he made the most of it!  

While we were saying goodbye at the airpot I saw Michael fight back tears as he hugged Matt & Jack goodbye.  Once  they walked down the security ramp he couldn't fight them back any longer...the tears flowed.  It was sad to see him cry but it was also sweet.  It showed just how much these guys came to mean to him during their stay here.  They made an impact on Michael's life and for that I am grateful.  They were truly the greatest house guests and became part of our family and we will miss them very much!!!  

How amazing that this all began 12 years ago and will hopefully continue for many many more years to come  =0)  

Jack, Matt & Adam you are welcome here any time =0)

Andy & Dorte...you raised a terrific son!

And Lord...thank you for making all of this possible!

Back to Blogging

I created this blog with the hope of documenting and sharing life at the Russell abode but the craziness that is my life took over and blogging was put on the back burner.  So here I am trying it yet again.  I am a stay at home mom of 4 trying to navigate the world of motherhood and the inherent chaos that comes along with it.  I strive to let go of my perfectionism, put my kids before the dishes, and love my husband as he deserves to be loved.  However, my life and home are not Pinterest perfect.  I fail at times as a mother and wife and Lord knows there are always toys to be picked up, dishes to be done, floors to be swept and a never-ending pile of laundry to be washed, folded and hopefully put away. Nevertheless the joys of motherhood largely outweigh the hiccups along the way and I am blessed beyond measure to walk this road with my other half and the grace of our Lord.  So welcome back to Russell Party of Six...where messes and mess ups are inevitable but love and joy overflow!

Double Birthday Party

We have two birthdays in February, Audrey's in on the 7th and Michael's the 28th, so we had a combined Princess and Knight party this past weekend.  I didn't manage to get a picture of the two of them at the party...but here is the photo we used for the invitation.  

Sir Michael & Princess Audrey

The party was a blast!  We had a bounce house, cardboard castle, balloon swords, shields, wands, crowns and even a castle cake.  I LOVE throwing my kiddos birthday parties.  It brings me so much joy watching their faces light up and I enjoy getting a chance to be creative every now and then =0)

One failure from the party...picture taking.  I totally should have taken a picture of all the boys in their awesome Knight vests my mom and I made holding their awesome shields my dad cut out of wood...but this is as good as it gets.

And I should have taken a picture of all the girls wearing their pretty princess dresses, holding their suer cute wands they made with their royal crowns they decorated...but this shot is about as good as it gets =0)

I am just grateful that my amazing sister-in-law took some great photos for me throughout the day...here are a few of my favorite.

The castle now resides in a garage.  The kids are not ready to part with it just yet =0)  

And I have 2 months to come up with some fun ideas before our little guy turns 1!!!

Birthday Fail

Yesterday our little Princess Audrey turned 3!!!!! 

The day started out great.  She woke up to a decorated house, a new doll and a princess dress...we were on a roll!

We had big plans for parks and cupcakes and all of her favorites along the way.  Unfortunately  we had to make a slight detour at the doctors around 11.  The 3 older kids had been sick since Saturday but were seeming much better.  I figured they were on the mend and a day of fun was before us...not so much.  The night before Michael woke up crying from ear pain and yesterday morning Stephen had a fever.  We sent Lizzie to school since, she was fine, but decided to take the other 3 to the doctor.   Boy did that visit go unexpectedly!  It turned out Michael has Pneumonia and an ear infection, Audrey was wheezing and had a double ear infection, and we were told we need to take Stephen to the ER for possible Pneumonia...not the birthday surprises I had planned.
To Audrey I am sure she had a great birthday.  She got to watch cartoons, eat ice cream, have her Papa take care of her, and go to McDonalds for a Happy Meal birthday dinner.  But to this mama it was a big birthday fail.  I missed the whole day =0(
The good news...Stephen is "fine".   It was a slightly frustrating experience, but it ended well.  Originally we were told if he tested negative for pneumonia,  RSV and flu they would send us home.  However all the results came back negative and they still wanted to admit him.  Joe and I started asking questions as they were making preparations for IVs and lab work...and boy am I glad we did.  It seemed the only reason we were being held was for his supposed low saturations.  Yes at times his blood oxygen levels dipped into the high 60's but those sats were few and far between and quickly climbed back up.  When they said cardiology wanted to keep him we asked to speak with a cardiologist.   Long story short the ER doctors weren't painting an accurate picture of Stephen's condition to the heart docs so they wanted us to stay.  Once they saw what was really going on and how stable his oxygen saturations really were... they said we could go home.   So after 8 hours in the ER we finally got home around midnight this morning!!

Stephen basically slept the entire time we were in the hospital but he perked up when we played with photo booth =0)

For all of our prayer warriors please pray that Stephen can get through this cold without any unnecessary hospital stays.  While I love them monitoring him, he sleeps so much better at home.

As for our missed birthday plans...hopefully we can make those cupcakes today =0)  

Best Day Ever

8 years ago I woke up at 6am, after sleeping a total of maybe 2 hours, to marry my best friend.  It was the best day EVER!   I remember the butterflies  smiles, seal claps and laughter as I got prepared to walk down the isle.  I remember my face hurting from all of my smiling but nothing could have wiped it off my face.  I was beaming.  A cheesy as it may sound it came pouring out from the joy in my heart.  I can remember exactly how I felt as I waited at the top of the staircase for my cue and how incredible it felt to walk down and see Joe standing there.  Our eyes met and they never parted.  From there the ceremony is a bit of a blur.  I couldn't take my eyes of of Joe and the next thing you know we were being pronounced husband and wife, kissing and walking down the isle hand in hand.  It was perfect.
I love Joe so much.  I love him more than I can begin to try to describe in words.  I am a sentimental schmuck and love day dreaming of our past.  Whenever I get a little upset with him I just think back to the day we met and its over.  I get all gitty recalling how I felt when he was in the room and can't help but smile when I think about our story.  
I know I haven't been the "perfect" wife and we don't have a "perfect" marriage.  We argue and can at times be cranky, harsh and well... sinful.  Joe gets the best and (unfortunately) worst of me.  But my love for him never ends.  It is a choice I made 8 years ago and a choice I will continue to make for the rest of my life.  Loving Joe is easy and I pray that each year our marriage only grows stronger and our love grows deeper.

Happy Anniversary Joe Russell!

Thank you for making me your wife!

Advent

I love this time of year.  The decorations, songs, cookies, smells, gift-giving...I love it all.  But over the past few years one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season has become celebrating advent with my family.  It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of "Christmas" that we forget to prepare our hearts and minds for the birth of our savior.  During the Advent season we celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and anticipate of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.  I love that it helps prepare all of our hearts for the true joy of Christmas and puts a larger focus on Christ than on presents or Santa.

Here are a few of the Advent traditions in our home.

Advent Calendar

Rather than a piece of candy each day the kids get to open a tiny wooden door and place a magnetic piece of the nativity out.

Advent Chain

A few years back I found this website

I love it!  We make the 25 day chain and each night we read the scriptures from the Bible and do the listed activity.  Today we made handprint angels =0)

Nativity Sets

Our kids love to act out the Christmas Story with their nativity sets...a fun hands on way to learn.

We currently have 2 child proof sets.  One from Costco... 

...and one that was a hand me down from my cousins

We keep the wooden set under our tree amongst our presents as a reminder that the birth of Jesus our Savior is greatest gift of all.  Maybe one day we will get a grown-up Nativity set =0)

Wreath

This year I ventured out and made my own "wreath".  I put 5 candles on my cake stand and adorned it with our tree trimmings.  Joe and I hope to teach our children the significance of the wreath and each candle as we light them.

We also read "Getting Ready for Christmas" at dinnertime.  It is very similar to the chain and is great for families with young children.  It has a simple scripture, prayers and activity for each day.

I am a sucker for traditions and look forward to making may and sharing many with our family.

With the cooler weather, stockings hung, and the tree decorated...it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Russell house  =0)