Bits: Sixty and Six

My dear Dad turned sixty this past week.  He had me out doing target practice, laughing at "Duck Dynasty," sharing warm dinners of chili and Mom's spaghetti, amazing me with the stuff he can build from his own two hardworking hands.  He had me remembering my roots, and that is an incredible gift that simply comes from being in his presence. 

My Dad is an amazing man, and I am grateful for the day God gave him to us.  I wish I could tell him, in even semi-adequate words, how much I love and admire him.  I'm pretty sure he knows, at least in part, but he's too humble to get puffed up with just about anything.  Yet I am positively certain that he knows, as I do, that the Britt family is a family who sticks together.  We have each other's backs, the four of us now wonderfully expanded to accommodate another sister and brother plus the grandbabies.  Not a one of us is perfect, but together we are perfected in love.

The mantle's stockings sure have grown in the last decade

Even though this was a milestone birthday, Dad is not one for much hoopla where he is concerned so we try to sneak in just the right amount on such special days.  I turned out some hot spinach and artichoke dip and Mom whipped up a gourmet-like sandwich and soup bar, while a favorite aunt and cousin joined us.  As the cold rain poured outside, we lit the only candle we could find and savored his turning thirty... times two.

Happy, happy birthday father of my heart.  So proud to be your daughter.
****

::Before that birthday bash, however, we held a circus.

Behold the death-defying feats of.... THE Martins' Girls {and the crowd  goes wild!}

::We created our own rock band.  Hope on the guitar, Maddie-Girl on the drums, and Alysse tearing up the vocals.  Who could have guessed, oh say about twenty years ago, that my beloved yellow bedroom would hold three of my own daughters?

::We even had that long-awaited Christmas celebration or two.  The fact that Mom was hanging on for dear life last year and in the middle of us orchestrating the whole shebang this year wasn't lost on any of us.  It was a happy mess.  Isn't life a happy mess indeed?

Billy's face above... classic, every single year.

Ironically enough, just as her PopPop turned sixty our biggest girl is on her way to six.  She has already received one of her biggest birthday wishes as a blanket of fresh white snow covers the ground outside our windows.  Now if it will only clear up in time for us to party... :)

Time flies here in this whole grown-up world I find myself in.  I can't stop it but I can go about every day determined, even when I forget sometimes, to savor it.  Still, six? S-I-X.

Wow.
~Katrina

Bits: Adventure Drive

First.  I know it's Monday, but I'm all over the computer today planning when uploading some really fun pics naturally seemed like a good diversion from that and my crinkly dry Christmas tree, which the girls literally cry about every time I mention that it's to come down.  Plus my camera got a Christmas present, a guy at Liberty is taking her for a little spa treatment (a.k.a. cleaning off all the dirt and peanut butter she's collected in the last few years!)

And second.

Though I had already chosen a word for my new year before I read this post, I certainly think mixing the word love in there (as is our school theme this year) deserves some attention.  I  hope to see the new Les Mis in the theater, but I know the older Liam Neeson version can be a quiet time all in and of itself.

"To love another person is to see the face of God."

So good.
*****

I almost titled this post, "Thanks, Jared!"  You  know, the skinny Subway guy, who holds out his pants all big and baggy.  But proper thanks goes to my guy, the Daddy 'round here.  For it was he who randomly, as he is so good at, filled out some entry form one day while we were munching on a shared footlong.  When they called us back with three nights/four days, 100 resort dollars to spend, and $50 of Subway gift cards, we thought we ought to say yes.

Adventure Drive, party of five... yes, please!

Now, anyone in their right mind ought to also know that such adventures with our little crew of five and four and two is indeed a blast.  And indeed quite a bit of work.

So becomes the question of, "Is it worth it?"

Let's see...

Saved money by daily eating at least two meals and snacks in the room...

With ample free entertainment courtesy of smoothies while watching "Doc McStuffins" or jumping on the bed.

That freed up the funds for some other jumping, for which the bed kind seemed but a beautiful prelude...

Love their faces and Alysse's "Tinkerbell" moves

The bulk of those resort funds going to the most amazing indoor water park this crew has ever seen. Just wish the girls could have enjoyed it some. :)

This is exactly five minutes after the first water park adventure, so we drove around until sun set at the tip top of the mountain.  A perfect spot for Joe and I to talk about our goals, where we've been and where we hope to be.I am energized to dive back into more creative homeschooling, saving up for adoption (which means tackling my grocery bills again!), working out, and growing as a person all the way around.

Favorite memories include Alysse's brave plummets down the medium-sized slides, Maddie's sheer thrills over the same kiddy frog slide (about 152 times), and when we went back for a nighttime romp before bed and I got some awesome alone time with Hope.  We needed it, she and I.  For any of the other situations in which Hope can be cautious, which is fine, she has mad fearless skills in the water!  She and I quickly graduated to the biggest slides again and again, plus two turns down the lazy river which gave us precious time to talk and laugh.  Especially when, suddenly, the giant bucket's contents dumped onto my head.

So, that question?  Hardly a question.

What a sweet gift at this year's beginning.  Chances for us all to talk about our goals and remember the things we've learned, remember our promises to grow deeper in our love for Him and for all.  We're not perfect and certainly don't have it all figured out, but we are grateful for strength and stamina and opportunity.

So grateful, indeed, for this great big adventure called life.

~Katrina

Bits: Snippets

This week's title is redundant, to be sure.  Such comes with sanitizing our house, blowing the dust off our homebodied selves, and getting to do a little Christmas travel after all.  Fortunately for us, Joe's family always gets together after the 25th when we can all gather from our various corners.  It was quite a feat getting ourselves into the van but we made it, and making it is often more than half the battle I believe.

So glad we did.

A few days at Grandpa and Grandma's gave us, in no particular order, a few more thoughtful gift exchanges, cousin fun and craziness, a drive-thru "this is the best night ever!!!" light's display, too much food, an exciting metro ride and the American History Museum, lots of deep or ridiculous conversation, and a kids' club housed in the basement complete with booby traps and hidden treasures and passwords (don't tell them, but we know it's "blueberries").  Plus time for this lyme-hating, but God's purpose loving, Mama to catch up a little.

Alas, that's why these are snippets because, though they do not relay the whole picture, they relay the most important parts.  Family and love and fun and memories.

And laughter.  Oh, you know I love the laughter.

One of the favorite conversations heard among the littles:
Hope: Let's bring the Daddies and Mommies down (to the basement) and see if we can trick 'em with our traps!
Maddie: Let's not do it to the Mommies, guys.  You know they'd figure it all out.

From here to there- snippets, bits.  Same difference, equally sweet.
****



Hard to believe, but 2012 is done.
 
 Kind of like Leesie after those little legs had all they could take of our walking adventure. {Sorry babe, but you are such a dear that I couldn't resist a little proof of that pouty face!}

Now 2013 lies before us. 365 spanking new days, full of possibility. Full of bits to be seized, likely some trials to weather. Whatever my snippets hold, my one resolution is to live at peace. I am trusting that the Peace Giver, who gives liberally past the point of understanding, will meet me each step of the way.

Happy New Year! May it be a sweet one.
~Katrina

Bits: Love Came Down

Sure enough, for the second year in a row, Christmas went a little differently than we planned. 

The best laid plans...

I know, I know.  That's why I truly am refining the art of holding it loosely.

Instead of putting our packed by-the-door bags and tub of lovingly wrapped gifts to good use in the van's NC-or-bust trunk, we busted.  We hunkered down.  I refilled cups of electrolyte fluids, humidifiers of water and eucalyptus oil.  Rubbed menthol on little chests, administered honey and lemon and cherry bark herbs and pink goo around the clock.  Held buckets, swept strands of hair, took temperatures, continuously changed out movies, gave away early Christmas books and art tablets, read lots of "Little House," prayed and kept the washing machine humming and slept on the floor beside warm bodies.

You know, I was a Mom.

Though I hate to see my babies sick, there has been something special about all five of us sharing such an intimate space over this time period.  I mean we were living large by Saturday when a full day consisted of one short bundled up walk around the block, just a few DVD changes, the construction of cardboard box fairy houses, and several animated rounds of "Go Fish." 

Come Christmas Eve and beyond, however, when we actually felt a good deal better... I couldn't help but recognize it, deeply and wholly.  Healing breaths of an important message, that touched me way down where it counts.

Feeling good enough to bake and decorate our cookies and Jesus' birthday cake. Yes! 

Love came down at Christmas.

That thought is deeply and wholly divine.
****

:: Sister Store took on a little different twist this year, to fit the theme that emerged, but we still earned us some "giving bucks" so each could shop for her sister up in the attic's "botique."  Again, the gifts from one another were hits as well as the self selected wrapping creations.

Veggie Tale shirts!  Christmas pj's were ditched the moment each received a shirt from one of her sisters.  Such great hugs and thankyou's.

:: We try to stick to three gifts each for the girls, sometimes with one bigger shared gift and a handful of stocking stuffers. I have been searching for this year's shared gift for three years now on Craigslist when, finally, what to my wondering eyes did appear?!

Wish I had been on the other side to capture their faces!  A real, wooden backyard playhouse (brand new in the box and talked down to a wonderful steal.)  Yippee!! I *always* wanted a tree house or such when I was little.  Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma for going in on half of this treasure!

 :: The day was spent together, playing and discovering.  We may not have been able to see our family, but we talked a good bit here and there on the phone with those we love.  Neighbors popped by bringing thoughtful gifts to the girls.  One was from sweet Mr. Fred, an elderly neighbor who fell off his retaining wall a while back as he was mowing, and the girls never forgot to pray for him until he made it back home.  Now he remembers the girls at every holiday with a card and a couple dollar bills stuffed inside.  It is precious.  For Christmas he included a handmade wooden Holy Family, and we really love it.  It is joy to my heart to see community every new place God plants us, little glimpses of Heaven- the place where all will be family even beyond shared DNA.

A few other little favoritey favorites:


1.  Traditional Christmas morning fare.  2.  They loved their gift tags, sweet girls.  3.  I love stuffing the stockings.  4.  My favorite stuffer to make and theirs to devour.  5.  Hope's "Super Why" reading wand.  6.  Maddie's doll with earrings, a necklace, and removable Mary Janes.  7.  Alysse's Big Sister Dora with the twins... here the brother is being properly introduced to Baby Jesus.

But beyond the wrappings and shine, of course we celebrate the reason why such lavishness can be ours.  That every perfect gift is from Him, the very definition of love.  I celebrate, best of all, the gift of love that pulses within these walls.

A Daddy who, when his eldest finally feels like eating and really wants Chicken Minis for breakfast, rushes out to Chick-Fil-A in his pajamas and without a coat.  When his 10:34 arrival proves too late he sweet talks the employee into some empty cartons, the butter they use, and some nuggets.  Then he picks up take-and-bake yeast rolls, sneaks in through the back door, and concocts a delicious imposter.  She couldn't each much, but she sure loved them.

And one day I will love telling her the real story.

So thankful for our cozy, creative Christmas.  Especially since my girls' bodies did their things and got them healthy enough to really enjoy it.

Lovely memory making to one and all.

Until 2013,
Katrina