soccer camp

micah is at soccer camp this week..
two hours every day.



and despite the way he appears,
he loves it.
and shows us all his moves every day when he gets home.

hannah goes to camp

we dropped hannah off at camp this afternoon.
her first time.
she had a friend going with her, and they were so excited.



home until friday.



i realized, after we got there, that this is the first time
hannah has been away for more than 24 hours
without at least one sibling.



and it didn't phase her at all.
she was thrilled.
and barely even noticed when we said good bye.



she is going to have a great time.
i already miss her.

still here...

i'm still here, i promise.
just lots going on.
my head and heart are full,
and running.
more soon...

finally

the sun decided to come back to iowa.
finally.
so kids are outside.
and happy.
which means, i am happy too.

although it also means
that i have gone through about
twenty popsicles today,
but that is totally worth it.

lights out.

this was one of the best evenings we have spent together as a family in a long time.
everybody had fun. and even though they were constantly trying to annoy one another, you could see how much they loved being together.

and we loved it too.

they are good kids.

my boys.

wish i would have taken close ups of the girls..
my boys.
they love me.

more.

eating.

it is serious business.

silly faces

cook out

so when steve got home tonight,
he and the kids asked what was for dinner.
i had no plan.
so i pretended.
i said, well, i was thinking we could roast hot dogs on the fire in the backyard.
the kids were stoked.
and of course, thought i had been planning this all day.

steve went outside to split some wood, and when he hit this log, look who popped out to let us know he did not want to be split.
isaiah relocated him in a neighbor's wood pile.



i also, wanting to remain the hero, decided to set up the tent, so they could sleep outside too.



and this is how you start a fire.

micah and some gifts

i love how he loves things.
ANY thing.
three completely different kind of gifts,
and he loves them all.

transformer from grandma maria and papa



stilts from nana



whoopee cushion from isaiah



and i just realized that by posting these photos, it makes me look bad, using the barbie bag to wrap a six year old boy's gifts.. but well... we are green here. clearly.
and for the record,
he opened that one last.

lunch.

all organic country oat roll
sun dried tomato turkey
hard salami
fresh mozzarella

yum a lish.

homesick

this photo was in my inbox this morning.
a fishing trip with my dad and maria.
can't tell you how homesick this scene makes me...

my birthday boy

micah is six years old today.
and like i say, almost every time i talk about him,
he brings light to a dark room.
he is joy.
he is beauty.
and i am so honored that i get to be his mom.



happy birthday micah man.
we love you so much.

not even joking.

so i went to wal-mart today
to check out the school supplies.

i have four kids
who have extensive lists..
like 18 folders
and 8 notebooks..
etc.

i had the same lists last year,
nothing new.

except this year,
i decided to take advantage of the early shopping
which was difficult for me,
as i don't really like them pushing the school supplies
on me already.

but here's the thing.
my bill last year, for the same supplies,
was one hundred and twenty dollars.

this year it was fifty.

not even joking.
i saved seventy dollars.

so i am thinking i am not going to complain anymore
about the store putting their supplies out early.

butterfly

occ

we were members of an amazing church back in washington,
this is just proof.

Burning Barbie from Overlake Christian Church on Vimeo.

summer bliss.

i have somehow rationalized myself into thinking
that if i get the dishes done by the time steve gets home,
if i accomplish that HUGE task,
and only that task,
no dinner made,
no clothes washed, or bathrooms scrubbed,
then i can call my day, my summer day, a success.

seriously.
and i believe it too.

how wrong is that?
yikes.
summer, much like ignorance, is bliss.

boy fights... or boy love

the funk.

can't believe it is already tuesday.
it seems like the days
this summer are all running together.

i'm in a bit of a blogging funk.
i realize that.

maybe i need to get the camera out.
that always seems to help.

maybe i need to do something
with my kids, other than go to the aquatic center.

that might help.

walmart has school supplies out already.
maybe i should go buy those.

i'll do something.
gotta get out of the funk.

the thunder rolls

another stormy day in iowa
more cancelled events
more rain
more lightning
more thunder

again
how the weather mimics
the hearts of those i know
and my own

praying for sunshine
and calm winds
in the coming days

self timer.

finally figured out the self timer on the camera.
i do believe these are the only photos of all of us together,
in years.
for real.
years.

i made steve come home for lunch to take some,
and i only had to bribe the children with one snack. :)

my sweet some day

today.

Love is always a kind of death. We die again and again in marriage, in the family, and in all our dealings with fellow men. The power of selfishness can be explained in the light of this experience. It is a flight—an all too understandable flight—from the mystery of death that is love. At the same time, however, it is only this death that is love which is really fruitful.

-Pope Benedict XVI

christmas in july

written by: jody landers


Yep, we are going to talk Christmas real quick.

And when we talk Christmas, we talk Water.

So here’s the deal:

With the continued effort of our Voices (people who made a $20 monthly commitment and a number of other one time donations), the Water For Christmas effort will have raised an additional $40,000 by Christmas time. Putting the total in one year at close to $100,000. That is 20 villages who have gotten and will get soon the life-saving access to clean water. That is a big deal. Huge. World change.

SO I was chatting with charity: water staff about the upcoming Water For Christmas campaign which will launch at the beginning of November and she said, “If you persist and stay focused on Liberia right now, we really have the opportunity to see the needle move on this country.” Do you get that? We have the opportunity to see a nation change…to see how clean water really does effect everything.

BUT we have a ways to go…there are still millions of thirsty people in Liberia. We are going to have to continue to raise our voices, give, and advocate. And perhaps we are niave and passionate enough to believe that this can be done. I think it can. And we are going to move with that…

SO we need you. If you want. To be a part. We need you. We want to involve as many as we can. We sometimes feel like our stay at home mommy voices cannot reach much further. But if we can encourage and equip you to take it to your circles…your friends, your families, your workplaces…there is no limit to what we can do together. If you are reading this, this is your invitation to be part of the WFC Team 2009. We will officially launch together in November.

AND to get us ready, we have compiled a list of ideas for you to use or adapt or create your own.

HERE is what we need right now:

1. We are going to need crafters. There is a Water For Christmas etsy shop. Everything in the shop will be sold at Christmas time with 100% of the profits going to Water. We just need your skills.. IF you would like to donate to it, we will list the products and mail them to the buyers for you. You simply need to craft it and mail them to us. We will sell it (and list you as the artist and link your site ect) and give all profit to Water. So if that is you, be dreaming about what you can create to sell there. You can email Cassie (burback @ machlink .com) –she will be running the shop–and she will send you the address to which you can mail your creations. Start now. We would love to have a full, full shop. People are looking for opportunities to shop with a purpose. We are going to give them one.

You can also sell them on your own etsy shop if you would prefer. You can make your own donations that way. We just hope to drive a lot of traffic to the Water For Christmas shop and eliminate some of the hassle for the artists. It’s up to you. Either way is fabulous.

2. Churches. We are going to hopefully utilize churches more this year. Be perhaps praying about ways you can use it in your own home churches. Let me (jodylanders @ gmail .com) know if you have questions or need ideas for that. I am working on some.

3. Business/Company/Corporate Support. We know that many business and companies look for Christmas charities. Sometimes all you have to do is ask. We also hope to have buckets available to hand out for people to take to their offices and businesses so people can participate in $10 Friday or perhaps a “Jean Day” or just a place to donate during the holiday season. Perhaps it’s something you can organize in your area too.

4. Schools. A number of you ran successful campaigns in your preschools and schools last year. We do have a packet of ideas for school efforts or you can come up your own.

5. Foundations. This is one that I don’t know a lot about. IF anyone has any expertise in this area, we could use it. But I do believe there is potential there and that we could tap into it. Email me (jodylanders @ gmail .com) if you know more about this.

6. Events. We will do another Water event at our local country club. We are aiming for Dec. 6. It might be cool to have a number of events going on that same day around the country. Could be exciting. But regardless of the day, it’s a good way to involve the community. We can give you some ideas if you need it or at least let you know how we did it.

7. And then whatever else you can think of…we had people do everything from bake sales to running marathons last year to help raise awareness and support of clean water. It is amazing and darn exciting when people come together for a common cause…that is so much bigger than us. One that frees us and teaches us and blesses us so much in the process. I can’t wait.




Come November, we will have 6 basic products available at water4christmas.com (all other products will go in the etsy shop). And water4christmas.com will be information central.

But we wanted you guys to start thinking and praying and dreaming with us. Because we need and we want you to be a part.

Start emailing me (jodylanders @ gmail .com) with your questions and I will help as much as I can as we all prepare together for the November launch of the campaign.




And all that because 4500 mothers watch their children die every day from water related illness. It doesn’t have to be.

We can change that.

Want in?




Many, many thanks

this holiday...

as we celebrate this holiday,
this day of independence,
as we remember,
and are thankful
for our freedom,
the continued grace we live under,

as we barbecue,
go to the pool,
mow our green grass,
water our plants,
our lawns,

might we remember,
we are also blessed
with water.

fresh, clean, life giving water.

we so often take it for granted.

this holiday,
everyday,
might we remember,
and give.

give water.
give life.

photo booth

minor league.

took the kids to a minor league baseball game tonight.
had a great time.
weather was perfect.
kids had a blast.
good friends.
cheap beer.
couldn't ask for more.

much.

there is much going on.
much in my head.
much in my heart.

much just in every day summer life.

adj. more (môr, mr), most (mst)
Great in quantity, degree, or extent: not much rain; much affection.
n.
1. A large quantity or amount: Much has been written.
2. Something great or remarkable: The campus wasn't much to look at.
adv. more, most
1. To a great degree or extent: much smarter.
2. Just about; almost: much the same.
3. Frequently; often: doesn't get out much.

yes.
yes indeed.
much.