the temps reached the highest number they have ever been this year.  so we get to see some more adorable skin.  love

when i put ayla jo's short sleeve shirt she thought the sensation very strange.  baby blue kept glancing at her arms like, shouldnt there be some more material?

we took advantage of the warm and sunny spring saturday by loading up the veen with bikes and layers of clothing and driving to the salem park where a long paved trail accomodates three levels of biking ability.  little girl and i slowly made our way keeping our eyes looking out for the speedster max and the amazing force of nature bear.


bear looped the track four times, and max just would not stop!

    when prinpress completed her lap, she decided to play for awhile at the slide.  i brought along a book, because thats what i do.  ayla jo started running towards the veen with a lood of purpose.  i ran behind her as she was disregarding my pleas to stop and parking lots are just not good places for babes.  once she reached the veen, she began taking off her pants.  it was then i recalled teaching her to pee beside the veen while at timber town yesterday and the locked bathrooms created an emergency urination situation.


thankfully, the facilities at the salem park where readily available for us.  so i whisked her to the bathrooms and used my phone as a light when the lights turned off during the process.  back at the playground, i graciously accepted the other mother's unwillingness to chat. 

ethan, however, was super willing to chat.  ethan reminded me of jenna obesity back in cadillac, chunky, attention starved, and really eager to engage me in relationship.  the boys were all about playing with ethan until he instigated the tagback which left bear feeling quite angry. all the while, ethan's two older sisters and his father sat nearby on the swings watching the friendships form with sharp interest.  i found their attention a bit unnerving, but appreciated their involvement. 

throughout the experience, ethan often took jesus' name in vain.  my kids didnt seem to notice, but i sure did.  ethan was friendly and kind and funny and lost.

later that evning, we headed to ridge for the saturday night service and were all convicted once again to be ministering to the lost.  rather than cocoon ourselves in relationships and events and circumstances that are safely and comfortabley religious, we desire to go to where jesus went and bring the good news to people who do not know.

while at subs n more for dinner, we had a family talk about kids like ethan who do not have jesus in their hearts like we do.  i applauded the boys for showing love and friendship to ethan and encouraged them to being god's love to all people in their lives, christians or not.

a beautiful reminder for brad and i as well.  this is what we are here to do, be disciples. yet it is so easy to get wrapped up in our comfy lives and fill our limited time with us, instead of loving others well. 

i pray lord jesus for a heart for those who need to know you.  please father, fill me with your love so that it pours out on others in such a way that may be blessed by your grace and mercy just as i have been.  thank you o lord for your awesome love.

here comes the sun

hallelujah and praise the lord the sun is shining!  and the temp is in the 50's!  this is big news here at the meiste farm.  we are in a mood to rejoice.  so thank you jesus!

*none of the adorables are on any sort of perscription medication!  woot woot

ayla jo had her well child visit and dr lund declared her laungage skills to be "advanced".  i think baby blue wowed her when cupcake asked to see dr lund's toes after showing off her own

* the laundry is (sort of) done!  as my babes continously generate laundry, this is a feat that is never wholly complete.  but.  i can see the laundry room floor.  that is a big deal.  espeically since the laundry room is also the back entry into our house and the door could hardly open.  i know.

here are bear and aylaroo throwing stones into a puddle, and getting super super dirty

*the boys use the word "hauling" constantly and it is beyond precious.  example: mom you are haulin your sandwich (during lunch when i was apparently super hungry and eating quite quickly).  "ayla you are haulin", while she runs around the table

sidebar- baby blue just brought me a boogie and "mommy what is this called?"  eeew

*we got to go ride our bikes outside this afternoon!  my face may be suffering from windburn and the temps were very very brisk, but outside!  and the boys can ride two wheelers!  impressive sons! 

another sidebar- on the way home, bear told me he needed new pants and undies upon our arrival home.  i agreed because he used a wet swing and the wetness seeped into his pants.  and then bear said " yes, and i peed a little okay"  no reason why.  just a little pee

*i got the genius idea to put the nest sleeping bags on the line this afternoon to get nice and fresh after a winter of cuddling.

here we are on thursday morning and there were flurries a flyin.  so thankful for the day of sun to remember and hold us over until tomorrow...

back

we are assimilating to real life again.  life after spring break is made a bit easier with the sweet memories we made the past few days.  the break went by astonishingly quickly.  we saved the best for last and headed to cadillac as a fam for a long weekend of soul rest and rejuvination.

the weather was chilly, the people were few.  we spent the days going for hikes, walks, eating, bonding, snuggling, and enjoying some quality, uninterrupted time together.  amazing.  i treasure these special moments where there is no agenda, other than to just experience one another and savor the place that we are currently.  my favorite parts were:\

bundling the adorables up for a jumpy jaunt on the tramp,

our mini shopping trips for groceries and shorts all together, a true team effort.

snuggling the fam in for the night.

building fires in the fireplace and basking in the warmth around the hearth.

the peace that comes from togetherness

well on monday, we were a family seperated.  by school, work, grocery getting, etc.  truly, everyone was where they were supposed to be.  but my heart was a bit broken at seeing the scattering of boys.  and they had something broken as well.  becuase there was crabbiness and tears and other unpleasantness. 

day after day of gray have not improved the attitude over here.  things are not sliding perfectly into place.  this morning, i dropped a limping max off to school as his toe was still incredibley painful after a tiny collision with bear last night.  there is no swelling, no redness, no evidence of any kind that an injury did in fact take place, but there he was, a pitiful sight. 

sharing is at an all time low with the inclusion of our friday guest.  and my soul is sad for her as her week has been even more of a struggle than usual.  but my soul is sad for my little prinpress who is asked to share all her toys but yelled at when she tries to enter into the playtime.  i am attempting to use this opportunity to teach ayla jo grace.  but that is a hard concept to demonstrate as an almost 30 year old, so i can appreciate the difficulty baby blue is having.

now this post portrays a week of blah.  and that is truly not the case.  we have been partying (happy birthday uncle alex), and playing, and laughing and snacking. 

its just that right now, noses are drippy.  voices are whiny.  heads are achey.  so we are sprinkling a blue day with some sparkley ingulgences.  an extra show.  yoga pants for mom all the day long.  fruit snacks for a morning snack.  a chat with a bestie just for fun.  and those moments are cherished as well, shining bright in the midst of a day during which bear just literally asked me if he could go in time out...

easter

best. day. ever.

the kids were at a peak of adorable in their easter gear.  that bradley alone dressed them in. i bought ayla jo this super cute flouncy and layered pink polka dot dress on zulily and she really rocked it with some sweet slightly high heeled sandals, and weston's undies.  i had a wedding shower saturday, so brad was on his own getting the babes in their easter finest.  i worked on friday evening and what with the shower and the work and all i simply had not folded laundry enough to supply my blue with actual girl panties.  so she wore bear's and didnt mind at all.


we went to church saturday evening and found the zoerhofs reserving a couch in the cafe area so we could celebrate easter together with the children.  after standing in a long line for the promised cinnamon rolls for the darlings, we discovered that the cafe was out.  so we rushed downstairs and purchased some from the commons.  hallelujah.  we settled in and heard the awesome story of saving grace.  it never gets old.  in fact, His mercies are new every morning.  praise the lord.

because this morning i needed mercy.  after a leisurely easter of togetherness and pajamas and lots of fam devotion time during which i asked questions and the adorables received candy if they answered correctly, this morning we headed out of the house for a super ambitious day of playdate and aldi.


maxer's friend from school, basillio, hosted the playdate.  well, his mom did.  they are new to the area and recently built a gorgeous home nearby.  my considerate and thoughtful plan to bake some homemade goodness prior to arriving morphed quickly into whipping some break and bakes into the oven while urging boys and girl alike to get dressed. 

well, we made it.  the adorables all poured through the door and began wreaking havoc.  bear started yanking on the door to the parents' bedroom.  ayla jo began screeching in delight and then terror while getting aquainted with their huge dog jojo.  maxer raced with basillio downstairs despite gretchens pleas not to go in the basement.  once the whilwind calmed a bit, grethchen mentioned that baby oscar had thrown up this morning.  whoa. 

i am a stomach flu phobe.  because eew.  and when i was pregnant i threw up enough for 7 lifetimes, so enough is enough.  and when the babes get the flu, i get overwhelmed.  i despise seeing their bodies ravaged by convulsions of throwing up, their little faces all exhausted and confused, their laundry piling in endless piles of disgusting.  so it took all my self control not to flee the scene immediately. 

instead i kept the children far away from baby and sanitized at every chance before making a less than graceful getaway to aldi.  there was a small period of time where bear was lying on the floor in the throes of a tantrum, but the rest of the trip really went quite well.  once i fed the darlings some cheese danish for lunch, and unloaded that van full, i began preperations for the evening event.

brad had a chiropractor appointment, so the littles and i headed to family video to get some entertainment since this week of spring break is reminding us so much of winter break in terms of temperature.  we then met my dad and naomi for supper at jets where they presented some easter goodies to my loves. 

max was soon bored but found entertainment in taking pics.

i savored food i did not make.

bear crabbed because he felt that bunnies were for girls.



we ended the evening with a quick stop at vanhill to look at a replacement couch.  because ours has holes.  i mean, the adorables are a bit, i mean a lot destructive and once the couches started down the slippery slope of disrepair, it was not long before the disrepair became disgusting.  anywho, we were helped and a bit hounded by a nice lady while max drove the younger two in a double cart shaped like a firetruck.  wow.  that was dangerous.  the saleslady mentioned our "active" family like 87 times in her attempt to make a sale. 

we made it out without major harm.  just a wee bit of damage done to a floor lamp that brad was able to bend back with little to no problem.

whew.  amidst the chaos of the monday, the blessed assurance of easter sunday remained.  the forgiveness undeserved flowed.  the sacrifice unsurpassed covered monday, and tuesday, and every day.  may we live this day in response to the beautiful gift of easter.

great strides

springtime celebrates hope. the hope of warmer weather and new life. the hope of salvation in our risen lord. the hope that there is more than this winter of life that can be full of sorrow and struggle.
what a perfect time to be considering involvement in the hope that the cystic fybrosis foundation brings to the lives of those suffereing from this debilatating disease. please join me as we raise money for the life changing research being done right now
while we are so grateful for all the people who experience the benefits of the cf medical advancements, i walk for elliot leegwater.

elliot is the adorable son of our friends jeff and marcie leegwater. he has held a very special place in our hearts from the beginning. marcie and i were due the same day with our third babies and we endured a hot summer of camping together with growing bellies and anticiaption. our youngests made their debut next door to each other at zeeland community hospital.

this little love is all boy and plays hard with his older siblings. i love getting to celebrate elliot's birthday together with my aylaroo and note the beautiful contrasts of elliot's bravery and ayla's sass, listen to elliot's jabber and ayla's high pitched commenteray. hold ayla's petite little bod and heft elliot's solid frame. so beautiful to see the distinction between the two. but there are some differences that are heartbreaking. like when elliot has to stop his busy playing in the dirt for a breathing treatment. or when elliot could not partake in the thousands of snacks that make up camp food because he can only have so many enzymes a day required to digest his food. or when the beach was not an option for elliot as the dirty, dusty sand would aggrivate his breathing.


every day, elliot fights cystic fybrosis, a life-shortening genetic disorder that creates a thick mucus in his lungs and pancreas. he takes five medications, gets nebulizer treatments and chest percussions daily just to stay healthy.

GREAT STRIDES is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's largest and most successful national fundraising event. This year, I'm walking in the GREAT STRIDES again and deeply desire your partneship as there are medical breakthroughs currently in trial that will literally change elliot's life.  please follow the link to make a donation safely and securely.
http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/lyndseymeiste

Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those with CF! Thank you for supporting the mission of the CF Foundation and GREAT STRIDES!

take note

one of the kids still favorite activities is to play with their matchbox cars on a small track.  they adore racing them, finding the very fastest cars.  bear especially enjoys crashing them.  ayla jo even finds enjoyment in sending cars zooming down the track. 

my fave is how both boys start the race, "markers, get set, go!" 
instead of on your marks, they say markers.  i love that little glimpse into their minds, like o it must be markers because that is what i know.  the whole on your marks business is just beyond them.

as i was helping to maintain turns and overall peace in the racing world, i witnessed bear headbut baby blue for accidentally knocking the track over.  i intervened and told weston that he needed to apologize and if that behaviour continued the track would be put away. 

he immediately said he was sorry and was back at playing until he sweetly glanced at me and said "so, dad is... never mind, i wont say it."  after much encouragement, he finished his statement. " dad is the boss mom, not you".

wes was trying to diminish my authority a bit, like whatever you say mom, but dad is really the boss.  he obeyed me, but suddenly his actions seemed much more of an attempt to appease mom rather than recognize the error of his ways and repent. 

such a big lesson from a little bear bear.  sometimes my behavior reflects a similar mindset with the lord.  my actions are often more a relfection of habit or meeting the expectation of others rather thana manifest of my love for the saviour.

later that evening, i was cleaning up supper while brad went into our room to relax.  he had been working super long days as one of the employees is on his honeymoon.  the adorables followed him.  things did not sound restful.  just then baby blue came rushing back in the kitchen, pleading with me to "come on, come on mom!  this!  in mommy's room!" and flapping her tiny little arms motioning me to join the chaos. 

so i did.  there before me, was brad lying on the bed, and the babes all standing in a row.  after a muffled "ready?" he began steamrolling.  and the cutes began jumping over him.  well, attempting to jump over him.  sometimes they landed on him, sometime he rolled over them.  regardless, it was hilarious and very inventive of bradley to somehow still be laying down and entertaining all the children. 


lord i pray that the days you give me with these adorables are not wasted.  open my eyes to see your lessons in their lives and enable me to wisely teach them your ways.  thank you for the treasure that is my family

amen

farmer

have you seen the farmer commercial from the superbowl?  so good.  so simple and true and achingly beautiful.

each one of us are created with gifts and abilities that are perfectly suited for the life we live. 

farmers are certainly set apart.  theirs is a job with unique requirements and demands.  it takes a very strong man to be a farmer.

listening to the wise words of paul harvey and seeing the familiar scenes touched my heart. here are some of my own reflections regarding my farmer:

god needed a man who would look after his pigs with the concerned responsibility to feed the people, sometimes coming home two or three times a day to check that they are fed and watered appropriately.  so god made a farmer.

god needed a man willing to sacrfice.  willing to experience exhaustion, discomfort, pain and frustration on a daily basis for the good of his pigs, his chickens and his fields.  willing to make financial decisions based on hope and determination to keep farming despite the volatile market and high cost of corn. so god made a farmer.

god needed a man committed to creation.  committed to finding the best way to care for the animals and the land of which he was made to have dominion. so god made a farmer.

god needed a man strong with humility.  who demands not the respect he deserves.  a man who does his job, consistently and without fail despite the conditions or the reward.  with each load of pigs, row of corn ,or flat of eggs, he gives it his full attention and his best work.  even when he receives criticisms from peta or misunderstood public opinion and ill conceived demands, he will continue to provide those very people with healthy and well tended food.

god neede a man with strength enduring.  strength to do battle with a 300 pound pig, and strength to wake up at 3:00 am on a monday morn and work till late in the afternoon. strength to tame and subdue the land and raise healthy animals.  so god made a farmer.

i am beyond thankful for the farmer god made me and my family.  i praise the lord for all the farmers and ask him boldly for their protection.