i heart boys.

this past weekend was spent with 12 adults and 15 children [plus grandma jane - armommy pres.] at my families vacation home in leavenworth....  our second annual.  it felt like an extended sleep over and i was completely pooped by the time we got home, and the day after, but it was SO worth it.  there was delicious food, beautiful surroundings, complete chaos, excitement, lots of laughter, a few tears, some games, sledding, more tears, a couple colds, late nights, early mornings, good conversation, and constant activity.

the first morning, after getting a brief glimpse of an igloo the night before, the boys wasted no time before going out to play.  still in their pj's, no jacket, no hats, no snow-boots, not even a good-morning kiss, just pure joy and anticipation.  we can learn so much from them.  

[my first real attempt at editing my photos in photoshop....  oiy.  i need some more practice!]

it touched my heart to watch them.  so wrapped up in being with each other that they were oblivious to the cold.  they are blessed to have great friends.  some to look up to, others to look after.  one day they will be teenagers and i am choked up at the thought of our babies becoming men.  but i am grateful that they will be on the journey together...  at least for now.  i pray that they would encourage one another and hold each other accountable.  that they would laugh together and lean on each other.  i pray that they would be pace setters, cheering each other on and leading their peers.  i pray that their friendships would be rooted in Christ and that their faith would be unbridled and contagious.

oh how i love these boys....  including the ones that are not pictured.

it was a fun weekend indeed.  i'm hoping i'm not the only one willing to do it again next year!  

meet the littlest friis.

i’ve often wondered why two year olds are considered to be in the “terrible twos”.  in my opinion, [we are raising our third munchkin], two is way easier then one.  this is our one year old, matilda jane:

 

she does different versions of this all day and is typically pretty pleased with herself.  this morning she figured out a way to open her sippy cup full of milk and dump it all over herself and the floor.  i calmly placed her in her crib so i could grab a wet rag without her spreading the puddle throughout the house.  10 minutes later i returned to her crib to discover that she had removed her diaper and pottied on her bedding ….  seriously?  was that necessary little girl? 

she also has a knack for unraveling herself rapidly.  after struggling through getting her dressed and her hair done i’m usually sweating, but it’s not long before she’s pulled her clip out, taken her baby legs, pants, skirt, shoes, socks, etc. off.  and i’m left wondering how such a cutie pie can look like such a rag-a-muffin.

however, i know she is not the only one.  my little brother’s nickname at this age was “the master of disaster” and my niece’s was “hurricane elisabeth”.   since our baby girl was born we’ve called her “waltzing matilda”, but it is quickly being replaced by sticky fingers. 

this too shall pass.  one day soon, i will forget how exhausting this stage is  and want another one.  however, at this moment i’m looking forward to the terrible twos.  

xo . rae . vp + mom . armommy . rae@armommy.com

from the mouth of babes.

do{es} your child{ren} ever say exactly what is on the tip of   Y O U R  tongue?

this evening ozzie handed me his bowl and asked for a refill.  silly me assumed he wanted more mac and cheese and so dished up a good portion.  the result?  total disgust as he gagged, “this was my applesauce bowl!”  it was potentially the end of the world.  my response?  well, my  3 year old beat me to it.  “chil.lax ozzie!”  a common phrase in the friis home {along with "rela.ha.tte” relax + latte}.  terms that are necessary in a home full of fun loving, excitable people.  a non-offensive way to say, “take a chill pill!”.  instead of defensiveness we get giggles.  and thus, the world will continue until the next tragedy.

not a whole lot to take from this story, but hopefully entertaining.

. xo . rae friis . armommy . vp + mom .

twenty.10

i have been busy at work in many areas of business and family and my mind is racing with things i could write about.  i’ve been contemplating what to focus on and think that as we head into 2010 passion and adventure will be a big focus of mine; being the second day of the new year, i feel an appropriate topic.  but to begin and without further adieu, some of my biggest struggles and questions from the previous year have been….

how can i be sure to put my ALL into something [or many something's: husband, children, ministry, business, friends] and fit it all in; including the ‘small’ stuff?  or, for that matter, is it truly possible to not sweat the small stuff?  if i focus on the big stuff, will the small things fall into place?  even though i have gotten really good at saying “no” over the years and trimming down my commitments, i find that i still don’t have the time to do and be everything my heart desires.  however, i am absolutely convinced that this is not how life should be.  so this year, 2010, i am trusting that if i am focused every day on God’s heart for me and my family, i will be living my best life possible.  understandably i am egger to see how things turn out.

the end of 2009 brought about so many exciting events.  we have two weddings of our treasured friends to look forward to [words cannot express how much i love the people involved] and my husband and i had a  H U G E  victory in our personal life.  nothing that had to do with our marriage, but that greatly affected our family.  until the moment that we heard the good news i don’t think i was completely aware of the toll this always looming, randomly active situation was taking on me.  while i could live by faith knowing that God’s glory would be the ultimate outcome, nothing could replace the relief that came this past month…  in that moment and after 10 years of fighting, my life simply became more about living and less about surviving.  it was a labor of love, passion and sacrifice and i cry every time i think about it.

[our wedding day 2005]

today i was doing what and being who i want to be in the coming year.  our afternoon was spent sledding with our friends and their children for a total of 3 couples and 10 children.  getting all the kid-os in their snow gear is an adventure in and of itself, but add to it that one of the adults is 8 months pregnant, 8 of the children were 6 and under, and getting to the sledding hill included hiking down a steep “cliff”, crossing a “river” and then trekking up another steep hill and i began to feel like lewis and clark.  we were in fact, totally out of our minds but still had the gumption afterwards to fire up the camping stove, make gourmet hot chocolate [candy canes, egg nog, cocoa, milk and whip cream] in our soaking clothes, with our exhausted children and spend a good hour or so simply enjoying each other's company as the snow fell.  i loved every moment of it. 

this evening as my husband offered his help to get the kitchen and family room clean i turned on a song that had recently moved me to tears [all i need by mat kearney] and asked him to stop and slow dance with me.  [the song is about a real life experience of a young married couple during the katrina flooding.]  luckily he agreed without hesitation.  as we danced and listened to the words i wondered, what is it about tragedy and adventure that breeds romance and overwhelming love?  not hard to answer but a worthwhile question. 

sometimes, while faced with chaos and stress i am the best version of myself.  i love good because i know in those moments what matters most.  other times i am the worst version of myself  because i forget what is most important.  i will never be a perfect person, but i always want to be better and this is where my heart and thoughts are headed into twenty-ten; with my eyes and ears turned to my Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Everlasting God and Savior, a devotion instead of a resolution.

wishing you more then you dream of in 2010.

[you can hear the mat kearney song on you tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0HqdJfQceo] 

rae :: vp + mom :: ARMOMMY  

friis fam

because i am more awake tonight at 10:30 then i have been all day, here is a peek at our christmas card this year.  i really should be doing my bible study….

…front…

…inside…

sweet dreams.