Where's the Cassi?

The other day Cassi, Ruby, and I were having a Girls Day at the mall and Target. As we were walking by the jewelry store I looked down at my filthy ring and watch and decided it was time for a good cleaning. So, the three of us headed into the jewelry store, which in Cassi's opinion is so boring compared to Claire's. Claire's has so much more selection!
I was trying to keep the girls occupied while the lady worked her magic on my jewelry. I quickly looked over at the jewelry case and saw a ruby. I quickly pointed it out to Ruby hoping she might be interested. She got right up to the case glanced at it and asked, "Where's the Cassi?" I could of died laughing!
It was quite an adventure keeping them both happy and entertained! The Target nachos and chocolate ice cream did help to keep them content for a while!

Two months

Well it's been about 2 months, so I guess it's time to blog again. These past two months have absolutely thrown me for a loop....but in a good way. Two months ago I only had three kiddos, now I have four, yeah FOUR! At times I still can't believe it either! I am now one of those moms with more kids than arms. I am now one of those moms that can no longer drive just any vehicle...we are officially a BIG family.

This morning I was laying in a hospital bed with my littlest gem trying to get her to rest, and once again I became completely overwhelmed. God has been so good to myself and our family. We have honestly experienced another miracle in our lives. It's been a process, but it is still a miracle.

The loop I have been on...well let's just say it's a 2.5 year old....need I say more?! My days are now full of sippy cups, giving "cany" every time she potties in the potty (she is already pooping in the potty), chasing, bargaining with her for just about everything, taking a baby jogger or stroller EVERYWHERE, getting about a 1,000 hugs and kisses each day, never being able to go to the bathroom or take a shower by myself, cuddling on the couch, being able to read to someone that doesn't notice when I make up my own stories instead of reading them verbatim, and the list goes on! God has shown me these past two months that I definitely had room in my heart for one more precious gem! He has blessed me beyond measure with four amazing children.

I guess by the next time I blog I better come up w/ a new name. Poor Ruby Duby is so left out...maybe the Sweet Six?

Life

A couple of weeks ago Doug and I, and our good friends were talking about how our lives had turned out so far. We were discussing what we might have thought if we would of been allowed to see little snapshots of what our future looked like.
To be totally honest I never in a million years would of thought that my life would of turned out like this. I never in a million years thought being the wife of a full time pastor, and a mother of four would be what God had planned for my life. Now don't think for a minute that I am disappointed or would have it any other way. It's just a little different than I expected. The part that is radically different is the joy and contentment that I experience daily. I truly believe that God has poured out his blessings upon my family and I in a miraculous way. Trust me we have had our share of heartaches and pain just like everyone else, but God continues to work in our lives.
In my younger years I never would of imagined that my life could possibly be so blessed, and yet so simple. I honestly thought that money and a successful career would bring me happiness rather than my faith in Christ and my precious family.
God has done amazing things in my life this summer. It has been a summer that I will never forget as long as I live. As a family we have become SO much closer. I am finally getting the principle of God, Doug, kids and the results are amazing. I am not saying that I have it mastered, I'm just trying to live it out. Not everyone gets to be married to their best friend and is blessed with the joy of parenting amazing children.
So, basically I am a little emotional/sentimental tonight. I am sitting in a hospital room listening to my son breath in and breath out. I find myself begging God for healing and nourishment for my little mans body. This hospital stay has given me time to reflect upon the blessings of being first a child of God, second an incredibly blessed wife, and of course the luckiest momma in the world. Thank you Lord for blessing my life far more than I could of ever hoped or imagined! Oh yeah, and could you make sure my little man is feeling like a million bucks in a few days so we can go get our precious little girl?

Summer lovin' and lovin' summer!

Long time no blog! It's not that I am lacking things to blog about,but it seems like every time I sit down to update some other fun opportunity/activity drags me away from the computer. Much more fun/important to live life than blog about it!

So far the Conn Conn's have had a fantastic summer! We started our summer with a FANTASTIC trip to the Oregon Coast. It was just the 5 of us, and we had SO much fun together! We were able to celebrate Trev's b-day on our way there at Benihana (kids loved it). We spent most of our time on the beach, we also visited an aquarium, shopped, spent a lot of time in the hot tub, of course ate at Mo's, ate LOTS of saltwater taffy, stayed up late every night, and slept in every a.m. Big Daddy did a great job of finding us a great condo to stay in!

Upon arriving back home we hit the ground running! We celebrated Trev's b-day w/ friends at the pool. All 3 kids have had the opportunity to spend a few days in Baker w/ my family one at a time. They have had so much fun and gotten incredibly spoiled. It is really different to only have 2 kids at home! I missed them like crazy, but am so glad they each got a little alone time w/ G-ma Kiki and Papa.

I have to say that I love every minute of summer....bbq's w/ friends, daily adventures to our pool, free movies @ Edwards, family dinners on our new patio, watching Chris play baseball, attending God and Country and listening to Big Daddy sing, Bible Study w/ the girls, impromptu trips to Baker and McCall, boating w/ Papa and G-Ma Kiki, Pedi/Mani w/ my girl, floating the Boise River, our yearly camping trip w/ the Harrington's, and the list goes on. Mostly I just love our summer lack of schedule. I love that my kids can stay up late so we can hang out longer, and then they sleep in each a.m. I love that we get to be together ALL DAY!

We are making the most of everyday! We are anticipating our life is in for a BIG change HOPEFULLY in the very near future! As most of you know we are STILL in a holding pattern. Please continue to pray for us! I am signing off to hit the pool!

Happy B-day Cassi and Chris!!

I love/hate this day! I love celebrating you two, I just don't want you to get any older!
Cassi,
My life would be so boring with out you! You are definitely the life of the party! There is never a dull moment when you are around. I am so thankful that you always keep me on my toes! I love that you are such a girlie girl, but at the same time love animals and the outdoors. Your pink fingernails w/ dirt constantly under them shed a lot of light about you. I love to cook w/ you, and am so thankful I never have to cook dinner alone. You are my little, "Cooker." I also enjoy your artwork all around our house and my classroom. You are quite a talented artist! I am thankful that you are sensitive to the needs of those around you. I have seen you mature in this area a lot recently. Your smile makes my heart happy! I am so glad that you come to see me everyday at recess. I know the main reason you come is to get a snack, but I am happy to see you just the same.

Chris,
Oh how I love my tenderhearted boy. Your kindness and compassion toward others is very evident. Your smile still melts my heart every time. I love to watch you play sports or any athletic activity. Your skill amazes me, but more than that your effort is amazing! You are one determined young man! One of my favorite parts of the day is when you read to me. I love that time with you, and am so impressed at how incredible you are doing. I am so glad you still want me to come see you at lunch each day at school. I love to watch you interact w/ your friends and hear a little about your day! You are an excellent helper to me!

Easter

I have to say that I LOVE Easter! It is such humbling time to remember what my Savior did upon the cross. I love the newness and freshness of spring however, it kind of crept up on me this year. I wish that I had some better items to put in my kiddos baskets, but at least I do have a few things. I have Easter dress(es) for my girl, new shirts for the boys, and Doug will be stylin' in green.
We had so much fun coloring eggs tonight together! The kids have been begging to do it all week. Tonight was the night! Our eggs.....well they are colorful to say the least!
More important than eggs, new clothes, and Easter baskets we have had some great discussion this week. I think my kids are really starting to understand the importance of Easter, and what it means to them personally. Chris wanted to know if Jesus would of died for just his sins? He was so happy and relieved to know that Jesus loves him that much. Trev soaked up every bit of our communion service at church. He really took it so seriously! He has been full of questions since Wednesday night. It was priceless to hear my kids belt out, "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." Let's just say I bawled like a baby through the whole song. I think they really began to understand what that blood did for them. Cass attempted to hand out cards to all of her friends inviting them to church. She told me she wanted all of her friends to learn about Jesus and come to the Easter Egg Hunt.
The five of us will be doing a card board testimony together this weekend at church. My kids are really excited to be able to share the story of how God brought us together. I am so thankful to serve a risen Savior that is still performing miracles even in the lives of my own family!
I hope that you have a blessed Easter!

Mr. Motivation

Okay....I have been feeling SOOOO lazy lately! Could it be because I am married to Mr. Motivation?! My man has a serious case of MOTIVATION! He is working like crazy at church and amazing things are happening, working on his Masters, and recently decided to run a half marathon with a good pal. It is crazy to see someone that used to not enjoy running, run 4 miles and read half a book in a day. Running and reading have never been a part of his vocabulary in the 14 years that I have known him. I am so thankful for the healthy example that Douglas is setting for our children!

I have recently had to remind myself that God's plans for those around me are not his plans for me. So, all that to say I am not running a half marathon. I am pretty content with my new exercise regimen at the gym. I am also not going to pursue my Masters at this point (even though I have more than half of my hours). God has really been working on me and helping me to be more disciplined in my own spiritual life. My motivation is my family. I want to be a God fearing woman that serves my family with joy. I have realized that my problem has been that I have no goals. There is no finish line or degree earned at the end. So, my goal this week is to set some goals. I think I might ask Doug for a little help as he seems to set some pretty high ones lately!

Fab 5 fightin'

okay i have to admit i am a lover not a fighter! i have never much been into wrestling, boxing, karate, or really any of the martial arts. i just don't like to watch people hit or kick each other. however, for the rest of my fam it is a different story. my kids are all excited for basketball to end so they can start karate (much to my dismay). they have been recording and watching all of the karate kid movies lately.
the twins have always enjoyed trying to take each other down. especially when encouraged by their father and older brother. the smack downs usually occur right before bedtime, so that everyone is wound up like no other! smack downs at our house consist of the twins grabbing each others arms and trying to push/pull each other down. there is only a half pound difference in weight, so it is actually a pretty fair fight. doug and trev cheer and guard all of the sharp objects and corners so that the contestants are not hurt. the score of the last fight was 2 to 1 with Cassi the champion. however, she was injured in the smack down. she got a bruise on her shoulder, but it was the kind of bruise that you can not see (at least that is what she said). her shoulder was also "swollened" on the inside. while tucking her in after her victory she told me not to tell anyone, but that she was a tom boy. she decided that she no longer wanted to do gymnastics or ballet just be a fighter.
i have been a soccer mom, a baseball mom, a swim lesson mom, a tumbling mom, a basketball mom.....but i can't do this martial arts mom thing. if i hear one more, "I'm gonna take you down." i might scream! i have to admit i love to watch the twins do their little smack downs in their p.j.'s, but i just don't want them learning real moves so they can really hurt each other!
please don't tell cassi that i blogged she was a tom boy, or for that matter chris that i told you a girl beat him in smack down. i would be in so much trouble!

life and 30 days to live

well....i guess it was about Christmas time that i last blogged. i am thankful that we did have our "Christmas slow down" because we have literally been running since then. our year has been off to a great start. we have made lots of "healthful" changes around our house. doug and i joined the gym and we are all eating more healthfully! i am SO proud of douglas, and love going to work out with him. i am so thankful for the example that he is setting for our children.

a lot of our time recently has been consumed with the boys playing upward b-ball and cassi cheering. they are all enjoying it and doug and i are having a great time spectating. they are all about ready to start an after school program as well. trev is going to be in a boise children's theater production, chris in more b-ball, and cassi in an art class. never a dull moment around here!

okay....so that was the life part! in a nutshell we are all doing great just trying to make the most of everyday, and that is where the 30 days to live part comes into play. i am really enjoying the new series that we started at church. even before we started the series this was really what i pondered upon during the "Christmas slow down." this year i am really trying to make the most of every minute. i am trying to be more positive. most importantly i am trying to rely on Him more. as the book that i am currently reading states i am "connecting to the vine" instead of trying to be the vine. okay, so it is already the middle of february and i wish i had this all down by now, but i don't. i am just so thankful that God has not given up on me, and continues to work in, and bless my life on a daily basis. i am thankful for the new perspective that he has given me, and how i have been able to enjoy some precious moments with my fam that i might of previously missed out on. the work out discipline has definitely helped my spiritual discipline to be better this year. well i am off to play w/ my kiddos instead of doing the much needed laundry...priorities right?! if i only had 30 days to live clean clothes would be the bottom of my list!