That was surreal to even write that blog title...
Anywho, happy 10th(!!) anniversary to the love of my life, my best friend, my confidante.
Tomorrow I will go to work for 9+ hours and then I will drive to my parent's house, kiss my kids goodbye and head to a hotel with my hubs.
I had big grandiose plans of how I'd write an eloquent and romantic blog post about our journey as a couple through the highs and lows of life. And I would post pictures of our premarital wooing, our one-of-a-kind wedding and the blissful travels life has taken us on in the last 10 years.
But then I remembered that I don't have time to do that. And not only that, I know there is great intimacy and joy in cherishing our time together just between the two of us. So, I'm committed to being offline for the next couple of days...being in the moment, NOW. With my husband.
You are my better half Dan, truly. I love you. I picked a good one.
Here's to 60 more...
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Hermiz Family Update
This mama has been so neglectful of this blog! My hundreds of followers must be lost in despair over my absence. Be hopeless no more, I'm back!
Life has been so busy since Karis arrived. First, we were busy adjusting to our new life as a family of six. Then we were busy adjusting to life with a working-outside-the-home mama.Then there was Luke's birthday (he's SIX!), Thanksgiving, Christmas, our weekly home group, John's 60th birthday party and Adalyn's birthday (she's TWO!).
In the midst of all of that, Luke has been continuing his homeschooling; mainly focusing on phonics, writing and math. For his writing practice, Luke has starting writing and mailing letters to various people. We've all really enjoyed this practice, as writing letters is quickly becoming a lost art. Luke is doing amazingly well learning to read. We're using the book, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." Dan and I have made a deal with him, promising that when he finishes learning to read, we will take him out to a restaurant for a burger (grass-fed beef;), sweet potato fries and a shake. He's really excited!
Luke and Ellie have joined the Kids Choir at church. They go every Sunday evening to rehearse, and they will have a concert in March. They sing the songsincessantly so enthusiastically! They will have no problem memorizing all the words! They're also going to AWANA on Wednesday nights. We are so thankful for the positive influences they have in their lives at church and the strong emphasis on scripture memorization at both of these activities. They are also doing gymnastics again at the Vinyard...busy, busy, busy!
Adalyn has started saying a lot more words since I last posted. She'll try to say just about anything you ask her to. Although, with the exception of thank-you, bye-bye, and combining words with "please" ("milk please"), she has difficulty combining words and saying words that have more than one syllable. Sometimes it's hard to tell if she's struggling, or is just little lazy. I think it might be a little bit of both.
Karis is doing so well! She is our best sleeper yet!! That has been such a great blessing, since I had to return to work at 8 weeks postpartum. By 7 weeks old, she was sleeping 8-9 hours straight! Now she sleeps anywhere from 10-12 hours. She's been healthy, which we are so thankful for. She has a bit of a flat spot on the back of her head, so I've been trying to position her differently and keep her off her head (lots of tummy time!)...hopefully we can avoid any other type of therapy.
Life is very busy and full, and we are incredibly blessed. It's definitely a blessed kind of busy. We are anticipating some changes in the near future which need prayer. We have been praying about and discussing Dan staying home to homeschool the children and me going to work full-time. I have a heavy heart as I want to do what pleases the Lord and brings peace into our home and family. Between homeschooling, having 4 children and the possibility of me working full-time, we are definitely not fitting the world's standard for what is "normal" or reasonable. But if the world thinks we're weird, than maybe we're doing it right! :)
Life has been so busy since Karis arrived. First, we were busy adjusting to our new life as a family of six. Then we were busy adjusting to life with a working-outside-the-home mama.Then there was Luke's birthday (he's SIX!), Thanksgiving, Christmas, our weekly home group, John's 60th birthday party and Adalyn's birthday (she's TWO!).
In the midst of all of that, Luke has been continuing his homeschooling; mainly focusing on phonics, writing and math. For his writing practice, Luke has starting writing and mailing letters to various people. We've all really enjoyed this practice, as writing letters is quickly becoming a lost art. Luke is doing amazingly well learning to read. We're using the book, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." Dan and I have made a deal with him, promising that when he finishes learning to read, we will take him out to a restaurant for a burger (grass-fed beef;), sweet potato fries and a shake. He's really excited!
Luke and Ellie have joined the Kids Choir at church. They go every Sunday evening to rehearse, and they will have a concert in March. They sing the songs
Adalyn has started saying a lot more words since I last posted. She'll try to say just about anything you ask her to. Although, with the exception of thank-you, bye-bye, and combining words with "please" ("milk please"), she has difficulty combining words and saying words that have more than one syllable. Sometimes it's hard to tell if she's struggling, or is just little lazy. I think it might be a little bit of both.
Karis is doing so well! She is our best sleeper yet!! That has been such a great blessing, since I had to return to work at 8 weeks postpartum. By 7 weeks old, she was sleeping 8-9 hours straight! Now she sleeps anywhere from 10-12 hours. She's been healthy, which we are so thankful for. She has a bit of a flat spot on the back of her head, so I've been trying to position her differently and keep her off her head (lots of tummy time!)...hopefully we can avoid any other type of therapy.
Life is very busy and full, and we are incredibly blessed. It's definitely a blessed kind of busy. We are anticipating some changes in the near future which need prayer. We have been praying about and discussing Dan staying home to homeschool the children and me going to work full-time. I have a heavy heart as I want to do what pleases the Lord and brings peace into our home and family. Between homeschooling, having 4 children and the possibility of me working full-time, we are definitely not fitting the world's standard for what is "normal" or reasonable. But if the world thinks we're weird, than maybe we're doing it right! :)
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
She's Official!
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| Karis has her very own monogrammed towel! :) |
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| The big sibs. |
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| The little sibs. I was hoping to get Karis a peach-colored towel, but no such luck. Instead, she got "sunburst," and it's bright! |
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
October 25th, 2012
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| Our sweet Karis Alethia. Her names mean "grace" and "truth" in the Greek language. |
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| So special that my mother-in-law could be at Karis' birth! And my mom delivered her! My mom has delivered 3 of our 4 children--what an incredible blessing and joy! |
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| Our girls are so blessed to have Luke as a big brother. |
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| Sweet big sis! |
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| Adalyn loves her baby sister! |
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| Family of six! We are so blessed! |
We are now adjusting to the busy life of a family of six! More pictures to come...someday. :)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
One Down...
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| Luke woke up this morning and showed us that he had a VERY loose tooth. He wiggled it back and forth for about an hour and a half .... then he pulled that little tooth out all by himself! He's such a big, brave boy! He quickly moved on to talking about compensation... |
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Travels Galore
In late August and early September, Dan and I embarked on two separate journeys that would keep us apart for nearly two weeks. We were both very blessed--with safe travel, loving family, new experiences, God's beautiful creation, and the joy of being reunited.
Dan had the incredible opportunity to travel to Turkey with his dad and Aunts Mary Esther and Ruthie. He travelled to multiple cities, including Midyat, Instanbul and the ruins of Ephesus. He researched and discovered amazing things about his great ancestors, and was able to stand in the very places where some of those ancestors were martyred. He saw beautiful churches, landscapes and architecture. He stood in the Tigris river and ate Turkish delicacies right on the river's banks. He survived crazy travel experiences, major time differences and lingering jet lag....but it was more than worth it.
These pictures don't do the trip justice, but they give a little taste...
Dan had the incredible opportunity to travel to Turkey with his dad and Aunts Mary Esther and Ruthie. He travelled to multiple cities, including Midyat, Instanbul and the ruins of Ephesus. He researched and discovered amazing things about his great ancestors, and was able to stand in the very places where some of those ancestors were martyred. He saw beautiful churches, landscapes and architecture. He stood in the Tigris river and ate Turkish delicacies right on the river's banks. He survived crazy travel experiences, major time differences and lingering jet lag....but it was more than worth it.
These pictures don't do the trip justice, but they give a little taste...
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| Grace family--visiting with the Farley's |
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| Shmayaa Hotel, where Dan's great-grandmother was martyred in the early 20th century |
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| John's favorite part of the trip ;) the food! |
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| The "Site" -- where hundreds were martyred and where Dan, John and his aunts gathered to pray |
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| Bethel Church--Dan's great-great grandfather was involved in starting/building this church |
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| Minaret after minaret line the city skyline, but this steeple at Bethel Church stands at the highest elevation in the city--cool! |
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| Another shot of the Shmayaa Hotel |
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| Hagia Sophia--one of the largest churches in the world, later converted into a mosque
While Dan was exploring his Turkish roots, Luke, Ellie, Adalyn and I joined Mimi and Papa in Hilton Head. We had a wonderful time, and were incredibly blessed by Mimi and Papa. They generously provided a flight for me and Adalyn, a roomy condo to stay in for a week and a half, yummy food, late morning sleep-ins (woohoo!), and lots of fun activites. Papa even taught Luke how to dive!
We had a lot of fun--Luke can now swim without floaties! Luke and Ellie successfully shared a bedroom while we were there, and Adalyn continued to use her signs and learn new words. Most days we spent the morning at the swimming pool and the evenings at the beach. Mimi and Papa took the kids on lots of bike rides and Papa even paid Luke and Ellie for helping him find golf balls on the golf course behind their condo.
          
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