Post Category → family

weekend catch-up

On Friday, we took a field trip — about the only kind of field trip I ever manage to pull off:

We crossed the road, walked through our neighbor’s yard, and stood at the edge adjoining a huge hayfield, where tractors were pulling super cool equipment and shaping cut, dried grass into huge bales. The kids thought it was really neat, I loved the breeze and smell of dried hay, and the farmers must have enjoyed the late afternoon pick-me-up of three cute and enthusiastic kids pointing and waving as they rolled by.

Field trip: Check.

On Saturday, I cut up a watermelon for an after dinner treat. It was a hit. And of course, watching Beatrice discover the wonderfulness of holding a huge slice of juicy sweetness in her little hands? Priceless. (Last summer she was still a crawling, nursing infant. This summer is all about discovery!)

Today, I grabbed a few pics while attempting to gather these three crazies for a “Happy Father’s Day” video. Beatrice doesn’t like being moved around like a baby, and she also is prone to totally cheese out when asked to smile. As you can see:

And this guy. He is the world to three little people. They adore him, but why wouldn’t they? He loves them all the time, as deeply and fully as he can.

“The glory of children is their father.” –Proverbs 17.6

today

Every great once in awhile, we wake up to what feels like a truly blank-slate-of-a-day. It’s such a treat.

Today, we ate pancakes and bacon for breakfast. I quickly realized, as I watched my kids eat, that I can just skip the pancakes next time and simply serve fruit and bacon. A little puddle of maple syrup from the Moulton’s in which to dip the bacon, and they’re in heaven. In fact, I’m sure Beatrice wonders why I even waste time on pancake-related efforts.

I hummed “Tradition” as I cooked, and decided they would love listening to it. Of course, they then wanted to know all about it. Somehow that conversation led all the way to Corrie ten Boom, and an opportunity to share with them the reality of wickedness and sin, and the power of the Holy Spirit in such darkness.

We tore up carpet in my bedroom, in an effort to further prepare it for the installation of wood flooring. The boys worked cheerfully alongside me, and I was happy to be able to do something to help Ryan’s load in this current renovation. Jameson kept saying, “Isn’t this fun, Mom? Isn’t this going fast?” What a blessing that little guy is! He just loves to tackle a project.

The afternoon and evening were spent having a big family dinner, and then attending Camilla’s high school graduation. Eight out of nine of us — done. Crazy. And knowing that in eleven years Jameson will take his turn? Even crazier.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

the rest of May:

They all wore shades of green, and desperately wanted to take pictures before church:

Evenings like this are too good to be true. It’s when Ryan and I look at each other and say with our eyes, “These are the best days, aren’t they?”

Sometimes my wild gardening “techniques” — you know, buying a package of seeds at the grocery store, scattering them, and forgetting about it until two years later — ends up working out. I have columbine in such pretty colors this year.

Also, my itty-bitty baby purchases from two years ago are all starting to actually flower. I don’t have to raid Mom’s garden [as much] this year!

Memorial Day is honestly one of my boys’ favorite days of the year. Rain was forecasted, and I cringed. Do you know how long they’ve been waiting to play baseball with Papa and the uncles??, I prayed silently. And it didn’t rain. It was another most beautiful, poignant, fun, easy holidays ever.

May ended with some really hot temperatures. So we bought a “pool”, and the kids had the best weekend of their lives. Pretty much.

And now it’s June. And I’m determined to photograph, blog, or otherwise capture every single day of this family-of-five until we become family-of-six.

in pictures:

the girls

the haze of spring’s green appears on the trees

Beatrice’s first “real” visit to a playground — she couldn’t get there fast enough!

wrapping up our first grade book work outside

taking a break from riding

sheriff william, keeping an eye on the neighborhood

mother’s day with my boys

filling my days, my heart.

Life unfold all around us:

— birds return, and suddenly, the air is full of activity after a long and silent winter.
— trees form beds, but not before they let their sap run, giving us the maple syrup we enjoy all year.
— snow melts, at last, and boys dig out mud boots for an inaugural tromp through our property.
— bedroom and bath gets emptied of all belongings in preparation for a coat of paint.
— baby adds words to her vocabulary every day, and after 20 months of waking multiple times each night to nurse, suddenly sleeps like a big girl. (I miss her cuddled-up body.)
— family room gets cleaned from top to bottom, and rearranged, and I’m amazed by how much peace it brings.
— baked falafel and homemade pita are my new favorite.
— and so many other little things that make up our alternating simple and busy days.

But I’ll admit, my heart is a bit preoccupied in this season:

— blatant dismissal of our Constitution by NY’s governor.
— the same man’s attempt to “lead the country” in abortion expansion.
— a huge population of the Church showing confusion over what, exactly, marriage is (a picture of Christ and the Church, and nothing less.)
— a serial murderer who first got away with his crime for far too long, and now continues to get away with anonymity.
— people who are shameless about their agenda to take my children away. (Don’t stay silent.)
— 336 million murdered since 1971.
— and so much more.

This is the world which God so loved.
These are the sins for which Jesus died.
I need Him.
You need Him.
We need Him.

I love the Lord
Because He hears my prayers and answers them;
Because He bends down and listens.
I will pray as long as I live. Psalm 116