Posts Tagged → william

november 9

Fridays are a special days in our lives. Busy, but special.

It begins Thursday night. Jameson sets out his school uniform (and Mama realizes his jeans/polo/whatever isn’t clean. Grrr! Better hurry and get that laundry done!)

Friday morning, I skip my walk and jump right into the shower instead. Jameson bounces out of bed with extra excitement (I say extra, because there’s always excitement), and hurries through his morning chores. I make him a sandwich, label a brown paper bag, fill his water bottle, and feed him breakfast. One more uniform check before we leave, and every week I’m stunned by how grown up he is. Such a good, good boy.

I wave good-bye to William, reminding him to keep an eye on Beattie, and drive Jameson to the church. I’m in a long stream of minivans and SUVs, as families from all over the county drop their home schooled children off for a morning of enrichment activities. Jameson hops out of the backseat, shouts goodbye, and joins the throng of children excitedly bounding up the steps and through the front door. He’s confident. Just last year, he wanted me to hold his hand and take him inside. Not anymore.

I drive back home and join William and Beatrice for breakfast. We tidy the house, get baths, read books, and prepare for errands together. Today, we picked up the last of our CSA and grabbed a few groceries. People ooohed and ahhhhed over William and Beatrice at the grocery store, of course. “Are they always so good?” I smile. “They really are blessings.” (How do you answer that question, anyway? Right?)

We listen to Psalty in the car and play William’s favorite song over and over. Usually he has to take turns choosing songs, but today it’s just him. Live it up, kid!

Back to the church, where the three of us open our own paper bag lunch. PB&J! Quickly wipe off sticky fingers, and drop William and Beatrice off at the nursery, where a couple of home school moms volunteer to watch teachers’ children. Then I grab my music folder and head up to the choir room. Soon, the thunderous sound of 40 2nd-4th graders is heard in the hallway, and then they are bursting through the door, chatting and laughing, bright eyed and pink-cheeked. Happy, happy kids. So far this semester, we have learned efficient ways of getting bathroom runs out of the way, how to answer respectfully when I take attendance, and that a singing voice is different that a talking voice. Several of them are also learning harmony lines, and though they’re deeply nervous about it, watching their faces when they hear their voices blending in harmony is just fun. Bell rings, and without too much stampeding, they head down to assembly. The morning is over.

Last year, Jameson would come home and not remember a single thing that had happened. “It was fun.” Really? That’s all you’ve got? But this year, he tells funny stories from lunchtime, sings snippets of his choir songs, gets really excited about his art projects, and remembers all about storytime and character class. He’s so much older!

William just loves that he gets to go see Aunt Bettia in the nursery. (That’s Brietta, for those of you who were stumped.)

I’m really, really thankful that I get to home school Jameson, and I’m also really thankful for a great program on Friday mornings. This little corner of the world is really blessed, and I don’t take it for granted!

*****

Also, because I forgot to post anything yesterday, you get a photo for free. Totally unrelated. But absolutely adorable.

november 2

It’s not just the old blog that’s been ignored. There are so many pictures that have just been living on my phone waiting to be sorted, labeled, saved.

Our fall has included some really and truly lovely days. One afternoon, we all spontaneously piled into the van and drove to Lake Placid. It rained when we got there, but the drive was breathtaking and the kids were awfully loveable.

Another afternoon, we got to visit a family down the road. Beatrice was treated like a princess.

We walked to our Literature Class at Mom’s house as many Thursdays as we could. Sometimes we just had to stop and snap a photo. Wow.

The highlight of the fall so far, however, was a family trip to New York. It was highly anticipated by all of us, but especially by William. He even drew pictures of the Statue of Liberty — and also talked about her non-stop. (Look carefully; there’s a book, a torch, and a crown!)

Their big eyes took in every single detail.

But this took the cake.

*****

God sometimes outdoes Himself, if I do say so.

bits

I really, really love the windows in my house. Right now, I’m sitting at my kitchen table with a bank of windows to my left overlooking a tree-lined field, and in front of me, another wall of windows offers views of the far-off Adirondacks. The grass is as green as ever, the trees are muted golds and coppers and reds, and the sky is gray. Autumn is an indescribable show of beauty, and these windows allow me a front row seat. I’m thankful.

Last week we did the Great Clothing Exchange. I actually didn’t mind, since I was getting very itchy to go through the bins and get rid of extra clothing that didn’t get worn much. The part I did mind, more than usual, was the sadness of packing away yet another year of growth and childhood. William is proudly wearing size 4’s now — the clothes Jameson wore our last fall and winter in California. But Jameson was a big boy then, and William is still just little — isn’t he? Is he actually this tall, this thin, this lacking in any baby fat? I see him wearing these clothes, and I still just can’t believe that he’s not really a baby at all. Sweet William. Little man Jameson. Beatrice, toddling around. So big.

We’ve had several regular days of school and chores and being home in the last few weeks. Often, the boys and I have cleaned up from dinner, lit a candle, and pulled out a few games to play around the table. The games are fun, but being with them on a quiet evening, in the warmth of our house? Priceless.

Last Friday, we read the very last chapter of the Little House series. I didn’t anticipate how sad that would be for me, either. But it was. I closed the book, and my eyes filled with tears. Not because I’ll miss the saga of Laura and her family, but because a whole chunk of Jameson and William’s childhood is behind us. I don’t even know when we began reading those books, but most likely, I’ll never read those books again to little Jameson and William at naptime.

I know. Sentimental much? Yeah, a little.

So today we started All-of-a-kind Family — the story of an early-1900s family with five girls in New York City. Oh, I love those books so much! I can’t wait to read them and have the boys love them, too. Of course, today they were a little stand-off-ish. They really love Laura and Ma and Pa, and aren’t too sure about all of these new names and characters. But they quietly listened along, slowly figuring out who’s who. About halfway through the first chapter, William raised his little hand and, in his adorable quizzical way, asked, “So, Mama, is Henny not a chicken?” Ha! Oh, these kids. Their little minds are just the funniest, most amazing things.

Tonight, soup made from leftover pot roast. On a day like today, there simply must be something simmering in a pot on the stove. Or, at least, it certainly aids in coziness.

family vacation

On July 28th, after weeks of anticipation, our little family packed our van with everything “fun” and drove to a little cottage on a lake. It was the best.

Quiet, focused, away, invested, purposed, connected, together. I put my phone in a cupboard and seldom retrieved it. My laptop got pulled out one late night when I thought I might do a bit of birthday shopping. Otherwise, it was just Ryan and the kids. I looked at little faces and enjoyed every freckle; watched boys play and didn’t ever jump up to do the IMPORTANT THING I FORGOT; listened to Ryan because he had time to think and talk. We wondered if we’d go a little crazy, stuck in a spot in the woods for an entire week. Nope. I could see ourselves unwinding for the first two days — slowly losing the go-go-go, slowly forgetting how to feel minutes ticking, learning how to let days roll by without any concern about what was next.

Jameson and I were in the lake every morning, as bright and early as we could manage. (There’s nothing like having devotions in the warm morning sun after a quick dip.) We watched for the loons that would occasionally swim by, their funny calls alerting us to their presence. William played for hours in the shallow water. Ryan took everyone for boat rids, including three one-kid-at-a-time trips (which were, of course, a highlight.) We ate every meal outside — but then, where else would you eat hotdogs roasted over the fire? Jameson discovered that kayaking is every bit as wonderful as he’s dreamed it to be. We all enjoyed the lakeside hot tub. We got water in our ears. The sunscreen worked like a charm, so it’s obvious who didn’t use it [*cough* Ryan *cough*]. I read a whole book. We packed games and movies and books in case of rain, but every single days was sunny.

There were lots of “I love you”s. There were also lots of “Thank You so much, God”s.

[more pics]

end of june

[I tried to insert pictures, but got frustrated with a flickr glitch. Click through if you want to see them!]

Last Monday was our 7th anniversary. Seven is closer to 10 than to 1. This year, our special day landed right in the middle of deadlines for Ryan, so celebration looked like a smile in the morning, roses ordered and delivered last minute, and saying at the end of the day, when Ryan looked up from his work, “So, seven years, huh? Wow.”

Just like most other special days, the best way to celebrate something is to just do it fully. (This makes me think of Psalm 116:12-13.)

I took a few pictures of the day, comparing it with a smile to our lives seven years ago. You know: special hairstyles and make up compared to finally getting a shower sometime that afternoon. And other comparisons that made me deeply thankful: two individuals who were “one” in word but still learning how in deed, compared to a family of five who lives life together in purpose and love every day.

*****

Our family of five will take a “real” vacation for the first time this year. A little house on a lake, shallow beach, boats and fire pit: these things have my little boys very, very excited. A whole week, rain or shine, to just take the moments as they come. Okay, that has me excited, too.

William has been practicing his summetime-and-the-livin’-is-easy.

*****

Another stage of our renovation is nearing completion. Do I sometimes just sit in the lamplight and soak in the loveliness? Yes, I do.

Also, on the increasingly rare afternoon that all three children are asleep, I sit in the sunshine and soak in its loveliness.