Making Memories.

We are - all six of us - nature Lovers.

We love to be outside.
We love to go on adventures.
And we love to explore the Great Outdoors.
A sweet hike with a mountain on top of the trail.
As a kid growing up, whilst all of my friends were going to Disney for their school vacations, we stayed at the infamous Hunting Camp in the middle of the Haynesville woods for our vacation - where skunks were known to wander up through the holes in the floorboards in the middle of the night, where spiders the size of my fist lived in the outhouse, and where bonfires were built with flames that shot up higher than our tents.

It was Epic.
And every single one of us loved it.

All of Dad's brothers and their kids came along for these vacations.  Our cousins were our siblings, and these vacations were absolutely lived for. We would canoe the river - rain or shine - with 5 gallon pickle buckets as our chairs and with trash bags as our rain coats.  The river was our shower, and the Great Outdoors was our source of entertainment.  In the winter time, everyone drove beater snowmobiles, and if it was freezing, Dad wrapped my sleigh up in plastic and pricked pinholes all around it so that I could breathe.

I remember canoeing the Allagash one summer where moose sightings became the norm and where we lost count after the first couple of days.  I can remember getting caught out the lake in the middle of a crazy lightning storm, so Dad rushed us to shore where we broke into some guy's outhouse to wait out the rain! With all five of us cramped into that itty bitty room, my brother Clay reached up and found the camp key - we let ourselves in until the rain subsided - and then we left a note with our address confessing what we had done. Weeks later, we received a letter back with an invitation to come and visit any time we were up in that area again!  This is the culture of my people.  We would have LOVED learning that our camp was a source of safety and a haven for someone caught in a storm!

Never once - in all of my growing up years - did I wish for Disney.
Never once - did I feel like I was missing out.  My entire world was an amusement park!
My childhood was rich, and my memories run deep.
Blueberries on top of the trail.
While the big boys rigged up homemade fishing lines (and caught nothing), the Littles and I had a feast.

From the time we were young, we would target practice and skeet shoot with the dad's and the uncles, and I loved every bit of it.  The boys hunted squirrels when they were still in the single digits, and a bb gun was one of the earliest gifts ever requested. I remember when my cousin shot her very first partridge, and my Uncle called her the "Queen for the Day." And I can remember the only time my Dad ever yelled at me was when I aimlessly walked in front of all of the boys who were shooting.  He scared me terrified, and then he held me close, and never again was I careless in front of the firearms.

I can remember waking up in my tent with my cousin Nicki during a rainstorm - and literally floating in water from a leak that must have sprung.  Mom bundled us up in winter jackets and we spent the rest of the night in the truck with the heater running.  I can remember finding a pile of dried up deer poop and putting a piece of it on each of the boy's pillows in their tent....only to find out at bedtime that their retaliation involved fistfuls of the stuff throughout our entire sleeping bags!  I remember my Uncle Phil's Hank William's music always playing in the background, and the stories that both he and Uncle Keith would tell around the fires at nighttime.

This is the richness of childhood that I am trying to instill into my children...(minus the deer poop)...
These are the memories that I am trying to create.
And, for the most part, it doesn't cost a dime.
Just a little bit of effort and imagination.

It's about being intentional, and it's about making our own traditions.
This is the kind of HAPPY that I want my own kids to remember.
Setting up homemade targets for target practicing.
Even now, when my boys go up and spend a week with my parents each summer - those seven to ten days are the highlight of their year.  My parents know about being intentional.  They know about instilling traditions.

They work on crazy projects, and Dad has them pile wood.

 They sleep out back in Dad's cabin, they set raccoon and skunk traps, and every day is an adventure.  Kaden drives his own 4-wheeler, and Dad has wagons attached to the back with bus seats welded down, so that our entire family can go on Beverly Hillbilly adventures all together!

Every single one of my babies - from birth - has been lulled to sleep on the back of one of those 4-wheelers, strapped tight to my chest, all cuddled in while we explored for hours.  Four wheeling with my family is still one of my deepest joys, and it is one of the things that soothes my soul the most.

Simple times with Family that we love.
Being outside.
Going offline.
Making memories....and Just Being.
Well, helloooo photo bombers...
These are the Days....

For my parents, I am deeply grateful.
And for my Husband - my partner on this whole Journey of Crazy, and most often the brains behind our adventures - I am thankful.

Filled to overflowing...

Year Five.

So.
We started school this week.
And we have survived to tell the tale.
While it's true that money can't buy Happiness...it CAN buy Chinese Food...which is almost the same thing.
Saying that we "thrived" might be a little bit too generous of a description for our first week of school, but we made it through most of the material with all of our sanity and hair still in tact - and that's a success story in my book.

I think it's because we kicked off the new year with a celebration supper of Chinese food the night before.
We are all about the food.
And nothing says: "Let's hit the books!!" like good ole' General Tso's...

My school shelves.  I heart them.  Top row is mine. 2nd row is Kaden's 4th grade stuff.
3rd row is Jesse's 1st grade stuff.  4th row is Ransom's Pre-school stuff.
Bottom row is books, books, books!  And globe.
Floor is...I don't want to talk about it.

All four school years previous to this one, I started out Enthusiastic!!  Excited!! And Ready-to-Conquer-the-World!!!  I've been ready to kill it, and I have felt pretty much on top of my game.  (Well, except for maybe last year when London was brand new and we moved into our new place the very night before.  Last year might have looked a little bit like Survivor, too, come to think of it...)
Our schoolroom/boys' bedroom.  With a happy tablecloth on the table and a happy, fun, first-day-of-school breakfast.
Anyway....this year, I felt a little more like:  Tired!!  Overwhelmed!!  Holy Crap - it's Time Already?!?!?! And, my personal favorite:   I have a Wild Child Whirling Dervish Toddler....How the HECK am I going to pull this off??!

Any newbie (or oldie, for that matter) homeschooling friends out there who want to feel amazing about themselves and their new undertakings...you have a standing invite to come spend a day with me and my Hoolies.  I promise you will go home feeling like a Rockstar.  It's the least I can do....

Why, before we were even halfway into our very first hour, sweet Lady-like London Child threw not one, not two, but THREE rolls of toilet paper into the flush AND about 15 of Ransom's matchbox cars - with astonishing speed and agility, might I add - all the way down our flight of stairs.  Her box of raisins projectiled themselves ALL over the living room, and she screamed like a banshee when she didn't get her way.
A huge, full-sized chalkboard gift from my Daddy-O from MY old highschool.
I must have looked like I was about ready to throw myself down the staircase right along with all of Ransom's cars, because before Kev walked out the door to work, he took me by the shoulders and said:  "It's not always going to be like this.  You know that, right?!  It's going to get better!"

..............said the man who got to drive to work in a blessedly silent car all by himself..............

Halfway through our day, we found our rhythm.
And we had pizza for lunch.  With the Cosby show.  Again, the food....Happiness.
Things could only go better from there, right?
Things could only look up?!

And they did.  Honestly.
Bill Cosby, pizza, and deep, cleansing breaths.  They do the body good.

And we are learning together again...this thing called Life, and these days called Crazy.

I always like to start my kids a good week before the rest of the school systems start back to school.
I think it's all psychological.
I want to feel like I'm ahead., and I want to give us a few days to find our rhythms.
....And to remind the boys to Always.  Shut.  The.  Bathroom.  Door.  Or.   Else.....
Ransom's little "school kit."  Just a hodge podge of workbooks and odds and ends - mostly from the Target dollar aisles.
I think this entire Homeschooling Journey is so very much like every other Journey I have been on in the course of my wee little life.  There are so. many. things. that I said I would never. ever. do.  It's almost funny, really.  Except that it isn't.

Let's just make a little list for funsies, shall we?  Things like:
I will never marry a pastor.
I will never live in a city.
I will never ever homeschool my children.
I will never raise support to be a missionary.
After we were out of ministry for awhile:  I will never go back into ministry.
I will never live with friends.
I don't ever want a girl to add to my collection.

To name a few....
Check Baby.  Check Baby.  One, two, three....ten.
There are perks to having your classroom in your bedroom. 
Anyway, Life is funny with all of its twists and turns.

Never in a million years, would I have ever seen myself doing what I am doing now.  And loving it - or most of it, most days - even.  Four kids - when I never really even wanted any in the beginning!  Homeschooling - when I always believed that only weird people homeschooled their kids!  And stretching and growing....and learning...and being humbled at every twist and turn.  But getting to walk this journey with my kids and having them want to walk it with me!  It's really, pretty amazing.

And I honestly - deeply believe - that, at least for now.....this is what I was made for!  This is my highest calling - being a mother to these four gifts that are mine just on loan - and that I get to do this....weak, tired, broken, reckless, such as I am ME...I have been entrusted with these kids!

And not for a second do I believe that homeschooling is for everyone.  Nor for even a millisecond do I believe that I am the world's best teacher.  Holy Hannah.  Beeelieeeeeeve me.....there's not a doubt in my mind about that one.  But this is the path for us right now, and childhood is fleeting so I am trying to soak every bit of it in.

And I am confident that God's grace in me will cover over a multitude of my mistakes and ineptness.
And so I humbly accept this challenge for one more year...
Insert cute picture that has NOTHING to do with my blog post.
So ~
Here's to the ride, Boys!  To another year!
Here's to days of Insanity and days of pure Awesome.
Here's to school in our P.J.'s and to Ipod jam sessions while we work.
Here's to having your sister crawl all over you while you try to read, and here's to hot cups of coffee all around.
Here's to days where your Mama is full of Jesus and to days where she has to apologize 8 million times.
Here's to laying on your bed while you do Math and to early morning basketball matches.
Here's to learning together...and to helping each other grow.
Here's to - hopefully - Character over Curriculum....
And Here's to another year of trusting.  Of loving - deep, and raw, and real.

And here's to Listening....to the ONE whom Life is all about in the first place.....

I Still Do...

Just a few nights ago...

There were 18 of us...9 little couples...with a tapestry of stories.
And we all held hands, and we all gazed deep...
And we did it again.
Hydrangea...they mean "perseverance."

We said:  "I still do...and I always will."
With God as my witness, I vow this forever.

And we cried again
Fifteen years, and four babies, and eight moves, and countless jobs, and millions of memories, and thousands of laughs, and hundreds of heartaches later....we cried again.

And we said:  "Always and forever.  No. Matter. What."
And the husbands led their wives in communion.

Because it's good to remember all that's been broken and all that's been redeemed.
It's good to look back...
To see the "us" that was fifteen years ago, and the "us" that is Today.
Older.  Wiser.  Stronger.  Deeper.  And so very deeply in love with each other....
It's good to celebrate...and it's important to Renew.

And it's good to recognize that it's all because of Jesus...

I think it would be awesome to renew every single Anniversary!
It's one more year where we've made it!
One more year where we have beaten the statistics...and where we have won - over all that's out there that seeks to divide and destroy.  We have loved and we have learned.  We have built into and we have built up. We have made mistakes and we have said a million "I'm sorry's."  And we have done it over and over again for fifteen years....
Beautiful, homemade cakes with edible flowers...
Fifteen years of sharing the same bed.
Fifteen years of Him choosing me...and only me...day after day after day.  And of me doing the same.
Fifteen years of taking care of each other when we are sick.
Of learning together - this thing called Parenthood.
Of teamwork, and of being each other's Number One Fan.
Because - man, even if there's no-one else in my corner standing with me - he always is.  No matter what.
And he gets that same loyalty from me....
Fifteen years of babies and of moving...of job changes and of Life.
And fifteen years of walking alongside, hand in hand, and loving deep and raw and real....
Through it All...

And you know what "they" say....
"They" say that a recipe for a great relationship is serious stability with a good dose of spontaneity.
I like this recipe.
And I surely have this recipe in Kevin Scott Booker.
This man - he keeps me on my toes.  But I am rooted deeply IN him.

I've said it a thousand times that I will follow him to the Ends of the Earth...and I pretty much have.
Me - I am a root digger.
Him - he is a nomad.

Me - I like predictability, and I really hate change.
Him - He likes things spicy, and he's a mover and a shaker.

Me - I am practical.
Him - He thinks WAY outside the box.

But us?
Somehow we work.
And I really really Really like us.....

And so once again ~
I surrender to the high call of being your covenant wife.
God has given you to me as a precious gift, and I receive you.
I will love you, serve you, and cherish you with my words and my actions.
I will treat you with respect as I would the Lord.
I will sensitively and diligently meet your needs and the needs of our family in a sacrificial manner, according to the model of Jesus Christ.
I commit to sexual purity and to keep myself unto you alone so long as we both shall life.
I surrender my selfish rights and assume my full responsibilities.
In spite of circumstances or emotions, as I stand against any person or force that would come to divide us, I will love you until death separates us.
I will not turn my heart away from you because of anger, difficult times, laziness, the distraction of other demands, desires, or anything else.
I will work on our marriage and seek to grow as a wife and a woman of God.
With God as my witness, I vow to be your covenant wife.

 (source unknown)
So long as they both shall live....

Create!

On a beautiful August morning, when London is napping, and when the five Hoolie boys have argued for the final time over who gets to have which Lego piece for which robot... and who has more pieces than whom...and who gets to be on who's team with which partner....
 ...the Mama whispers "thank you" to her own Daddy way up North for being such a genius...

And she declares it to be an outside painting day...
And suddenly, all is once again right in the world.
Because whenever this Mama goes up HOME to visit her own Big Daddy, she secretly always tries to leave a little extra space in her car to bring back "treasures" that she knows he always has for her...

Like five big 'ole pieces of slab wood!
You never know when one of these might come in handy, but if your Daddy-O says these might be fun to have - you simply agree - and you bring them back for later...
 A slow, summer day in August just a few weeks before life is going to wind right up with all of the Crazy all over again is the perfect time for these treasures to come in handy!

It's the perfect "Later....."

With painting comes MESS...but with crafting comes calm.
With painting comes clean-up...but with crafting comes peace.
They give each other space...
They let each other breathe...

And little brains start working, little bodies start relaxing...
...and little voices suddenly start complimenting each other all around.

"Silas!  Your painting looks AMAZING!"
"Jesse!  I was just thinking the same thing about YOURS!"
 And the Mama breathes deep...
...and she briefly wonders where she'll put all of these creations....
But she'd far rather have this problem than the Lego Warz...
So she leaves them to dry...and she saves that issue for another day.

A Girl and Her Boys.


Three little boys all lying on the bed ~
Along comes their sister - who jumps on all their heads!

One little girl with her three Hoolie boys ~
Lying side by side - they look like three Hoolie TOYS!

They're focused on their show, they're just barely alive ~
She sees her chance is NOW, and she takes a big dive!

She rides them all like horsies, and she flops across their backs ~
They hardly even notice her {not so} stealthy attacks.

She gives each one some "love-ies" and she pulls on all their hair ~
Surprisingly, they barely move - they're hardly aware.
She pokes them, and she prods them - she's a wee whirling dervish ~
As her Mama's looking on, she's feeling just a wee bit nervous....

'Cause the "WILD" is growing stronger, and the "CRAZY's" getting.....MORE...
I'm reminded, I thought "girly girls" were all a big bore....

This one, she's crazy daring - and she's impy, tough, and loud ~
And I kinda' must admit, that she makes her Mama proud!
But....give me grace, dear Lord......I have a feeling I shall need it.

August 1.

We've done so much gallivanting as of late, I can't remember the last honest-to-goodness Family Day we have had where there has been an entire day with no agenda to just go and conquer or explore something like we so love to do.

So...when Friday rolled around with the promise of sunny skies and an 80 degree day, I done gone went and declared it to be a "Mama's Choice Day."  
Meaning:  No fishing poles today, boys.  Sorry to break the harsh, cold truth to you.  Today there shall indeed be water...but the fish shall stay alive.
Enter one of our most favorite spots in the world - (when they can get brooks and streams and trouties and bass out of their minds):  Bar Harbor.  Specifically, the little secret back trail that gets you in to Sand Beach for free!

On your way into the park - instead of turning right to go through and pay the rangers for the park pass to the entire parkloop road area - take a left.  When you get to a four-way intersection, turn right and follow the signs to the parking lot for the Great Trail Head.  Park your car in the parking lot, watch out for the poison ivy at the very beginning of the trail, and get ready for the tiniest bit of a hike....

Go right, and you get to the far end of Sand Beach.
Go left, and you can explore the Great Trail Head with the (non-swimming) "beach" that has tons of smooth, round rocks.

I recommend doing both.
Bubble Rock.
Super fun, fairly easy, and a decently quick mountain to conquer.
Our boys are almost at the age to be able to do this, although I still fear for their lives a bit.
A couple of my children have yet to acquire a healthy fear for some things.....
It makes a beautiful backdrop for Sand Beach....mucho happiness.

And the little streams that flow from the ocean into the little outlet here (inlet?) are super warm....and contain lots of baby eels that my boys love to catch.  Methinks that all of the ladies that were basking in the warm waters here were blissfully unaware of this little tidbit of knowledge....

Fifteen years of marriage, Eight moves, Four babies, and One year of engagement ago, right on those rocks to the far left of Sand Beach was where Kevy proposed to me.  Here's how it went down:  It was raining, he wrote me a song, the last line went "will you marry me?", I thought he was kidding.  When I realized he wasn't - I burst into tears because I thought for sure he hadn't asked my Dad, so I said: "But, did you ask my DAD??!!"  He looked taken aback, then he said: "Uh, yes, I did....and he said yes....um...what do YOU say?!"  And then I cried some more, and I said: "Yes," and then we had someone take our picture, and I'm pretty sure they thought we were fighting because I was crying, so then I blurted out that I was REALLY happy because I had just gotten proposed to but I had no idea and I really don't like surprises even though that was a really great one....
And here we are - along with a couple of fellow photo bombers - Fifteen years and four Hoolies later.
And that's one of the reasons why I love this spot so much..
And all my boys do, too.
I just have to remind them sometimes that there is life outside of fishing.
To which Jesse declared from the waves:  "Best day EVER!!"
Agreed, my Love....
See?  How fun is this?
Getting pounded by the surf...and eating your fill of sand...and having it fill every crevice of your body...
It's super fun!
On our way back to the car we scooted down the path towards the Great Trail Head.
We didn't go all the way to the end of it, we just short-cutted our way down a little side trail...
And all of a sudden, you are away from the crowds of Sand Beach, and you are all alone on this far more rugged coastline with waves crashing all around you, huge rocks to climb and explore, and wide open spaces of wildness.

It's breathtaking.
And it's a beautiful contrast.
There are little tidal pools everywhere, there are piles of smooth, round rocks, and there are zero people.
Good for smooching.
Indeed it was a beautiful start to our lovely month of August.

“The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn...” 
― Natalie BabbittTuck Everlasting