Rancino Man

It seems as though our wee one has a bit of an obsession with coffee.

A week or so ago, he completely trashed our coffee cupboard and dumped out a half bag of coffee as well. There were coffee grounds in his diaper for days!

And now this morning, this precious little creation of joy, went garbage picking during the minute and a half that Daddy went downstairs. Glorious. And disgusting. I'm beginning to feel like I have a little puppy on my hands rather than a toddler. One and the same in many ways, methinks.

In other big news, (I'm a stay at home Mom, you know. All news is epic), Rancey Pants got his very first haircut this week. I decided that it was time for the mullet to get a trim....especially after his hair was wet and I saw that it was actually laying on his shoulders AND after all three of the bigger boys were tying bread bag ties into his hair and giving him a ponytail - admist great glee, mind you.

It was time.
Sigh.

But, just a trim. I need to keep those curls for as long as I can.

And these little baby soft wispies will be tucked away in his baby book just like the other two before him. Sigh. Another last first. :(

WAAAAHHHHHH!........

For The Mamas...

My sweet sister-in-law Jules, is pregnant with their first little babe, and Marmie and I are giving her a baby shower up home. My gift to her will be two of my most absolute favorite "parenting books":

"Sacred Parenting" by Gary Thomas
and "Tender Mercy for a Mother's Soul" by Angela Thomas Guffy.

There are SO many parenting "How To" books out there on everything from getting your baby to sleep through the night to potty training....and Lord knows I've read my share of them...and still do! But these ones are all about taking care of our soul and how God uses our kids to actually shape our souls and cause us to draw closer to Him during these years. I love LOVE them.

Anyway....

This is what I'm reading to Julie at some point in her shower. Most of it is taken from Gary's "Sacred Parenting" book. Everytime I read it - it makes me teary, and it brings SUCH clear perspective for me on how God views what I'm doing as truly sacred and as something that is of vital importance....

**********

There once was a beautiful young Mama named Julie, who after just a few short years of marriage decided to set aside her very successful career of Physical Therapy for a short time and instead embark upon a crazy adventure called "Motherhood."

Julie had wanted to be a Mama for sometime now....and she cherished the opportunity to stay home and build into and raise up this tiny little person that together she and Aaron had made. Most days she loved what she did - she was fulfilled and felt that she was doing exactly what she had been made to do.

But, Julie, like most young mothers sometimes struggled a bit in adjusting to this change in her lifestyle. Just a few years before, she had been in what our culture would call her "prime," looking her best, working out at the gym whenever she felt like it, doing whatever she wanted on a Friday and Saturday night, and having lots of fun. Now she was married, a mother, staying home with a child, trying to get her own body back into shape, covered in her own milk and the baby's spit-up, and unable to do anything first without getting a babysitter.

Before becoming a mother, it was very easy to measure the productivity of what she was doing - especially by the world's standards. She was successful in her career, and this had always been rewarded in pay raises and checks - visible rewards for her hard work. It is a little more difficult to measure the success of this job called "Motherhood!" It comes with no pay raises, most things need to be RE-done the very next day....if not multiple times during that SAME day, and most times no-one even sees what is being done to constantly try to maintain some semblance of order and structure amidst the chaos and mess of a typical day.

This is just a story....but if ever Julie DOES feel these things, may she feel GREAT surprise and delight in discovering that her act of welcoming this child into the world is the very act so HIGHLY regarded by Jesus at the judgement:

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me." ~ Matthew 25:35-36

Who gets hungrier than a newly awakened baby desperately searching for milk?
Who is more naked than a recently born child?
Who is more a stranger than an infant who comes into this work knowing no-one?
Who gets sick more often than a little one, who seems inclined toward ear infections, diaper rash, and colic?

When a mother welcomes a child into the world, feeding her and giving her drink and clothing him and holding him when he gets sick....she is doing EXACTLY what Jesus tells us will be MOST rewarded in Heaven!

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the LEAST of these brothers of mine, you did for me!" ~ Matthew 25:40

Understanding God's joy in his own creation is one of the more profound spiritual experiences we will ever know. In the process of caring and loving, we bring God great pleasure! In those moments, you become His provision, His comfort, His passion. Through great pain you gave birth to this child, and with even greater pain you make daily sacrifices to love this child. Your Heavenly Father doesn't miss a second of this sacrifice. He sees it all. He cries with you and He laughs with you and He takes GREAT joy in the good work you are doing!

May you never forget that this journey of motherhood, this career change into parenthood is a sacred enterprise. God can baptize dirty diapers, sleepless nights, and toddler tantrums in order to transform us into people who reflect the image of Christ. Parenthood is new territory - sacred territory defined by the children that God has given us to teach us His lessons in love and life. Yes, by God's grace, we may teach our children a few things along the way. But more than that, God will use our kids in our lives to shape US. They will teach us how to sacrifice and how to handle guilt, they will school us in the art of listening, and they will force us to our knees in prayer. They will show us how to laugh and how to grieve, they will cause us to live courageously, and they will help us face our inadequacy and our need - and above all, our reliance upon the One who is greater than we are....and the One who gave us these gifts on loan in the first place.

The truth is, we are living in the midst of holy teachers. Sometimes they spit up on themselves or us. Sometimes they throw tantrums. Sometimes they cuddle and kiss and love us. In the good and the bad, they mold our hearts, shape our souls, and invite us to experience God in ways we have never known.

Welcome to this new adventure, sweet Julie! May God bless you with grace and love abounding! May your children rise up and call you blessed! And may you NEVER doubt that this adventure you are about to embark on is one of the things that God most highly regards and finds pleasure in, and that it is a "career" He sees as sacred and of vital importance!

**********

Saturday Mornings

I roll over, and I know without looking at the clock that it is somewhere between 5:00 and 5:30. My body is trained now, and I sneak downstairs to shut Ransom's door so that he'll continue sleeping even when the big boys wake up. In the winter, we keep all of the boy's bedroom doors open to let in the heat of the fireplace...and to be able to hear them since we're on another floor of the house. My head tells me that I should stay up and exercise while the rest of the house is sleeping. My body tells me to go back to bed and join the rest of the house. My body wins out, so I shuffle upstairs to join Kev. Someday my head will win. But not today.

Sure enough, a half hour later, I hear two bare little sets of hobbit feet slap across our wood floors and tromp up our bedroom stairs. The boys wake with the sun, but with Ransom's door closed now, he should sleep for another hour....just so long as he doesn't hear the hoolies. With happy smiles and giggles, they crawl under the covers, and I find myself trapped between two little boys - one who instantly curls himself around me and settles in for another half hour of sleep. The other can never seem to keep himself comfortable...or quiet. No matter the reminders, within moments of a reprimand he finds himself breaking into song...or story....or the question of what's for breakfast? This gets the other just awake enough to join in. Hands reach across me and grab at each other, little voices tease about crazy hair and stinky breath, and I again wish that we had a king sized bed.

My head, once again, tells me that I should've just stayed up because there's no chance I'll be falling asleep again. But, what's done is done. I'm horizontal now, and there's no turning back. Legs and arms tangle all around me, Daddy's arm reaches across and grabs one of them, and - as usual - a wrestling match ensues in the age old joy of little boys trying to see if they're big enough yet to take on their Daddy. I scoot to the farthest edge of the bed as possible and close my eyes - trying to eek out the tiniest remnant of a nap, and trying even harder to avoid the wrestling match that's quickly growing into something far more grand and glorious all around me. I know that someone is going to get slung off the bed or hit in the head, but that just seems to add to their fun.

Finally, they get tired out, and at the same time they realize it's Saturday and that means cartoons, so they race downstairs to curl up on the couch with Busytown Mysteries and Curious George. Kev tries the wrestling moves on me, and I assure him that I do not want to play, but what I really want is a shower and for him to make me a rugged cup of coffee. He good naturedly complies with a "Come downstairs with me. Let's not take showers today." I played that game yesterday, and I found myself walking around the arcade at the mall looking every bit the mother of boys with my rumpled comfy clothes, hardly any makeup on, and hair slicked completely off my face thinking we would stay home in a blizzard like every other normal family around us is doing. Today, the shower takes place first thing, because I never know what Mr. Boredom Buster has up his sleeve. I at least want to look presentable for it.

When I come downstairs, I am greeted with coffee ready, three little bedheads in their p.j.'s, and cartoons in the background. Today there will be work mixed with play - a dooryard to snowblow, new forts to be built, chickies to be dug out from the storm, laundry to be done, bread to be made, and a shift of work in the evening. But the rhythm is different. It is slower and more relaxed. There is no sense of urgency and no rushing off to be anywhere. It is easy and it is good. Just like the quiet after the storm. There's a hush - a stillness of sorts. Tomorrow, a new week begins again in a fury. But today....it is the weekend!

With These Rings....We Thee Wed???

If we lived in the day of arranged marriages and bride prices, there are three little girls in Dover Foxcroft, Maine who I would claim for my own....er...I mean for my boys some day. They are adorable and delightful, they can hold their own with my three boys, and their parents would make for some rockin' in-laws!

Yesterday, they came to "Boy's World" and for about eight hours straight, they played together. They were inside and outside playing all sorts of trucks and guns and kitchen and farkle and animals and coloring and tea and sliding and chickens. All sweet, innocent fun.

All of this done with fairly minimal mishap!

....Well....except for the house! Ha!

And the Mama's.....well.....we sat and we talked and we wondered and we hoped and we dreamed and we encouraged and we laughed and we shared our hearts and it was lovely.

We need to take breaks in life and do that more.

We need to take our walls down and throw away the facades and bare our hearts and be real.

Because, isn't that what life is all about?

Walking it together...doing our best...staying on our knees....and encouraging each other?

Inspiring and challenging and loving and praying for each other?

It's healing and strengthening and life giving....and I believe it blesses God.

It's good. So VERY good!

And in the sad words of my oldest: "When are we EVER going to see them again?" :0)

Happy President's Day!

Well. As we all know, Monday was President's Day. And in the spirit of being a true rockin' homeschooling mom, I capitalized on the opportunity to teach my students some amazing factoids and fantabulous information about this Holiday.

This is how it went down:

Mama: "Today is President's Day. HAPPY President's Day!"
Kaden & Jesse: "Oh."
Mama: "The name of our President is President Obama." (And I showed them a pic).
Kaden & Jesse: "Oh."
Daddy: "Who wants to go ice fishing?"

And that was pretty much it....



We brought our very own...er...ice shack....of sorts.
Guess which one is ours?
Hint: It's the very portable one that is also used for camping...

This is me - hypocritical Mainer that I am - holding my 25-pound-bundled-so-that-he-can't-even-move-child on my back - trying to have fun. I am wondering that if there was a girl child in our mix, I might possibly be at the movies right now or having coffee at a fun little (warm) coffee shop with her instead of freezing my buns off out here in God's country.

This is all three hoolies very intent on their own little hole with their own little pole. This is what Ransom said ALL morning long: "Whoa. Oh Wow."

This is our first big catch of the day. A wee little perchy.
Ransom: "Whoa. OH Wow."

This is Jesse.
Being Jesse.

Overall - it was a good time.
A pickerel that we're eating...and a pickerel that got away (amidst MANY tears).
Some perch caught and released.
Some coffee and hot chocolate drank....and spilled..(amidst more tears).
Some fresh air and family time.
And some REALLY long naps.....

Slowing Down....

It's been a busy several days in a row over here. All good things - friends visiting, family staying for the weekend, extra work shifts picked up, ministries growing, and relationships being deepened.

All good things.

But, when the house starts to fall down around my ears, and when when fuses get a little short, and when tears flow a little more readily, and when sharp words get spoken a little more frequently....

I know that it's time to reassess...and most often, that means it's time to slow down a little. I went to bed last night knowing that today would be one of those kinds of days. No huge agenda, no ginormous check-off list, and a pretty chill day of schooling.

Daddy made us a cozy, big breakfast to start the day off right. And then when Ransom went to nap, we did the tiniest bit of Math and Handwriting. And then we did what we love best.

We curled up together on the couch in the front of the cozy fire.

And we read.

And we read and we read.
And we colored, and we crafted.

And we had grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch.
It was quiet. It was cozy. And it was needed.

And once again, the world is back in order...

It's Friday...I'm in Love

Ever heard that song? There's a weird version and then there's a super cool acoustic version that a young girl with a funky voice sings. I like the funky version, and I love the song.

Anyway...I love Fridays. Rain (which it's doing in buckets today) or shine, I love them. They have a rhythm to them that is all their own. We wake up slowly. Lately, Kaden has been going to get Ransom when he wakes up and the three littles all play in the big boy's room and wait for Kevy and I to come downstairs. We come down in our p.j.'s, Kev puts on some fun music and makes coffee, and then he and I make some sort of fun breakfast together while the hoolies play and dance around us.

I love it. LOVE it.
We give Rancey some little tin cups and some Cheerios to eat and sort while he waits.

Seriously...those toes? De-licious.
And this:

Well - THIS is a picture of a loaf of bread gone WAY wrong. When I took it out of the pan, part of the crust stuck, thus putting a hole in the loaf, thus completely deflating it when all of the hot air escaped, thus making it look like this. Kevy drew a heart in the peanut butter. It's Valentines toast.

This:

is some mad decorating skillz by one of the hoolies.
This:

is what's on the agenda for family fun these next few days.
Gun Warz.
Usually, Ransom and I cuddle up together in Daddy's big comfy chair and laugh at the action, but today methinks we're going to join in. Grampy Quint is coming for the week-end, so we need to practice our hunting skills for when the REAL war takes place. Grampy is Mr. Stealth.

This:

is what happens when we play said gun game. Mom always used to yell at us kids when we played ball or got rowdy inside and she'd say: "Are you gonna' play ball in your house when you get your own place someday?!!!" My answer to that is: "Yes....AND darts....AND Nerf ball guns....AND soccer...AND rollerskating...AND wrestling... AND at times dogdgeball."

This:

is what a friend and I did when she came over for a visit with her little boy this week. We haven't gotten together with our kids for quite awhile because when we first moved home from PA my Jesse greeted her little boy with a couple a good thunks on his head as a get to know ya greeting. Started their friendship off real smooth like, and he traumatized her little guy for many a month.

Jesse has grown up a bit since then. His "gentle" is still very much like a bull in a china shop and the love that he gives is somewhat mactruck-ish, but he means well. It was with some fear and trepidation that we tried round two this week, but all went well. Phew...

And this:

is the extent of my sewing capabilites. I made a barley bag for Marmie to heat up in the microwave and put on her sore shoulders. It stays warm for a super long time, and it smells good too.

It also makes me feel productive and Martha Stewart-ish to sew something at night while we're watching American Idol and Survivor. The reality shows...they drag me into them. Can't help it. Love them.

Lastly...this:

is why I need to get off the computer and get my groove on. This week kind of plowed me over. I have company coming, work to do, a house to clean, laundry to conquer, baths to give, meals to make....you know the drill.

But, hey....it's Friday.
It's all good!

Amendments to Grace...

Kev and I have been taking this course called “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.” U.S. Center for World Mission (the organization that we are with) requires us to complete this within the first two years of joining. We are plugging away. Should have been done months ago, but you know….life and work and raising a family happens. Our supervisor rocks and is very gracious, but there are limits to one’s grace. So, this month, we’re both kicking it into high gear.

So, these 15 lessons – in the tiniest of nutshells – is about we as believers needing to be Kingdom oriented people. It’s what life is all about! The Bible isn’t just a nice little book about a bunch of different people’s stories. The Bible is HIS story that contains His strategic plan for saving the world. We are in a battle – we are at war – life is not a spectator sport. And there is a part that He wants me to play.

Christ has a vision for us that extends far beyond ourselves and our own little lives that we can so easily get caught up in living. I need to be constantly reminded of this! The world does not revolve around Amy and her home and her crazy little life that she so desperately tries to control. In fact, this life isn’t about Amy, at all. Shocker.

Anyway….one thing that I love about this course is that the things that are applicable to planting churches and preaching Christ overseas so easily parallel doing those same things over here. So many culture clashes, and struggles against tradition, and doing things “the way we’ve always done them,” and all of the things we battle with today….the disciples battled as well! This is an age old issue of trying to figure out what God views as important versus what we feel are necessary things to living out the full life that God intends for us.

Remember the difficulties some of the disciples had in wrapping their brains around the idea that the Gentile believers – the dogs of the day – did not have to be circumcised to be honest to goodness followers of Christ? What was held so sacred in one custom was utterly unimportant in another. And the real kicker? God honestly and truly didn’t care what those Gentile believers chose to do in that manner. What He cared about was the condition of their hearts.

Why? Because the Gospel is about God. Him alone.

The underlying character of one’s relationship to Christ is what really matters. And the process of transformation that takes place in someone’s life is progressive and often in God’s timing and not our own. I think we forget this sometimes. How often do we add our own amendments to God’s grace? How often do we say, or at the very least think, that if someone was really serious about their walk with Christ well, they surely would’ve kicked their smoking habit by now, they would obviously dress more modestly, they would be in church whenever the doors were open, they wouldn’t drink, they wouldn’t hang out with the unsaved, they would never slip up and swear, they would most definitely not have gauged ears and tats etc. etc. etc.? God calls people to repentance…not to repentance PLUS these ten things that I think good Christians should do.

I don’t know. Looking back at my own life, I’m sad at what mountains I chose to die on with some people. I have led an elitist, self-centered life. One that, in the past, would rather have argued over what style of worship to sing to, what movies to watch, what music to listen to, what type of clothing is appropriate, and what version of Scripture to use. I have been comfortable. I have been fat on God with a banquet of churches and Bibles and programs and styles of everything to choose from. Standards are good. Necessary even. But not ammunition to shoot each other with.

Christ didn’t die for Muslims to eat pork or for people in Papua New Guinea to wear shoes. And He also didn’t die for my co-workers to feel like they have to clean up their acts before they would feel good enough to walk through the doors of a church.

So, what do we do about this? Not really sure yet. Still processing. Lots of what Kev and I talked about while we were away. I just know one thing for sure. I’m ready to stop talking, and I’m ready to really put my money where my mouth is.

I love this quote from Gary Barkalow: “You can tell how close someone is to the battle by what they are complaining about. If they’re complaining about how warm the beer is, well you know they’re not really very close. But, if they’re complaining that they’re out of ammunition, then you know they are in the thick of it.”

I’m done dying on petty mountains. I’ve got one life to live with three little boys watching how I walk it out. And I don’t want them seeing Mama complaining about ANY beverage being lukewarm…..

What Happens When...

:: This is what happens when Mr. Delicious waits at his bedroom window long enough.

:: The Dynamic-Duo give him a rockin' show to watch that's better than any T.V. All that waiting...it was worth it!

:: This is what happens when Mama spends too much time talking on the phone without checking on her oh-so-quiet one year old...

:: I highly doubt a nap will take place this afternoon with the spoonfuls of high test coffee that this child just consumed. But the phone call...it was worth it!

:: And this is what happens when my childhood friend and I get pulled on a sled behind her husband's snowmobile, and I tell him that he drives like a girl...

:: We proceed to get dumped quite unceremoniously onto our rumple-stiltskins.
All that trash talking...TOTALLY worth it!

Happy Hearts...

Well, we are home after an absolutely glorious one little night stolen away from the world.

On Saturday night, Kevy took me back. Back to the place that he took me for supper on the day that he proposed. And back to the place where we spent the very first night of our marriage.

And since then, twelve whole years later, well....I've taught him a thing or two. Now - thanks to me - Kevy dips his fries in sweet and sour sauce, and he always stirs milk into his ice cream to make a frosty whenever he eats it. Those are pretty big things, you know.

And he's taught me a couple of things, too. I now go to bed much earlier than I used too, I reeeeaaaaalllllly love coffee, and most days now start with really loud music. I'm okay with these arrangements.

We have ourselves a pretty good system worked out.
He builds me chicken coops when I get the urge.
And I scratch his back during movies.
He lets me take my shower first 'cause he knows I can't function without one.
And I make him 10:00 coffee break snacks on the days he works at home.
He knows I don't iron - so he buys wrinkle free.
I know he prefers one side of the bed - so I (not so) graciously, let him have it.
He has learned that when I say, "I'm not thinking anything" - I'm REALLY not.
And I have learned that his brain NEVER shuts off.
I've come to accept that his side of the closet will NEVER be organized.
And he has learned that he's stuck with my icicle feet in bed.
I have learned that he wakes up IN.STAN.TANEOUSLY.
And he has learned that I really don't do life before 7:00.
(So please direct all conversation elsewhere until then).
I have learned to be okay with him pushing the coffee maker out from the wall when he makes coffee every morning.
He has learned that as soon as I notice this, it immediately gets pushed back.

We read each other's thoughts.
We finish each other's sentences.
And we find each other hilarious even when no one else does.
It's a pretty good deal.

I heard it said in a movie once: "Most days have no impact in the course of a life. They begin and end with no special memories made in particular. It's all of the little somethings that add up to make the whole of one's life."

There's something to be said in that, I think. There's a bit of truth in that little quote. Most days ARE just the normal, mundane life that's lived out. Nothing overly spectacular to report - nothing amazingly special, per se. But, when you are living "life's mundane" through eyes that are choosing to really see the way that maybe God intends for us to see it --- never distaining the small things and viewing things through His eyes....well, that changes everything!

And when you're living it out with your most favorite person in the whole wide world - well, that's just a pretty rockin' bonus!

Happy Heart's Day, Kevy.
I love you more than you know.
Thank you for loving me well....

Valentine's Day

I think it's one of my most fave holidays to celebrate.

It's just simple and fun.
Another opportunity to show the ones you love that you really do love them!

See! Ransom has decided that in honor of this Holiday, he's going to feed Risso her food by hand....bite by bite....while stealing little crunchy bites himself every once in awhile. That's true love, folks.

Last night, we set up the boy's places at the table with just a few little gifts of love. When it's unexpected, any little surprise is huge and appreciated.

Mama: "Ransom, what does the elephant say?"
Ransom: "RRRRRAAAAAWWWWWW!"
Mama: "Close enough, my little third child...."

Eggs from my girles....

A big huge breakfast. Really, for a man (make that four man sized appetites over here), truly the way to their hearts is through a big ole breakfast. If bacon's included, Kaden knows that I REALLY love him.

Pink hot chocolate. We all agreed it tasted gross....but it was fun.

Aaaah. A great Happy Heart's Day Weekend....

And the best part is still to come.
My Love....well, he's taking me away.
Just us two.
Overnight.
With no hoolies in tow.
Heavens above.
I'm totally stoked.
We're leaving real soon.
Must go take a shower.
And try to look feminine.
Gonna' be hard to pull off.
Might even wear a dress for the occasion.
With Rachael's borrowed boots....(Have you forgotten about them yet, Rach?)
But no nylons. Bane of my existence.
There are lines you know. Standards.
I don't do nylons. And I don't iron.
I also don't bathe my kids very often or change their sheets.
But, we've already covered those things, haven't we?
Anyway.....
Happy Heart's Day!

Playdate

I have this friend named Rachael.
I think she's pretty rad.
My boys - they LOVE her daughters,
and when we leave, they're sad.

I've known her for some time now.
We met in Bible School.
And if our kids get married.
Well, that'd be pretty cool!

Yesterday, we went to play.
We hung out at their house ALL day!

Rach and I -
We talked nonstop.
My boys?
They didn't play no "cops."

No - dressing bears was the agenda
Kaden had a pink dressed panda!

Mini pizzas for lunch!
This made their eyes sparkle.
They all did a craft,
and we taught them FARKLE.

Outside for sliding
- a snowmobile ride!
And Rachael and I?
Well, we played inside.

Watching the window
to be sure no-one died.
Rachael and I
for hours shared our lives.

Of what God is teaching us
and how we are growing.
Life lessons learning
and gifts He's bestowing.

I was in her wedding
and she was in mine.
She and I -
we go WAY back in time.

We live pretty close
the drive but an hour.
"But we NEVER see them!"
Kade reminds me, (quite sour).

So Rachael and I
she and I made a pact.
We'll meet once a month
It's a promise - that's that!

To my home you will come
next time your faces we see.
Tell your girls - no more dolls
trucks and guns it will be!

Three small boys and three girls
what a rockin' cute lot
If I have my way
they will ALL tie the knot

with my little hoolies
how much fun that would be!
So some day my dear friend....
may my boys bow their knee.

to your precious girlies
all so sweet, cute, and rad.
And your hubby, your Shawn ---
Will he think that's bad?

Yes, my boys can be stinky
and have potty mouths, too!
They're loud and they're raucous
and oft they say, "Poo."

Not sure what to do there.
I guess "boys are boys."
But our day spent with YOUR loves...
that brought us SUCH joy!

So, thanks for your friendship
your food, fun, and love.
I thank God for you, dear friend.
A true gift from above.

More of Life's Littles....

431. Holidays to celebrate. Cookies to bake and decorate with little hands to help alongside.

425. Warm pumpkin pie and coffee with Lew; Mancala to teach with happy laughter and hugs for good-byes.

424. Games and tea with Kaden. A spontaneous little "naptime date."

393. Building forts with all three littles. Big brother teaching the younger to love the outside.

392. (CLEAN!) little boys after baths warming by the fire.

400. Easy days, full of grace.
401. Hard days that push me to my knees.
403. Laughing with Kev; jokes we alone understand.
432. Kitchen chaos; evidence of where we most often gather.
433. Work friendships deepening.
434. Seeing Jesus in Tough Girl's eyes.
414. The smell of Spring's promise.
422. A clean house - if only during naptimes.
379. Grammy stories; quiet wild child.
361. One strong man who leads us well.
336. Wedding bands of forever vows.
353. Thrown back heads laughing loudly.
305. Four pairs of boy blue eyes.
362. Cozy bed - happy bedroom.
367. Knowing him. And him knowing me.
368. Forgiveness asked and freely given back.
359. Living FULLY with seeing eyes.
411. Kitchen kisses amidst the chaos.
435. Anticipation of tomorrow's visit!


"How do you open the eyes to see how to take the daily, domestic, workday vortex and invert it into the dome of an everyday cathedral? John Piper states - 'If you want to be really alert to seeing Jeus' divine beauty, his glory...then make sure you tune your senses to see his grace...that's what His glory is full of.' Grace - that is what the full life is full of, what the God-glory is full of. To see the glory NAME THE GRACES. Retune the impaired sense to sense the Spirit, to see the grace." ~ Ann Voskamp

The Little Things

I'm going to make this short, because I just got the overwhelming urge to go and get Kaden up from "nap" - because I know he's not sleeping.....but his little bro's are.....and I'm needing some one on one time with my biggest Love.

I think we'll make my Biggest of All Love a pie.
Or maybe we'll play some Mancala.

(Well, looky here - he just came out and told that he reeeeaaalllly couldn't hold his pee any longer, and he needs to go {with the most hopeful of expressions and the sweetest of smiles on his little face}.)

He likes Mama time alone, too.
Lord knows he doesn't get it very often.

I am often reminded of a conversation that I had one time with a lady who I really love. She also raised three boys. I like to pump older women who've already lived my journey and who've already been down life's road a bit right full of questions. I want to know their good, their bad, and their ugly. I want to know what they did WELL. And I want to know what they would do over if they just had one more chance.

The thing she told me - which already haunts me, because I do it - is she said that she wished she'd spent more one on one time with each of them. They were fairly close in age, and they were all buddies anyway, so it was easy to just live life together in a group.

It was always "the boys."

She told me that if she could do it all over again, she would have spent more time learning and knowing each of them as individuals. She would have made more of an effort to make one of one time with each one of them.

So, that's what I need to do with my boy right now.
Just an hour. Just a snippet of our day.
But....uninterrupted. And fully present in his little life. Doing what He wants.

He just informed me he wants tea.
And he wants to go first in Mancala.
And he wants the pie to be pumpkin.
And he wants me OFF the computer......

A Week-end of Fullness!

We had a BUSY week-end, and the state of my house is proving that.
I have an Everest of a laundry pile, the dishes are exploding out my ears, and stuff is everywhere! But it was good. And worth it. And lovely.

First of all, we said good-bye to White Thunder.

Moment of silence please for our dear little lemon.
What a pain she was....

My MARMIE and my cousin came and spent a night with us this past week-end! It was LOVELY! Many stories read, games of Farkle played, and foodies consumed.

I made her her most favorite lemon scones with lemon curd, and we had a little tea party.


She is THE most rockin' Grammy. My boys love her. Jesse colored me a picture just last week, and then when he found out that Grammy was coming he said: "Sorry, Mommy, but this picture needs to be for Grammy." Hmn. I see where I rate.

And THEN! On Saturday, I hung out with the gerls!

No. Not these ones!
It was real LIVE ones!

Once in a blue moon, one of us (usually Jess) gets the brilliant idea to get together just us gerls and have a big ole breakfast and catch up fest. Usually the boys go off and do something together, as well. This year, the hubbies with girls went and ate at another one of our houses, and the hubbies with boys went ice fishing.

Sir Rancey Pants is still a little young to ice fish all morning, so he came with me. He was nice enough to nap through most of our visit, so it worked out well. The boys did a whole lot of this:

And they conquered a whole lot of these:

And us girls? Well, we conquered a whole lotta' this:

We were strong. And we were brave. And we decimated the foodies.

We also made good use of our time. Heaven knows, we only do this about once a year. SO. Here is just a brief overview of a few of the topics we covered:

Adoption, foster parenting, blended families, choice of schooling, discipline, love languages, how we handle disagreements, SuperBowl commercials, pregnancy, potty training, paint colors, Bible studies, food, teaching our kids about sex, coffee makers, youth group, divorce, death, and we all came to the conclusion that if all our husbands were to die, I would be the least capable of making it in this world! It's true. And I'm okay with that. I already told ya'll that I'd move to Africa anyway. Who needs to know what bills to pay over there?

We also took Great Grammy Booker out for her Christmas lunch (where Jesse made up his own word search and loudly told us all of the items he was "finding." It went a little something like this: "OKAY. Here's Satan. And there's God. And here's another Satan." I'm sure people thought we were some cultic family), some other cousins came through for a visit, and we also hung with some friends for a fun little Super Bowl party.

Full, full week-end. Whew! But, love tanks are full, great conversations were had, and it was lovely catching up with so many friends and family. And now I shall go attempt to conquer my house whilst the kidlets nap.