Snow!

At least a couple inches…

enough for a few snowballs,

 a shovel-load or two for fort-building…

and a snowball fight before dusk.  

{occasionally, even a direct hit!}

Rejoicing today in wintery gifts-- and a child's sweet prayer…

Thank you, God, for snow!

Ice and snow...

Snow and ice.  And more to come tomorrow!

For today, the sidewalks are clear, thanks to my big and little helpers. 

As for tomorrow-- we'll just wait and see :)

Christmas is coming!

The tree is up, and most of its ornaments are nestled carefully in place.  The girls decorated to their hearts' content, and many branches now hold multiple gems!  Chris thought (with a smile) I might want to do a little re-arranging after they went to bed, so I carefully moved the fragile ones to higher ground.  The others I left in place, however, as their resting places had been lovingly and thoughtfully chosen by sweet little hands.

As for our Fisher Price nativity set--  for the past 14 years, it has delighted our older four children for hours/days/weeks on end, and now it's delighting our fifth!  God is so good.

"And this will be a sign for you:
you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths 
and lying in a manger...
Glory to God in the highest!"
 Luke 2:12, 14

  

Color, imperfections… and absolute perfection

Our neighbors have a gorgeous maple tree in their front yard.  

Today, vibrant hues of raspberry, melon, and sunshine yellow cover their lawn,
 but a few days ago, before the winds whistled through its branches 

and shuffled all that color to the ground,
those leaves danced through the air and shimmied with delight in the afternoon sky.

Savoring the autumn goodness that IS this time of year, 

we spent lots-o-time out of doors.

For a single moment,
I hoped to capture a "good" picture of my crew in front of that leaf-laden tree.
But instead, I shot this….

And this…

And this.

And in an instant, I realized this WAS perfection.

Genuine smiles.
Goofy faces.
Silly gestures.
MY crew.

The embodiment of life-- real and now.

Maybe not Hallmark-card worthy.
But perfectly perfect nonetheless!

Happy autumn, everyone!

Treats, for sure!

Denial

Once again, I'm in denial.

It generally happens this time every year...

as the colors of fall begin to blanket the ground, 

and Christmas goodies begin to line the store shelves.

The swiftness with which the season is passing is mind-boggling at best!

So in my attempt to hold on to autumn for a little bit longer, 

I'll attach a few pre-autumn photos. 

Perhaps that way I can delude myself in to thinking that 

Thanksgiving is NOT only four weeks away!

****************

A teddy bear is a faithful friend

You can pick him up at either end.

His fur is the colour of breakfast toast, 

And he's always there when you need him most.

~Anonymous

When this boy doesn't want to read...

... a creative reading nook will generally make all the difference :)

Open Water

Smith Mountain Lake Open Water Swim

September 29, 2012

3.1 miles 

Air: 64 degrees

 Water: 75 degrees

Bub's first open wwater swim.
Bring. it. on.

Chris had to work on Saturday (due to end-of-the-fiscal-year chaos), 

and my Mom was committed to an all-day conference at church,

so it was just Pops & I who hopped in the van (with my three little ones in tow)
 to journey south and cheer for Bub!

At the starting line, the swimmers waded waist-deep into the water
to await the crack of the gun.
Once the official fired that no-turning-back-now shot,
they all launched forth, and the real battle began!
No walls.  No flip turns.  Just repetitive forward motion.

For three. grueling. miles.

Thankfully, Bub is much like the Energizer bunny-- he just keeps going & going & going.
As a result, he wasn't too overwhelmed by the course.
 Excited? Yes.
Nervous? A bit.
Ready to hit the water?  You better believe it.

With the help of some binoculars and the zoom lens on my camera,
we were able to keep track of Bub in spurts & snippets.

And thanks to this pier,
we were able to get a bird's-eye view of the swimmers as they raced past.  

Each time, we were able to find Bub in the pack...

(below, in the very middle of the photo :) 

...but then we'd lose him and have to wait until he passed our way once again.

After three full laps around the 1 mile loop,
 Bub rounded the last buoy and made his grand exit from the lake.

The finish line in sight, he dashed up the beach...
#97 was finally done.  

After 1 hour and 8 minutes...
Done.
Near the very top of the pack...
DONE!

As for next year, he says he'll definitely participate again.

And I think... I think... Chris & Noh-man are planning to join him. 

They're hoping to compete in the 1-mile race, though... 

until the next year when they ALL swim the 3-miler!

As for me, I think I'll stay on shore with my camera :)