The Daily Edition

Heidi at  Mt. Hope Chronicles  has started a new blog series entitled Living Lovely with Family, and each week she plans to share her ideas-- her affordable ideas!-- with the rest of us. I'm really excited about this series because there's a wealth of creative minds out there, and as we all share, we're bound to walk away encouraged and optimistic and idea-laden, as well :)  So-- Heidi is looking for ways in which we connect with our children to create meaningful moments and lasting memories. And surely, we all have something to contribute!  I'm certain we're all striving to do our best in this fallen world, and with God's abundant grace, we'll raise the next generation.  A little extra help along the way is a wonderful thing, me thinks :) 

1 Thessalonians 5:11, "Encourage one another and build each other up..."

So, this week's theme is the Daily Edition-- things we do with our children on a regular basis.  Since we're a homeschooling family, I'm with my kiddos all day long... 24/7, to be more precise.  Now typically, that's a wonderful thing!  Although I must confess there are those occasional Starbucks moments when escaping for a quick jaunt (sans les enfants!) is not only a treat but a necessity!  All in all, though, we have tons of fun together, and for most of the day, our favorite times include:

...food.  The kids and I eat all our meals together, and in the evening we eat dinner with dad. Now sometimes dinnertime is later than I 'd like (we work around athletic schedules all year long), but the important part is that we do it.  Together.  Every day.  And the conversation possibilities are endless! There's just no telling what your 8 or 10-year old son might share over his favorite dish!  Or around the grill.  Or over a batch of his favorite cookies-- we have some of our best conversations around a bowl full of batter!

...books.  Fortunately, my children love to read.  And they love it when I read to them.  So we read lots of books together.  Bible stories, historical fiction, science books, the classics, fables... the list goes on and on.  And I don't always hit the ball out of the park with my selections, but most times, the stories are great and they lead us on all sorts of rabbit trails for further discovery and discussion. Just recently, in fact, we started a new read-aloud routine.  Previously, we normally read-aloud around... food!  Well, for the most part... after breakfast or lunch or during a mid-morning snack. Now we're also reading together in bed, right before the lights go down, and it's been tremendously fun!  The boys and I jump into one of their beds and snuggle in the covers while we huddle together, enjoying one more chapter or two of our current selection.  Then, of course, it's the regular nightly routine... hugs, prayers, and a song (always "Angels") for Big Man.

...the outdoors.  Time in the fresh air together-- taking walks, playing ball, heading to the park, working in the yard-- is the best (especially when it's warm outside!)!  This year we're adding a new project to our list: gardening.  I love to work in the gardens but I've never had much help (other than Grandmom, that is!).  Well just last week, while at the nursery buying pansies for the front porch, all 3 boys expressed an interest in having their own plot of earth to garden.  So this spring, as the bulbs grow and the plants blossom, we'll till some new earth together and launch this new adventure in the dirt!  And oh, my littlest one will love it :)

...our faith.  We worship together.  We pray together.  We sing and read God's Word together.  We strive to do everything for the glory of God... together.  Our Heavenly Father is surely the glue that holds this family together!

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, 

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, 

whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- 

think about such things."        

 Phillipians 4:8

Wordless Wednesday

The little things

The past three days were absolutely scrumptious!  Upper 60s and 70s.  No clouds.  No rain.  Only bright, warm sunshine.  Aahhh... this past weekend... spring sprang and we all loved every second of it (well, except the part for Chris having to work, but that's another story)!  The boys played outside around the clock-- on their skateboards, on their bikes, with their baseball bats & gloves, at the park, in the driveway, up the street.  And all the while, Lolli scooted across the yard on her hands and knees and she played in the garden (ughh!) and she took rides in the wagon.  She also played peek-a-boo with any willing participant~

... the kiddos simply played and played and played all day long until darkness forced them indoors. And then they collapsed in bed.  And they didn't stir all night long.

So for three days, no coats.  No hats.  No gloves or mittens or snow suits.  Nope, just shorts and t-shirts and flip flops even (our footwear of choice on warmer days).  And as I washed and dried and folded mounds of laundry on Monday, you know what occurred to me? 

I really love summer clothing!  Really.  No doubt, it's a real treat to pull out the hot-weather wear and go outside without layers and layers of clothing.  But you know what dawned on me as more and more dirty clothes found their way to the laundry pile??  Shorts and t-shirts don't take up nearly as much space in the basket as do jeans and heavy sweatshirts.  It takes more items to fill said basket (since they're smaller and lighter weight), so as long as each child has at least a few clean items in the closet, I can go a lot longer between loads of wash!  

And you know what??  That's not just a time-saver. It's a "brain-saver" as well, because each time I walk past the laundry room and see the basket only partially full, I can smile, knowing I've got another day or two before I have to tackle Mt. Laundry again.  And it's the little things like that that often make a difference in my day :)

And now, the real reason for this post.  I must admit I'm just tickled with this next photo.  It's not a masterful work of art (not that I could ever produce such a thing!) and it's not a capture of an award-winning smile.  No.  It's simply Big Man, or at least his lower half, on his trike...

And here's the reason why I love this shot.  Check out those colors.  Not the bike.  The flips and the clothing.  Brown, orange and bright blue on the feet (I know it's a bit hard to see, but trust me, those colors are there); brown, orange, and bright blue on the bod.  And I had nothing to do with it!!  Big Man completely dressed himself and check out that coordination!  Is it a thing of beauty or what?

Now Chris, my wonderful husband, likely would not notice such a rarity.  Neither would my dad or most other men I know.  But... I noticed because I'm a woman and I love coordinating articles :)  Of course, Big Man's clothing choices were all completely random; no thought went into these specific pieces, but hey, let's not dwell on the details!  Let's look at the bigger picture here, and that's the fact that my 4 year old son played outside all day long-- in public!--- in a wonderfully matched outfit (ask Chris-- that just doesn't happen!).  And to a mom of three boys-- three very "fashionally-challenged" boys (plus one husband who clearly falls into that category:)-- this ensemble rocked!  Grin. 

It's the little things :)

Yikes!

Oh. my. goodness.

My itsy-bitsy peanut just took 9 steps all. by. herself. 

Surely, life will never again be the same :) 

Lamentations 3:21-26

"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!

His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness;

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance;

therefore, I will hope in him!"

The LORD is good to those who depend on him, 

to those who search for him.  

So it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

A note of thanks

This week was a tough one for us.  After losing Annie on Tuesday (while Chris was out of town, no less), the boys and I tried our best to function as usual, but as many of you know... that's no small task. You can't just pick up and carry on as if nothing ever happened; it just doesn't work that way. The loss of a loved one changes things. There's an emptiness.  A void.  A missing element.  And reminders everywhere.  

Thankfully, Mom came to my rescue on Tuesday when I knew Annie's time was short.  She's been through this before and she understands. Thank you, Mom-- I simply would not have survived without you. Thank you for crying with me (I can always count on you!) and thank you for never minimizing my grief.  You are a God-send.  Truly.

And thank you to you-- my friends and family-- who expressed words of kindness and compassion and encouragement over these past several days.  I appreciate it (and you) so very much!  So many of you called or sent emails or left comments here on my blog; some of you passed along your condolences to Chris at work. Please know that your words truly did provide grace in our time of need, and for that, I thank you... from the bottom of my heart.  You took a moment to share your support, and your thoughtfulness means more than I can say~

And to those of you who loved our girl along the way, a million thanks.  She was our very first baby & a true blessing, and she will be forever missed... 

Annie

Yesterday we lost our girl... our loyal companion of almost 13 years.

  She was our Princess.  Our Beauty Queen.  Our Kitty-cat Girl... 

our faithful, faithful friend.  

I simply cannot imagine our home without her.

I held her as she died, and for that I'm thankful.

But wow.  My heart just aches.