a golden day

Today was a golden day. We have them every so often. They are those days when it seems like everything comes together and we end up having a fabulous day. It started off with the boys sleeping in. (This should have been a flashing light to me that this day would be good, because they never sleep in.) Today they slept until 9 o'clock!! Once everyone was finally awake, I made us a big breakfast of biscuits, sausage, and eggs. Everyone ate heartily and then we made a mad dash to get ready for church. Church was relatively peaceful, considering that they didn't have nursery this week and Gid was with us during the service. Then we changed into our suits and went swimming at the Knight's pool. The pool was perfect. The boys played, Mike and I relaxed for a while and then got in too and played with them. It was so wonderful.

The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent in watching Phil win one, yard work, bath time, dinner, running, and reading. It was such a golden day. I love when we get days like this. Lazy type days, that are really anything but lazy. On days like this it seems like we all just relax and enjoy one another and whatever activity we are doing. I'm so thankful for this golden day... we all really needed it!

prayer

I have been reading this book series lately in which one or more of the characters struggles with issues of faith. At first I would skim over the areas that talked about what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ, assuming that I already had one and I didn't need to read about it. But then, on the latest book I read, I decided not to skim. Instead, I choose to really read it and try to grow from the authors perspective of faith.

As I read I had an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. It did not make me doubt my belief in God or my relationship with Jesus. I know what I believe. I know that Jesus is the son of God, the savior of the world. But it challenged me. The message in the book was: "What are you doing with your faith?" This is where I got convicted. How was I putting my faith into action on a daily basis?

It is not enough for me to go to church on Sunday and call myself a Christian. There must be more to it than that. And as I searched and struggled with trying to understand why this book could effect me so deeply, I started to pray. And for me, that was the answer: prayer.

This book convicted me because my every day prayer life was not nearly what it needed to be. For me to stay connected to Christ, not just on Sundays, but every minute of every day, I have to commit to prayer. I have to commit to do my very best to turn everything I do into a prayer. There is a scripture verse that says, "pray without ceasing." This is my new goal. To make every thing I do throughout my day a prayer.

I may never achieve this. But I will try. And I am hopeful. I am hopeful that Christ will take my efforts and turn them into something beautiful for him. That is, after all, or goal here on earth. To glorify God.

taking it easy

Yesterday, after much anticipation, Mike finally put up his hammock. He has been talking about putting a hammock up in the backyard for awhile now, and yesterday he finally made it happen. The boys were so cute, waiting for Daddy to finish securing the hammock. When he was sure it was safe he put the boys in. They loved it.

And then it was Daddy's turn to relax. Here is a picture of Mike enjoying the fruits of his labor. It was a bit of a process getting the hammock securely fashioned. At first it was too low, then too low again, then it wasn't secure enough (I was the one to figure this out, and I have the bruises to prove it!), but then finally it was ready. Mike was so patient the entire time. He just kept moving it up, tightening, never getting discouraged. I can not say that I would have had that same attitude. In fact, when I fell, I was so upset and hurt that I told Mike, "Just forget it!" But he didn't and now we have a peaceful hammock in our yard. His persistence and patience were a good lesson for me to watch. Like many things in life when we persevere, the rewards are always worth the effort.

swim sessions

Various phrases uttered while swimming today:

"I'm going to die...!," said while hanging by fingertips onto the side of the pool.

"I'm not that cold," said while lips were turning an eggplant shade of purple.

"Promise you won't let go of me ever again," said after I tried to get boy to swim on his own.

school's out

Caleb's last day of school was today, which means that he is done with Kindergarten and I now am the parent of a 1st grader. I can really not believe it! It feels like such a short time ago that he was Gideon's age; toddling around the house, taking naps, smiling his squinty smile, and being little. He is little no more and as I think about the young boy that he is I realize that all those people that said, "Enjoy it, they grow up so fast," were right.

It is easy for me to get so caught up in the day to day living of laundry, dishes, straightening, and other things to do that I sometimes forget to just enjoy my life; enjoy my children. I don't want to get so busy crossing things off of my "to do list" that I don't make time for the things that are really important.

With that in mind, I have come up with a game plan for the summer. There will be structure, because there would be chaos without it, but it will be fun. I want us to go to the library, to swim, to play outside, to do chores, to have family prayers, but mostly, I want us to be a family. I am really looking forward to this summer. I'm looking forward to a break from the crazy schedule of the school year. And I am really looking forward to spending some really great quality time with my boys!

if it was...

After being told countless times that eating dinner is NOT a race, Jonah says to Caleb last night: "I know this isn't a race, but if it was... I would be winning!"

Daddy's little boy

Mike took the day off of work to recover from our recent trip and just for some much needed R&R. I left him home with Gideon this morning when I went running, and then again this afternoon while I ran errands and got Caleb from school. Gideon has always been a Daddy fan, but today, he morphed from just a fan to Daddy's biggest fan. When Mike left to run an errand of his own Gid followed him to the garage and then stood crying for 2 solid minutes until he realized he wasn't coming back. As soon as Mike returned home, Gideon ran up to him and hugged him huge! He then preceded to follow him all around the house (even into the bathroom!). Everywhere Mike went, Gideon followed. This continued all afternoon, and it was beautiful to watch. Mike never got frustrated or annoyed with him, but just really soaked it up. We sat out on the deck watching him watching his Daddy and trying to be like him.

Right here in front of us was the awesomeness of our responsibilities as parents. Children imitate what they see. Not only as toddlers, but as boys, young men, and to an extent even as adults. Already Gideon is following the example of his Daddy. My Dad used to tell us, "Do as I say, not as I do." And even though we want our children to listen to us, they also see what we do and that speaks volumes. Right now, Mike's actions are louder to Gideon than his words. And as I sat and watched him today with his Daddy I was so grateful for them both. Grateful that my husband is such a wonderful father to our children. Having that perfect balance of discipline and fun. And grateful for this little boy who will very soon not be so little. Everything is a discovery to him and I am so joyful watching him grow.

family love

Today is Mother's Day and we had the wonderful chance to spend the weekend with my Mom. Sadly, it has been a few years since we had the chance to spend Mothers Day with my own mother, so it is so nice to be here. However, along with it being Mothers Day today, my brother graduated from college yesterday, and Mike's birthday is tomorrow. Needless to say it has been and will continue to be a very busy and hectic weekend. But like most things in our life it will also be wonderful.

I come from a family of 7 children, and 2 of my brothers and 1 sister still live at home. My other sisters and their families live very close and my recently graduated brother is in the process of moving to Chile to teach for 6 months. That means that whenever we all get together you can absolutely expect 2 things: there will be food, and we will be loud. And even though we are made up of many different personalities and tolerances, and we may have the occasional disagreement we all love each other.

That is the key I think: love. Love compels us to do things we really would rather not do. Love gives us the ability to sacrifice our own personal desires and let someone else choose instead. Love, if we let it, can allow us to overlook the negative and appreciate the positive. If we choose it, love for our family can turn any event we have into a beautiful expression of our unique blending of personalities and of course into a party!

time with dad

The boys comments to Mike after eating at a burger joint:

Caleb: "That was awesome, totally awesome."

Jonah: "60,000 awesome."

....I think they liked it!

Gideon

Gideon is at such a special age. He is in the imitating stage of toddler hood. If you make a sound or give something a name he will do his best to make the same sound. Of course, in his mind he is saying exactly what we have just said, but we hear something a bit different. He also tries to do everything we are doing. When Mike is in the shower, he hikes his chubby little leg up and tries to join his daddy. When the boys jump off the edge of part of our yard and into a pile of leaves, he wants to jump too. He picks up the remote control and plays Lego Star Wars with his brothers. He thinks he is much older than his 15 months, and I love him for it.

I love when he folds his hands and prays before eating. I love how he points to the door and says, "ouh-sigh." I love how he pushes the wet clothes into the dryer and then closes it up when he is done. I love how he starts bouncing and bobbing whenever there is music. I love how he cuddles in bed with Mike & I while saying, "ahh" in a high pitched grunt. And I love how he laughs just because we are laughing and he wants to be a part of the fun. He is the sweetest baby and I thank God for my personal ray of sunshine.

Family

This past weekend was so jam packed for us. We hit the ground running on Friday night and didn't stop until Sunday night. Dinner with the Knights and Grandma, yard work, family soccer, running with a good friend (twice!), Mike playing tennis, lunch at Johnny Rockets (50's style dinner-boys favorite!), yard work, playing in the hose, spending time on the deck, church, watching movies, Lego Star Wars, birthday shopping, yard work, and playing outside. Needless to say we didn't have a lot of down time.

As I reflect back over the weekend I realize what a blessing our busyness was. Yes, our weekend was hectic, but it was a happy chaos. It was a weekend with a purpose and a lot was accomplished. But the biggest accomplishment to me was the amount of time we spent together as a family.

On Sunday, as we were on our way out the door Caleb said, "Lets hit the road for Family soccer." I love that he called Family soccer. It made me realize that these habits we are establishing now: eating dinner together, working together, playing together, being a family, are so important. We are giving our children the beautiful foundation of family. They are learning to trust, to look out for, and to love one another. I love that we had such a busy weekend filled with just being family.

a common question in our home

"Mom, where's my light saber?"

simple living

There is this blog I read every morning written by a mother of 6 and the wife of a farmer. It is a beautiful site, and I find myself wanting to pack up our "life in the city" and try to live off the land. How great would that be? Our boys helping their daddy work the fields, fixing fences, and taking care of livestock. I imagine it in a Little House on the Prairie/Anne of Green Gables mixed up way and my heart soars. I think it is the simplicity of that way of life that is so attractive to me. Raising animals, raising children, keeping house, caring for your loved ones and that's it. No reality TV that must be watched. No drugs in school to worry about. Just simple living.

In a way we try to live simply now, here. But it seems like it would be easier to block out "the element," as Mike calls it, if we were removed from it. I don't want my children to live in a bubble, but I do want them to grow up with strong moral convictions, an unshakable faith, and a clear sense of self. I feel confident that we are doing our best everyday to instill in them those characteristics, but I can't help longing for a simpler world. The best we can do is to make our life as simple as possible. Living, but leaving out as much of "the element" as possible.