Too Much Cuteness

Seriously, y'all. Sometimes, it's more than I can handle.

Daniel built a fire in the pit the other night, and Anna lighted it, with lots of careful "supervision."


It made Andrew feel like this when it was time to roast marshmallows.

When we ran out of hot dogs, the kids turned to roasting carrots slathered with BBQ sauce. (Which tasted surprisingly good!)

Sometimes, this happens at the end of the day.

Which invariably leads to this.

Unless, of course, this happens.

But the very best ending of all is this one.
Sometimes, there's more cuteness around here than I can even handle.

Thank you, Lord!!

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. ~Psalm 127:3

Achy Breaky Heart

This is the kitchen table at the house where we lived in SE Washington. I took this picture so that I could show you how cool this table is. It's a bay window pop-out on the back of the house, right next to the kitchen. Really, it's more of a booth than a table, which was so much fun and such a great space saver. I fed the kiddos here at least twice a day, usually three times, as our entire family could actually fit around this table. The very formal dining room was rarely used.

I really, truly loved this table.

I know that because when I was looking for blog fodder today and I saw this picture, I was overwhelmed with emotion. My very cheerful mood was swept away by a wave of nausea and sadness.

Of course, it's not really the table that makes my heart ache. It's all that it represents: the agonizing death of a dream, the crushing disappointment of unfulfilled hopes, the wasting of such amazing potential.

Yeah, it's all still fresher than I'd like it to be. But, surely, in some way, the Lord is using it all for His glory and ultimately for my good. Even if it feels like my life is so upside down right now.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." ~Romans 8:28

Summer on the S OR Coast

It's been summer here on the Coast for a few days! Yesterday was something crazy like, maybe, 72 degrees, so the kids wanted to get out the hose and play after swimming lessons. Daniel came up with the idea of using a tarp like a Slip n Slide.

As I was holding the sprayer for the sliders, I looked down to see that Micah had decided he wanted to get a drink from the hose. Whew! I'm quite sure there is some theological metaphor in there somewhere. It seemed to make him ridiculously happy, which makes me happy, too.


A good time was had by all!

Pajama Camp

Several years ago, when we lived in Gold Beach (also on the S OR Coast) our small children wanted to go camping. I think I was actually pregnant that first year. Somehow, camping seemed an insurmountable task on so many levels.

I couldn't imagine packing, loading, setting up camp, keeping little ones safe, preparing and serving and eating food, and then cleaning up. Not to mention SLEEPING, which is hard enough to do at home when pregnant and the mother of a tiny person or three.

Then there were the ramifications for the days following - the days of creeky hips and aching back and misery.

So, we came up with a compromise which has served us well for at least the past six or seven years.

Pajama Camp

Those first tender years, we actually drug the mattress from our bed out into the tent in the back yard for the night, which proved a viable compromise. Now days, we have an air mattress. From one year to the next, we always forget that neither of us sleeps when we spend the night on the air mattress. Perhaps next year we will have the foresight to drag the mattress out there again.

This is our faithful family tent in the park like setting of our back yard.

But, wait! Is that the shadowy figure of a child in the tent?

Yes! Yes it is! A PJ Camp newbie of the highest order.
"Did you say we're going to sleep in here??"

"Yippee!"

Life is good in the family tent.

Everyone plays until it is dark enough to fall asleep. (And until the parents grow hoarse from reminding them to stop giggling.)
In the end, all the children sleep wonderfully and awaken with joy, glad the warm house with the bathrooms is only a few yards away.

Perfect.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. ~Psalm 34:8

Please, go read

THIS.

It's exactly what I needed to read today.

Thanks, again, Diane!

From the Pool

For now, this is taking up all our summer time energy:


Okay, well, all of MY summer time energy... they never seem to run out!

Rocket Launch

One of the most fun things we received for Christmas this year was a couple of model rocket kits. Noah and Daniel each have one.

I think what made this the perfect time for this wonderful gift was the landscape in SE Washington. Here in SW Oregon, we'd have to make a real effort to find a place to launch rockets where they wouldn't be lost in trees and bushes and behind hills.

Our front yard at Jubilee was a golf driving range and there were essentially no trees in any direction for at least half a mile. It was PERFECT for rocket launches. We enjoyed many!!








The folks at the Ranch were very interested in the rockets, too. Several of the precious folks there came up to the house to get a better view as the boys launched. The students there even wrote an article about it for the school paper. It made Noah feel like a celebrity!

(For what it's worth: I want to start blogging again, but am finding it very challenging. I thought I'd just jump in with some very old news and photos and see where things go from here... I know it's a little strange, but bear with me!)