last hurrahs

School started today. 
Suddenly the house is very quiet. The floors are clean. And that doesn't matter like it did a week ago. When I was sweeping up the dirt tracks made before I had the chance to make breakfast, and there were mud fingerprints on the walls and mimicking wars. I thought a quiet, clean house would be nice. But now I just want my worm-diggin', mess-lovin' boys back!
The first day of school is always the longest day of the year for me.
I contemplate again whether or not we should homeschool. So far, the verdict is the same. But, it helps to know it's an option. 
So, I continually pray for courage and peace and grace for our oldest boys. I hug our youngest lots and thank the Lord for another year with him. 
And relish in the memories of our last hurrahs...

  Family time in Hocking Hills

Take me out to the ballgame, with free tickets from our library's summer reading program!

 commissioning and prayer for our small group kids before school starts

The sun rises and it sets and how a summer flies.

How many more sunsets will we see?

Life is so short. 

Let's make it count! Let's live for what lasts!

Things that go wrong can shape us or scar us...

God finds us in our failures and our successes, and He says that while we used to think one way about things, now He wants us to think another way about those same things. And for me, I've realized that I used to be afraid of failing at the things that really mattered to me, but now I'm more afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter. 

~ Bob Goff, Love Does

P.S. This book is blowing my mind!!

Would love to share more, but you just gotta read it.

And, it's time to get my boys. I have a feeling there will be more worm-diggin' and dirt-trackin' tonight. But, it doesn't matter. Because clean floors last just about as long as these moments. And which is more important?

10 minutes

On a solo-parent-night last week, I made Ethiopian Lentil Stew and Injera Bread for dinner.  After it took one boy 1.5 hours to finish, I then decided to give haircuts.  Middle one was so irritated at this point, he would not sit still.  As he jerked his head, the scissors caught his ear, and all wails broke loose.  Jude sat wide-eyed, watching the whole thing.  When older one sat down for his turn, Jude tells him "If you complain, mom will clip your ear."  {Rookie error.  I will now only make grilled cheese when dad's not home, and no haircuts. What was I thinking?!}  

Ah, we laugh now :)

Naturally, our days are wild. unpredictable. loud. fast. full.

{Sometimes I feel like I'm gonna lose my mind!!}  Because of this, we all need a break now and then.  A night out with the girls, a quiet morning with a cup of coffee, a date with my love.  A chance to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again.  

But when we start living for the next break, we can miss the beauty in the now.  I've been trying to figure out what to do with those extra 10 minutes post-facebook. How to make the most of these moments. 

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.

~ Annie Dillard

To not just enjoy the view from the top, but to grab that snowboard and go!

I may not be as good as my 7 year old, but hey, it's fun to try :)

To say YES! as much as possible.
I mean, when did using ketchup and mustard containers as water bottles ever hurt anyone?  Or, seeing if a paper boat could float?  Just look at this smile...

To break out the good bowls.  To see *this moment* as a special occasion.

To let them know how much you love them.

Life isn't always so fairytale-looking.  Sometimes you wake up to grumps and your basement floods...like a river-flowing down there, flood.  

And, we may not always respond the way we should.  

But, 10 minutes?  It's a start...  

To awake. To kiss. Turn up the music loud and dance. Sit down with a cup of tea. Pick up the phone. Tell someone you love them. List your blessings. Memorize a verse. Write a note. Say YES! Pray for whoever comes to mind. Drop everything to hear about their day. Scoop them up on your lap. Laugh. Take a walk.  Risk. To live! To find more pictures like this on my son's camera.

I think I like how the day sounds through this new song.  

Oh, won't you sing along?

boat-full of royers

Family has landed in our corner of the world from all over.  What fun-filled days these are of re-acquainting our kids with their grandparents, cousins and uncle, laughing and recounting old memories, making us some new ones.  

I'm looking forward to looking back on this day.  ~ Over the Rhine

Jude was the first to volunteer for tubing.  But, sweet little 2-year old got a good scare when the boat revved up and he almost fell off the tube (and cried “I want mama” until he was back in my arms).  Not sure how long a 2 yr. old's memory is, but hoping he'll forget by next summer, and we'll try again.

After a video shown last week in swim lessons about how not to drown, Jack has not been so eager to get in the water. I coaxed him into it with his very own can of Coke.  He was a good sport too, and says "Yeah it was fun...well, kinda."  

Miles was happy to chill the whole time.  Hey, him in the front of a boat that was twisting and turning every-which-way to knock off the tubers for 4 hours is HUGE!  A wave even splashed over the edge of the boat onto him, and he stands up, one fist raised in the air and yells "YEAH!"

Our baby turns 3 this week.  Not so much of a baby anymore, insisting to do more and more "all by myself"...like putting on his own sunblock and driving the boat.  I think he's got a mental "bucket list" of his own going...

This is how you surf in Indiana, in case you were wondering...
Our boys definitely were inspired.  

I loved seeing every ounce of courage in them surface as they stepped out of the boat.  But as much as I coaxed and bribed, they were just as content as their mama to be in the boat than to jump out of it.  [That launched me into a whole lotta wondering where the balance is between embracing their preferences and encouraging them to try, leading them past their fears and accepting that it seemed more fun to them to be in the boat.]  

In conclusion (after way-too much processing of all that):  

While I hope they will become one with the waves (and we will continue to give them every opportunity to), a contented afternoon of relaxing in the sun was very much welcome.  

Big thanks to our friends for making it happen, you know who you are...and you're pretty awesome!  These memories will be embedded in our minds, told of for years to come, and looked back on so fondly long after we have gone back to our little corners of the earth.

Oh yes, and remember this post so long ago?

Turns out rainy days can be very productive.

Superhero towels sewn.  Check.

Afternoon boating nap in the sun on grandma's lap.  Check.

summer-lovin'

These are the days I dream of all year...having all 3 of them, all day long, no pressing agenda, just fun.  First-day-after-school's-out trip to Wal-Mart quickly brought me back to reality.  [We haven't been there since.]  It's just plain crazy at times 'round here! 


It's taken awhile to find our groove...  One of our boys in particular needs structure, or at least routine.  We've had some off-days, when no matter how hard I tried, his mood could not be turned around.  Something magical clicked this week when the boys started swim lessons.  Just one scheduled thing, every morning at 10.30 has done wonders for him to order his world.  The rest of the day may be a grab-bag of activities, but he has handled it so pleasantly.  


Here I am, just lovin' the laid-back rhythm of summer.  
How did I ever forget how important it is that he knows what to expect?
We gotta dream *together* what these days should look like. 
So, we all sat down on the porch swing and wrote our to-do list for the summer (AKA, summer-lovin' 2011).  
. t-ball
. campfires
. bike rides
. stomp in river
. fishing
. catch dragonflies
. pick strawberries
. swim lessons
. soccer camp
. picnics
. afternoons at the lake
. silver beach
. O-H-I-O
. pick blueberries
. art museum
. snow cones
. catch fireflies
. watch fireworks
. spray-bleach shirts
. soccer games
. pizza in the park  
. nature walk  
. hunt for frogs  
. sparklers  . go to wal-mart (not my idea, at all :)  . scavenger hunt  
. canoeing  . boating  . splash park  . camping in our backyard 
. eating watermelon so juicy it drips off your elbows
. dad and mom date at cerulean's garden  . barbecues with family and friends and iced tea in the afternoon and staring at the sky from a yellow gingham blanket 
Sure, we're moving in a month.  I know it's a bit ambitious.  But I want summers to be so much more than packing and unpacking (we moved last August too).   

This is the day the Lord has made.  

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

psalm 118.24

He made this day.  How I want to handle this present with joyful, thankful care, savoring the moments that can too quickly pass by...and to coach them to ever so intentionally do the same.

Now to go cross some things off that list :)
Happy summer-lovin' all!

P.S. For more summer-love:  

http://organizing.yourway.net/101-ways-to-embrace-summer/

sweet reunions.

We have looked forward to this day since we waved our "see you later's" to them 2 years ago.  Overheard this morning in the other room was Jack practicing "Hi Grandma Becky....Hello Grandma Becky..."  
There has been *lots* of anticipation for our reunion.  

What can I say? In a car-full of boys, a lamborghini-spotting is big stuff right there!

Literally, on the edge of their seats.

Gotta love the flurry of hugs.

Also, gotta love little boys reaching for their grandpa's hand (especially if they're insisting on wearing a bike helmet :)

We are *thrilled* to have them close for a few months!!!
Miles told them "We don't have to skype with you all year!"

There’s much I’d love to share, like the fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants last-minute trip to Ikea with my love this week (big thanks to my parents for making this happen, for watching our 3 munchkins)…or, the “better than normal” gluten-free crust that has me excited for strawberry picking and fresh strawberry pies…or, my latest anthro-copy idea for curtains…or, our walls that are now primed and ready for some color-love!  

I'll get to all that.  I will.

But quite honestly, these days are a bit of a blur.  Filled with so much good, but...filled.  I so wish I could slow. time. down.  To pause all the construction and decisions about trim to linger in the moment of the boys fishing or ending the day with Bible stories on the couch or coming home the other night after zumba to this:

We may not be able to stop time.  Our deadlines and schedules press on.
But, we are learning to welcome the beauty of the moment, letting the wonder of it soak in.  

Like, our violets blooming in the middle of a pile of rocks.
What a marvelous Creator!

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful...

Welcome [beauty] in every fair face,

in every fair sky, in every flower,

and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.

Ralph Waldo Emerson