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…we just got home from our night out at Craig and Janna’s. 

It was really nice. 

I’m amazed at how different things are in me this time from the last time we visited them this summer in their home. 

God really does work on us Faithfully! He's awesome. 

Right now, Gra is reading your story to you. I’m not sure if I should go in and see you and say good-night, in case you know we’re here and are waiting up to say hi, or if I should just let Gra finish reading you to sleep.

I’m glad you got to spend the night alone with her. 

She owes us… and we her. =)

Gra is Here.

Last night the two of you played in the basement for hours after dinner.

At one point, you came upstairs alone to get something. We had seen your Daddy off for guy’s night already and apparently you thought I was going with him. When you saw me on the couch editing photos you said, 

“Hey, I thought you were gone to a meeting with Daddy?”

I said, 

“no, I’m here…do you want me to leave?” =)

You said, 

“yeah”.

I asked you if you wanted me and Daddy to go to a meeting tomorrow night and let you stay home with Gra. You agreed and yelled, “goodie gumdrops!”

This works out great since we have been planning all along to go to dinner at Craig and Janna’s and letting you stay home with Gra tomorrow night. :)

jaymee glynn

Jaymee is here. 

We picked her up from school yesterday afternoon. 

She had been in Hawaii with her family to see her Uncle Jeff compete in the Iron Man. 

We missed her while she was away.

Julie called as soon as they were in the car on their way to their house from the airport. Jay couldn’t wait to see you and tell us all about her adventures in Hawaii! We planned for a sleep over ASAP! We couldn’t wait either.

She came bearing lots of gifts; sea shell necklaces for me, stickers, Hawaii magnets, post cards, and ocean shells for you. 

She told us all about swimming with dolphins, seeing a volcano, “borrowing a little house called a condo”, and watching Uncle compete. 

It is great to see her again. I’m so glad that she was able to have such an awesome and unique experience.

The two of you played non-stop, of course. Then I closed the door to your bedroom and created a special little sleeping space for the two of you. I moved your bed out of the way and made one big bed in the middle of the floor. You were both so excited about it that you couldn’t wait to go to sleep. 

I read about a chapter of our current book (a new favorite of mine: Then There Were Five, by Elizabeth Enright) and you were both sound to sleep.

Today, I have a photo shoot, then I’m taking you and Jay for a ride in your new Jeep. I hope you can handle taking turns driving with her. She’ll want to drive for sure.

Tomorrow, Gra comes again for a whole week! =)

Sheet Pants

I finally got around to making some sheet lounge pants this week during my Mama’s day with Bethany. We both did some sewing while you and Afton had another one of your Wednesday morning play dates. 

You sure do enjoy spending time together.

Later in the day when it was time for me to take photos of my cute new pants, I set up the camera only to find you doing everything you could to get in the lens. 

Kind of funny since I can’t get you to let me take your photo to save myself. 

I was glad to let my sheet pants compliment your adorableness! The pictures are SO much better with you in them. =)  

A Second Look

Now that I’m aware we will be leaving this house I am taking extra note of all the wonderful things about being here.

Not that I’ve never been grateful or aware of being just a mile from walmart (and anything else we want), living on an awesome street with no sidewalks, lots of trees, and great neighbors...

But all of the things I love about this place carry a bittersweet finality these days.

Yesterday, you and I took half of the pinecones we’d picked at our park last week and made the bird feeders we’d planned for them. We did it on the front lawn after I raked and blew the leaves into a huge pile for you on the end of our lot by the road.

As we played and worked Mr. John came over from across the street. He played with you, chatted with me, and then headed back to his yellow house to make homemade pizzas for dinner.

We will miss him, for sure.

Cole came home from daycare with his Daddy, and they came over so Cole could jump in the leaves with you for awhile.

And just when I start thinking of how nice it might be to playdate with this sweet little neighbor guy, we are going to move.

Miss Amy came over to borrow some folding tables. 

We chatted for awhile.
And I couldn't help but think how we love and will miss her and Koola, too.

We flagged down the B's to secure Sarah as a sitter for you when we go out with the F's on Saturday night. I got to chat with her parents for awhile, and the heartstrings get stronger and stronger. 

I hate to even think about not having the S’s on our street!!! =(

And at the same time, how nice it will be to have 2.3 acres for my boy to run and play and climb and explore on. Never to worry about neighbor hood comings and goings.

To invite friends over for play dates, dinners, sleepovers, and parties with bond fires and smores in the country. 

Just think of the wildlife habitats we can set up there! =)

To build stuff with you in the shop, and see your Daddy finally get the motorcycle he's always dreamed of. 

God has so much in store for us, and I’m so excited about it all.

So excited that I can’t even sleep!

Kind of like when I was having a baby. =)

All right All ready

So it’s time to talk about the house. I haven’t written or talked about it much because I want to stay sensitive of people’s preference to keeping a realistic distance from the dimension of life not everyone succumbs to; the reality of God’s Truth and Spirit.

But I have to remember that his place is ours, and ours alone, essentially. And I have gently spoken to you on this topic already, much less you have been to the house and spoken of it yourself.

You really don’t understand what “moving to the new house” would mean, and that’s all well enough.

God has his hands all over this. He has made it clear what He is doing. And we will follow Him into whatever that looks like, whenever, however, always.

Having said that, we aren’t sleeping well, your Dad and me. I’m pretty sure his issue is similar to mine.

Who can sleep with such excitement and nerves!?

I’m not worried about how this will happen. For all of that I am trusting God.

My waking hours, which are morer than fewer, are about leaving this home we love so much. Our stability and security…all our heart poured out and left behind on the walls and in the air…

Everything we own will be moved.
And everything we know will be different.

For a time.

I’m awake wondering how terrified I might be to move you from less than 10 feet away in the night to the upstairs of a new house you’ve never slept in before… how many feet away?

I’m awake thinking about all the added glass, the high places and lofts, the second and third story balconies and decks…

I’m awake, trying to imagine how having that feels so good and right, but not having this feels so wrong.

I’m following God. Whatever comes.

We’re following Him, together.

Silly Talker

Today you said a lot of really silly stuff to me. Even more so than usual.

When you woke up from your nap you were snuggling me and staring at my face while I quietly whispered to you how much me and your Daddy love you and want you. I said, 
“we are going to keep you forever and ever and ever…”

You looked so sweetly at me, reached your hand up to place it on my cheek and said, 
“I am going to bludgeon you”
…then you paused while I laughed hysterically at this sentiment, then continued straight-faced with, 
“and pull out one of your teeth.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

This afternoon we were exploring in the woods at the end of our road. I had been photographing and had to talk to you a couple of times about being careful around me with sticks and, well, bludgeoning actions because I was using my camera with my macro lens.

At one point you wanted me to hold you, which is rare so of course, I obliged. I kneeled down, wrapped my arms around you, still holding my camera in hand, and cuddled in for whatever love I could get.

You pulled away a little, looked at my camera and said,
“Mom, holding me sometimes means putting down your macro lens and picking me up.”

Jealous of a camera…

and who could blame you. 
Mama does love her photography. =) 

John Muir Park

We found a new park. 

It’s really close to our house, and it reminds me of when I lived in this area as a kid. 

The first home my mom and dad ever bought was actually just about a block from our home now, which is the first house we've ever purchased. 

I imagine this park reminds me of that because I really was “right here” for a time as a child. :)

We have been having picnics at this new park we’ve found.

There are big beautiful old trees with the fall sunlight glistening through the colored leaves. We spread out our green knit blanket and unpack our juices, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit and cookies and we eat together, squinting and giggling and talking about the acorns, pinecones, and changing season…

I love it.

When you were littler, like two summers ago, you loved to swing on a swing. You were kind of a baby then. This year, you wouldn’t go on a swing unless I was holding you and swinging with you.

In this new park, you LOVE to swing. You want me to push you in it over and over again. I have been getting motion sickness from taking so many photos of you swinging. =)

You also love this spiral thing they have where you sit and spin all the way down to the ground.

The first day we found the park I had to go back to the jeep to get something after we set our picnic up. You stayed on the blanket while I walked about 50 yards from you to the parking lot. When I left the jeep to return to you I made up a little fantasy that this was my first day as me. That there was someone walking with me who was introducing me to my life, telling me this was my jeep (and I looked back at is as though I’d never seen it before and smiled that this cute little suv is what I somehow chose to be driving as an adult), telling me about my love for Jesus, our home, my Husband of 8 years and how happy and in love we are… and then, pointing to this perfect little blonde boy sitting at a picnic place waiting for his Mama; waiting for me. and right in that moment I felt SO blessed I could hardly believe it.

We have such a beautiful life.

cinnamon cookies

We made some awesome cookies this week.

You have really been taking this three year old stuff seriously.

You stopped using the toddler potty seat in the bathroom all on your own with NO suggestions from anyone.

You are joining in at the library story times, telling me that this is what three year olds do.  

And you did most of the cookie making all yourself!!!

You poured and mixed the ingredients with me. Then you used the spoon to scoop the dough out and roll it into balls. You rolled the balls in cinnamon and sugar and set them on your pan.

So sweet!

Your favorite part was eating the dough off the beaters. When I handed them to you, you said, “you’re so nice”. =)

The cookies were divine, and so were the many photos I got to take while YOU made them. You also loved taste testing them hot out of the oven. 

Cinnamon Cookies:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• cinnamon sugar

Directions:

1.     In a mixer bowl, cream together sugar and butter; beat in egg and vanilla.

2.     Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.

3.     Add to butter mixture.

4.     Blend well.

5.     Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or till firm enough to roll into balls.

6.     Shape dough into small balls about 3/4-inch in diameter.

7.     Roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.

8.     Set cookies 1-inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.

9.     Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or till the edges are lightly browned.

10.  Cool slightly on pans, then remove to racks to cool completely. 

Froggy

We have been going to the libraries a lot this week. 

There is a new trial program geared toward preschoolers on Mondays through the month. 

We have also been invited to join our newer friends, Amy (the mom), Madison, and Max (the younger of her four kids) at another library for Wednesdays.

I think we are going to cut out your Tuesday story times for awhile.

On Monday, you got to meet “Froggy” from the books. You aren’t too familiar with that series because I don’t like the way Froggy talks to his parents, so we’ve never really read them.

The great part was your reaction. You really were not having this frog. You looked him up and down in true disbelief, and then you raised your eyebrow at the kids as they believed he was real. 

That is SO like you. 

I love it. =)

You have been coveting the letter “g” on the carpet, and you weren’t about to give it up to go hug some fake frog with the other kids.

You didn’t even want to take a picture with him. 

You seemed disgusted that we were trying to pull this off on you. 

You agreed to take my photo with the frog though. 

I think the other mama’s were a little freaked out when I handed you my camera, and even more so when you handled it with ease. =)