True Love

Now don't get me wrong. It's not all roses. Of course it isn't, we're human and nothing is perfect. In fact, there have been some extremely painful and just plain hard things to handle as a parent lately, and nothing brings you to your knees quite like those moments. But there has been a shift in my thinking, a new wave of gratitude you might say, which has allowed me to clearly see the blessings of the everyday. And I find myself thinking, a lot!, how much I adore this life of mine, of ours, and how I want to make the most out of every single day. Of course, there's a kid coughing and sniffling on the couch in the other room, and another little one whining at my feet as I type. You know, life. And I'm going to treasure it all. And I'm going to pray more. I'm not kidding! I need guidance and wisdom on the daily and I know Who is able to give it, only lots of times I don't seek after Him. I want that to change because the result is much more peace...

This boy. He has stolen my heart in every way imaginable. I find myself lamenting often, "aw, last year at this time, he was such a little baby, and now he's such a big boy." I don't know why, but summer didn't have that affect on me the way fall is now. Last fall he was just five and six months old, a terrible (TERRIBLE!) sleeper/napper, but so sweet and wonderful. And this fall he just seems so big. Well he is big, on his way to a year and a half old. #holdme But time doesn't stop, or even slow down. What a privilege for me to experience all these firsts again, and try to savor it all. I realized I hadn't been taking pictures with a "real" camera- phones are just so convenient!- so I'm sharing some of these taken with my Nikon. That will help limit the number of photos, too. I probably take thousands each month. And I don't regret it, either! Levi now stands for long periods of time but still has not settled into walking. He much pr...

Nothing says Welcome Fall quite like homemade apple pie. Unlike yesterday and today, we had been having perfect crisp, (light) sweater-weather days, so we celebrated by making the first apple pie of the season. Something I'm more than happy to do since I no longer loathe, or am terrified by, making my own pie crust. ;) This time around, the hubs asked for a crumb topping. I was going to make more of a crisp topping, with oats, but then thought I'd try a more shortbread kind of crumble. Well let me tell you, it ended up being nearly impossible to resist sneaking bites throughout the day. Starting maybe at breakfast. But what responsible adult would do that, so never mind. Nothing to report here. I think this pie is also referred to as a Dutch pie, though I had no intention of adding raisins. Is that what makes it Dutch? No idea. But no matter what you call it, it's just plain yummy. The crumble topping is light but rich all at the same time. ...

Saturday was beautiful and sunny, the perfect day for a trail walk. You'd think this was such a sweet, calm capture. Nope. She was ticked. It was shortly after this that I made a declaration. Maybe it's not a good decision, maybe it is. But I made it anyway: I'm not bring the older kids on walks anymore. I need this time for me, a chance to rejuvenate if you will, and the complaining, fighting, and general stress that comes along with having them there is not worth it. It has the opposite effect of what I hope for every single time. And then what was supposed to be refreshing ends up sucking the very life out of me. I wish it weren't this way. well, that's a whole other post... Sunday poured and poured all day long. Monday we decided to hit the road for something fun and somehow ended up at this joint. I explain a little below...guess I wrote that part first, ha ha. So then Screechy McScreech started in. Bill walked around with him while we ...