William...

in his jammies on the playset...just the way he likes to spend his summer mornings...

Multitude Monday #4121 - #4142...

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.   Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

James 1:2-4

Today along with the Gratitude Community I practice the discipline of gratitude and list his gifts from this past week...

...time with a friend at the playground while the boys played...

...that the boys followed directions and called Daddy when my back went into a severe spasm...

...that my friend came over right away to help until Wes got here...she helped Wes carry me to the car...and took my kids so Wes could take me to the doctors...

...that my dad was willing and able to come and stay for the week to help with the boys...

...catching this glimpse of summer...a boy swinging free and blowing bubbles as the sun rises...

...watching Dad play wiffleball with the boys out the window...

...Micaiah's caring spirit...

...hearing Will giggle as he chased him... 

...hearing this quote on one of my favorite period drama pieces as I was resting my back on the couch...

"health is the greatest of God's gifts, but we take it for granted; yet it hangs on a thread as fine as a spider's web and the smallest thing can make it snap, leaving even the strongest of us helpless in an instant and in that instant hope is our protector and love our panacea."  

Jennifer Worth, Call of the Midwife

...a meal from a friend...

...Dad's help weeding...

...my husbands tireless work to keep things running when I wasn't able to help...

...a friends grocery store run...

...Eli teaching Will to swing all by himself...

...another friends offer to take the boys to the playground while Will, Dad, Eli and I napped...

...Overhearing Wes and Micaiah's conversation about Wes' overnight business trip...

Micaiah says "Oh you're only going to Florida for one day?"  

"Yes, buddy.  One day isn't that long."

 "Hey dad...one day is one day too long."

...the ability to cook dinner...

...Dad and I belly laughing over Will jumping in and confusing a game of tag on the playground...

...attending a neighborhood party and meeting many more neighbors...

...baseball with his pitchback until sunset...

 

Multitude Monday #4094 - #4120...

“Gratitude...claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift...the discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”
Henri J.M. Nouwen

Today along with the Gratitude Community I practice the discipline of gratitude...

...a special date with my little one to his new favorite place...

..."Look Mom I'm touching the pistons!"

...listening to this song "He Is the Love" by the David Crowder Band...and thinking on these lines

This is the place I've known
Here in the arms of one who loves
Deeper than anyone
His are the hands I've grown to trust

And this is the place I've known
Here in the arms of one who loves
Farther than I could run
His are the hands I've grown to trust
And I believe...

His are the hands that spread the sky
And His is the love that gives me life
And His are the broken, the needy ones
And He is the love

 ...the way he cries "Mama clean it" at 12:30 am when he wakes up in a sticky mess of gum...

...Instagrams from this past week...

...walking out of Starbucks at closing time after hours of rich conversation with a dear friend...

 

...reading this quote from Ann Voskamp and praying it sinks deep into the crevices of my rule following personality..the time with them is short...praying I lean into Him and trust...

"That maybe being the mama I want to be isn’t so much about being more, but trusting more –  trusting more in the God of Hagar and Ruth and Hannah, the God who sees the angst, who nourishes the empty places, who hears the unspoken cries —  and answers.

That godly parenting isn’t ultimately about rules — but having a relationship with an ultimate God and His children.

That godly parenting isn’t  fuelled by my efforts — but by God’s grace.

That if I make God first and am most satisfied in His love — then I’m released to love my children fully and satisfactorily."

...a few days of a quiet house with just the older and younger boy and how we all miss one another...

...receiving pictures/texts from grandparents/aunt having fun with the boys...

...celebrating 15 years of marriage to my best friend...

~the one who understands me better than I understand myself sometimes

~the one who loves and serves us so well  

~the one who has taught me so much about the height, depth and width of the love of our Father

...lobster risotto...

...Eli's determination to conquer swimming independently...the way he keeps practicing and experiences success...

...morning runs with a treasured friend...

...no knee pain...

...catching up with friends over dinner on a Friday evening...

...Eli's rendition of "Jingle Bells"...how I videotape him and then we all laugh until we cry...

...my comfy gray Target hoodie...

...walking into the room and finding big brother and little brother looking through a family photo album...

...a quiet morning to create in the kitchen...

...Micaiah's joy in having a fan section at his baseball tournament this past weekend...

...his line drive double and the smile that followed...

...how his number 7 seed team knocked off the number 2 seed... 

...reading The Twenty One Balloons with the boys over lunch... 

...Eli calling my attention to the dragonfly and butterflies flying by the house...

...Josh recounting sections from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator...his new audiobook...

...how he leaves carrots out for the bunny that he saw in the yard...

...wrestling with what "God put in my heart to do."

 

Instagrams...

from this week...

...we all took an after dinner trip to 7-11 for their free "Snurkie" day...




...a flower along our stream walk...

...Eli chose to go to the neighborhood stream with Mommy instead of going out to a special breakfast so we could catch a crayfish (a task on his summer bucket list)...here he is with his catch...

...the boys helped Daddy build their new swingset from Grandma and Pap...

...Will is having a blast this summer swimming at the pool...he decided to borrow some goggles from the lost and found...

...we all enjoyed watching this praying mantis the other day perched on top of our grill...

...Will is potty trained...this is huge for us considering we have been buying diapers for the last 10 1/2 years!!...

 

...fearless Will takes on 3 feet with his version of the "running man"...

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Eli's Wiffle Ball Shuffle and Other Summer Adventures...

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No More Braces...

(until the rest of his adult teeth come in)...but he is celebrating today...

...look at that smile...

Dinner, Sunset and a Dance Party...

About 8 years ago...I was praying for a mentor.  Someone to walk through/encourage me as I journeyed through this next phase of life.  It was a prayer that my friends Nicka and Keyne shared.  Betsy Goodman was the answer to our prayers...

One of the first times we met as a group I remember sitting on her couch crying about feeling overwhelmed with parenting our two little boys at the time.   She has walked through so much with me over the past 8 years...parenting/marriage ups and downs, Kelsey's death, my crisis of faith, my parents divorce...she has been a true blessing...

Last evening we had our mentor group and their families over for a cookout.  It was great to catch up with everyone...

...the sunset over our house after dinner...

...Betsy enjoying our tree swing...

It was a blast...the kids played, some of them ate ice cream for dinner, they ran after fireflies as the sun slipped away and they danced way past 9:00.

My boys woke up (late) this morning and asked if we could do it all again!   

...beautiful...the stuff memories are made of...

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Josh turns 9!!!

You are one of the sweetest most social little boys we know...you love meeting new people...giving tours of our new house...inviting people to parties...and making people laugh.  We enjoyed celebrating YOU today Joshua and the blessing you are to this family!

Your words tonight at bedtime...

"I don't want my birthday to end."

Happy "29th" Birthday Wes...

"You rock it out, 

you keep it real,

you kinda are a big, BIG deal.

 You live out loud,

you laugh, you hope,

you like to push the envelope.

 You know your song

by heart, and sing it.

Life gets tough 

and you say, 'bring it!'

 So have your cake 

and eat it, too-

no guy deserves it more than you!"

Happy Birthday Wes!

Here are a few Instagram pictures from your day today...

breakfast with the boys...

Camden Yards Ballpark Tour...

 

Arrgh You Scalleywag...

Marvelous Micaiah, Junkyard Josh, Ever Fierce Eli and Wacky Will joined Vicious Van, Eagle Eye Erin, Terrible Tristen, and Seasick Shelley for a fantastic pirate voyage...

 

What a fun summertime adventure!!

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