Theee perfect summer day

Picking in apples in a deserted orchard (isn’t the phrase ‘deserted orchard’ just ever so romantic?’)

Finding the strawbarries. They are still here!

Berries for little boys.

Eating apples

I think God let that orchard grow there just for us, for this night.

Okay so that might be a little self-centered.

Walking home to go to bed

Wearing the Australia clothes so we could also sentimentally think of Aunty Cel and the unmet Uncle Al.

Just like the chickens in the backyard make me feeel like a homesteader, this orchard makes me feel like a pionier on the frontier. You know, finding food out in the wild and all.

In the coming winter, I think this is the day I will look back to when I’m wearing two sweaters and three pairs of socks and wonder what the summer felt like.

This is my idea of a perfect summer day.

What’s yours? Did you get it this summer?

[…]

My mom

My mom raised 7 children. well, 4 of them aren’t grown up yet. And even the 3 oldest will never grow very much. But at least we are adults. Or we pretend to be. But the point that I wanted to make is…my mom is a hero. Abel was smearing his food in his hair. Gabri?l was screaming. He was as red as a little tomato. And I felt very much like…. Well, like doing a whole lot of things I shouldn’t. And maybe I also felt like screaming along with him. But then mom came. And the sisters. (and the brothers.) My two sisters went and cleaned the whole living room up, just like that! And swept the floor, too. Mom took care of Abel. 5 minutes later the food was in his little belly, out of his hair, and he was happily running around again. Mom was holding her little namesake and he enjoyed doing a very pathetic little after-cry while his grandma held him and cuddled him. And I got a head again! And a clean house! Before we knew it they were gone again,but what a big difference they had made! […]

Five Minute Friday – Ordinary

Five Minute Friday - Ordinary

When I hear the word, it sounds negative. Boring. Everyday-ish. Just…

But I don’t think it has to be.

Didn’t God make the ordinary, too?

Doesn’t He love it? And won’t it seem better in 20 years? Now, I’m so in the middle of today. It wears me out. ?I don’t want to change another diaper. I want to sleep. I want to go to the bathroom. By. My. Self. Is today special? No, not really. Unless you can count the fact that today I got even more spit over me a special event.

I will miss all of this. Just not now. Because I have it. Because I also have the hard parts.

Now, it feels ordinary. In 20 years, it will seem so special and dear.

And I want to find the ordinary wonderful. I want to thank God for these special days of smiles and diapers and messes and crying raising little beings.

I want to love the ordinaryness of it all.

Enjoy it to the fullest even when I feel like screaming louder then the 4-month-old.

Make memories.

Build relationships with these little men that will so soon be big men. Make their childhood ordinary, […]