Sunny Days and Stormy Days

Our neighbors place viewed from down in the field of mustard..

 We enjoyed a sunny Sunday afternoon last week strolling with family across the neighbors mustard field, with their permission of course, and down the irrigation ditch to dip our toes and do a little exploring.  Going for nature walks are on the top of every member of the family's list of most enjoyable things to do all together....


Sporting a freshly picked weed crown....

A freshly picked bouquet of horsetail....

Carving a rock...

Running down the irrigation ditch...

Enjoying the breeze on her skin....

Dangling our legs and laughing with Daddy....

 Little did we know that less than a week later we would be still laughing with Daddy, but this time with his foot up on ice after a flying leap and block in volleyball...  avulsion fracture is the word.

The night it happened...

3 days later...

Feet and ankles are precious..."How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News... or bring home the paycheck...."  I know we shouldn't be happy that our Daddy can't go to work but we are.  What can I say?  We love him and are thoroughly enjoying spending time with him at home:  bringing him food, ice, books, videos, and hopefully a lot of laughs. 

We could choose to stress at the "Storm" and waste our precious time or simply enjoy our little ones and one another on this "surprise vacation."  It's really all in how one looks at life.  And, no, it's not just positive thinking... or escaping reality. 

Reality can be grim, but God's truth and glory are powerful.  Mercy and grace intermingle.  Faith, hope, and love outshines, outlives, and is irrepressible.  Try to dampen it and it's glory spreads around the dark edges. 

God has never not taken care of us before and He will not stop now.  We can laugh at the future knowing He is fully in control....how refreshing and how exciting all at the same time.  You know, it was kind of getting slow around here.....

Ode to my Eldest Son on his Birthday

Installing new sink fixtures

If you were to peek into our home on a regular basis, you would find this young man fixing anything and everything.... no job to small or difficult that he wouldn't give it a try.  Here he is in the bathroom cupboard installing a brand new sink fixture.  It seems like just yesterday he was in my kitchen cupboards playing with the flour bucket.  Just yesterday he was throwing tantrums upon exiting his sandbox or refusing to pick up his crayons from under the table.  When did he stop sitting on our laps for story time?  We still squish him on the couch between us but not for very long and certainly not to hear a picture story.  Was it only a few years ago we could hardly get him to stay in bed and now to roust him in the mornings.....

My first born....17 years ago today...I gave up during his birth and wanted to die.... it was painful, long and trauma filled...to make a long story short: severe shoulder dystocia, fetal monitor inserted underneath scalp, broken collar bone and vacuum extraction heralded this baby boy into the world.  BUT as soon as I held him in my arms nothing else mattered and the world melted away. 

Experimenting in George Fox University Laboratory

 He continues to enjoy taking things apart... except now at the molecular level and enjoys solving problems with Algebraic equations.  Did I mention joy?  Yes, pure joy when discovering something new and working out math problems I must of did eons ago but can't remember anything to help him now. 

Planning, goal setting, adding up high school credits

 Thank-you my dear son for putting up with your Mama's efforts to stay on top of everything which means you have seen first hand the trials of procrastination..... thus the messes.....


 Speaking of messes, son you have made your fair share but have created and done some amazing things with it all!  And we, as parents and grown-ups, have made even more messes.  Thank-you for handling all the difficulties in your life with joy, thoughtfulness, and godliness.  God is preparing you in advance for the work He has in store for you.  

Painting the walls in our Alaskan house

 Embrace the mess:  God did it for you in Christ Jesus!

Trying to hide from the camera

 You're not one to toot your own horn, so we'll toot it for you!  You're an inspiration to all of us in perseverance as we have watched you learn to walk, run, read, write, and compute numbers.  You study the Word, and learn new things with such exuberance, you draw us in.  You lead gently and quietly and we notice.  We love you so much... not for what you have done or will do, not for what you have been or will be, but for who you are....TODAY, our dear son, Happy 17th Birthday!


Snakes!

Look what we found in our yard!

 This is a gopher snake that we found lying under some cardboard in our yard.  At first I thought it was a baby rattlesnake because it's markings looked just so: but alas no rattle.  Since we live in the Pacific Northwest where they do not live I knew I shouldn't worry.... but for a brief second I thought that maybe the previous owners may have let their pet escape under the house and this baby crawled out....  I can think of more things to worry about.

Killing the grass in our yard with cardboard boxes....

Happy little Rubber Boa snake wrapped around sister's wrist...

 

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Sitting on big brother's snake cage....

For school that day we studied snakes, of course, what else could one do after such an exciting event?  Not to mention, a few days before, my oldest son found a rubber boa snake on our property.  Since big brother has studied snakes before and immediately looked his up and identified it, he went on to design and build a double compartment snake cage to house their new pets.  I’d say I could give him extra credit for shop and science class on this one!

I love educating my children at home.  They are truly exposed to all sorts of people, adventures, jobs, attitudes, and learn such flexibility in it all.  They are gaining real life experiences daily as they plan, set goals, and then they go awry but still have to be revisited until accomplished.  Sometimes, they get tossed out completely, goals that is, and exchanged for new ones, sometimes not.  BUT this is life, and it happens and we roll with it.

Oh, just for fun, we studied the bombardier beetle this week…. AMAZING!  Totally defies evolution, just saying.  He mixes chemicals and catalysts and POW, at temperatures of 212 degrees F he shoots it out at his enemies. 

By the way, I am beginning to understand what a catalyst is because my 17-year old son comes home from his chemistry class at George Fox University every other Monday, and explains what he’s learning to me and his siblings and his Dad and anyone else who’s interested.  The class is being taught by a grad student to a class of homeschoolers, and being graded by the Professor.  I’m so proud of my son!



Springtime Splendor

To be still, or to jump, that is the question....

Some friends of ours brought over live bunnies yesterday to celebrate Easter.  All the kids enjoyed petting and playing with the bunnies in the backyard in between rainy showers and sun breaks.

Lovely young ladies from the Mother Daughter Tea

A few Saturdays ago we ladies had a tea and enjoyed one another's company and making these cute little bonnets from a paper plate and a paper bowl, so creative and fun. 

More baby bunny fun...

Thank-you dear friends for bringing joy wrapped up in fur..

I love spring... the season of re-birth and new life.  Hope comes to mind as well as anticipation for what the year ahead will bring.  Children embody all the best in life:  laughter, joy, glee, happiness, no real sense of time passing by, quick to forgive, trusting, staying in the moment, cherishing each activity they engage in.

No wonder Jesus told the Pharisee's that unless they became like little children they could not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  If we could put the glasses of childlikeness on but for a few moments a day I believe we'd be so much further ahead.  Or at least wear them long enough to recapture the newness and joy of each passing day and to see what a privilege it is to live!

Glorious Spring

It's hard to "bloom where you're planted" without any roots.  This blossom was lovingly "planted" by one of my small children in the flowerbed out front a few weeks ago.  It has no root, just a wood like stalk with a gorgeous bloom. 

The rest of the flowers out front do have roots.  You just can't tell yet which ones are really alive.  The alive ones appear less than lovely at times; the slugs eat away at the leaves, maybe they don't receive as much water as others, possibly a little one tugs at a bloom or two and ends up pulling the whole plant up..... but it is easily replanted because it has.....ROOTS. 

While I was waiting for the above pictures to download I was curious..... I just had to check.  I went out front to pull up the flower without roots and check, just in case it had grown some in the past few weeks.  I was hoping no one would notice me out in my pajama's doing the deed...

Nope, no roots, just dirt and rot.  You can even began to see the edges of the once beautiful petals dying.  It sure did last along time, though.  It really surprised me. 

So, what about roots?  I had someone tell me one time, "You need to put down roots!"  I think they were hoping I would quit moving around and make life long friends, memories and be involved with local activities on a level most are comfortable with.

I thought about it, mused on it and moved again and again and again.  BUT  I realized that indeed, I do have roots.  I have lots of roots and deep ones at that.  Just because we move on doesn't mean we sever the roots of our friendships, memories, and chosen activities.  We bring all that culture and meaning along with us wherever we go. 

So, the next time you meet someone new that has recently moved, don't assume they don't have any roots.... ask them what is important in life and what lessons they've learned.  Listen to their stories and learn from their experiences.  Life is rich when we began to appreciate, understand, and learn from one another. 

Perhaps some of the deepest roots are formed in the driest most severe seasons of drought in our lives.  We know where to go for water...the bedrock of our lives can only truly be the Lord Jesus Christ.  If our roots are truly deep they will be embedded forever in His strength.