Daddy's work

Jake's business, EWBN, (Eagle Wings Business Network) does the maintenance/landscaping at a local miniature golf place. It's only a few minutes from here, so one afternoon I loaded the kids and we joined him for lunch and a few puts around the green. The boys had a great time eating lunch with Daddy in the beautiful gazebo, feeding little fishy crackers to the ducks, learning how to play a little golf and eating ice cream. Tyler was quite good at the game,
Luke on the other hand just wanted to throw the golf ball around!! We were having a lovely time until Luke tripped and banged his head on a rock! And what a bruise that made...not so fun! Although I will say a little bit of ice cream helped tremendously! I love when Jake works nearby...it's fun for the kids to see him at work and see the things he is building and creating. We just found out that their business will be putting in a new park RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET this summer....how wonderful is that? It really is beautiful timing with the contractors being here to work on the carriage house. Jake will be able to come home most days to oversee the work and see that all is well. We're anticipating an amazing park, I saw the plans and they are a-m-a-z-i-n-g! For those that live locally, it will be behind the library. I believe they hope to have it completed by this Fall, if the funding comes through! GOOD TIMES!

"One night a father overheard his son pray:
Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is.
Later that night, the Father prayed,
Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be."
~Anonymous~

Preschool days

We're thinking of sending Tyler to preschool this year. I was never a preschool fan and passed stupid judgement on those that sent their kids. I see now that it may just be beneficial for some kids and I think Tyler is one of those. We found a great program near our home at a Mennonite church. I have him registered, but haven't made the final decision, (it's a lot of running around, in the middle of the day). ("Graduation" at preschool days....check out the cap; a plastic bowl turned upside-down w/ a sheet of consturction paper on top! Loves it!)

Anyway, earlier this year Tyler got to be a part of a little preschool program at a local high school. He LOVED it. I would drop him off and he would RUN to the door waving and saying goodbye to all of us. I wasn't sure how he would be at first, but as each Wed. and Friday rolled around, he became more and more comfortable. Each day I had the run-down of all he did that day and boy, was it exciting! The program was really neat, basically high school junior and seniors that were a part of the child development course got to have a preschool for 20 kids. My friend Adrienne sent her son there as well and he and Tyler are great buds! I basically cried when I saw this "graduation day" picture because I was fast-forwarding 14 years! They'll be taller then me and I'll be a pile of snot.....

"Life is a succession of moments.
To live each one is to succeed."
~Coreta Kent~

Father's Day Gift

A few weeks ago my friend Tina came and took some amazing pictures of the boys, Paisley and I. She is so talented it's not even funny!! I had seen a picture awhile ago of little feet all piled together and just loved it. I thought that would be a neat idea for this Father's day, to get a cute pic of the kids feet all mushed together. She ended up getting so many great pictures so I think I'll do a photo book as well. There are so many personalized gifts you can do...I like using shutterfly the best. By the way, they are offering a FREE 8 X 8 PHOTO BOOK UNTIL JUNE 24TH, how great is that?? I'm so excited to show these pictures to Jake....he will love them. Thank you Tina for taking the time to come to our home, for editing these pictures soooo beautifully and for getting them back to me in good time. Please let me know how I can return the favor....

Enjoy a few of my personal favorites......

"Mender of toys, leader of boys

Changer of fuses, kisser of bruises,

Bless him, dear Lord.

Mover of couches, soother of ouches,

Pounder of nails, teller of tales,

Reward him, O Lord.

Hanger of screens, counselor of teens,

Fixer of bikes, chastiser of tykes,

Help him, O Lord.

Raker of leaves, cleaner of eaves,

Dryer of dishes, fulfiller of wishes ...

Bless him, O Lord."

~Jo Ann Heidbreder~

Raisin Bran

This past January Tyler and I took a road trip to New Haven, CT to visit my dear friend Chrisy and her son Gabriel. We met in 2000 during our DTS, (Discipleship Training School) through Youth With A Mission and have stayed great friends since that time.....

Fast forward 5 months and we're at the grocery store a few weeks ago. I told Tyler he could pick any cereal he wanted, just for a special treat. Up and down the cereal aisle he went, looking for the perfect one......low and behold he chose Raisin Bran, yes, Raisin. Bran. I was surprised and said, "are you sure you want this one?" (Lucky Charms would have been my choice for sure). "Yes, Mama, like my friend Gab has!" I had to ask him to repeat what he said because I didn't understand what Gab had to do with it.....then I remember that we had had Raisin Bran for breakfast the one morning! OH. MY. WORD. Needless to say, I was totally amazed and thought it was just so cute that he wanted to be like his friend!

We hope to see you guys before too much time passes. We want to meet Noah and we want to introduce you to Paisley! Until then, we'll sit around the breakfast table and remember you!!

"The more we get together, together, together,
the more we get together the happier we'll be.
Cause my friends are your friends
and your friends are my friends."
~unknown author~
just a little ditty that popped in my head!

Two things You told me

HERE IS MY NEW FAVORITE SONG THAT GOES DEEP DOWN IN MY HEART!
Enjoy it today.....

"Heavenly Father You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come In my world and in my life
You give me the food I need To live through the day
And forgive me as I forgive The people that wronged me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window The birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune Or out of place
I look at the meadow And stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl On her wedding day
So why do I worry?Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens Is now advancing
Invade my heart Invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens Is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself To buy the one you've found?
Two things you told me
That you are strong
And You love me
Yes, You love me

Our God in heaven Hallowed be Thy name above all names
Your kingdom come Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons"
~Jon Foreman~

My Baby is 4!!

(Tyler-2 days old)

My "baby" is 4 years old today!! I know, I know, you've heard it a thousand times, but seriously....WHERE have the years gone? I feel like he was just born, I remember it all so well, so vividly. It's been such an adventure getting to know my "guy", being his Mama and watching him grow from a newborn into a toddler and now a little boy! I think what has surprised me the most over the years is that he may look just like his Daddy, but he is the male form of me!! I understand him, I just "get" him and I think I have patience for his little ways because I sort of know what's going on inside him, (most of the time)! This year he has, in my eyes, really transitioned from a toddler into a little boy, a young man in the making. I see him understanding what I tell him, being able to respond to me and to others. I see a true sincerity in him when interacting with others. Someday, should you call our home, you will be greeted with quite the joyous hello from him. He'll act as though he hasn't talked to you in years, (even if he just saw you yesterday). He really values the people around him, (even though he may fight with his best friends: his brother Luke and his cousin Chase)! He genuinely ENJOYS people and would be with his "friends" all day, every day if allowed. His imagination and pretend play has blossomed before my eyes over the past 6 months. I will say he has always had a pretend world with his beloved Thomas the tank engine. It's going on two years now and his favorite past time continues to be playing with his trains. Here he is playing Doctor with Luke. I heard them in there the other day, Tyler saying to his patient, "now push, puuuuuuuuuuush". Yeah, I think he watches "The Baby Story" on TLC a bit too much with me!! Lately he's really been cracking me up: We have a CD that has all sorts of songs on it and the one song sings about Argentina. "TINA! Oh Mama, that song is about Owen's Mom, Tina" he informs me!! Then there is a song that says "abracadabra", "Oh Mama, that song is about my cousin Deborah!" Cracking me up. Our neighbor Ginny was here the other day and Tyler just blatantly said, "Oh, you have breasts too!" (I wanted to crawl under the couch!!!!) Instead I kindly said with a half smile, "he's learning all sorts of new things since his sister was born!" um, yeah!

Tyler really is a sweet kid. I heard him this morning, "good morning Lukie, it's a beautiful day sweetheart, want to go downstairs with me?" I mean, who wouldn't want to wake up to a greeting like THAT??

Oh, Tyler, you are so loved! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! I am so grateful to be your Mom, to have these years to enjoy and discover who you are. Thank you for giving me the grace I need as I learn all about this mothering thing!! I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK AGAIN!

"A young child is, indeed, a true scientist,
just one big question mark. What? Why? How?
I never cease to marvel at the recurring miracle of growth,
to be fascinated by the mystery and wonder of this brave enthusiasm."
~Victoria Wagner~

Neighbors & kindness

We have such great neighbors....some are just acquaintances, but many of them we would consider our good friends, and some are even relatives, (pictured below: Paisley and my brother Tom enjoying an evening on the front porch). We are blessed to live in such a lovely community and I look forward to teaching the boys....(I guess I can't say that anymore)......rephrase: I look forward to teaching my children the importance of valuing our neighbors. I think we as a society have lost the art of community over the years and that's so sad to me. We are safe to live and dwell within our four walls, forgetting that there are people all around us, just waiting to be discovered! When we first moved here I met our dear neighbors Irvin and Ruth, and have since enjoyed getting to know them over time. A few weeks ago, just shortly after Paisley was born I went to get the mail. It was a sunny afternoon, the boys were napping and Paisley was resting on my shoulder. I decided to sit in the sun on the front porch and open the darling cards that people sent our way, congratulating us on Paisley's arrival. One card in particular caught my attention and while reading, brought me to tears. Our dear neighbor Ruth, age 80, had taken the time to write us a card and send it! As I read it I kept looking across the street at their home, almost giggling to think about the journey that card had made, just to get post marked and arrive in our mailbox.

"Dear neighbors, God is so good, wait until you hear this: Irvin and I went to an antique shop to buy some plates when we saw this adorable dress. I told Irvin that Janelle is going to have a little girl this weekend and I should buy it for her. Thursday night, (April 30th) I went to bed early and about 10:30-11:00 p.m. I got up, just couldn't sleep. I went into the living room and sat on my comfortable chair and looked down at your beautiful home all lit up. It reminded me of you so I started praying for you. Just like that, this car quickly drove in and a lady got out and carried a large suitcase or whatever is was. I said, "God you are so good, this is why I couldn't sleep so I could really pray for Janelle. I sat there about an hour praying for you. I fell asleep and peaceably went to bed and slept.

Now I see pink balloons.

Congratulations on your darling little girl."
We love you,
Irvin and Ruth

(Paisley was born at 11:37 p.m., over the exact time she was praying!!)

Here is Ruth presenting Paisley with her adorable vintage dress!
I just LOVE it! How precious this relationship is to me....to us all!

Here is some of our life in pictures from the last week:




Here's to cultivating the flowers in your life,
be it family, friends or neighbors!
While the spirit of neighborliness
was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because our neighbors are so many.
~Lady Bird Johnson~

Hand delivered gifts!

My dear friend Jeane came by the other day. As usual, it's so wonderful seeing her, even just for a few minutes! She brought delightful gifts, including a most precious gift by Cath Kidston, a book FULL of stickers/labels...I was gushing over it! She also brought a most thoughtful gift from her most thoughtful Mother, Judy. Here is the link to the post about this lovely gift that was bestowed upon me. And I will say this is the BEST pancake mix ever....so light and fluffy and delish! AND I just love the little scoop and glass bowl she put it in. THANK YOU JUDY!! A proper thank you is on it's way! ALL THREE children are napping and I'm actually not exhausted....so I'm working on some projects. On of which, attempting to bleach the glider/ottoman set I have in the nursery. I bought it used and never really LOVED it so I'm trying some things with it to make it more "me". I'll keep you posted!

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.
Have you used one to say "thank you?"
~William A. Ward~