Happy Thanksgiving Day-weekend!

In honor of this Thanksgiving season, I wanted to share with you my favorite childhood book. 
"I'm Thankful Each Day" by P.K. Hallinan.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY-WEEKEND FRIENDS!

"Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise."
~George Herbert~

Summer Nights

This Summer we hosted more parties then any other Summer I can remember.

It was wonderful.

I think it's because we weren't in the middle of a newborn phase as we have been the past several years: March 07 Luke was born. April 09 Paisley was born. Two Summers spent in sleepless nights and glazed over days! It's nice to be use to this new normal and we're enjoying it immensely. If you're in the newborn phase, don't worry, you will sleep again and you will have people over to your home again, (if that's something you enjoy doing)!! One of my favorite things
is to entertain people here at our home.

Have I introduced you to Sadie yet?

My sweet by-the-side-of-the-road treasure!

She was so good to me this Summer.

Keeping drinks on ice &
carrying my goodies home from market.

Some days I would just stare at her out my kitchen window as she leaned against the gazebo
and long to ride her down the road, "fly the coop" so to speak.... but alas, I had 3 children here at home so I just rode her around the yard. I looked pathetic I know, but I didn't care!

Dinner with the Stolzfus Crew under the walnut trees.

Hummer by firelight.

I've always loved entertaining....ever since I was about 5 years old.

Seriously, I use to play for hours on end having people to my fabulous"play houses." Under the pine trees on Zook Road I would serve my friends mud, meadow tea and marigold pies. I still get sent back in time when I smell fresh meadow tea leaves and marigolds.

My Mom was so gracious, (or ignorant to the fact) that I had 1/2 the kitchen out there with me.....her measuring cups & spoons, real dishes and utensils and cups, pots and pans, the telephone and even the living room couch one time, (I still don't know how the heck I got that thing out there)!! *someone from my past please comment and tell me your remember this??*

And some of my friends that I served when I was 5,
I served again this Summer in the shade of our gazebo.
Oh Happy heart.
Friends are the sweetness of my life.

One this particular Summer's Eve Jake's brother and his wife and some of their friends were visiting from Canada. We don't get to see Sam and Cheryl very often so our time together is short, but very sweet. Jake and his brother Sam are about as opposite as you get and it's a BLAST being together, they bring out the best in each other. Just look at them! Isn't it hilarious?? I love it!

Reuben, Sam, Jake

Proud Mama with her 4 children,
Reuben, Sam, Nancy, Jake.

Sam is such a fun guy, he's not afraid to be completely himself and he loves to surprise everyone! One night he and Cheryl and his friends showed up to a party in complete Amish gear....
horse and buggy and all. We laughed and laughed.

Only Sam.

We miss you all already!!!!

Their friends look so authentic, don't you think??

We approached their buggy on the way to this party and I said,
"honey, look at that couple, if we were Amish that's the colors we would wear,
bright orange!"

Then as we passed them, I said, "WAIT....THAT WAS SAM & CHERYL!!!!"
It was awesome!!

"Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light..."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

Paisley's Dedication

We started a tradition with our firstborn.

At his 1st birthday party we also had him dedicated.

We didn't really try to make it happen that way.

We are a large, large family so it was easier to do everything at once while we were gathered together~celebrate & dedicate all in one shot!

Throughout the years this tradition has remained strong.
For Luke.

And now for Paisley.

Our Pastor joined us, (fresh from his daughter's high school graduation party~~oh, circle of life).
He led us in a beautiful time of dedication for Paisley.
A short teaching about the significance of the Rabbi's, (Jesus) blessing over children.

A prayer with and for us as her family, her influence, her covering.

I read a short dedication prayer written by Heather Kopp. And lastly he sang a song of blessing over her~
"the Lord bless you and keep you,
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
the Lord be gracious to you,
and give you peace,
and give you peace."

She ate red licorice the whole time and didn't have a clue as to what was going on.

That didn't matter though because she may not ever realize the significance of that day.
But we did and always will.

We didn't just dedicate her, we dedicated ourselves.

On that perfect Summer evening, if I were to have a banner to post our statement of the night, I would've written, "God, HELP US!!!!" and flown that thing for all to see. However, I think God would have written, "I am Faithful" and let that one flap in the wind instead. Besides, that's the one that's been flying over us since we stood in that exact location, 8 years ago, under pressure treated lumber sprayed white and exchanged our wedding vows to each other.

Baby Girl~we don't know what this life will hold for you,
but we know Who holds your life.
We hope and pray and cry out that you too will know someday.

We hope you know true freedom, from the inside~out.
We pray that you will cry over our grave and not the other way around.
And we believe that the "I am Faithful" banner will fly over your life, high for all to see,
but mostly just to remind you.

"I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance...."
~Lee Ann Womack~

Sweet, sweet Vacation!!!

This is where we spent our Summer vacation....

not that one, silly.....

this one....the dearest little cottage by the sea.
As one person so profoundly put it, "the cream between two crackers!!"
She's one of the few original cottages left along the boardwalk.
She's a treasure, so full of charm & beauty & character.
One night I overheard someone on the boardwalk say, "I'd rather live in that place and be happy then live in that big house and be sad." I agree.

And she is loved by this lady and her family, (my soon to be sister-in-law and niece)! THANK YOU BECKY for allowing us to spend some time with you and Ashley in a place that is dear to you both. Becky's parents have owned this cottage for many years and have vacationed there even longer.

Her views were spectacular....sights & smells refreshing and reinvigorating.
Sitting on the rocking chair sipping some morning coffee and watching your cares ride by with baskets on the front.

the neighbors yards provided some beautiful sights to behold.

BUT NOTHING COMPARED TO THESE:

Tyler and Luke bravely played in the waves for hours on end....

Paisley's first time in the sand.....xoxo.

the boys slept so well.....long naps in the afternoon,
gearing them up for evenings on the boardwalk.
What a sweet way to fall asleep....from pure, fun, played out exhaustion.

Naptime=Daddy and Mommy relaxin' time.

Tyler wanted me to get a picture of him in "my cool outfit." I have no idea where he gets this from! ha ha ha!!!Becky & Paisley enjoying the sweet Summer day.
Jake built the kids the coolest "pool" complete with
a trench for water to come in through....
It was quite awesome! He's the coolest Daddy!!
Oh, be still my heart!!!
silly, sun kissed nights on the boardwalk. I took the kids on the ferris wheel. It was a big, tall ferris wheel.
And this is how I felt.

I almost lurched.
I kid you not. It was borderline.
I'm not the same anymore with heights after having babies.
I think it's a built in thing, (*you have offspring to raise, get down from that cliff kinda stuff.*)
The kids loved it and Luke did what his shirt says!!
I took pictures to distract myself.
I need to stop talking about it now 'cause my
belly is starting to do funny stuff.
Seriously.

On Saturday night my friend Angie did a laid back, carefree
photo shoot with us on the beach, (*I'll post more pics throughout these last days of Summer...oh, how can it be??) She has incredible talent and a great eye for detail & capturing the MOMENT!!
The night was perfect and the lollipops were in abundance x 3!!!
It was relatively painless and actually quite fun.
THANK YOU ANG!!
On Sunday morning I woke up early
and took my chair out to the beach to watch the sunrise.
What a special time, just me & a new day.
"And then Summer comes, and with it God's invitation to enter into life, and joy, and wonder. A time for Sabbath. To play, yes, but play that brings deep restoration. (We Americans attack our vacations as we attack the rest of life, and most folks I know need a few weeks to recover from their "vacations"). And so I am trying to find some genuine experience of Sabbath this Summer. Reading books, taking walks, drinking in beauty wherever I can find it."
~John Eldredge~