November*a month of thanks* Ella

I am so thankful for my little bug, her spunk and creative spirit. There is something so innocent and whimsical about the art work of a 4 year old. This is one of her self-portraits . I love how she always connects her eyes and it's cute anime quality. Josh is an art teacher and he loves to draw with the kids.I've watched Juden study Josh when he draws making connections. "Oh, that's where the eyes go... that's how you do that." His work changes and grows and matures and I love that. Ella hasn't yet been affected by how things are supposed to be. She climbs up to grab the markers and settles onto her tummy. She makes bold marks with confidence, with out thinking twice.So very in the moment. Paper after paper, rabbits, then butterflies now little Ella's everywhere. I love it. May she always do things with the same resolve, joy and boldness she has now.

November - a month of thanks

It is our hope that we would always be thankful but this month we are talking a little more about it as Thanksgiving nears. This was Juden's list. I dig my little boys list and am so happy that he can spill over with things he's thankful for. He went on to name every single person in our family,every color of the season and finished with "snow as soft as cat's fur." This seemed odd since we rarely if ever see snow around here. Then I remembered that Josh is reading him The Lion,the Witch and the Wardrobe and he is quite intrigued with the snow in Narnia. So this month I want to try to post frequently about things I'm thankful for. After all there are so very many.

being made new

A brand new season called for a fresh look. I thought about adding the tag line, "being made new" and then the same morning listened as my pastor quoted C.S. Lewis from Prince Caspian. The writing of C.S. Lewis always cuts me to the core. Sometimes I imagine chatting over tea like kindred spirits or like he's some long lost uncle. Anyway,it was the part about Aslan cleaning Eustace and making him new again when he could not do it for himself. The imagery is poignant, raw and painfully beautiful. It is my story too. God is completing a work in me. 2Cor. 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Sometimes I wish I could do God justice. That His spirit inside me would shine through like some tiny glimmering pearl but too often I feel like all my stuff gets in the way, glaring and obvious.When I'm peaceful, joyful and loving, it's because there is less of me and more of him. It is my prayer though, that everyday I would let him peel away those ugly layers and that I would be growing, changing, yielding to the great potter,being washed...being made new.

all dressed up

bathtime

There are some things I do everyday,little things that seem insignificant and then one day it hits me that they are little gems tucked into my day that I treasure more than I could say. Almost everyday at just about seven in my house, I have three little critters sloshing around our tub laughing and splashing. I scoop them up all clean and wet and lift them to the mirror. I squeeze their faces next to mine because they always want to see the hooded princess or little bear towel on their head. It's some of these humble little moments in the routine of my days that I know I'll miss someday. They shed their towels and dash to the fireplace to warm their bums. It's one of my favorite parts of the day.



Tonight we've got the cutest little lamb you ever saw, one ballerina and one superhero that are gearing up for tomorrow. Happy trick or treating!

prayers for Mimi

I seem to keep quoting my son for the sincerity, simplicity, and profundity of his prayers but sometimes Josh and I look at each other holding back laughter. I think I might as well just start a book with his precious prayers. We have this beloved Mimi who recently left the country on a trip to share her faith with women at a university in Czech Republic. Juden's prayer that evening was this,"Dear Jesus, please make Mimi be safe on her trip,when she rides in the airplane, help her not to fall off, but if she does fall off please let her parachute shoot up cause I love Mimi and I want her to come here so that I can go sleep over Mimi's house." Now if I could just find the drawing he did of Mimi in the plane, that was pretty cute too.

Autumn love

Drinking in the sights, the gentle chaos, the symmetry,

of trees aflame with color...

the oil paint limbs,the way the light makes them shine,

the beauty of death becoming life...

and the smell of wet leaves and fire.

homeschooling

Since September I've been home-schooling Juden for Kindergarten. I thought it would feel like a natural transition since we already have a home where learning and living and playing coincide. Some days have gone like my overly idealistic self imagined. We snuggle in the morning sun immersed in our reading while the girls have tea parties nearby. Other days I wonder what I got myself into and I feel like a total failure. On these days Juden has his mind made up not to do anything school related, the girls make concentration impossible and I'm trying to trudge through to make sure everything on my curriculum list is checked off. Some days Juden and I are frustrated and I end my day with little to show for it.
I'm using Sonlight which is very literature based, which I like. Every child's temperament is different and Juden was struggling with the extreme structure suddenly placed on his days at home. I realized that perhaps I was a tad over-zealous and that I really don't want to fight with my son or squelch his love for learning. A few days ago I was so discouraged I considered throwing the towel in and called my mother-to-almost-six, home schooling guru, best friend. I don't know what I would do without my girlfriends. She listened patiently to all of my recent struggles. She listened to my home-schooling frustrations. She talked about the importance of nurturing his curiosity and love for learning. She recommended books and gave amazing advice and helpful tips. Most of all she spoke confidence in me that I had lost in myself. She affirmed me as mom and a teacher.It is amazing the power of a little encouragement to a broken spirit. What did I do to deserve such precious women in my life? All of this to say, it has not always been an easy transition but we are learning how to find a good rhythm of learning and play and structure and freedom. I feel a sense of renewal that I know is from God and how He has used my friends to uphold me.



Some of the highlights are that I get to be with all my children all day long.
I get to watch their wonder over little miracles like this...
we feed our very hungry "calapidder" as Ella calls it, lots of milkweed,
we watch it form a pale green and gold beaded chrysalis,
we watch it bulge and become translucent with tiny wings forming underneath,
we watch it break free and unfurl it's wings for the very first time,
and just like that... a butterfly is born.

I get to teach and nurture and drink in each day the wonder and curiosity and creativity that comes with being five, and thirty-one.