A Month of "Recreation"

It's amazing how much this one hour of rain has impacted our last month.

Compared to what people in Binghamton are experiencing even now, this "flooding" is hardly worth mentioning.

Nevertheless, it still caused damage and has provided some "recreational" activity for the last month.
Week 1:
We used Grandpa's tractor to move the one large rock we had available on our property and pushed it into place with a log.

We borrowed Bethany to help keep an eye on Matthew so that I could actually help Chris with the work. :o)

Her brother Jonathan came over as well and he, Hannah, and Peter helped collect the bricks that were scattered along the creek bed. (Long story ...)

That day, Chris and I were able to get the foundation firmly established for the first section we needed to repair. The Lord stopped the rain for us to give the cement time to cure.

Week 2:

The Lord provided a source for larger-than-average "rip rap"--basically large chunks of granite. (Think "cheapest commercial source of large rocks" available ...)

Most stoneyards carry 15–20 lb. rip-rap. The Lord allowed this one stoneyard to "misorder" 100–120 lb. rip-rap--exactly the size we needed--just that week.

Bethany and Jonathan's dad joined Chris the next week and was a huge help in keeping the cement mixer and such going.

Week 3:

We met our neighbor, and two days later his truck-mounted backhoe broke down in our driveway. Chris finished up the cement-work on the first section of rock.

Week 4:

After repairing his truck, our neighbor used it to move some large rocks piled at the edge of his property across the street. (These rocks were unburied when they reworked the intersection this last winter.)

Praise the Lord. THESE can fill a hole.

And once again, we are THANKFUL to have Grandpa's tractor down here. (I think the tractor is going to be glad when it finally gets to go home. I don't think it gets worked quite so hard at home ... Although, who knows? Maybe it will be bored and ask to come back down for another visit ...) ;o)

And this is about where we're at. The first section where Peter is sitting is completely cemented in. I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. Beyond him you can see the rocks our neighbor brought over for us. They're big enough that they should stay put till we get a chance to cement them in place in the next couple weeks. We're thankful for the old tree roots holding the bank in place beyond the rocks.

And the kids ... they've been enjoying both the work and the play. :o)

So thankful to see how the Lord has provided and protected along the way.

Busy with a Capital B

Seriously. Could he be any cuter? I realize I may be slightly bias (eh-hem ...), but this little guy is adorable. And Busy. Very. Very. Busy.

Just the usual stuff ... rain gutters ...

lawnmowers ... sticks (lots of sticks ... and balls and Legos and tractors and trucks) ...

tooth brushes (he moved and climbed on the stool, by himself, in order to achieve his intended goal of brushing his teeth ... with (eh-hem) his sister's toothbrush) ... chin-ups ...

more sticks ... and Toby ...

and walking. Everywhere. And anywhere. On the path less travelled. As fast as possible. And on my own, thank you very much. This little guy is keeping me on my toes ... literally. He seems to manage to be everywhere at once. By the Lord's grace, he's doing well at learning his boundaries, so he's not generally getting into "trouble" or even "mischief" perse, but he can manage in five minutes to leave a distinct toddler impression upon ten areas of the house.

And he does it all with this most adorable, melt-your-heart grin.

That's my little man.

We love you to pieces ...
and your nickname of Monkey is quite appropriate these days. :o)

:::

We do appreciate your prayers for his safety as he explores his world and for Mommy to have grace to consistently respond with love and patience (and an eye to see training opportunities rather than interruptions). I am most definitely tempted to respond otherwise on a somewhat more regular basis than I'd like to admit. Or rather, I am sometimes rather much too thankful for snack times, nap times, and playpens (although all three definitely have their place.) :o)

Big Kids

The little guy is particularly photographable at the moment, but that doesn't mean his big brother and sister haven't been up to anything exciting. :o)

A couple weekends back we enjoyed "boys' night" and "girls' (+ Matthew) night." Chris and Peter had a blast at our church's Father–Son Campout.

Peter reports that his favorite part was the fire. However, Mommy heard reports from multiple venues that many folks who had previously thought Peter was quiet and mild-mannered discovered that he is very, very much boy with LOTS of energy and a ready stream of conversation. :o) Yep. I could have told you that. ;o)

Since the boys had the camera, Hannah and Mommy didn't get pictures, but we had a blast doing crafts while Matthew slept ... LOTS of bead designs and drawing with chalks. Fun stuff. :o) And the recent most exciting event in her life was the arrival of her big girl quilt from Grandma M! Isn't it beautiful!?!? :o)

Other random miscellaneous items ...

• Mornings have suddenly become very much more enjoyable since Mommy created a playlist of carefully selected music that guides us through our routine. :o) Now, instead of Mommy setting timers and nagging (eh hem, giving regular reminders ...), everybody knows exactly what they need to be doing at all times and precisely how much longer they have until they need to be doing the next thing. It's been fantastic! Our playlist is 45 minutes long, and starts at 6:45 with 5 minutes of cuddle time. :o) It's definitely nicer to be able to wake a sleepy child with "time for snuggle time" than it is "time to get up ... we're running late!" :o} What a blessing all around!


• Hannah and Peter have been thoroughly enjoying having Mommy read the Little House on the Prairie series to them after school ... and after dinner ... and before dinner if we can fit it in ... and before bed ... umm, yep. Pretty much any time there's a remote slow down in the activity level, Mommy is asked for another chapter. :o)


• Daddy's CRAZY before-college-students-return work schedule has somewhat slowed down since the thus mentioned college students have now returned.


• Mommy's been working really hard and is getting really close to having the first year of Missions for Kids ready for printing/publishing. That's been a 7–8 year project thus far, so it's incredibly exciting to see the finish line approaching. Still plenty of hurdles to cross though.

And that's about it. Our days are full to overflowing. And we're very much trying to make sure that the things which are most important (loving, training, snuggling ...) don't get crowded out as we do those things which are necessary (eating, bathing, cleaning ...).

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

Monday's Moment ~ "Truck!"

"Truck! Truck! Truck! Truck!"

The inspiration behind Matthew's first word:
(No, it's not ours, but it has obviously caught Matthew's attention since its arrival on Saturday when our neighbor hobbled it off the road with a broken water pump.)

Going places

My favorite 16-month old has discovered that walking can take you to some very interesting places ... He's not stopping to smell the roses, but he's definitely stopping to study the sticks.

:o)

Big things ...

Big things fill up your weeks.

Things like VBS ...
Delightful fellowship with new friends ...

Floods ...

That devour your creek banks ...

Tractor deliveries ... (THANKS, Grandpa H!)

Starting school ...

Walking ...

(And for the record, that barely scratches the surface of the "big" things we've had going on these last four weeks ...)

Little things ...

Little things fill your heart.


Things like first lollies ...
Lego cities, Complete with Cair Paravel ...

Walking at 15-1/2 months ...

The return of the giggle game ...

Bubble fun ...

Storytime with big sister ...

Toby-love ...

Budding artists ...

Water bottle fascinations ...

Homemade alphabet books ...

Haircuts ...

Swings ...

I am thankful for my camera. I am thankful for the memories it captures for me to remind me of what's truly important. All of the "big" things are important, but the hearts of my children are much more so. Right at the moment, we are in the midst of some major changes in our family, and honestly, there have been some hard days. For a lot of reasons.

Briefly, my heart wants to be homeschooling this year, but the Lord has made it very clear that that is not His will for our family right now. And that's okay. Because more than anything, I want the Lord's will for our lives. I know that His way is perfect. But, that doesn't mean it's always easy.

So, with those struggles in the background, and the hourly giving of those desires back to the Lord, we have also had a major schedule change with the start of school. I tend to be very organized (ummm, ... that may be an understatement), and I like schedules. A lot. And I find it rather challenging when they get turned upside down on me. So, I'm adjusting. Slowly. Some days better than others. And my brain tells me that the new schedule has the potential to be "better" than the old, but at the moment, life hasn't caught up to it yet.

So, I am thankful for my camera. Because in the midst of all of that (and a hundred other things, including poison ivy), I need to be reminded that my munchkins' hearts are most important.