No, Look This Way, Brother

Five Things

Our Clairesy is 5 today. 5.

Life today will include omelets for breakfast, pizza for dinner, and a vanilla cream cake fancied up to make a princess quite happy.

Yesterday at breakfast when we were talking about Clairesy's birthday being just a day away, I mentioned that this year there would be no gifts for birthdays, but we would have cake and special food for her special day. She just looked up at me with a smile, nodded her head, and said, "Oh, ok."

Yeah. That's the kind of sweetie she is.

But, of course, there will be gifts for Clairesy!

And just what do we love about our little girl?

1) She is a bundle of joy and full of laughter, scattering smiles wherever she goes.

2) She asks me every Sunday, "May I go with you wherever you go?"

3) She loves nurturing her baby brothers.

4) She's funny, as demonstrated yesterday when she shared with us the "point" of our pastor's sermon on Matthew 18: 1-9, "I know the point! You're to cut off the rest of your body."

5) She's creative and can make a bountiful time of play with the everyday things around her.

Happy 5th birthday, Cutie-Pie! We love you and thank God for you!

Big and Little

Can you guess the unexpected bonus in this picture?

C'mon. Look carefully.

The socks! The socks!

Sarge has matching socks!

A Perfect Shot

How to Make Grandma Smile

Thankful Thursday~Even Piglet Noticed

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, 

it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.

~A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

 

I'm thankful for moments like this when our children are helping one another. I'm grateful for the mothering instinct that God gives little girls.

 I'm thankful for children who enjoy food.

 I'm thankful to be part of a family of book lovers--right down to the littlest guy.

I'm thankful for children who love the outdoors and who always find amazing things to do with the resources He has provided.

 This is one of the most beautiful flower bouquets I've ever received. Why? Because they are from my sister, Catherine, whose husband recently died of cancer. But, it gets even better. I sent her this exact flower arrangement in remembrance of her wedding anniversary. She loved them so much and wanted me to be able to enjoy the same beauty, so she sent some to me. To know that we're both looking at the same flowers is a precious gift, a tying of the heartstrings across these many miles.

 And what better thing is there to do when on Daddy's lap than to look at a book?

Last, but not least, Grandma has arrived. :)

With love,
Trisha

Decisions, Decisions~A Pictorial

***No children or books or chocolate were hurt during the 45 seconds that this event took place. No staging or coaxing were required, as this is the natural behavior of babies from chocolate-hoarding-book-loving families.

No, It's Me

While shuffling through some papers on our dining room table ( I do that a lot, always defying that "only handle a piece of paper once" advice), I came across this adorable drawing.

Me: Jedediah, did you draw this?

Jedediah, with a sheepish grin: Yeess.

Me: He's so cute! What's his name?

Jedediah: Jedediah

Me: Oh, so it's a self-portrait.

Jedediah: No, it's me.

Thankful Thursday~The Celebration

I'm thankful to celebrate ONE again. I'm thankful that I've learned my limits, to know that frozen pizza and store bought cupcakes have their place, too, in the midst of homemade and handcrafted and that what our children remember most is the atmosphere. Is it joyful or stressed?

I'm thankful for children who love to celebrate and who rejoice in the little things, who say "thank you" around the dinner table. I'm thankful for homemade pancakes and a baby who loved his balloons more than his gifts.

I'm thankful for fields of wildflowers and the color yellow. I'm thankful for cameras and buttercream frosting smeared on the tip of Sarge's nose. I'm thankful for the birthday cards and packages and birthday wishes and for the people in our lives who take the time to show they love us.

I'm thankful for the unexpected circumstances yesterday that reminded me of God's sovereignty. I'm thankful He's transforming my thinking so that I view disappointments as opportunities instead of roadblocks.

 

I'm thankful that every day the Lord lets me taste and see that He is good.

With love,
Trisha

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, God graciously brought Elijah Henry into the world. There's a whole lot of happy going on around here today as we celebrate ONE.

(No, he's not walking, yet--but he's working on it.

 And I'm fine if he takes his sweet time.)

Set Your Heart on Doing This

I know nothing more effective for quieting a Christian soul and 

getting contentment than this, setting your heart to work in the duties of the 

immediate circumstances that you are now in, and taking heed of 

your thoughts about other conditions as a mere temptation.

~Jeremiah Burroughs

***all photos by my dear Emma