We went for a walk, and Seth slept in the carrier, close to me.
We thought it was at least 5 degrees cooler in the woods.
Dear Caleb picked me some flowers.
I love this picture of my little boy, with his small hands clenched full of flowers and grasses for mama.
Everything is fresh and green now.
Ethan has grass in his mouth, chewing the nice tender end.
I love this boy so much.
Time to cross the stream.
We brought things out to spend some time outside in the shade.
Blankets, pillows, snacks, books.
Grace Lillian….a friend to each of her brothers.
There was a nice breeze and Seth enjoyed watching the branches sway.
Seeds were spinning down off the trees with each gust of wind. David wondered, “Why is it snowing?”
Jacob took this picture of Ethan when we realized he was in his own little world, shooting his animal crackers with a pretend gun.
We also went to play in the stream.
David was hopping all over the place, catching frogs.
David knows how to hold them *just right*, so that they won’t hop out of his hand.
Grace ran around like a panther. (That’s what she told me when I asked. I knew she was pretending to be some kind of animal…I had guessed “goat”.)
And now,
Good-night boys.
Good-night, Girl.
Glory be to Thee, my God, this night,
For all the blessings of the light:
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath Thine own almighty wings.
Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,
The ill that I this day have done;
That with the world, myself, and Thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.
Teach me to live, that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed;
Teach me to die, that so I may
Rise glorious on the judgment day.
O may my soul on Thee repose,
And may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
Sleep that may me more vigourous make
To serve my God when I awake.
If in the night I sleepless lie,
My soul with heavenly thoughts supply;
Let no ill dreams disturb my rest,
No powers of darkness me molest.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Thomas Ken, 1637-1710
And now, I go to bed to read until my eyes drop shut. Husband will be home soon, Lord willing, and then our house can peacefully sleep the whole night through. How warm and safe we feel, with the love of God in our hearts.
Good to be Home 
Your missing one of mama resting now too 😉
You have such beautiful children, such a beautiful family. I just love seeing what you guys do in a day. ♥
my gosh. such a beautiful day and pictures.
I know it must be exhausting to care for all those children, especially when your husband is away, but I can’t help be jealous of your beautiful family, the beautiful place you call home, and your amazing photography skills. They are all an inspiration to me.
LOVED this, Shan. I’m so glad you had a nice walk and a special time with your kids today. Was it as hot up there as it was here? I enjoyed the day outside with the kids at school, though we opted for shady spots as often as possible. Love you, and I hope you have a great evening.
What great pictures Shanda! I especially love the one of Seth looking up through the trees! All of them were great though! I bet you’ll be glad when your husband gets home ~ I know I always am! Blessings to you and all of yours!
I think you live in heaven. You must….surrounded by paradise and little angels. 🙂
What a beautiful array of photos. It does look like you live in a heavenly oasis! I laughed at the end of your post when you read until you fall asleep. I do too. I don’t know why I do that but I do
I love your children’s bedroom. Grace’s room is adorable. I know if I show my Gracie she’ll want her room that exact same way. Hey you’re not up for coming over and helping us re-paint are you? hee hee
~Cinnamon
Beautiful, beautiful pictures!! I pray that you all sleep well and have a wonderful Friday.
Grace is so pretty..love all the real life moments you captured. and your hands are lovely, my dear. i noticed them right off in that first photo. how do you keep them looking so nice? mine are a mess… 🙂
Praise Him for a beautiful day. It is so green and beautiful…those distinct seasons sure are lovely to see as a backdrop to your wonderful kids. Love sleeping Seth in the carrier, Caleb clutching flowers, Ethan chewing grace, grace perched on that rock, Seth looking at the trees,Davey holding those big frogs, and Jacob cuddling with Seth…a splendid day. Love the prayer and the idea of you all snuggled in!
Sounds (and looks!) like you had a good day! I love the photo of Grace on the rock. A panther, huh? That froggie is so nice and bright! Blessings to the whole bunch of you!
What a lovely day. I love the pics of the boys room-four in a row. And Grace’s room, Shannon has been asking to paint her room red. I’m reluctant, but that does look so cozy.
Thank you for allowing us to glimpse into your life through your words and camera lens. I think all us moms feel your joys and stresses along with you because many of us have been in both places ourselves. Although I don’t have 6 children that I home teach, I do have 3 that I try to home teach while they are not in school :). I do so enjoy looking at your photos and pray for your family often. Have a blessed day!~Amy
Loved the pictures and happy to hear that your day was a great one! My favorite picture was the one of David and Caleb looking in the same direction SO CUTE. YOU MADE IT….IT”S FRIDAY, great job the week is done. Smile, Relax, Breath, Continue to be Thankful for what you DO have, Love ya Amanda
When I saw the picture of Caleb holding the flowers, I thought of this poem that I used once on a scrapbook page with a similar picture: Roses say I love you. Orchids do enthrall. But a weed bouquet in a chubby fist…Oh my. That says it all.”
What good pictures you have!!! Looks like you truly enjoyed the nice warm weather:)
what a blessed day! I had to chuckle at the boyish room complete with their stuff thrown in their boxes:):)
Hope you had a nice restful night! Had to smile at the frog pictures and especially the one where it looks like David is trying to see how small he can squeeze it and it still live 😉
Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful.