I discovered them in Grace’s (off limits) room together having a marvelous time. Surprised, I ran to get my phone to take a video of the cuteness. Joy lessons from toddlers!
**for best viewing pleasure, turn your volume up-up-up!**
Rest assured, if you are a mama of preschoolers, I can tell you that there WILL come a day when you can take your children with you to the bookstore and relax with them over books.
Don’t let anyone give you the idea that teens are difficult because it’s just not true. These lovely older children can wipe their own noses and can wander around without getting lost. Odds are they WON’T spill their hot chocolate. They don’t need you to take them potty, they can talk to you in a mature fashion, and they won’t pull books off the shelf just to throw them on the floor. On top of all that, they’re just as cute as their preschool siblings!
Recently, I was tired, I needed some R n’ R, I needed quiet, I wanted to be AT THE BOOKSTORE.
(one of my favorite places to be, you see)
What I needed, too, were some comfortable, *tried and true* friends to come along.
Happily, but not surprisingly, Jacob, Ethan, and Grace were more than willing to make the trip.
(it’s one of their favorite places to be, too)
While we were there, we had deliciously creamy hot chocolate and nobody spilled.
The boys quietly wandered around and looked at books together, while Grace stuck by me and chattered.
We sat, all cozy, at little round tables to enjoy our books and magazines.
I didn’t read a thing to them, but daughter Grace read to me.
And, although I tried to wipe a few noses, no one would let me.
This morning the children sat around the table together, to copy out verses.
The Bible is life, the actual Word of God, spoken through the printed pages.
Just as we need to eat food for our bodies, we need to read the Word for our souls.
“I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12
“More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb.” Psalm 19:10
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the world, that ye may grow thereby.” 1 Peter 2:2
“God be for ever praised in heaven above, that these words are thus recorded, for more than a thousand times I have felt in my heart that they are true.” ~Elizabeth of Brandenburg
“The word of the Lord endureth forever.” 1 Peter 1:25
“I am perfectly satisfied myself to believe what he writes to me; and if it be so written
in his Book, it seems to me to be quite as true and sure as if he had actually come
from heaven, and had talked with me, or had appeared to me in the visions of the
night.” ~Charles Spurgeon
“Within the Scripture there is a balm for every wound, a salve for every sore.” ~Spurgeon
Personally, when I have been in trouble, I have read the Bible until a text has seemed to stand out of the Book, and salute me, saying, “I was written specially for you.” ~Spurgeon
We can only be said to be alive in those moments
when our hearts are conscious
of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder
All that we behold is full of blessings. ~William Wordsworth
Our littlest, youngest of the siblings, the baby. Biggest brother Jacob asked to buy the dark green dress for her. She wore it to church today and learned to leave her hair pretty alone. I bounced her on my knee to keep her quiet during the prayers, Scripture readings, and announcements; I held her in my arms as we stood to sing the grand old hymns. She tried to sing along. She squirmed. She made eyes at the people behind us. On our way home from church she put her finger in her mouth and fell sound asleep. Papa carried her to her crib and gently left her to nap. Later, I went upstairs to get her because she’d been there long enough and I missed her.
Sitting down in a chair, I kiss her cool, soft cheek and brother Davy snaps the picture.
Of a delighted mama, and her delightful princess, on a Sunday afternoon.
On Thursday, I woke up to the announcement from my older ones that there was a two hour delay (icy rain/snow). They tried to get away with sitting around in their extra time, but, “This isn’t as fun as I thought it would be” was one comment I chuckled over. (I put them to work.)
Grace emptied the dishwasher. Jacob loaded it.
Ethan got Sarah out of bed and served her breakfast.
Ethan folded two loads of laundry.
Jacob took care of the dog.
Grace took care of her rabbit.
Ethan peeled potatoes.
I put together a beef stew while they all made their breakfasts….
The morning went on and on, the buses came at odd hours, and left, and we never did see Caleb’s bus so he spent the day home.
We read books, played games and went for a walk together.
Pictures from Thursday:
Davy and Caleb went outside and were so thrilled to finally be able to use their sleds.
The busy kitchen. Aren’t my boys getting tall?
Davy made his own egg sandwich; on an english muffin with cheese and ham~
Sarah Joy had cheerios.
The rabbit temporarily lives in the exersise room as we wait for a proper rabbit hutch.
Caleb got to stay home from school. (Caleb is the one on the right).
We played memory after Seth and Sarah went to bed for naps. Before we began, I made him hot chocolate and washed him some grapes. He’s a growing boy, after all.
We love the pictures on the cards~
Some of my very favorite things, all in one game;
At least he was a good loser.
The rain stopped and the snow melted, we went outside for a walk.
Caleb was constantly battling trees and stumps on the edge of the road.
We wore our rubber boots~
He found this watery place as we walked along; “Oh, look! A PIT! Can I go down in the pit?”
He found a better sword.
And he slapped some water with it.
*******************************
I wrote this on Thursday afternoon but never did get a chance to post it. I wanted to still share it because it was a sweet day with my little Caleb. (Who is, in reality, big and quite heavy now.)
Hope you all have a good Saturday!
“But may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation say continually
GREAT IS THE LORD!”
Psalm 40:16
~Shanda
joining soulemama for another {moments} post (soulemama’s got a beautiful twins pic on her site today, so dear!)
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Won’t you join in the fun? It’s a quick and painless blog entry for Friday! 
(Rich and Shan, December 24, 1994)
At Christmastime, I wrote on my blog that Christmas Eve was always a romantic day for my husband and me, because that was the day he proposed.
My brother read what I wrote and remembered that he had a couple of pictures from that eventful evening.
Brother Dave has such a sensitive, caring heart. This weekend I was thrilled to get a beautiful happy card in the mail from him, with a couple of pictures tucked inside, of that special day in my life. Rich and I both looked at the pictures together, remembering. Tears in our eyes.
In front of my parents and younger siblings, Rich gave me a beautiful ring and got down on one knee to ask me to marry him. Yes!
I love this photo, it captures so well the emotions in the room that night.
The weekend began with muffins.
Or, maybe it began with a bad dream. I had dreamed that night, that Rich was gone. I can’t write details about it, but when I woke up (and realized he was still alive) I had a renewed love and appreciation for my husband, the one who completes me, my lover and friend.
I got up on Saturday morning and left him sleeping in our big, warm bed.
And then I made muffins. Because he likes them, and I wanted to spoil him just a little.
One by one the children woke up and ate their muffins in the kitchen, but Rich got his in bed.
We spent a lot of time outside this weekend.
Sarah enjoys the slide, but decided to stay at the top this time;
The boys jumped on the trampoline and their hair stood up from the static~
The chickens were happy to be out and about…..
(Yes, George the Rooster is still with us. Unfortunately.)
The ground was so cold but several of the children still went barefoot.
P I N E C O N E S
He shaved the next day.
Yours truly.
The weather on Saturday was amazing. It reached at least 60 here. I had one more chance to plant my fall bulbs, and with the help of the children they got planted. Hurray!
Grace and I went for a little walk.
M O S S
I C E
W O O D
When we got back home, we found Ethan bouncing away, happy as can be~
The hens surprised us with five eggs, including two greens!
We watched a movie after church yesterday (Narnia). The boys were cozied up together on the couch.
And last night, Rich and I went to dinner at a friend’s house, before we left I took this picture (with my phone) of Rich giving the children instructions for while we were gone. Love them, all!
Lastly, I have a little video to share of Sarah and Seth. I guess, maybe, Rich was going a little too fast on the way to church yesterday morning? For whatever reason, they started saying “weeee” and it was so cute I took a short video of them.
They are at such a fun age!
Have a great day, friends! Say a prayer for me today, if you will, I’m feeling a little shaky.
Thank you~
Love,
Shanda
“But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.”
Psalm 3:3
Joining soulemama for another “moments” post!
This baby means SO much to me, I adore her! I love the litttle bruise on her forehead that mean she’s getting into mischief and falling off chairs, her wild blond hair, the chocolate on her face that shows her great enjoyment of chocolate milk, the look on her face, her baby blue eyes, and I wish you could hear her tiny voice talking to me. She’s so cute in everyway and a gift from God.
This week has been great. I’ve been a bad blogger but pretty amazing in everything else. LOL Encouraged. *high fives*
I bundled up this morning, and took fresh water to my hens in their snug coop. The air was biting cold, but the sun was coming up. It was a thrill to discover fresh eggs for the first time in several months. We’ve missed them. I slipped them into my pockets as I walked back to the house.
The ponds were covered with a thin Jack Frost layer of ice, not smooth, but patterned over so beautifully, with a thin scattering of icy snowflakes. In some spots the water underneath was deep sapphire blue, in others; brown, gray and green. I drew in deep lungs-full of the fresh cold air.
In the house, my two little ones were waiting. Jacob, Ethan, Grace, David, and Caleb had already left for school, and Rich was back to work after over a week of vacation.
After the carefree Holiday season, it’s time for us all to readjust to our routines; our busy daily living at home and school and work, and then the coming together again, at the end of the day, for dinner and family time.
Pictures from the last few days;
Grace, with her sister. Sweetness through and through.
My parents came for a visit. This is Dad, with Sarah, snuggling in the evening after dinner was over.
The sky was so thrillingly beautiful one morning that I snuck outside to take a few pictures~
The sun was coming up, little by little……in the east.
Meanwhile, the western part of the sky still looked dark as the trees were being lit up by the sunrise.
Sarah, in her pink peppermint poncho.
Caleb, posing with his dagger~Doesn’t he look threatening?
By the way, Happy 2012, friends!
“Time is the New Year’s bountiful blessing: three hundred sixty-five bright mornings and starlit evenings; fifty-two promising weeks; twelve transformative months full of beautiful possibilities; and four splendid seasons. A simply abundant year to be savored.” ~Sarah Ban Breathnach
I enjoyed this book (The Door in the Wall) for several evenings last week, and finished it last night. Happily, I discovered a new inspirational woman in Marguerite de Angeli. I did a little research on her life here and here. She loved her family (six children!), singing, art, and writing. She illustrated her own books and was involved in her art (painting and writing) throughout old age, completing works in her 80’s and 90’s. I am very interested in reading more about her, and reading more of her stories.
She obviously had depth, and a rich life full of a variety of interests and passions, which is something I greatly admire.
“…I have always wanted to draw and to write. Even now, I can remember the way it felt to be walking home from school in the small Michigan town where I was born, arm in arm with a school girlfriend, only half listening to her chatter because I was dreaming of something else; wondering how I could put down in words the sheer joy in living which filled me to bursting, or how I could draw the moving shadows, the sunlight sifting through the leaves, the tree branches against the white house, or the stream of boys and girls themselves. How could I grasp that shining and elusive ‘something’ which was away and beyond, yet was within me, and fairly lifting me off the earth? How could I, all at once, do the many things I wanted to do? I wanted to sew grown-up clothes for my doll, I wanted to make hats, I wanted to learn what we used to call ‘recitation,’ and I wanted to sing. What to do first?” Marguerite de Angeli
She wrote her autobiography and dedicated it: “To my children. It wasn’t all for them, but without them there would have been little point”.
Caleb found an old (very old) board outside and created this natural masterpiece for us using thumbtacks. I was so surprised, I accepted the gift with joy it and put it right in our bedroom~
The beauty of today’s egg collection, what a blessing!
And, lastly, my little boy Seth. I took this picture of him not long ago, when we were getting all set to cozy up and read a few favorites before naptime.
There is so much to be thankful for.
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us
continually offer to God
a sacrifice of praise.”
But You, O Lord,
are a shield around me;
You are my glory,
the one who holds my head high. Psalm 3:3
