with their dad

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Shanda

Five or so years ago, one of Rich’s coworkers gave him two used basketball hoops that he didn’t want any longer. They were the kind that were free standing and had to be held down in place with a sand filled bottom. Eventually we found that they needed small boulders around the bottoms, too. These basketball hoops were great fun for the family, but over the years the backboards broke, and the nets ripped off. The children didn’t complain (that I know of) but when they went out to play, or had friends over, it was sort of sad to see them shooting hoops with this less than ideal set up.

There came a day, two weeks ago, when Rich had the time and energy to do something about the basketball hoops. He took Ethan with him and drove to the nearest sporting goods store, only to discover than there were none in stock. Nothing daunted, he got back in the truck with E and they drove another hour away to the only store that stocked what they needed.

For the rest of the day, Rich dug and dug, with Ethan by his side the entire time. The hole needed to be a certain depth and width to properly sink the pole for the new hoop. He did most of the digging, but after a while, when it was time to mix and pour the cement, Jacob and Ethan worked just as hard. They ran out of cement and without a word to me, Rich drove back out to Home Depot (it was dark by this time) to buy some more…….leaving the boys to work by themselves until he returned.

Rich had Jacob take a picture of Caleb in the hole before they started pouring cement.

After getting the cement poured, and the beginnings of the base inserted, they had to wait for it to thoroughly dry. They were excited, and would have finished the project sooner, but Rich was away for four days last week on a business trip. He returned on Thursday night, and on Saturday morning he went outside to finish the job, with all the boys around him. They played loud music and worked, reading the instructions carefully, and doing each step the best they could possibly do, under Rich’s leadership.

He’s a leader first and foremost, in the home.

Jacob and Ethan had a party to go to and were gone most of the day, but Rich had plenty of children left to shoot hoops with.

Here he is, with Grace:

The pole can adjust up and down so that the little boys can play, too.

When Rich played with the boys yesterday he played (as Ethan said) PHYSICAL. He has no mercy on the older ones. He plays rough on the teens, but in gentleness with the five year old (Seth was on his team) *when he remembered that Seth was there*. After they were all tired out, Jacob went to change his shirt because it was covered in his Dad’s sweat. They had a great time.

Especially the Dad.

When Rich takes his shirt off outside, Seth immediately takes his off, too.

It stopped me in my tracks to see their two shirts left behind: Rich threw his up on the side of his truck, so Seth put his there, too.

It’s important to marry a good man, because the children will almost certainly, and naturally, follow his lead.

That truth wasn’t in my head when I said yes to Rich’s marriage proposal, so I am all the more thankful on my knees to God, for giving me this good man for my husband and for the father of our children.

Often, the thing we are most gifted at is also the thing that gets annoying to our loved ones. Rich always has to have things to do, and rarely just sits around. After being gone all week it was hard for him to just stop and sit by the wife on the couch. On Saturday evening, after all that basketball playing, he had the nerve to say (right next to me!) that he was BORED. (I’m smiling as I type). Personally, I was tired, and with little Sarah sick with the stomach bug I was not going anywhere. It was my suggestion that he take the children out to pizza (in this way, I didn’t have to think about what to serve for dinner) and he did. At 7:00 pm, when I would have been thinking “It’s almost bedtime for the youngsters!” he loaded them up and headed to the pizza place.

He sent me the picture. I look at it and think, “KIDS WITH THEIR DAD”. I love it. Rich loves pizza and so do all the children.

It’s easy to be a good dad. Just do what you want to do, what you enjoy doing, and, with a loving heart, take the kids along for the ride.

The loving heart part is the key. Rich doesn’t TALK about his love as much as he shows it, and he shows it in ways that I remember and hold close in my heart. Like when he gets sad because the older ones are almost grown up and will leave him soon. Like when it bothers him more that it bother me, that Jacob has a girlfriend, because it’s another sign that his children are getting older………

Sarah was sick yesterday, and Grace was at Baccalaureate, so I took a few pictures in honor of Father’s day, of just Rich and his sons. I like pictures in which the children wear what they like to wear….my only requirement was that the boys turn their shirts around because they each had words on the front. Jacob is wearing socks because he hates going barefoot. It might look funny in the photo, but to me it is beautiful because that’s the way he is.

“To be honest, to be kind–to earn
a little and to spend a little less, to make
upon the whole a family happier for his presence…….”

Robert Lous Stevenson

{this moment}

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Shanda

{this moment} ~ 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. inspired by soulemama

caleb-catcher

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I see a Caleb.

In just a few short baseball seasons, he went from Caleb the Clueless, to Caleb the Catcher. He’s turned into a legitimate little leaguer!

In general, I’ve gotten over taking photos at ball games, because moments at the fields are as common place now as loading the dishwasher. However, something possessed me to take the camera on Monday, and I got these great shots of Caleb the Catcher.

CATCHER! To me, it seems a scary position to play. Indeed, I’ve heard errant bats hit my Caleb several times, but he’s always fine (doesn’t seem to faze him at all). He’s got the gift.

There is this other kid on the team who wants to be catcher, too, and Caleb doesn’t say a word. He just goes out to right field and waits until the next “at field”, when the other kid all too predictably relinquishes the position back to Caleb………….

Here is Caleb, coming in to home plate. Have I mentioned, he’s a good hitter, too? His technique is to smash hit the first pitch that comes in (and I usually miss it, he’s that quick). He has a job to do for the team and he’s gonna do it, by golly.

He got the run in and now he stands in the dugout and shouts words of encouragement to his team mates (he really does!, he’s an awesome boy, sweet, sweet, sweet).

Then, after the three outs, he comes out and lets his attendants dress him in the catcher’s costume (it’s so cool–is that why he likes to be catcher?)

He isn’t impressed at all by what’s happening to his legs (coach is fussing and buckling him into the pads), he keeps an eye on the competition.

To me, the funniest thing about the process is the way he keeps reaching and leaning to get the rest of his pads as the coach continues to deal with the legs.

You can almost hear the coaches thoughts, “will the kid hold still already?!?”

He’s putting on the face mask.

While yet another coach deals with the everlasting leg pads.

You can almost hear Caleb’s thoughts, “will they be done before Christmas?!?!”

Coach gives him a hit on the top of the helmet and off he goes.

He realizes Moms got the camera on him.

So he gets into the classic caleb-catcher pose.

Caleb wants you to know they won and are currently in 2nd place. There is another game tonight!

*****

I have some more news about Caleb. In all his rough and tumble adventures in life, this boy’s legs (in spite of all the protection during ball games) are covered in scrub marks, scratches, small cuts, bug bites, and bruises. And now, because of me, he has a burn across his beautiful FACE. First his legs, now his face (his comment). I swear, I was all alone in the kitchen when I took dinner out of the top oven last night. As soon as I turned around to put it on the island behind me, he was there.

He looks like a boy that got whipped in the face with a 350 degree casserole.

phone pictures

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Shanda

One of my old blogging friends from xanga (where I used to blog) reminded me of the songs I used to play on my site. I haven’t figured out how to have music automatically play on wordpress yet, but here is one of my favorites….if you play the video you can listen to the song as you look at the little moments from life in the last few days from behind the phone (handy dandy camera that it is). I’m so thankful for an easy way to take pictures of things that make me smile, in the midst of daily living. In many ways, they are my favorite sort of pictures.

Seth discovered a genius way to eat celery. A line of whipped cream!

Jacob usually takes a long afternoon nap in the living room. These teenage boys get so tired (by staying up late and powering through the day) in the typical way of this age group.

On Saturday morning, Grace played her Dad a song on the iPad. She was reminded of it while she listened to his Bible study Friday night.

Michael took this picture of my whole family, plus Jimmy, on our first trip to the ice cream place of the season. I love Rich’s natural smile in this one.

David loves Calvin and Hobbes comics and thought he would like to try sewing himself a “Hobbes” stuffed animal. He had this shirt in mind, and I told him he could use it. (stay tuned for the finished project!) I see and tuck away all of David’s continuous creativity, in my heart, he’s a great kid.

Stopping to smell the roses outside the dentist office.

I took a screen shot of one of my favorite quotes, it describes my *needs* to a “T”. I sent it to Rich and he said as much, and asked if we could print it and hang it in the house.

I took this picture at the same time David was coming in and out of the room talking about his “Hobbes” sewing project. Parker had the rare, rare, very rare opportunity to jump up on my bed. Caleb loves his puppy.

Joanna gave me this “Homemade Summer” cookbook and I sent her this picture to show her the first recipe I was about to attempt in it. “Rhubarb pie with Almond Paste”, wow that title just made me laugh. It doesn’t SOUND good, but it sure tasted good (pie post to come eventually).

It was one of those evenings when we retreated to the car during a rain shower at a little league game. We took this “selfie” for Daddy.

This was Seth’s face across from the picnic table last night at the game (games or practice– every.single.night. That’s my life right now.)

A can of lemonade is 1.25 and has 40 grams of sugar per can, it is a infrequent “yes” from my lips. So why isn’t he smiling?

David’s game last night, they won. By the time we got home it was raining so so hard, we all came in the house wet. It’s the time of year for late afternoon showers.

Isn’t Sarah funny? She has changed so much in the last few months, now talking to all the other little kids at the playground without being shy. In fact, I was highly amused by her “daring tricks” on the monkey bars (hanging upside down) and by her saying to other little kids, “You can’t DO THISSSSSS!” in a very proud way. I had to talk to her several times about it. Guess who got a blister on her tender little palm and cried and shook over it? Yes, the brave monkey bar climber herself.

I leave you with the song that Grace played for Rich. The words are a comfort to anyone, anywhere. Have a blessed day, my friends.

first friday picnic, baptism, and bible study at our place

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Mat 18:20 “For wherever two or three people have come together in my name, I am there, right among them!”

We had about fifty people from our church family, and neighbors, come to our house on Friday for a church cook out, baptism, and Bible study. As the hostess, I was happily busy trying to make sure the little details of the night came together (with lots of help from friends), but still made sure to take some pictures. Rich and I hope to continue these “First Friday” (of the month) bible studies as much as we are able. This was our very first one.

(The picture up there ^^ was when Rich was giving general information and the prayer from the front porch)

We put the food on the kitchen island. My plan was to keep the meal simple, making sure that we had a good amount for the crowd. I made hamburgers (meat from Costco, mixed with plenty of salt and pepper, onion and garlic powder, finely chopped onion and red pepper). Rich grilled them on our new charcoal grill. We put hotdogs down at the fire pit for people to roast. We also served tossed salad and chips, a bowl of olives, and whatever else people brought to share (potato salad, quinoa salad, coleslaw, fruit, etc). Our guests provided the drink and dessert.

PICTURES:

Our son Jacob, with his “second parents” Chris and Caroline who live just a few miles from us. They have two teenagers who have grown up with my older kids.

Anna and her friend.

Anna’s (family) dog

Six children on the plane; there were kids swarming everywhere. These church gatherings are great for them, because they can run wild.

Boys on trampoline.

dear sweet Shannon ~

David’s best friend from school came with his parents. Dave thought he would be funny and photobomb this one.

Ryan spent the night.

Alex and Jacob

Alex and his wife Sara

We were all down at the pond getting ready for the baptism when I took these.

crazy teenage boys (except Michael; not a teenage boy, still crazy though)

Allie, with my daughter Grace, Alysha, and baby Asher

Shannon, Sue, Naomi (whose daughter was baptized), and Bev

Lydia, Barb, Tina, and Fran

Hope and her baby girl

They set up the sound system on the dock and we sang hymns along with John’s fabulous guitar playing.

During one hymn I ran up to the house to get Vanessa a juice box and took this picture on the way back.

Gary in the pond, with Stacia, who gave a lovely testimony of her salvation.

We were all so happy to share in Stacia’s special night.

Rich gave a bible study down on the patio (I was on the porch looking down)….

I stayed in the house to help watch babies and after the study was over the house filled back up again. People ate dessert and visited while the children (and some of us adults, too) tried their best to hear The Lego Movie playing on TV. The night ended about about 10. Rich and I were wide awake from the excitement of the night so we buzzed around cleaning up the house together, and Jacob took this picture of us.

It ended up being one of those nights that we stayed up talking until after midnight. It was a great.

Thank you to all who came out, and hope to see you (and more) next time!

{this moment}

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Shanda

{this moment} ~ 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. ~ inspired by soulemama

Sarah’s 4th Birthday

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Shanda

The baby of our family just turned four years old. My friend Heather and I were trying to get together and that morning (of Sarah’s birthday) was the time that worked best for us both, so I turned the visit into a little playdate for Sarah and some of her (my) friends. We had 8 little ones amongst us four mamas and only two of the children were girls. Sarah was thankful to have one little girlfriend attend, but with five brothers of her own she felt quite comfortable with the boys, too.

We played for a couple of hours outside, and then we had lunch together which consisted of pasta with butter, cut up hot dogs, applesauce cups, and juice boxes.

The mamas had turkey burgers.

What a gift it was to have little babies in the house. I so love to watch a woman with her baby, it’s a beautiful thing to see and brings back so many wonderful memories of those days, for me. This friend of mine loves her babies passionately (she & her husband have four sons)…..

And this friend thoughtfully bounced her baby’s seat with her foot as she ate. So darling.

Grace calls this baby boy HER baby, because I took her with me to see him in the hospital when he was born. We both got to hold him when he was just a day or so old. I met his mama at Community Bible Study, she lives the next town over, we are the same age and have become friends. (so thankful!)

So yeah, this was a crazy attempt at a group picture. I laugh every time I look at it.

This was the best we did…..I think a few of us were shrieking to get them to look forward. They were all so good that day, and I loved watching them explore the ponds, see the chickens, chase cats, jump on the trampoline, blow bubbles, and dig in the sand. So busy, so energetic, such a zest for all of life, and no one got hurt!

After our group photo we had cupcakes and ice cream. (I only wish I had planned ahead to order the cupcakes from Nicole, our town’s lovely c.cake baker!)

As soon as we began singing, Sarah looked at her brother with the most thrilled expression. She was waiting and waiting for this birthday and it was really and truly here!

Such a good mama…..she delights in her new son. I thought it was cute that they sort of dressed alike.

After Heather and Michal left, Alysha and I sat down by the stream to chat and let the children play some more…..isn’t she so adorable? We met last February when she skidded her van into our stream and we rescued her and the boys. True story. (God does things so interestingly). I was telling her son (not the baby) as he got wet, “You’ve been IN this stream before!” ‘Cause we can laugh about it, now that it’s been over a year.

*****

(hours later)

There are times now when the whole family cannot gather around to watch the birthday child open gifts and blow out the candles. For Sarah’s birthday this year we were all home except Ethan. We missed him. He was at a baseball game.

She opened her gifts with Caleb on one side and Seth on the other.

Grace wrapped the gifts in blue paper tape because of course we didn’t find the regular tape until the next day.

It was so nice of Caleb to immediately offer to hold Sarah’s money, wasn’t it? Such a good big brother. With her money, Sarah has been trying to bribe Seth into playing what SHE wants to play. I hear her saying, “I’ll GIVE YOU A DOLLLLAAAR” in a sing-song voice. (but I do not allow bribing, although I am known to give a dollar to the child who finds me the remote to the TV). I don’t know how I get on these topics.

I just love the way Caleb and Seth were so happy for Sarah to receive this princess dress. “rejoice with those who rejoice”

Opening the tea set *that face*

I think she was telling him that don’t worry, she would let him use it with her. He can’t wait.

Then, oh joy, it was strawberry cake time. I let Sarah place the jelly beans on it herself. It was a new, buttery, fussy, for-real a recipe from a legitimate bake shop down south….the flavor was great but I didn’t let it bake long enough so it was gummy. (so disappointed=take it from me, in life’s perfection there is much more to go wrong, so say these little words with me, “OH WELL”–and learn the art of letting go.) What matters is the love, my friends. It’s the thought that counts most of all.

I am determined to try again with the recipe!

Smiling through another (the second, what a lucky little girl) rendition of the birthday song. My darling blond baby who is now “big”, it’s true.

she was born on a sunday morning

home for her (quote)

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Shanda

(old cookbooks from my friend Kara)

“She dreamed up her home, filled it with the abandoned goods of other people’s lives, rejected the perfect housekeeping standards of the woman who lived in it fifty-four years before her, opted for imagination over monotony, overruled perfection for authenticity, and out of necessity accepted her role as ‘housekeeper’, but in spirit is a ‘homemaker’. Home for her is inspired by experience, tastes, and the strong desire to keep memories of everything she does not want to lose. She believes fervently in intimacy and comfort and asserts with her philosophical Russian soul, “that beautiful homes bring up beautiful people, in every sense of the word.”

pg 117, A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life, by Mary Randolph Carter

(wall in my bedroom with little bits and pieces of my heart)

(freshly picked lilacs on a doily made by Great Grandma)

(beautifully messy bookshelf)

(small things)

(nature art purchased from the antique show, and thrift store)

(latest pages from scrapbook/journal)

at home, outdoors

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In him
we live
and move
and have our being.

Acts 17:28

Good morning friends, a beautiful day has dawned bright and fair. I am putting my feet up after cleaning the kitchen. This morning I made a pancake breakfast for David, Caleb, Seth, and Sarah Joy. David said, as he ate his second big ‘cake, that I made The Best Pancakes and I said, “I used your Grandma’s recipe, you know”.

(Thanks, mama.)

There are candles flickering yellow, and the dishwasher is humming.

Little Seth is climbing up into the recliner to snuggle up close.

Today Grace has a follow up appointment for her fractured finger, and this afternoon the boys have dentist appointments, so I thought I would use some time this morning to post some pictures from the weekend (and yesterday)….these early summer days are utterly inspiring with their beauty. It’s so good to be outdoors with the trees, flowers, and grasses turning brilliant green.

I draped the camera with a kitchen towel to take a picture of the children’s melting chalk drawings, in a pouring rain, the colors swirled and Sarah was sad.

joys of childhood (watching with a mama’s heart, content)

playing jacks (with fresh, new chalk drawings)

an old wooden crate planted to bachelor buttons~

David was silently mouthing “help” to me. He is at the age when any display of affection toward himself is embarrassing.

Jacob and Ethan

muffin lunch

under the pine trees

I was thrilled to discover this pink flowering bush hiding behind the other trees down at the pond. It is about 10 feet tall and must have bloomed every summer since we moved here without me ever noticing…….(how?)…..a happy surprise.

I recognized the blossoms from Grandma’s garden but looked it up in a flower book just to be sure; it’s a PINXTER FLOWER; pink azalea

“This much-branched shrub is especially showy in flower. It is relatively tolerant of dry sites and can be transplanted into wild shrub gardens.”

Jack-in-the-pulpit, or Indian Turnip

These aremgrowing in the forest. I’ve always been amused by them, probably because they have such a personality as preacher-men.

See? Here is “Jack” in his pulpit. Is anyone listening? All the other flowers in the forest, perhaps?

“Because of needle-like calcium oxalate crystals and perhaps other acrid substances in the swollen, underground stem, it is peppery to the taste and causes a strong burning reaction if eaten raw; this unpleasant property can be eliminated by cooking. Native Americans gathered the fleshy corms for food.”

This was growing up straight and tall in the middle of a group of ferns. When I touched it I was surprised by how dry and “scrubby” it felt.

Seth has been spending a lot of time silently walking around and around the ponds, trying to catch bull frogs. When he caught this one he brought it to show us, holding it high over his head with a grin and yelling, “Praise the Lord!”

God smiles.

Millions of toad tadpoles in our pond.

My beautiful son all tired out from the very best of activities; running wild in the great outdoors.

Our window-shelf of nature books.

“I wonder if anything will be–can be–any more beautiful than this,” murmured Anne, looking around her with the loving, enraptured eyes of those to whom “home” must always be the loveliest spot in the world, no matter what fairer lands may lie under alien stars.” Anne of the Island, LM Montgomery

Have a wonderful day, my friends. Look around you at all the interesting things in this world, there is much to see.

You are loved.