The Davidson Den

Counting Through February (160-174)

2012-02-27T22:33:00.001-06:00

#160 A Gift of Tin

#161 A Gift of Glass

#162 A Gift of Wood

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Three Gifts Before 11 am:

#163 Being awake to see my man before he leaves for work

#164 Littlest cuddle-bug in my bed

#165 Chores that help a mommy

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#166 A Gift Nearly Worn Out

Well-loved, well-worn, dependable Silkie

#167 A Gift New
Bag full of new, amazing cleaning tools

#168 A Gift Made-Do

Still works, however make-shift and ugly

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Three Gifts Seen as Reflections

#169 My Mamaw's sister, a love of mine all her own, but family resemblance graciously recalls my Mamaw's face and warms my heart ever more.

#170 "Tree of Life" film, a reflection of the unsurpassed beauty of creation and the awestruck wonder of the Creator Himself. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?..." Job 38: 4-6

#171 My little one with his pointed eyebrows and dancing eyes, mimicking his Nana both without and within.

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Three Ugly-Beautiful Gifts (See Beauty in Ugly)

#172 Grassy dirt on the floor, evidence of four kids spending an afternoon together in the beautiful weather outdoors.

#173 The boy, who seemingly hides behind the hoodie against this mother's wishes, has the confidence to be unconventional.

#174 When the daughter starts her day distraught and sobbing over a lost item, we are given the opportunity to talk about the unimportance of possessions, being content in the Lord.

Project 365: Weeks 7 & 8 "crazy busy"

2012-02-26T23:05:00.002-06:00

Sunday, February 12, 2012

We had lunch...and so much fun...with friends after church today.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Gabriel made one magnificent structure of his own design in quiet solitude. What a pleasant surprise to find him creating by choice. Maybe I'll get an architect out of the bunch after all!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thanks, Mimi & Da!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Speaking of love...you know what I love? A clean laundry room! It was one of the things on my gratitude list this week.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Tonight I'm doing my very first demonstration as a Norwex consultant! At Sara's house, no less!!

Friday, February 17, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES:

Playing with Hexbugs after dinner:

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Gabriel learned to hang shirts today.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Boys.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Daddy stayed home today.

AND Saylor lost another tooth.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES:

What's behind the curtain????

Strategy. :) It kept them out of trouble while we schooled. (It's a beautiful thing to have a full bath right next to the schoolroom.) Plus they got nice and clean in the process.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES:

Like no other--our Atticus.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES:

Friday, February 24, 2012

Saylor loves learning about the Bible.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

My good friend had a birthday lunch today.

Noah and his pal had a good time catching up, too.

I hate getting behind on Project 365. It's so HARD to get caught up again!! My excuse THIS time was that we had an official Open House last Sunday, so I couldn't post. And I'm finding it harder and harder to blog mid-week. Anyway, thanks for hangin' in with me. You can find all the P365ers over at Sara's, as usual. Over and out.

Vacationing in Colorado: Part 2

2012-02-25T17:49:00.000-06:00

If you're just joining us, I'm "flashing back" to September when our family took a vacation to Durango, Colorado. "Part 1" of our adventures is here.

And now for "Part 2":

Day 5

This morning Noah and Paul did a little more hunting. But this time there was an accident. Noah got swatted in the eye with a tree branch as it sprung back into place after his Daddy had walked past it. Having been through the whole eye-scratch thing before, we weren't TOO worried, but we decided to take him to a doctor in case there were any particles left in there that might cause infection.

It's always an adventure with us Davidsons.

We then had a fun breakfast at a local diner.

And we also had another little stop to make. If you'll remember at the end of Day 4, there was a picture of the kiddos with a pair of gunslingers, in which Atticus held his beloved Silkie. Turns out he dropped his Silkie in the candy store that night. Probably because that cool airplane grabbed his attention. Needless to say, it was a sad night in the cabin when we discovered it was missing and were too far from town to go back to the store. We did call as they were closing--they found it and put it behind the counter for us. But it was rough on our little guy. He was one happy fella when we recovered it.

Then we did a little browsing. A little trying Durango on for size.

I thought we fit right in. ;)

After gathering a few necessary supplies, we opted to hang out a bit more around the cabin.

It was such a nice day.

Day 6

Today we woke up at the literal crack of dawn, dragged sleepy kiddos into their very cold car seats, and drove into Durango to catch an early-morning train to Silverton. It was handy that there was a bagel shop right next to the station, because we were in need of a quick and portable breakfast.

Did I mention we woke up early?

This was a most gorgeous, scenic trip, and I highly recommend it!! It's one of those "bucket list" kind of things. Do it. Bring your camera. Gasp and wonder. And be grateful.

For us this trip was, perhaps, most memorable for its freezing rainy weather. It was pretty crazy cold when we left Durango, and it just got worse as the rain came on and we slowly winded up the mountain to a higher altitude. And, sadly, we had opted for tickets in the open-air car. (Yes, we did.) They were cheaper, they were all together, and they provided the best opportunity for great photos. But we nearly froze our tiny toes off.

We stopped a few times to take on water.

We certainly cuddled a lot.

Thanks to the frigid conditions, there's a lot of this trip I did not photograph, though it was over three hours going TO Silverton and three hours coming back. Because I was busy shivering. And wrapping little ones in blankets.

Can't you just look at that water and imagine our teeth chattering?

But we made it to Silverton, nonetheless. Alive. And we warmed up in an odd little restaurant for lunch, finishing just in the nick of time to reboard our "polar express." If you can believe it, the ride back actually started out much worse, as the rain was driving in by now and our seats had all gotten wet while we dined. Oh, dear.

Thankfully, many people had opted to pay a little more and take the bus back to Silverton. And the brakeman (Paul had to tell me that was his position) found us seats in the private (enclosed) car. (He did this entirely out of the goodness of his heart.) The kids and I took advantage! We just needed to thaw a bit. Never has the back of a door looked so beautiful...

I had a few precious moments in here, as I reflected on God's goodness through others.

He had such a good time!

And I had such a good time watching him...

The last thirty minutes or so were quite pleasant, as the sun decided to come out and raise the temp to something a little more bearable!

Stripes!

Half-'n-half.

Our hero, the brakeman. :)

We also did a quick tour of a little railroad museum, where they had a rather large model train display.

Among other interesting things.

Three kiddos in the "dog house." Literally.

And then we got to see our engine turned on the giant turntable and put into the roundhouse.

That was way cool. And of course, we had to "let off a little steam" in the shop.

And Gabriel flattened and embossed himself a penny.

All in all, it was a fun, memorable day. Noah is really the only one who remembers how blasted cold it was! My advice? Don't pin yourself down to only ONE possible date on which to ride the train. That way you can have the freedom to let the weather forecast influence your decision. ;) Still. I'd do it again.

Stay tuned for the next installment in these vacation chronicles...

Counting Through February (154-159)

2012-02-22T23:43:00.000-06:00

Three Gifts White

#154

#155

#156

Three Gifts That Changed Today:

#157 Book that has my anti-reader choosing to read.

#158 Preschooler almost lasted through one entire educational video.

#159 Somebody's sudden awareness that he's big enough to do certain things all by himself.

All gifts.

Counting on...

See why.

Counting Through February (142-153)

2012-02-21T20:07:00.002-06:00

Three Gifts Found Giving/Serving:

#142 Sweetness in a girl's "heart" for her daddy

#143 Precious joy from the offer to help with a spill

#144 Sense of awe being amidst lovers of Christ pouring out practical helps, nourishment, smiles, conversation to those in need of all.

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Three Gifts on Paper:

#145

#146

#147

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Three Gifts That Were 'Plan B's':

#148 Finding a cheaper, prettier, longer-lasting tree at a local grocery store this year rather than cutting it ourselves, though it was our 'Plan A' to do so...

#149 Relenting to finally list our home with an agent/good friend after trying FSBO and loving being connected with her more.

#150 Spontaneously stopping to see historical beauty, to take it all in for several hours we hadn't planned on...

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#151 A Gift at Breakfast: Soaked oatmeal waiting to nourish and warm us.

#152 A Gift at Lunch: On this day...Daddy being home. So rare. So needed. So wonderful.

#153 A Gift at Dinner: Losing Tooth #3...a momentous occasion.

I'm counting my gifts as part of a "Joy Dare."

Vacationing in Colorado: Part 1

2012-02-17T14:38:00.000-06:00

Today is Flashback Friday, so I'm going to share our Colorado trip from back in September.

Day 1: When are We Gonna Leave?

We were so unprepared for this trip. I mean, we knew it was coming up and all, but somehow we were in some kind of strange denial, I guess. For one thing, I had been utterly consumed with our new homeschool curriculum and with trying to get the school year started. So I'll admit--I didn't have much done toward getting us on the road when the time came. "Day 1" was mostly spent packing and cleaning. Which meant we got started waaaay later than we would have liked, but things turned out fine anyway. We drove as far as we could, stopping for dinner at a little diner somewhere along Route 66, where we sang "Happy Birthday" to Daddy. This makes two birthdays now he's had while ON our family vacation. We did manage to find a very, very nice hotel (because it was brand new) where we carried in a sleeping Atticus and his three siblings who crashed within seconds of hitting the bed!

Day 2: The Drive

Starting off so late on "Day 1" meant we'd have much, much more driving to do yet. Here are some scenes from the car during today's looooooooooong drive.

Not much on I-40 is interesting to see, but the wind turbines were definitely a favorite.

We got to our cabin (free to us except for our water usage) quite late, so we were all exhausted, which is probably why our initial reactions to the cabin were less than ecstatic. I guess I was expecting cleaner and nicer and had, by this time, quite forgotten that it was a men's hunting cabin. :) The kids--the poor things--were crazy overwhelmed with their very unfamiliar surroundings, in general. (Remember, it was a hunting cabin...) None of them wanted to go sleep in a bedroom...all by themselves. Everyone wanted to stay WITH (and right on top of) Mommy and Daddy. So, Paul built a much-needed fire in the stove, and we ALL bedded down on the very large sectional surrounding the stove. As little sleep as I probably got, this was actually my favorite night. It was just nice having everyone all cozied up together.

Day 3: A Day of Rest & Exploration

This morning a "daddy deer" stopped by to say hello. But I missed getting a good shot of him, because I didn't even have time to unpack the camera! See? Off he goes! (By the way, a friend lent me her Nikon D90 for the trip, because if you'll remember my camera was in the shop for repairs at the time. How amazing is that?!)

We had a simple breakfast. But not before someone picked some pretty wildflowers for the table.

And THEN I got out the camera.

The boys had a ball exploring. And I............I...tried not to think about snakes.

It was hard.

And glamour girl here posed for her mama.

Then Paul built the boys a campfire and let them help.

Later that evening, we hit the town of Durango for some dinner.

And, apparently, to pick the street flowers. *gasp!*

Day 4: We're in Durango, Y'all

I caught the three younger children playing "Little House" up in the loft, which is exactly what I would have done with such a play space at their age!

They were having so much fun, they didn't even notice the absence of Daddy and Noah, who had gone out hunting.

This is a picture of some of our surroundings as we're coming down from the cabin's mountaintop.

For dinner tonight we ate at Steamworks Brewing Company, as recommended by the New York Times. Food was just so-so. (I've always wondered what kind of people actually DO those reviews for publications.) Our favorite part about this place?? Gabe LOVED getting to draw with chalk on the floors!

Atticus joined in, too!

Then after dinner, we stopped off to see a Wild West Gunfight. It started in the saloon, of course.

And then they took it to the street.

Then we browsed some of the quaint shops along the streets of Durango. Including one very tempting candy shop. Yes, we succumbed. At least some of us did. I was on that very fun three-month sugar fast, you may remember.

Stay tuned next week for the rest of the vacation story...

Counting Through February (133-141)

2012-02-16T15:03:00.001-06:00

Three Ways I Feel the Love of God:

#133 The security and confidence in God I feel, when my husband humbly, faithfully

leads us in prayer...

#134 The hope of sanctification I have when God teaches me the same truth in several

very different areas of my life, simultaneously...

#135 The joy of praying in small groups with godly women...

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#136 A Gift in Losing Something:

Precious pink "Silkie" lost by this same girl's five-year-old version--lost so long

that the thumb was forgotten

#137 ...in Finding Something:

Same beloved "Silkie" found much later and serving as a memento of a sweet, soft moment in time

#138 ....in Making Something:

Colorful fabrics...colorful boys...coloring their world

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Three Gifts in Shadows:

#139

#140

#141

Go here to see why I'm counting my God-given gifts...

Counting Through February (121-132)

2012-02-14T17:17:00.001-06:00

Three Times I Heard Laughter Today:

#121 Kids watching Kipper

#122 Two littles in the bath in the middle of the afternoon

#123 Snickering at the silliness of Scarecrow and Tin Woodman in a classic

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Three Gifts Found in Working:

#124 Laundry all. done. The freedom (and wonder) of that.

#125 Shiny counters' reflectiveness

#126 Homemade foods nourishing my family

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Three Hard Eucharisteos:

#127 Accepting someone new, knowing it will change things

#128 Broken-hearted big boy, victim of mean boys' words, sitting in my lap shedding tragic tears

#129 Being too sick for too much

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Three Gifts Found Behind a Door Today:

#130

#131 Folder full of speech progress

#132

Go here to see why I'm counting my gifts through February.

Project 365: Week 6

2012-02-13T12:14:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Paul snagged this moment on his phone: little brother putting his head on big brother's lap during church. Big brother loved it, by the way!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Poppy stopped by today bearing CHRISTmas gifts from Aunt Wendy and Uncle Mert.

Atticus was hilarious with his expressions as he opened.

And then there was a little fun to be had.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Noah got a new high score on "Bop It" today: 57!!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

We were accidentally given some mail that belonged to a neighbor down the road, so after our schoolwork was done today, the kids ran down the road to deliver it. I caught them racing each other back home. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the resulting photos and noticed Noah had only one shoe on!

He later explained that they were racing, he lost his shoe, and he just kept going so he could win. :) He figured it was worth walking back for it if he could come in first.

And, oh, Aunt Wendy, she loves her new clothes...

But she doesn't love Mommy's big flash...

Thursday, February 9, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES:

Friday, February 10, 2012

I found a great new reading program online called Reading Eggs. You can register up to four children (works out nicely, doesn't it?) and they all work at varying levels. The kids love it! Even Noah is totally captivated. As a former teacher, there are definitely both pedagogical and developmental problems (with regard to age abilities) about the program that bother me. (I really wish companies would do a better job of consulting with parents and teachers on these matters.)

But despite the occasional ill-placed skill or over-their-head task, the program gets my children excited about learning and is a perfect supplement to our homeschool.

(I'm sneaking this picture on my muted iPhone. Shhhh!)

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Today we were so happy to have Daddy back home after being gone since Thursday. We just hung out at home and then went out for pizza. I just love the tables here. You may remember pictures of Gabriel taken here. It's fun to play with the reflections.

*Sigh* Late again. You can check out all the Project 365 posts at Sara's blog: "make music from your heart to the Lord. Eph. 5:16."

Counting Through February (115-120)

2012-02-10T18:02:00.000-06:00

#115 A Gift Broken

Favorite handed-down beads, loved even more now they are broken

#116 A Gift Fixed

A working dryer makes all the difference

#117 A Gift Thrifted

Laura Ashley gem for a Laura Ingalls girl

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Three Gifts That Were Surprises--Unexpected Grace!

#118 Little out-of-the-box thinker figuring out how to make a picture differently.

#119 No therapy today means we can stay home together with no obligations. Love.

#120 Joy-list-maker remembering, all alone, a rule for 'y.'

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I'm counting my gifts. And thanking God for them.

"Thank-you is a word that can change you." -A. Voskamp

Counting Through February (100-114)

2012-02-08T22:45:00.001-06:00

Three Gifts Found in Writing:

#100 Real poem by a real poet...for me...(seriously). This is an excerpt from "You're Dreaming." Click the link below to read the entire poem. Written. for. me.

(..........) Oh, you're dreaming all right, and you're gold as an angel yourself, with your Botticelli curls and your small hands, and I'm watching you sleep and I'm older than you, but I know that dream, to fly until you die of flying.

This is what it means, I tell you, in the deepest female parts of our dreams--comets, burning, ecstasy, nothing at all.

for Lori

--Lola Haskins, Desire Lines: New and Selected Poems

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#101 "It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you; and besides, the Bible bids us return good for evil." (Helen Burns in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte)

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#102 "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."

--Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

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Three Gifts Found When Bent Down:

#103

#104

#105

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#106 One Gift Stitched:

Mamaw's unfinished something

#107 One Hammered

Twinkly eyes, captured

#108 One Woven:

Scratchy, surprisingly gorgeous burlap

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Three Gifts Found Outside:

#109

#110

#111

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Three Gifts Red:

#112

#113

#114

Go here to see why I'm counting my God-given gifts.

Project 365: Week 5 "business in the front, party in the back"

2012-02-05T22:05:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Atticus is a very versatile superhero.

Monday, January 30, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES:

Measuring 14 feet. Because that's about how much earthworm a single robin can eat in one day! Bleh. That's a lotta worm...

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I made the mistake of agreeing to a house showing today. So we didn't do school. I. cleaned. But when we got home, we relaxed. And I caught my bigger boys playing together. It made my heart happy.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

MORE SCHOOL SCENES:

Science in the kitchen:

Thursday, February 2, 2012

I came in the kitchen today and found Noah reading Atticus his Toy Story book. But by the time a certain big brother figured out I was trying to capture the moment photographically, well, things didn't quite look the same. (See him trying to get as far away as possible?) *sigh*

Friday, February 3, 2012

STILL MORE SCHOOL SCENES:

Having tea and Johnny cakes with molasses (like George Washington used to eat):

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Trying popcorn in milk (like Almanzo used to eat):
She loved it, by the way!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

My Papaw turned 88 years old this week, and we had a big surprise birthday party for him. Lots and lots of family came in for the occasion. So much fun!!

Gabe found it a bit too bright outside for pictures.

Papaw and my great aunt and uncle. Precious people.

Papaw with his six grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren:

We had a crazy busy week around here. Can ya tell?! Now let's check in with Sara and the gang and see what they've been up to.

Counting Out Loud (#88-99)

2012-02-04T10:19:00.001-06:00

Three Old Things Seen New:

#88 Beloved old favorite, loving once more

#89 Bedside gift-book I used to enjoy as a child at Mamaw's...new meaning as I learn more about joy through thanksgiving

#90 From one girlhood...to another......to another...

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A Gift Found on a Paper:
Memento of a younger, smaller boy's heart, something to ground a weary mommy

A Gift Found in a Person:

The way he loves them...and the way they think he hung the moon

A Gift Found in a Picture

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A Gift at 11:30

Littles working side-by-side

A Gift at 2:30

Reading aloud a favorite--Farmer Boy

A Gift at 6:30

A favorite for dinner

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Three Things Overheard Today...All Gifts:

#97 "Have a nice day!" expressed from little pretending-gatekeeper to little rider passing through

#98 The youngest among us laughing contagious on a video played over and over and over

#99 Brothers giggling together

Go here to see why I'm counting my God-given gifts.

Counting Out Loud (#79-87)

2012-01-30T09:40:00.001-06:00

Three Gifts That Might Never Have Been

#79 Soft, sweet boy with no words, grown into one now talkative and confident

#80 Incomparable friendship...'cause they're close

#81 Baby girl, healthy and pink, a little miracle out of unforeseen dangers, pointing me again to God's almighty, sovereign hand on us all

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Three Graces Found in My Friends

#82 I know I can call on my Krista any time of any day, and she will do all she can to help / pray for / be with / listen to / understand me. And even though it's a great sacrifice on her part, she never makes it seem so. Besides, hanging out with her is pretty fun, too. ;-)

#83 I have a kindred spirit in my Kelly, though she's lived through more years of parenting (with twice as many kiddos) than I. She always makes me feel at ease, understood, and liked. She knows when I need to just sit and talk (and laugh...a lot). I miss that. But as much as I miss her, it's strangely comforting knowing I have someone halfway around the world who prays for me and loves the Lord with all her heart.

#84 Many (so very many) church and family friends regularly bless me with words of encouragement, practical helps, and thoughtful gestures. I am always so humbled by how beautifully God uses His saints to bless His child.

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#85 A Song Heard:

"We will stand as children of the promise. We will fix our eyes on Him, our soul's reward. Till the race is finished and the work is done, we'll walk by faith and not by sight." --The Gettys

#86 A Soft Word

#87 Where I Saw Light

Go here to see why I'm counting my God-given gifts.

Project 365: Weeks 3 & 4 "from the blehs...back to normal"

2012-01-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 15, 2012

After ridding this corner of its CHRISTmas tree, cleaning the house, and showing it yesterday, we set up the boys' racetrack here and let them go to town with it. It was the first thing they wanted to do when we got home from church today, though THESE photos are actually from Saturday. Read on and you'll see why I have no photo for today...

Monday, January 16, 2012

Gabriel wretched all over the kitchen floor during lunch yesterday. It was quite lovely. Poor baby continued in this same pattern all night long and slept off and on most of today on my bathroom floor. But... The Fox and the Hound actually made him smile. :)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

I woke up this morning with extreme vertigo and was completely incapacitated. Good thing kiddos can toast bread and dispense drinks. And good thing I have a friend like Krista who'll run to the grocery store for BRAT foods for my Gabe. 'Round about lunch the vertigo got better, but it was replaced with nausea and extreme body aches, so I was in bed all day, praying intensely that I would not vomit. So--no pictures, 'cause if I had any, they wouldn't be pretty.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

I woke up with no pain today. Praise the Lord! Seriously, the no pain thing shocked my socks off, because I didn't think I'd ever fall asleep last night I hurt so badly.

But my man was down for the count today. And Noah apparently got sick at dinner time last night.

(We only have so many bathrooms, people.)

Thursday, January 19 , 2012

And another one's down, and another one's down...another one bites the dust.

Friday, January 20, 2012

I was so happy to feel a little warmth from the sun today.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Hanging out at the house today. We needed this. No showings. Purposefully.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

We stayed home from church to rest and recuperate. Being together in pajamas is good medicine.

So is tickling...

Monday, January 23, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tonight I hosted a Norwex demonstration party at my house, and Sara came--and left amazed. (She cleaned butter off my glass door...with ease.)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES

Liberty Bells

We're studying the story of The Nutcracker while listening to the different movements of the ballet. And I caught Saylor "upper-half" dancing.

And because we are such an inspired bunch, tonight after watching A Dolphin Tale, Atticus was pretending to be "Winter" in the tub. ;)

He's probably a bit too old for me to be posting baby-bottom shots, but I just couldn't help myself.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

These two got up early with an alarm this morning...to go bird watching.

SCHOOL SCENES

(at the library)

Friday, January 27, 2012

My Gabe looks so grown up these days.

He's even having fun with silly phone apps like his big brother.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Today our church said goodbye to yet another family moving to Uganda!!

Sorry for the two-weeker, but ya know? A sick family = much less motivation to blog.
I'm glad we're over it and moving on with life as usual. Be sure to stop by Sara's Project 365.

Counting Out Loud (55-78)

2012-01-27T16:44:00.000-06:00

#55 A Grace in the Kitchen:

Nana's couch warming us here, just as she herself did

#56 A Grace in the Weather:

Bluest sky ignoring wintery trees

#57 A Grace That Might Never Have Been:

Miracle of a fourth when a third had only recently arrived

(Thank you, Lord, for this precious little soul I never would have

purposefully attempted to have so soon.)

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Three Gifts I Saw Only When I Got Close-Up:

#58

#59

#60

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#61 One Thing in the Sky

#62 One Thing From My Memory

#63 One Thing That's Ugly-Beautiful

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#64 One Grace Wrinkled

#65 One Grace Smoothed

#66 Once Grace Unfolded

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Three Gifts Found in Christ:

#67 'a LOVE unexplained'

#68 'a LOVE longer and wider and more constant than time itself'

#69 'a LOVE spilled out'

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Three Things Blue:

#70

#71

#72 Oh, Those Eyes

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#73 One Grace Borrowed

#74 One Grace Found

#75 One Grace Inherited

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#76 A Gift Before Nine AM

#77 A Gift Before Noon

#78 A Gift After Dark

Go here to see why I'm counting my God-given gifts...

Counting Out Loud (49-54)

2012-01-18T19:00:00.000-06:00

#49 One Gift That Made Me Laugh:

Four-year-old fixing breakfast for three-year-old and wanting it to be just right

#50 One Gift That Made Me Pray:

Big boy made vulnerable in illness

#51 One Gift That Made Me Quiet:

All napping after virus wreckage

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Three Gifts From God's Word:

#52 "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:22-24

#53 "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him." 2 Corinthians 5:9

#54 "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4

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Go here to see why I'm counting these God-given gifts.

Counting Out Loud (43-48)

2012-01-16T17:20:00.000-06:00

#43 One Thing I Wore

This little shirt was my Young Musicians shirt from third grade. It always makes me smile to see it, because I have such good memories of learning to sing in a choir with a fabulous, inspiring, godly, encouraging director and friend.

#44 One Thing I Gave Away

I made this giraffe-print, homemade "Snuggie" for my mom for CHRISTmas. The tag says "Made By Elves" because she once made a tag like that and put it in a coat I got for CHRISTmas one year when
I was growing up. (She wanted to make sure the manufacturer's tag didn't take away the magic for me.) And by giving this gift, I was blessed by her reaction. She cried. Which was precious.

#45 One Thing I Shared

(And I still do.)

A life, including four beautiful babies, with my best friend--the man I love. I'm so blessed to share this crazy, wild, no-idea-where-we're-headed adventure with him.

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Three Ways I Witnessed Happiness Today:

#46 Growing-up son asking...and learning to cook eggs

#47 The way "Nemo" can elicit a smile even from the sickly

#48 Still such a little girl--playing dolls with her Mommy

Go here to see why I'm counting these God-given gifts.

Project 365: Week 2 "helpers, dancers, & cheesers"

2012-01-15T17:37:00.002-06:00

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Ah-hah! I have proof he's been stealing the covers. :)

Monday, January 9, 2012

Gabe likes to help his mommy. Love that kid.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Noah helped me make a set of play dough for a friend of his today.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Saylor and Gabriel put on a show for us after dinner. It was a dancing extravaganza.

This is Gabriel "putting on" for his audience.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

This is how she came to the supper table tonight. Ha! (She wears hats so well.)

Friday, January 13, 2012

I (finally) took down the tree and all the CHRISTmas stuffs around the living room. Aren't you proud of me? But look what I found in the branches at the BACK of the tree! (You see what goes on around here, don't ya?)

One thing I love about my house (and a prospective buyer should know--ahem...) is that when I put my CHRISTmas tree in this corner, it is a breeze to take out. Yay!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

One thing about selling one's home that nobody ever tells you is that you really should be financially prepared to eat out ALL the time!! Today we're at one of my faves. Can anyone guess??

It's The Root Cafe! Yum!

Atticus enjoyed their slide for a bit.

We say this all the time, but there are certain pictures that are most especially true of it: Atticus looks like his Nana. "Cheese!"

Two weeks down. Yet we're still not in a "normal" groove since the holidays. *sigh* It doesn't take much to throw me off kilter. But I'll still be endeavoring to chronicle the train wreck...for your reading pleasure. 'Cause I'm open and honest like that. :) Thanks to Sara for hosting Project 365!

Counting Out Loud (40-42)

2012-01-14T19:00:00.000-06:00

Three Ways I Glimpsed the Startling Grace of God

#40 My little music lover

#41 A boy excited to help

#42 Childish delight in a well-placed slide

Go here to see why I'm counting these God-given gifts.