more pics from our trek in the city

Our city is a beautiful place for a summer walk. I just wanted to share a few more images seen on our walk in the city last week.

Summer date with Isaiah

Last week Isaiah and I had an afternoon together by ourselves without the brothers. It was so much fun to hang out with him. He is growing up so fast right before my eyes and I need to take the opportunity to just “be” with him more often. We had pizza in town. Then we walked many blocks to the library and then many more blocks back to our house. Isaiah usually complains of being tired after just short distances of walking. On this day he handled the very long walk extremely well. He verbalized his frustration but did not lose his temper and even had fun on most of our journey. He loves to walk on every possible ledge or wall, which there are plenty of here in the city. We looked at books together and he did some educational games on the computer which we usually don’t get to do because I have to look after Jadon and Thaddeus. We just took our own sweet time on this leisurely stroll on a warm summer day. Oh, how I love solo dates with my kids. It is a good reminder to schedule them regularly. I believe that one of Isaiah’s primary love languages is quality time and I think this date helped to “fill his love tank”. We had been having some attitude and communication struggles and this was just what we needed.
We ended the date with some fav ice cream – bright blue cotton candy with brownie, chocolate sprinkles, and oreos mixed in. Not my favorite :). Last time the boys went for ice cream with Daddy and ate this particular flavor I had an alarming moment the next day. I called John in a panic because Jadon’s poop was very, very green. I thought something was wrong with him. He had been working on the roof with grandpa and John pulling the black asphalt type substance off. I thought Jadon might have some poisoning related to that. John called me back later and reminded me of the blue ice cream they ate the day before! Oh, that was the culprit. Thankfully Isaiah takes care of his own potty duties these days.

Dare not compare

I have not been writing here on a regular basis. I have a confession. I am addicted to viewing other moms' blogs. I would much rather be a voyeur and view other people's lives than write about my own. This is part laziness and part of it stems from wanting to be inspired by other people who are living their days at home with kids. The need to be inspired to do anything is a tendency of mine. That is why I read books on housekeeping and laundry etc... :) But, my latest thing is reading the words of other moms and looking at inspiring photos. I am learning that I am a visual person and I have to be inspired visually with beauty and this feeds my soul and spirit. There is nothing wrong with this habit in general. But, my problem is that I too often fall into the trap of comparing myself to these amazing and gifted women. I glean many good ideas but I also find myself longing for a life as beautiful as theirs. Then, I am failing to see the beauty of my own story. When we compare ourselves to others we always come up short. I can not pattern my life after these women. My personality and my gifts and talents are completely different and I must embrace myself as God created me. I feel like I am just coming into the authentic person I was created to be. I know myself and accept myself more than I ever have. I am thankful that I can learn from others and be inspired by the beauty of their stories but I must let it stop there. The story that God is writing in my life will be used by Him to show people His extravagent love and His amazing redeeming power. If I try to pattern my life after other people I will not be allowing the fullness of God to take root and grow to its fullest potential in my life. He created me for a special and unique purpose. I am so glad He has never given up on me!!! I am thankful for how he created me and how He is transforming me as I live closer to Him. My friend Melisa suggested a "Dare not Compare" campaign. I think I will begin a campaign with myself. Feel free to join me as we adventure to embrace the beauty of our own amazing stories.

I hope you enjoy the pictures that capture the beauty of spring around our house.

non-stop action

Here is a look at the typical moments of our days. This video was taken when the boys were at the cabin in the mountains with Daddy. But, it is rather typical of the activity level at any given moment in our home.

The Coast of Maine

I spent a day in Portland, Maine with John and Thaddeus. John was on a long overnight and I flew up there to meet him. Today we drove up the coast and saw several lighthouses. It was such a beautiful coastline. We also saw an old military fort that was built in the 1800's sometime. Sometime I would like to write about the spiritual significance of lighthouses and forts/walls but right now I am too tired to put my thoughts together in an intelligent way. So I will leave you with some pictures for now.

Thaddeus is goin' places

Thaddeus' world has been expanding for several weeks now. He has progressed from just scooting around on his belly in a random fashion to purposely belly crawling to a predetermined destination. He is very close to creeping on all 4's but hasn't quite coordinated the process yet. His speed is increasing day by day. I have now resorted to the cage-like play yard in order to contain him on the braided rug. This is a true life saver when taking care of 3 young boys. It keeps Thaddeus out of trouble and protects him from being trampled on as the other boys run through the house. Thaddeus is a happy boy who revels in his big brothers' attention and care. He is really communicating 1,000 words with his facial expressions and loves to make sounds and converse with whoever will engage him with a back and forth babble banter. :)

Spring is almost here!!

This past Saturday we had beautiful warm day with temps in the 60's. We had a great time exploring the woods. Melisa and I were high on joy because the Texas girl in both of us has had enough of the frigid temps. It is amazing how the weather can impact your attitude and spirit. We were infused with new life. As I write this now on Thursday, the temp is in the 40's and windy. Oh well, we will enjoy the warm days when we get them. The boys were happy to be knights in the kingdom of our woods.