spring

i'm certain i post something like this every spring.  but really, does it ever get old?!  wait, don't answer that....

seriously, what's not to love about this long overdue season of spring and the new life popping up all around?  so, naturally, when my dad discovered this adorable nest by our little pond area, it was absolutely necessary to photograph!  this mama robin (not seen in the picture, but watching from a short distance away) thinks just like me....she likes warm ambiance and an inviting abode.  she likes clean and tidy~ i wanted to whisper to her "enjoy it now! this is next to impossible to maintain once the crew arrives!" :)  she has created this cozy little nook in our shrub, sheltered from the wind and safely tucked away from obvious view.  she sits on her three beautiful blue eggs and waits.  and waits.  and waits. 

can you see the nest?

 

it is so fascinating, and our kids are now watching and waiting too.  i hope she adjusts to the peering eyes and giant bodies on the other side of the window.  yes, spring 2014 is here~ enjoy the bright, bright, sunshiny days!

siblings

two unrelated pictures. when i stumbled upon the scenes i found myself smiling. 

having siblings isn't always peaches and cream.  i know.  it can be more like oil and water...

but more often than not, in our daily life here, there are glimpses of real bonds that run deep.  some days i must search high and low to see it with my own children~ only to never really find it on the day i'm looking.  other days, however, i see different pairings shine with obvious connections that will carry them, we hope, for life...

i loved having two brothers, especially as i got older into my teen years (might have had something to do with their cute friends :) i'm positive i wasn't subtle about how i felt about them either)...  i still do love my older brothers deeply.  one is close by, and one feels very far.  my heart aches with the distance between us.  even still, the memories we hold from our childhood are very grounding to me. we three had our share of antics, scraps (why did Tim insist on crossing over the imaginary line in the back seat?? and why did Joe always get to read the cereal box while we ate breakfast?  it couldn't have possibly taken that long either....sheeshh...) laughs, tears, and funny memories together...

in theory, even for our own kids~ these memories should be foundational.  family ties should hold tightly.  as we branch away in different directions, the roots are still needed for life-giving support.  i think that was God's design.  i pray it will be so for my crew of six....

 

 

above, teaching the fine art of the "selfie", and below, a cheap haircut by the older sister.  turned out alright!!

personally, even a quick stroll through an old photo album with weathered pages brings back loads of memories. or a few minutes of video footage from years gone by can surface all the reminders of a family that is cherished, with common experiences shared...so, maybe this blog will be that reminder for our kids one day...

"baseball 101" by Hudson

Hudson always has a captive audience when AJ is around.  what's not to love about that??  see, the thing is, the rest of us do try.  we really do.  but 100% of the time Hudson's stories morph into long and elaborate versions that are part truth and part fabricated.  such is the case with the videos below.  each one is about three minutes long, but even still, i had to post them. i know i'll love reliving these moments in a few years time... this particular evening was a laid back Friday~ also a pizza night which is often the way we like to cap off a busy week.  AJ was struggling through dinner, yawning more than he was chewing, and everyone but Hudson and myself had left the table.  Jeff was dropping off a few kids at youth group.  Hudson launched into a baseball discussion, and i don't even remember how it got started.  all i do know is that he had been going for some time before i clued in and decided it was cute enough to secretly record on my phone.  baseball shoes were on, gloves too.  off he went....i picked up the video more than five minutes into the mostly one-sided conversation of baseball tips....sweet AJ has a way of making Hudson feel like he is the "king pin".  so, naturally Hudson ran with it.  i was giggling on the inside, loving the glorious preciousness of it all...

 

 

 

 

(not sure what happened when my camera went wonky and recorded the bench and my foot at the end of the second clip.  whatever, i'm amateur...)

so, this is a perfect way to signal the start of baseball season.  wrestling wraps up in a few weeks, and tomorrow Hudson heads out for his first ball practice.  AJ will be starting as well on Saturday mornings in the next little bit.  both are very excited.  i am too.  i look forward to the warm sun and the familiar sounds of the baseball field.  watching the team develop and improve over the season. enjoying the time with other parents and grandparents.  sitting and watching the promise and fun each game holds.  summer enjoyment at its best...

if the snow ever melts, that is...

change

i'm not the biggest fan of change.  not when the change fits under the "significant" category, at least.  i can handle a wardrobe change, a room layout change, a menu change, or even a hair cut that says "change".  i also love a bed linen change (line-dried! my fave!), shoe change, and perfume change.  when the change impacts my kids in a way that is challenging, i'm not quite as thrilled. 
this past month has put "change" in the  forefront of our minds.  we've learned that the elementary school our four youngest attend is closing.  Temple Christian Academy is finishing off the 2014 year in June and closing its doors.  this is the place all six of our kids went on the first day of JK.  this is the place where our two oldest graduated from.  Adam was set to do the very same just one year from now~ with his original classmates and friends from JK on.  this is the place where friendships have been forged, potential has been realized, sports have been played and class productions have been performed during countless assemblies.  this is the place where the kids have experienced spelling bees, speech meets, wins, losses, class parties, class trips~ lots and lots of great memories.  i have loved this school.  our kids have loved this school.  as i said to someone last week, our children have been "obliviously happy" there, free to grow and thrive and become secure in an environment that fostered this with caring (and patient) teachers along the way. 
so, the school news was a reminder that chapters begin and they also end.  we are so thankful for the twelve years we spent at TCA.  still, we are moving onward with a renewed sense of direction and trust that God is working things out according to His purpose.  the kids are set to go in September and have already enrolled in the public school around the corner.  this means the fall will bring with it a ride on a school bus, every day!  for Layla, she'll attend with her cousin in the same grade!  it will bring bigger classes, a much bigger school, different teachers and new friends to be made.  it will bring highs and lows.  we know this.  yet, in all of the thinking and praying and discussing and deciding we've engaged in over the past few months~ there is underlying Peace.  God knows these four kids better than i.  He will continue to guide our steps as He always does~ right into the halls of the new school.  change.  my acceptance hasn't been instant, but i'm getting there. 
hope the new school is ready for the VanderSlagt crew~ because they're coming! :) 

proud boys

Jeff's Friday night hockey team took home the cup this year.  below, proud boys with their daddy. the grainy iPhone picture doesn't do justice, i should have used my Samsung Galaxy :), but it still shows my cute husband with his very interested and impressed sons.  Hudson, in particular, can't help but get in the moment, and you can almost read that in his expression.  it's like he's part of something that rivals the Stanley Cup presentation, and he loves to imagine such moments.  just like when he's watching NCAA basketball.  he's so torn between simply watching and zipping outside to practice what he's just witnessed on the TV screen.  like by simply watching a slam dunk he might be able to pull it off now himself.  i think that's how he thinks...i love it...the healthy confidence is there, alive and well....like father like son. :)