two things i love

how i love being on the mat watching my kids wrestle.  it is now the season.  wrestling 2018.

i also happen to love hugs from my wrestling son~ and on this day he caught his dad snapping a picture of it.  sometimes it's the hugs that energize me for the next day, or hour~ or the next minute even!  like actually...

family firsts

when the oldest cousin marries, it's kind of a big deal.  the first of the family.  a main event.  everyone needed appropriate wedding attire which turned out to be pretty fun shopping for (especially the three boys who knew exactly what they wanted!)  there was the wedding day styling and primping and sister time.  the entire event turned into a super fun memory on many levels.  being together as eight.  being together as extended family.  supporting our beautiful and dearly loved niece and cousin, V, and her new husband J.  gorgeous venue and delicious food.  solid lifelong family and friend connections held even a little bit tighter than before, new connections forged as well.  super special.  abundantly blessed.  a few pics to highlight...

congratulations to V&J on your marriage...may God's presence fill your home and hearts as you journey together...

thanks for letting all of us share in your BIG day!  the kids are still talking about it!  yes, we were happy to provide the dance floor entertainment at no extra charge!  and by we i really mean the two cuties above! :)

we're back...

....to cute little sparkly shoes

 

and Christmas bedtime stories

definitely a few of the best parts of fostering these sweet little souls.  there's also lots of hard, lots of messy, lots of "wring you out and hang you out to dry" days, to be totally honest.  i want to remember the parts that are wonderful~ and these parts sure are!  ❤

sightings

things you see around the house when you're sharing it with a three year old again.  miss Z. has been creative and cute, and thanks to her the Haitian nativity scene has appeared in some unusual locations in recent days...

it's hard for me not to grab an immediate and obvious spiritual application, like how Jesus can be found in the unexpected places, in the messy chaos, or how He wishes to meet us right where we're at, etc...

nope, not gonna expand on this too much today. :)  you're welcome.  

i'm barely awake, after all.   

as we slide into Christmas and the season of Hope and Joy and Promise, may we find more of Jesus in the day to day...

love to all!

my unofficial official pastry chef

well, Layla just might have the job title~ the new pastry chef of the house, quite literally!  recently she helped me whip up some pie pastry and a couple apple pies as well, and it turned out to be some of the very best tasting, flakiest pie crust i've we've turned out from this very kitchen!  i was so impressed and admit it's taken years of practice and tinkering and just like that, first time ever, she stirred and floured and rolled out the best pastry we've tasted in awhile.  i was most impressed!

 

you're hired Layla! a batch of pastry every two to three months would be just perfect! :)

the list

a certain 11 year old in our home no longer buys into the Santa version of Christmas.  he knows where his wrapped treasures originate from and how they make their way to the base of the sparkling tree in our family room.  even still~ he made this Christmas list recently as store flyers and catalogues (Canadian Tire, Indigo, Toys R Us, Walmart!) have arrived in abundance to his hopeful, perusing eyes.  there has been much conversation about the selected items, lots of contemplation, and many edits to the list.  almost to the point of it crossing the line between excited anticipation to obsessive consumption of each and every "must have".

when i noticed the most recent edits to the list with the accompanying circled request just sitting there on the island, i realized he may need to face the harsh reality soon.  might need a bit of a Christmas message "reset" too...a couple good Christmas books or even a viewing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" might do the trick.  

i remember the anticipation i felt as a kid too, not that different from AJ at all!  i can't blame him for his enthusiasm and this really did make me smile...got me to thinking that there probably won't be many more years of lists like this one! :) i'm trying to take it all in...

National Adoption Month

taking in this fourteen minute video is surely the best time you could possibly spend today staring at a screen.  if you do, you will be a participant in watching the wonder of how God's love moves through adoption.  it is jaw-droppingly fantastic, much like our very own miraculous adoption story and part two of the same. it's soooo like God, and it's worth every second.  i needed a Kleenex while viewing, you might as well.  but i assure you, they are tears of the best possible kind....

take in Chloe's story

cross country 2018

these three did it again!  

so thankful for their strong determined legs that carry them so easily...

 so many competitors at SWOSSAA

 but only two from GLSS in Layla's division...they did awesome!

grade eight boys in red!  Hudson's last year in elementary school!  Crazy...

AJ snagging the hardware....third place!

love you three!  you are so fun to watch!

life giving words

you know...seems fitting to link to some really great song lyrics this week.  these two songs have reached deep into my heart and spirit these days and brought life and promise and truth.  beyond thankful for words that remind me of God's great love and care and purpose for my life and the lives of those around me, big and small, young and old, hurting and broken...haven't done this in awhile, so i hope it's a refreshing gift to you as well.  a little soul pick-me-up!

Matthew West~ Broken Things

Rend Collective~ Rescuer

the extractions

poor kid.  four wisdom teeth were mercilessly removed (drill and all) during Hannah's first fall reading week of her university experience.  it wasn't exactly the relaxing and comfortable break she anticipated, but nevertheless, the experience is behind her~ the teeth are out, the drugs have worn off (can you say loopy? :)), the fainting/vomiting spell is behind us, and she's well on her way to feeling normal again.  

the side blessing (isn't there usually one if you search for it?) was lots of napping on the couch for her, lots of time to "catch up" for us, the chance for me to love on her in lots of tangible ways, and some shopping together before she went back to school.  she returned yesterday with this experience behind her and we're both pretty glad about that. 

and now the second half of term one is underway.  already looking forward to Christmas! 

thankful

this weekend had several moments i wanted to "freeze-frame", those conscious pauses where you take stock, breathe in the sight before you and wish to capture it in the "forever" spot of your brain while life all around whizzes right on by.  here's one of those such moments i'm super thankful for.  all of our kids home under one roof again.  more shoes, more laundry, more noise, more dishes, more wet towels, more cheese consumption, more fun.  simple as that.  a big family isn't all hard, and sometimes i feel i need to defend it to others (and to myself on occasions, if i'm honest!) and there are these times where six is a fantastic number all around.  

like during a good old fashioned game of spoons! with water chugging or hot sauce drops for the loser as an added twist of crazy because, you know, the game of spoons wasn't exciting enough on its own...

happy season of gratitude!  such a great time of year!

eleven

this fella has one full decade in the books.  on to the next.  

so thankful our lives intersected so miraculously~ and that God chose me to be his mom...that first day we met him as a newly turned three year old with dancing, playful eyes is (thankfully) etched in my brain..  this guy is sweet and kind, and funny.  loaded with God-given potential.  can't wait to watch him grow and "become" more of who God has designed him to be.  Alemayehu~ wishing you an amazing year!  you are so very loved!!

more than a kite

so there was this school project.  basically, in a nutshell~ working in pairs, a $5.00 budget, recycled materials welcomed, design a kite that can fly.  AJ and B set to work and came up with this vibrant and solid result, a bright pink kite with shiny ribbon that would not fly.  so it was back to the drawing board the next weekend. 

in all sincerity, all i did was ask my dad a question.  true story.  a fully innocent and honest question about kite materials in our garden barn, and Dad was all over it.  turns out, he's a kite-making master.  he made them himself when he was a kid, and offered to help the boys the next Saturday morning, agreeing not to do the whole thing himself  (i gave him strict instructions! :)), but rather to teach and guide them through the process.  sounded like an insurmountable task to me, actually, but watching dad made it look so natural and maybe even a little bit fun.  

kite making attempt #2

a giant success.  it's a beauty, and AJ and B had fun doing it which is even better.  

they are so proud of the finished result, which i don't seem to have a picture of (:( oops!) and AJ proudly delivered it to school the next Monday, walking down the driveway with a kite that happens to be just his size.  the cool part is they learned something too.  sometimes you need a bit of help in the process, but i bet this project is one he'll never forget.

Dad, for all the ways you completely rock, thank-you!!!  your kite making skills and fun, calm and patient nature made this school project memorable for these two boys.  and you saved my life yet again.  took me right back to my (and by the word "my" i really mean "your") mind-blowing foam igloo from grade 7/8 that shared first prize.  complete with a teeny wooden canoe and paddle, and other mini props too.  wish i had a picture of that beauty.  i had little to do with that project in all honesty (i glued a few foam blocks in place, i did do that!), but i do remember being completely amazed at how awesome his my igloo was and how proud i was to have this creative dad who saved me from my lack of artistic ability.  thanks Dad!

E&H

and just like that, they're gone....

they boarded a plane and were on their way, pink Skye suitcases and all...they've taken a piece of our hearts, as expected.  i'm willing myself to speak God's promises over this situation.  i know He loves them more than i/we ever could.  a friend has challenged me to allow this outcome to increase my faith and deepen my trust in Him.  isn't that the point after all~ to walk carefully in God's will and trust Him with the outcomes, even when things don't appear to make a whole lot of sense or seem like the outcome we'd hoped for?  

Layla's chalkboard words were especially well chosen (all on her own~cool timing!) this month and capture well my feelings.  the neat part in all of this?  the many gentle and warm reminders i'm given that God is with us through these days since saying goodbye and the simple and sweet ways He is communicating His care over us.  if we feel this grace and love being rained down on us, how much more must He be caring for those sweet and vulnerable little souls with their new beginnings and unknown surroundings?  i have to believe that...

dear E&H, your infectious spirits intersected our lives in ways that will forever change us.  so grateful for all that you taught us and for the chance we had to see your joy and spunk and beautiful personalities soar!  we love you both to the moon and back and always will!  

fly

she is ready.  she is excited.  we are excited for her.  Hannah is officially into year one of Nursing at Western.  the new adventure is underway and another life chapter is being written as i speak.  

praying for her as she settles in and discovers and learns and grows.  that she'd be shaped into the very design and character and purpose set out for her even before her lungs breathed their first breath (after what seemed like an eternity of looking blue, according to her dad).

"hey Mom, can i have bacon for my last meal?"

yep....i can do that.

"God~ thanks for the gift of this dear girl...hold her and keep her, i pray."

  

fly Hannah, fly...

. 

love him

this boy is no walk in the park to parent some days (catch the pun?! :)).  the opposite of easy breezy, if i'm 100% honest.  however, truth be told, he is super sweet to me and shows his care for me in many kind ways. 

   that goes a long way with this mama. 

it's moments like this that i wish to remember.

and another

Layla is the designer of any new and updated chalk art that adds inspiration to my laundry room and garage entrance area.  

i love seeing scripture become visual in that place, where we come and go so frequently.  wish she had time to change it weekly because that would be a lot of verses!  even still, i appreciate her time and gifts a lot! 

front porch love

sure love the view from my new chairs on the front porch, a long awaited birthday gift i'm so enjoying.  

these two picking "flowers" for me...delightful