do you ever...

 ...have days that have you feeling like this by 10 am?  

no, just me?! :)

well, me and baby C i guess...

we got it done

 out with the bright green and mauve...

and in with the almost white.  Joelle's old room has been updated.  her colour preferences at age twelve were fun at the time.  i remember the many days she'd grab multiple paint swatches at Home Depot or any store that had them.  she was so excited to choose her room colours.  she went for it and chose bold shades~ and it matched her personality for sure.  

but her room sits empty now and Adam thought an upgrade might be necessary for him.  plus the wifi is better in that room!:) so we set to painting it.  it's fresh and clean and light.  he's moved in, he's happy.  so far he's even keeping it tidy and the carpet remains visible.  time will tell...

the tree

 what a great weekend to cut a Christmas tree!  Sloan's Village did not disappoint.  we had sunshine, mild weather, and yet a super festive atmosphere and fun outdoor activity to share in with most of the family (missed you so much Hannah).  as sweet baby C and i sat by the campfire listening to the sounds of my favourite seasonal music being piped through the trees in that somewhat magical Christmas forest (while my family went to find us lunch:)), my heart felt extra full with the blessings of the season.  the day was a gift.  

baby C had no shortage of love and snuggles on his first Christmas excursion...

the White Pine "furry" tree was a big change from our usual Fraser Fir, but perhaps our new favourite.  it's so beautiful...

boys with the boy

 my three boys will be great dads one day.  not only will they know all the sneaky ways kids try to dupe their parents...ahem...but they'll also be great with their wee ones.  really natural and comfortable with babies.  they just add a really great dimension to little C's life.  

we captioned the first one "hey, you want a piece of me?!"

fun to watch and neat to see that part of them shine.

"you're here with us"

 "heaven's love reaching down to save the world....you're here with us"

maybe, just maybe, these lyrics strike a deeper chord than any Christmas past.  maybe in all the chaos, the uncertainty, the sorrow, the despair, the anxiety of what the next year holds~ maybe this is just what your spirit needs.  i will have this song streaming through our home this Christmas.  i mentioned it here a few years back, but honestly it's even richer now.  so good for the soul.  thankful for the reminder.  

as we enter the season of Christmas 2020, and all the ways it's already feeling so different and strange, hopefully both you and i can capture some of the pureness of it, maybe more than ever.  the simplicity and wonder of The Gift, the joy in giving, the gratitude for all things~ large and small.  maybe the slower pace will allow us to do that more intentionally.  I sure hope so, because that would make some of the harder changes of Christmas easier to take...

Here with Us, by Joy Williams

chalk work by the amazingly talented Layla...

October things

 just a few October pics today.  because who doesn't love October, right?  such a beautiful month of so many things to be thankful for.  here are a few things i loved...

family and food~ thanksgiving weekend....and a girl reunited with the baby she adores...

fun with the grill late in the season.

snacks at home with my Jeffrey...

a sunny outdoor manicure with a friend

who can resist a baby wearing suspenders

or a dimply little hand with a plaid shirt sleeve

so good to capture the randomness of life.  real purpose in that for me.  placing it here for memory's sake~  and wouldn't you know it, the little things add up and suddenly there's this big swell of gratitude for a blessed, full life.  

schnuggles

 this boy and i like the "schnuggles"

such a privilege to love him.  the blessings are easily tripled in return.

these two

 this is win-win right here.  these two love hanging out.  and this is one huge reason why we do what we do. 

(in case anyone wants to report us, we were not driving when this photo was taken.  we were stopped at a McDonald's having lunch)

 Hudson is so natural with this sweet baby, and what baby C. gives in return is just the most beautiful servings of love and smiles and attention that you really can't help but be drawn to him.  pure sunshine.  baby C. screeches in joy and giggles lots for all of us, but almost always for Hudson... 

so good for baby, so nice for Hudson.

the blue plate

 that day when Joelle was home, and we were celebrating her birthday with the blue plate, and she was commenting something like "i'm a superior individual" and promptly dropped and broke the sentimental blue plate....

good thing we love her a lot i guess...

oh, in case you were wondering, that last centimetre of pop in her glass, she never drinks it unless called back for that purpose.  it's her thing.  it's how we know she's home. :)

pandemic times

 Joelle is slugging it out.  as are her coworkers and fellow nurses worldwide.

front line workers extraordinaire!  

way to go, Jo! ❤

thankful

gratitude is probably one of my biggest, life changing practices of the last decade.  it is absolutely key to my overall perspective and attitude.  thanks Ann Voskamp!  the necessary habit of counting my blessings draws me closer to God and His goodness and His daily graces when it's sometimes easy to get lost in the "less wonderful".  go ahead, read between the lines. :) so in this season of thanksgiving i am once again taking stock of the amazing ways God's provisions carry me and sustain me.  here's a few that rise to the top....

gorgeous fall colours painting the trees

mum pots in full bloom 

warm summer-like weather in October

a table full of my kids playing a game of spoons

the luxury of so much food that it takes a whole evening and day to prepare a Thanksgiving feast

laughter and togetherness

a rock-star husband who supports and carries so much of the load

fall candles lit

new beginnings 

small connections and baby steps

friends who stay the course 

silver linings 

...and these just roll off my fingertips.  i could go on and on.  so much good.  thankful for much and happy to have another season to reflect on the blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families too!  

the fun drought is over...

 thanks to these...

so. much. fun. 

Jeff has wished for these since before children....so pretty much another lifetime ago.  needless to say he's a happy guy with a definite grin when he hops on one.  

grateful...

hard

 i'm about to drop a link for the most beautiful song.  it's a declaration of sorts.  a strong stand of faith and courage during the seasons of "hard"...we all have them, times that realllllly stretch us.  the coolest part is that Jeremy Camp, the man who penned this song, has an amazing personal story of perseverance through his own place of the lowest lows.  see if you can get a hold of the movie "i still believe" for more on his life and testimony of God's goodness amidst tragedy.  

here it is...

Whatever May Come

i hope it encourages you through the hard!

sending virtual hugs...

summer "job"

 this one didn't feel much like work to Hannah...she sooo enjoyed her time with her friends and fellow lifeguards this August.  the typical full summer of lifeguarding didn't happen with the covid lockdown, but once things started to open up and the pool and beach started to return to normal, Hannah was able to work for the second half of summer at the beach.  tough gig.  like such a chore...sun and waves and a beautiful location with iced coffees and friends. :) and a pay cheque too.  i'm obviously doing something wrong...haha...happy for her though, might as well soak it up while she can.  

(Layla did her first shifts as a lifeguard at the city pool, and to her surprise she also really enjoyed it!  no pictures from her unfortunately.  hopefully next summer.)

photo credits to one of the moms. she captured them so nicely!

these two

 these two are pretty cute.  on their own and together. :)  

a baby in one hand while he charts with the other...

i love Jeff's heart for this boy, and all the ones like him.  but man he's good with babies.  so chill and so compassionate. 

change

both Mr. C and i were ready for change.  admittedly, we were both pretty weary...sadly, my change is way more certain.  way more sure.  and this brave and feisty little soul faces yet another shift in normal.  a new beginning.  a fresh start, which sometimes is just necessary.  i know it, yet it's not without adjustments...we pray it leads to stability and security for him.  that Mr. C finds warmth and consistent love in his new surroundings.  we pray that he always knows of our deep love for him, and that a part of my heart will always be with him.  that his fifteen plus months in our home will impact him way beyond his memories.  that the love of Jesus will seep into the cracked places of his heart and mend and soothe and repair.  that he'll always know his value and purpose, and that just the right people will step in along the way to solidify those basic truths of worth and self-image.  that his future will be as bright as the glorious sun streaming in the window behind us.  God, please be with him, hold him tight...  

we love you, dear boy.  always will.  with a giant pit in my stomach we promise to hold you close in our hearts and pray for you when you come to mind...

stay strong kid...

photo credits to Jeffrey...

our gardener

my dad is our resident gardener.  i've mentioned him here before.  i won't say a lot, except that the fruits (and mostly vegetables) of his labour are so enjoyed by all of us!!  We are blessed that he enjoys this hobby as much as he does.  the steady stream of spinach, lettuce, onions, potatoes, corn, beans, zucchini, carrots and tomatoes has been a fresh dose of summer's best.  and watermelon is still coming! 

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oh, and did i mention his stunning sunflowers??  

so grateful.  for him mostly, and the garden too.  

 

26

this guy....he is my person, my human rock, my safe place to crash, my daily joy, my humour through thick and thin.  he is an absolute gift.  he brings to our partnership many things, but i especially appreciate the sharp focus on God's promises and truth.  this helps keep me grounded. it encourages me and keeps my focus upward.  he's unwavering in a world of certain "flip-flopping".  not this guy...

somehow we've been stuck on each other for thirty whole years.  married for 26.  a blur of the best kind.  trusting him with my heart way back when was the very best decision.  Jeffrey, you are my love.  congratulations to us...here's to however many more we are given!  i still adore you! 

C2

 not a lot to say, not alot to share.  just that sweet baby C, or C2, (as there are two "C" names in our home currently) has brought with his wee frame a large dose of joy and love.  our lives have intersected in a forever way.  we have fallen hard and are definitely getting too attached, exactly as we should.  this is a temporary stay for him, a soft place to land where many hands reach out to snuggle and feed and care for him in a beautiful way, but our connection to this sweet babe and his dear family will be forever, at the very least in our hearts.  

 

i ache that there is heart wrenching pain like this all around.  i want to fix these broken pieces.  my brokenness might not look the same, but on many levels it isn't so drastically different.  we all have cracks~ fragile parts of our hearts, our journeys, our stories.  sometimes raw, sensitive, vulnerable...i'm so thankful the love of Jesus seeped in to my worn out places.  i'm so grateful for the mercy and grace of my Father that He'd love me enough, more than enough...just as i am.  nothing more.  goodness, i'm not deserving of this lavish extravagant gift.  

(all of the big kids invest.  it's sweet...)

so, how ever many days and nights we spend with this adorable bundle, and the bigger C too as the months continue to hold uncertainty for him~ we pray their future paths hold immeasurable amounts of joy and love and warmth and security.  for now, we are smitten.  babies are sure good for the soul. 

❤❤❤

summer break

i took a few weeks break~ you might have noticed.  i usually do this in the summer and often when Jeff is on vacation.  blogging simply drops on the "priority" list.  July has come and gone.  there have been highs and lows.  stressors of all sorts actually.  thankfully they've been paired with many moments of lighthearted laughter.  not to mention ice cream stops and bridge swims and bike rides and beach waves and even the occasional patio date with dear friends.  we are plugging along.  thankful for summer, for small returns to things that resemble life "pre-Covid", for the little things.  no grand vacations, no elaborate changes, no real monumental accomplishments~ simply the little things. 

 had to post AJ's first task of the morning~ a failed rescue attempt.  the mouse was saved from the spinning in the skimmer basket, but not soon enough unfortunately...

anyone who knows Jeff even a little knows what he's doing below.  

there are blessings, there is movement, there is God's divine and undeniable presence.  grateful for this in this surreal time we find ourselves in.  thankful too for sunsets and garden plenty (thanks Dad) and less structure and routine, thankful for barbecued tenderloin and outside visits with family.  thankful for healthy kids (did i mention brave?? yikes...see above~ Hudson flying over the railing at the bridge!!) and steady paycheques and student jobs and birthdays.  thankful for online services and worship and sweet baby snuggles (more on C2 soon).  thankful for summer ripe peaches and open windows and unexpected blessings...ignoring the fact that this bottom paragraph refuses to align like the rest of the above. odd...

                                              God is good.  we press on.  and for now, i'm back!  more soon!  

                                                             be well and cherish the little things...