coffee break

 such a clever title, if i do say so myself! :)  quite literally, i'm taking a coffee break.  a break to focus on "all things coffee".  as i've mention, we are in the process of bringing to life a start-up coffee shop.  Bean on a Mission, to be exact...it is so much fun!  it is also a lot of work.  i feel internal and external pressure to get this going.  we've been at it for over a year.  and it's time. 

soooo, as we inch closer to opening, i need to keep my nose to the ground, my head in the game, and limit other non-essentials.  i'd rather eliminate laundry or cooking or cleaning toilets, honestly, but i made the wise decision that blogging should be paused first.  my family would agree.

thus, the break.  it might be a few weeks, it might be more.  but one thing is certain, no~ actually two things~ i will miss this space, and i'll be back. 

❤

a boy and his dog

❤

Canada Day 2025

 yes, more than a month late.  a little slack, please.  besides, in ten years it won't matter, even a little.  so here it is.  

Canada Day is sure fun when experienced through the eyes of a five year old.  and we are the lucky ones to get another crack at that.  blessed by this dear boy.  fitting that he enjoyed the fireworks, because he is a firecracker personified, let me tell you.  great day with our youngest.  still, we definitely miss the days when all of the kids would pile on the one blanket with gas station chocolate bars (fit the budget :)) to take in the fireworks display, before piling back in the minivan and crashing at the end of a long day.

great memories then and now...

Joelle's view

 Joelle's photos are incredible.  i can't even believe the beauty she beholds on a regular basis.  so glad that if she must be so far west, she's taking it in intentionally and soaking up the vast and breathtaking creation all around her.  it's ridiculously stunning.  whenever i think a picture can't be beat, she sends something even more jaw dropping.  so cool.  

this last one?! c'mon...it looks like it's AI generated somehow.  the fog, the sun, and then our beautiful daughter right in the middle of it...

way to soak it up, kiddo!  simply spectacular! ❤

47 kms

 yes, he ran 47 kms.  in six hours.  on a blazing hot day.  don't even ask me how.  or why, for that matter.

but still, i'm most inspired by this man's mental grit and perseverance, and most incredibly, his joy in the process.  he is strong and courageous to even consider such an undertaking.  i love him for it.  great job, Jeffrey.  you are a force.  

Texas

 i've been thinking lots about Texas, and the unfolding tragedy there that has shattered so many hearts. it's all unthinkable.  you send your kids to camp.  it's not supposed to end as it did.  it's unexplainable.  it's the ultimate horror and shock, as best as i can truly only imagine.  how do you wake the next day?  the agony of knowing you weren't with your child during those final moments...it's actually too much.  how do you step forward, ever?

 Ann Voskamp blogs about it here. what i loved about her words is her raw honesty.  she doesn't dance around the hard questions.  she doesn't explain away with smooth or far-removed answers from someone who has no inkling of what it is to suffer.  she approaches the topic of tragedy and suffering with tender care and authentic transparency.  it's a helpful read.  again, you all know i love her and might be a bit biased. but helpful~ it still is...

and just a little of my fuchsia hydrangea to end on a brighter note.  how i love me some vibrant pink!

these two

they always have a sweet connection, but i think even more when i'm away.  

❤❤

i am yours

 I Am Yours

just a beautiful song today, by needtobreathe..

"...somtimes i'm walking on the ledge

and i'm afraid to just look down

it's like i think i'm in control

i'm giving gravity to doubt

but you love me where i am

enough for you to not look back

and it's the only kind of love

that i have ever felt like that..."

enjoy ❤

he likes it

 ball hockey has been a real hit.  Cree is always excited to go.  he runs and plays hard and sweats lots every week.  so far, ball hockey is by far his favourite of the three sports he's currently playing each week.  it definitely tops baseball and soccer, so far at least.  time will tell, for sure, but for now Jeff and I are really enjoying cheering him on in all his new ventures. parenting 2.0 has some real perks. :) 

this is five

 somehow this dear child is five.  he is lots of things...articulate, emotional, intelligent, feisty, affectionate, thoughtful, inquisitive, loud, and hilarious.  he loves deeply, feels deeply and is learning each day to sort out all the intensity that comes with who he is.  

five whole years of loving you, Cree!  such a gift!  

just so glad we took the call...❤

children's museum

 such a fun place!

i wish i'd taken more pictures, especially of our sweet company on this day.  Cree had a great time and really only wished it was longer.  definitely worth a trip to London!  

another hurdle

one 

step

closer

little man...

we're so close

to being "official"!  ❤

our MEC girl

 Joelle finds these fun adventures.  in this case, however, a large Canadian retailer (known for its outdoor gear and apparel) found her.  this recent adventure was a photoshoot with MEC (Mountain Equipment Company) for their website.  so crazy to head right over to mec.ca and see her beautiful curls right there on the home page.  

sounds like they gave her a great day, she met some awesome people and certainly made some memories along the way.  MEC found a good one! ❤

paintings

 a special request for two very specific paintings. 

Layla delivered.  in an extraordinary way.  i captured a picture before she dropped them off.  two paintings that weren't for me, but i still want to remember them.

beautiful.  

sweet baby J.

 a week with sweet baby J.  it wrecked me, if i'm being totally honest.  what a divine privilege it was to love this dear boy for seven amazing days.  love is messy, it's hard, it's often amidst and intertwined with the broken pieces that surround all of it, isn't it?  but it's entirely worth it.

i'll never forget him.  he'll always have a piece of my heart.  

God, please restore, redeem, protect, and guide all the parts of this little boy's life...may baby J. know warmth and consistent nurturing love, may he feel safe and carried by your gentle hands, all through his days.  

Mother's Day

i read this recently.  it struck a chord with me.  thought i'd share it as we come up to Mother's Day.  thanks to my amazing mom, for loving me so well for all these years.  because of you, (and Dad), i knew warmth and stability (and buttertarts:)) in our home.  thanks to my mother-in-law too (and my father-in-law), for loving my dear Jeffrey in such a way that he grew to be such an exceptional human.  

so, i ran across this little piece...i do not know who penned the words, but maybe it will resonate with you...

"Mother's Day is beautiful.  But it can also be heavy to many.  It's not always filled with flowers and breakfasts in bed.  Sometimes, it's filled with grief.  With longing.  With what could have been.  With what isn't.

So this Mother's Day, let's hold space for more than just celebration.  

For the moms in the thick of it, unsure if they're getting it right.  For the ones who have lost a piece of their heart in the form of a child.  For those holding a positive test and a thousand emotions.  For the women who ache for a baby they've never held or one they had to say goodbye to too soon.  For those who have lost their moms and feel the weight of that absence a little more today.  For the stepmoms, the chosen moms, the second moms, and the mother figures who love just as deeply.  For the ones in between, wondering if they fit into any of these boxes.

You are not forgotten.  You matter.  You are so deeply loved.

No matter what your Mother's Day looks like this year, I see you.  I'm thinking of you. And I'm wrapping you in love."

beautiful words, aren't they?  a message i'd like to leave with the many i know who fit in the categories above.  

to be sure, motherhood is not for the faint of heart.  in fact, it's completely heart-splitting in thousands of different ways.  it's also an indescribable privilege.  still, the gravity of the task of raising a child sits heavy on most.  it's daunting and sometimes crushing and often difficult to quiet the voices that remind you of how you've fallen short.

so on this Mother's Day, hugs to all those feeling the weight of the holiday, or the losses, or the unspoken parts that sometimes feel like a lot to carry.  

and Happy Mother's Day as well to all who will capture the full and pure joy of the day.  that's a gift to be cherished too!

❤❤❤

sweet moments

 many sweet moments catch me through these days.  many less than sweet moments too, in all reality and honesty.  but in this space, my mission is to capture the purely wonderful.  not necessarily extraordinary, but wonderful still.  choosing to place my focus here has been absolute "best practice" for my day-to-day grind,  i don't always get it right.  not even close.  but when i do choose to see things through a lens of gratitude and have a watchful eye for the glimmers of joy and light, my perspective stays centered.  it stays grounded.  

this was a moment.  i caught it.  a sweet connection between a boy and his dog at the end of a school day.  

Then I Will

 oh happy day...a new-ish Lauren Daigle song...i stumbled upon it, much to my delight!  it comes from the motion picture "Bonhoeffer", which i have yet to see.  i love the purity and truth of the melody and lyrics, all on its own.  i can imagine it's even better tied to an inspiring movie.  enjoy!

Then I Will

Lay is home!

 so happy this girl is home.  what a whirlwind adventure she was on.  five and a half months of new experiences, friendships, discoveries, and life changing events that all combined to make for a monumental trip that will never be forgotten.  so many snapshots of time and memories that will be etched into her core~ into the heart of who she is, and is still becoming.  

thanks to all who prayed, supported, contributed in so many tangible ways, and encouraged her from near and far.  

back home, she's finding her way, navigating all the pieces of readjustment with an undercurrent of visible peace~ the hard and the wonderful.  God has been sooo good.  

Lay...keep walking forward in courage and truth as you discover next steps.  have an open heart and upward gaze.  God will direct the rest.❤

Proverbs 3:5-6