spring...

i know every year i seem to blog about spring.  not sure i even give summer and fall due mention, because they are wonderful seasons too!  then, hardly a nod to winter, especially when it refuses to leave and crowds out the lovely spring days that i've come to crave each year.  spring is just so fresh, so new, so promising.  the kids must roll their eyes at me every time i back the van out of the garage and comment on how fast the front yard is changing, and how awesome it is to see the brown lawn replaced by new and vibrant green. (not to mention how equally delightful it is to see the beloved groundskeeper appear every year as well....he's amazing and always keeps things spruced up, even though it is never expected.... :) ) yes, it's weird, but spring just really feels exciting to me.  i love the rain and the sun.  but most of all, absolutely most of all~ i love the signs of life. 

meet my friend, miss mourning dove, who was trusting enough to make her nest on our brick ledge this year, just on the other side of the bathroom window.  the main bathroom window.  the high traffic, often full of curious kidlets who are supposed to be using the toilet or brushing teeth but instead can be found staring out the blinds, bathroom.  yes~ she is brave, and tolerant, and trusting.  she spent a week preparing her nest and testing it out before depositing two eggs there around Easter.  she saw many eyes and many faces peering at her often~ even when they were encouraged to give her "space" as she prepared for motherhood.  so, once she committed to the location and invested the time into creating her humble abode, she proceeded to lay the eggs and keep them warm while she waited.  her two sweet babies appeared around 15 days later, just as Joe (aka serious bird lover) had said!

 

 

below, mama is watching her young carefully as she gently sets her puffed-up self directly over her babies.  you can see the growing baby birds partially uncovered at the front.  they weren't very cute yet there, but just today i noticed that they are getting quite adorable, and growing fast, so maybe i'll capture another photo before they leave the nest and venture out to live their lives, however mourning doves do that....i wonder if they check in with their mom regularly or if the "empty nest" thing is really final for the mother dove.  potentially depressing, yet surely the emotional capability of such a bird is limited, so hopefully she's not too sad by the departure of her offspring....

 

and below, a rabbit hole (or den or burrow~ rabbit people, which is it??) in our back yard, within the fenced area and safe from coyotes that might prey on these small ones.  we think there are four in there, and i wonder if they take turns being the one near the opening.  because if it were me, i'd want to be further in on these cold, wet rainy days. the picture is a bit like an "I Spy" book, but study it carefully and notice the eye on the right half of the photo and the cute little ear in the middle and pointing to the grass on the left... 

yes~ new signs of life are popping up all over and this makes spring such a refreshing time.  enjoy these days!!

"kings and queens"

i have a new favourite video/song.  so moving.  the video was shot in Haiti.  extra cool.  one of my "orphan care-minded" friends shared the link with me even before i started hearing the song on the radio.  so glad she did.  if you are interested in the story behind the song, check this out .

 

feeling heavy hearted for Boston today.  struggling to process it all.  i won't attempt to write much about it, but just to mention that the lives of those innocent victims are in the forefront of my thoughts.  we are praying...God, please help them as only you can~ with real and lasting peace and healing and purpose~ through your son, Jesus.  our world is lost and clearly broken.  i long for this day, as described in Revelation 21... ^"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

amen...

humble pie

well, i've eaten a slice of humble pie this week.  a far cry from my rantings of just a year ago...yep, the NCAA tournament came to an Monday evening with Hannah and her dad clued to the TV screen til the very last second.  Hannah, after all, had much at stake and 1st place was in her reach if Louisville pulled out a victory.  thus good reason to stay up several hours past the usual "school night" bedtime.  i had long since crashed on the couch, sadly, as my spot in eighth place had been secured long before.  (Florida~ you let me down!!)  i'm good, though....happy and comfortable with passing on the glory and bragging rights.  someone else should experience the fun of it all for a change, and this year~ it is Hannah!  way to go, sweetie!

so, Hannah has first pick from the basket of loot and there has been much conversation about who will pick what...regardless, whether i do or don't get the coveted Tim's card (or "donut card", as AJ prefers to call it, who, incidentally, has full understanding of delayed gratification.  he has impressively deduced that passing over the tempting packages of candy will result in a later purchase of donuts~more than once~ just for him. :) that's my boy!), another fun March of basketball entertainment has come to an end.  the standings are as follows...

1. Hannah
2. AJ
3. Layla
4. Jeff
5. Adam
6. Joelle
7. Hudson
8. last year's champion...Me!  apparently it's all or nothing with my brackets...

good times...can't wait til next year!

Hudson's bathroom solo

this is one of the reasons i love this kid.  his spirit, his joy, his presence.  how could we not capture this bathroom solo Sunday morning while Hudson was doing his "business"??  the featured song is "Give me Jesus"....

 

birthday wishes from far

there is a dear man i know celebrating a big birthday this week.  and....i'm told he reads this blog!  he is worthy of mention today as he rolls into his 85th year of life.  Ome Jan, ("Ome" being the Dutch word for Uncle) is my mom's uncle who lives in Holland.  they are close.  she adores him, and i know the feeling is mutual.  because of this mutually tight relationship, i've also had the privilege of meeting Ome Jan and spending time with him during several of his trips to Canada.  he would arrive at our home with a warmth and presence that naturally drew you in.  he'd always bring treasures from Holland~ gorgeous flowers for mom and mouthwatering chocolates for all of us, but more than that he brought his beautiful spirit of love and his desire to connect and bond with his Canadian "family".  he'd stay awhile and the days and memories were cherished, but seeing him leave was always so difficult, especially for my mom...

 

 

 he is a man of class, style and deep thoughts. Ome Jan defines "gezellig"...his dear children and grandchildren love him deeply~ which is surely a testament to his character as a father and grandfather. i know these ones will spoil you today, Ome Jan, and you certainly deserve it!

  we love you and send our hugs from far....Happy 85th Birthday!! :)

posing, at 5 and 9

I'm back after my week long break from this blog...it was March break with all kids home, so i needn't say more.  all went well, other than Joelle's bout of pneumonia, but even she is now back to normal strength, lung function and just overall feelings of "wellness" :)  

can't figure out the legs behind the kids, but my best guess is this was Jeff as he was attempting to dodge the photograph, but failed...i wasn't actually there, and i have no clue who took the pictures, but they were a cute surprise in the album.  so, with you i share!

 

have a great week!



childhood pondering

not sure where i'm going with this post.  just typing, really.  because the thoughts are a bit jumbled and bending toward nostalgic lately.  i was sorting though some old photos, looking back at the many memories of my childhood.

 

just thinking about the stages of life and how my kids are now where i was then.  forming memories and impressions and foundations based on their childhood experiences.  in all of the photos i felt an obvious recurring theme.

 

 

above, i'm about two or three months, and loving the dairy a bit much already....perhaps this is when the summer shirtless trend started for my brothers...

it hit me, glaringly noticeable, the longer i sat and stared at them.  my childhood was a wonderful gift!  period.  i was a happy kid.  my mom loved me, she loved my brothers.  my dad loved me and my brothers too .  i feel like i always knew it, i never doubted it.  my life was pretty terrific.  i was blessed.  i was secure.  i was content.  i had my needs met consistently and lovingly.  i was healthy.  i was thankful.  i am still so thankful.

over and over, photo after photo, i saw it in my smile, my eyes, my surroundings.   my world was safe.  it was stable.  it was conducive to growth and creativity and allowed me to just "be a kid".  the playtime, the vacations, the meals, the pets, the backyard fun, the holidays~ all said the same thing to me. "you are free to just be you...."

 

 

the above pic says a lot as well...looks like mom is thinking maybe this rug hooking craft wasn't the best gift after all.  here's when she first knew i hadn't inherited the "craft gene".

 

 

yep, deck stairs turned into an icy ramp was much more my thing, and this one was so much fun.....

sure, there were days, maybe even occasional weeks where the family felt stress, or pain, or friction, we were not perfect or even close~ yet those times were so few in comparison to the usually great and sometimes spectacular days in between.  i also remember being conscious very early on of our family's financial state.  i remember my parents scrimping and saving for things like Christian education, or vehicles or vacations.  i remember knowing that we were not materially wealthy, compared to some, yet still very well provided for~ and generally i remember feeling content with all that we had.  i was grateful for our blessings.  we had many...
 

Christmas~ always a highlight...Mom made Christmas so special with all the little details...about the hair, it must be addressed.  above, the longggg stage of feathered hair began.  it didn't work for me overly well but i kept trying and hoping it would suit me....let's just say the curls were not happy being tamed.

 

proof of my love of animals, above and below.  it's there inside me, buried deep but still there...

 

 

my award winning bunny, Winnie.

 

 

the huge pan of cabbage rolls above was a typical meal, and only now do i know the work that went into making that many.  i've only made them once since being married, with Mom's help, and even then it seemed like a huge undertaking.  she did this regularly for our family, and the three "hollow-legged" males in the house ate like ravenous beasts.  she loved (and still loves) seeing her food consumed and enjoyed~ it speaks her love in such a tangible way.  that bottle of homemade milk didn't speak quite as much love to me, however, and i'm not missing it a bit...glad that phase didn't last, yet it was another way Mom was being conscientious with their finances, and that i understand...

i was thankful for two parents that invested in our lives.  certainly, i had my moments of grumbling, complaining and wishing for more~ i still do slip on occasion with this~ yet, the photos took me back so vividly to a time of my life that shaped me profoundly.  i'm so grateful that my parents took their role seriously.  having just come through foster care training, both Jeff and i were inundated with statistics and ugly descriptions of the effects on kids who aren't so fortunate.  kids who enter the foster system having endured neglect, abuse, trauma, rejection, etc....kids who turn into teens and adults with lifelong struggles from poor choices their parents have made.  kids whose parents most likely endured the same when they were children.  the cycle is sooo tough to break.  so, all that being said, it seems my little stroll down memory lane caused more introspection than i expected.  but the resulting conclusion was a great reminder~ i had a great childhood.  i want that for my kids too.  minus the homemade milk....