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.