toddler sightings~ part 3

 have i mentioned it's never dull around here?  oh yes, i did...several times...our sweet toddler is such a curious and bright little fella, and for now his listening skills are, shall we say, a bit weak.  all of that bundled up in one small adorable little package makes for many instances of "toddler sightings" that leave you either shaking your head or laughing out loud.  it's good. 

alas, the two missing potatoes from my counter.  in the vacuum closet.

banana bread minus a single bite.  i guess he didn't love it.  this loaf wasn't my best, a little dry actually.

Jeff set him in the window well.  he was a good sport.  he's learned he has to be. 

first day in the big boy underwear.  this was before we regressed a little in the toilet training department.  but can you even?!  dinosaurs and pizza slices on size two briefs, and bedhead.  i'm totally smitten.

when pouring milk is harder than you thought.

 grateful for the two year old perspective he adds to my world.  love you to the moon, baby C.

cottage 2022

 moon river, 2022.  just a small group of us this year.  so grateful to share the week with my parents too.  and we were all thrilled to have Hannah and Patrick for part of the week as well!  thankful for the usual things a vacation offers.  sun, rest, beauty, fun, laughter, time spent together.  good times...

our tree planter

 she's home!  and she did it!  so proud of you Lay~ this was a true test of your grit and strength~ and you nailed it!  i love your sense of adventure and ability to roll with lots of uncomfortable things.  to name a few?  insane bugs, extreme hot and cold, water in your tent, a deflated air mattress, cold showers, primitive bathrooms, drinking water that looked like tea, and extra long shifts....what an accomplishment!  

i loved it most when Layla would send pictures to help me imagine her life there in Northern Ontario.  so here are a few photos to best capture her tree-planting adventures of 2022.  she thinks she'd like to go again next year! either way, i'm so happy for her that this happened.  stories for a lifetime, i'm sure.  

love you, kid ❤

49

 somehow the last year of my forties is upon me.  a month ago i turned 49.  surreal for sure.  thankful for so many things, and i'm not sure today i can capture all the thoughts i have about middle age and the journey i've been on.  

to summarize....God has been with me undeniably~ every single day.  He has been good, and faithful.  He has met my needs, i've been shown immeasurable divine grace.  

check out these beautiful flowers from my dad, he nailed it! and my really nice birthday ended with my dear friend, Trish!  she wins the title for being my longest friendship.  we met in kindergarten.  the older i get, the more i appreciate friendships and relationships that feel like "home", no matter how long you've been away.  she is that to me...

so here's to the coming year! trying to live each day more aware of how fast the time goes.  more grace-filled.  more dependent on God to strengthen me to fulfill my purpose.  more open-handed and generous and free.  more grateful still.

this song sums up my 49 years so well...enjoy!

 Goodness of God

next stop~ the BIG 5-0...

puppy love

 this one is little late, but worth the wait.  nothing like some sweet puppy love, is there?  

my dear mom and her dog-loving heart has brought such added excitement to our whole family over the years with her dog and puppy adventures, and here mr. C. and AJ are soaking up a little puppy scrumptiousness while they can.  nothing like it~ purely adorable!

chips and baseball

 bonding of the simplest, purest kind.  a game of baseball and a bowl of chips.  

bonding between an amazing man who is somewhere between "Jeff" and "Daddy" these days, and a boy whose heart is tender and sometimes fragile and super receptive to learning and experiencing whatever Jeff exposes him to.  

i'm in awe of both of them.  totally am.  

spring pie

this rhubarb pie was a thing of beauty, don't you think?  i have made many both average and delicious pies that aren't real eye-catching.  that's okay.  this one made me happy when i pulled it out of the oven.  and i want to remember it forever....so there! hahaha

then at my dear mother-in-law's this weekend she one-upped my rhubarb pie.  hers was both pretty and extra delicious.  thankfully she always shares her recipes with me.  so next chance i get i'll try that one.  with a butter pie crust no less...who knew?  

so thankful for the home-baking and cooking role models around me and for the many ways they inspire me.  my ability to even make a flaky pie crust comes from watching my own mama make it over and over again and all the years she'd turn out endless pies or load a counter full of the best buttertarts. food was her tangible sign of love to her family and so many others who needed the encouragement her edible gifts offered to hearts and bellies.