soccer vol. 2

These are a few favorites from the first soccer game.

I love the miniature version of shin guards and found myself wondering if mine started that small?

It was a process to get them on and I loved that his Dad-O was there to help.

I am amazed at the similarities between them, 

and sometimes I capture it on film.

It was a bit cold on the field, I will have to pack a better bag for the sidelines next time.

{note to self: bring blanket, jackets for all and kleenex for runny noses}

B did a great job for his first time. He stood around a lot and we had to ask him multiple times to remove his hands from his mouth, but he got a few good kicks in and worked really hard. We look forward to watching the progression....

soccer

He had his first game tonight.

Dad-O was the coach.

Grandparents came and little sister and Mommy cheered him on.

I am so proud of my boy.

He was not sure what to do tonight.

He stood around at times, 

tried to strike up conversation with teammates as the ball flew by,

and kicked the ball the wrong way here and there.

BUT,

our boy plays with heart.

And it may take him a while to figure it all out

but he will learn

and as we have seen, he will learn quickly

he will do it with a good attitude

and he will keep at it.

I am so proud of our boy

a tradition

Last year we began a simple, yet meaningful tradition

{afterall, that's is what a tradition is in our house...simple and meaningful}

I found these great little wooden eggs

the kids pick their 3 (at the moment) favorite colors

paint them

and I write their name and the date on the bottom

Our wooden egg basket is quickly filling up

 and we can see the progression in our sweet artists

What a fun thing to look back on!

country folk

I admit, this kinda grosses me out

But, Dad-O says it's just rain water

and they love it

One and only blessing in the basement flooding.....

Country folk's version of a fire hydrant.

dye

We did not plan so well for dyeing eggs this Easter. 

The sun came out briefly on Good Friday so we quick ran outside.

B still in his pj shirt and Dad-O still in his white undershirt 

{yes, that is exactly why he is not pictured.......I promised}

The kids barley made it down the front stairs and declared

"lets do it here!"

so we obliged

The sun was out in full force

so their sweet eyes disappeared as they smiled.

But it would not be real life if I only posted the perfect pics, now would it?

We dyed 12 eggs, 6 for each kid

But our mad scientists were not done once the eggs were gleaming with color

The combining of liquids began

They filled and re-filled the egg shaped cups with every combination of colored fluid.

It was a wonderful, sunny, fun-filled, 10 minutes on Good Friday!

Night Night.....

I took this picture about this time last spring. 

It was right about the time we were springing into the time change and it was still light in Em's room when we put her to bed. I loved the way the light came through the pink curtains and softened her already buttery soft skin. It is not the most crisp photograph, but it moves me.

She moves me.

Our evenings these day consist of Dad-O and I trading the baton in the hallway, and saying our own little goodnight to each of the kids individually. I sing the dream song to Ben to insure no bad dreams get into his room, and to both of them I sing a song of their choice. These days they like Bicycle Built for Two, which they call "Daisy" and Eugene Field's Wynken Blynken and Nod. Ben often chooses a Christmas song, displaying his ever-loving need for all things Saint Nick and Winter in general.

Dad-O's goodnight is a story and a prayer. The story, which started years ago, includes King Benjamin and Princess Emme and characters like Larry the Llama and Kyle the Kite Maker, in which they go to islands made of ice cream and such. Dad-O is an amazing story teller. 

Lately the cherubs have started praying on their own instead of following Dad-O's lead. Sam often comes out and shares little bits of what they say in their prayer. Which leads me to why I post this particular picture and story.

This picture is one that will stay glued in my mind as what my baby girl looked like when I put her to bed.

This quote will be one I remember about some of her first prayers she prayed on her own.

"God, thank you for

if your heart breaks it is alright...

if you love everyone in your class it is alright.

If you get captured....

Well,

you need your Mommy."

Emme 3 years 11 months

To Know HIM......

This has been a hard week. 

The world lost an amazing man and heaven gained an angel.

The "silver fox"in the back of this picture

 lost his life on Monday.

All too soon he left this world.

He was 57.

He was a patriarch.

He was my best friend's dad.

Richard was a man who gave truth to the statement 

"to know him is to love him"

And really, his family gives truth to that statement.

I loved her dad and love her mom.

I am so thankful to know them all and to have known him.

He and Carrie were a set of parents that I hope to be like, had a love that I pray I know, and have a daughter that I am more thankful for than words could ever express.

He had little to say when I was around, often quiet and taking it in I imagine. But, when he spoke, I listened, because I knew what left his lips would be wise, and it always was.

I am sure while he was here that he knew 

without a doubt that he had the

chance to know REAL LOVE, being married to his high school sweetheart, driving home to her to have lunch everyday, sharing so much of his life with his biggest fan.

And I am certain while he was here, he knew he had raised two amazing children who

made incredible choices in their mates and had begun to carry on the tradition of family in their own lives.

So what I pray for today is that he is up there looking to them all and has some sense of comfort seeing them all together. I have had time with them all these past few days, sitting on the edge of their world...looking in. 

And Richard is still here, ever-present in all they are doing.

He has left a legacy, one that began the moment he left this earth.

They are still a family, leaning on each other, loving each other, 

and doing everything to lift him up. They will be alright. They will, of course, never be the same.

But, he will always be with them.

And many more,through knowing his amazing family, will know him.

And love him.

Cycling

How we spent most of the day today.....

Got a big kick out of B's riding attire

the end

we will see.........

look at this girl

she is happy

she smiles, she laughs

she sings, she plays

she is content

she loves her life

her family

her day to day

 and that is 

just the way we like it

she has an amazing imagination

asks great questions

has an expansive vocabulary 

she is quick to hug 

and love

she loves books 

and dress up

and getting dirty

and

she has no idea 

what her parents are going through right now

and by the time she figures it out

WE will have figured it out

and moved on

and become better people for it

stronger

happier

more reliant on our precious four

for peace and patience

and 

LOVE

and we will see........

If she ever knows

anything more

than what she feels

right 

now

---------------

CONTENT

{even with her shoes on the wrong feet}

in my circle?

I often tell the kids there is someone "in" my circle on the camera to get them to look at me.

They have started with these elaborate stories about the characters in my circle.

"Look, Mommy, Spiderman is jumping out of your circle and onto your head!"

Now, the trick doesn't work so well with my seasoned models.

But, every so often it produces a precious face like this one.

Isn't he yummy!

The space between

I remember making time lines in Elementary School. My teacher would give us this long ticker tape, the kind of paper that could make its way through an old fashioned adding machine {I will still argue makes one of the coolest sounds...ever} The class would all be given a list of dates, some really important stuff that happened on those dates, and we would have to sort through them and place them in order on our ticker tape.


My confusion always came when I had to decide with which date I should begin and end on my timeline, so not to have all my dates jumbled up in one spot or spread too far apart that I would have not enough room. Once I got that sorted, the dates would easily fall into their proper place. My number 2 pencil would find it's way to the paper to make my first of many stick figure's torso, I would write my important event in my invisible bubbled frame hovering above where Mr. Stick's head should be and I was finished.


Our ticker tape for the past several months now has had a lot of white space in between torsos. A few significant dates have passed. Birthdays, anniversaries, first and last days, and milestones reached.


But, how I am filling the space between these dates is where my confusion comes in again. It's like I want time to move as fast as possible but slower than ever all at once. I used to think our life was "boring" but in the best definition of the word. We just did not have drama. Sure, the occasional spat, debate about staying home vs. going back to work. Choices with money always brought some drama, but little regret.  I find myself wishing for that life again. And because I cannot have that wish come true, I fill the space with emptiness. Mindless television, unproductive computer surfing, eating......


It's that space between, in the past, I always felt pretty good about filling. Now I find myself wishing it would just, well, get to the next Mr. Stick.


But this man, he knows how to fill the space.............



On many occasions I have accused my husband of being a Pollyanna through this experience,  and you know what? He has been.  I am beginning to understand why......and loving him for it.  He is filling this space with exactly what the space represents......TIME.


He looks at this time as a chance to do what very few men ever get to do. Spend "stay-at-home-mom" kind of time with our children. And he genuinely sees the blessing in that. 


I could stand to take note from the man I love. 





Because man oh man, can he fill some space!