A Fast Paced Afternoon

Once again we hit the trail today.

This time with bikes.

And one with just TWO wheels!

This made for a really fast paced walk and lots of blurry pictures.

But Piper was just so proud of her latest accomplishment!

It was sweet to see!

Her grandfather, who taught her this latest skill, recently took of video of her riding her training wheel-less bike.

The whole time she kept yelling, "I'm doing it!!"

Oh, I remember that joy of first time freedom on wheels!

It is exhilarating!

Tait zoomed along, pleased to simply be moving those little legs of hers without a break.

However, she is determined that those extra wheels of hers need to come off soon too....

And this was my view.

This little one just giggles and laughs at her sisters, then flings her head back to make sure I'm sharing in her happiness.

There is nothing like sharing in your children's happiness.

My Little Oreo

Have you ever heard this saying?

On a regular basis I'm reminded how true this is.

For example, yesterday I was so very proud of myself for getting around to cleaning the kitchen window.

It had sorely needed a good polishing and today as I walked though the kitchen I couldn't help but admire the fact that not a smudge was to be found on that window!

I felt like I had accomplished something great, clearing the way so the sun could stream freely in and I could look out unhindered at our snow christened birch .

Things were looking up in the midst of the deluge of my domestic duties...

Tonight supper was nearly over but Tait and I were not quite done yet.

I was pretty intent on finishing my meal up so I didn't notice that Tait had stopped eating.

"Mama, look!", she says.

I paused to look up and couldn't really decide what it was she seemed so proud about as she stood there on her chair, facing the window.

"I made a snowman with my tongue!", she declared proudly.

Sure enough - a tongue snowman now decorates my kitchen window thanks to my little oreo.

Turning One {And How She's Changed Me}

Two other little voices joined me in song

All a buzz with excitement 

Movement never ending

While her big, beautiful blue eyes stare

Surprised 

And wondering

What is this?

One whole year 

And I feel much the same, my little Ren

How could you go from this...

To this 

In a mere twelve months?

I should know by now

How fleeting those tiny baby moments are

In a flash they are gone

But your sisters have taught me well, my darling

And I have drunk deep of your newborn scent

I have rocked you longer than necessary

I have found ridiculous joy in rising to nourish you at all hours of the night

In the quiet

Those moments of me and you

It will never come again

But I have learned the error of holding on too tight

Like sand in your hand

If squeezed too tight, it pours out anyway

And you will have missed the joy of feeling it trickle through the fingers of an open palm

I have sought to take in the wonder of each moment

To let it come and go

And to simply thank the God that is good

For snuffy nosed silliness 

And hand phone telephone calls

For clapping happily to every song

And snuggling in to the crook of my neck

For discoveries of sound and voice

And warm, rosy cheeks in the morning.

With you

I have come to terms with the reality that I can't do it all

But I can do something

Each and every day

I can take time to hold you

To roll a ball back and forth

And take turns balancing a toy on our noses

The housework and emails and errands can wait

If only for a minute or two

Because I can't do everything

But I can spend time with you

Thank you, little girl

For slowing your Mama's pace

Reminding me that sweet, simple memories with my babies

Are infinitely more important than a clean toilet

For charming me each and every day

With that grin

And those precious baby rolls

Helping me truly embrace life as Mom

Happy 1st Birthday, Renly!

You are my sunshine!

Lead The Way

In the midst of the hubbub of life

One of the hardest things is to be quiet

To still yourself 

Pause for a moment

Even if you can find a moment to sit and relax

The mind continues to run at an outrageous pace

"Be still and know that I am God."

I know

And I try 

So often it seems impossible

To grab that solitude

To halt the myriad of thoughts racing through my mind

And revel in the words of One 

Words of life 

Full of grace that I need 

Recharge on strength that is not my own

When we make our way through stores

Bundled up

Hands hanging onto stroller

Trotting along with ponytails wagging and curls bouncing

The common comment finds us

"Well, don't you have your hands full!'

Or

"I bet you're busy!"

I smile and nod

We carry on

Because it would take too long to explain

And chances are they still would not understand

How each of these three are being used

To teach me about quiet and stillness

About taking moments for calm meditation

To not get tangled up in the rat race of life

A girl sitting quietly at a kitchen table 

Working away at a craft or design

Every morning serenity

Filled with markers and glue

And sweet lullabies

Another curls up on the couch in late afternoon

Wrapped up in blanket

Surrounded by books

And favorite friends

This forever moving girl

Settles into warmth

And books often reread

Ceasing her business

Only her eyes are darting back and forth

From page to page

During the midday lull

When others are busy giving Mama a break

Little baby bathed in sunlight

Claps her hands and hums

Plays simply with this or that 

Mostly looking around

Observing it all

Giggling for no reason I can find

Maybe an inside joy

Bubbling up and out

Making me smile 

Reminding me

The moments I need 

Of calm

Creativity

Giggles

Even tears

Of words ringing true 

Again in my heart

Of prayers

Whispered

Thanking 

Asking

Are not just necessary 

But a joy and a gift

To replenish the soul

Lead the way, little ones

Ordinary Life

In ordinary life we hardly realize that we recieve a great deal more than we give and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. 

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

1.

2. 

3.

4.

5.

6.

Today's graces:

1. This get up. 2. One sister waiting for another. (The baby doll on the shoulder is the icing on the cake!) 3. Smiling sicky. 4. How she always checks for Mama. 5. Painting with nature. Those intent, concentrated faces are why I do what I do every day. 6. Her silliness makes my heart sing.

The Best Course of Action

There is something I'm learning as a Mama
And I'm learning it one hard day at a time
It's not advice I'd ever been given
But that I now know to be true
And remind myself of often
Ready?

photo by Renee Walton Photography

After a day or two of whiners and complainers
Of disobedience and disorder
And scrubbing window writers off the couch
Picking gum off the floor
And re-reteaching a child to clean up their mess when asked
After dealing with bottom of the bathroom sink toothpaste eaters
And the newly dubbed non napper
(As well as the stubbed toe/irritated sister/stepped on toy screamer who created such a beast.)
Once they've turned their nose up at a supper or two
And have delighted in finger painting with mushy bananas
When they've done all that and maybe a little bit more
And you're feeling ready to burst
Or fade
Or freak
Or simply faint
What is the best course of action?

photo by Renee Walton Photography

Escape
I am told
Is the way to go
Run off on your own
Get away
RUN!

And they would be right
Sort of
Because yes, a breather is good and needed sometimes
Walk around your closest department store
Pushing a cart of nothing
(Or in my case, a cart of everything that I will inevitably put back and end up buying only a carton of milk.)
Enjoy a coffee with a friend
Especially the type that will ignore the smudge of something on your shoulder
Or the dried glue in your hair
(If you don't have such a friend find one. They are invaluable.)
But distance never solves the dilemma of discouragement

photo by Renee Walton Photography

But no one ever talks about the other part
The most important thing to do
When your kids are driving you crazy
And motherhood feels like a whole lot more than you remember signing up for
Want to know the secret to rejuvenating the mother's heart?

Spend time with them.

photo by Renee Walton Photography

Yep
You heard that right
Skip through the parking lot holding that little one's hand
Look her in the eye when she tells you she loves you
Hug them tight
Sing to your baby and drink deep of that baby smell
Giggle at those open mouth, slobbery kisses
Read a book and snuggle close
Laugh fully at their goofiness
And be goofy, too
Kiss their Daddy and remind them that he is the best
Make up silly songs together
Go along with the classic games of childhood and pretend you don't know where they could be
Be the tickle monster

photo by Renee Walton Photography

So simple
But unbelievably good
To forget the housework and the hurry and the heaviness of the days gone by
And just hold them.

(And the five year old sits in the back of the van, belting out "You are a Savior and you take brokenness aside and make it beautiful, BEAUTIFUL!" And then, "Sing it with me, Mama! Sing it!")

Tales of a Tea Party

Mother's Day weekend was a busy one for all of us so although the girls got to see their grandmothers briefly that Sunday they weren't able to shower them with true Mother's Day specialness.

(Though I'm quite certain Mookie and Nana would say just getting a hug and kiss from these girls was more than enough specialness!)

Instead the girls presented invitations to a Mother's Day tea the following week.

Monday morning they got right to work - mixing and rolling...

Cutting out cookies

(Of course they chose the princess cookie cutters!)...

Icing cookies oh so perfectly....

Icing Mama's table, too....

Eating runaway sprinkles

(It's a hard job but someone has to do it!)...

By the end of the day we had a plate full of beautiful cookies!

The girls were SO proud and coud not wait for their tea party to commence!

Finally, the time arrived!

Piper helped set the table.

The bouquet in the middle is actually a science experiment but I'll share that with you later!

It made the perfect centerpiece to our table.

Piper picked out the table cloth - bright red, please and thank you!

And she used her tea set plates as well as the tea cups and pot for her and Tait to pour their own 'tea'.

Here's our little tea party with Mookie, Gran Nana and Nana:

This is my place setting.

Adorable, right?

The girls also made fingerprint hearts on those little easels for each grandmother.

It was so sweet how Piper and Taitum were able to put all the effort into spoiling their grandmothers!

I think both parties were delighted!

I NEVER thought I'd say this but tea parties are fun!

Before having 3 girls, tea parties were the last thing I was interested in.

Now I'm on the lookout for some real china tea cups!

Haha!

I do believe many more tea parties are in our future!

For My Mom

I think I surprised everyone, including myself, when I became a mother.
I took the role on with not just excitement but ability.
And although the task of mothering three girls is daunting, it doesn't scare me.
In fact, I delight in getting to be Piper, Taitum and Renly's Mommy!

I've since wondered how that happened exactly.
I certainly wasn't prepared for what motherhood would entail.
Was it just instinctively ingrained in me?
Like something switched on the moment I popped a baby out that caused me to be passionate about and capable of raising them?

I remember walking through the mall as an 8 or 9 year old girl.
My Mom, brother and I were on a mission for rubber boots.
I was old enough to be aware that we didn't have a whole lot of money.
And smart enough to realize the money my Mama pulled out to pay for our new boots was gift money given to her for a birthday or some such event.

"You're using your birthday money, Mom?", I asked incredulously.
"Yes.", she replied.
"But Mom, you're supposed to buy yourself something with that money!"
Her answer: "But you need boots."
Simple as that.

What was so logical to her seemed outright ridiculous to my young mind.
But then does a mother's heart ever really make sense?

How she would sing a requested rendition of "Baby Tender Love" at the end of a long, tiring day?
How she'd choose to stay home even though it might have made more financial sense to go to work?
How she wouldn't laugh at the hamster's funeral but take it all seriously and then haul out the egg dying kit to help heal our grieving hearts?
Or how she would scrounge up enough money to buy me the name brand jeans I had to have in order to 'be cool' (and which I inevitably would end up finding uncomfortable and not wear)?
How she'd agree to spend hours upon endless hours sewing together a wedding dress for a strong headed twenty year old who knew what she wanted and wasn't about to change her mind on a single thing?
How she would gladly get roped into all the projects that resulted from a hyper active nesting preggo?
Or how she would wait and grit her teeth and cry beside said preggo as she brings forth new life over and over again?
None of it makes a whole lot of sense until...

I became a Mom, too.

And yes, maybe some of it is maternal instinct.
But most of it is from having grown up next to a serving, giving, sacrificial and loving example.
Little did my Mama know.
With each memory she made, each thing she gave up to provide for us, each opportunity she took to help and hold, she was teaching me to be a good Mom to my girls.

Thanks, Mama, for this gift.
I love you.

This post is my gift to my Mom and part of the 1000 Moms Project.

Thank You, Little Sister

Once upon a time
There was a girl
Who spilled her milk
So that it dripped off the table
And exasperated her mother
Who'd had a rather trying week
The mother grabbed a towel
Reminding herself not to cry over spilled milk
But was annoyed anyway
Until the little girl explained the situation
Of her older sister
Who has needed so much these days
This morning she needed more milk
And little sister had been pouring all her milk into her sister's cup
Thus the spill

Thank you for reminding me, little sister
That too often giving gets messy
Sometimes it doesn't go quite as planned
In real life it isn't nearly so romantic
There are times when it will spill all over
And mingle with the toast crumbs
And drip down all over the freshly mopped floor
But sacrifice is always worth it
Especially when it comes to love so grand

About A Girl

It's rather amazing to watch your child grow from being a little baby to a kid with a personality all her own.

I'm continually baffled by the beauty of this experience.

And it's only the beginning!

Everyday there is something new.

Her little quirks and random comments leave me smiling and shaking my head at her ability to come up with things on her own.

She has become this real little person who knows things and asks questions and has her own opinions and idea.

(Does she ever!)

I'm sure this probably sounds silly.

But seriously!

This girl is sounding out words like 'mat' and 'sat'!

She can make herself breakfast and comes out of her room each morning all dressed and ready for the day.

She even has this uncanny sense of style that puts me to shame.

She'll totally be the daughter who will give me fashion tips.

(Goodness knows, I need them!)

She's obsessed with dancing and can pull off these crazy moves that make it look like she actually knows what she is doing.

I ask her to pose for a picture and BOOM!

Ballerina dance pose comin' at ya!

And even though she can fight and tease and irritate like there is no tomorrow,

she also can love her sisters wholeheartedly.

She's the little Mama who puts them in there place when need be but kindly includes them in (almost) all her play.

She's looks after me too, in her own little way.

Like how she saves portions of her meal and brings it to me if I'm nursing the baby during a mealtime.

Or how she saves the last candy in the package just for me.

Melt. My. Heart.

To my great pleasure, she's an artsy little thing.

Snapping pictures left and right.

Even setting things up to create the perfect shot.

 

As of late, she's really taken to drawing.

She NEVER wants a coloring book.

White paper only, please and thank you.

And then she comes up with the greatest things.

Like a rock with a smiley face and a really big foot.

 

Did I mention her unique style?

She fixates on certain pieces of her attire for days at a time.

A hat, a crown, a headband, sunglasses, high heel shoes...

This girl is totally cool.

And to top it all off, she's pretty stinking smart.

These days she's into letters and playing this game where I make the letter sound and she has to figure out what letter it is and print it on the whiteboard.

Over and over again.

She is simply blowing my mind!

So, yeah, I know.

She is just a regular kid doing what kids do.

But she's mine!

And I can't get over her!

She's my gal

And I'm her Mom who thinks she's simply wonderful!

Five Minute Friday: Empty

EMPTY....

GO

At the end of the day I feel empty
I know that this conjures up a negative feeling
But empty is not always bad
Especially in the realm of housekeeping
A sink empty of dishes
Laundry baskets empty of clothes
A room empty of clutter
So when the day is through and my energy is gone
It is good

Perhaps emptiness then should be viewed as energy well spent
A sign of hope and purpose
For who does their laundry
Washes their dishes
Or tidies a room
Without a reason (or reasons!) to do so

Maybe emptiness means having poured yourself out for a reason
Maybe it means having lived fully
Maybe it means that
At the end of my life I would like to be able to say I am empty.

STOP

The Hard Days

Mothering is not easy.

I don't think it was meant to be.

I thought on this today, a rather difficult parenting day.

I thought about how maybe it would just be easier to send Piper to preschool.

Or to put on movies all day.

Or even to put them in a room and lock the door.

Yes, it was that kind of hard day.

But I am learning something about hard days.

They are the ones in which I learn the most.

And as I thought about all this, I considered how much less patient of a person I would be if I were not home day in and day out with my little ones. 

I am learning to love in spite of the chaos and the attitudes and the meltdowns.

I am realizing that the hard days are refining me in ways so few other roles could.

I have been stunned to discover that in the midst of the turmoil of an unruly day I am made to depend on my God more fully, to run to Him in the same way that my children run to me.
(Because really, we're not all that different from our kids.)

And I have been surprised to find that peace is found in embracing my kids rather than pushing them away from me.

A nap with the fussy baby on my chest.

A storytime with little girl heads resting on each shoulder.
A random, unsolicited kiss on the cheek from a passing child.

For a moment, the crazy day ceases enough to gather myself and see
That in the midst of the snotty noses, the poopy diapers, the terrible twos, the whiney voices and juice spills
There is so much to be gained.
We can do the hard days because we delight in the good ones.
We can endure the difficult because together we are being shaped into more than could be imagined.
We won't despise the days gone awry because we treasure the beautiful ones.

And maybe the dreadful days are beautiful, too.

Love is patient.

Parenting’s this gentle way of bending over in humility to help the scraped child up because we intimately know it takes a lifetime to learn how to walk with Him.

Patience.

Love always begins with patience.

~Ann Voskamp

Good In The Bad

For the past 5 days I have been sick.

Well, technically, I was only really sick on Sunday.

Every half an hour.

For 24 hours.

Blech.

So the past 4 days have been slow, agonizing recovery.

Surviving on eggs and toast and flat ginger ale.

Fetal position on the couch.

I can't even remember the last time I washed my hair.

Yep.

Pretty bad.

But tonight, I am hungry!

Which is immensely exciting.

Its annoying to be forced to eat food when there is no appeal.

But tonight I've had my first actual meal in days and am still devouring everything in sight.

I think I am finally on the mend!

And as crappy as illness is and as painstakingly slow as recoveries are, I'm reminded so obviously of all I have to be thankful for....

A body that has the resources to sustain me despite days without food and thats capable of recovery all while protecting and nourishing the little babe inside of me.

A hubby who is amazingly good at juggling a demanding work week, parenting 2 very energetic little girls and nursing me back to health.

A mom who folds my mountains of laundry, sweeps the dirt from under the couch and reminds me that I'm tough.

A dad who drives that mom to my place even though he is plagued with the same awfulness I am.

A mother-in-law who jumps right in to help and leaves a fridge full of groceries in her wake.

Sweet girlies who play together ever so well around (sometimes on) their sick ol' Ma and clean up when I ask them to.

Grace to see all the good in the bad.

Joy In The Chaos

 Sometimes being around little ones can be absolutely frustrating - there are tons of accidents and just as many 'accidents'. It can be exhausting. But more and more I'm finding that even in those moments that make you want to crawl back in bed and pray for a re-do of the day, there are surprising blessings and joys to be found. So much so that it can make the mess and craziness seem almost joyful.

Ok, so before you throw me in the crazy house, let me show you what I mean.

Yesterday morning wasn't the best start to the day. I woke up with a swollen throat which included other gory details that I will spare you. Blah.Then as I'm pouring milk for the girls breakfast, my less than graceful actions that time in the morning cause me to knock over a FULL cup of milk. All over the floor. In the drawers. Down the cupboard doors. Naturally, I yelled a little, "Oh crap!". (Ok, so maybe it was big and loud...) As I wiped up that mess, I continued to grumble and have a little pity party just for me. Then I heard it. At the table, Piper was quietly eating her oatmeal as all my messy drama was going on. As she brought the spoon to her mouth a little of the oatmeal fell onto the table. "Oh CRACK!", she exclaimed. I couldn't help but start laughing. Suddenly, my negativity disappeared. At least for the moment.

But it wasn't long before the remaining contents of Taitum's bowl landed on the floor. Can you just hear me growling?? As I cleaned that mess up I scolded Taitum. This kind of thing is common for her. She's done eating so the rest must belong on the floor. Piper listened in the background as I told Tait, "No! We do not throw our food on the floor!". Then as I was nearly done cleaning up, she came over close to me. "I sorry, Mama. I made the mess. I tryin' to help Taitum." What was that?! I was taken aback. An apology and confession from my 3 year old? Without any prompting whatsoever? Suddenly, the big ol' sticky mess wasn't such a big deal. Seeing my little girl growing and learning to do the right thing was HUGE!!

And finally, here is my last example (at least from yesterday! Oi!)....

We were outside playing. Piper fell off one of the ride-ons. There was a very scraped knee, some blood and lots of screaming. Screaming that went on and on. Then Taitum started because if sister is crying there must be something to cry about. So there we are, both girls clinging to me and crying their little hearts out and I am losing the battle of trying to coax them back up the street to our house so I can repair the damaged knee. I'm sure if there were any neighbors around they were wondering what I was doing to those poor kids! Finally, I convinced Piper to start limping up the road while I carried Tait and the ride-on. As she walked, some mosquitos flew around her. "Don't eat my blood! Don't eat my blood!", she screamed at them. The whole walk home. Hahaha! See what I mean. There is something to make you smile in every situation. In the end, Piper screamed non-stop for about 45 minutes with Taitum joining in right by her side. I just sat on the couch holding them both, wiping away tears and attepting to avoid being used as a snot rag. Yes, it was loud and a little annoying. But, well, if you could have seen the whole situation, I'm sure you would have saw the comedy in it. And a little grin on my face...

The joy in the chaos.

For The Hard Mommy Days

If you've ever had a hard Mommy day,

And felt like everything was falling apart

And you're running to catch up with life...

Read this.

Why motherhood shouldn't be graded on a curve.

And remember your not alone!

And the craziness is worth a laugh in retrospect!
And some days just surviving is the greatest success!

I Have All I Need For Today

Some days are hard.

For me, the hardest are not the ones where the kids act up or something in the house decides to not work properly or I stay up too late the night before.

The hardest are the ones where I am sick and completely unable to do much of anything.

So lay on the couch it is.

Where it is so easy to grumble and complain.

But I am learning that I have no right to.

Each day is still full of so many gifts from a God who is good and loves to bless.

If only I'd stop and see...

A silly goose making a face for the camera.

The hilarity of a little one struggling to get gluey buttons off her fingers.

A bouquet of dandilions brought home and displayed to remind me that I'm always on her mind.

The diligent concentration of a student ever so carefully copying the letter 'B'.

A milkshake containing not 1 straw but 2 to ease the pain of an achy throat.

(What says love better than an unasked for milkshake?!)

My growing up girl spending 20 minutes doing her hair in the morning.

(Which inevitably ends in: "Mama, you do 2 ponies and 1 barrette in corner, please?")

Discarded lovies keeping me company while sisters run off to play imaginative games that can only come about when Mama lays immobile on the couch.

The sound of dishes being done after a long day of work, without hesitation, without complaint.

The warm, heavy weight of a little one sitting on my stretched out legs. Just to be near.

The innocence and comedy of a girl trying to grow up way too fast.

A little sister's immediate awakening from sleep on hearing the cry of her sibling - "Pa-pur?"

Early morning snuggles when all is quiet and she sucks her thumb in the crook of my arm.

Prayers for health whispered over me as I drift off to much needed sleep.

Believe it: I have all I need for today.

The needs of our day are great, but God is greater and we call Him Providence because we believe: He always provides.

{And when God provides, He should be praised, and if God always provides, shouldn’t praise always be on the lips?}

~Ann Voskamp @ A Holy Experience