Things that make me smile



handmade presents from my kids





sibling comradery (something rather rare these days)





sending my 3 oldest kids off to a good school where they are learning and growing under the most excellent teaching





my enthusiastic first grader





celebrating 10 years with this young lady



 

fun times with neighbors



baby girl's first spindly pig tails





those adorable crocs





and the cute little feet that fill them



No caption needed.

autumn air

when the mountains loom high

I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? -Psalm 121:1-2

So. I lifted my eyes and what did I see???

So. What do I do on days when dirty clothes and dirty dishes and dirty floors and crabby kids loom like mountains? Lofty mountains. Mountains that I will never conquer once and for all.

Well. I like to complain and grumble.

And sometimes throw a massive pity party for myself.

Complaining and pity parties have only made me a miserable wretch and they sure haven't been very efficient companions in conquering the mountains.

I'm a slow learner. Very slow. But my Father is faithful. He keeps working with me and pushing me to higher heights.

Two things that bring me courage and joy when the mountains look formidably high:

1. Knowing that He sees me and what I am doing right now matters to him. It is a worthy sacrifice. He is my helper!!!!! (Read on in Psalm 121)
 
2. Tuning my heart to sing his grace. His song becomes my song. And I give thanks.

And this is what giving thanks looks like on some days:

-thank you for the mountains of laundry I have to do today. It means I am surrounded by 6 active people who play and work hard. It means that you have provided us with more clothes than what we even thought to ask for.

-thank you for all these dirty dishes. It means an army is dining well at this house.

-thank you for modern conveniences that make my life so easy. The washer churns away as I load the dishwasher. Running water, hot and cold, pours into both at the push of a button. Thank you.

-thank you for granting me health and energy again today. Thank you for giving me the strength to care for my family.

I haven't found the magic of Mary Poppins to make my work disappear, but I have a mighty Helper!!!
When I tune my  heart to his I find joy and rest even as I work.

"Every time your hands toil, rest your soul into the rhythm of prayer. Your work can lull you into the rest of God." A. Voskamp

surely my cup overflows

the day I {almost} resigned from photography

I have been wanting to do a 1 year photo shoot with Miss Cassie Jo for several weeks now.

I was waiting for the magic moment because I know that one year old photo shoots can turn volatile with one small wrong move.

So. I was waiting for the perfect mood, perfect weather, perfect time of day, perfect outfit...

Yesterday afternoon I thought the moment had finally arrived.

With much fear and trembling, I got her dressed and got my equipment out.

We were all set.

Well. Mostly.

All except Cassie, who underneath her charming public face, was actually in one of her most impish moods ever. 

Our time was filled with Cassie:
 

-tearing her hat from her head and throwing it across the lawn. It was cute the first 21 times.
 

-eating flowers

-salivating over the flowers, which produced unusual amounts of drool which was very unbecoming on her feminine chin

-standing on the suitcase instead of sitting on it as a fine lady should do

- not only planting herself in the standing position, but also jumping off the suit case and landing on the ground in one big rumpled pile of grins and giggles
 

-looking away from the camera with a most mischievous grin and then turning towards the camera with the most innocent and sober look ever

So. We walked away from the photo shoot with some good memories and a few candid shots that captured the essence of Cassie.
 

Hey!!! Who threw that hat at me!!!??

What?? Me crack a grin for you??? Never!!! And don't even think of putting a bow in my hair. I'll yank it out pronto!

 

If I'm not careful my mom might actually be successful

First mistake of the day. I paused long enough for mom to catch a meditative moment.

Did someone say 'flower'...(drool pool)

Look at me now!!!!

This is so much fun, mom....we should play this game every day!!!

You didn't say I couldn't eat the stem

wheeeeee......here I go!!!

Of course you should document me eating flower stems at 1 yr.

Here we go again.

Mommmmmmmmmyyyy....I'm a com'in to get you!!!

Funny....mom thinks she is going to get me to sit still and look at her and smile all at the same time!!!! She's crazy!!!

 

oops. mistake 2. She got another charming shot.

 

I was going to resign.

 

But this is just too much fun.

 

And besides. I'm not a quitter.

 

And besides besides I'm not going to let someone else have the joy of capturing and documenting my baby girl's sweetness at one year old.

my mini musicians

"Why, of course our busy mother has been dedicating endless hours in teaching us to read music"

What's cuter than cute???
answer: small pudgy brown fingers plunking on the piano