june at home

it feels like we've been home very little in june and july is going to be even less. but our time here has been well spent. i finished up lots of editing for others and i have actually picked up my real camera here these past few weeks to take pictures of our happenings. 

boys, this is just a taste for you to remember through an image what summer was like for you as young boys. i have the fondest memories myself of summer days well spent and want you to look back and remember that summer is a different time of the year. life is full and keeps giving. time slows but also moves fast. the days are long and the grass is green. you get to stay up late and eat ice cream. i love watching childhood happen through you.

we spent a pleasant afternoon reading books together on the trampoline under the shady trees. though will bounced around a little, it didn't seem to bother the older two.

the boys really enjoy playing in the pool we have just right outside our back door. and they are always very hungry for lots of fruit after their adventures in the pool.

we only have a couple of tomato plants this year but they produce so many cherry tomatoes! the boys LOVE to pick them but heaven forbid they eat one. i for one, pop them like candy.  i made my first tomato pie of the season last night for the hubs and i with some really delicious tomatoes i got at a market nearby. yummy!

{just a small sampling we picked yesterday}

{grey came up with this pose}

homemade peach ice cream. need i say more?

we've been riding bikes and scooters. playing with sidewalk chalk and jumping on the trampoline. we eat outside when it's not too hot. we've been buying fresh vegetables and fruit galore. we play in the sprinkler and smell of sunscreen. 

we bought a big bag of fresh cherries this past week and i have to admit i only shared a few. we enjoyed an afternoon out on the deck after nap time eating cherries, spitting the seeds, and talking. their faces were just so cute not to capture in the moment. 

and oh the zinnias! they add color and a little taste of delicacy to our table.

one evening we surprised grey and tuck and let them stay up late and shoot fireworks with daddy. they are never with him for the fourth so we had our own little celebration a touch early. they were ecstatic! 

let the shirtless, endless playing, fort building, pool swimming, watermelon eating, summer days continue!

wrc . 15 months

you are getting to be a big, big boy. independence is among us and your sweet spirit is infused with a hint of strong-will at times. i think it's just because you are learning and growing so much at once that you aren't quite sure what to do with all of it. 

you are still a cuddle bug. snuggling up in my neck before sleep with one arm around my arm and the other around my neck so tight. as i sing your usual three sleepy time songs, you now ask for more. i could hold you here for hours.

you very much enjoy singing and dancing. you hear a beat and start to move. you are great at throwing your hands up in the air and shakin' that booty. some of your favorite sing-a-longs are "if you're happy and you know it" (you especially love to stomp your feet and say "amen!"), "itsy bitsy spider," "wheels on the bus," "abc's," "jesus loves me," and "the little green frog." you certainly try to sing a long and i hear you when you are playing alone singing a little tune. 

you like to flip through books and will occasionally bring me a book, sit in my lap, and point for me to read to you. you most enjoy playing right beside your big brothers. you think you are two feet taller and weigh about 20 more pounds than you actually do. i love to watch you engage with them.

grey is still your go-to playmate. though tuck is mostly gentle and kind with you, you aren't quite sure about him taking charge with you. he loves you more than you know. even still, you are learning and testing and growing right alongside two of the best big brothers you could ask for.

you absolutely would live outside. you ask to go out first thing in the morning. but if no one else is out you typically prefer to be where the action is. right in the middle of it actually. 

you eat like a champ and do excellent with a fork and spoon. you prefer to eat with utensils and eat a lot more that way. we love seeing you sing the blessing with us and even paying attention when someone is praying. you grab mommy and daddy's hands tight until we say amen and you always have a good clap for whoever has prayed.

you have so much life in you. you give kisses all day and laugh with the best of them. that belly laugh we heard from the very beginning of your life is only growing stronger. we provoke it out of you just to bring joy to ourselves. it's one of the most treasured sounds.

living in a loud house you have found the best way of getting everyone's attention is to scream at the top of your lungs. and boy does it work. we all tire of it by the days end but know that {hopefully} this will pass as your communication skills continue to grow.

you love to run and smell flowers. you search for bees in the flowers and make buzzing sounds at them. you love to splash and chase your brothers. you really enjoy the trampoline and being bounced. 

your hair is only growing blonder, you are only growing taller, and you are only getting smarter. each day is a new adventure for you.

we are enjoying you to the fullest. when we go into your room at night and see you sleeping so sound, in those moments i remember how truly good God is to have given you to us for a time. we thank Him for you daily. 

we are so grateful for you little will!

student life camp 2012

let me preface this post with the fact that it has been 2 solid years since i have had any break from all three of my children. 2 years is too long. though camp is not my ideal vacation, i was certain the Lord would use it for restoration. and that He did.

i spent sunday morning before camp all by myself on the back deck. i read the truth, i talked with Him, and drank coffee. on no one else's time schedule. i didn't even look at a clock. i sat in a chair for an hour without getting up. i was still and quiet. it was perfect. 

{found this gem tucked in a book in grey's handwriting. what a perfect reminder before entering a week with lost souls.}

so camp.

i took lots of pictures of students having an absolute blast.

i spent lots of one on one time with students.

i got to hang out with some of my favorite "lady friends."

{jonna and i!}

i laughed a lot. 

we worshipped in a room full of other believers.

it was confirmed that i am indeed meant to lead a family group. i did not do well without being in that role.

got to clarify to two girls that the Lord had truly redeemed them. and the joy. oh the joy that flowed from their eyes, their lips, and everything about them. they are truly His.

we had a little too much fun on the golf cart one evening and got pulled over and yelled at by the golf cart police. it was partly humiliating and partly one of the more funny things that has ever happened to me.

{kylie and i rode up top}

i was most excited about all of the conversation i was going to have. especially being able to focus for longer than two seconds without someone needing me, crawling on me, or interrupting. camp delivered. 

upon returning to my boys and our everyday, i was able to have a fresh perspective. i missed those little ones. but it will not be another 2 years until i get to slip away. and hopefully next time i'll be on a beach with a book and my husband by my side. 

june montage

{all pictures are compliments of my phone}

the busyness of summer has officially set in. along with the busyness has come moments of rest and refreshment. perspective in a fast paced home is exactly what i needed this past week at camp. 

before i get to camp, we have had quite a few other things going on. if only i had a little longer i could write about the camp gigi. let's just say it started late and ended way early. not that we didn't have fun while we were there, but a stomach bug happened to hit nearly everyone excluding my family. how the four of us escaped that while living in the same house with the others is beyond me. but i am sure thankful. 

we did enjoy the moments together. and steph, lori, and i got to slip away for a night out together that was just perfect. 

{ice cream with the tuck monster at chicfila}

{zoo trip!}

{we were the first ones in the bird exhibit and apparently they were hungry :) maddie did awesome!}

{sweet afternoon time together}

{this is one for the books. makes me laugh every time}

{i mean seriously. can you get any more awesome?} 

upon tearing out of the house of the sickly and returning home in hopes that no one would up chuck in the car on the way home, the boys and i had a few adventures of our own. unfortunately they were all on our own. we didn't want to infect anyone in case we were going to come down with something ourselves. 

there was lots of playground time and such to keep us busy.

{brother love}

{pool time for them equals a little magazine reading time in the sunshine for me.}

{will is the snack hoarder and decided when and who to pass them out to at his own discretion}

{i even braved taking the three out for a surprise lunch one afternoon all alone. this was no joke i assure you. thankfully grey is a super helper. he went in all alone to ask for more napkins and a knife all by his big self.}

{a little graham slam for an afternoon snack}

we've been working on a few new skills with tuck and he can now proudly hold a marker (or other writing utensil) properly! this is very exciting for me. he has never once shown any amount of interest until the other day. woop woop for the tuck bomb.

{sweet daddy time}

{father's day prep}

{fathers day yogurt treat}

{poolside with friends!}

with an overload of pictures at this point, i will settle in here. i will get to camp soon!