WayfaringStrangers

So, I mentioned recently that having a 3 year old is kicking my butt.  This is still very much the case. Behn and I really don't know what we're doing with the kid. Survival is the main focus. We are in a bout of several days of 3 year old insanity right now (albeit yesterday morning he was quite lovely- the evening: not so much.). This morning was no exception. Home boy was in timeout before breakfast. We had to stop everything for a special prayer time to beg God to give mama extra special patience and wisdom and that God would help Graham with some self-control.  The morning continued down it's fiery path of terror. And I had this feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach: Graham had a dentist appointment at 11. He had done ok at his first dentist appointment 6 months ago, but these days everything is a fight. Side story- last time I took Graham to get his haircut, he screamed and thrashed the whole 20 minutes. The haircut itself was a disaster- he looked like a cros

Something happened over the weekend...I turned 30! It was a nice, calm thing to happen and no, I don't "feel" any different- just grateful for my 30 years so far, thankful for my parents, siblings, husband, kids, and friends. It was a sweet, quiet weekend. Behn took a 1/2 day on Friday so we could go get lunch and then he watched the kids so I could get my haircut (long overdue) and then I went out shopping with my mom. Fun day! Saturday night my family came over (including my sister Hannah and her husband Ben) and we had pizza, played a game, and hung out til late in the night. It was a perfect evening. But this post is not about my birthday, but about something else. Waking up early. You see, I've always been a Morning Person. Don't hate, it's just the way I was made. I've been known to wake up early just to see the sunrise. I love breakfast. The quiet of the mornings is my favorite part of the day. Everything is fresh and new. A few years ago, I had

I snapped these photos just this morning...a glimpse of life here. Kitchen table. A bit small, always cluttered, always caked in food. That's life, right? Snow on the deck. It's been so cold here, I can't even take the kids outside. Our kitchen sink pipes froze, but thankfully did not burst (mercy upon mercy!). Still, the snow is pretty. Winter collage. Sweet poem, photo of Lexington in the winter, tiny mitten, birthday card from my boys, Bible verse, a tiny nest. Philippians 4:4-5 *Nerd Alert*  Behn and my January tradition of watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy has come to an end. Ah, I almost cried when it was over, having looked forward to it all year. It's so fun to watch it, all cuddled up under blankets and sipping hot chocolate and munching popcorn. It's just so epic. Anyway, I've had the soundtrack on repeat all day. Trying to get a photo of the boys. They just keep growing... ...and squirming! Silly little bro

Hi folks! Guess what? It snowed- we're snowed in! Am I excited about this? Well, yes and no. Being snowed in simply means that we are going craaaazzzzzyyyyy! Yes, it is pretty. Yes, I feel that it gives me an excuse to have 4 bowls of soup and lots of popcorn. But man, we are a little stir crazy. "Take them outside" you say? Well, it's 18 degrees, so 'taking them outside' lasts for 3.5 minutes. Maybe tomorrow. Anyway, I thought I'd share with you some of books our kids like. Sons of a librarian love to read all day, right? Hmm, not so much. Graham has a few favorite books and likes to be read to for a long time before bed (because it procrastinates the actual going to bed.) Other than bedtime and Bible time , he rarely, if ever, chooses to be read to. He doesn't dislike it so much as would just rather throw balls all day instead. Patrick, though, adores  being read to. He is constantly chucking books at my face and trying to wriggle onto my lap. It&#

Ok, so I thought a lot about my last post. And I decided I needed to write more. I had been interrupted in my writing anyway, because Mr. Patrick had woken from his nap. I want to express just how much I love being a mama. And being Graham's mama. He is a treasure. So is Patrick. Lord willing, I'll be a mama to more kids. I'm so grateful for these little guys, for the opportunity to be a mother. It's taken me a long time to let go of high expectations I had about motherhood...and life in general. On the hard days, those expectations come back strong. I have seen myself be grown through this, and much more growing is yet to come. I am seeing the gospel in a whole new, wonderful way. I am seeing my weakness, my need for Jesus, in a whole new way. And I am so glad for it! These years are definitely years of sanctification. I suppose all our lives are, but these trying, tiring years are especially. I need Grace in a whole new, wonderful way. Graham and I are going o

I heard from many people (or read) that 3 years old is the hardest. The tantrums, the whining. "You think 2 is bad? Wait until he's 3!" was the general impression I had. I realize that every kid is different and everyone's experience is different, so I just kept thinking "ok, I've been warned; we will see." We're only a month in. I'd say if you could graph Graham's mood and general pleasant-ness, things are looking pretty good. The graph would show an upwards slope of happiness. This past week, however, would show a dip. Maybe it's winter blues. Maybe it's pent-up energy. Maybe is pure boredom. Maybe it's plain ol' sin. Maybe it's a developmental thingy. And it's definitely  tired mommy burnout. The past few days have been rough. I was venting to Behn about it yesterday, when I had to leave Bible study 12 minutes in because my 3 year old was screaming , screaming in the nursery for me to come back to him. Which

I guess blogging wasn't among my resolutions, huh? We've just been reallllly busy! Sitting down for a minute to reflect on January, the longest month of winter. The world is looking so gray. BUT we did have a lovely sunny and warmish day yesterday! I don't really mind winter, but it does seem to drag on. The kids and I get bored and antsy. We have been blessed with very good health so far. Winter can be cozy, too. It feels right to light more candles and brew another pot of fresh coffee. We make popcorn and cuddle under blankets and read more. And Behn and I have a tradition of every January, on cold winter nights, watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I LOVE this tradition and look forward to it every year. Anyway, I wanted to elaborate more on one of my goals. We are really trying to rein in our food spending by planning, eating all our leftovers, and shopping wisely. It is hard.  I have read blogs of women whose food budgets are like $200 a month for a family of

Yesterday's post was a bit heavy, but I'm glad I wrote it out anyway. But I figured it would be nice to post some recent pictures of life lately. It finally snowed. Behn bought and installed cabinet knobs. They are as wonderful as I knew they would be. It makes such a difference when you can easily open a cabinet one-handed (the other hand is nearly always holding a kid or utensil). I wanted drawer pulls on the drawers, but we ordered a pack of 25 knobs and didn't want to waste any. So, knobs on the drawers it is, and they are just fine. We visited Lexington last weekend. Wonderful, sweet Lexington. Baby cousins. Really, Rosie is the only true baby in the picture. The boys were both sweet (um, also a little rough) with her and Patrick kept squealing "babeee!" This kid and his bed head.... Patrick's hair is really growing in too. Much more fine than Graham's. He is getting big; they both are... Thrift store frame a

This photo caught my eye today. Source It is a photo from World Magazine, of Iraqi police officers grieving the loss of one of their company. Al-Qaeda forces have surged in that country, bringing evil and hate and violence. So raw. I think this photo shows God. These men are not sad because a blob of chemicals in the form of a living human died and turned into a blob of different chemicals. They are stricken with grief because they lost a friend and someone who was made in the image of GOD died (whether they believe it or not, their grief speaks for itself). We mourn the loss of human life because we know that we are more than mere animals. They are mourning evil and injustice in the world. There are a million photos and moments like it. A spouse passes away unexpectedly. Dreams are dashed as a tiny baby goes from life to death inside of his mother. A family buries a daughter shot at school. A family says a long goodbye at the deathbed as cancer wins again. Thous

"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." -Proverbs 19:21 We have had a fun end of the year, wrapping everything up with a trip to our beloved Lexington and then to North Carolina to see my sister and Behn's brother. It was a jolly time and I'm glad we snuck this trip in! I love traveling but I will admit it that it is stinkin' hard with little kids. We are home today and they are both off their rockers being overly tired and off schedule. I'm ready to begin a new year and get everyone settled down again. I am a goal-oriented person, and I love New Years Resolutions/Goals. A new year, a fresh start, new accomplishments to be had. The Lord has taught me, though, not to be naive enough to make the plans and expect them to work out. So, I write my goals with Proverbs 19:21 in mind. I'm making goals- good, realistic goals, I think- but I know that He, Abba, will make His will known to us. He will direct t