WayfaringStrangers

Lately, probably since I'm off FaceBook, I've come across so many good blogposts. I just wanted to share a few here: Letting Go Of The Family Dinner Dream at Take Heart by Danielle Burkleo- this is a new-to-me blog, but I really like her photos, writing, recipes, and prints. She has a big family- pregnant with #5! Anyway, I really found myself nodding to this specific post because dinner around here are CRA-ZY. By 5 p.m., my 2 boys are tired and cranky and manners are all but gone (honestly, this is how I feel, as well). We are done for the day. I always thought we'd have these nice family dinners, but I am giving myself grace in this phase. They are young and we will always work on sitting down together as a family, but during the "witching hour" I need to let it go.  We end up tossing food towards them and then herd them to bath and bedtime (we have a 7ish bedtime here since they are early risers). Behn and I try to eat a little while we are all together bu...

Yesterday was lovely. When it's been 16 degrees for a week, 43 degrees feels like a summer day. In the morning, we discovered our driveway and road were quite icy from a squall the night before, so we stayed home from church. I walked on the treadmill and Behn and the boys played quietly while we listened to John Piper. Later we went on a family walk. I did insist the boys wear coats, but they might have even gotten away with a few layers of sweatshirts. The snow as melting and other neighbors were out walking their dogs and children. Graham walked next to me. Then he said, "I like all this- the snow and woods and it's warm. Can we pray and tell God?" Yes, my boy. Let's walk and pray and give thanks. So we did. Graham's young prayer life is better than mine in many ways. He sees things and is becoming in the habit of saying little prayers. It is precious. Now, before this gets too sappy, also note that he wipes his boogers in Patrick's hair. On p...

Here's what is up in our home: 1. It snowed. I think this was somewhat universal on the East Coast. Here is the token photo: 2. It's been really, really cold here. One afternoon, to keep warm, we parked ourselves in Graham's room with the space heater. The boys made marble games...we've been doing that a LOT lately.                                                                                                                                                                       3. Patrick in this hat (Aunt Olivia brought it to him from Ireland a couple of years ago...

I've never really paid much attention to Lent before, a pity for a girl who grew up in the church. But this year, with the brutal and very real persecution of "the people of the Cross (my brothers and sisters)," I am fasting from Facebook. It seems trite. But in the tiring, lonely moments of the day, I go to social media for community. And then not only do I waste time, I feel racked in anxiety as I read about the darkness in the world, the vaccine debates, the articles posted about what poisons are in our food/water/air, terrible diagnoses and accidents. I need a break, maybe permanently. " Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,   set your hearts on things above , where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.     Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.     For you died,  and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.     When Christ, who is your life,  appears,  then you also will appear with him in gl...

A week or so ago, it was warm enough to take the kids to the park in the late afternoon. For such a beautiful day, it was disheartening that they were the only children there (take your kids outside, America!). But as they were alternately throwing rocks onto the frozen pond and running from an aggressive goose, I realized we've made it into February. And then I gave myself a high-five. Somewhere along the way of adulthood, I went from a glass half full girl to a glass half empty girl. Or at least to an exact halfway filled glass girl. So when November came and another inevitable cold winter was looming, I felt some dread. If you've met my kids, you know why. They are 2 wild boys! No kids like the be inside, but these 2 have a real case of needing to run and jump, throw and build forts. So they do that: inside. I tolerate it. It's just the way it is. But here we are, the winter has flown by! So I high-five myself, and all the other mama's who are stuck insid...

A sunrise last week. I've seen many sunrises lately, due to one certain early bird who is 4 years old and thinks it a good idea to be up at 6..or 5...or 4:30...But each new day is grace. Last week, Patrick graduated to a toddler bed. I'd been looking at thrift stores for a while, but hadn't found one. Then I spotted a friend selling one on good ol' Facebook and jumped on it. I saw the ad at 4:30 in the afternoon, picked it up at 6:00, and by 7:30, my baby was a-sleeping on it. He loves it and transitioned perfectly. It was a little bittersweet, the taking the down the crib. But I must admit, I feel a bit giddy about it. The last few years of babies and now toddlers and preschoolers- they've been hard. Way hard. They've stretched me and grown me and aged me. I love having little ones, and yet I'm so thrilled about new autonomy, like Preschool and toddler beds and wiping their own bottoms (well, Graham at least). That's not to say I'll nev...

It's not a big deal, really. I mean, it is to me, and to Behn, and to Graham, of course, but not really a big deal to anyone else. After a really, really hard fall with a lot of behavioral challenges and pure boredom at home, we decided to put Graham in PreK-3 a few afternoons a week at the beginning of the month. He loves it. (I love it, too). To the average family, this is normal. No big deal. Most people choose to have their kids in preschoool. These days, most people start their kids in PreK-3, or even PreK-2. I was pretty firmly in the "but not us" camp. Funny how one makes plans. Funny how one has ideas about the way it's going to be. It's a little church preschool about 15 minutes away. The class is small and mostly boys. It's only 3 short afternoons a week, but he's in a structured environment and learning things like waiting his turn. They sing songs and work on a few sight words and have circle time and run around outside. My boy craves...