WayfaringStrangers

When I was a horse-crazed teenager, I was given the opportunity to free lease a horse named Bart for a year. I had been a rider for years, and confident in my ability. I could gallop around, jump, handle the occasional buck. I'd ridden dozens of horses, had countless lessons. I thought I was a good rider. And then I got Bart. He was a stocky, strong, dark bay (brown) quarter horse, stubborn and strong willed. It didn't take long for him to establish who was in charge. He was sweet on the ground, but once I was riding, I couldn't control him very well. We'd be doing great, and then he'd whip around, get the bit in his teeth, and pull my skinny 16 year old self back to the barn. I created lesson plans and exercises, trotted him in circles for hours (until he got bored and pulled me back to the barn), and read articles about how to train a stubborn horse. He'd buck out of no where (as I'm typing this, I'm wondering if his saddle fit right...maybe there wa...

Baby Sweet Samuel is now almost 7 months old. When Graham was our one and only, we documented so much. I made these little monthly updates with his weight and all the things he could do and pictures. Poor Sammy has had little of those, though he does make his way onto Instagram fairly often. Anyway, we've had 3 kids for about 7 months and we are not only surviving, I'd say we are generally thriving (don't remind me that all three were up at 5:30 this morning. Stupid Daylight Savings Time). The summer was hard- all day, every day, three kids on not enough sleep, very little community, and not much to do in our area. But this fall has brought a sweetness and change with the school year and refreshing season. Behn and I love having a baby again. He is growing so fast, sitting now, babbling, and thinking about crawling. The big boys are also maturing and are more independent...sometimes. They can set the table, get themselves dressed, help in small ways. This isn't wi...

I have not been reading as much as I'd like to lately. I fill my days with busyness around the house, trying to sneak in some exercise, and running around. But in the evenings, especially at this time of year, it has been nice to make a cup of tea and snuggle up. I've read a few things in the past months, but am eager for a new read. First off, a classic. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen I loved reading this Jane Austen novel. I've seen the movie lots of times, which helped, as there are a lot of characters. I also got the homes/estates confused at times, since they all have names as well. The book had a lot more detail than the film (as books do) and I really enjoyed it. I loved the romance and sisterhood in the book. Now I'm thinking of re-reading Pride and Prejudice since I haven't read it in years. Book attempt and fail: I tried to read The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up. I got about 1/3 into it, but eventually got kind of bored. Behn and I ar...

These October days are filled with baby smiles. Samuel can sit up now, and his tiny tuft of hair stands on his head and he's so beautiful my heart explodes. God is good. These October days we 4 -Graham, Patrick, Samuel, and I- walk home slowly from the bus stop at the end of the road. Everyone else drives to get their kids, but we walk and breathe in fresh (warm, this week) air. We check on the trees as they change color. Sometimes we detour into the woods. Yes, some days, there is whining, but it is always worth it to walk if you can. God is good. These October days, the house smells like pumpkin spice granola. I'm bagging it up to send to each of the hard-working teachers who have made my boys' transitions to school so seamless. Graham especially is thriving in the structure and all day learning. God is good. These October days I cherish my parents. I love that Dad is here with us this fall, and hearing what God has placed on his heart. I love callin...

Another great trip that happened this summer was when Graham, Samuel, my Grandma, and myself flew to Oklahoma to visit my brother's family and celebrate his graduation from flight school. We are SO proud of Isaac and Elizabeth and I am very grateful to have been able to make this trip. It was Graham's first time flying! And Samuel's, too, of course. We were a funny little group but everyone did great. Southwest Airlines are awesome. The next day was the graduation. It was a little difficult with a baby and a 5 year old but we managed to see most of the ceremony. Afterwards, we took pictures. Absolutely love this picture! Pinning his wings! Elizabeth is such a wonderful support to Isaac. Proud to have her as my sister. After lunch, we went to see airplanes. Such fun! Fun until Graham's ping pong ball got away from him and blew across the Air Force tarmac. Kid in tears chasing a ping pong ball for 200 yards across a legit dangerous space while I'm...

In an attempt to catch up somewhat on all that happened this summer, here's the first recap. Williamsburg, 2016. Behn and I booked this little 4 day trip to the Williamsburg area in the spring, in anticipation that we would need some sort of kid-friendly getaway in the summer. Took a while to arrive, but it was finally late July and we got to go to Williamsburg. We stayed at King's Creek Plantation, which was great except for their hassling us to go to their presentation about buying a timeshare (we are so not in the place to do that, nor would we if we could). The great thing about a resort is they have a bunch of pools, which worked out because it was 100 degrees the whole time. We did a lot of swimming. We also braved the heat one evening for a round of mini- hockey  golf, also at the resort. Of course, we also went to Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown. Behn's a big history guy and we all enjoyed it, when the kids weren't melting in the heat. ...

Y'all. I'm still here. Synopsis of my typical day (Mon- Thurs): 6:00..?? Patrick up at o'dark o'clock. Why?? Tell him to lay still and cuddle with us as long as possible. 7 a.m.- 8:50: Breakfast, getting everyone dressed, pack 2 lunches, general maintenance of bodies and souls. Looks like a bomb went off by 8:50. 8:50- 9:30: School drop-offs. 9:30: Finally home. House is quiet, except, oh yeah, the baby. But still, mostly quiet and I take a deep breathe. 9:30- 1:40: Everything. Clean up the bomb that went off from 7 a.m.- 8:50: laundry, meal planning, grocery store, meal prep, Bible reading, journal, sweeping, dishes, call actual adult humans for social contact, walk on treadmill, try to do squats/crunches (funny), shower. Oh yeah, and caring for the little human (breastfeeding, diaper changes, holding, playing). I have to pick and choose what to do each day. 1:40- 2:15: pick up Patrick 2:15- 4:00: play with Patrick, care for Samuel, maybe start dinner if I...