WayfaringStrangers

We are back from a little camping trip with friends in Gettysburg. Which means I have groceries to buy and laundry to do. But I want to take a minute to record some of the stuff my awesome kids are up to! Graham: Graham Lee is growing up! The past few weeks have been so pleasant with him! He has really taken to being kind and sweet most of the time. Not all the time, of course, but his personality is really coming together as he learns compassion and kindness. He is beginning to use his imagination! He gathers his stuffed animals and talks to them and pretends to be caring for them. Graham also loves our Bible time together each day, and is also listening more carefully when I read books to him; I am starting to see a glimmer of wanting to learn. The past week he has been very interested in letters and is always finding something written somewhere and running up to me saying, "I found a G, mama!" (Or a P or a D or a T...that's about it so far.) He and Patrick are ...

First off, WHY are my kids getting up before 6 a.m.? It's still dark out! Rant over. I put Graham's blanket in the wash while he was eating his breakfast. It was so filthy. There were BUCKETS of tears, Graham was literally sobbing over the fact that blanket couldn't be next to him at breakfast. When we stopped crying, he asked for blanket every 2 minutes. We went to the washer to 'check' on it a few times. The second it was done, we threw it into the dryer for all of 5 minutes, to at least get the damp off of it. He has it now, it's clean and mostly dry and he is just so happy! "I'm happy, mama." "Blanket got a shower and he's clean now." "I love you, blanket." Sometimes I really do love having a 2-year old; I mean, what's more innocent and sweet than a little boy and his blanket? Watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood yesterday And all of this before 8 a.m.!

I can't believe this pretty first weekend of fall is already over, but here's to a new week! I think it's going to be a good one :) We went to the County Fair. I love fairs and I love agriculture. It's not Behn's cup of tea, but he was a good sport :) We actually didn't stay that long, but I'm glad we went. Patrick petting a calf, so very gently and sweet: Graham loved the sheep the most! Maybe because he's been watching "Babe" lately. I like sheep too and hope we have some one day. Graham and I just had to go on the Ferris Wheel together. He really enjoys it. I love this picture, with his little hands on the bar and his face all excited. Sweet little boy! Speaking of sweet- Graham started handing Patrick goldfish in the car while we were driving to church. I love that he thinks to share with his brother without being asked (sometimes). Have a great week!

I'm tired and so are my babes (they are napping now); morning came much too early today. Patrick was up and cuddling with us at 5:45 and then he cried for Behn when Behn went to go make his bottle (Patrick has recently become a Daddy's boy). Crying commenced at 6:15 and lasted approx 2 minutes, which means Graham was also cuddling in bed with us at around 6:17. Then it was waffles and all that hulabaloo. However, I decided it's time for me to stop being a lame-o mom and to finally write a quick post about our baby  turning 1! I have decided I am not the party planning mom. It's just too stressful. Even when I decide it's going to be 'low-key' and 'small,' there's still stress. We decided to have a picnic at a playground in my parents' neighborhood. We invited family and a few close friends. It was a gorgeous day! And I had so many people to help out, which was great when I was cutting the fruit for lunch at 11:02 (party started at 11). An...

I can't imagine waking up today and remembering that yesterday I held a loved one and today I cannot. That they are gone, killed by an evil act. Murder and injustice happens every day, e very day.  Many days, my sensitive soul wrestles with 'why?' and my heart begs the Lord for justice and peace. What to do? Today I went for a lovely morning run, and thanked God for the beauty of the sky. I hugged my boys during breakfast. Now it's Bible time with Graham, and Lord willing, later we will buy a pumpkin from the Amish when we go to storytime at the library. I'm going to give praise in the moments, and pray for those hurting so much today. That's all I know to do.

Ya'll know I'm not crafty, right? I've said it before. But I always get a crafting itch in the fall. Also, I love my blue door  and wanted to put a fun wreath on it. So, I set about my task! I bought this wreath 4 years ago at a yard sale. I really like it, but "Happy Halloween" and the ghosts are more a Halloween theme, not autumn. Plus, over the 4 years and 3 moves, it's gotten ratty. I decided to strip it down and start fresh! My first idea was to make some florette's from felt, like I did on this wreath . But I didn't find them very inspiring and I ran out of fall-colored felt, so I scratched that idea. As much as I would have liked to go to Michael's Craft store and find some adorable decorations, I wasn't willing to drive 30 minutes to do that. The Dollar General is right around the corner, so that worked for me! A little ribbon, sprigs of autumn berries, a touch of purple, and 2 little pumpkins. I'm not in lov...

I just love this photo. Love it, love it, love it. My sister-in-law Jess took it last autumn when she and her daughter Lily and my mother-in-law came to visit us in Lexington. Most of the time in pictures, people (including me) want to look their best- put on makeup, cute clothes, creative poses, smiles and giggles. Of course. We want to capture the best of us. But this photo, I love. I am wearing NO makeup. I had let my hair air-dry and hadn't touched it that day. I was wearing a baggy, comfy long sleeve t-shirt to cover up post-partum pooch. We just went out on a walk down the lane, and we took a casual picture, and it's my favorite family photo of us yet. I love that Graham is giving us that typical 'no-i-won't-smile' face and that he's wearing a ball shirt. I love Patrick's newborn fist and face and pumpkin hat. I love Behn in flannel. I love that gorgeous, natural background of the fields and mountains. I love that I remember this as a crisp au...

(I WILL catch up on blogging soon- we had a 1st birthday over here! Can't forget to write about that.) 1. Graham puts his arms around Patrick; "I have my best friend."      ( Ok, I may  have conditioned him to say that, but now he says it all on his own, so I think he means it!) 2. I walk into the room where Graham is. He looks at me. G: "A banana." Me: "Ok, we'll get some more bananas at the grocery store." G: "A banana!" Me: "I said we'll get some." G: "A banana?" Me: "Oh, you mean a bandana? Gosh, you are so smart!" I had just put a bandana on my head to try and cover my crazy hair frizzies. I don't ever remember teaching Graham the word "bandana." He seriously amazes me with his vocabulary sometimes! 3. Patrick sneezes.    G: "Bless you, Patrick!"    That's just cute, ya'll.

Some of the blogs I read have a "Photo Friday" or "Wordless Wednesday" where they post pictures instead of wordy words. I'm going to hop on that train and try to post "End of the Week Pics" on Fridays or Saturdays. Here are my pics this week, all from my iPhone: Love my morning coffee black and in a pretty cup, like this one from Mexico. Goofing around with G. Rare picture of me; without makeup of course, keepin' it real. This precious angel baby will be 1 year old in 2 days. Oh, and he's walking about 60% of the time. Got some baskets at the thrift store to organize my produce. Have a good weekend!

Today I took my 2 guys to storytime at the library. I haven't done this in a while because we were in a phase of a squirmy Patrick and a not-so-social Graham. Plus, the last time we went (in May), the reading room was packed  which made everything even harder. We took the summer off. Today I told Graham what we were going to do and he didn't resist. I mean, he also didn't show even a glimmer of excitement, but that's ok. I know my boy. It's just so funny to see how different our two sons are. Graham's always been quite serious and often shy (unless he's around someone he's very comfortable with). He was a late smiler, dislikes having his picture taken, and can get upset in large groups. When he was 1 year old and he would see a stranger/someone he didn't know well, he would crumple to the floor. This happened every time we went to church, for months. It doesn't bug Behn or I at all. Graham is an introvert and we love him just as is. Now he ca...