the everyday

we are almost done with night float...hip hip hooray! it has not been nearly as bad as it could have been, but we are glad to see it go. God has been so gracious to allow adam to get a little sleep many nights so we have actually seen him a good bit during the daytime. poor marit has been dealing with her first case of swimmer's ear. adam's schedule has enabled him to take the older kids swimming for a bit before dinner most days the last couple weeks. pax gets swimmer's ear all the time and, in case you wondered, treatment is pretty much the same for canine and human cases. and both dog and child strongly dislike the eardrops part. anyway, here are a few photos for us to remember these normal end-of-summer days by...

lots and lots of puzzles (one of graham's favorite, favorite activities)

this poor kid is having a hard time with his fourth tooth...been super cranky and clingy lately and i can see that tooth just about to erupt...

adam let marit pick out some flowers when they got her prescriptions...pink gerbers...is it any wonder she picked these? pink daisies to marit are the very definition of beauty.

only at the bidding of a precious daughter will a man so carefully color a picture of hello kitty

most of our "preschool" consists of lots and lots of reading, coloring, letters and such. here marit is telling graham what she remembers of beauty and the beast. i love this stage when their little brain memorizes things so easily and is so ready to repeat.

our "percussion section" during family worship (we are growing into a more consistent flow with fw)

we start many mornings before it is sweltering with a run at a nearby nature area and we observe all manner of creatures-great blue heron

alligator

marit is learning to set the table...these are her favorite placemats (again, is it a wonder?) from great grandma

graham loves to "walk" pax


these are sweet days for sure. of course the camera was not ready to catch the many, many chaotic moments when everyone is falling apart (including me) as that is part of "normal" life around here too. sanctifying work this mothering is. i am not patient nor am i always cheerful and thankful, but God is all the time working His Gospel into my heart more and more and often by the challenges i face as a weak, weak, weak mama! can i just confess my absolute inadequacy and His absolutely sufficient grace?

tomorrow miles and i are going on a road trip to hang with my sweet niece and nephew while my brother, sis-in-law, and 1 week old baby girl head to the funeral of kelly's sweet, sweet grandmother.