precious family

we recently took advantage of homeschool life and took a quick trip in the middle of the week to catch a few hours with part of our India family passing through briefly.  we missed abe, char, and jeremiah, but it was so sweet to be with these ones who love each other and around whom we can be our realest selves (without pretense).  how they reflect God's love to me!  we stayed a night with my brother's fam and found the cousins at a stage of totally entertaining each other, while the adults sat around and sipped coffee.  i wondered if we would ever feel semi-relaxed at family gatherings!  what a blessing these people are to us!

bethany and caroline in the states for a week!  it was so good to see you.

we took some family photos for caroline's picture book so she knows who we are

she loved okie peaches!

owen loved auntie b!

we took a biking adventure with 7 kids

miles learned to ride without training wheels on this ride

home again with a broken ac, so we have been hanging like this. 

owen's baptism

owen was baptized today. i'm so grateful for a faithful God who keeps covenant with His people, who seals His love for us in Christ. we pray little O would know Christ's love for him early and would we be faithful to teach and demonstrate Gospel love to this precious boy. we had a lovely day celebrating and tried to document some amidst the business so the out of town family can see.

helping make dessert:)

they set the table by themselves

thanks for loaning us the outfit deanna!

4 months

it seems like SO much has happened in Owen's short life and also like it FLEW by! the doc says he is a healthy 4 month old and he continues to delight us all. he eats well at 16lb 5oz (68%) and 75% for ht. this week he started fussing when i put him down for naps sometimes. i guess he can't always be perfect:) and also, birthing and nursing him has caused my hair to fall out in huge handfuls all the time. our poor vacuum cleaner can hardly function between the shedding mama and the golden retriever. i'm thinking about cutting my hair so it can catch up...or will that just make it short thin hair instead of long thin hair? anyway, back to owen...such a little sweet heart. and for fun, the others are pictured at the same age. i really don't think he looks like anyone that much. i mean, he has amazing hair while the others were so bald.  we are so thankful for this precious bundle!  We are excited to thank God for his life at his baptism this weekend.

g is o's biggest fan

all kinds of raucous in my bed

grabbing and rolling and causing trouble!  reminds me of a kitten here...

marit at 4 months-round face

graham-brown eyes

miles-pointy nose

school begins

we started school today. hurray! like last year, i am grateful for God's grace in a good day and a new beginning. we didn't totally quit this summer because baby o and the move forced us to take a long spring break instead. it felt good today, though, to fall into a new rhythm and to see the kids excited to begin. mar and g were so excited, they woke up about an hour before miles and were done with a lot before our family comedian stumbled out of his room.


 sometimes it feels like my life and the work of raising children and educating them is so small and insignificant and comfortable. i get to watch peaceful hummingbirds from my porch while others catch ebola , and friends prepare to return to at war Ukraine. i'm reading bonhoffer's biography right now and it has been such a challenge for me to wrap my mind around...the sheer evil and astounding courage. i am so grateful that yesterday an entire hour of church was dedicated to discussing how to further God's kingdom in and through our homes. as our pastor prays, i have been asking God to make our children dangerous for the Kingdom. would they grow and mature and walk with God that they may be part of His redemptive plan in this broken world of pushing back the darkness. i pray also that i would be content, would Jesus push back the darkness of my own ungratefulness for my life sometimes. let me be faithful here and now so that when the time is necessary, we might be courageous and be willing to do the uncomfortable and unsafe. and would all the work of our hands and mind be as unto Christ.

here are some pictures of day number one...may this be a year marked with joy and all of us growing in grace.

she finally finished math 1 last week.  when i told her she had 4 days off until 2nd grade started, she cheered. 

on our porch we see these lovelies every day.  i want to notice these little gifts.

my favorite porch view though:)

been trying to plan this year.  i'm such a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants mama, but trying to do a little better.

look what our hardworking daddy came home from work with!

school is hilarious

school is terrifying

we are so rich with books.  do we realize how privileged we are?!

our corner o' learning

miles' first handwriting lesson

thanks holly for the super map!

what we are reading together first right now.  some of these will change when our co-op starts

babysitting

trying to grow them in responsibility...trying our our old chore-charts with a to-do list.  marit is insanely motivated by checking things off.  we'll see...

absolute silliness.  owen is the sweetest baby in the world, but the spittiest of all too.  he is basically always wet, but rarely sad