welcome spring

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed I have a beautiful inheritance... I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol... psalm 16: 5,6,8,10

new seasons remind me of God's mercy and faithfulness. a friend recently sent this psalm to me after a conversation and i love it, promising God's presence and care, but not the absence of pain or suffering. as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection, we will have to remember his death first. after winter comes beautiful spring.

 i have been reflecting on contentment lately and the quickly approaching end of adam's training and all my heart has learned in these years of great stretching and also great joy. oh to have open hands and a teachable heart for the lot He gives. i am grateful to continually be learning this. i am also grateful for the little people i spend my hours among.

miles has several best girl buddies

i'd say we got our money's worth out of these shoes after 2.5 yrs.  the left foot was a bike brake for a time

a little flower-watering in pjs

a lovely wren pair has been building a nest in our geranium on the porch

so fun to watch the wrens

for the grandparents:

one-yr olds

and he's one!

little o turned one this week. what a fast year! we are so grateful for this son who has been a joy to us all. he is finally crawling on all fours, pulling up, sleeping through the night, and getting into all kinds of trouble. being the fourth baby, he just tags along for all the things life requires of us. we put his crib away and homeboy sleeps in the pack-n-play all the time. we made a cake for him the day after his birthday, but the top got a little burned (that's what happens when you cook with chatty helpers!). he thought it was tasty though! we are so thankful God chose to give us this sweet boy.

he loves to observe nature with his mouth

this is the "baby prince " in his litter.  poor guy loves his naps when he can be all alone and take a break from the constant sibling stimulation.

birthday spaghetti

mmm hot milk sponge cake

cherry tree

we noticed some beautiful trees on a walk in the neighborhood recently and decided to go back for some pictures.

don't worry, i'm nearby ready to catch the baby!

tongue of concentration

very much in the dirt-eating stage

adam getting an ulcer

lizard house and the faces of miles

we've had a few warm days so the anoles were out. graham and miles caught a few and made them a house/playground. (side-note:g has been wearing his hat with a flashlight in it and carrying around his 3 other flashlights and spy glass, attached in some way, at all times. he says he is afraid of losing them. adam says it is just a phase. if i'm ever stranded, i hope g is with me.)

old friends

i'm so grateful for mission's conference week at our church and the people it brings to town. i'm so thankful for the dear friends we share memories with who heed God's call to new cities and countries to love people in Jesus' name. i'm also grateful to the local ones who spur us on to "love and good deeds."

I'm so thankful for these dear ones and the many others serving and dying around the world who remind us not to be lulled into complacency by the relatively comfortable life we lead here in middle class america. it was so good to hug old friends, to see our children run and play together, and to catch up!

when we met there were only 3 of these

pregnant with ellie, sam, and graham

i'm still trying to post occasional everyday pictures especially for my far-away family (miss you so very much).  i like to go back and look at them too if i'm honest.

we have precious neighbors. 

o waking up miles from an afternoon snooze on the floor

my favorite er doc helping kids play with fire

his legs have gotten so long!

miles was watching and giggling at a singing bird in the tree

baby loves to swing

she decorated the picnic table in honor of the springy weather

rainy day mega fort