Our weekend

Our weekend was bursting with good things.

It began with a concert by our favorite vocalist: John's sister, Jayme.  She gave an amazing performance and shared so much of herself and her story with the audience.  The hour went by much too quickly.

Saturday brought along a birthday pool party for M and C to attend.  They had a blast playing games in an indoor pool with friends. (Birthday girl's mom took this one with her cell phone.)

On Saturday night John and I had the annual Bowling and Bruno's outing with our church's worship team.  This is basically a night of bowling terribly (at least for me) followed by eating delicious pizza with a great group of people.  No pictures, though.

And Sunday night...  Daddy/Daughter date night put together for C's age group at church.  John took M to this when she was in 4th and 5th grade.  I can't believe C is already here.

While they were out M made the two of us crepes.... she's so old!  :)  And I'm so proud of both of our girls!

Psalm 144:12
 May our sons flourish in their youth
      like well-nurtured plants.
   May our daughters be like graceful pillars,
      carved to beautify a palace.

Glimpses of the last 2 months

September has given way to mid-October and I've finally made it back to my blog. We are as busy as ever.  The photos below capture some of the fun and beauty we've been blessed with these last weeks.

-Family Camp on Labor Day weekend is always enjoyed, but also puts somewhat of a bookend on the summer.  It's always back-to-the-books after a long and fun weekend with friends.

-We needed a family photo for our church's annual prayer card exchange, so we set up the camera on a tripod in the backyard and hoped for the best. Not bad!

-I was surprised that planting carrot seeds in a pot on my deck actually resulted in edible carrots! I planted the seeds in June and by September we had delicious carrots. Amazing!

-We continue to love our weekly Little House on the Prairie co-op. The girls made bread together and each took a small loaf home to bake.

-Family time! It's always wonderful to eat with family and gather around a bonfire to make smores.

-Last week we had the amazing opportunity to spend a day in 1875 in a one-room schoolhouse.

The schoolmaster had them stand for the roll call, sing songs, and practice their penmanship on slate boards. (and much more!) The girls had to sit on one side of the room and the boys on the other. (yes!)

They ate lunch on the steps of the schoolhouse and were able to play with jump ropes, wooden stilts, and other toys they would have had in 1875. It was a wonderful experience.

-The color of fall is all around now. We just had 2+ weeks of warm weather... and now it is cold, windy, and raining. But honestly, I look forward to being tucked into our little house together. I'm not sure it actually slows down the pace of life, but it seems like it does - at least a little.

I hope you're enjoying this season wherever it finds you... may you be able to open your eyes to see what God is doing this very day in your life and may you have the courage to say yes to whatever great thing He has for you to be a part of... His plans are always the best!

With love,

Christine

Memorial Day Family Camp 2011

When it's time for family camp on Memorial Day weekend, it officially feels like summer has begun. I love it. Welcome, summer! We've been anxiously awaiting you!



This year the weekend came to us wet and a bit chilly. Not a good weekend for swimming, which is one of the highlights of going to camp for our girls.



Thankfully there was ga-ga ball. This was new at camp and it drew a crowd almost constantly.



It is played in an octagon shaped court with a volleyball sized ball. The object of the game is to hit the other players in the ring at or below the knee. If you're hit, you're out. It always comes down to the last 2. One of the great things about it is that it can be played by all ages.



I'm sad that I don't have a better collection of photos from our weekend. Because of the on and off rain, I didn't carry my camera around very much. And when the sun did come out on Monday, we were too busy swimming and making the most of our last few hours of fun.



We treasure the time together with friends and family at MCSC! And we're thrilled beyond words that June is finally here!

1000 Gifts: beginning again

We did better than survive the Blizzard of 2011... we enjoyed it! Imagine that! God is so good to give us more than we need and to keep us safe and warm through the long long winter.

0585. figuring out how to begin... again

0586. thankfulness for having less (oh! that we would always remain there)

0587. carpools

0588. working with people who not only get along, but actually like each other

0589. getting home early

0590. Ann Voscamp's book delivered to my door

0591. the peaceful snow

0592. being snowed-in

0593. friends who share their snow blower

0594. very large piles of snow in the front yard - their very own mountain of snow!





0595. living on a half cul-de-sac

0596. tunnels in the snow



0597. snow forts

0598. mid-winter blue skies



0599. the beginnings of a new snow slide -- we certainly have enough snow!

0600. warm fires and hot chocolate

0601. family movie night mid-week

0602. the large pizza from Bruno's

0603. buttery popcorn

0604. minds to learn

0605. the wonders of the human heart

0606. the strength of our bones

0607. nutrient-rich food

0608. sunshine

0609. brand-new display boards



0610. color printers

0611. glue sticks and

0612. scissors

0613. the academic fair -- this was our first year and we were a little unsure about the whole thing



0614. interviewing with the judges

0615. being finished with interviewing with the judges

0616. the support of grandparents

0617. good scores and red ribbons

0618. celebration stop at Five Guys Burgers and Fries

0619. real mail from a real friend

0620. new socks for growing feet

0621. love from a husband who gets me

0622. an unexpected meal with precious ones we love

0623. cousins to play with

0624. welcoming friends

0625. snack food for dinner

0626. singing old Sunday school songs with my girls

count your blessings, count them one by one
count your blessings, see what God has done

0627. all that He has done

0628. His strength

0629. His help

Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Out to see JJ

John and I took our girls out to dinner and a concert last night to see JJ Heller! Last time JJ was in town I went to see her with a friend (and had a blast!), but the girls were really disappointed. When I heard she was coming again, I really wanted to take the girls and John too! I always want to share the best times in life with these three -- they're the best!

We arrived an hour early because it was general admission. Our timing was perfect--surprisingly! We were first in line! That never happens to us! We are almost always late to everything. ;) Shortly after we started the line, the people started pouring in. As we sat in our front row seats, I just couldn't help but sigh a happy sigh and thank God that He had given this extra little gift to our girls.

We only brought Madelyn's little point and shoot camera along for the event. And I was a good mama and let her take all the pictures. She did a fabulous job!

JJ and her husband Dave put on a great show. They perform with just a guitar and a harmonica -- which JJ plays occasionally. They are funny and warm. And they play off of each other SO well. I loved looking over at our girls throughout the evening -- their faces were precious. They enjoyed it so much! And I LOVED hearing them quietly singing along.

After the concert we stood in line to meet the Hellers. I bought one of the CDs we didn't have and they both signed it. Funny though, we already knew most of the songs on it (thanks to Grooveshark!) but that didn't keep us from listening to it today several times over.

Some other things we saw

We drove into downtown Boston to see some historic places on the last day of our visit. We parked under the Boston Common. We thought it was pretty cool that the parking garage was completely hidden under a park. And as you might notice from the shivering girls in the picture, it was much colder than we had expected.

the Public Garden


the fence outside the Public Garden


the closed frog pond carousel


the Massachusetts State House

I love how old the city looked here... like we had stepped back in time. I can almost hear the horse carriages.

We finally made it through the cold wind to Quincy Market just before closing. As we browsed the souvenirs in Faneuil Hall, one of the venders told us it was the last day for that area to be open for the next year and a half. They would be starting renovation the next day. We bought a few small things from him for 50% off and left thanking God for the many ways He reveals Himself.

It was a short but sweet visit into a city stuffed full of American history. Though I wish we could have explored much more, we'll treasure the memories of sharing it with our girls -- and on Halloween too. There were many interesting people walking around the city that evening!

1000 Gifts: family camp

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

0412. dwelling in His creation

0413. open spaces to fill with laughter and love

0414. beautiful days and rainy nights

0415. dry tents and warm sleeping bags

0416. campfires to gather around

0417. friends to live life with -- you get to know people pretty well when you live with them for 3 days. And we've decided we love this family!!



0418. little boy games

0419. little boy energy

0420. little boy laughter

0421. GIRLS to giggle with

0422. a big girls tent of their own



0423. my little girl still being my little girl

0424. "I just want to sleep in the tent with you and daddy."

0425. playing with friends ALL day long



0426. walks in the woods

0427. adventures around every bend



0428. endless games to play



0429. fresh air in your lungs

0430. and sunshine on your face



0431. food cooked over a fire

0432. coolers and free ice

0433. 100 feet of electrical cord to heat our hot water -- for our coffee, of course

0434. having the "art of camping" almost figured out

0435. another great weekend of family camp!

Multitude Monday seems to always be on Tuesday in my world. Doesn't matter, I suppose, as long as I'm thankful today.