Caleb Bo Baleb

Oh, Caleb

How we love you.

You brighten up our days with all your wonderful ways.

You are quick with your wit and silly sayings that make us laugh

And quick on your feet, loving to run and run and run

And quick to share all that you have with your siblings or anyone around

Now you are 8

And that is super great

Can you please keep your toothless grin for us to cherish forever??

You laugh and smile and laugh more.

I'm this past year you have gone through some yuck tummy stuff

And you have been so brave and cheerful through it all.

Such trust......in Dad and Mom as we helped walk you through the yuck

But especially in God who heard every prayer you prayed

And every prayer that was prayed for you.

Happy birthday to YOU!

Looking forward to the year ahead and all it holds.

Kids + Christmas

It's Christmastime around here.

So thankful for baby Jesus.

Peace on earth.

fall warm fuzzies.

Marshmallows. with a lil hot cocoa.  

And argyle cardi.....swoon

Fall football.  Intenseness.

Be still my heart, Jon James.  You make your mama coffee and give her sweet notes.

Never. letting. you. go.

The trifecta of James boys have infiltrated Hadfield school and it will never be the same.

Father and son duo.  Middle children from gen to gen.

I sent him to kindergarten and he now he thinks he's a man.  Just 'stache' him.

The girls sometimes visit Dad in his (new) church office when the boys are at school.

Especially Wednesday Bible study morns.

A boy and his guitar.  Someday I am told it will sound as good as this pic looks.

Pastor Caleb brings us the Word on a Sunday morn when the roads prevented us from church.

Mercy.

Double trouble you think?

Carcasonne.  A new family addiction.  Fun times.

That's the fall in these parts.  

{At least all the warm and fuzzies of it.}

My little love

Dear Charity
I'm enjoying all our days together when the brothers are at school ( or 'my guys' as you sometimes call them)
The first day when they left for school you had a mental 'to do' list for us. Play dough, tea party, making cookies, doll house, beauty shop.....by the time 11:30 rolled around we completed everything, you wondered why your guys weren't home yet, and so we snuggled and watched 'Dora' together.
Love.
Love you, love our time together,
love all the sweet ways that are you.

in one week a brown eyed boy started kindergarten and turned 6.

I'm pretty sure such heart wrenching is illegal in some countries.  

Such cuteness.

Such spirit.

Such determination.

Happy birthday to our baby boy.....who is clearly not such a baby anymore.

We're so proud of you, Matthias Steven!  Happy 6th Bday

New job, new meaning

Justin's got a new job at our church and this time around

It means more to us than before.

When you persevere through the trial

When you survive the storm that was longer

And more fierce than you could ever have imagined

You 'get it' a little more and remember why you loved

What you love in the first place.

God is so faithful, this we know.

God has plans for us that far surpass our own.....

And by that I mean that sometimes His plans can look WILD

At times but lead us to a place where we can

(Finally) look back and see some of what He was up to,

Praise Him for it, thank Him for His strength through it all,

And look with great anticipation at a future we once vowed

To completely avoid at all costs.

Yeah.

That's how it goes sometimes.

So, Lord, with full surrender 

(because that's the only way it can be done)

We do this thing called ministry.  

Please, oh please, take all the glory

It's Yours anyway.

summertime, so sublime

 

All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.   

{ L.M Montgomery }    

 

yep, that pretty much sums it up.

these are the days.

and we are enjoying them.

 

happy summer