The Mother Road.

Today as I was driving home from my parents' house, I had a funny incident happen. I was coasting along in the right lane. The highway had a few cars here and there, but traffic was light and I could see a good distance ahead of me. I drove along, la dee dah, and came up behind a new shiny black Toyota Corolla. The Corolla had been in front of me for some time, but I had caught up to him, and I casually turned on my blinker and coasted into the left lane to pass him. A few other cars had passed him as well and I didn't think a thing about it. But.

Oh. OH.

OH. HECK. NO.

Mr. Corolla suddenly hit the gas and took off in the right lane. I sat there, stunned, still in the passing lane, watching the Greek letters plastered on his rear window grow smaller as he sped away.

I shrugged and got back into the right lane and pondered why in the world he had taken off.

And then it hit me.

I'm driving a MINIVAN.

And incidents like this, in my experience, are not that unusual. I mean, nobody likes to be passed, I guess. But. Since becoming the owner of a minivan, I have noticed that there are certain drivers out there who are, say, intimidated? by an approaching van. They see a white Town & Country appear in their rear view mirror and they get flustered, their egos completely on high alert, refusing to be passed by the proverbial Mom Car, the definition of All That Is Uncool In the World, and their foot hits the gas.

As the driver of a minivan, I find this to be wonderfully entertaining.

I've found that on the road, we become what we drive. I am no longer Katie, the blonde who likes to take pictures and drink too much coffee, who had three kids in a row and outgrew her old car and chose to trade her old car and pay cash for a van, so we could transport our growing crew with ease. I mean, I guess we could have bought an SUV, what is slowly becoming the new Mom Car (like the Chevy Traverse, the "minivan without sliding doors"). But, we chose a van. We like sliding doors. Granted, I swore I'd never drive one, but we went ahead and chucked that promise into the pile of other "I Will Nevers" that I said in reference to parenting. Ha. And, I've found, that to drivers on the road, this is now the definition of who I am. I am Katie, the Driver of the Minivan. 

Actually, it's like I actually BECOME the minivan.

KATIE THE MINIVAN.

Drivers get angsty when they see me creepin'.

And I have to wonder, am I the only one that notices this? The only Mom Car occupant who senses that there are certain cars that SHALL NOT BE PASSED BY A VAN? 

I suppose it could be my imagination. But, I'm curious: For my van-driving friends, have you ever noticed this? And to my non-van-driving friends, do you hate getting passed by a van??

Have a lovely day. :)

Wedding Cake Sno Cones Are The Best Sno Cones.

Thank you so, SO much for your responses to my Sabbath post. It's good to realize I'm not the only one who at least ponders the topic, even if some approach it differently. It's something I look forward to experiencing in an intentional way and I think I have some tools to make that possible.

So, again, thank you, friends!

And, time for some pictures. Just a glimpse into our lives a bit. :)

The first sno cones of the summer! The kids picked their own colors and weren't exactly huge fans of the cones they created ... but they had no problem devouring my wedding cake sno cone with cream. Because everyone knows that wedding cake sno cones with cream are the best sno cones, right? :)

Please ignore the dirty garage floor and the scratched door frame (thanks to the previous owners' boxer) and pay attention to the adorable combination of lace leggings and rompers. After running errands by myself one morning (glorious!), I came home to find that my husband had gotten the kids ready, and look how he dressed the girls! He gets major points. Lace leggings? Rompers? Two of my favorite things. Pair them and put them on some cute girlies and I think it's a win.

We were waiting to get the oil changed before visiting my husband at work. I had asked the kids to look at the camera and say, "Cheese". This is the result. At least the baby gets it ...?

I captured this pic (with my for reals camera, not my cell phone, gasp!) whilst at my parents' house and it is now printed on canvas in our front room. It makes me smile every time I look at it. Sometimes, lighting and conditions just work together in a way that's almost magical. Add the fact that the kids were happy blowing bubbles, and I love everything about this picture. It's happiness, captured. Truly.

Have you tried this? Do. It's tangy, but delish. Coffee + Dark Chocolate = Perfect afternoon snack.

This is an example of what most of our days look like. Playing outside in the sunshine, eating outside in the sunshine. Love.

On a special outing, I let Cub pick out whatever he wanted in the hobby aisle at Hobby Lobby. He picked this volcano and very carefully mixed the plaster, dumped it in the mold, let it dry, and painted it (with the plaster stir-stick, ha!). Thankfully, I had some vinegar and baking soda on hand and the little eruption was great. So fun. He's obsessed with volcanos and space right now. I love it.

This beautiful girl turned THREE!! I can't believe it! Our little Mouse is growing before our eyes. I used to write letters to each of the kids on this blog on their birthday, but when Lyds was a baby I decided to call it quits. Instead, I hand-write a letter (pen and paper? what?) and put it in a special birthday binder designated for each of the little birds three. Something started to not feel right about publishing something that I had wanted to be sweet and personal between each kid and myself. I found myself writing more about what they knew (letters, numbers) and how they were growing (you're two feet tall!) rather than my hopes and dreams for them and the hopes and dreams I see them beginning to create for themselves. It almost turned into something informational for my readers' sake, rather than something special for my kids' sake. Anyway. Another sign of the struggle I have with social media--how to make something that is, essentially, all about me, not something that spills too much into the personal lives of my kiddos. Not that there's anything wrong with birthday letters on blogs--I'm just sharing my reasoning in case you wondered where her birthday letter was. It is neatly tucked in a pretty Marimekko binder, stashed in my room. :)

I ordered this shirt (designed by J.D. Reeves) after the Moore tornado and received it in the mail a few weeks ago. The proceeds went to benefit the relief efforts there.

The big kids started a summer gymnastics program. Oh my goodness, they love it! It's so fun to see them practice tumbling and following directions. I am praying they did not inherit my coordination. So far, so good. :)

 

When my husband works late, the kids and I usually bring him dinner and hang out for a bit. Starting a business requires a lot of time and sacrifice, but the payoffs have been more than worth it--he's home more and loving what he does. On the nights he does work, we can hang out as long as we'd like. It's been such a great change for our family and we are blessed. God is good.

Have a lovely day!

Sabba-Wha?

So, I have a problem, and perhaps you, dear friends, can offer me some wisdom.

See, I have this problem with not sitting still on Sundays.

And I really, really want Sundays to be my Sabbath, my day of rest.

Buuuuuut...instead, I find myself tossing in 'just one' load of laundry, vacuuming roly-poly carcasses in the entryway, and emptying the dishwasher (and moving the chicken coop and cleaning the bathroom). My husband shakes his head and tells me to sit down and rest already, but in my mind, if I sit down, the things will not get done, and OH MY WORD.

THINGS MUST GET DONE.

Because the week is coming. And my mind is already there.

This is a true example of my thought-process today:

Naomi has a doctor's appointment on Monday morning.

I need to do everything I can tonight to make sure I don't have any chores to do in the morning, since we won't be here.

But, tonight, I have nursery duty at church.

And I have to be there at 5:45.

Which means, I need to get stuff done before then, while the kids are napping.

But, the kids need to pick up their own toys, so we need to pick up rooms and the playroom before naps.

And since they are cleaning and picking up, I might as well vacuum the dead roly-poly carcasses in the entryway.

And, just like that, I'm bustling around the house, hauling the vacuum cleaner behind me because I noticed the crumbs under the kitchen table after vacuuming up the dead roly-polys and how gross would it be if I left the crumbs there while the vacuum cleaner was IN MY HAND?

As I type this, I think I have a problem.

I mean, I don't consider myself a neat freak. But, there is an order to how I make things work throughout the day. If I allow dishes, laundry, or dead roly-polys to accumulate at all, then I'm immediately in over my head. Because my life doesn't stop, except at nap time. The house gets undone several times a day thanks to the little birds three, and I love that ... as long as I can have it picked up, too. And I do take a break at nap time. But ... what about Sundays?

I am a huge believer in Sabbath Rest. For us, Sunday is the most obvious day for that rest. I think what I'm saying is, I have a hard time allowing myself any type of rest for an entire day. A whole day without a load of laundry? Really? MY LIFE WILL COLLAPSE. Because tomorrow, when the mess is still there, I'm suddenly behind. And life keeps tumbling forward and, for me, it's much easier to tumble right along with it than to stop and rest and get left behind. If the house is picked up and the chores are done, I feel more prepared to face the day, if we have somewhere we have to be. And then I'm spending more time playing and hanging out with the kids than frantically doing eight loads of laundry.

Is this a season? I know the dead roly-polys only happen in the summer, so that really is only a season. I don't vacuum every day during the other three seasons, ha. But, in all seriousness, what should my reason be to rest? God did not command us to rest "during nap time". God Himself rested for a whole day after creating the world. He created rest, when you think of it. I know rest should be, in theory,  restorative, but it's hard to feel restored when there's a pile of laundry that needs to be done, at the brink of a busy week that won't allow you much time to do it.

You know what I think it is, too? I have a hard time resting at home. Put me on a boat or at someone else's house, and I can sit and be lazy. But at my house, I'm always seeing things that need to be done. Once those things are done, I rest just fine. But taking an entire day of rest means those things won't get done.

Is it okay to only rest during nap time, or should I really try to take an entire day of rest on Sunday?

Does it matter?

What do y'all think??

Have a lovely day. :)

Rainy Days and Pinto Beans.

After days of sun, we woke up to rain on our doorstep this morning. After a brief moment of panic (playing indoors?? how do we do that again?), I spotted the baby pool on our back patio and remembered a big bag of dry pinto beans in my pantry. I combined the two and Voila! Pinto bean tub time. The kids love scooping and pouring the beans and I love how tactile the experience is for them. So fun!

I'm sure I will be finding pinto beans for months. Totally worth it. ;)

Have a lovely day!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Zipline.

The kids love going to my parents' house. There's the fort and the treats and the undivided attention and the splashing in water and the hiking through gulleys and running through fields...the fun stuff of childhood. But, most importantly, there is The Zipline.

The Zipline is the brainchild of my Dad and his brothers, my uncles. One Thanksgiving, years ago, they set out to create the Grandest Zipline of All and by golly, if they didn't do it. The Zipline has been a source of entertainment for many, and, now that Cub and Naomi are old enough to truly understand the meaning of HOLD ON, they get to enjoy it, too. Here are some pics from last weekend (with red sparkly shoes, of course):

After the kids are settled on the swing, it is pulled to the top of the hill. And released.

 They come down the hill ...

... gaining speed as they go ...

... (with an adult spotter, of course) ...

... until they reach the end of the line and the swing kicks out for the final thrill! It's a pretty good distance from the ground, but, as I said, there are always adults standing by below to stop the swing if need be. I stood on my parents' back deck and got these shots. Love.

The rush of the wind in the thick of the woods ... pretty much as glorious as it gets.

These are the days we will look back on and love to remember.

Have a lovely day.