Simple

Potage Parmentier ... hmmm, delicious.

Reminds me of this
and this
and this here
and other simple, pretty things.

I like simple and pretty.

Saucin' apples

53 lbs of Hood River apples. 15 quarts applesauce and 2 gallon-sized bags of frozen applesauce cubes for Gavin. Done.

Trick or treating...

...with a fruit bat and Indiana Jones!












This year's costumes were truly homemade. Though some coughs and sniffles threw our plans out of whack this week, we still managed to come up with some dress-up ideas that the boys really loved.

And a cute blurry picture of Gavin (in his little red bear hat!) and Jeremy (as himself).

Knock knock knock

And my 4 month hiatus is over... now. I'm not sure I meant for that much time to pass without saying a word but I needed the time away. I've thought about this teeny tiny corner of the world and about what I wanted to do with it. Leave it? End it? Continue? I decided that it only mattered to me and when I look back I see a journal of our family and I know I can't let go yet. So I'm going to continue. But I'm keeping it simple... more what it started out as. A lot of pictures... a lot less talking. I love having a space to document the every day of our lives but I do not have the capacity in time or thought to sit and write what's really in my heart about all of this here. Some people do it gloriously well and I'm not one of them. But I hope that maybe, it will come through in the pictures I take.

So I'm back... with a new header! (Thank you Jeremy my love) and I'll be tweaking things here and there. In the meantime... it's Gavin! Happy Gavin. 6 months and counting...

Summer

Oh my

Has it really been over two weeks since I've posted... or should I admit... even thought about this space here? Not surprisingly, life is busy right now and I don't have the fortitude to remember everything I like keeping up with. So little tiny places get neglected... like here. But I want to keep posting. I'll just have to settle for little bits here and there.

Our June is going good even though we all still feel wet from this rainy season that just won't end. I have all of my canning and jam making supplies ready to go, I'm just waiting for two full days of sun so I can pick my strawberries (did you know? pick your fruit after at least two days of sun because the sun brings out their natural sugars and makes them oh so sweet).

And I've been bookmooching like crazy. It's been a fun way to get rid of old books and get new (to me) books in return. Plus, I love knowing that some of my books are headed across the country, or even to a new country, to a new home. I find the thought of it a bit... romantic. That something I read in my quiet time is now being read by someone else and tucked away on their shelf at night. Between that and my library holds that keep coming available, I'm reading quite a bit.

We finally made it to the beach and rented a cute little cottage right on the water. It was perfect and cozy and made me so glad we decided, spur of the moment, to go. The boys loved it of course... we all did. And it brought on more conversations of traveling and how we just need to get up and go if that's what we want more of. It made me excited about schooling at home because it leaves us more time to travel and gives us a lot of potential learning material. Maybe not right yet... but Scotland... we have our eye on you first.




Gavin is sweet and beautiful and amazing and everything I love about babies and everything I love about my babies. He's two months old (I KNOW!) and he's taking naps during the day now and smiling all the time. He recognizes voices and responds to us. He endures his brothers' bumps, hard kisses, and smothering hugs. And we love his bright eyes, cooing noises, and bubbles he blows.




Right now, Gavin is sleeping upstairs and Jeremy and the two older boys are playing XBOX Lego games. I'm sitting in a darkening office listening to them talk and reason and strategize with one ear perked for Gavin's first whimpers to let me know he's waking up. My days are busy just like most moms with little kids... filled with errands, cooking, cleaning, diffusing arguments and fights, doing laundry, and taking a break on the couch regularly to nurse a little one. But it's good. So very very good. Some days are really hard. Some days I wonder if I can do it at all and then I pray, quietly to myself, for the stress to stay away, for grace to come in it's place, and for only kind words to come out of my mouth. Most days I succeed... some I don't. But it's getting better and I'm getting the hang of it and I feel like we're all in it together which is what I want most of all. Life is good.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

"No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne -- everything -- to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is -- it's true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle -- the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture. And this is no ordinary baby. This is the Child upon whom everything would depend. This is the Child who would one day -- but wait. Our Story starts where all good stories start. Right at the very beginning..."

Excerpt from the greatest children's Bible ever written. Beautiful, simple, honest and makes me fall in love with Jesus over and over again. I highly, highly recommend it.

6 weeks

*

* We LOVE our Applecheeks cloth diapers!

Taking time

Life with a newborn always surprises me. It's always more physically demanding than I remember. Always more tiring. God is good to give us a reason in breastfeeding to continually have to sit, to rest, to reflect, and to just be. If I didn't have that excuse, I think the need to return everything to order would get the best of me and I wouldn't enjoy this time nearly as much as I do.

Gavin, while as sweet as can be, still reminds me that right now the focus is on him. There is rarely a time when he is not in my arms or in the front pack or breastfeeding. And the few times I find him sleeping and my arms empty, there are two more boys to quickly fill the space.

A couple of weeks ago my niece Meagan offered to spend the week with me since Jeremy was heading back to work. I quickly took her up on it and she spent four days entertaining the older boys, cleaning, and baking. It was wonderful. It allowed me to have just a little bit longer to recover and to spend time curled up on the couch with Gavin. She was amazing with the boys and included them in everything, including baking. It was so special for them to get the extra attention.





Now that Gavin is 5 weeks old and I've had a couple of weeks by myself at home with the boys, I'm slowly getting a rhythm back. Even if I only get one load of laundry done in the day, in addition to keeping the boys fed and all of us dressed, I still feel I'm successfully finding my footing as a mama of 3.

I never think I'm attached to my kitchen until I no longer have control of it. While I've absolutely loved and appreciated all the meals that were brought to us and the ones that were made in my kitchen by friends, I'm happy to be back in that little corner of the house. I think I was more tired the last few months of Gavin's pregnancy than I realized. And now that I feel good enough to cook, I've been really enjoying planning meals and cooking healthy, yummy food again.

This particular meal has become one of my favorites lately, especially with summer coming. It's (my slightly changed version) Dilled Adzuki Bean and Rice Salad. I use quinoa instead of rice though rice is equally as yummy. I love finding new ways to eat quinoa so this was an easy change for me. I buy dry adzuki beans because they only take an hour to cook and don't need to be soaked first and I've found that adding salt to the cooking beans helps deepen the flavor of the finished recipe. Also... the fresh dill is a MUST!

I love Nourishing Meals and her recipes. The cookbook is just as good and full of really great nutritional information. They are mostly gluten-free and vegan but she adds a chicken dish every now and then. I've said it before but I love cooking vegetarian and then adding meat in if I feel like it. There's so much more flavor to this style of cooking and it makes me more creative in the kitchen.


Since we don't eat meat that often at home, I usually saute or grill portobello mushrooms with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper to eat with this salad.


Last weekend I completely reorganized my kitchen. It's amazing how a clean space can energize the soul and give me motivation. Plus I found quite a few recipes that I had forgotten about... I love it when that happens!

Birthday Boy

Hard to believe that my 2nd little boy, Sawyer Benjamin, is now a big 3 year old! We had a big celebration for him yesterday and he loved the attention. What an adventure these past 3 years have been with him. While it started out a little rough... (crying babies that don't like to sleep can take an adjustment!)... he has become the most sweet-natured toddler I've ever been around. He loves to laugh and even cracks jokes. He wants to do everything that his big brother does and, of course, do it on his own. He loves to crawl in bed and snuggle with me which is the quickest way to this mama's heart for sure. He is extremely picky when it comes to food but we've found patience and repetition eventually changes his mind. He loves music and plays his guitar whenever Dad plays his. He sings songs and plays air drums. He is incredibly sensitive and wants to make sure we are never mad at him. He loves his little brother Gavin more than I ever thought a 3 year old could. He kisses his head, holds his hands, and tells him he loves him daily. Sawyer really is joy to my heart and our family is so much better with him.






Happy birthday Sawyer!

Mother's Day

In pictures...









Life is full and so very busy right now. But wow... what a wonderful life this is. I'm so very very blessed to be a mama to these boys. They were wanted, prayed for, and cried over more than they will ever know. What a gift, what a joy....I love them with all of my heart. My three boys.