To .... Mother's Day ...

The music is playing loud on Pandora .... singing truths of how good & great God is.

Max just laid down for a nap.
He's sleeping in his cradle still .... in our new room.
It has thick, soft carpet. A hand me down dresser that reminds me of mom. There are new curtains hanging by a sliding glass door.

Ben is actually still in bed.
After a swim meet that lasted all weekend, he is shot & needs sleep.

The little girls walked to swim.
Morning practice started today, since school is now out.
.... since we live in town & they can walk to their own swim practices.

Sailor is at the beach with friends.  

Jack & Rex are at Butler .... finally moving the garage & school room.
The thought just fills my eyes with tears. Sweet tears, but tears.

I'm sitting here in our new kitchen at an island on a bar stool.
Our kitchen is big enough to have an island.

The dishwasher is running.
There's flowers & a picture of Rex & I on the windowsill.
Clean dishes & a stack of books & paperwork on one of the counters.

Ben's breakfast is sitting next to me, waiting for him.

I pulled up h0ldfast & my header at the top .....
I have to write about our move.
I'm going to call it when God writes in the sky or lego's in the windowsill    
I can't decide which :)

Also - this is a Mother's Day post. So.

Mothering win right here.
Fruit Loops for breakfast.

In spite of our morbidly bored expressions here, Max boy was dedicated on Mother's Day Sunday.
I've been so challenged lately about how we're spiritually teaching our kids.

What am I doing on a daily basis that shows them Jesus.
That gives them a love for His word.
That let's them see how amazingly they are loved by Him.

Mother's Day is a good day to think on that.

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Mom came to church with us.

We grouped up for a picture.

Amie was in town .... we went shopping.

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We obviously took pictures.

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It's been years since Amie was in town on Mother's Day.
We clearly made the most of it!

Straight out of awkward family photos .... all I can say is, Amie.

We are laughing so hard here, we are crying.
And now you can believe my Instagram when I say we could not produce a single decent picture of us.

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They are some of my greatest joys.
I'm slain & honored & grateful to have a front row seat to their lives.

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in real time news -
all their bikes just showed up in the back of the truck ... piled up like a lifetime of childhood memories.

why! am i wrecked so badly by the emotion of them.
oh geesh.
:)

To .... Eight Fast Years (or 9 counting kindergarten :) -

She graduated this week.
8th grade.

And just like that she went from starting kindergarten 3 months ago to starting high school in 3 months.

I'm at this sentimental crossroads thinking about her education.
It started around my grandparents old dining table.
It spent a lot of years out in our school room.
Huge parts were in the orchards.
It was the last 7 years with CC once a week.
It happened in the living room while she painted her nails & drew world maps & listened to read aloud's.

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These are from the Challenge graduation.
I'm pretty sure there is no way I'd still be homeschooling my kids without the community that is these people.

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These are from Mock Trial last month .... the swan song of her 8th grade year.

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These are from nails & Starbucks with Lilly & Auntie Amie braiding her hair.

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These are ..... please sneak out with me really quick, 'cause I want your picture even if the wind is blowing your hair & there is no good back drop.

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This is the only shot of her giving her speech. Regan especially moaned our choice of seats.

..... and Pearly.

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There's a big part of my heart that knows now all those times she cut out for the orchard before school started .... all those times weren't a big deal after all.

Because for example .... blink or blink again