He loves us.

This morning as I sat on the front porch for a few minutes alone with my coffee I looked up and noticed my Sedum plants. They are in this absolutely beautiful stage where the green buds are opening up into dark pink and purple blossoms. It only happens in late summer and by autumn they will dry out to be a pretty violet color. But something else caught my attention - the dew. It was covering everything. As I scanned my eyes over the plants, admiring the early sign of the new season coming I saw him. The bumblebee. Completely covered in dew and not moving. And as I looked more I noticed it wasn't just him, but several bumblebees sitting like this. Motionless. Dew coated. Were they dead? Asleep? So strange. Normally these sedums are swarming {literally} with activity so to see them silent and still was abnormal. My little girls joined me and we took some pictures and looked up bumblebee information online. Intriguing! Nothing like an early morning science lesson on the front porch.

After a few minutes another bumblebee flew in. He hadn't been on our plants and wasn't dew coated. We watched as he went from one bee to the next and he seemed to wake them up. It was so captivating to me. He would walk over to the motionless bee, prod him with a leg and like magic the wet bee moved. Then moved some more. Then was frantically walking all over the flowers again as if it had been doing it all along. I've never seen anything like it! It was beautiful.

Now, I'm not a scientist or apiarist by any means, but that was incredible to watch and study this morning. And after a very difficult and trying day yesterday, it was an awesome start to my Monday. Some would look at those crazy bees and think its just a bunch of bugs - but I totally see the hand of God at work, and animals under his reign doing exactly what He created them to do. It was encouraging as I was reminded that all things are under God's sovereignty and BY Him we are allowed and given this beautiful life. He is our God.

Psalm 95 -

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 

 For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods. 

 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also. 

 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.

This week and upcoming new month brings some new challenges to our family. I'm going to call them opportunites. :) What a blessing to know we are loved, cared for, and that the Lord directs our steps. Be encouraged today, friends. Rest in His love for us.

.:Days and moments:.

My precious August Hope turned 4 last week. It still seems a little impossible to me that my little girl is four, but it's true. We had a special family party for her and the celebration was sweet.

She is one of my sweetest blessings. I could go on and on about her kind spirit, gentleness, the way she lavishes love and affection on me and her servants spirit. My middle girl is a gift. I'm so thankful to the Lord for giving her to me. When we asked her what kind of birthday she wanted her response was : "pink". No characters or details, just pink. So, pink it was! I whipped up a quick table cloth, make raspberry cream cheese frosted cupcakes and pink candies. Easy. Her only real request was to have birthday cake Oreo's at her party. :)

Her big birthday gift was her FIRST bike! She has spent the last few days trying it out, cleaning it, etc. But her favorite thing right now is pretending she's fixing it up. I gave her a few random tools and she spends so much time on the deck "working on it". It's adorable.

Oh sweet girl. I am so thankful for you and I love each and every moment we have together.
But, now can we freeze time?! The days are long but the years are so short. As with every birthday, I found myself stealing away now and again with teary eyes. Kissing her goodnight was emotional and while I truly rejoice that my children are healthy and growing... something hurts my heart as they get older and grow up.

Happy birthday August!

Speaking of growing up. I'm really preparing my heart for what comes next...
My (last) baby turns one next month.
 I can't even...
I waited my whole life to be a wife and mommy, and now I have these sad feelings about the fact that my baby days are wrapping up. Now, I know Miss Jane is still a baby and will be for awhile. But it seems like these days and moments are just flying by and it's more then my heart can bear. What will I do with my life once there is no longer a baby in the house? {sigh} I suppose many momma's go through such emotions.

Today Jane tried for the first time to hold her own bottle. I kinda wanted to stop her - but, that's our ultimate job, right? Training them to grow up. So I just locked eyes with her and we chatted during bottle time. She's such a perky little girl. I love her. How on earth am I so blessed three times over?!

We are gearing up for summer here and our first born finishes kindergarten on Tuesday. I'm praying and asking the Lord to give us a phenomenal summer together - really hoping the planning pays off! I would love your input on how you transitioned your school aged (in school) kids to a summer routine. I need some connection time with my first born and I think a summer together is just the ticket.

Life goes on around here. Our busy season of student ministry and life eases into a little more relaxed summer schedule. Time. We'll have more time to pour in and more time to slow down and just be. There are trips and plans mixed in - but I'm working hard at making sure we enjoy the days.
Yesterday I noticed this Cardinal nest in my front yard bush. THREE baby cardinals are coming!

It's little things like this that lately just cause my heart to soar. The Lord has put so much beauty around us and I just want to drink it up!

Tonight I was able to do just that - drink it in. The girls were in bed, the sun was setting and the deck was calling my name. Is there anything better then a warm spring night on the deck with a cup of coffee? I submit there is not. Listening to the birds get their families settled, watching the setting sun, and the general buzz of our neighborhood was so soothing to my melancholy heart. Sometimes I just crave those quiet moments whispering prayers and being thankful. It's good for the soul.

Days and moments, friends. That's what we have. Enjoy yours.
Blessings until next time. :)

Big Sky Wanted

I'm so thankful to live in Iowa. It's been mentioned before but I'll say it again - God was so kind to bring us here {almost} 6 years ago. The seasons change, there's enough city vs. country, and I am content as could be. We live just outside of the Des Moines metro in a small suburban township - all my neighbors are either retired or my parents age. It's quiet. Lawns are kept, back yard gardens are tended, and people keep to themselves but actually do care about their neighbors. It's not uncommon for me to see one neighbor getting another neighbors mail, or pulling their trash bins back to the house. Right at this minute I'm watching two neighbor men have a conversation... in MY front yard. And it's normal. Come winter it's normal to see people shoveling driveways not their own. We've been the recipient of that several times!

All this to say I genuinely feel content, I'm not the personality to see places in books and magazines and think "man, I have GOT to go there." Until... this weekend. And now that I've seen the pictures and they've seared into my brain, I can't get the Big Sky out of my mind. I blame this book: "Big Sky Cooking" by Meredith Brokaw.

I had an hour to myself this weekend so I took a whirl through our library. Without fail I end up in the cookbook aisle and feel overwhelmed and yet weirdly excited at all of the options! The title caught my eye and one glance inside won me over.

Montana. This cabin. The rocking chairs. The plains behind it! That old rickety fence. Isn't that beautiful?
I could picture myself, coffee in hand, early in the morning watching the wild animals run through the hillside. It's fun to dream isn't it?

And then there was this picture. I'm not a cowgirl, though I do enjoy a horseback ride. But look at those mountains! Easily, I could become a cowgirl if it included strolls through these meadows with those mountains in the back drop.

I think I have Big Sky fever. 
The recipes in here are even better. It covers everything from simple recipes like Jalapeno Corn bread and pork tenderloin to the natives of that land, Chokecherry Jelly and Elk Pepper Steaks. I could go for some Elk!

I'm really looking forward to reading every single page. Aside from beautiful pictures and yummy recipes this cookbook also has personal reflections of the people living there, and the sweet story of how Tom and Meredith Brokaw made their way to Montana to live. You might recognize the name Tom Brokaw from the evening news.

Big Sky.
Ah, it just sounds wonderful doesn't it?

I'm also going to recommend two more cookbooks I found while at the library. Think Big Sky, but move south to Oklahoma for the first one. Yep, Miss Ree. :)

This isn't a new one by any means but I haven't read it yet. Sure enough it's full of great ideas and delicious recipes. And of course... amazing pictures of their cattle ranch under the Oklahoma sky. It is not helping with my Big Sky fever ;)

And the last one for today - she writes from under a sky obviously... only, not one I'm particularly fond of. Jessica Seinfeld's second cookbook is just as creative and cute as her first. There are a ton of good ideas for yummy ways to make healthy foods! This NYC momma has great quick ideas!

So there you have it. My weekend reading pile.
What are you dreaming about today? And, if you've ever been to Montana or Oklahoma - what did you love the most? Big Sky wanted!!

The end of the season.

Roses!

We are mid August and the yard is starting to wrap things up.

I haven't gotten a lot of time to actually be outside to enjoy all the pretties. Having a baby threw a wonderful wrench in my attempt to garden beautiful flowers. Can't complain about that. :) But the other day while the girls were out playing, I grabbed the camera and explored. 

The end of the season is looking pretty good. 

The last of the hosta blooms.

Trumpet vine, my favorite.

Not sure what... but I love the fun shape of this leaf.

Our gorgeous BIG back yard tree.

Here's to a fantastic remainder of the month and to big yellow leaves here soon. {grin}
What's growing in your yard?

Frost on the Roses

I woke up early today - before the sun was up, but not before our little "pet" finches outside were serenading us. :) White, thick, frost was covering everything. For a moment I was giddy as I thought maybe it was the first snow! And though it wasn't - how beautiful it looked - all our neighbors homes with white capped roofs and cars, all the leaves in the yard with that beautiful crystal etched look. Just another reason I so enjoy this season! I could go on and on.

I'm still learning all the features on my camera but one of my favorites is the Macro mode. I can literally stand in my home and take awesome, up close, pics of anything outside. Which, I especially loved on this cold morning. My huge rose bushes were sugar coated in frost this morning and just so stunning! While I was too late to catch any good frost pics - I'm still just amazed at how gorgeous they are after a quick melt. And that they are still budding and growing is beyond me. Simple beauty to remind me of my wonderful creator and His love for me. 

It's a Thursday full of housework and projects and I'm counting it all joy that before it all gets started I got to peek at this pretty scene. Happy Thursday, friends! 

The Clouds

I kind of already hinted at this in my post about autumn weather, but, I'm a show and tell kind of gal so I thought I'd share what I got to see. What you need to understand is that it has been HOT here for months without any rain - and really, little to no cloudage. So the other night as these babies rolled in I was one excited nerd. :) The girls and I sat on the front porch and enjoyed the wind picking up, swirling all around us.

 They almost looked like a water color painting. So beautiful.

Amazing. So thankful for those moments. :)

It. Is. Time.

source

All of the sudden the wind picked up, the clouds came overhead, and the seasons are a-changin'. Mr. Weather man is calling for 70's for the next few days and I'm tempted to do a happy dance.

It's time.

Last weekend my husband and I had a youth leaders retreat with some of the best people in the world. Seriously. Love Jesus, love each other... just a great crew. Early Saturday morning before most were awake I stole a few moments of the quiet to see the creator in His creation. He never fails to amaze me.

 

I just had to stop and be in awe. To a whole lot of people... it's just clouds and dirt and an occasional wild animal. To me, it's beauty, and revelation of a Savior. A creative, beautiful, Lord. 

 

 

I even caught a glimpse of some deer grazing in the woods. Awesome. Do you ever feel like those moments were created just specifically for YOU? 

Countdown to Autumn is on. Worship Him.

"O Lord, the heavens praise your miracles
    and your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.

Who in the skies can compare with the Lord?
    Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord?

God is terrifying in the council of the holy ones.
    He is greater and more awe-inspiring than those who surround him.

O Lord God of Armies, who is like you?
    Mighty Lord, even your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule the raging sea.
    When its waves rise, you quiet them.

 The heavens are yours.
    The earth is also yours.
    You made the world and everything in it.

You created north and south.
    Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing your name joyfully.

Your arm is mighty.
    Your hand is strong.
    Your right hand is lifted high.

Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne.    Mercy and truth stand in front of you."
Psalm 89:5-9, 11-14

Beauty.

I tip toed out while the snow was falling in hopes I would find something like this.

Simple beauty. 

I seem to want it more and more these days. 

Beauty. 

Now mind you, most don't think snow on the 2nd day of May is much to write home about.

And maybe I'm not all that thrilled, myself.

But, you can't deny how beautiful it is to watch it melt on warm Spring flowers. 

Or how the water drops collect on the now closed tulip. 

Because even when eveything around us seems ugly and hostile and harsh...

we can still find the beauty. 

It is there.

HE, the creator of all beauty, is there. 

May blessings to you today, friend. 

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

Make me hear joy and gladness,

That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

 

Hide Your face from my sins,

And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 

Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

 

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners shall be converted to You."

Psalm 51:7-13

It's a scavenger hunt!

Preschool in this house has been.... not at all what I imagined. Both for the better and the worse. It takes a lot more work then I realized and I didn't really anticipate what life would be like trying to educate a 4 year old with a 1 year old poking her hands into everything. It's fun, and challenging, and looks different every single day.

Yesterday we tossed the workbooks and alphabet and headed outdoors for some nature discovery. Ava LOVES hands on learning and she really got into our back yard nature hunt.

With her list of things to find.

Little sister didn't quite get the concept of finding things and putting them in a bag, so she worked on entertaining the neighbor cat and balancing on whatever she could walk on.

 

 Finding lots of discoveries in our own back yard.

 

My one and only little tulip that has survived how FREEZING it's been here. 

Successful morning of preschool, and I think we all learned something! 

Florida: part 2

It's been kind of a rough day for this gal. I'm beat. Tired. Drained.
My girls are out of sorts, to say the least, and my brain hurts just remembering how the day went. It felt like we went from one tantrum to the next to the next to the next... you read me. Even after a 3+ hour nap - still, difficult.

But, it's still Florida. It was a hot and sunny day and I still have reason to praise and give thanks!

Like, these guys. Teeny, little, lizards that just scamper around. They are so cute, kinda.
And, so much beauty in creation. Even the patterns on the palm trees make me smile.

And, most of all - this guy. 

He's by my side and working with me all the time. He is a gift and I love him.

 

Obviously the angle on this shot is not ideal. But, while the girls were napping it was fun to snap a pic of just the two of us. :) 

Bugs and Links

It's as if the whole world around me is breathing a sigh of relief as we woke up to COOL air {that wasn't from our AC}. We are finally going to be back down into the 80's this week. Our poor area is burnt to a crisp from weeks of 100's and blazing hot sun. My Ava took full advantage of the cool morning and headed outside just as soon as she could. Her excitement was contagious and before I knew it - we were fully into an early morning bug hunt. Jammies and all!

And let me tell you...we had great success! Two whole Cicadas {dead} and lots of "bug shells". There is something so special and wonderful about reliving childhood with your own children. I've said this before, but, I remember doing this very thing when I was her age. Peeking around every tree in our yard looking for "bug shells". We had a great bug hunt and after it was over she went on to play in the yard just enjoying life like 3 year old girls do. Only, mine is always barefoot and still in PJ's. :) 

While Ava was busy playing I brewed some coffee and set up my camping chair in the shade. It was a perfect morning for some outdoor devotions. {finally!} Daddy and Augs were napping so it was calm and quiet. My heart has been bound up with some fears and anxiety the last few days and I know that's a losing battle. I needed quiet time with the Lord and what a gift this perfect morning was just for that very thing. 

I will thank the Lord at all times.

    My mouth will always praise him.

² 

My soul will boast about the Lord.

    Those who are oppressed will hear it and rejoice.

³ 

Praise the Lord’s greatness with me.

Let us highly honor his name together.

⁴ 

I went to the Lord for help.

    He answered me and rescued me from all my fears.

Psalm 34. One of my favorites. Sitting in the cool of the morning and just crying out to God was just exactly what I needed - what my heart was craving. The Word of God is powerful and it changes you. I've asked the Lord to cover my heart in peace today... and I know He will take care of us. He always does.

In other news - have you seen that The Gospel Coalition for Women has their audio links up??? Yay! I want to encourage you to take some time and listen to them. These speakers are so gifted at preaching and teaching God's Word. What a blessing to be able to "sit" under such teaching - what a cool tech world we live in today, eh? My heart has been heavy for women lately - as I keep reading about this "Fifty shades" and "Magic Mike" stuff. The world {and prince of this world - Satan!} wants so badly to lure us away from truth...and fill our minds with garbage that robs the soul. For our husbands, for our children, for our SAVIOR we need to pursue truth and wisdom and purity. No wonder so many women are caught up in dispair and false hope - look at what we are filling our brains with!!
Can I beg you to take a listen to truth today? :)
My friend Kristi posted a super helpful link to some of the main speakers and I can't wait to digest them all. Have a peek here and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Have a wonderful weekend! We are heading out for some splash park fun this morning and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us. :)

Discovery

I'm not a big heat girl.
I like my crisp, cool, fall days.
I love my rainy, gray, days perfect for baking and reading and all things calm and quiet. Brew the coffee, light the scented candle, turn on the soft tunes and the day is made for me.

One thing is holding true this summer - it's HOT. The only cool, crisp, anything, are freeze pops. And our occasional rain never lasts longer then 10 minutes and then it seems to be hotter and stickier afterwards. But, it's summer and such a great season to enjoy. I'm learning this. The rest of my family seems to be head over heels about the sweat-down-your-back weather, sometimes its contagious. Like today as I followed my littles around in the backyard watching them dig into life {and dirt, and dead bugs, and piles of rocks}. Sometimes I forget how much fun a simple back yard can be. No playground or fancy whatevers - just good ol' creation at its best, and driest, might I add. So...maybe there is more crisp after all :)

This morning we headed outdoors and spent most of the morning discovering the back yard. That wanna-be photographer in me came out as I kept finding pretty things on the "up close" feature of my dinky little camera. :)

Ava loves finding these. Takes my mind back to being her age and collecting them in a shoebox the WHOLE summer. Bless my mother for letting me keep the things. Not one will enter our home here :) 

Hide n' Go seek! I found her! 

The only "pretty" growing in our yard right now. But, we'll take it! 

Some serious Ant investigation going on right here. Augs gets really excited about bugs. 

Always wants to be like her big sister...

maybe in a few years, Augs. :) 

What a joy and blessing to be home with these precious girls and experience childhood all over again with them. I am so thankful today to be their Momma.