Little Loves.


Ahh.  So good.
And so the "joy journey" continues....

3031.  Strawberry dates with the big boys.
3032.  Seeing four turtles in one day - a "summer list" check mark.
3033.  Jam days in the kitchen.
3034.  Family tenting trips.
3035.  Celebrating dads.
3036.  Celebrating our heritage - my home church celebrates 100 years this week!
3037.  Playing in the rain.
3038.  Baby chickies in with the big girls.
3039.  Weeding the garden with ALL of my loves.
3040.  The big boys picking the potato bugs.  Yuck.
3041.  Sounds of the chainsaw chopping our wood.
3042.  Morning breeze across my pillow.
3043.  Dew on the grass and little boy bare feet running through it.
3044.  Evening runs.
3045.  Coffee and conversation.
3046.  A day alone with just my loves.
3047.  Three boys...just being little boys.
3048.  Lazy family days.
3049.  Freezing dips in the lake on hot days.
3050.  Waking up to sunshine.
3051.  Summer schedules.
3052.  Vacation anticipation.
3053.  Daisies and Black eyed Susans.  My favorite summertime flower.
3054.  Kissing them while their sleeping.
3055.  Their own individual smells.
3066.  A new pet - a baby mouse found in our sink.  Yeesh.
3067.  My boys stealing sips from my coffee.
3068.  Them crawling into bed with us in the morning.
3069.  ...And Smudge, too.
3070.  Happy Home.

Lessons Learning.

Any time anyone finds out that I homeschool my boys, the very first question that pops out of each and every blessed person is.....yep, you guessed it:  "But, aren't you worried about their social interactions with others?"

And I don't mind the question. 
In fact, I totally get it.
And yes, I have experienced the typical, socially awkward homeschooled child amidst a very social setting, and it's painful to see.

But, Lord have mercy, that is one arena where I truly am not concerned.
Can my kids be socially awkward?  For sure.
AND weird, and inappropriate, and embarassing, and shocking, along with all other various sorts and sundry other adjectives, as well.  Oh yes, they surely can.

But, can't all kids be this at times?
Goodness - isn't that what much of childhood is all about?
I'm a proud and free public schooled veteran, and I can recall a kajillion times where I sure as shooting was socially-all-of-those-things above.

And more, probably. 
These lips, they had no filter. 
And this woman, as a girl, surely loved to get a reaction.

All I'm saying, is that this one factor isn't the stressor for me.
I think more about them actually not learning, and flunking, and never getting into college, and blaming me for the rest of their lives because I was their teacher.

You know, things a little bit bigger than that.

And besides, I see my kids in action whenever we are anywhere out and about.
Again - not saying that they can't be awkward and whatever else...
I just see that within seconds of us being anywhere - the beach, the playground, the park - whatever...
all it takes is for one of my boys to catch one creepy crawly, or one frog, or one salamander or snake, and suddenly there is a posse of kids - boys and girls alike running all around together...and that's the end of our time as a little family of five for the day.  My boys are leading the troops off to some unforseen adventure into the unknown.

And I'm totally cool with that.
I love that.

And if I'm not careful, every single day of the week could be filled up with little friends and playmates...to the point where when the week-end rolls around, I can't remember the last time that I had one on one time with any of my littles - just them and me. 

Sometimes, I feel like we have TOO much "social interaction with others."

All I'm really trying to say is....today I needed to cancel a playdate because I needed some time alone with just me and my boys.  I wanted them all to myself today.  I think we've gotten just a tad unbalanced as of late, and I'm feeling it.

Balance in everything, right?
And each to his own, yes?
And everyone does what is right for their own little families, no?
And it's good to be constantly assessing and reassessing...and what works for me may not for one minute work for another Mama...nor should I ever think that it should.

And that's what I'm learning with each season and child and year of being a mother to my boys.
I'm less and less concerned with how others parent and with the choices they make.
I'm learning not to feel threatened if they make decisions that are different than mine.
And I'm not using them as my standard of what a "good mama" is supposed to look like.

That gets oh so very dangerous, and nothing kills our joy quicker than a healthy dose of comparision.
I find that I have to take Facebook sabbaticals.
And blogs really only tell half the story.
We are all whatever we want to be on the face of a computer screen.

It's our littles who know who we really are.
There is really no fooling them. 
They see all of our sides - not just the side we choose to show the rest of the world.

And they don't care how much weight we've lost, or how often we've gone to the gym this week, or if we are packing for Bermuda, or if we have pinned thirty-five new things to Pinterest...or whatever status update I choose to write for the day...

They don't care.
And I'm learning to take my cues from them.

A Rainy Day Ditty.

Three days in a row of rain.
I think I might just go insane.

Books and games and inside play -
Can only last for half a day...
Then the hoolies start to wind...
And Mama's nerves...SHE starts to find ~

Begin to frazzle one by one...
And LONG before the rain is done...
She yells to them: "Just so outside!!!"
"The rain won't hurt you.  You'll stay dry!"
 With trash bag ponchos...Could be fun!
"Out the door, Loves.  One by one..."
Run, you crazies!  Run around!
No big deal if you fall down!

The ground is wet, but so are you!
You're made of mostly water, too!

The poncho dryness - just a dream...
Jesse's swimming in our stream.


Cars drive by and double take.
Where's their mother -- goodness sake?

 Sipping coffee, happily ~
For one brief hour of sanity...

Belated.

 "Many a man proclaims his own loyalty...
But who can find a trustworthy man?  A righteous man who walks in his integrity -

How blessed are his sons after him!" ~ Proverbs 20:6,7
 To the Daddy who makes every family day an epic adventure...

 And to the man whose sons would follow him everywhere...and whose wife would be proud if they did.
 To the husband and the father who "walks in his integrity," and who follows the example of the Ultimate Father and the True Husband...
"Happy Belated Father's Day Post," my Love...
To celebrate the occasion, I've "let" you win six times in a row now...just kidding.

 How blessed are your sons indeed.
And how honored is your wife to call you her own...
"My Father didn't tell me how to live; He lived, and he let me watch him do it."

~ Clarence Kelland


And my favorite ~
"Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys." ~ Author Unknown.




Jam Fest.

 Earlier this week, when the sun had just barely started to rise, and while the very largest and the very smallest ones in our family were still sleeping - the two biggest boys and I snuck out of the house for a little early morning summer adventure.
 For the past two summers, for whatever reasons, I have not made fresh strawberry jam - and at the end of last summer, I vowed to myself that another season would not go by without me making a stash to last throughout the year for our little family.

Because summer isn't summer without freshy fresh strawberry jam....and pies....and shortcake...and stained fingers and lips and all sundry articles of clothing!
 Last year, we picked daily all throughout the season and sold the berries at the end of our driveway for a little supplemental income and for a little side business for the boys.  This year my "get up and go" for that sort of thing "got up and went" somewhere...and all I wanted was to pick for myself and my own little family.

So that's what me and my boys did.
 And I tell you what ~ there is nothing like being out in the berry fields early early in the morning, and smelling that beautiful smell, and seeing that beautiful fruit pile up and over in your containers. 

I love it.
That's summer for me.
Seriously ~ is that none one of the most beautiful sights in all the world?


And we saw not one, not two, not three, but FOUR of these Mama Snappers laying their eggs in the fields!

 We loaded up our stash, we rewarded ourselves with Dunkin' Donuts, and then we headed home for the all day long job of stemming, and chopping, and jam making.  We made strawberry freezer jam, cooked strawberry jam, and cooked strawberry rhubarb.

My shelves are filling up once again, and I am one happy Mama.
 Hmn.  Methinks some Christmas gifts are in the works, as well?
I'm thinking the theme: "Tea, a drink with jam and bread...."
That, my friends, is happiness.
Pure, unadulterated happiness.

First Day of Summer

Hot summer day...
Three of the most beautiful words in the English language, methinks.
The girls don't necessarily agree to the fullest extent that I do.


 Tis the season for...
:: Dirty, grass-stained barefeet.
:: For early morning games of Cribbage.
:: For that second cup of coffee.
:: For long bike rides.
:: For teaching the boys about the nectar in purple clover.
:: For watching our garden grow.
:: And for weeding.
:: For slip 'n slides.
:: For sunkissed skin.
:: And for slowing....

"It's the joy of the small that makes life large." ~ Ann Voskamp.

Sometimes it's easier to see in the summer...

I confess - Kev has now beaten me five times in a row. 

 And it most definitely is the season for smoothies at lunch.

Our favorite:
~Tons of ice.
~ 3 bananas
~ Scoop of peanut butter
~ Scoop of protein - chocolate is our fave.
~ Some yogurt or Silken Tofu
~ Your fave flave of milk - regular, almond, silk, or whatever.

Blend, blend, blend.
And then savor the flavor, Baby.
A morning gift from my sweet Kaden.
Yes.  Tis the season for many summer loves.
Happy FIRST day!
And may we have many more...

Party Like a Redneck!

Per our tradition, to celebrate the big boys' birthdays, we always go camping at the love-o-ly Peaks Kenny State Park, with both sets of grandparents and whoever else wants to stop by for visits.... and rain or shine, we party like a redneck! 

First, we load our car and our trailer just as full as we can with untold treasures of foodies, tents, tarps, gifts, and anything else that we think our little hearts might desire for those three nights...
(I have always wanted these little stickers for our car!)
And then we kick it to the country!

For anyone who has never really given camping a go - especially with little kids - I think that Peaks Kenny is a good "starter" camping place.  There are real bathrooms and showers, the campground is pretty close to a little town for if you run out of supplies, and the beach is perfect for littles - super shallow and really grassy, which I love.  We call this "gourmet camping."  Whenever you have the opportunity to use a curling iron and look in a real mirror...it's gourmet.
We look like the Beverly Hillbillies...and we kind of ARE them, so that's okay.

We gave the big boys their own tent this year.
Every other year that we have tented for these boys' birthdays, we have always had torrential rain just about the entire weekend.  This week-end, however, was the best weather that we have ever had.  The night's got a little chilly - we could see our breath - but the daytimes were pristine.  It was really amazing, actually.  I could hardly believe it!

We played at the beach, we had fires all day and night, we went for walks, the boys climbed all over the rocks, we ate and ate and ate and ate, and so many friends and family either tented with us, or stopped by for visits all throughout the weekend.
Nothing says part-ay like friends stopping by to share the fire, fun, and foodies!

Behold the pinata!
The day's first cup...and what makes camping rock for me.
One of the many treasures found...and given to a little friend, I believe.  Yes, Rachael? :0)

The rockin' sets of grandparents who come each year...rain or shine!

Our gifts to the boys this year were brand new bikes.  We smuggled them to the campsite under huge blue tarps, and they had no idea, so it was a really fun surprise.  Jesse fell about thirty-five times and took the absolute most amazing diggers all weekend long, and a couple of times I'm pretty sure the entire campground could hear his howls, but he just jumped right up and kept on going. 

One time, he flew into an ant's nest, and there were literally hundreds of ants crawling all over him.  And another time, his breaks came off a tire and he flew over our little woodpile!  I was pretty sure he broke his leg.  But, that child is resilient, and I think he has about fifteen guardian angels watching over him.  His legs tell the story of the battles he's been in, but he's as happy as a clam tearing up the dirt!  Literally.
The birthday gifts!!!

Over the weekend, we celebrated our big boys' birthdays, we gave gifts to my sweet baby nephew Wyatt who turns one this week, and we celebrated Father's Day as well.  Nothing like doing things in one fell swoop!
Aunty Jules and Baby Delicious.

So, yes.  It was lovely.

I am still amazed that - other than my shower, which I did take, because I'm not quite a full-blown redneck - and other than a very, very brief dip in the lake, I did not get wet at all this weekend.  Mind blowing.  Usually I come home like a drenched rat. 

This weekend, family was celebrated.
Sweet boys were loved on.
Friends came to share in the fun.
Daddys were honored.
Family had quality time.
And memories were made.

You can't ask for much more than that!
3016.  Birthday bashes!
3017.  Amazing Fathers celebrated, as well.
3018.  Kevy - an amazing example of a godly man and the best of fathers.
3019.  My Dad - the first man I ever loved!  :0)
3020.  Grandparents who make parties complete!
3021.  Sunshine!  Blessed sunshine!
3022.  Four days away from electronics and the rest of the world.
3023.  Friends from near and far.
3024.  Three little boys - ALIVE in the out of doors!
3025.  Sleeping under the stars.
3026.  Camp coffee.  The besty best!
3027.  "Church" around the fire on Sunday.
3028.  Bike rides - and body parts still intact.
3029.  God's creation - vast and wild.
3030.  Family memories made.

Fathers and Daughers...

Fathers and Daughters... I love this song - secular though it may be :0) - and though, I don't completely agree with the "boys you can break to find out how much they can take" part, I do agree with the "fathers be good to your daughters, because girls become lovers who turn into mothers" part... My father was SO good to his daughter! Because of Dad (and Mom, too, truthfully) my view of myself and of men was healthy, and my standards were high for the man that I would give myself to someday. What a gift Daddies can give to their daughters. One of the best, in my opinion. For that and for so much more, I thank you Daddy-O. You rock. Hardcore. And to our good friend, Al, you rocked out this song, as well!

Little Loves...

For... :: Baby chickies on my lawn, :: Snakes in the woodpile, :: a clean chicken coop - finally!, :: freshly mowed grass, :: and bare feet in flipflops... For... :: Morning runs with the boys, :: laundry flap flapping in the breeze, :: Gardens growing, :: frogs in our front stream, :: chaco tans, :: and camping trip plans... For... :: Birthday bike surprises (shhh), :: Soaking up the sun, :: Milkshakes on the back porch, :: Little boys soaring on the swingset, :: and for black and blonde heads shining in the sunshine... For... :: Swallowtails and attempts at catching them, :: Woodpiles growing, :: Days with no agendas, :: For Daddy being HOME, :: and for Sweet airport reunions... For... :: His soft breathing beside me each night, :: Boys on the swings before breakfast, :: Friends who love me just because and even though... :: For sweet innocence, :: and for Summertime LOVE... I am thankful. (#2989-#3015, My Joy Journey) Although, I am NOT overly thankful for my blog going all funky lately. Just sayin'....