6 years

"Give me your forever... not a day less will do."

Happy anniversary, Doug!

the first time

Didn't get the chance to post this on the actual anniversary, 

but June 28th was the 1-year anniversary of meeting little Bo for the first time.

You can read all about our first moments with Bonsa here & here.

And now, here we are a year later.

Still as completely smitten & grateful for this precious life!

momentary miracles

Subtitle: How I Was Reduced To Tears By Peas

This past week has been a trial for me. 

I sprained my ankle [maybe a story for another time] and was on crutches for a few days,

and now I'm in the process of weaning myself off of them.

Which is painful. And difficult with a very active and tantrum-prone toddler.

Said toddler has also been finicky with food for a few months.

He will love certain foods and then spurn them the next day.

One night he couldn't get enough cooked carrots.

The next time we had them, I offered him one, which naturally sent him into a screaming fit.

Fruit in its natural form? Heck no.

Raw veggies? Get away.

We were in the garden the other day, and I offered him some peas

and he promptly flailed on the ground yelling and crying.

This morning Bo woke up at 6:15am. 

Almost two hours earlier than normal.

Which means we're in for a cranky morning.

Which means I get discouraged by how impatient I am.

Sure enough, mid-morning and it's muggy and raining and Bo is sweating and angry.

After unsuccessful attempts to read, play with his basketball, play with Legos, etc, etc...

I scooped him up and plopped him in front of the fan in his room.

We sat quietly, my heart racing, jaw clenched, beseeching the Lord for peace.

After a few moments, Bo got up and toddled away toward the screened porch.

I watched his little legs and bare back and thought about a year ago.

Days away from boarding a plane to meet this unknown baby boy.

I grabbed my camera and followed him to the porch. 

Grandma had left some pea pods out there, and Bo wandered over to them.

He picked one up, and I showed him how to open it.

 I popped a pea into my mouth as Bo watched.

And without any prompting, I watched as he followed suit.

 And then he crawled up on my lap.

Sticky hands. The ever-present drool. Bits of pea stuck here & there.

Momentary miracles in the middle of the ordinary and even frustrating.

Tiny pictures of God's grace and reminders that I am blessed beyond measure.

father's day weekend shenanigans

I'm borrowing the title of this post from my friend, Dana.

Hang on to your seats - so, so many pictures on the way.

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1:: saturday, june 15: in an unprecedented move, 

my family rented rowboats and boated down marsh creek! the results were hilarious.

2:: sunday, june 16. family trip to swallow hollow.

3:: for those who don't know, swallow hollow is an iroquois national wildlife refuge.

4:: aka, protected swamp land.

5:: dad & his girls.

6:: doug & his boy.

7:: fam.

8:: smothering.

9:: cheeser.

10:: handsome.

11:: hams.

12:: the trails.

13:: stopping, some for photos, some to appease wailing for water.

14:: more trail pictures

15:: wouldn't be a family outing without a meltdown

16:: all's well.

17:: content on daddy's shoulders

18:: that is a lot of duckweed

19:: the parton pack.

20:: i love this picture

21:: 1, 2, 3, swing!

22:: curly.

23:: hugs (possibly the result of another meltdown... )

24:: turtle egg shells - these were all over the place!

25:: my pops.

26:: looking up. photo by emily!

27:: he'll be comin' 'round the corner... photo by emily!

28:: loves his grandpa.

29:: loves his aunties.

30:: wouldn't be a family outing without ice cream

31:: please note bo holding hands with gram & gramps.

32:: if this doesn't melt your heart, you may want to visit a cardiologist.

33:: i love this so much. he is so a part of this family.

34:: takes his ice cream very seriously.

35:: in case you were wondering what bo's fake laugh face looks like. this is it.

36:: why sit at a wet picnic table?

37:: their shoes.

38:: every night should end in a bonfire.

39:: i die.

40:: perfect end to the perfect weekend.