New Pictures!

Fall comes to Luray

The boys swept all the leaves and branches out of their fort yesterday, and today they asked to have a picnic inside it. It was about 60 degrees and windy...a perfect day for peanut butter sandwiches and hot cocoa!

Just Bee-lieve!

This afternoon, the boys and I took advantage of a completely perfect day out in the sunshine and fresh cool air of the Lowcountry. They were busily flying kites, and I curled up in my lawn chair with my Mary and Martha book, as I have class tonight. Soon, the boys tuckered out from all the running, and they came and sat by me to take a rest and grab a cool drink. Josh caught a glimpse of some movement down on the ground near our chairs. Somehow, hundreds of tiny ants had managed to ground a far larger yellow jacket and were repeatedly attacking the bee. Josh, with his tender heart, saw the disadvantage of the bee and decided to defend the underdog. He took a stick and pushed the ants away from the bee, and kept holding them off to give the bee enough time to regroup, find its legs, and take to the air where it was designed to be. As I watched Josh take action, I was reminded of how life is often like that. We are God's creation, his masterpiece designed in his own image, and often we are attacked from every angle. Designed to live as His children, with all the blessings of a Father who loves us deeply, yet many times we find ourselves entangled in the cares and traps of this world, in spite of the greater power that has been extended to us. We allow these things to so overwhelm us, that we are dragged out of our rightful place in His kingdom, thus ineffective on all fronts. As I watched Josh move his stick vigorously to keep the ants far enough away from the bee, it made me think of how many things that God holds back, lovingly, protecting us from the onslaught that would surely devour us if not for His provision and defense. Yes, we are assured that this world will bestow it's fair share of trouble on our lives, but moreover, we are promised that the One that overcame it all, is on our side. I am learning how deeply intimate the Lord wants to be toward us, if we would just let Him. I am always amazed how He can use anything (even a little boy, a bee and some ants) to reveal a beautiful truth about Himself to the ones He holds so dear to His own heart.

Feeding frenzy

I grew up in a family of ten, where my mother made a real dinner every night...I mean a real dinner...complete with every food group! She never made the same meal twice in one week, that I can remember! And if my memory serves me correctly, we all devoured pretty much what ever Mom made...we rarely turned our noses up to anything (unless it was the occasionally vegetable that we didn't like, which is pretty normal in any family!) Well, I have come up against a brick wall with Joshua! The boys are at opposite ends of the spectrum in their tastes. It's hard to find a meal that Jonathan won't eat, and hard to find one that Josh will! Luckily, Luis seems to like anything and everything. But finding something that Josh will eat is a constant challenge. Breakfast I have got under control...they both love their pancakes and scrambled eggs, which I make almost daily. Jonathan takes grits with his plain eggs and pancakes, and Josh likes his eggs with ketchup, no grits. I can even get them to eat cereal if need be, and there's no battle. Lunch is usually fine...soup, sandwich, some kind of fruit, milk...no problems. When it comes down to dinner, our main meal together, that's where the fun begins. Anything with a corn tortilla is out, in Josh's book. Basically, Josh is not a fan of any Mexican food. So staples like beans, that I cook a pot at a time, don't go over very well. We just studied in Science about our tongues and taste buds. I did the fun taste test of being blind folded, and holding your nose and trying to figure out what you are eating. So, this past week, I have forced Josh to eat his veggies, and told him if he really doesn't like the taste, to just hold his nose. So far so good. Unfortunately, he is such a picky eater that he is holding his nose at almost every dinner. Oh well, we won't be eating out at any five star establishments any time soon. I so hope this is just a phase!

Our Grandfather's Yard

Lying on the cool green grass, looking up through the branches of the towering sugar maple trees, we were surrounded by the unmistakable fragrance of autumn. They were stately giants, adorned with flaming reds, burnt sienna, vibrant yellows and oranges. We watched, my sister and I, as the leaves fell, one by one...drifting and swirling...taken by a gentle breeze and sailing magically, down, down. We tried to catch these dancing beauties, only to have them flit and flutter above our heads, then be whisked away by the breath of fall. Out of our reach, we could almost hear them laughing as they eluded us...making their final journey to the earth. The lush yard was soon transformed into a radiant carpet of fallen jewels. We sprung to our feet and leapt from one leaf to another. Each snap and crackle beneath our shoes echoed in the otherwise peaceful silence of the country. We knew that this would only last for a season, and soon the cold winds would arrive, scattering our treasured leaves. The blankets of winter would come to tuck them in, ever so deeply, until they would mysteriously vanish. Never again would they display their hues in all their splendor. Even still, we played as carefree children, in the utopia of our Grandfather's yard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (This was written from my memories as a child in our Grandpa Kalisiewicz's yard, just next door, along with my best childhood buddy...my little sister.)