A Page in Our Scrapbook

Life has been a tad busier for me (Amanda) than normal these past several weeks. Just the thought of trying to write a blog post has made my brain so tired, but life has been happening and there are many moments I have been wanting to record in our "digital scrapbook," as I like to think of this blog. (Will our kids even know what a scrapbook is when they are are older? Probably only if they look in a museum!)

Anyway, praise God for a morning with Him and a burst of energy for this full saturday ahead of us. Davey and I  were up early and enjoyed the coolness of the summer morning. Being up and tending to the garden and being with God at this hour in the summer reminds me of the many summer mornings spent at FCA camps. Miss that so much, as I have been reminded recently of the great friendships and amazing people I met. Thank you for that wonderful season of my life, God!

Me and Davey this morning.

I mentioned that I've been a little busy. God has been blessing us with a full house, and that has meant a lot more dish-washing than usual. A few days ago I gave Corrie and Mac "Mommy and Daddy" bowls and spoons for breakfast since all of the plastic ones were dirty. They loved it!

I tried to take all three kids on a walk using our newly acquired Sit-and-Stand stroller (thanks to Front Royal friends who enjoy frequenting yard sales and finding good deals). I have been dreaming of one these for a long time, as it can hold all three kids easily and folds up nicely. Davey was not quite ready to sit in the front seat, and he stayed happy just long enough for me to take this picture before crying. We will try it again another time, buddy!

Maybe he was crying about having to wear Corrie's pink Hello Kitty sweatshirt!

Later that morning I realized our dryer was broken. Thankfully, we have a friend around the corner with a clothesline, and we've been making trips to their backyard to hang our laundry. Is it strange that I have found this so enjoyable?

Our friends have raspberry bushes in their yard by the clothesline, and it's been really fun for Mac and Corrie to go raspberry picking while I hang the clothes!

 

And meanwhile, Davey sits in his carseat, holding his little feet together :)

In the evenings, we've been playing outside and enjoying the beautiful evening breezes. Mac and Corrie like to make me "rock soup" with water, "ant dirt" and pebbles from our driveway. It's quite yummy! (Not!)

They also like to use the many pieces of sidewalk chalk we seem to collect as gifts from various people. Instead of coloring with the chalk like I would imagine most kids do, Mac and Corrie soak the chalk in water until it gets really squashy, and then they use it like finger paint. They smear it all over and make puddles on the ground to wiggle their toes in.

Corrie has been looking pretty cute in her ponytails, and Mac has been wanting to wear them too. They love admiring their hairstyles in the bathroom mirror!

And Davey has been Davey. He is so smiley, and there are certain things that will bring a guaranteed belly laugh (kissing his neck and tummy, holding him up in the hair and smiling at him, etc.) He is in that sweet little stage where he loves sticking out his tongue. I love it.

Oh, and a couple videos I wanted to share. I think they show the two very different styles of play that Mac and Corrie have when we play outside!

(Here's Mac playing with a fishing pole. Love Corrie's take on the whole scene!)

And here's Corrie creating a sculpture piece with her rock collection. She is always making artwork somehow...I am glad when her artwork is outside. (I will comment more on that later!)

Believe it or not, there is so much I have left out of this post. As I have been stretched more than usual lately, God has used my weakness to expose areas of my parenting that He would like to redeem. I hope to be able to comment on that at some point. Until then, we are thankful for the memories recorded here and the many others (some happy, some hard) that God has granted to us.