Land of the Free

We celebrated Memorial Day in Rochester this year.

 I am a sucker for this holiday - I love everything about it. The parades, the firemen in their dress blues, the veterans walking proudly down the streets of their hometowns.

I love the burgers and hot dogs, the watermelon, the picnics, the marching bands, the official start to summer. 

Though we missed our family and the Sewickley parade, we had a wonderful time with new friends and undertook new adventures.

This is a verse I have been loving lately: "So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God Who made you, for He will never fail you." (1 Peter 4:19)

I don't know why, but I thought a lot about that verse on Monday.

What a relief it is to rest in Him.

Snakes & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails

When I was a little girl and I played house, my dolls were all daughters. When I found out that I was having identical twins, I immediately envisaged little blond girls in bare feet and matching sundresses. I had their names all picked out.

God had other plans, and my house is currently overrun with three boys and their trucks and Star Wars guys and muddy sneakers. Even when they're filthy, I have to beg them to bathe. Some of their actions and needs are so foreign to me that I have to read entire books about raising them, just so I don't lose my mind. One of the chapters in the most recent book I read was entitled "Get Used to Skid Marks." 

And the truth? Boys are so much fun. They are infinitely more fun than I remember being at their age. They are wild, fearless, and almost like dogs in their need to be outside, free, running off energy. My doorbell just rang, and I figured it was the neighbor dropping off something I had asked her for. Instead, I found this on my stoop:

You might as well have given them each a car. They adore amphibians.

They haven't been this giddy since they found the dead chipmunk, christened it John, and attempted to bring it into their bedroom. 

Be careful what you wish for. God will give you something better.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

A day to sleep in. Drink coffee in bed. Get only myself ready for church. Receive flowers and cards and sweet sentiments from my family. It's the most wonderful time of the year :-). I love Mother's Day.

My sweet sister, knowing my love for long & luxurious baths, surprised me with bath bars that "smell like Covent Garden when you get off the Tube." Anyone who would describe anything quite like that is pretty amazing in my book - and she's my sister. Blessed indeed. These are already being put to good use.

Happy Half Birthday to You

Max and Sam officially turned seven AND A HALF this week... and I forgot. Who remembers these things? The kids. That's who remembers these things.

So we're celebrating today. As I've added children and responsibilities to our family with each passing year, I've learned the hard way to keep things simple. When I don't, I run out of steam as soon as I inaugurate a new tradition, leaving the kids to sadly reminisce, "Remember the time you rented a pony for my half birthday?" I'm kidding. I'm not that bad. But with four kids I need to keep things simple and inexpensive if I'm going to be able to do them every year. 

This year for the half birthdays we started the pick your own cereal tradition.  This is the ultimate luxury for my poor, underprivileged children, forced to eat the Aldi brand of sugarless Cheerios morning after bland morning because their mother doesn't believe in Fruit Loops. 

Happy half birthday to my rock 'em sock 'em twins. Let the sugar comas commence.