When you fall behind in scrapbooking, you're advised to start current and work your way back.
I've fallen so far behind in blogging that I'm going to take advice from the scrappers. I'm starting with today. Then I'll go back over the weeks to offer some glimspes into some of the events in our family life this spring and summer.
So... my apology to faithful readers (some of whom cared enough to poke and prod more than once since I last wrote) who had hoped for more glimpses into my life before now. I feel honoured to have people in my life who care enough to check in often. Funny how once you create a blog, you feel you've made some unspoken commitment to its readers to keep it up to date. I tend to feel a great sense of responsibility towards people in my life, so a blog can feel like a set-up for letting people down. But I'm choosing to live in freedom and not guilt here... so it is what it is. Here are the bits I can offer today.
Today, we climbed a mountain. Cascade Mountain. 4098 feet high and one of the 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks. The 360 view from the top was outrageously beautiful.
I was proud of Maia. Our 5-year-old gal climbed the whole 4k up and 4k down herself, needing only one significant round of encouragement, two bandaids and about a dozen rest stops. I was also proud of Phil, our good ol' boy who made the trip with us and exerted himself so much that tonight he seriously considered passing on his late-night trip outside, as it includes a set of stairs. And I was so thankful for Tim. He carried Eliana on his back the whole way without a single complaint. He earned a much-needed shoulder massage tonight. And Eliana. Ellie was as cheerful as ever, chatting without ceasing into Tim's ears and occasionally offering phrases like, "Wow, I'm really tired!" to which the three of us who were labouring hardly knew how to respond without laughter.
It seemed good to intentionally create a family milestone. I have a feeling that we'll often look back on this climb and its lessons. With laughter. And perhaps a groan or two. I loved seeing perseverance developing in Maia. I pray it carries over into the rest of her life.
These two were so delighted to play in the puddles at the top. They are truly best friends. (And not without their share of a little discord, though you'd never know it from the photos.)
Our sweet old boy pondering whether he can find a way to extend this rest stop...
So we have found ourselves in Lake Placid NY once again (site of the Ironman Tim did 2 years ago) thanks to some lovely friends who offered their home to us for a week this summer. Their generosity toward us is yet another a reminder of God's lavish grace towards us. Their offer fell on the same week as our community VBS week and a local music festival organized by a friend -- neither of which I wanted to miss -- but this seemed the place best for us to be this week. And it has been so good.
Tim is in his element: biking in the mountains, swimming the Ironman course, reading, exploring, engaging people he meets, enjoying time with the girls. Something about being in the mountains is so invigorating... especially for Tim. It's like just breathing the mountain air makes him more him. And simply being away on vacation together has been so a great gift in this season of our lives. It's good to see a slow, steady rejuvenation in the man I love.
Eliana wants just about everyone she encounters to know one important fact: She is three. She likes to sing a little song: "Look at me, me, me. I'm three, three, three. I'm as happy as can be, be, be..." And she's not far off. She's one joyful little girl... most all the time. (I'll leave out the details about those other times for posterity.)
So that was today.
If I had blogged about last week, I would have told you that it was our week to say goodbye to the family cottage. (Sold out of necessity.) We did this by throwing a big celebration with many family and friends who have found this to be a place of refuge for many years. And then moving out every last item that had been acquired over the years as we worked through roller-coasters of feelings. (These pictures were taken the second last time we were there. You would have been hard pressed to capture a picture of me sitting still and just 'being' last week.)
We had an amazing 'God moment' while there. We were about to leave for home two days before the cottage was to be sold, when we got word that Tim's mom suddenly had a room available at the long term care home she has been wanting to move to which is much closer to family... and that she was to move in in two days. This was a shock, since we were recently told she might have to wait two years to be able to move in. Amazingly, her moving day fell on the very last day that she would have possession of the cottage. Not only that, but also most of the immediate family was able to reschedule in order to stay or return to help with her move as well. We had already borrowed a big truck from a friend to clear out the cottage stuff, so all we had to do was rent a trailer for her additional things (and the fact that it all fit into the tiny trailer they gave us was a miracle on its own).
The timing could not have been more amazing. With such sadness surrounding the loss of the cottage, it was really good to see everyone's spirits lifted. God is so good. I honestly couldn't have thought up this turn of events. Even a day on either side would have been much more complicated for us as a family, so it seems this was God's perfect timing. Dark cloud, silver lining.
If I had blogged at the end of June, I would have told you what a thrill it was to get to help open for my favourite singer-songwriter, Sara Groves. She came to Stratford of all places (and she never comes to Canada!) and had the lovely Ali Matthews opening for her. Ali knows what a fan I am of Sara's music and asked if I would play for her. Would I?! Such an honour. And such an inspiring evening of music. Sara's words to us -- through her stories, her music and her encouragement-- were stirring and challenging. I have found few others whose life and music resonate with me so deeply. It was such a treat to have some friends there to enjoy the night with me too.
If I had blogged about the week before, I would have told you that we were all thrilled to have my 'little sister' Yolanda home from Australia at last after five months away. It came at the perfect time to throw a big birthday bash to celebrate her.
If I had blogged the week before that, I would have told you how Maia began learning to ride her bike without training wheels.
Tim got a few good workouts in that week, just running up and down the street with Maia on our little block. You'd think that a helmet and knee pads and elbow pads (and at one point, even leather winter gloves) would have been enough protection against falls, but no. Daddy-O wasn't ready to let her take any big spills quite yet....
Biking isn't the only thing the girls are excited about learning these days. Swimming is all the rage in our family right now. Even if that means practising snorkling in the baby pool in the backyard! The girls have been counting down the days until their swimming lessons start.
Chalk painting (chalk and water on the patio) has suddenly become a big hit in our backyard. So has moon sand. That stuff will never enter my house. But it's fabulous for backyard play. The neighbour kids come over and they create an imaginary bakeshop where they make cupcakes and gourmet chocolates and serve them to anyone who is near. I am delighted when I see kids putting their imaginations to use.
If I had blogged on Fathers Day, I would have told you about the homemade cards the girls made for their Dad. So much love... in the form of an elephant (so Ellie!) and a picture of Maia with her Dad when she was a baby. I love how much care is put into writing in Maia's cards these days.
On Father's day, we also took the canoe we inherited from friends last summer and ran it down the Maitland River, rapids and all. We saw an eagle and its massive nest, so many herons and other stunning birds and butterflies, even a water snake. Here we are at a small sandy spot where we had lunch on the way from Auburn to Benmiller...
If I had blogged the day before, I would have told you that it was actually friends who introduced us to the idea of canoeing the Maitland. One friend parked a vehicle at the finishing point so our three families could run a portion of the river and have a way back to our vehicles. Brilliant. (By chance, our canoes were red, yellow and green. The kids nicknamed them ketchup, mustard and relish. Also brilliant.)
We were so enamoured with our first experience of canoeing the Maitland that we did it twice more that following week. Both times we picked a route where the river snaked back north so that Tim could actually go for a run back to the car and come pick us up. Worked like a charm. With a little creativity and determination, so much is possible!
If I had blogged the week before that, well, I would have told you something of a very different nature.
After noticing a new level of exhaustion in Tim and praying about what to do about it over many months, Tim's doctor advised a two month leave from work. Our church family could not have been more kind or supportive. They encouraged us to spend the summer in ways that would be rejuvenating for Tim and for us as a family. And while at times it still feels like 'too much grace', we are doing just that. Slowly, we are seeing his strength and joy return.
The day I explained to the girls that Daddy would be taking the summer off work, Eliana drew this picture and asked me to write this note. We taped it to the door for his homecoming:
Speaking of Eliana, where do I begin? I could not tell you how many times a day this girl has us all chuckling. Yes, this is self-applied marker on her nose. Thank you, Crayola.
If I had blogged in May, I would surely have told you about Eliana's third birthday. In winter, we told our little gum-swallower that we'd let her try gum again when she turned three. Little did we know this would become such an epic milestone for her to look toward. For months, she would tell everyone (and I mean, everyone, strangers included): "When I turn three, I can chew gum." So I decorated her cake with gum. I don't know how many packs of gum she received as presents for her birthday. Too funny.
My mom sewed a pink princess dress for Eliana to match the green one she made for Maia's last birthday. So special. They just love to dress up in these for dancing.
If I had blogged at Easter, I would have shared this picture with you. And Tim would have told you about how he loved preaching about the Resurrection that day -- one of his greatest passions.
And I would have told you how my parents and my brother's family came to celebrate Easter with us, and how the kids had an egg hunt in our backyard. But I wouldn't have told you how we also bought chocolate Easter bunnies for our girls and then forgot to give them to them. (Since they didn't know to expect any, they never asked about them. By the time we realized they had been forgotten late one evening when we were cupboard-hunting for chocolate, we adopted them for ourselves. Surely, I wouldn't have told you that.)
And at some point, I might have blogged about how I am enjoying creating these days. Most often, in the kitchen. Our increased list of food restrictions have inspired lots of new recipes. I love caring for my family in this way. And I love serving fresh food from our garden -- this year it's bigger than ever. Maybe I'll blog about that sometime....
I've also been creating here and there with music and with paint. Here are two paintings that became gifts in recent months. I'm working up the courage to attempt a huge one for our living room....
If I had blogged a couple of months ago, I would have told you about our furry friend's short bout with cancer. Phil had a tumour removed from his neck. The vet thinks they got it all, so we are thankful to have our old friend with us a while longer yet. It was sweet how the girls doted on him....
If I had blogged at the beginning of April, I would have told you about the trip Tim and I made to New York City for the Emotionally Healthy Spiritually Conference. We left the girls with my parents, drove to Niagara Falls NY....
... and took the train into New York City....
... where we were met by our lovely host Delia, who was not only such a pleasure to get to know, but who also introduced me to Chinese pastries and other international delights...
... and how we spent all day being filled up and blown away by such rich teaching at the conference, and then spent all evening touring the city. I call this one my 'artsy fartsy capture of the Statue of Liberty".
Tim and I were blown away by the subway musicians. Wow. I wanted to take them home with me. Such creativity and talent.
And if I had blogged about things not in these photos, I might have told you about how much I enjoyed my piano students this year... or how I feel so deeply honoured to have done some custom songwriting for others and to walk through that intimate process with them... or how I have reconnected with the school board which will hopefully provide the opportunity to do the odd day of supply teaching this fall.... or how I can't believe that in only one year, both my girls will be in school full time. Time does indeed fly. I'm so thankful to have been home with them so much in their first years.
Thankful for life.
