Our story

I reached into my bedside table tonight to grab my camera and upload some pictures for you. Maybe tell a few stories to go along with them. I was amazed to find that there were no pictures ready to be uploaded! Me? Not take pictures in days? How can that possibly be? Well , here are a few word pictures for you of things I don't want to forget and then some video as it is really hard for me to post without having some kind of images to go along with my words!

* Today we took a long walk around the "neighborhood" with Amelia pushing her little stroller and Sam pushing a push toy thing. Anyway, while Amelia dotes on her baby dolls and bathes/rocks/nurses/cuddles them, she does not put them in the stroller. She uses the stroller to collect things on our walks. Today by the end of the stroll she had collected 4 snails, 2 squished box elder (?) bugs, various dried fruit that had fallen from trees, and about 5 rocks. Sam participated in the collecting:) We finished the walk by letting them splash in puddles until I managed to coax them inside to take a bubble bath. Anyway, I just love when I make myself slow down and let them explore at their speed. It is s l o o o o o o o w , but wonderful.

* I wish I had pictures of them giving good-bye hugs to their bud Vera yesterday. They are all growing up so much and it is bittersweet to see them all change. How thankful I am for friends, big and small!

* I wish you could have seen Sam watch a bulldozer working at the park a couple of days ago. He looked so adorable standing there holding an armful of sticks he had collected, eyes wide as the digger worked really close to him. Once again, I forced myself to s l o w down and let him watch until his little heart was content. We then moved on to riding the 1950's little rides they have at the park for kiddos. Sam rode on the cars and the planes and he had this little tiny smile on his face the whole time. He was trying so hard not to smile (he hardly ever does this but it was really cute) but you could tell he was SO happy. The first time he rode on the cars (a few weeks ago) his mouth literally hung open in amazement for the entire length of two rides. I was laughing so hard I cried. Amelia spent most of the rides alternating between smiling really big and saying, "Off. Hurt. Off. Hurt."

* I'm actually glad I don't have a picture of the scene today before naps. Two toddlers in the car in hysterics. At home trying to get them in the house and remain calm while they simultaneously melted down. It was crazy. I did not remain calm. I think I have already kind of blocked it out from my memory but I do remember praying afterward that God would draw me closer to Him and away from the situation in those moments so that I will be more gentle and less toddlerish myself! It reminded me of how I felt when the babes used to have fussy hour together in the evenings and nothing seemed to help. Only now they are bigger. And louder.

* Mmmmmm. Joel made a yummy dinner tonight. Turkey tenderloin, salad, corn, mashed potatoes. I know that was a random thing to write but I can see the dishes from here, waiting to be done and so I better go.

Here is the first video. Why oh why is it so hard to get the boy to sing his ABC's on video? Here are the little sillies:)


Here is our little letter lover again in action...


Lots of fun with boxes...


More soon, Jen