"The best things in life are nearest:

Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes,
flowers at your feet,
duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.
Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes,
certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest thing in life. " Robert Louis Stevenson




I don't know why it is that I sometimes think I cannot live the life my heart craves. Simple things like baking bread and growing food and nature walks and a rhythmic week and a hand craft skill. I think I get caught in the thinking trap of "because I haven't before, I cannot now" and it just isn't true. So, I take a little step. I bake bread--with my children (and friends:). Our first try was yesterday and I loved it. I loved the smell and bubbles of the yeast, I loved seeing the ingredients slowly form into dough and I loved the feel of my hands shaping it. I rejoiced as I gave each child a little ball of dough to play with and watched as they mimicked my clumsy attempts at kneading the dough. Such a small moment, but a moment that was meaningful to me. Meaningful in my quest to be "certain that daily tasks and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." It's sometimes hard in this busy, stimulating culture to see the worth of the work of our hands and yet I so often find that as my heart and my home move slower, my thoughts turn to our God. To ask Him for energy and willing hands, to ask for a thankful heart and contentment in my daily work. And really, drawing nearer to God really is the sweetest thing. It is what my soul cries out
for most. So I thank Him again now, for teaching and growing me in this season as a mama, as a wife, as a teacher, as a keeper of my home--teaching me that fulfillment can come through things as simple as making a meal, wiping off the dust, kissing the hurt, celebrating a birthday, making bread, praying with our children, singing as we work, giving grace and receiving it, running in the backyard sunshine, forgiving and being forgiven. It is all near and it is all sacred.

All for now,
Jen

All aboard!

I brought the babes rocking boat inside for the first time in a while. They have had so much fun fishing, going on trips, etc.

Sammy's imagination is really starting to blossom lately and it is so much fun to see and hear! For example, he is constantly seeing an octopus any time there is water. He and I can really start going, running and screaming as an octopus chases us around the house and giggling about it all the while. Amelia gets this half scared/half amused smile on her face and says, "Just pretend.....right?!" Poor thing, I should probably knock it down a notch. The other day we were at the playground and Sam said he saw one under her swing in a puddle and at first she looked scared and then she said, "It's okay, it's a grandma octopus and she's really nice." She then closed her hand as if she had caught her and carried her all around the playground talking about how nice the grandma octopus was!

Anyway, I am just fascinated by how different their play is. Amelia's play usually revolves around her babies or animals and involves stuffing them into things. If she is playing w/ her dollhouse she tries to stuff all the dollhouse dolls into a bowl or something. She always has dolls stuffed down her shirt eating or sleeping. When she is playing with play doh even she is usually folding one of her animals into the play doh like it is a blanket or making a nest or just buries the things underneath. Maybe you just have to see it to understand but I guess the bottom line is that her play is either relational, nurturing, and/or stuffing. Sam is imagining, building, or moving.

Here is Amelia taking all her babes for a ride in the boat. When I asked her where they were going she said, "A island to see Vera and Anne and Sasa:)" When she got out to go get some more dolls she said, "Don't worry mama, it won't float away." :) ;)



All for now,
Jen

Standing at the kitchen sink, hands hot as I scrub pots and pans and such. The sunshine shining in the window above the sink and I take a moment to thank the Lord for the warmth. For the sun. For the many,many little blessings that He gives throughout the days. My mind floods with thoughts as I turn to Him, thoughts of joys and of little sorrows. So intermingled as they always seem to be. I think of Joelie and how a few months ago he said to me that these past 8 months or so have been "the brightest days of our marriage." I thank the Lord for His grace in our marriage. That though Joel and I hurt each others feelings and say things we regret often, we have grown and are growing and love each other with true and rich love. I think of the dust on the living room side tables and how "dailyness" so often creeps up on me and I just can't seem to keep up with it. I ask for true wisdom as I grow in my role as keeper of this home. I thank Him for ways I have seen Him already give me so many resources from people and books and His word, on how to create this sacred space that I so desire. I think of our adoption. My hearts sighs and grows heavy. I know that the same feelings that I felt with infertility are creeping back in. Questioning why part of my journey seems to be strongly desiring children and yet having to seemingly wait and wait and wait for them. I want to trust. I want to have open hands and surrender the process to Him...He can see the big picture. I realize that the water is too hot. I turn it off and go to check on the sleeping babes. I pass the "Millet bars" on the counter and smile at these interesting and not very tasty snacks I made for them this morning. I smile because I remember the satisfaction of finally remembering to get "millet" at the store in my quest to try new grains. The first attempt failed and yet every day is new. Every day is new. Now that is indeed a joy.

Little friends, growing up...

Babes...

One year old...

2 years old...


Closing in on three years old...




Oh, these little ones! They are just too much with their little conversations and holding hands and, you know, being little kids together. So adorable. Just feeling thankful for friends today, especially Anne and Vera, who have been by our sides through so many of our days and made them brighter. She wrote a little post about them today too:) All for now, Jen

When I saw this book at the thrift store last week, I knew I had to buy it. We all love the story of the boy going to the forest to collect nuts and how he relies on his woodland friends to help him get home when he loses his way. We are reading it daily....

I wonder if it is partly because he reminds us of another cute little boy in a red hat that loves the forest:)

I think maybe so:) Jen

Little artist/Little mama

Two of her favorite things in the world...painting and nurturing her babies:)






Isn't she lovely? Jen

The perfect weekend escape...

We had the whole farmhouse to ourselves and just settled in for most of Sunday and Monday. We took a walk to the river where the babes "fished" and threw rocks. We sat on the front porch rocking chairs while the sunshined. When the sun went down Sam and Amelia were riveted by their first viewing of Charlottes Web. The next day we just relaxed in the morning and then went "snowshoeing" (AKA, carrying children that have snowshoes on:). No really, they did great. You know, it's just different than snowshoeing with adult friends, who may feel like screaming and falling into the snow face first whenever their glove falls off again, but they don't. Toddlers do. They sure are adorable though, and boy do they make us laugh! All in all, in was a serendipitous weekend (to borrow the description from my mom-in-love) and one that I will always remember. Jen

Boy. Girl. Twins.

Sometimes when I think about the babes being boy/girl twins, I unconsciously assume they may not be as close as they grow older as same sex twins might be--especially identical twins. But as I watched them play today in their room today, he with his truck and she with her dollhouse, I thought about how they have been so different from the start and yet they usually choose to play together. They choose to play "together", side by side, even when they are playing with such different toys or what have you. They have done this for as long as I can remember. It made me smile to think of them as (gasp) teenagers. Sam playing the piano while Amelia dances, Sam drawing while she reads, separate but together. They will choose different passions I am sure, and that is good and healthy, but I just have a feeling they may just be each other's yin and yang for a long time to come. When I think of that, and what a gift it is, it just warms my heart.

P.S. Believe me, I know my ideals of them as teenagers may seem a little lofty:) I am well aware that two persons living their lives so closely together means not only more sweet times, but also more brushes against each other. I experience it daily!

Weekend Wanderings...

Salt Lake City has been so yucky lately with inversion (smog like polluted air) filling the valley. Last night Joel had had enough and said that we needed to get out! We are all feeling yucky with coughs and conjestion and I think the air just makes it worse, so I heartily agreed. At nap time today we put the babes in the car and set off. We didn't even know where we were going! So spontaneous, I know:) We found ourselves about an hour away in the clean mountain air. We had such a delightful time. !t was even warmish on our walk in the snow--it felt like summer to us at 46 degrees! Maybe that's why Sammy and I had the most fun of all, we are the warmer weather lovers. Even in my skirt and clogs, I just had a blast:) We were so forlorn as we drove back into the cloudy city, we decided to go back tomorrow and spend the night! I am so,so,so excited. Here are a few pictures of our day for ya:)









Hope you had some adventure in your weekend as well, Jen

What made this trip feel like a true vacation....

They slept. They slept well. Granted, some parents probably wouldn't consider it a great success. I still sit in the room while they fall asleep and that can take anywhere from 15min- upwards of an hour. It can be frustrating. Amelia still fights sleep like crazy. She (and sometimes he) still come to sleep with us half way through the night. But, from where we have come from (especially on our Texas trips), the sleep we all got on this trip was more than a success. It felt like a true vacation. We were rested and that makes me truly thankful.

With all that is going on in Haiti, it makes me look at these pictures with even more thankfulness and gratefulness. May we all hold our children a little tighter and with a little more perspective ,and pray with all of our hearts for those who have lost theirs so tragically.

Quinoa Casserole...yum,yum.

This is from the cookbook "Make it fast, Cook it slow"....
The Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 TBLS olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced or chopped almonds
1/3 cups dried unsweetened cranberries

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
handful of baby spinach

The Directions:
Use a 4- quart slow cooker. Rinse Quinoa and dump in crock. Add olive oil, chicken broth, salt and cinnamon, almonds and cranberries. Stir. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours on low, or 2-4 hours on high. Fluff quinoa with fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cook on high for about 20 min or until spinach wilts. Easy Peasy!