Ordinary days

Just a few pictures here to log in my heart some ordinary days. Adam was away for a bit and so we just hunkered down and lived life. Some days are full of simple chores and life with little girlies. We struggle through upsets and bad attitudes, bad dreams, sleepless nights and yet....there is beauty in these ordinary days because of the grace extended upon us in Christ. Each day is a gift. Here are a few pictures of some cousin moments and the three girl cousins in matching dresses.

The gift of friendship

If truth be told, we're not huge Valentine's Day people, not the Hallmark variety anyway. But February tends to be a bit grey on many accounts and a burst of color and reminder to love each other well can be just the thing to pull us through the last bits of winter.  We had a very full week with lots of friends and tea parties, both real and imaginary. We had a snowy day and though we couldn't manage to make a snowman hold together we did enjoy the blustery day.  We're thankful for our Nana who drove all this way to deliver little gifts and for the gift of friendship during cold and dreary days.  We're also thankful for more sunshine, for bright tulips, roses and Papa flowers for his little Valentines. We're thankful for our new floor, for greenhouses in winter and our new terrarium.  We've had a really busy, but fun week.  

February

February is here and two little people have decided to wear red almost every day! We are learning 1 Corinthians 13 and learning what it means to live it out as two sisters and a Mama and Papa. Yesterday we had a taste of spring and played in the sandbox, went for a romp in the woods and thought we heard robins.  Today is grey and rainy so this color starved Mama will look at these eager faces in their red and hope for spring. 

To remember: Words Edition

In the thick of parenting and training these Little Ones God has given I want to remember these hilarious words, the laughs they brought during hard days and the smiles that came from the girls when I laughed.  Here are a few treasures:

Billiboons  = ballons  (Lena)

Theeeese  = cheese, during a photo (Lena)

Kiweeds = kiwis (Emmie)

Likstrip = lipstick (aka chapstick) (Lena)

Liddle Room - living room (Lena)

Lena has the most adorable little lisp and Emmeline chews her words sometimes so many other words have come out that are beyond funny. When I remember them I'll add more here! 

January doings

In this, the tail end of January:

We're reading a lot of books about springtime, bluebirds and gardens. Since it isn't going to snow we're moving along to the next season.  We have been studying the ballet Swan Lake recently and have read the story along with listened to the music.

We're wondering about types of clouds, painting with our new artist kids (bought with own coins saved up at the consignment store), We're draining detached rainbows, bird collages, small stories and solar circles.

We're making up new languages for imaginary families called the "Rylee Kimball family" and narrating tales with our little people. This is all good unless it is at 9 pm when you are supposed to be sound asleep in your Big Girl Bed

We're exploring colors by melting crayons and blending paint, talking about "beautiful sunsets" and the shape of tree branches in the winter and the contrasts of light and dark by having special candle lit dinners with Great Grandma's fine china.

We're playing in blanket tents and forts and a cousin huddle at Uncle Mark's birthday party. We're playing the piano every day.

We're learning to be truly repentant, what sympathy means, that it is ok to be sad about things and about death and the Resurrection. We're learning to eat Paleo breakfasts with home-made kraut, smoothies, carrots, sprouts, sausage and kefir. We're learning to be thankful for each thing we have been given and for the people in our lives.