A few more of my favs from the summer! I love these boys :)
Friday, 28 October 2011
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Summer Adventures #5 - 9th Annual SFU Crew Birch Bay Trip
I don't know any other way to describe this group of friends than as extended family. We all met in University and, over the years, we have all got married and some have started having kids but, what's really cool is that there has been a continued effort beyond University, beyond graduation and work or family taking us to locations extending from North Vancouver to Burnaby to WhiteRock to Langley and even Halifax, we have all made an effort to stay connected and that, combined with the strong connection we all had in University as well as what I truly feel is the hand of God on all of our friendships, we have stayed close and grown even closer over the years through all of lifes' changes.
Some of the 'connecting' we do happens at get-togethers over the course of the year but once a year we all take time out and head down to Birch Bay to spend some quality time together. Next year will be our 10th annual trip and we're already starting to plan it so every one can be there. This year we missed the Mansfields, Zvonarova's and Andersons' but it was still a great time and so many memories were made.
I love all you guys so much and, Jon and I, look forward to the years ahead of continued friendship, fellowship and always silly fun no matter how old we get or how many kids come into the picture. You are all truly a gift from God and we so appreciate you loving us for who we are and loving our boys. We plan to return the favor with you all and your families for many years to come.
Some of the 'connecting' we do happens at get-togethers over the course of the year but once a year we all take time out and head down to Birch Bay to spend some quality time together. Next year will be our 10th annual trip and we're already starting to plan it so every one can be there. This year we missed the Mansfields, Zvonarova's and Andersons' but it was still a great time and so many memories were made.
I love all you guys so much and, Jon and I, look forward to the years ahead of continued friendship, fellowship and always silly fun no matter how old we get or how many kids come into the picture. You are all truly a gift from God and we so appreciate you loving us for who we are and loving our boys. We plan to return the favor with you all and your families for many years to come.
Summer Adventures #4- McCarthy Birch Bay 2011
Birch Bay - two words that mean relaxation, fun with cousins and, once a year, the July 4th fireworks and two special girls' birthday celebrations. Every year, we try to set aside a week with Jon's family and a week with my family for a trip of some sort and each year we LOVE going down to Birch Bay with the McCarthys' and, slowly but surely, Ben is growing to love the pool even more but the grandparents, the parades, the C shop, the ocean have all been favorites of his from the start. Here are just a few memories from this years' trip :)
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Summer Adventures #3 - Family
The one thing I find with my photography is that I don't get in too many photos unless I ask and set it all up, which inevitably means that I don't get too many candid moments of me and my kids captured but the posed family shots will have to do for now and, I'm talking Jon into letting me pay someone to do family shots for us once every few years to satisfy that other desire :) Here are a few from one morning before church and, yes, I have the boys in matching outfits. I swore I wouldn't do that but I can't help myself. It's too much fun!
Summer Adventures #2 - Pool Time
Still being owners at Pepperwood has its' perks and the pool is one of them! Ben is slowly, but surely, getting to like the water better, though he still mostly hangs out on step 1 or step 2 of the pool. In fact, the photo in the middle was probably proceeded by a lot of crying but, the more I put Ben in situations where he is challenged to try something new, the more I am reminded that, when given the opportunity, he will continue to amaze me. It reminds me of a song I started singing to Ben before he went to bed and the words are so true, 'Ben is a promise, Ben is a possibility, Ben is a promise with a capitol 'P.' Ben is a great big bundle of potentiality and Ben is learning to hear God's voice and Ben is trying to make the right choice. Ben is a promise to be anything God wants him to be.' I love these boys and, love even more that, those words I can sing to Ben & Jacob can be impressed upon their hearts at such a young age so that, hopefully, with God's help and grace, my boys can understand the unlimited possibilities that lay ahead of them as children of God. 
Monday, 19 September 2011
Summer Adventures #1 - Aunty Ruthie
Growing up, I had a lot of honorary Aunts and Uncles, which is why it doesn't seem confusing or odd to me for my boys to have the same experience. I always knew who my biological family members were but, the blessing of having a lot of other men and women in my life who showered me with love was pretty special. Ruth is going to be one of those 'Aunty's' for my boys and has such an amazing place in my heart. My dearest and closest friend for so many years, she knows me inside and out and loves each and every quirk - I love that about her and love every chance we get to hang out. Here are some photos from a fun night with my favorite Fro :)
Love you Ruthie :) xo
Love you Ruthie :) xo
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Summer Adventures: Some thoughts...
So, it's Sept 17th and I have yet to post any photos on our family blog of our summer adventures. EEEK! Every time I go to start, I either have a photo shoot to do, something to do with the boys or something football related ;) This morning, as Ben quietly plays and Jacob is still sleeping, I've decided to make a dent in the giant stack of photos that represents a blessed summer of family memories for which I am so thankful.
Do you ever get so busy with life that you don't stop to think about all the ways you're blessed and, instead, get bogged down in all the details of day to day life? I fall into that trap all of the time and, for me, a calm , peaceful and grateful heart comes primarily from two things: daily prayer & frequent journalling. I am such a verbal processor and, by writing things down, I am able to remember what's truly important and realize that the things I've been stressing about are small in comparison to those things that will matter for eternity, like my relationships - primarily my role as wife and mother but also as friend, daughter, daughter-in-law and sister-in-law. It's when I stop to pray and journal that I start to think about the weighty responsibility of parenting and it's only, when I am in prayer, that the desire to take this responsibility seriously and tackle it head-on starts to grow.
I've been having more of these moments lately. God has brought enough things into my life that have made me stop, slow down and come back to a place of prayer. Parenting has brought me to my knees a lot lately - namely, parenting an almost-3-year old who is too smart for his own good. As we look ahead to celebrating this amazing human being later on in October, daily I wonder how best to train him to be a little boy who loves the Lord. I've started reading 'Grace Based Parenting' and I'm trying hard to send my child out into the world with a desire to honor God born out of a real Love for the Lord and not born out of guilt. I'm trying so hard to allow myself the grace God offers so that I can pass that grace along to my children. I am constantly challenged by this huge task and constantly blessed by the seemingly unconditional love children offer at this age, even on the days where you don't feel like you're doing a good job as a parent- it's almost as though they extend that grace to you and, in their unconditional love, you can catch a glimpse of the love of the Father. Funny how that works.
So, what I'm trying to say is that, in between the family memories I'll share from our summer, there is a lot going on - a lot of trial-and-error parenting, a lot of frustrating moments, a lot of laughter, a lot of tears, a lot of early mornings with little patience for the toddler that wakes up wanting to play right away, a lot of puzzled looks by parents who realize their toddler has once again developed a new bad habit that we need to adapt to....But, even as I write this, as I verbally process our day-to-day life, I see the joy in all of those things, good and bad. I see the light in Jacob's eyes when he watches his brother, I see Jacob's bright smile even as his brother steamrolls his head, I hear Ben saying 'Mom, what a beautiful day,' I see my boys snuggling each other in bed while Jon reads them a story, I hear Ben saying 'Jacob and Jesus are friends because they're both babies,' I see the amazing imagination of my almost-3-year-old, I hear Ben singing 'I just called to say I love you' at the dinner table, I hear Ben saying 'Well, fanks' when I congratulate him on using the potty, I hear Ben saying 'I love you so much, with emphasis on the SO.'
I see and hear all of these things and, even though I know I'm a work in progress as a mother, wife, and friend, I know that 'He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.' I rest in that grace and hope and pray that, when others come in contact with me and my family, that they will see Christ in us and, through our lives, experience His grace. That would be amazing and make this whole, crazy adventure so worth while, don't you think?
Do you ever get so busy with life that you don't stop to think about all the ways you're blessed and, instead, get bogged down in all the details of day to day life? I fall into that trap all of the time and, for me, a calm , peaceful and grateful heart comes primarily from two things: daily prayer & frequent journalling. I am such a verbal processor and, by writing things down, I am able to remember what's truly important and realize that the things I've been stressing about are small in comparison to those things that will matter for eternity, like my relationships - primarily my role as wife and mother but also as friend, daughter, daughter-in-law and sister-in-law. It's when I stop to pray and journal that I start to think about the weighty responsibility of parenting and it's only, when I am in prayer, that the desire to take this responsibility seriously and tackle it head-on starts to grow.
I've been having more of these moments lately. God has brought enough things into my life that have made me stop, slow down and come back to a place of prayer. Parenting has brought me to my knees a lot lately - namely, parenting an almost-3-year old who is too smart for his own good. As we look ahead to celebrating this amazing human being later on in October, daily I wonder how best to train him to be a little boy who loves the Lord. I've started reading 'Grace Based Parenting' and I'm trying hard to send my child out into the world with a desire to honor God born out of a real Love for the Lord and not born out of guilt. I'm trying so hard to allow myself the grace God offers so that I can pass that grace along to my children. I am constantly challenged by this huge task and constantly blessed by the seemingly unconditional love children offer at this age, even on the days where you don't feel like you're doing a good job as a parent- it's almost as though they extend that grace to you and, in their unconditional love, you can catch a glimpse of the love of the Father. Funny how that works.
So, what I'm trying to say is that, in between the family memories I'll share from our summer, there is a lot going on - a lot of trial-and-error parenting, a lot of frustrating moments, a lot of laughter, a lot of tears, a lot of early mornings with little patience for the toddler that wakes up wanting to play right away, a lot of puzzled looks by parents who realize their toddler has once again developed a new bad habit that we need to adapt to....But, even as I write this, as I verbally process our day-to-day life, I see the joy in all of those things, good and bad. I see the light in Jacob's eyes when he watches his brother, I see Jacob's bright smile even as his brother steamrolls his head, I hear Ben saying 'Mom, what a beautiful day,' I see my boys snuggling each other in bed while Jon reads them a story, I hear Ben saying 'Jacob and Jesus are friends because they're both babies,' I see the amazing imagination of my almost-3-year-old, I hear Ben singing 'I just called to say I love you' at the dinner table, I hear Ben saying 'Well, fanks' when I congratulate him on using the potty, I hear Ben saying 'I love you so much, with emphasis on the SO.'
I see and hear all of these things and, even though I know I'm a work in progress as a mother, wife, and friend, I know that 'He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.' I rest in that grace and hope and pray that, when others come in contact with me and my family, that they will see Christ in us and, through our lives, experience His grace. That would be amazing and make this whole, crazy adventure so worth while, don't you think?
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