Two weeks ago we found a turtle. Or, rather, it found us. Judging by the way it swam right up to where we were standing on the bank, and by the way it fit perfectly in the palm of my hand, we immediately knew we were destined to keep this turtle. When my kids ask
David has a habit of picking dandelions for me. He finds them everywhere, on the walk home from the bus stop, in our yard, poking through cracks in sidewalks. He’s done it for years, at least since he was three, right around the time I told him yellow was my favorite color. I never keep
A few days before Easter, as soon as we had nice enough weather to be outside, we dyed Easter eggs. I marched all the kids outside and told them to sit at the table and wait while I made several trips inside to get everything. Asking kids to WAIT and NOT TOUCH is a big
So thankful we finally had a few warm days before Easter, so I could keep up with my six-year tradition of dressing my kids like rabbits and taking pictures in front of our neighbor’s landscaping. I actually had four pairs of bunny ears, even though I am completely realistic about this sort of thing —
At the first sign of snow my kids start begging for hot chocolate and popcorn. I welcomed them inside from snow once, and that’s exactly how long it took for the tradition to stick. It’s funny how every single morning I tell them, “It’s time to go to the bus! Put on your shoes, get
We spend most mornings doing dignified things like practicing our table manners, reciting the larger catechism, and discussing foreign films. But on this particular morning it was unseasonably warm. Thomas went outside in his normal uniform — no pants, no shoes, and his favorite hand-me-down orange shirt. He ran around pretending to be a bird,
Last weekend our family took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and went to the James River. The only word I can think of to describe Tom and I as we got out of the van is “laden.” We had three kids, plus water bottles and a picnic lunch for five people, two blankets, and
It’s fall. Usually this is the time of year that I begin my campaign of reminding people that fall is awful. Guess what? I’m not going to do that! Even more evidence that I’ve matured a lot. There’s a lot of excitement in our family surrounding fall this year; David started school, we’re welcoming a new baby. And
At my most recent prenatal check-up, my doctor was asking me how I’d been feeling, and I told her what I tell everyone — mostly fine but super duper, all-the-time exhausted. We talked about my iron levels and a few other things and then she asked, “Are you getting enough sleep?” Yes. I’m mostly sleeping
This is one of the most simple, best ideas I’ve seen in a while, and we’ve had so much fun this summer participating. Ah, there’s one of the great things about this — anyone can participate. This project is easy, free, fun, inspires creativity, gets you outside, and encourages community. It does everything except fix