Why We Live Here

When I’m tempted to give up on this place – to sell it and move on to something more suitable for our family size and lifestyle – or when someone who’s never been here asks me why we stay, I think of things like this, as I sit on my new deck and let Spring do its work on me…

…this is my view to the west:

…and this is my view to the north:

…and this is my view to the east:

…and behind me, to the south, is the house in need of so much care and love. But I’m not in there today, I’m out here, reminding myself why this place is so amazing. Inside awaits laundry, and dishes, and diapers, and two-bedrooms-one-bathroom-for-seven-people, and renovations galore. I think I will stay here. For now.

(All pictures came strait out of my iPhone camera, unedited)

Lenten Photo Project | Day 42

Green smoothie at sunset: dinner of champions

311 – Blue sky and white puffy clouds
312 – Eggs, always eggs
313 – Kefir
314 – Fresh, raw milk
315 – A good, sharp cheese
316 – Snowpants, washed and put away (optimistically)
317 – A little spring weather on the way
318 – The way Silas pushes little cars with just one finger
319 – Good, sturdy bookshelves
320 – The beauty of the cross

Lenten Photo Project | Day 41

Silas with his friend Matt

301 – Pasta with friends
302 – Kids dirty from the creek
303 – A boy who went potty today – twice!
304 – How much Silas loves to say his one and only word (“Hi!”)
305 – A husband who’s well enough to go back to work
306 – Re–celebrating Ellery’s birthday this Friday
307 – Clean towels
308 – That I’m never bored
309 – Frozen mangoes
310 – The huge flock of robins in the yard

Lenten Photo Project | Day 40

Maya dancing

291 – The imprint of Silas’ ear on my arm after nursing
292 – The curious alpaca that stared at me as I ran past him
293 – Running after being sick for so long
294 – Running at all – a miracle for this out-of-shape non-runner
295 – Maya’s joy when she talks about Girls on the Run
296 – Watching the kids play outside for hours today, despite the cold
297 – Dirt gardens
298 – Handmade blankets
299 – How much kids love to see their own pictures
300 – How a brush pile becomes a playland if you really want it to

Lenten Photo Project | Day 38

Wood piles are always pretty

281 – Palm Sunday
282 – Holy week
283 – The fellowship of the believers
284 – Soup
285 – The Tim Keller Bible study we’re doing at church (Gospel In Life: Grace Changes Everything)
286 – Hosanna!
287 – Seeing children wave palm branches with gusto
288 – The hope of a new deck
289 – Being able to run again
290 – Playing made-up card games with Asher

Lenten Photo Project | Day 37

Mommy’s vacuuming. Again.

271 – Awesome kids who can handle three stores in one day
272 – The ability to buy food when I need it
273 – My sweet Miele vacuum
274 – My gorgeous, wide plank pine floors
275 – A husband who was willing to install over 1000 feet of them
276 – Children who naturally age them with no per-square-foot charge
277 – Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
278 – How much children love to give gifts
279 – Antibiotics, when they are needed
280 – A dishwasher so quiet that it has a special light to let you know that it’s still on

Lenten Photo Project | Day 36

261 – Our new stove!
262 – That we already had stainless steel cookware for our new induction cooktop
263 – Loving graffiti on the kitchen walls that haven’t been back-splashed yet
264 – How Ellery used to call Silas “Bobby” when he was in my belly
265 – True friendship
266 – True love
267 – Heaven
268 – The situations in life that teach me empathy
269 – A successful ear tubes surgery for Silas
270 – That winter can’t last forever (can it?!)