God's in Butte City, Population 101

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Or more accurately, the tired side of the bed. To be quite honest, I've been feeling overworked and underpaid. The loose change and occasional dollar bill I find in the washing machine aren't quite adequate compensation these days.

 

 

I felt a downhill spiral - in the form of a pity party - coming on. So I said a prayer.

 

God, please grant me patience, energy and an abundance of love for my sweet (needy) family.

 

And within minutes I discovered these precious gifts in my bed ...

 

 

And after scurrying around and dropping Henry off at school the 3 little kids and I got coffee and hot chocolates and drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Butte City. Population 101.

 

We met my dear friend Tracey there along with her two precious kids.

 

And my morning was spent enjoying the gracious gifts God lavishes upon us ... when we open our eyes to Him.

 

Gifts like tree swings ...

 

 And Grandma's arms ...

 And angel faces ...

 And precious little girls ...

 And fresh canned peaches ...

 And grandpas and grandmas ...

 And little boys in the kitchen (no matter what it is they're concocting) ...

 And eating lunch outside ...

 And ringlets and fresh air and wheels ...

 And dirt ...

 And sleeping babies.

 

Thank you God for being present in the simple things.

(which really are the most important things)

 

Home Away From Home

 

Making memories.

 

One trip to grandma and grandpa's cabin at a time.

 

 

Keep Calm

I love the rare moments when an aura of calm falls over our home.

 

Moments like last night after dinner.

 

I was in the kitchen cleaning up.

 

 Henry was reading quietly on the couch.

 

Claire was in her bedroom singing to her dollies.

 

Matt was putzing around the backyard, feeding the dog and checking his garden.

 

And Adam was in the family room, doing somersault in his underwear while yelling like a death metal rocker through an empty paper towel roll.

 

 

Science (fiction)

 

Is there anything cooler than a tomato worm?!

 

They might not be the best thing to celebrate (if you're an avid gardener like my sweet husband), but the kids sure love them. In fact, the 3 oldest spent an hour in our garden collecting them this morning.

 

 

 

 

Collecting was followed by hands-on observation.

(aka - squeezing the poop out of them)

 

 

Which was then followed by an internet search detailing the ins and outs of the creatures.

(the worms were allowed to watch the video clips also)

 

Our two favorite clips included a young boy who routinely does nature videos in his yard and an old man who found great joy in hunting for the camouflaged worms and then smashing them with his shoe.

 

All of our scientific research lead us to just one conclusion:

 

Henry: "Oh Adam! Look at this one!"

Adam: "Yup. These are definitely aliens!"

*     *     *

 

Just after I completed this post, I realized Claire was missing.

This is how and where I found her ...