Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

the christmas light express.

We had the most impromptu Christmas fun last night! Driven purely out of guilt for not hanging lights up on the house this year {and the kids LOVE Christmas lights}, we stole an idea from a facebook friend and decided to make driving around to see lights on other houses super special. Yay for all of you that put in the extra effort with lights so that we could have a good viewing! 
While these munchkins were showering, Chippey-the-elf {aka: daddy} was busy at work…

Chippey had a surprise for all the kiddos after they were in their pi’s …

These tickets were given to each little… {our color ink wasn’t working so they all had a pink tint to their faces but they didn’t seem to mind!}

Presenting, the Christmas Light Express!!!

{Aka- really dirty minivan because we live on a dirt road- ignore that. You guys, why did I put off the move to a minvan for so long? It has it all. Even electric outlets in the back that were clearly installed specifically for Christmas lights. That was the manufacturer’s plan, I’m sure of it}.

The boys weren’t sure what their tickets meant and came out in a mild state of confusion.

I wish I had a video of this. They were screaming, “Christmas lights!” and laughing hysterically. It was all kinds of awesome.

This pic is blurry but I love Ben’s expression here. Confusion. Shock. Amazement.

{Oh, yes, for the keen observer, that is a sofa in the mudroom. We planned to move it to the apartment above the garage after getting our new one, but, alas, the best laid plans can fail. It doesn’t fit up the stairs. Therefore, it remains in our mudroom and probably will for quite some time. “Just step over the sofa as you enter” is a common phrase as you enter any home, yes?}.

Again, I wish I had audio to accompany these photos. It was hysterical.

You can imagine.

Chippey even made popcorn! {For a minute and a half, we considered hot chocolate as well but decided that we weren’t that crazy}.

We drove around town shouting “Christmas lights!” Dave and I were cracking up the entire time. A lady in our downtown square took a photo of us driving by. We were quite a sight.

We stopped to see several friends after warning them to look out the window as we drove by. It was such a hilarious and fun night. Definitely a new tradition!

What’s been your most surprising Christmas fun this year? No pressure to do more, just a chance to share fun ideas!

happiest of thanksgivings.

It goes without saying that this Thanksgiving is one of abundance for our family. We are seeped in gratitude for the way we have been overwhelmingly blessed.

The journey from that first photo to the second was soaked in love and grace and God’s faithfulness. It was also very, very HARD. It was scary and uncertainty loomed. Yet, He was always right by our side. He was working on our behalf even when we couldn’t see it.

Above all, we were taught invaluable lessons about who God is.  Friends, He is so very good. He is Sovereign. He is Mighty. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I know that our double portion of blessing is a testament to His goodness and unwavering love.

I {finally!} finished reading Shauna Niequist’s, Bread & Wine, last night and the words in the final chapter seem especially appropriate for this Thanksgiving day. As we prepare to sit around the table with the ones we love, may we listen to Shauna’s advice to come and sit. To be present. To love and live fully and wholly.

“I want you to stop running from thing to thing, and to sit down at the table, to offer the people you love something humble and nourishing, like soup and bread, like a story, like a hand holding another hand while you pray. We live in a world that values us for how fast we go, for how much we accomplish, for how much life we can pack into one day. But I’m coming to believe it’s in the in-between spaces that our lives change, and that the real beauty lies there. 

…I want you to gobble life up in huge bites, tasting everything, trying every new flavor, remember every smell and texture like it’s the best thing you’ve ever had. I want you to live with wild and gorgeous abandon, throwing yourself into each day, telling the truth about who you are and who you are not, writing a love song to the world itself and to the God who made every inch of it.”

Happiest of Thanksgiving to all of you, sweet friends.

weekend smiles.

A few things that made me smile this weekend…
1}. The chill in the air on these cool, fall mornings. {And, the way the morning fog drapes the landscape out here on the farm}. 

2}. An afternoon spent with friends. {These little ones have celebrated Halloween together over the years…it makes me smile to see the way they have all grown together…and a little misty-eyed too}.

3}. These works of art. {And, the fact that my friend, Leslie, is always brave enough for craft projects at her house…}

4}. This concert series created to feed little tummies. {And, the fact that we have a standing date night with some of our favorite old and new friends once a month}. 

5}. This stay-cation. {Our floors were being finished and we had to evacuate due to the smell. What a fun night it turned out to be: jumping on beds, sneaking in our pup in my purse, swimming, riding the elevator, breakfast buffet. All things magical to these littles}.

6}. This little love. {Because she just makes me smile. All the time}. 

7}. This girl carrying her pumpkin to the party. {Because, you can take the girl out of Africa, but you can’t take Africa out of the girl…}

8}. This Halloween celebration with dear friends and old neighbors. {Because I adore yearly traditions and miss our neighborhood pals}. 

9}. This photo. {Because, these two. She loves her daddy to pieces}.

10}. My little artists. {Because they have always loved to create. And, I have always loved to watch it happen}. 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, also! 
I’ll start back up with my Tour through Blogland next Monday. Sorry about starting that and then just abandoning it for two weeks…my gals had some unforeseen stuff come up. But, these are worth the wait. They’re going to be good!!

under the stars.

Dave had recently suggested to the boys that they set up a tent and camp together in the backyard. Without fail, every day since, the boys have asked if tonight was the big night. Each day, there was a reason that the answer was “not tonight, maybe tomorrow.“

Our days are full. By the end of the day, we have either been out late or dinnertime has quickly ushered into baths and bedtime. This past weekend was busier than anticipated. School nights were not an option.

Days passed. Yet, the boys kept on asking.

Yesterday, Dave decided to make it happen. Even if he had an early morning meeting and knew that sleep would be difficult on the cold, hard ground.

The evening was a bit chaotic, Charlotte and Sylvie were both sick and the normal evening tasks seemed to be taking longer than normal. It was cold and wet outside. Dave was exhausted from a long day at work. It would have been easy to scrap the idea and try again another night.

That wasn’t happening.

Dave knew that the boys would have patiently waited for another night. He knew that it would have been reasonable to hold off on this seemingly small thing. Yet, more importantly, he knew that the biggest risk of waiting would be that the boys may stop asking. They may stop looking to their hero to join them in making memories. They aren’t going to be four years old forever. Time passes in a blink. These moments are what this life is all about.

So, they pitched a tent. They lit a fire. They sang songs. And, they huddled together under mounds of blankets and slept under the stars.

Magical moments.

This morning, they woke up early and drank hot cocoa in the tent. They came inside laughing and ran into my room right away to tell me all about their fun night through smiles and eyes shining with joy.

I’m so thankful to be married to a man who loves his family so well.