partridge day

Little sister is finally coming home; this makes me very happy :)

more

Luke is communicating so much more and is so fun to be with. He now understands what I am saying to him and responds. He loves to be read to and will pull a book off the shelf and climb in my lap for a good story. This week I took him for a walk to the park and he had fun walking over all the bridges and sliding down the slide. I then put him in the baby swing; while I pushed him, I sang him scripture songs. At one point I stopped singing and he looked at me and put his hands together to form the word "more" in baby sign language and said "mo" in a deliberate little voice. I smiled.

When we got home it was time for his nap, so I put him in his crib and ran my fingers through his hair while I continued to sing. He closed his eyes and I lifted my hand. Immediately he opened his eyes and without saying a word, picked up my hand and pulled it back to stroke his hair. Sometimes words are not necessary.

Being with Luke that day I heard the word "mo" a lot. It reminded me of the song by Michael W. Smith that says: More love, more power, more of You in my life.

We were created to desire more love and more of God in our lives, more of His saving grace and power. There is a God-shaped hunger in us that we try to satisfy with all manner of other things. I am hungry to know God more.

a few of my favorite things...

• knee socks
• books
• pillows
• pictures
• Handel’s Messiah
• babies
• bold colors
• handwritten letters
• flowers
• gelato
• snow
• twinkle lights
• travel
• running
• laughter
• sunshine
• bare feet
• writing
• learning
• capturing the images in my head
• honesty
• cooking
• art
• stars
• water
  
• fuzzy sweaters
• big words
• paper
• rain
• learning
• loon calls
• the ocean
• family
• fall
  
• lightning storms
• misty mornings
• berries
• wide open spaces
• sunflowers

Birthday Mom

10 days ago it was my beautiful Mum's birthday. The first birthday I can recall that was just hers. Adri made her famous carrot cake and it was beautifully trimmed with delicious crimson raspberries. Happy birthday Mom! We will continue the celebration with Elissa in a few weeks.

Howe Retreat

A couple weeks ago my parents were out of town and my sister, Adriana, and I thought it would be fun to stay over with our Uncle Tim and Aunt Lyn and be their kids for the weekend. We made a guest appearance at the wellness seminar, sang carols around the piano and were welcomed with warm hospitality. Uncle Tim built a fire for us in a cozy cabin and we snuggled down in the most comfortable bed ever. Sunday, Uncle Tim showed us some of the art of basket making, but only on a very basic level (he had already cut the tree and made the splits with a knife of his own crafting.) We were grateful to glean from the master; the weekend went by far too quickly.

pumpkin time

So it wasn't midnight, but the process from pumpkin to pie was fun.

Thankful

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I will list some of the things I am most thankful for:

• for a large, loud, fun family
• for friends in all corners of the world
• for people that believe as I do
• for a crackling fire on a cold night
• for health and strength
• for flowers and the promise of beauty in our growing bulbs
• that I will never reach the end of knowledge and understanding
• God’s patient working in me
• the many freedoms I still enjoy
• the internet
• music
• running water
• great teachers
• communication

Thanksgiving

It's that wonderful time of year again when we enjoy great food and celebrate family and freedom. This year could have been one of the best Thanksgivings to date, had Elissa been here (we miss you). Dad made a fabulous spread as usual and we sat around the table as a family, recounting God's blessings and the events that stood out to us individually. This is the highlight of our holiday and it brings to our rememberance the way God is always at work in our lives, the little things that have made this year special. Mostly, I'm just thankful for my family.

baby eyes

these boots were made for splashing

I got to spend the day with my young friend Luke who I haven't seen in a while. I took care of him last year from the time he was 6 weeks old to 1 year. He has grown so much and I couldn't believe that he recognized me, but he sure seemed to. I forget how much fun toddlers are; he is just precious.
It was dark and rainy, but he wanted to splash in the puddles that were forming on his street. He has these cute froggy boots and that's just what they were intended for. Keeping up with a 19-month-old is pretty much a blur, hence the motion in these photos.