Camping

One of the highlights of this summer was a camping trip that we took on the Oregon coast.  Nehalem Bay camping site is where we went with our friends, the Corrigans, last year.  With Lisa home with brand new baby, Marcus, we hit the sand solo this year.  The camp sites are tucked against a burm...the beach is on the other side of the hill.  LOVE.

 We spent evenings looking at this.

 Day times looking at this :)

 And nap times, like this...

It was so much fun to have the kids all together, but away from home.  Why is it that a change of scenery can end all fights and heal all sibling rivalry?

 Jordan is in his element in the wild :)  He built fires, chopped wood, went for runs, took Silas on bike rides and hikes, and snuggled Jewel by the fire.  THAT is a vacation.

 Here they are, all chasing each other on the beach.  Yes, all of them, that is Trey in the ergo...strapped to Jordan.  Best Day Ever.

 Sweetness.  (if you are wondering who that kid is, buried in the sand...I have no idea.  I was obviously only seeing my hub and my baby)

 The sand remains Silas' happy place.  A beach full of sand...we could have left him there all day and he never would have missed us.  No food, no talking, no distractions, just the boy and his sand.

 One afternoon we took a walk to the bay.  The tide was out so there was just a vast area of packed sand, bordered by warmer and calmer water.  Trey was thrilled.  He had spent the entire rest of the trip covered in dirt at the camp site.  I tried to keep him on a picnic blanket, but he would have nothing of it.  He chewed on fire wood, threw handfuls of dirt up in the air and all over himself, and crawled after the kids everywhere they went.  I started out slightly uptight about the messiness...but, at the bay, I had more fun watching him :)

 We had so much fun, Jewel slept on the way back to the tent.

We had smores every night, but keeping the fire going was much more fun than eating marshmallows.

 Jordan taught Silas how to chop the wood, and let him build and stoke the fire.  Note to self, start teaching Jewel how to fold laundry and empty the dishwasher.

We ALL slept in our tent.  ALL of us.  Surprisingly the big kids both did incredible.  Trey woke up at least once a night, and was the first one up every morning.  I was tired, but they were so great during the day and we had so much fun, it was TOTALLY worth it!

Window Into Heaven

Several weeks ago we heard a message in church about Malachi chapter 3.  The sermon was about testing God with our tithing, and seeing how he will be faithful to meet our needs in His ways.  Jordan and I were on month 7 of living in our Hillsboro house with the garage piled high with boxes, watching the Oregon summer slip through our fingers from our shoebox backyard.  I was dreaming of what our "window of heaven" was going to look like...honestly, it had a lot to do with me.

Malachi 3:10
Bring the tenth part into the store-house, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the Lord of All. “See if I will not then open the windows of heaven and pour out good things for you until there is no more need. 

As I wondered how many acres God would give us, or what my next kitchen would look like, I thought to myself, "When we get into our next house, I am going to make an art project and put that phrase up somewhere in the house.  It will be our 'window into heaven'."  

God didn't audibly respond to me in that moment, although I am sure he had a little grin.  He just let me keep coming to him.  More weeks went by in the house, more sunny days seemed to slip past our tiny backyard and shadowed windows... so our family planned a camping trip to the coast.  Trey was waking much earlier than the other kids, so I strapped him to my back and we walked the beach.  In the early morning, brisk air, I talked to God.  I just thanked him for the ocean, the sand, the precious little boy now breathing heavily against my back, and the opportunity to be in communion with Him.  I heard him speaking back to my heart.  

"It's like a little taste of heaven, when you and I walk on the beach together."

Yes, it is, I thought.  Then the verse came back to me.  Like a window into heaven.  In his gentle love for me, I felt convicted.  So, heaven may not be just the home I live in.  I do feel heaven here, also.  I could also feel heaven in our Hillsboro house.  Maybe heaven is more about meeting Jesus, and less about my actual location.  

A week later we settled on coming to Jenn's house.  In His gentle love for me, he spoke again.

"This is a window into heaven, I am here with you."

I looked around.  He was everywhere.  Late night conversations with Jenn, the kids playing together, laughing as we figure out how to put 4 kids to bed in the same room at the same time, enjoying dinners on the back patio, sweet snuggles with a soft baby, watching Jordan with all the kids climbing on him, and all in the setting of an Oregon summer.

This is a little sampler of heaven.  

Laying out in the sun, getting warm after the splash pad

Two handsome brothers having snack

Resting in the shade, with a binky, with someone who understands :)

Of course...there is a lot of this in heaven!

Picnics on the play structure

Toasty red cheeks from bike rides, swings, and games of chase

Roasting marshmallows with friends

Or just eating them straight out of the bag...

Having smiles that are so genuine and real and beautiful

Being good at your favorite things

Chasing bubbles

For the first time

Oh yes...this is heaven

Snuggling up for bed time stories, all together...never having to say 'goodbye'
(as a side note, Jordan has swept me off my feet all over again since we have been here.  He is amazing with all the kids.  Not gonna lie, it turns me on :)  I can only say this here because I have already said it to him.  Incredible.)

There is still a lot of human in this heaven.  In the real heaven, kids won't fight over toys.  Babies won't wake in the night making mommies so exhausted that they lose their minds and yell at the older kids when they won't rest at nap time.  In real heaven, husbands don't work late or overseas.  And, thankfully, in real heaven, you never have to walk down the stairs at the end of a long and busy day, and see this...

In God's gentle love for me, he has reminded me that the most incredible things about desiring heaven is desiring him.  It isn't about me, it's about him, and it is indescribable.  

Dear Grandpa

Dear Grandpa,

At our new house we were listening to some music with our friends while we colored.  The music station played ALL your songs.  First was Wheels On The Bus, then Twinkle Twinkle, and even Skid-a-mrink!  We were so excited.  It made us talk about you and miss you.  Trey was clapping, just like you taught him.  Thank you for singing us songs, Grandpa!

Silas, Jewel and Trey


Dear Dad,

One afternoon while we were getting settled at the new place, Jenn and I turned on a kid's mixture station for the kids to listen to while they were coloring.  It played a lot of songs, but then all in a row came three of the most frequent that you had been singing to the kids while you were here.  At first Jewel shouted out, "Grandpa's song!".  When the next one came she looked at me and said, "Grandpa's in there?".  When the third one started she let out a big sigh and leaned her head against my arm and whispered, "My Grandpa".

After the kids were off and playing, I was cleaning up crayons and papers.  The music was still on and it started playing You Are My Sunshine.  My heart fluttered and my eyes got blurry.  It may just be the busy week, or all the change, the lack of sleep.  No.  That's my Dutch side trying, trying to give a practical explanation.  It wasn't practical, it was personal.  It was because I wanted to let out a big sigh and just whisper, "My Dad".

Thanks for singing to me.

Sommer

Sunshine

 It is true that we get a lot of rain in Oregon.  The winters are hard, very short days, many that are grey and dreary.

But, when the sun comes out, and there is visible and tangible evidences of the work of the rain.  There is no where else I want to be. 

This spring we did a lot of hiking and exploring.  Every budding flower, every waterfall, every bright green tree, causes us to say; O Lord, how GREAT Thou Art.

 Multnomah Falls hike. 

 This is why Jordan is the best Dad.  Not just a hike, not just corralling the kids down the path, not just pointing out the sights...he stops to teach them about marking your path to find your way home.  They learned about the power of a current and why it can be dangerous to fall into a river even if it looks shallow.  And we all tasted water squeezed from moss, survival skills 101.

Nearly 10 years for us...I had no idea what a great deal I was getting back then!

When the kids play in the sandbox in the back, I scoot Trey's exersaucer out so he can watch and get stocked up on vitamin D.  He likes it :)

Here are the promised 'catching up' pictures.  Trey at 6 months, pulling up and standing anywhere he can get a grip.

Matching tattoos.  Pretty tough.

A trip to the fire station with our Mom's Group from church.

Getting Trey dedicated at Westport.  This is my family :)

Jewel was totally distracting to the audience with her flashing grin and sunglasses.

Trey played it cool and sucked his thumb when it was our turn to be introduced.

Thankful.  We have a church family who does just as they promise in a dedication...walking with us in support and encouragement as we humbly take on the gift of parenting.

L.O.V.E.

Jewel really getting into feeling the warm sand at the park sandbox.

Trey, really getting into melting his momma's heart with his bright blue eyes and thumb sucking cuteness.

And he knows it.

First trip to the splash park.

Getting Trey in on the Saturday morning pancake and sausage breakfast.

Getting big, drinking from a sippy cup.

So, this is a major splattering, but just documenting for myself (and for the kids), that we did do fun stuff this spring :)