Cars, cars, and more cars

Darn that Christmas time traffic.

December Photo Project, Day 7

Time

Nap time.

Also known as housekeeping time.

Dinner prep time.

Sanity check time.

Present wrapping time.

You choose.

 

December Photo Project, Day 6

Like a Cherry on Top

My husband is doing something different this year. Something beautiful. Something wonderful. Something that shows he loves me… and that he wants to love me better all the time.

He knows I like gifts. And it being the holiday season, he hasn’t made me wait till the 25th to receive something special. That’s right. To date, I’ve received a little gift every day since Thanksgiving.

A bag of Lindt truffles. A Christmas CD (Michael Buble’). A package of bobby pins (that I’d been needing!!! LOVE how he picks up on all my hints).

And each gift?

It’s hand delivered with love and topped with a beautiful Christmas bow.

Truly, I’m just tickled to be spoiled with this amazing spoiling… but the bows? The brightly colored shiny bows? I love them. I love that he thought of them. That he bought the nice ones. That he wanted to go the extra mile (on top of the extra mile). Those bows, those beautiful glittering bows…they just make it that much more wonderful.

Like a cherry on top.

I am blessed. Oh how I love my man.

 

December Photo Project, Day 5

Back in the Groove

She emerges at last!

Yes. Here I am! Alive and well. Happy and breathing. It’s been such a busy month.

But I didn’t emerge from homeschool lessons, piano practice, and errand running galore in order to tell you about my busy schedule. The real reason I’m here??

The December Photo Project with View from the Prairie Box. I just couldn’t resist the challenge. Last year, I took it on and snapped some great (and some terrible) pictures every day for the entire month of December. Now, a year later, a year wiser, a year more adept and more camera savvy, I’m ready to take it on again.

I think I really need the accountability of joining a group and taking on the pictures. Otherwise we might be destined to another month of haphazard blogging and rare picture taking.

It must be the way my husband feels about running. He loves running and puts down some real mileage each week, but he always is looking for the next marathon. Sure he’s competitive and wants to race for racing’s sake, but he also appreciates having a goal, something to shoot for, something to keep him from the same old same old, and pushing on to longer and faster and harder runs.

And I totally get that. And totally feel the same way. Accountability can make such a difference.

So here I am. The first photo’s for December. Yes. I’m a day late. And yes, I actually took these pictures this past weekend. But OH WELL. It’s hard to get going again after barely picking up my camera the last month. You should be proud of me.

And amazed that I took these pictures with the self timer on my camera. Can you believe it? Sure, not quite perfect, but the lighting, the smiles, the pictures overall are pretty. darn. awesome.

Oh I just love our sweet little family. And love that I have a new picture to put on the wall without a whole lot of effort. Nice.

Bedtime kisses

I was thinking last night, as I tucked the boys in bed, that bedtime kisses are such a precious way to end the day.

Often as we get ready for bed, I feel rushed and hurried, trying to get teeth brushed, clothes in the laundry and the last toys picked up before bowing our heads to pray together and sing a bedtime song.  I often feel an overwhelming desire to “just get them in bed already!!”

But you know, there is something about bedtime kisses that just makes the world stop.  The hurry, the rush, the fatigue… it stops.

And for a moment or two, or ten, we slow down. We breathe deep. And we enjoy those tender snuggles and kisses from our three little boys.

Isaiah likes to give 5 kisses and 5 hugs and likes to count them out as he gives them. It always makes me smile when I imagine him catching his breath and gasping for air in between kisses in order to shout: “One!” “Two!” “Three!” etc. My cheeks are always damp at the end… but its an endearing kind of dampness, the kind that fills me with happiness as I take in his warm breath and soft skin.

Joshua likes to give 2 kisses and 2 hugs. And he likes to divide the kisses between cheeks. He often grows distraught if he forgets to give each cheek an equal amount, and says things like, “Mommy!! I wanted to do two kisses on this side AND two kisses on that side so that they have the same ma‘mount.” And so we begin the kissing count down again, making sure each side receives the proper portion. I love being kissed so devotedly.

Noah is in on the act as well. He doesn’t count or measure his kisses, he just gives loud, wet smacks, and says “Mmmmmmah” as he does it. It’s so sweet it gives me shivers. Noah also makes sure to offer a few bedtime smackers to his brothers. He stands at the foot of the bunk-bed with arms stretched high, waiting to be lifted up to kiss his big brother on the top bunk. It melts my heart.

These bedtime kisses bring my day to such a precious close. I always leave the room, (as Nick sits down to read to them from a “chapter book” --currently the Chronicles of Narnia), with a smile on my kiss stained face.

Oh these boys and their sweet little kisses! Oh, may the day never come when they are too big to kiss their mama.

Or… too big for their mama to kiss them.

Because, I admit, I’m not the only one whose cheeks are covered in love. Truly, I cannot resist their round little cheeks, chubby little toes, and soft little hands and I smother my boys at least as many kisses as I receive.

Oh boy, I love it. And I’ll kiss them till the day I die.

God is good.