Slowing Down

Last night as I was putting the kids to bed, I felt a gentle nudge from the Holy Spirit to slow down and really focus on James and then Ella, to not rush through the routine of trying to get out the door of their bedroom without having to answer too many questions.  I'm so glad I listened.

I took in James's little seven-year-old face and the way he kisses me and tells me he loves me, the way he snuggles into his pillow and closes his eyes and says, "I'm so tired" at the end of each day.  I washed all the dirt of an afternoon spent playing outside off his feet instead of lazily putting him to bed with them.

I listened to Ella talk through her day, and I wonder if she's an external processor like me because she tells me every detail.  I let her read in bed until 9:00 like I have almost every night of the Easter Holidays and hope that we'll be able to get back into a good rhythm before school tomorrow.

I am often with my kids, but my busy mind keeps me farther away than our physical proximity to each other.  I'm thankful for those moments when my mind feels aware of the present and lets go of worries and spinning thoughts of the past and the future.

Spring Break Treat of a movie in bed

Seize the Sunshine

I never expected to share a sentiment with Nathaniel Hawthorne, but I do this one:

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."

Ella Turns 9

Ella's always had definite opinions.  And she has stipulated that she wanted to have her birthday video only available on her blog, which I am allowed to link to on my blog.

So...you can watch Ella's 9th birthday video at www.ella-bella-blog.blogspot.com

It was a long birthday video this year; I couldn't help it.  It was a big year for her with a lot of new happenings.  She has, by God's grace, handled it all with grace and courage, and we are so thankful for all of you back home who have invested in her life and to all of her new friends and church family who love her so well.  You make our lives rich.

This Week's Favorites (or Favourites, depending on where you live)

Katie and the Starry Night - I picked up this book at the library to read to James, and it was so lovely!  James colored a picture of The Starry Night at school this year, so I thought he would enjoy this tale of a little girl stepping into several of Van Gogh's paintings.  He did, and I did, too.  Plus, the Amazon link tells me there are books about the Impressionists and Monet as well!  I like the idea of giving the kids fun connections with these paintings because when they see them again there's a point of recognition and a fond memory.  And let's be honest, I really enjoy connecting art with stories.  It means so much more to me then, too.

Sonlight Curriculum Arriving! - It came right in the middle of our summer break, but it's really hard not to get excited about a huge box of books arriving at your front door.  

Because of the timing of our move last year we didn't use a curriculum plan, but I pieced together different things.  When I started looking into things for this school year I wasn't sure if I would continue with Sonlight since we're only at home half the time, but Ella got so excited looking at curriculum, and I got really excited seeing that she was due to start American History this year.  And what wins me over every time with Sonlight is the PLAN and all the wonderful books.  I think those things win Ella over, too.  

Whipped Cream in My Coffee - I actually only did this once, but it was really nice.  Someone left a can of "squirty cream" with me, and I happened to see it yesterday and think, "That would top off my coffee quite well."  And it did.

Capstick's Roses - This may not be completely true, but I feel like I've never really smelled roses before this summer.  As we've been out in a few gardens this summer, you can round a corner and all of a sudden this lovely scent fills the air, and whenever I catch a moment to sit in the swing at Capstick it fills the air, too.  Are they more fragrant here, or am I just literally stopping to smell them more often?

The Reasons James Feels Anguished about Growing Older

"I don't wanna grow up because then I won't like games as much."
"I don't really wanna grow up because I may not get as many presents."

I told him that Daddy is grown up and still likes games, so maybe that reassured him on that point a little, and as for the presents, I think he'll discover like all of us that we care less about presents somehow.  Or the best presents come in different forms.  What are some things you've enjoyed this week?

London: #KizziahsorBust

We said our good-byes to the Kizziah family on a Sunday night in October. We baked Pumpkin Bread and made a Mexican Salad, the kids wrestled and jumped all over Uncle David, and they took selfies, and Katie cried, and we hugged, and John David prayed for us. It was a sweet night.

The first travel information they received was a nonstop flight to Africa, but by the kind providence of God it was changed, and there was a 6-hour layover in London. So on the hottest day in England in 2015 we piled in our car with no air conditioner and drove to the big city. It was kind of a miserable drive. It was hot and stuffy, and we were sweaty, but we all hung in there because we had lots to look forward to.

This was our first time to take the kids to a big city, but I wasn't concerned about them the way I would have been before moving to England.  Walking is something they've grown accustomed to, so we had talks about Tube safety and staying together in the crowds, and we were off.  

Even though I knew the kids could handle some walking, I still didn't think hours of traipsing around the city would be the best thing for them.  We decided to spend hours traipsing around The Museum of Natural History instead.

The dinosaur exhibits were pretty awesome. And did I mention it was free?

Ella took lots of pictures to show John David.

Sabre-Tooth Tiger

This was a super-fun and impressive room when you first walked in and saw that big whale.

 I love that warthog's grin.

The elephants were true-to-life size, and there were interactive elements to the exhibits that kept the kids interested.  It was a really great afternoon marveling at all the Creator has made.

The museum is in a beautiful building, and if you've seen the Paddington Bear movie (as we just did last week), there are lots of scenes filmed here at the museum.  Ella thought it was creepy and scary that the scenes with the villain took place where she'd been.  KJ and I thought it was cool, though.

Gorgeous Stones!

I discovered during our two days of museum-visiting that these places made me feel small in a good way.  It's a vast universe with so, so many things I don't know or understand.

The giant redwood tree trunk had a timeline written on it of what was going on in the world during different parts of the tree's life.

I don't think all of the building was air-conditioned, but there were a few places that must have needed more constant temperatures, and boy did it feel good.  Look at that sweaty tousled hair on that boy.

When the museum closed at 5, I suggested going toward the Tower of London and eating there by the River Thames.  I knew it would give us a good view of the Tower Bridge as well.  All James could think about was the ice cream he'd been promised.

It was really delicious ice cream.

It was a perfect summer's night, and the kids were out past their bedtime, but we still had one more important stop to make.  Ella had a very specific list of things she wanted to do in London.

We were all pretty done-in at this point.  We went back to a hot hotel room (which thankfully had a ceiling fan!) and slept on top of the covers, eager to see our family on the next day, though that was not meant to be after all...

A Dance Lesson

Ella has always been a dancer.  She likes to hear me tell the story of me being at a youth camp when I was pregnant with her, and as soon as the loud booming music started playing as it always does at youth camps, she started moving around like crazy inside of me. 

She's done a lot of free-style dancing in the living room with KJ, danced along with Fred Astaire and Shirley Temple movies, and she's always paid close attention to any ballet instruction Aunt Katie passed along.  I captured a sweet moment of her teaching Aunt Katie the polka step when we met them in London.

T has always loved watching Katie dance, so I knew she would love having a chance to watch Ella at a ballet lesson, and Mrs. Claire was so kind to comply.  The added bonus was me getting to sit in on a lesson and take pictures, which I hadn't done before, and I loved watching my girl dance, too.

The tap was so, so fun to watch.  I only wish I could dance.

Part of the fun of dance was having a good friend to dance with, and Ella is really going to miss Elsa when lessons start back in September.  I'm sure I will miss giggling girls belting out songs from Frozen on the drive there after school.

I love this shot of all these ballet feet.

 

I was sad about leaving behind Ella's wonderful gymnastics coaches back home, but I've been really happy she's had a chance to have some proper dance instruction.  She really enjoys it and has learned quickly.  Now I just need to practice my braiding skills so I can make her hair look as lovely as T did!