A happy corner

This Spring I have kept the seedlings to a minimum knowing that my time would be dominated by another tiny life.  But in the deep darks of March I couldn't resist putting some seeds in the dirt, and we now have 3 healthy cucumber starts, 5 bell peppers, and 3 birdhouse gourd starts (which are an experiment I'm really excited about!).

Last night I actually got outside and got my hands dirty - with Derek's help of course.  We transplanted our raspberries to drier, higher ground, and in the process had to move several rose bushes (which of course meant expanding another flower bed).  It was fun, but exhausting.  So today I am just sitting inside staring at my seedlings, looking forward to the day (it's not that far now!) when I will plop their little toes in the warm soil outside, and enjoying a well-deserved cup of raspberry tea.  Isn't that appropriate?

Easter: eggs and hunt

Dyeing eggs with Grammy.

On the hunt at Gramma and Papa's.

Some clues were up a little too high for short people...and written in English.  So Dad had to help out.  I just love the way Luke is standing in this photo, holding his jacket like an old man.

Nearing the bag of treats speeds on even the slowest hunter.

Due

39 Weeks

A woman reminded me the other day that we may not get something we really want if we don't pray for it.  So I began praying what seemed a little selfish, "Lord let this baby come while my Mom is here".  So far, no dice.  And the clock is ticking.  I keep reminding myself that even if the baby waits a week...or two...or three (!) from today, that today is a good day. 

Today I have a healthy kicking baby in my womb that I love, and whom I have the exciting chance to prepare for and look forward to meeting.  Today my Mom is here and we sat in the sunshine on the deck and watched Luke pile sand in the trailer of his John Deer tractor.  Today I pulled a few weeds out from around my peonies which are coming up.  Today I went for a long walk and counted 17 geese flying North.  Today we will BBQ salmon and chicken for dinner - delicious.  Today is here.  Tomorrow will come eventually.  And so will baby.
But Lord, hear my prayer!

Haircuts all around

And aren't they looking sharp?

When Derek came home Luke asked, Dad, isn't Linus handsome?

And the answer Derek gave was, I suppose you could say that.

Which means, Wow, he sure does!

Good Company

Good company puts up with 18 hours of travel without complaining and then stays up half the night with an excited little boy who won't sleep, takes him to the toilet whenever he asks (and sometimes when he doesn't), gets woken up by a 2-foot bouncing munchkin at 6:30 am to read endless stories (the same one over and over and over), climbs into the most awkward positions to retrieve an unwilling (read: screaming and crying) boy from the "pirate ball pit", lets a 2-year old help clean out the fridge (!), cleans out the fridge (!), does dishes, goes on what's suggested as a "nice walk"only to come home with snot frozen onto her face because we used all the kleenex on the boy, makes the hugest batch of bran muffin batter in the history of muffins, and sits in the backseat because she's the little boy's favorite person in the world.  And we still have the whole week ahead of us!

The End of the Week

Tomorrow is officially the end of this week.  We've said good-bye to a dear little baby, and tonight we say hello to a visitor from far away.  The camera has come out of it's bag for very little because these are days when I have felt powerfully that I need to sit in the moment and not behind the lens.

After meeting baby Wyatt on Tuesday afternoon I sat in the sun on my back porch and watched my dog "protect our airspace" as my Mom's friend says.  I contemplated babies.  I contemplated what it means to be alive.  And those two thoughts and all they entail so overwhelmed me that even when my son fell comically face down in the mud, or twelve little birds lined up front to back to front on the deck railing, or the sun shone so that I stood outside in barefeet and short sleeves, I could not bring myself to get out my camera.

So this week you are left with words, words words.

And we are left to say good-byes.  

And hellos.

Such joy in a meeting.  Such sorrow in parting.