Day Twenty-six: Night.

Have you ever gone
for a walk at night,
when the world gives
a gentle sigh of relief,
when familiar, dingy streets
seem much more mystical
than they ever actually could be?
It's moments like this
that make me wish
we lived in town
so that my sweetheart and I
could clasp hands
and pretend, just for a moment,
that time stands still.

Day Twenty-seven: Something I ate.

There's no greater breakfast
than fried egg and toast.
Sometimes I like to make
a tasty little sandwich,
sometimes I reserve
one piece of toast for jam,
and sometimes I leave the eggs
to stand up by themselves
and let the toast take the show.
Whatever I may fancy at the moment,
it's ALL delicious.

Day Twenty-eight: Money

I've got a nickel,
I've got a nickel!
I've got a nickel,
hey hey hey hey!
...
That being said,
I think the nickel
is a very under-valued
coin.

Day Twenty-Nine: Something I'm listening to.

Have you ever heard of Shane & Shane?
No?
Well.
They are arguably the most talented
musicians I have ever heard.
I don't make that claim lightly.
When I was listening to them
just a moment ago,
shivers ran down my spine
and my eyes teared up.
Nothing but God-given talent
and God-honouring music
has that power over me.







And with that we come to the end of the February Photo-a-Day challenge! It was a BLAST. I am planning on doing the March challenge, but I do not think I will be posting it here. If you want to keep up on my photos and you use Instagram, then find me there - my name is arsawat. 

mirror baby!

Green.

Day Twenty-five: Green.

It's vacay time!
And I got a new iPod!
Well... new to me.
So!
I took many grainy
driving pictures today.
Yay.
The only green in sight
was found on these
numerous signs.
There you have it.

this might be a little boring...

Day Twenty-Four: Bathroom Cabinet.

Sadly, we do not have a bathroom cabinet.
We don't even have bathroom drawers.
It's something that makes me question
the judgement of this house's designer.
Anyhoo.
What you get today
is a sample of the vast array
of toiletries that are always
cluttering up my bathroom counter.

...enjoy?

my feet are happy

Day Twenty Three: My shoes.

I spend most of my life
wearing slippers.
It's a fact.
I used to be partial
to fur-rimmed moccasins,
but I've since fallen in love
with their less hairy,
bead-less cousins.
Then again,
I have myself a pair
of extremely fury,
daintily-beaded mukluks
from the 80's,
and don't you even try
taking them away from me!

where I live

Day Twenty Two: Where I Work.

The work that I do
involves many different things,
like changing diapers,
wiping noses,
enforcing nap time,
sweeping floors,
doing laundry,
planning meals,
occasionally making those meals,
and entertaining two small boys.
Even with so many tasks in a day,
it still seems like most of my time
is spent on the floor
with these two little beans.
This is where I work, this is where I live.

the most precious memories

Day Twenty One: A Favourite Photo of Myself.

It was hard to sort through
a whole bunch of different happy times
in my life and pick a favourite
picture to share today.
I think this picture takes the cake, though.
This was moments after Ben was born.
He was handed right to up to me
and we cuddled
for what felt like forever.
I will never forget the feeling
of my newborn babies
being laid on my chest.
Never!

why Sundays are so stinking hard

Day Twenty: Handwriting.

I read these words this morning...
Or, rather,
My husband read these words
to me this morning.
What a good reminder
that there is nothing to be
ashamed about
in the gospel of Christ.
Why are people
offended by the power of God
for the salvation of everyone
who believes?

Yesterday was Sunday. Most people know Sundays as a day of rest, a day when Christians gather to hear the word of God and have fellowship with one another. The reality for Christian parents of young children is that Sundays are the hardest day of the week - anyone will say so. 

Yesterday was exceptionally so. Benjamin was snotty and grumpy because his sleep wasn't the greatest, which was only compounded by the putting off of his morning nap - a usual occurrence on Sunday mornings. Judah was also grumpy without explanation. He was taking for-ev-er to eat his breakfast, but I stuck to my guns and made him finish the orange he had been incessantly begging for. Meanie, I know. When he had begrudgingly finished the last few bites, I lifted him out of his high chair. It was then that I realized why he had been taking so long: it's hard to eat whilst pooping, you see. Instead of whisking him off to be changed, I wrote a witty little note that said "Smell me! xoxo" and commissioned Judah to take it to his daddy. 

What I didn't realize was that it wasn't a normal BM in his saggy diaper - it was a full-force, no mercy EXPLOSION. He dropped little bits like Hansel and Gretel all the way to our bedroom. Oh, Joey got the joke. And he also got a few unexpected surprises. I walked Judah back to the other end of the house to be changed, still not realizing that he was dropping bits all. the. way. there. I will spare you the grim details, but I will tell you that the best remedy we could think of was to plop him in the tub and hose him down. 

The rest of the morning was no better. Both boys screamed and cried and wailed and whined right up until the moment the minivan-in-motion closed their belligerent little eyelids. Sweet relief.

I'd like to tell you that as soon as we got to church, the Hallelujah chorus rang out and all of our problems dissipated. I'd like to, but it would be a lie. We made it through Sunday School unscathed, but when we sat down for the morning worship service, some problems presented themselves. Judah was not his normal self, choosing to cling tightly to his daddy's shoulders and rest his surprisingly red little cheeks in the crook of his neck. And then the coughing started. We tried and failed to encourage him to cover his mouth when he coughed, looking around apologetically at our pew neighbors. Our pew neighbors?! They were all elderly! And Judah and Benjamin were like little carrier monkeys of disease! I leaned over as inconspicuously as possible and whispered to Joey that perhaps we should consider taking our two little sicklings home, to which he quickly agreed.

The morning made us realize that our boys are not as recovered from their colds as we thought they were. I did not mention it, but Benjamin was also not doing well. His little eyes were rid-rimmed and he would frequently burst out in pitiful little loud, forceful wailing. Anyone who knows him knows that's not like him at all. It caused us to seriously reconsider how we have been pushing our children lately, being less firm about bed and nap times, and choosing to tote them around when they probably just need to enjoy a day of normalcy. 

I've often wondered why Sundays are so hard for us. Why does it seem like everything is conspiring against us to keep us from entering that place of rest and recuperation that Sundays are intended for? 

The truth: Satan would like nothing better than to sully your emotions, distort your perceptions, steal your thoughts, and cause you pain - especially on mornings when Christians have the opportunity to freely enter a building sanctified for the work of God and hear the word of God preached from the pulpit. I truly do believe that some of the biggest battles are fought on Sunday mornings. As Christians, we should not be intimidated by this. What we should be doing is going to battle with our hearts washed in the word of God, our minds occupied in communion with the Holy Spirit, and our souls covered in the blood of the Lamb. The  last thing we should do is roll over and submit to the forceful hand of the devil. 

solids sob story

Day Nineteen: Something you hate doing.

I am not a fan of feeding Benjamin solids.
It's messy.
I sound like I am slow in the head
when I encourage him to eat.
He's very distract-able.
Judah is very able to distract.
Benji hates solids.

on room sharing

We finally did it. We finally decided to move Benjamin and Judah into the same room. It's a bit scary to do so, knowing full well that Ben isn't really that consistent with sleeping through the night, and Judah is two ('nuff said). The pros, however, definitely outweigh the cons. The biggest positive is that Joey and I will finally have our own room. Except for maaaaybe two months in the summer, we have not had our own room since Judah was born. Well, unless you consider having our bed in our living room/kitchen our "own room". I don't doubt that part of the reason that Ben is still waking up in the night is because it was just so easy for him to do so when we were five feet away. 

Anyways, all of this is to say that Day One of room sharing has been a moderate success for this family. Nap time, although shorter than normal, still happened. And right now, both boys are sound asleep. Ben decided that he wanted to be Mr. Sensitive and put up a fuss for bed time, but the situation was easily remedied. 

Every little step forward that we make with our children makes me feel that much more comfortable with this whole parenting thing. Notice I did not say "confident" - I never want to trust in my own ability to do something and forget that everything I have is a grace from God. Looking into their cozy little shared room today, I had visions of days down the road. I imagined both boys giggling together under the covers late at night when they should be sleeping. I anticipated all of the bed time stories that I just know will be begged of me in the not-so-distant future. I kind of fell in love (again) with this wonderful position that God has so graciously placed us in at this time in life. 

it's unwelcome, I say

Day Eighteen: Drink

My boys are trying their hardest
to give me their colds.
I feel a little foggy today.
Drinking a big mug of peppermint tea
is the best thing I can do for myself
at this time, I think.

daddy o'clock

Day Seventeen: Time.

I was trying oh-so-hard
to come up with something extremely clever
for today's photo challenge,
like crowsfeet around my eyes...
except that I don't have those.
Yet.
And then my husband came home for the day.
The little boys were immediately
plastered to him.
Then I realized this:
My favourite time of the day
is when daddy comes home
and makes his sons' worlds.

thankful thursday

I am extremely thankful for our home. We have been blessed beyond measure by the board here at camp with this brand new 1200 square foot mobile home to live in. I really struggled with how long it took to get the ball rolling on getting us this place, but that seems like it's in the distant past now. I realize that there was never anything to worry about. Sometimes I wish that we owned our own place, just so I could paint walls fun colours and hang pictures to my heart's content. But then I realize that Joey would have to leave for work earlier, would probably not come for lunches, and would be home later. Then I realize that it would take a lot of work to paint a house how I wanted it. Then I realize that my home is warm, clean, and spacious... and I am so thankful.

It goes without saying that I am thankful for my two little boys... but I find I must say it anyways. I am thankful for them! When I was growing up, I never even imagined I would have boys. I would have cute little brown haired, brown eyed girls - naturally! Now I find myself falling so deeply in love with my blond(ish) haired, blue eyed boys that it makes my heart hurt just to think of it. Being a mother is what I was made to be, of this I'm certain.

What are you thankful for today?

---

Day Sixteen: Something New.

Overstated fact: We have a new dog.
Overstated fact: We love her.
She is loving her new digs.
She usually follows Joey
to work in the mornings
and hangs out with him all day.
She is doing many dog-like things,
such as chasing cats,
barking up trees,
bringing home deer limbs,
and howling at trains.
She is a perfect fit for our family!

Helpless.

I don't think I will ever be reconciled to the fact that my boys will get sick. I can't believe how hard it is as a parent to see your child(ren) ill. As I mentioned before, Judah has a cold. A bad cold. Yesterday he slept nearly all day long. He even put himself back in bed after his second nap because he was just so tired. Although I sometimes begrudge the "chaos" that abounds in this house on a regular basis, said "chaos" is infinitely preferable to a house that is quiet and tidy because your toddler is sick. Joey took Judah to the doctor yesterday because we were really concerned about him. Thank Jesus, he has no infections, no pneumonia, and no strep throat. It's just a really bad cold, the doctor said. He has been thoroughly catered to over the last fee days, with very little improvement. This morning, however, thing are seeming much better. He actually didn't cough for a full half hour after he got up this morning! I thank Jesus for his tender care of our family.

While I may feel helpless in my own power to "make it better", I am never truly helpless. I take great comfort in knowing that nothing escapes God's notice.

banana phone

Day Fifteen: Phone.

Ring ring ring ring
Ring ring ring ring
Banana phone!
I am sad to report
that the day of the old, classy phones
has come and gone.
Our phones are extremely boring.
Joey has the cheapest flip phone
that he could find,
and I have the cheapest Qwerty phone
that I could find.
Yes, we have two cell phones.
It's cheaper than a home phone.
And that's the way the cookie crumbles.

it's that day of the year again

I've never really put much stock on Valentine's Day. When I was growing up, it was all just a big popularity contest. Our little class would arrange our desks in a semi-circle formation and make construction paper mailboxes that were usually quite unsightly. Then, for the last period or two of the day, everyone would walk around the room and drop little cardstock valentines into each other's mailboxes. We'd have cupcakes with too much icing, too much red food colouring, and too many sickly sweet sprinkles. The popular girls would get a valentine from everyone in the class. Instead of being a day of loveliness, it was often a day of loneliness.

I suppose that it could be quite the different story for me today. Here I am, completely blessed with three boys, all my own. I don't have to vie for anyone's attention. I now know what true love is (well, love between man and woman; true love belongs to God), and I am always assured of the love and affection I so desperately crave. Yes, today finds me quite blessed.

The thing is... neither Joey nor I really care to make Valentine's day a big thing. We enjoy showing our love for each other every day. A little token of appreciation (like chocolates or flowers) isn't really going to make or break our relationship. I would rather he surprise me with flowers on the most ordinary day of the year - not when there's this arbitrary pressure to show affection.

So ends my rant on Valentine's Day.

I missed posting a photo from yesterday. Judah has come down with quite the cold for his size. Yesterday was spent giving lots of cuddles, making special "juice" (lemon ginger tea with a good dollop of honey), and wiping a profusely runny nose. Such is life!

Day Thirteen: Blue.

Judah was most definitely
blue today.
Waking up from naps
with an angry, scratchy throat
made him very, very sad.
Thankfully, there were
many happy things
that made him feel better,
like "juice", fresh cookies,
and a fuzzy blue Cookie Monster
to play with and snuggle.

Day Fourteen: Heart.

I have already mentioned
on this here blog
my deep affection for citrus fruits
at this time of the year.
That affection stands.
As I was drinking
my daily morning coffee
and staring at my toddler's
unfinished breakfast,
I realized that two pieces of orange
make a cute little heart.
Naaaaaaaaaaaw....

like sand through the hour glass

Where has this weekend gone?! Last I checked, it was Thursday and I was working on the church bulletins. Then, badabing badabang! it's Sunday night.  Siiigh. Will time ever stop going by faster?

Anyways, I have been both too busy and too distracted to post my February photo challenges in a timely fashion. Allow me to remedy that fact.

Day Eleven: Makes You Happy.

This may be the reason
for this weekend's distraction.
Well, that and having
a plethora of awesome pictures
of this lovely lady to edit.
I have been drooling
over this here program
for a very long time.
It is now in my possession.
As in mine.
As in legally mine.
And doesn't that just make
an artistic, conscientious,
snap-happy girl
feel wonderful?

Day Twelve: Inside Your Closet

Today I cheat.
No one wants to see inside my closet.
Well, no one except me
when I want to get dressed.
So!
This is my favourite closet in the house.
Judah loves to play hide and seek in it.
I love how it has some semblance of order.
Even Judah acquiesces to
putting things back in their places.
More or less.
:)

just call this one "my cup overflows"

Day Ten: Self portrait.

It's hard to take a photo of yourself
with a fixed 50mm lens.
I asked my wonderful husby
to snap a photo for me.
I love love love this picture
with my two little boys.
As you can see,
Benji is breastfeeding.
This picture really does capture
the special bond I have
with both of my littles.

an open door that no one can shut

Day Nine: Front Door

What is it about
a weathered door
leaning against
a barn board wall
that simply demands
you take a photograph?
I don't know.
But it does make me wonder
who this front door
once belonged to.









Also! It's that day of the week again - thankful Thursday!

Sheesh, guys, I have so much to be thankful for. First, though, let me start with this:

I have been motivated to waste less time and actually get things done around here. The fact of the matter, no matter how much I'd like to deny it, is that there is always something to do in this house. There's always laundry to do, a floor to scrub, a carpet to vacuum, a loaf of bread to bake, a meal to prepare, a diaper to change, and a dog to walk. Oh, and a self to take care of. It has taken me a lot to actually admit that being a stay-at-home-mom is a full-time job. I do actually have an important job to do. My husband expects me to care for the home - and he is right to do so. He's not being chauvinistic. I have the sensitivity required to care for a family. I see needs that he does not, I have different standards of home cleanliness than he does. It's not that he's lacking - it's just how we're made up. We are designed to compliment each other, to complete each other. It's about time that I smarten up and delight in the wonderful task God has designed me for - has designed for me.

So! Now that that's off my chest... here's what I'm thankful for:

• My beautiful, big kitchen that makes it easy and enjoyable to create delicious food.
• (I can't say this one enough) The GORGEOUS winter we've had this year. I cannot recall such a beautiful winter season! Although... when I was little I would have thought this was the worst possible winter on account of the lack of snow. 
• My husband. I am more than blessed in the man God chose for me to marry. He is taking so much responsibility to not only be the physical head of this home, but also to be the spiritual head. I'm not saying he is perfect, but I can tell that God is teaching him what it means for husbands to love their wives like Christ loves the church. 
• I am so very thankful that while everything is dead, brown, and prickly here, SOMEWHERE in the world it is grapefruit season! They are so sweet and juicy right now! They bring summer and sunshine to my life.
• The Church body. I've been going to church all of my life. It's something that can easily become "this thing we do", and thus lose almost all of it's meaning and importance. But lately I've been re-discovering how vibrant and alive it really is! And it should be - we are the bride of Christ, and he's coming back His beloved. 

What are you thankful for today?

please don't take my sunshine away

Day Eight: Sun

The clouds were being all blustery
and shroud-like this morning.
They tried to keep the poor old sun
from spreading it's golden rays.
I looked up from my breakfast
and saw it breaking through
it's unfriendly barrier
and ran outside in my pjs and slippers
just to get that perfect shot,
thinking that was the only sun I'd see all day.
Well.
It happens to be out in full force now.
And it's going to be a beautiful day!

button, button, who's got the button?

Day Seven: Button.

I knitted myself a cozy cowl
using this pattern here.
It looked like a short scarf.
I sewed the ends together, overlapping slightly
and added these buttons,
which my husband made for me.
He cut a stick into coins
and drilled holes in with a drill (duh).
They are not functional at all
and are totally for show.
But they are still
really nice buttons.

what's for dinner

Day six: dinner.

Have you ever had dahl
(aka dhal, daal, and dal)?
I made it for supper tonight.
It was incredibly tasty,
even though I did not have enough tomatoes
and had to use salsa (oh the sacrifices I make).
It combines the deliciousness of
onions, garlic, fresh ginger, jalapenos,
tomatoes, cumin, and lentils
all in one big skillet of
mouthwatering goodness.
Joey made flatbread to go with it,
although he didn't realize that
he was looking at a Finnish flatbread recipe,
which is, supposedly, a large biscuit.

a weekend recap

Don't you just love it when you don't have any plans, and even so spend your whole day happily occupied? That's how our weekend was. The only plans we had made was to have family friends of ours over for supper on Saturday. The rest of the day was spent going for a walk, doing "feels-like-Spring" cleaning, and making donuts. DONUTS!

Pumpkin donuts! With a buttermilk glaze!

Related: I have ingested enough grease to last me the WHOLE YEAR.

Also related: I am turning over a new leaf and making healthier food choices. Starting with grapefruit for breakfast.

Today my (non-food) goal is to seek God in his word and ask him how I should be spending my time. I don't want to be wasting the time I have been given at home in selfish pursuits. I know in my head that God has a purpose for placing me where I am, and the last thing I want to do is to deny that purpose.

His & Hers: Mug of Choice

stranger than ten o'clock

Day Four: Stranger.

Ring finger, meet wedding band.
Wedding band, meet ring finger.
It's been over two years since
you last made contact.
Pregnancy has it out for you, it seems.
Not to worry.
I am eager to rekindle
your long-lost relationship.

Day Five: 10:00 AM.

This is a re-creation,
seeing as all I have for a camera
is my shiny DSLR
and at 10:00 AM I was
sitting in Sunday School.
That would have been awkward.

day three: hands

My favourite hands in the world
belong to my husby.
This picture is perfect.
Those hard working, calloused hands of his
love to do nothing more
than gently care for our little boys.
I remember the first time I held one of those
big, hairy hands in my own -
I was just a jittery seventeen-year-old.
All the while we were dating and engaged,
hiding my small, cold hand in his warm, big hand
always sent shivers down my spine.
I love my husband's hands
and how they read like a book.
His hands are my favourite
hands in the world.


---

Join in the February Photo A Day Challenge ::here:: - you won't regret it!

the Sky Diver and the Crawler

Confession: small things stress me out.

I have felt more stress in the last week than I have felt in a looooong time. It's not even like something really bad has happened. It's just that many small things happened all at once. Wednesday morning was kind of the climax of it all. Blah. I am happy to report, however, that things are looking up.

Allow me to distract you (and myself) with this little Bean.

 May I draw your attention to the fact that his knees are under him? Unassisted, no less?!

 It's a move he's been streamlining for a couple days now. It starts out in the position above (which we lovingly refer to as the Sky Diver)...

 ...then quickly transitions to the Crawler. I don't know why the Sky Diver must always precede the Crawler. But it do.

Oh, and the Bean would like you to know that IT'S HARD WORK.

I hope you feel sufficiently distracted.

thankful indeed

Might I just start off by bragging about our new dog a bit? Yes?

Lacie has adapted beautifully to her new home. She is becoming more obedient as she learns that we are her new masters. Still, it's hard to keep her under control when you initially go outside because she's So! Excited! To! See! You!  It's something we're working on. What I'm REALLY proud of, though, is that she is now running off-leash! Sometime in the night her collar came off, and she let us know by whining at the door instead of running away. That little stint was enough to make us realize that she does not need to be tied up. Her love for us keeps her here!

{By the way, here are my first two entries for the February Photo A Day Challenge. There's still time to jump in!} 

Now, what am I thankful for today?

Well, I think it's obvious that I'm thankful for our new family pet. The coyotes were already starting to move into the neighbourhood with the absence of the dog who used to roam here. Fend 'em off, Lacie!

I'm thankful for dentistry. Well, let's be honest: going to the dentist scares me more than anything in the world. EVEN SO, I am thankful that someone knows what they are doing when it comes to my teeth.

Joey and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary on the weekend. We were able to afford going to a hotel in the city for a couple nights. We still had to take Benji with us (he absolutely refuses to eat anything other than mama's milk - I'm simultaneously flattered and annoyed), but having to care for one mostly-immobile child felt like a break anyways. We ate at our favourite sushi place right in the neighbourhood of our first apartment and, just for a moment, pretended that we were newlyweds again. We were even able to go shopping with the numerous gift cards we had accumulated at Christmas! What a treat it was. I am SO. THANKFUL. for the man God brought into my life and for the three amazing years we've had together as husband and wife. 

Mostly, I am thankful for my Lord and my God. I know that I am prone to wander away from His presence, and His goodness to this lost sheep astounds me. I am always amazed at how I can call out to Him, and He answers - not audibly, and usually not how I expect. He truly does love and care for His children.

a little challenge

This is FUN! You should so totally try it! I am!

meet lacie!

Hello, friends!

I would like to introduce to you our newest family member - Lacie!

We brought her home last night. Other than a bit of trouble getting tangled up in the beams under our deck, she's been doing wonderfully! We will keep her tied up until she's acquainted with her new digs.

She is SUCH an affectionate dog. Right now she's not allowed inside, but if we ever move, I'm pretty sure she'll end up lying at our feet a lot of the time!

We are quite excited to welcome this wonderful lady into our lives.