| a weekly capturing of contentment in everyday life |
Here's quick photo diary of a few moments I'm rehearsing from the past couple of weeks.
A few photos to practice contentment this week
| pretty |
He is risen (and He thought up tulips)! Hallelujah!
| happy |
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| I felt special responsibility as a godmother to capture the quintessential Texas spring photo of adorable children frolicking amidst the bluebonnets. On the left, you see that one child humored me. On the right, you'll see the other child was having none of it. |
I can't remember if I've mentioned on the blog that our daughter Kendra became a godmother when she was still a teenager. She and the sweet Lucy Scout bonded when both of them were new to Austin and so Lucy's parents asked Kendra to be her godmother. A couple years later, Brian and I were honored for the same request for Lucy's little brother Emmett. We often ask ourselves how we got so lucky!
We took advantage of the week that Kendra was home for Spring Break to plan a morning adventure at the wonderful Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I've decided that we should call ourselves the Godparents Club, and will henceforth name all future collaborations likewise. We've also discovered that we need a 3:2 ratio now that Brian and I are so old and out of practice.
If you live in (or visit) Austin, spring is THE time to visit the wildflower center. Admission is reasonable, and Kendra got a student discount (kids 5 & under are free). Before we even got inside the main area, we happened upon a nesting mama owl. I'm not sure the binoculars actually helped L & E see the owl, but they sure had fun trying. The flowers are lovely, the walking trails just the right amount of work, the observation tower worth the climb, the cafe tasty and the children's garden imaginative and delightful.
Of all that goodness, though, the swings are the absolute best. You have to walk quite a ways to find them, but it's worth the trek (especially when you're little enough to let someone carry you back to the car when you're tuckered out).
Gosh, we're going to miss these kiddos. (their parents too!)
We took advantage of the week that Kendra was home for Spring Break to plan a morning adventure at the wonderful Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I've decided that we should call ourselves the Godparents Club, and will henceforth name all future collaborations likewise. We've also discovered that we need a 3:2 ratio now that Brian and I are so old and out of practice.
If you live in (or visit) Austin, spring is THE time to visit the wildflower center. Admission is reasonable, and Kendra got a student discount (kids 5 & under are free). Before we even got inside the main area, we happened upon a nesting mama owl. I'm not sure the binoculars actually helped L & E see the owl, but they sure had fun trying. The flowers are lovely, the walking trails just the right amount of work, the observation tower worth the climb, the cafe tasty and the children's garden imaginative and delightful.
Of all that goodness, though, the swings are the absolute best. You have to walk quite a ways to find them, but it's worth the trek (especially when you're little enough to let someone carry you back to the car when you're tuckered out).
Gosh, we're going to miss these kiddos. (their parents too!)
| funny |
Second Annual Friends Easter Feast
Last year they came to our house, this year we went to theirs. I am not exaggerating when I say they got robbed. May I also recommend you all go out right now and find yourself a friend with culinary school training?
| real |
My people
It's beginning to dawn on all six of us that very soon we're going to be separated by thousands of miles. As in, over shawarma at the Peace Bakery & Deli right after church on Sunday. As in, at any given moment one of the six of us had our head in our hands, bawling our eyes out. I'm really grateful for the hospitality of the restaurant owners who gave us a quiet space to talk over all-you-can-eat pita and hummus. (An aside: I'm thankful for the Resurrection sort of peace that makes a way for us to enjoy food prepared by our Middle Eastern neighbors on Easter Sunday. May that peace be known across the globe.)
I'm not going to lie. This stage of parenting (or should I say, "family-ing"?) is really hard. I have been humbled quite a bit in my assessment of myself as a mother. Humbling is a good thing, though, and I've never been more grateful for the extreme privilege of sharing life with my husband and kids. And I've never been more grateful for a Christ who bridges the gaps of our imperfect love, and saves us all.
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Have YOU captured any contentment this week? I'd love to hear about it!
