Standing on Tiptoe

Near the edge of the woods where my husband puts out deer corn in winter, he mounted a motion sensor light high up on a tree. When the deer show up to polish off their nightly feast, the sensor triggers the light and for about thirty seconds, silhouettes are visible along with the occasional flash …

Guard The Deposit

Amelia attended her first wedding as flower girl for my nephew and his bride. Thomas was ring bearer and Timothy and Ezra dressed to the nines were just bonus cuteness. In the wake of Christmas fun and festivities, each of our grands wracked up a pretty significant sleep deficit. Combine that with overstimulation, overindulgence, and unexpected …

Serve Well

My daughter’s weekly grocery routine includes allowing four year old Thomas to scan items in the self checkout line. He has been practicing since he was two so he is now fairly efficient. They have adopted or rather have been adopted by one employee in true grandmother fashion at their local Aldi and are well …

Behold Him

Thomas saw through my bag containing five tubes of peanut butter mini M&Ms meant for the grandkids’ Christmas stockings the day I bought them. His mama called him out with a grin, saying to me, “He’s a Sneaky-Peeker!” Later that same day, after celebrating a birthday party for Jesus, after opening his stocking and after …

Wonderful Joy Ahead

“This traffic is terrible!” my husband stated flatly. “I think we can turn right and  bypass Main Street.”  “There’s a detour ahead,” I replied. “I’ve seen the signs the last few times I’ve driven up to visit.” The traffic wasn’t surprising really. It was half past five and we were headed into the mountains, a …

Too Spicy

Amelia and now Ezra are coffee foam connoisseurs. If I don’t offer a taste quickly enough for their liking, I can count on a tiny finger full being scooped from my cup. I enjoy lattes made at home and so does their mom. Lately, I discovered a new way to enjoy my morning dose of …

Afterglow

I hear airplane, sounding more like air pain, from my grandsons every time we’re outside together. It doesn’t matter if they’re excavating the mulch bed or playing baseball, even the little boys sound off, eyes heavenward, searching for the flash of silver or the trail of jet exhaust. Thomas, who is four, has learned to …

Signs of Life

Four hundred pounds of grass seed lay dormant beneath the cracked red clay. Rain was just what it needed to germinate. A haze of green now blankets the field and I inhale deeply, releasing a prayer of gratitude with every glimpse. I am beyond grateful for the rain that soaked into the ground as I …

Humbled 

Amelia and Ezra experienced their first Camp Lolly and Poppy last week while mom and dad cruised through their fifth anniversary. I’ve kept these two overnight a few times to prepare for our week together and little Ezra, at almost seventeen months, usually waved goodbye cheerfully and settled right in for the night. This time, …