“What is this?” Amelia asked, pointing to something at the bottom of a page full of items in the Christmas catalog. “I’m not sure, sweetheart,” I responded from the other side of the kitchen island. “It’s too small for me to see from here.” Then to her mom walking in from the other room she …
Two Builders
Paul and I are contemplating our tenth construction project in our thirty-five years of marriage. We’ve built two houses from the ground up and we’ve renovated others, two in several phases. One we lived in with three preschool children during the entire process. Nine months living with us while they build their own home across …
Heartitude
I was hooked from the first “Uh oh, Jonah! You should’ve gone to Nineveh!” to “That’s better Jonah! I’m glad you went to Nineveh!” Amelia loved reading bedtime stories from The Rhyming Bible shared with her by her cousin, Thomas. In fact, she almost entirely memorized this one story. Her mom shared the video made …
Going Backwards
Ezra, like his daddy before him, has exceptional balance and coordination. At barely two and a quarter, he has mastered every ride-on toy we own, including his older sister’s pedal bike with training wheels. Not only does he move forward effortlessly, he sits confidently looking ahead while coasting backwards from the edge of the front …
Half Baked
I stumbled halfway down the porch steps on my way to the trash bin, dropping the loaf of bread I had attempted earlier in the day. Easy Irish Soda Bread with raisins, the recipe had boasted. After twice the recommended amount of time in the oven, the loaf appeared done but the inside was still …
How You Love Me
“How do you know Lolly loves you?” I asked five year old Thomas. When he and Amelia see me writing, they sometimes ask if I am writing a story about them. Often I am so I stop and read aloud their part or I promise to when it’s finished. So when I told Thomas that …
Scripture That Sticks
I had the privilege of watching as Caroline taught the memory verse for Thomas and Timothy’s preschool group in Vacation Bible School at their church for the past two summers. This was not her first Bible teaching experience. From a young age, she lined up her stuffed animals and dolls and taught them. She led …
Filled With Contradictions
My daughter seemed distracted one moment and driven the next. The week before Titus was born, she cycled between desperate readiness and the desire to finish a month’s worth of home improvement projects before the new baby’s arrival. I told my husband over the phone that she must be ready to deliver soon because she …
Obscured
My husband and I headed across the street to walk through our son’s house which is under construction. He and his wife had just inspected the day’s work and returned beaming, full of descriptions of their favorite additions. “I have a hall tree!” Valentina exclaimed as she showed me the picture she had snapped with …
Reverting or Revering?
Two days before Amelia’s second birthday, Ezra Benjamin was born. Amelia mothered him from the beginning. From her younger brother to her youngest cousins, she adores a baby. When Ezra was old enough to demand more of their mom’s time and attention, Amelia often reverted to baby talk, seeking the attention that was once hers …
