Be Home

hello again!

Let's get reacquainted shall we? Our family has been a bit off-grid this last month. But now that we are safe and settled into our new gig, I hope that this space of mine will again reflect the dailies of our fun little clan.

 

We have loved our Portland adventure! It has literally altered the trajectory of our lives in such significant ways that it will forever impact who we are and our ability to radically lay down our lives for the kingdom of God. I'm learning that it is the only way to live.

 

While the rest of the family were packing up the big yellow truck, Nicholas was attending GU 2011. After loving CBC youth ministry and admiring the character of its leadership from afar, it was an amazing privilege for our oldest not only to attend this in-house conference but also to call it a personal group of friendships that, old and young, will last him for years to come.

 

Which lands us at our temporary digs. It's fully furnished, and a joy to inhabit, especially since the morning view is this...

And when the sun rises over those mountains, I almost consider becoming a morning person...but not quite.

So while all the beautiful belongings that make up our BeHome joys are sitting in a big metal unit, we ourselves are alive and well living a new and exciting experience to end all experiences!

And there's the man himself, walking across the parking lot, with the humble privilege to lead pastor a new congregation of amazing people. I love this picture. It seems that our whole journey is spoken in it's context.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

* * * * *

{before the giant panda arrived}

* * * * *

Happy Weekending!

george is six!

So much about our everyday lives is changing that is hard to keep up with it even in my head. The new year quite literally started with change from it's very first day. It was a change of lifestyle, a change of landscape, and a change of outlook to our days. All of which I will continue to take daily snapshots, and sometimes use my camera.

 

But for now there was some celebrating to be done as my youngest son turned six. I realize that most parents, and definitely mothers, refrain yearly that they just can't believe that one of their precious blessings is counting another mark of maturity. I am thankful that our children do mature. I'm thankful that with each passing year they grow in self-managing and character matching ways. It's as if birthdays hallmark more that you made it to the next age and less that you're starting a different one. 

 

That said, George leaving the age of five to move on the horizons of grade school digits, tugs at my deep thoughts of who this little boy is. He is, if ever I was to say, always my baby boy. Of course I will let him grow up and praise his fine manhood that will one day be undeniable but I think that these last 5 years will mark my moments with him like none other. He was born as a gift to our family and his babyhood, which seems defined at an end, has infused a personality into the fabric of who we are that brought joy, laughter, and life to a ridiculously amazing level.

 

Happy Birthday, my sweet George.

 

Goodbye {2010}

 

{january}

 

{february}

 

{march}

 

{april}

 

{may}

 

{june}

 

{july}

 

{august}

 

{september}

 

 

{october}

 

{november}

 

{december}

A lot can happen in a year!

~Wishing everyone a happy 2011~

 

 

{merry christmas}

Hoping that all your festivities find you enjoying this beautiful time of wonder and love...

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

{this moment}

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Happy Weekend! {only two left till Christmas!}

more :: {this moments}

the smell of an evergreen

Every morning this week I have been tickled by the new aroma in our home. It's one of those pleasures that reoccur every holiday but always take you by surprise once again. Of course I'm referring to the scent of our Christmas tree. 

The experience of buying a tree, full size, and placing in the living room with treasured keepsakes attached to it is a beautiful tradition. This year we were a bit out of our element in that the idea of "shipping" trees to a lot was unnecessary. They indeed could be custom ordered from the forest of the surrounding vicinity! Sad to say we ended up resorting to the much less romantic tree selection of the local home improvement store.

But the tree is beautiful and we all enjoyed our evening of each ornament being lovingly placed in a home amongst the fresh branches. In good tradition we had a rousing debate over the tree topper and a climatic excitement over the old train set rounding off the finishing touches.

{I love Christmas}

cardboard cut-outs

Need a Christmas gift idea? Have I got the thing for you!

Over the weekend George was pleading with me every hour to get out the box that had been sitting in the corner for weeks. The picture on the front of it was hard to resist such begging. But it also would involve some specific moments carved out to accomplish.

Thus on Saturday morning we were ready. We cleared out a nice space on the living room floor and went to work. The more directions I followed the more enamored I became with such an incredible design. George and I were creating our very own Great Wall of China.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been a wild success since its creation. Turrets have been claimed as personal houses and battles have been fought the like of Narnian epics. We've even had a few levers and pulleys devised for authenticity. My only problem...

I'm not quite sure where it's going for the holidays.

thankfulness

Over this extra long weekend we have lived by one thought...relax.

relax :: the turkey will be done when it's ready to be done

relax :: watch the parade, and then the dog show, and then an old film classic

relax :: move the schoolwork out of the way and iron a tablecloth

relax :: enjoy the food, it took all day to cook and will be eaten in less than thirty minutes

relax :: that yes, Annika still prefers stir-fry to an american thanksgiving day feast

relax :: knowing that life won't always be in a state of transition

relax :: give thanks and lots of hugs

 

{now where is that Christmas tree?}

 

{white}

The snow made it down into the valley last night. Even though it has been evidently accumulating up in the mountain range and the road passes to the coast have become more uncertain, actual falling white flakes being witnessed in our yard was eventful and beautiful. All of us were cuddled up in the living room enjoying our Sunday afternoon ritual. What is that ritual? Just a little sabbath time after our morning fellowship. It usually includes homemade pizza and a good film. {Yesterday we found one of our favorites - Five Children and It} The snow of course added an exclamation point to our day. And hopefully next time it will be enough to really sink your gloves into, for alas it was gone by evening.