Lists

Life lately, late winter 2023

I've found myself lacking "topical" ideas for my writing here, lately. But then again, most of this blog is just sharing little bits of our life, and well, that's always happening. We have some family birthdays coming up later this month (including Finn's first birthday, my goodness!) But apart from anticipating those, here's what we've been up to lately:

4 min read

Winter sweetness

It's been a little while since I've done a post about life lately, so I figured I would share some sweetness from life over the last few months.

6 min read

The end of a year and the beginning of another

I always think of how January feels like a continuation, rather than just a new beginning. We kind of slide into the new year, only a day older, not truly that different. It can certainly be helpful to think of January first as a new start, as it is, of course, in some ways. But I also think there's a joy and a perseverance of the continuing on that I like about the start of a new calendar year. Here's a few snippets of life in that transition: the closure of a year and the beginning of a new.

4 min read

2021: A year in review

Every January, I assemble a blog post of sorts that catalogs our year. Largely organized in list-form, I touch on the big and little things, events and thoughts and experiences that shaped our life over the last year. I do find this incredibly helpful as a sort of reflection, a glance back on the Lord's faithfulness, to show me, time and time again, that He is a good God. And with that mindset, I feel less encumbered as we continue on into the new year, more ready to face a full year of new, fresh days, with the heart attitude that regardless of what the days will hold, mundane or exciting, difficult or good, I can walk into the future with hope and trust in Him. Plus, I do enjoy looking back on a lot of the little details of our life, the ones that make me smile or think, Oh, yes! We loved that! What a little joy in our life.

16 min read

Life lately, September 2021

The air is crisper in the mornings, leaves on some trees just barely tinged with red and gold, a few eager leaves already fallen, begging to be crunched on the sidewalk. It's not truly fall yet, I realize, but the wonderful in-between has very much arrived. I don't want to wish away summer, but in the same breath, I am always excited for autumn.

5 min read

Summer days, early August 2021

It's August already! I can't believe it either. This summer has felt filled to the brim with so many good things, so many summer-y things. Beach trips, visits to new places (the zoo, etc), and lots of family outings. Of course there have been truly challenging things to walk through as well. But for the first time in quite awhile, I feel like we're enjoying summer. It's no secret that I love cooler weather and Christmas and all that the colder months bring, but summer has felt fun. Maybe since we're more settled in our home and we are more settled in parenthood, as much as you ever can be with a child who is growing and changing and surprising, and who we're growing alongside. There's something quite special about having a backyard, a deck to open the doors out to, grass for barefeet and sprinklers. Gardens to tend, nothing complicated this year, mind you. Windows that open on opposite sides of our home, offerings cross-breeze. Neighbors who greet us and mention how fast Cooper is growing. I think this is the first summer in I can't remember how long where I haven't been longing for the next stage. I have dreams for our home and family, hopes and prayers. But also I feel heavy with thankfulness for our life now, as it is, with The Three Musketeers, as we call ourselves. And knowing full-well that God has placed me here, in this time and place, on purpose, for His will and glory. I want to be awake and aware of my surroundings to be used by Him, here.

7 min read

Musings on sunshine and life lately, July 2021

Aside from Cooper's birthday celebrations, life has felt chock-full of summery things, good things, hard things, and all that is between. We are spending a lot of time outside, even on extra hot or rainy days, which has been a lesson to myself that it can be so good to go outside, even when it's not convenient or the most comfortable. I never quite finished There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather (I need to check it out from the library again), but the takeaways have been huge, about the importance for kids to be outside in all kids of weather, exploring and getting fresh air and learning things from the outdoors that can't be learned inside. And it's good for me, all that vitamin D and sunshine, and I have more of a "tan" (using the term loosely, since I'm still a fair Scandinavian), and more freckles than I have in recent years.

7 min read

Seeing spring everywhere

On a family walk today, Nicholas pointed out that one of our trees was budding. Once he made that observation, I realized many trees in our neighborhood are budding. It's funny, isn't it, how you don't see something, and then when you finally do, you can't stop seeing it.

6 min read

Life in wintertime

Fluffy, white, sparkling, heavy snow, blanketing our home. I'm writing this from a town buried under two-ish feet of snow. We've gotten so much snow in the past week and a half, far more than I can remember in a very long time.

9 min read