8.30.2014

silly siblings sweetness:

Oh how these two crack us up.

Lots more posts coming (eventually) friends... just had a whirly week of visiting and fighting off this head cold!

Happy silly weekend'ing,

Mel ;o)

8.25.2014

away we went:

Well hello again.

For the two of you out there who may have thought we dropped off the inter-webs recently... well, we did.  This was our little family getaway.

A week of meeting new people (and large Dutch families!).
A week of hearing great messages and singing.
Of gorging on carbs and sugar... and drinking lots of coffee.
Little sleep, and lots of baby holding.
Exhaustion and encouragement.
Fun and fatigue.

The kids had a great time it seems.
Azriel was eagerly running up to kids and saying: "Do you want to be my best friend?!" and then they're all running off squealing and catching frogs.
Hudson stayed close, and liked playing with the water fountain.
Talia warmly smiled and cooed at all the people beaming down at her.

We survived another family vacation.
Now, Ben and I just want one to recover!

But, it's nice to be back in our nest,
Mel ;o)

8.15.2014

A.musing.mama! 4.3

It's feeling like a three-ring-circus around here as we pack up.
Sometimes it seems easier to just put wheels on the whole house and go.
Sometimes I miss the 'glory days' of my back-packing around the globe with one bag.
 Because it's one of those freaky laws of nature... it seems that the smaller the child, the more stuff you need to pack! 

The other law, is Murphys'.  No matter how much you manage to wedge in to your packs... you always end up forgetting half a dozen things.

But we're excited - family adventure awaits.
See you on the flip side, friends.

A.musing.mama,
Mel ;o)

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You can catch up on previous comics HERE!
 

8.08.2014

swim. sink. stand.

Profound truths wrapped in pint-size packaging seems to be the story of my life lately.
Like the way a family trip to the beach ended up becoming an epiphany for my heart.
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You see, my daughter, at first sight of this beach started squealing with delight.  Running in and out of the water, splashing, giggling, bubbling over with the euphoria of it all.  Clearly we just don't go to the beach that often... for the wonder of this experience had not become common place for her.
She eagerly wanted to venture out deeper, holding to her Dad - or myself for safety.
I wanted to give her a taste of swimming by holding her up in the deeper waters.  When she realised the waters were over her head she started to get panicked, and clung to me like a bur.  When the footing beneath me started to swirl and soften I began to panic too.  (Swimming with a child clinging to me didn't seem that ideal).  I tip-toed back towards shallower waters, and when my foot felt a large rock, I stood.  Safe.  Secure.
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Now all of us have a knack for getting ourselves 'in over our head' at one point or another.  But sometimes life gives us a real dunking that we aren't prepared for.
Grief: maybe you've lost a loved one, or a friendship.
Depression: maybe you feel stuck in a pit you can't get out of.
Anxiety: maybe the bills and the ills are stressing you beyond your limits.

I don't know what waters you are in currently, but I think we all can relate to that panicked state of not knowing where to find our secure footing.  My own heart has been facing that ebb and flow lately of peace and worry.  trust and fear.  joy and sadness.

I thought of my daughter, panicked when the waters threatened, secure when the rock below us held firm.

The verse (song) came to mind:
"When my heart is overwhelmed,
Lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I"
Psalm 61:2

Sometimes you just need to get dunked in a lake to remember this truth.
Sometimes you just need to grab some crayons, sketch this verse out and tape it to your door.
Etch it on my heart.
Pray it through the storm.
What I've discovered afresh:
You often appreciate the rock much more when you're faced with drowning.
You savour the meal when hunger was your companion.
You have a grateful heart when you see your needs met.
You see God at work when your strength is gone.

I don't know what waters you're in currently.
Maybe you feel like no one else can see how deep you're drowning inside.
But God does.
I pray He's the ROCK that you stand on,
and the LOVE that you drown happily in.

swim. sink. stand
which posture will your heart take?

Mel ;o)

8.05.2014

the big 5:

She's five for five today, friends!

5 months old, on the 5th.

She's still the sweetest addition to our nest.  Currently our older daughter is playing peek-a-boo with her as she squeals delight.  Azriel says: "I'm still so glad you had this baby, mama... I thought you were going to have a boy, she surprised me!!"

Talia, our little lamb, we delight in you.
Sure, you know how to throw down a fussy fit most evenings... but I know these moments will be a blur soon.  You keep growing too fast on us.

Love you,
mama
 

 

8.02.2014

A.musing.mama! 4.2

So this comic is probably funnier if you know my husband.
Or, if you happen to have a partner who has the 'one-expression-for-all-emotions' face.

I'm telling you, it's ridiculously sweet to see this guy's face crack open (and his voice raise to a falsetto) when he sees his baby girl.

We love you Mr.'I'm-smiling-on-the-inside'.

Happy weekend'ing friends!
A.musing.mama,
Mel ;o)
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 Catch up on the previous comics HERE!