WEEKENDING IN AUSTIN.

 lots of crickets have been chirping over here on our little blog. we've been doing our best to keep our family time as our top priority and setting anything aside that interferes with that. we're adjusting and readjusting to changes in life, both big and small. i had some time today between sweeping up shattered glass and nursing a few burned fingers(never drop french toast into sizzling coconut oil) to stop by here and clear out the cobwebs.

i mean to frequent our tiny corner of the cyber world more often this spring and summer, but let's not make any promises just in case life throws another surprise in the mix. we all know it will.

the last few days, jesse finn and i visited with my mom, sisters and brother-in-law in austin. it was warm, shockingly not too humid and a lovely break from our daily grind. we had a fantastic weekend eating at some local favorites, strolling the antique malls, catching up with an old friend, having daily coffee and dessert and laughing till our stomachs ached. jesse and my littlest sis jadyn provided just about all the hilarity and entertainment a girl could ask for.

and did i mention jesse finn tasted his first texas sno cone? it was love at first lick, obviously.

i love coming home to my babies and my bearded man the most though. we're spending the day with new books, comics and toys mommy brought back from texas. it's raining and cool and basically wonderful. ain't no place like home.

until we meet again, tejas.

-bette

THAT ONE TIME IT WAS CHRISTMAS MORNING.

 yeah, yeah i know, but just for today let's pretend it's december again and i'm posting these in a timely manner.

this is the good side of christmas morning that we all illuminate in our photos, right? ripping into gifts, expressions of sheer joy and excitement, showing off our loot and enjoying trying everything out. i suppose no one would really want to see photos of thirty pounds of tape, wrapping paper and bows(coming to a landfill near you). what about the stocking stuffer chocolate hand printed walls or the table and chairs caked with playdough that is still being scraped off as relatives are arriving for christmas dinner. i even left out the two trays of burnt-to-a-crisp baguette for my bruschetta appetizer. now i'm starting to remember why i procrastinated on these photos. we keep it real around here y'all. hey, there's always next year right?

i'm sure the kids felt the whole morning differently and that's really all that matters once you become a parent. they had a blast trashing the house and getting love gifts from everyone. that's what you see here, because that's what i'll choose to remember from that day. these tiny people and their bearded daddy are my favorite gifts every year. (certainly you didn't think you'd escape this post without at least one cliche remark.)

here's to the good moments of christmas 2012 and to it's predetermined ass-kicking from christmas 2013. cheers!

-bette

YOU BE YOU.

at the start of another new year our thoughts begin to fill with goals, aspirations and the new adventures ahead of us. while i have plenty of goals for this coming year, another word seems more fitting for where my heart is at.

focus. "a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity."

what is our central point? this little family.

this year i want our focus to be set inward. keeping our hearts focused on jesus and guiding our children's hearts toward jesus. there are many seasons in life, all of which carry a great importance, but this time with our children passes by so very quickly. i plan to pour all i can into these precious ones the lord has entrusted to us.

something has been in the forefront of my heart the past few weeks and i can't seem to think about much else.

how do our lives and the people around influence who we become and how do we preserve the identity god has given to each of us?

always, without exception, we are judged by others. that can make finding and accepting our own identities very difficult. our society promotes and encourages cookie cutter children, especially within the walls of school buildings. kids grow up trying to squeeze into the one size fits all mold, which most certainly was not created for them by their heavenly father. they are labeled, scrutinized, weighed and measured by those who carry the arrogance of "we know what's best for you". i'm sorry to say it, but many parents are guilty of this same disservice to their children, myself included. i will continue to pray that god would search my heart and keep it free from thoughts like that. i don't want to control my kids or force them to fit into some absurd identity that society deems as appropriate. i simply want to be a participant in their lives, sharing what wisdom i have with them while they develop their own character and identity.

so here is my view of these little beings that i am surround by day in and day out:

they were fearfully and wonderfully made by the lord. they were given their own hearts, their own minds, their own passions and desires. they were entrusted to me to nurture, love, cherish, honor, respect and guide. they are deserving of the opportunity to become who they choose to be and to exercise the free will god gave to them. they are unique and set apart to their very core. they are free to make their own choices in life and free to dismiss anyone that tells them otherwise. they are not required to live by the standards of another or to accept judgements placed on them by another. they are independent, eccentric, perfect. they are a treasure and a gift from god.

they are precisely who they were meant to be.



-bette


*a few similar posts i loved reading:

are homeschooled kids weird?
i don't care if my kids ever fit in.
in pursuit of the thing.
what kind of work do we value?
unsolicited evaluation is the enemy of creativity.
TED talk about how schools kill creativity.

SUMMONING SOME CHRISTMAS CHEER.

typically around late october i start getting the itch for it....the most wonderful time of the year, the carols, the presents, the family, the food and sweet lord do i ever love decorating day. decorating day around here consists of the consumption of cocoa with a giant mound of marshmallows, dean martin crooning our favorite holiday classics, hanging and rehanging ornaments after little hands have torn them off the tree, wondering what will be in those stockings on the fireplace, whispering swear words under our breath when that one strand of lights just won't work and ending the day with the first family christmas movie of the season. the kids always beg for the grinch. i've managed to move decorating day earlier and earlier each year since paul and i have been married. there's a good chance that come easter one of these years, i'll be dragging out the nativity sets and lights. i've always been a christmas freak and proud of it.

i am the last person on earth who needs coercing when it comes to celebrating this season...usually. so, here comes the big confession. this year, i'm just not feelin' it. some unfortunate circumstances have caused us unnecessary stress this christmas and we've had to cancel our travel plans to texas as well. this will be my first christmas ever not to be with my mom or dad. it may sound childish, but it just won't be the same without seeing them. it really makes my heart sink a little each time i think about it. half of my siblings will be in texas and we won't get to be with them either. paul's parents have decided to come for a visit and we are excited to have them here. the kids are loving the christmas festivities and i'm determined to make it a wonderful time for them. i'll try not to cry or pout...you hear that santa? bring me somethin' good!

happy christmas season to all of you!

-bette

PUMPKIN PARTY POOPERS.

you know those times when you plan an evening with the family carving pumpkins, drinking hot cocoa, laughing and enjoying each other's company...and then the time comes and it all goes to hell. yep, it pretty much happened just like that. the pumpkin carving got a very late start, the toddler was without his daily nap, mama was grouchy and tired, jack hummed the batman theme song about a billion times despite our many pleas to stop and jesse finn made it clear that he was only here for the milk. 

the pumpkins did indeed get carved, dinner was served via boxed mac and cheese, hot cocoa was skipped, kids were sent to bed and the night ended rather peacefully. i think we were just glad it ended at all. maybe we were in need of a reminder that having a family sometimes means adjusting our plans and expectations. i think we'll be doing quite a bit of that over the next...twenty or...fifty years. it seems on of those times is upon us now. i planned to get some blogging done, jesse finn planned to eat every hour on the hour. time to adjust and snuggle my sweet boy.

-bette

*my apologies for the grainiest photos ever.