Our Four-year-old

Will be 5 in 21 days. But who's counting? He loves s'mores.
He's a family sort of guy, & a treasure to our family.
Eli loves the out of doors. He loves nature. He always has a charming knock-your-socks off smile.
Is 100% muscle. He has a 6 pack. Would you know what I meant if I said he's a full-strength boy? He does everything with full strength. He is brave, witty, wise and all boy.
Sweet Elijah Jonathan likes to be called 'Eli.'

Counting my blessing and tasting the changes

He has things up His sleeve.

I can never get over God's blessings. The little ones often surprise me more than the big. This week has presented all sorts of surprises.

We've attended a birthday party, several play dates. I had a first big meeting with CC, my husband's first week back to work. Chance meetings with kind, encouraging women that have nudged me along through the channels of finding a new normal and resting in the unknown.

When Ralph interviewed with his now employeer, I shot an email to the director of CC. Wondering if there was room for us to enroll.

She invited me to lunch.

Again, she and her kids invited us to picnic with them, I'm feeling quickly like this could be the friends we've been hoping for, the CC family that will replace the one we've hesitantly left behind.

The day that we moved to this apartment building, I took the boys down to the pool. I stepped right into the welcoming pool of women who are also transitioning. Some coming, some going, from New York to Portland, they're all on the move just like me. They congregate daily with their little ones to cool off their bodies & minds together in the cool of the waters. I was immediately absorbed and part of the ladies-in-waiting-club. What a gift! To have other women that pray and love and hurt and laugh right next door.

This move has been full of gifts. The packing will be done for us, the friends that have blessed us, the great and small provisions, the details have been cared for. God sees us. I am certain of this.

More and more I am convinced.

And I'm not talking about knowing it, but am talking about believing it. For it's one thing to know "God's on my side" and a whole different thing to breathe it. To breathe it so often that when the edge of worry comes into view, I remember Who has my back and just look away to Him because He's so Good.

Now I'm still feeling, oh, more than ever. I've struggled with just feeling in the past, wondering if it was a sign that I wasn't trusting. But feeling is good. It's tasting life, isn't it? Every flavor of the move is present; sad, excited, hopeful. I'm feeling it all.

So now I'm spending my days cruising the classified & the neighborhoods, looking for a home for us. I'm planning for our school year and ramping up to dig in a little next week. Getting my mama-teacher brain back on. I'll check back in soon!

Six Year Old

...loves to swim. He also loves to smile, even when he's missing both front teeth.

...enjoys being with the family, or off tinkering by himself. He leaves no rock unturned, must find bugs.

...can be a little pouty

...and he is a determined fisherman. He loves, loves, love fishing with his dad. He is his own, wonderful young man. Crazy about him, I am.

Yosemite Continuted

Be ready to swim at any given moment. That's his motto.

Bobby and Amy.

Boys playing in the creek, just as they should be

Yosemite...Part III?

Animated. I don't know if there is a better work for Nate's storytelling skills. He is telling a story of the first time he found a grub. You'll notice that he's discovered one that reminded him of the story.

Family Photo!! I'm so pleased to have such a handsome brood of men.

The view.

Kiddos work on some art at back at the campground. This was a big favoite activity for the kids. I came home with a stack of kid art, pages covered front and back...

Lasts

We mamas tend to spend our days of little ones marking down & getting a little thrill over all the firsts. I am still counting firsts. Because my kiddos are learning right at home, I'm aware of so many firsts.

But what about the lasts? I've been thinking on this one for awhile. I have loved-loved my babies, toddlers...and now it seems they're just gone.

Elijah will be 5 in a short little month. I can hardly stand it. I never thought the day would come that my youngest child was five years old. Don't get me wrong. If you know me you'll know that I love each season, and I'm particularly enjoying these little boys these days. But it just goes so stinking fast. Eli seems to know how to speed that up. When he turned 2, he climbed up on the potty (unbeknownst to us) and did his thing, wiped his tiny hiney and flushed, proclaimed he was just done with diapers. I know, it's dreamy. But I was a little sad, my littlest boy wanted to grow up so, so fast.

and he's done it again. Yesterday, he decided he would try a bike without training wheels. Ralph was watching the boys on bikes from the garage when he saw Eli trying it on his own. "Wait!!" I said, "I have to get the camera!" but of course I wouldn't have him wait and it's a good thing, he didn't. He was off just then. By today he was stopping and starting, up on the sidewalk & two blocks down the street all by himself.

Last training wheels.

I'm so happy to see his beaming little face. He's so happy to be a "big kid," and I can't think of what would seperate the little ones from the big ones other than diapers and training wheels. Eli was cruising up to the big neighbor boys with a strut, "hey, this is my first day without training wheels" (hand on hip). Isn't this just how it's supposed to be?

But to me, it's another last. All just as it should be, but these boys, they just keep on growing.

They keep on getting faster, better, riskier, and tougher. I love it and I cry. That's fair, right? I'm a mama. I get to cry when I want to. Give me some grace, ok?

After all, this is the last of my little kids. They're turning into young men right in front of my eyes. And I must say I'm the luckiest mama on the planet...I get to spend so much time watching them grow...

...and just check out those muscles!! Not, the last...I'm sure.

And I'm happy to report that my sweet little man called to me from his bed tonight, for just one more snuggle. He wrapped his little arms around my neck and I eat it up. Far from the last of the lovey little boys. You see, my nearly 9 year old did the same tonight. :)

Okay, a few more posts of pics from our vacation below. I love to share all the pics, so enjoy!

Nater and the gianormous pinecones in Yosemite.

I love this pic, daddies and their clan taking a break at the fork in the trail.

I don't want you to miss a thing. This is Amy with her brand spanking new beloved Nikon. We were picture taking fools.

Joe.

Yosemite

This is another boyish pic...Joey and Josiah hanging out at the park, being big kids.

This was a proud mama-teacher moment, when my four year old says "Look mama! Abraham Lincoln!" ~ Did you know he was part of establishing Yosemite as a National Park?

Nate found his marshmallow stick...

Bobby and Amy. Lovebirds. :)