The Park

It's always a good day when you get to go to the park, but when you get to go with friends it's pretty much equivalent in excitement to your birthday party.... or something else children think is really super awesome fun!

As professional park hoppers we tried out a new park (to us) across town, and lucky for me it was super shady and a little overcast so I was able to stay and enjoy friends and their babies for a good while! 

That's my kid, not Nina's, but I love that picture of her and Gideon. I also love Silas' face in the last one. We took so many of Candace and her three and in almost every one each one was making a funny face. Adeline and I laughed out loud going through all of the pictures. These kids are so fun!

I love these of Adie and Kole. They play so well together, and he's just the sweetest little boy you'll meet! From my observations at this stage in their mature toddler lives, I won't mind if they marry in a couple decades. 

This dude isn't allowed to get married though. He's all mine. To squeeze foreverrrrr!!!

We would adopt this little Lilly of we could. She enjoys playing the little momma role to Gideon, and she's Adeline's absolute best fwiend. Squig asks to play with her every single day, and when she isn't around many times she's imaginary around. Not that I have a weird kid who talks to someone who isn't there, but.... okay maybe I do have a weird kid who pretends like her best friend sleeps in her top bunk.

Precious children they all are!

The Park in B&W

I love when God beams rays of sunshine that bounce so perfectly off of every strand of hair on these babies heads.

I love that if our kids are having a cranky day, the park induces serious belly laughs and magically erases whining and fussing. 

I love that I see the child in my husband's heart there, and I think I love even more the sweetness that seeps from his voice when he's pushing swinging babies or catching them from the super slide.

I love that I had that bright idea of grabbing my camera seconds before I ran out of the door. 

I love these photos. 

I love those moments. 

I love this life!

One Day

I took the kids to the park the other day. 

We had time to kill before Daddy got home from work, Adeline had massive amounts of energy to burn by climbing the same slide over and over and over again, and Gideon had a sweet little nap to take in the warm sunshine.

It was just the 3 of us when we first arrived. Gideon watched leaves wave on the tree he was under while I pushed Adeline in a swing while she demanded that I twy to swing hew weally weally high! 

It was peaceful, it was quiet, it was serene. Then a single car full of on about 8 or so teenagers made an abrupt stop in two parking spots, and a herd of what Philip calls [skinny-jeaned, long-haired, headband-wearing] "hipsters"  jumped out.

Their cigarettes and lighters were out faster than their feet even hit the gravel. 

The girls were giggling, and the guys were making jokes in loud obnoxious voices. 

Mirrors/ headphones/ cellphones accompanied the hands that weren't holding beer cans. 

Each one of them grabbed a swing and don't you know my overly-friendly kid wanted to swing right next to them and talk to them and beg for a playmate on the slide a few feet away.

Some of the kids ignored her, some of them smiled as they tried to interpret what she was saying, and a couple of them made typical teenage remarks under his breath.

They were totally cool kids, and it didn't take long for them to realize that our company was a little too uncool.

So they took their cigarettes underneath the pavillian, while I tried to distract my daughter from following them.

I used to think I was cool like that.

and while part of me started to remember those days of mine that really aren't too historic yet, most of me was just consumed with sorrow.

I was really sorry that these pretty, young, girls felt desperate enough to be throwing themselves at these losers. 

I was really sorry that these guys seemed incapable of speaking a single sentence with out the f-bomb.

I was really sorry that the most important thing in these kid's lives seemed to probably be the high they got from whatever they were smoking/drinking/sexing.

I then realized how important my job is. 

I'm here to help raise these kids with a Holy heart.

I want these babies of mine to have a need to live and breath for Jesus. I want them to know His love.

Being "a good person" just isn't enough.

Calling ourselves "Christian" is stopping short.

I hope I can be the kind of parent God wants me to be. 

It's a really important job, you know. 

and while imagining my kids as teenagers and wondering what they might do while I'm not there is more than I'm wanting to think about right now. 

I know there is a little seed in them, and it's my job to nurture it so they can be something awesome. Now and for years and years to come.

Until then, I'm just going to keep pushing my innocent little baby on this park swing, while we watch the world and find our place.

Swing Daddy!

Daddy's hitch is almost over, and in a couple of days he'll be back up in PA for work for another month. 

My husband works in the oil field, and normally he works 14 and 14 (2 weeks home, 2 weeks work) in the Gulf of Mexico. Since the oil spill and the Gulf being closed he's been working 28 and 28 in Pennsylvania. 

A month on and off is definitely a little more stressful on the family, but those 28 days home are sweet! 

Before this job, Philip was a carpenter. He worked Monday-Friday doing hard labor in the hot sun. 

By the time he was home in the evenings he already gave the best of his day to his job, and Adeline and I were left with the weekends, which were often crammed with either side jobs or fishing trips away, so we were alone anyway.

This career has offered him more money, more advancement opportunities, and more time. I'm not going to lie, that 2 weeks (or now a month) away is hard. We love him, we need him, and it's hard not having him around for everything. 

But when he's home, we get all of him. The best moments of his day are ours, not a slave jobs. We get wake up time, lunch time, nap time, evening time, night time, all of it, and it's really proved to be great for our little growing family.

I love the special little things Adeline's allowed to do just because Daddy's in.

When Daddy fixes her milk-its always chocolate milk.

If Daddy's home, bedtime is no longer 8pm or earlier, she's up until we are! 

Daddy doesn't care if she ate her dinner or not, baby wants a snack? Sure. 

Oh honey, did you want that pair of shoes your practically throwing your body out of the cart for? Sure, Daddy will buy them for you!

She's wrapped around his little finger, and no matter how much it can sometimes undermine me, I will always find these moments so sweet that I just want to tuck them under my chin, and hold them close to my chest before they slip away from my grip.

Yesterday evening it was too chilly to play outside, but daddy said if you wear your boots, Adeline, then he'll bring you to the park.

....

The rusty rays of a winter sunset highlighted Addie's strawberry blonde hair.

Her giggle seemed to echo over Daddy's "Woooooos" and "Weeeeees".

and tears trickled down my hormonal cheeks as I realized these were some moments that I wanted to cradle in the fetal position and hold onto forever and ever.