Sand Bug

what is surprising about this picture is not the discoveries being made in the tidal pool, but rather the very, VERY, happy baby in the sand. she really wowed us all with her contentedness from the first moment on the beach.


See what a big girl she is? Toes in the sand, fingers feeling sea shells, loving every minute of her little discoveries, and not worried about a thing.


Sure, I'll sit in my KK's chair for a minute, so you can get a good look at my ruffled suit. But then you better believe I want to get that sand all over me again.


Totally posing. Hi baby, we are so proud of you.


Tired buggle. She really wore herself out and was quite ready for a nap!

Kite Flying

A few more shots from the evening of day one - our kite flying adventure. The beach at Palm Coast is like a little boy's dream. Coquina rock formations along the surf make for an incredible maze of climbing adventures. He was in heaven, and ran, splashed, climbed to his heart's content.


Our brave Kite Master. Honestly, he made it look easy. And it was almost as if the weight of 'normal daily life' was let out on the string for us. You might know how it takes a while to 'get in vacation mode' - so this activity was sublime.



Telling me all about the adventure. And how he'd really like to pee pee in one of the sink holes in the rocks. Of course, son.



Assessing the construction. Difficulty scale? EASY. Yay!



RM's favorite partner for all beach related activities? KK. She's the best at digging, scraping, shoveling, splashing, running, and discovering Creation with her buddy. Taught him about sea urchins, mollusks, snails, barnacles, shells, etc!



The girls checking out the kite. Sweet little bean is very serious about it.



This was a funny game. All. Week. Long. Grandad: "Let me see that (insert object of RM's affection)." RM: "No! You can't have it." Over & Over. Hah!

oh, tie me to the end of a kite...

More beach coverage to follow soon, but just this one for now. We had an absolutely euphoric time. Anyway, this day in particular makes me think of one of my favorite songs by Rosie Thomas, simply titled, "Kite Song" which you can listen to on her site. My favorite bit is the end:

Oh tie me ever tightly by your side
So I may go with you wherever you reside

I just want to go away with you

mental captures of domestic life today

4:30am - vaguely remember something about Floyd rushing around to get out the door.

5:47am - wake up to BUGGLE stirring. every freaking light in the house is on. Floyd is no where to be seen. Ah yes, he had to leave early this morning. Now I remember. Opt to feed her and change the diaper and see just how much more she'll sleep. Stumble around in sleepy fog to turn out lights and crawl back into bed.
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8:01am - woops, definitely overslept the alarm. And that sweet two year old boy has been awake a while. Kick it into high gear.

9:02am - RM asked me to sing with him on the way to school. Really stinking cute. Drop off at the School of the Little People. On to office .38 miles away.
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5:32pm - arrive at home, exchange essential information with sitter from the School of the Little People. Decide to keep up the general crazy-woman pace of life today and take kids to church supper.

5:41pm - woke RM up to discover sitter had put him in swim 'diaper' instead of pull-up for nap... yeah, that's bad. Still didn't seem to phase his 4 hour nap routine.

5:52pm - arrive at church supper. RM squeals with delight at sight of GA and O'man in parking lot. Oma scoops up Buggle and Pops worries Clementine. O'man explains that RM is his best friend.

7:35pm - after dinner, lots of toddler races, playground excursions, and the simple joy of sitting with Antsy for a few brief moments of the day, we both depart for home to handle bath-bed routines.

7:53pm - RM: "Junie, Chin up!" He makes this recommendation to his sister after he's dumped several small cups of water over her head. She doesn't seem to mind. Surprisingly.

8:37pm - Both have been down for 10 minutes. RM from downstairs in his bed: "Mommy! I need dat Big DA!" (The security blanket. Which is in the dryer still. For the 4th time in a week.)

I'm staying up too late. :)

easter 2010

hello, J'bug and RM... you two look cute as buttons in your matching linen... almost like lime sherbert.

a few stabs at the family photo, and every one under the tree had RM's spiderman undies sticking out of his shorts.

bonnet? why not! I am a total sucker for bonnets, lace socks, white patent leather shoes, and bloomers. GIRL!

the silly parents. see, Floyd is that funny.

i'm loving the carrot-turned-weapon here. Thanks KK and Grandad. J'bug has even taken a swing.

Ray Charles on the piano folks.

she wants to crawl so bad she can taste it. so far, backward scoot is all she has down pat.

a boy and his dog. and this dog puts up with A LOT. we love him.

a sampling of the 'air guitar' performance.

sleepy girl. this is her 'i want a nap' pose.

uncle thomas is the best.

oh the things that cause us to pause.

It is interesting how God created memory. I'm sure there are some people who *claim* to remember their own birth, but overall, longterm memory takes a while. I remember my brother's birth, and I was still 4. But it's vague and spotted memories at ages 4 and 5 where it starts for me. Now that I'm a parent, I'm believing that God did this, in part, as a grace to parents.
The last two Easter seasons have been relatively simple. RM was a seven month old chub-a-lub for the first one, and last year, it was pretty much about managing allergic reactions and keeping the pregnant mommas cool enough, but this year, it's different. Maybe it's because he's two and a half. Maybe it's because I realized, hey, I could read the Children's Bible to him and explain what Jesus did for us. And he asks questions. And requests the Bible stories over the other options. Which might have even had more impact on my own faith than the Tenebrae Service in preparation for Resurrection Sunday. No matter how it happens, i'm grateful for a renewed opportunity to reflect on the greatest moment in history.

From Oswald Chambers:

THE COLLISION OF GOD AND SIN



"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." 1 Peter 2:24

The Cross of Jesus is the revelation of God's judgment on sin. Never tolerate the idea of martyrdom about the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of hell were shaken. There is nothing more certain in Time or Eternity than what Jesus Christ did on the Cross: He switched the whole of the human race back into a right relationship with God. He made Redemption the basis of human life, that is, He made a way for every son of man to get into communion with God.

The Cross did not happen to Jesus: He came on purpose for it. He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The whole meaning of the Incarnation is the Cross. Beware of separating God manifest in the flesh from the Son becoming sin. The Incarnation was for the purpose of Redemption. God became incarnate for the purpose of putting away sin; not for the purpose of Self-realization. The Cross is the centre of Time and of Eternity, the answer to the enigmas of both.

The Cross is not the cross of a man but the Cross of God, and the Cross of God can never be realized in human experience. The Cross is the exhibition of the nature of God, the gateway whereby any individual of the human race can enter into union with God. When we get to the Cross, we do not go through it; we abide in the life to which the Cross is the gateway.

The centre of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened - but the crash is on the heart of God.