Pictures Tell (Part of) a Story

Ahhhh social media. Where we can post our splendid life moments with a click of a button and share instantly with friends and family. We post the sweet, the glamorous, the tidy times, the smiles. And really, why shouldn't we... life is full of sweet moments.

Sometimes though, a reminder is needed that life is not always as what is portrayed in the tiny snippets that pop up in your newsfeed.

Take for example this cute picture of Maycee just adoring one of her new baby guinea keets. A little girl and a tiny baby bird, in a sweet embrace.  

Well, now, here is reality.  A night later we had a heat lamp snafu where a breaker tripped in the middle of the night leaving poor guineas without heat. Half of the flock died (8 of the 15.)

For as much as this darling loves her chicks and keets, it turns out, she has a farm girls' heart of stone. She wanted to help pick up the dead Guinea keets by the feet and throw them into the garbage. I suppose I forgot to take a picture of that. 

How about this one?

I can just see the description on this one: "Look what I woke up to this morning." #lovebeingamommy #cutestfaceever

And it is partially true. She is adorable and I love watching her in the morning. 

But not as much as I love waking up without her in my bed.

Truthfully, that night was wretched. She joined us at 2:00 am a snotty, cranky mess. She kicked and tossed and separated us to our tiny allotted space on each side of the bed. (In case you are wondering, I'm not a co-sleeper!)

Here's a cute blonde 3 year old playing in the tub, looking all cute!

He fell and got a swollen lip before 9 am. He got so muddy that he had to change pants twice before lunch and then again in the afternoon. [And I mean these pants were out of commission.] He picked on his sisters consistently until naptime. He got stuck in a mud hole at the creek bottom and needed rescuing. Hence the bath. 

Aw. Special daddy and kid moment. A sling shot; what an iconic symbol of a free-spirited childhood. 

Reality note here. If you give a 6 year old boy a slingshot, there will be a busted something in less than two weeks. 

In our case, it was the skidsteer window. Funny thing. Daddy revoked all slingshot privileges until further notice. 

Life is so full of precious moments. Sometimes I think it's incredibly sweet to look back on all the moments posted of my own life. See how things change. How fast babies grow. How really, you just can't seem to remember feeling discouraged or frazzled. The good memories set forever in a photograph are what remain largely in our memory. 

(Ok, and perhaps a whiff of the challenging times.) 

Haircuts.

My boy got his hair cut tonight. "I think this will probably make me look like I'm 10!" he joked. 

I cannot believe how old he is getting. He's only 6, but turning 7 in September...  how can this be?

He has turned into such a great kid. He is so soft and kind to his baby sister. Generous to his friends. Smart and full of common sense and ingenuity. He aims to please and gets hurt when he makes a mistake and gets scolded for it. 

I am painfully reminded of this when I overreact or yell over something insignificant, like careless food spillings of a big nature or an accidental muddy mess in the house. "I'm so sorry mom", he will sob. It breaks my heart when I unintentionally lose my cool with my kids, especially when they have such tender hearts. 

I love him and his spirit. 

I pray for wisdom to give my kids the instruction and love that they need. They are my most precious gifts. I am blessed beyond words and my mind is boggled to think of the joy and responsibility of the years ahead!

Hope Deferred No More

I realize I have abandoned this blog.

Sorry.

Since my last post in May of 2013, I have been exceptionally busy. Perhaps my title implies that this blog update is what fulfills your longings; however I am aware of my audience {this blog serves mainly as a keepsake of sorts for my own memory!} So here is the highlight reel; in a nutshell.

May 2013 Hope deferred, ends. A dramatic way of stating this: livestock arrived at my farm.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

Truth. I cannot place an age on the time in my life when I remember wanting horses and cattle. It has always been a longing in me. So you can only imagine my excitement when these showed up.


June 2013 To make things even more exciting, my very own horse arrives at the farm in June. This is where office productivity really takes a dive in my fiscal year!

Happiness is… a horse of my own.

Having the time of my life!

July 2013 Horses and kids, kids and horses. Add the artificial insemination of four wild cows, and suddenly it's a party.

"You're going to do WHAT to us?

August 2013 Bouncing back and forth daily between town and our farm… and much time was spent on a ginormous gravel pile.

Smokey and 'lil Maren.

October 2013 Goodbye, old house. {We officially closed on our house in town}

Hello, new (temporary) house. The house that we moved out to our farm was quite a steal at only $3,500 from a City buyout auction. It is small, yet cozy; and in perfect shape.

November 2013 Cried tears (I cannot specify publicly if they were tears of joy or sheer terror.) upon finding out that we are expecting another baby in July of 2014.

Baby #5 - a girl!
{and YES we are excited to add another baby… just took a bit to process}

December 2013 A unique holiday season ensued. Leif was taken ill on December 23rd. A sudden burst of energy the next day had him convinced that we could still fly to Crosby for his families' Christmas Eve celebration. This was false and we had an interesting Christmas Eve flying to and from Crosby. I, along with the rest of the children, succumbed to the sickness in the following days. Yes, that is right. Christmas was spent feverish, severe coughing, and/or vomiting by nearly all of us. I was diagnosed with Influenza Type A on New Years Eve. While the family had a mild bout, a pregnant body does not mesh well with such viruses. It is safe to say that I was quite ill for weeks. I was beginning to recover by Hawaii.

January 2014 Sweet, sweet vacation. A break from the unseasonably frigid year. Traveling across the seas with 4 kids is no cake walk, but let me tell you this: it was worth it. The sunshine and fresh fruit healed all that ailed me.

Bliss.

February 2014 Just plain, stinking cold. That's all. Think -40 below zero for weeks on end.

March 2014 Dax is diagnosed with Juvinile Rhumetoid Arthritis. It is an autoimmune disease that he should outgrow; yet we are seeing a specialist in May to try and get more specific treatment or answers. We are overly busied with frequent Chiropractor appointments, pediatrician and OB/GYN appointments, and -did I mention we have a puppy?- veterinary appointments. Sigh.

And here we stand.

I was inspired by a lovely mom-friend of mine to journal and keep track of this sweet, crazy life that we lead. As I reminisced over the last few years of memories found in this blog, I decided that I shall forget many precious things if not written (or typed). I plan on doing more of both!

Life is so full, so sweet, so difficult, so overwhelming… it is easy to forget the little things that make up the big picture. Here's to the good times!