so what did you do yesterday?

Sophie played in the mud.

It was glorious!

stormy days are good for...

• messy hair
• cozy pants
• baking cookies...and licking the bowl
• turning shoeboxes into amusement parks
• afternoon tea
• watching the grass turn green and the tulips push up

the pull of the ocean

We are slowly emerging from the Land of Perpetual Sickness.

It has not been fun.

But here are some pictures that ARE a lot of fun.

I never knew how much I would miss the ocean until I couldn't just hop on my bike to get there. But I do miss it - the sound, the wonder, even that tar-and-seaweed smell that just says "home" to me. So I was thankful to spend some time there with my family when we went to CA.

Uncle Gare re-introduced Aida to her native land.

Sophie made sure Grandpa knew that she did NOT want her feet in that water again.

Aida braved the waves and was absolutely delighted...

...while Ginny showed off her wave-jumping skills...

...and Timmy got drenched and cried all the way home. (But that smile says it was worth it.)
And Sophie cheered up as soon as she realized she wouldn't have to go in again.

us these days: Part 4

So what better day to write about my husband than on Valentine's Day (or Valenstine Day, as we call it in our house)?

I am so thankful for this guy. He is kind, intelligent, creative, humble. He has an amazing laugh and he makes me laugh. He loves being a Daddy and he is darn good at it. He takes good care of us (all 4 of his girls!). And he is exceedingly good-looking. Yeah, how did I get so lucky?

Elijah is still working at his high school alma mater in the Alumni and Development department, doing all kinds of things including some fancy new things that involve social media and other stuff I'm not very good at. He coaches the microbes (7th and 8th graders) in cross country and track. He is so good at inspiring those scrawny little guys to do their best. And he is looking forward to putting his teacher hat back on next year with some English classes. I am excited about this, since he is such a good teacher and is one of the blessed/cursed few who does an especially fabulous job teaching silly, scrawny junior high/early high school boys.

My husband is passionate about education and particularly about teachers. He thinks they deserve a lot more credit than they get. I agree.

He likes to play disc golf and race car video games. He rides his bike to work (when it's not snowy or 40* below). He is the master tickler, waffle-maker, and chili-cooker of our home.

Elijah has a big heart that looks to meet God in all places. He reminds me to do the same. He is my encourager and inspirer. I am grateful for the ways I continue to fall in love with him as the days, months, and years pass.

So Happy Valenstine Day, my Love.

back home

We are back from CA and in recovery mode, nursing colds and plugged ears and washing load after load of laundry. Needless to say, I haven't organized my pictures yet. But we had a fabulous time and I can't wait to post about it soon.

Even though we had another sick day - day number 2 of not setting foot out of the house - we enjoyed ourselves. Aida and Sophie learned how to melt crayon shavings in wax paper with an iron. This was a highlight of their day. We cut hearts out of the finished product to prepare for "Valenstine Day." Aida hopped around the kitchen singing, "We are the melters. We are the melters." Sophie bounced in her chair singing, "Valenstine Day. Valenstine Day!"

After lunch Aida said, "Let's make some peanut butter cookies." I said "sure." I measured, the girls poured, and then they ran and hid in their room while I turned the mixer on. The cookies are delicious. I have already eaten 15 (that is only a slight exaggeration).

The girlies snuggled up on the couch with me and our baby went crazy. I laid 2 sweet little hands on my stomach and watched eyes light up as these big sisters felt their little sister move for the first time. Unforgettable.

I came into their room after Quiet Resting Time to find them both without one stitch of clothing on. Maybe they think we're still in Santa Barbara? Clearly we are not, though, because we spent the afternoon watching snowflakes fall. The ground was so covered by the time Elijah got home that he almost missed the driveway and came very close to parking on the front lawn. Then we watched out the window some more while car after car gave up as they tried to crawl up the hill that is our street and instead abandoned their vehicles alongside the road. We had counted 5 by the time it got dark. I thought maybe we should post a sign a bit down the hill that said, "Don't even try."

It's been a day full of blessing. And I'm going to have another cookie now.