At the Arboretum last Friday, while Linnea had her nose in the lilacs, Laurel had a stick in hand and repeatedly insisted that we hurry up. She needed to find some water so she could go “fishing” with her stick. Truth be told, Laurel is totally and completely obsessed with water. But you know that already if you read my earlier post about Our Flower Girls.
No doubt her water obsession sprung from her daddy, the biggest water-lover I know. For these two, water is not about thirst; it’s about recreation. Boating in it, fishing in it, hiking over it, pretending to be a mermaid in it, or throwing rocks into it. Okay, maybe Michael doesn’t really go for the mermaid part, but Laurel certainly does.
Laurel could have played here for hours and hours.
This stick was perfect for {pretend} fishing, she said, because it had such a nice curve to it.
It’s no wonder the simple things in nature can be so entertaining. God created them for us to enjoy.
And since Linnea is a bit of a water-lover, too, I have a feeling we’ll be exploring another spot like this again soon.
I love being a mom. My first Mother’s Day with two daughters was in 2006.
mother-daughters trio 2006
Linnea was 3 years old, and Laurel was 7 months old. Aren’t they precious? As much as I miss rocking that chubby baby, I don’t miss all those sleepless nights for one single minute.
No, not at all. And now that they are 7 and 4 years old, we seem to be blooming better as a mother-daughters trio.
mother-daughters trio 2010
Probably this is because we are all getting more sleep! Plus it’s nice to leave home without bringing along the entourage of infant carriers, strollers, diapers, bibs, blankets, Cheerios and pacifiers.
Some of my dearest friends are still in this early motherhood stage, though, and since Mother’s Day is fast approaching, I want to tip my hat at them. It’s a tough stage, no doubt, and these moms need lots of encouragement in between all the diaper changes and feedings in their schedules.
As part of saluting these moms, I want to share the lyrics of two beautiful songs by Sara Groves, who is a young mother and a very talented, award-winning musician. She also calls the Frozen Tundra home. Both songs are from the perspective of a mother writing to her young child, and both are from Sara’s album called Station Wagon, which would make an awesome Mother’s Day gift for any young mother out there!
This first one I love just because it relates back to the popular saying about giving your children roots and wings. That was one of my mother’s favorite sayings, so I suppose that makes it all the more meaningful for me as well.
Small Piece of You
I just want a small piece of you
a token to put in my pocket
and I will own that one thing
and it would make me happy
I just want a small piece of you
something to put in a locket
and I will look at it daily
and that will make me happy
I guess it’s human nature to want to hold you very still
I guess it’s in a mother to inject a little guilt
Go on son and see the world; I hope you see it all
But please please please don’t forget to call
Free to fly free to go free to not look back
That’s how free I want you though it scares me half to death
Free to wander miles and miles and free to come back home
That’s how free I want you though it chills me to the bone
…Go on son and spread your wings; I hope that you take flight
But please please please don’t forget to write
I know you’re just a baby sleeping in your bed
And you probably have other thoughts drifting through your head
I know this conversation’s a little premature
It’s just that I’ve heard eighteen years goes by like a blur
…I know that it’s not fair for me to hold you down now is it
But please please please don’t forget to visit
Free to fly free to go free to come back home…
The second song I find especially fitting for stay-at-home and homeschool moms.
I Can’t Wait
When you reach the proper age
I will teach you to read and you can turn the pages
How to dress and tie your shoes
Your one plus ones, and your two times twos
And you’ll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important things
And all that i have lost along the way
And I can’t wait
As you grow, I’ll show you things
How to ride your bike and kick your legs out on the swings
To fold your hands and bow your head
How to say your prayers before you go to bed
And you’ll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important things
And all that I have lost along the way
And I can’t wait
How do you sleep so peacefully?
How do you trust unflinchingly?
How do you love so faithfully?
How do you dance so joyfully?
Oh you’ll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important (essential) things
And all that I have lost along the way
And I can’t
No I can’t
Come teach me
Of love and dreams
And all the most essential things
And all that I have lost along the way
‘Cause I can’t wait
“See the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.” -Song of Solomon 2:11-12
When Michael and I got married nearly 14 years ago, we had dozens of tulips but we didn’t have a single flower girl in the ceremony. We just didn’t know any young girls of the proper age to assign that role, except one whose family wasn’t able to attend the event. So I felt a little sad not having a flower girl in my wedding, but it was just as well. God’s desire was to bless us far beyond getting someone else’s a little girl all dressed up to toss out a few petals and fidget for the rest of a 45-minute ceremony.
Yes, God’s blessed us far beyond our wildest imaginations. Today we have two flower girls, and cumulatively they have blessed us with 11 years worth of all things flowery, dressy and girly — and I have a feeling there are still many more years of that to come.
Since they were wee little ones, hardly able to walk, our daughters have been our flower girls, pondering many a petal and sniffing each bloom thoughtfully.
Linnea always has been the chief flower sniffer among us.
Linnea at 18 months
When she was small, Linnea demanded to sniff any real or fake flower within a 5-mile radius.
Linnea at age 4
She gladly helped me plant Impatiens in the backyard, and she sniffed them plenty, too.
Linnea at age 7
Just a few weeks ago, she confirmed that this lily smelled quite lovely indeed.
Now Laurel, on the other hand, always has been the chief caretaker of the flowers.
Laurel at 19 months
She’s always eager to relieve the Impatiens of their endless thirst.
Laurel at 19 months
And she’s always quick on the draw with a watering can.
Laurel at 2.5
Even the petunias wave in delight when Laurel comes share her sprinkles.
Laurel at 3
I’m sure my daughters’ flower sniffing and watering obsessions have nothing to do with the fact that both their names are also the names of flowers (Linnea is the national flower of Sweden, and the Mountain Laurel is the state flower of Pennsylvania and Connecticut.)
I’m sure it has more to do with the fact that God created in them a need to behold and connect with something beautiful, a need for Him. Flowers are His creation, His handiwork. And right now God’s handiwork is blooming all over the countryside, beautifully showing us just a glimpse of our Creator’s indescribable glory.
“See the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.” -Song of Solomon 2:11-12
In Oregon earlier this month, the girls found flowers on a little nature walk we took in Lake Oswego.
finding flowers
Our stroll took us along part of this avenue of blooming crab apple trees.
an avenue of blooming crab apple trees
Also, if you read this earlier post, you may recall the magnolia tree I mentioned was almost done blooming in the courtyard when we visited Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland. The blooms looked like this:
magnolia
And beneath the tree, the girls scrambled to collect fistfuls of fallen blooms.
flower seekers
Surely by now you can imagine why we just had to take our flower girls to the tulip festival in Oregon.
The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
With tulips in nearly every color of the rainbow, the festival was truly a tulip-lover’s paradise, a botanical feast for the eyes.
red tulipsred and white tulipshot pink tulipsglowing orange and yellow tulipspurple tulips
It wasn’t easy, but somehow our flower girls victoriously overcame the temptation to pick the tulips. We did buy a lovely bouquet of tulips for my aunt, which helped us not feel so empty-handed. I kept longing to bring some of the tulips home with us, but instead I brought home another treasure: this picture of our flower girls admiring the tulips.
our flower girls
I love that they are equipped with rubber boots and raincoats beneath a bright blue, sunshiny sky. The path was muddy and bumpy, and they splashed through dozens of puddles along the way. But the beauty around them made it all worthwhile.
I also love that this picture offers so much perspective on life. If I focus too much on my own two boots and the muddy trial I’m walking through, I get bogged down and discouraged. But if I look upward, I see the rain is over and gone. I see the Son shining down on me, lighting my path.
And if I look out beyond my path, I see fields of precious people, flowers quickly fading. They are here today, but many will be gone tomorrow. Some are ripe for harvest. Some have already turned toward the Light. Others will turn to Him eventually. And still others will never turn toward the Light of the World, Jesus. That’s a godly perspective of which I need to be constantly reminded. When I see those around me as flowers quickly fading — here today and gone tomorrow — I treat them differently. I am more loving, more patient, more heart-broken, and more passionate about sharing my faith in Christ Jesus.
So, because I love this picture and because I love our precious flower girls, and yes, because I love tulips — in case I left any doubt about that — the tulip festival leaves big shoes to fill on our next nature walk!
Laurel at the Wooden Shoe Tulip FestivalLinnea at The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
Tranquility is thousands of little twinkle lights wrapped around the palm trees.
Tranquility is a bright little beach house away from home.
Tranquility is relaxing on the back porch with someone you love.
Tranquility is having time to paint your toe nails orange.
Tranquility is a cozy spot under the covers, sharing secrets.
Ahem.
Tranquility is not hearing your 7-year-old call from the bathroom,
“Mommy! There’s a dead lizard in here!”
Tranquility is not hearing your husband say, “It’s not dead! Where did it go?”
Tranquility is not hearing your daughters race downstairs shrieking, “It went into our bedroom!”
Tranquility is not hearing your husband calmly but seriously calling, “Honey, you better come up here.”
Tranquility is not seeing your husband, down on all fours, sheepishly looking up and quietly admitting, “I can’t find it. It’s just too fast!”
The Florida chameleon is tiny and fast but not exactly a threatening creature. It’s fun to spy one on the sidewalk or in the garden or even on the porch. But the thought of one creeping around in your bedroom while you sleep? Clearly that’s not a tranquil thought for most.
At bedtime, Laurel was especially worried about the chameleon sleeping in her room or crawling into her bed. Michael and I couldn’t offer her complete assurance that the lizard was gone. All we could do was pray that Laurel and Linnea would sleep well and not be disturbed by any lizards. So that’s just what we did.
“Do not be anxious about anything (even lizards in your bedroom), but in everything (even lizard emergencies), by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. (No lizards in our beds, please God). And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding (of where exactly said lizard might still be hiding), will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
By the way, we never saw that little chameleon inside again, thank God!
Click here to find out more about Tranquility Bay Beachfront Resort in Marathon, FL. We highly recommend it, lizards and all.
What vacation with small children would be complete without a swimming pool?
The lagoon-style pool at the resort where we stayed was amazing. Michael and I couldn’t get over how beautiful the landscaping around it was. So green and tropical, and so different from the snow-white landscape of the Frozen Tundra that we’ve been staring at since November.
We also couldn’t get over the iguanas that strolled around the pool on the warmest day of our visit. Creepy! Of course, that was the day I didn’t bring my camera to the pool. We did count at least five iguanas — one even had orange spikes! The girls didn’t want to go anywhere near those creatures, but they didn’t freak out as much as I thought they might. We also saw many tiny lizards — Florida chameleons — near the pool and elsewhere around the resort. But that’s another story…
Back to swimming. Linnea loves her goggles; Laurel has a love-hate relationship with hers.
Linnea loves leaping into the water.
Laurel still needs a little help getting into deep water.
Her little toes just didn’t want to let go!
But pretending to ride on her own personal sea turtle was great fun.
The 70-something weather was a smidge cold for Linnea, who crept out of the pool to warm up for a while. This is the same kid who often complains about being hot when she is outside wearing her snowpants. Go figure.
And then there’s Laurel, never happy to leave the pool.
Our Florida Keys Top 10 nears the finish with Number Eight coming up soon!
The Florida Keys Top 10 continues with Laurel’s favorite today.
Number Six: Sand Castles
“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.”
1 Kings 4:29
If you read this earlier post about Linnea collecting seashells, you might have wondered if Laurel was at the beach at all. Well, she was. But seashell searcher she is not. For her, building sand castles was the most fascinating part of the beach.
Laurel knew she needed wet sand. So at first, she tried carrying it by hand back to the building site.
Next she tried the shovel.
Then she got brave and tried using the bucket.
Really brave, especially when you are 4-years-old and not wearing your swimsuit.
She constructed this cute, cozy little castle all by herself.
Then she had to wash her hands, with a little help from her dadddy.
Here’s another castle they made together.
As you can tell, Laurel loved the beach and didn’t at all mind having a little sand between her toes.
Don’t re-freeze if thawed. These instructions are important to heed if you are a frozen chicken breast, but they are hard to follow if you are a Minnesotan returning from a week-long Florida vacation in February. Frozen since sometime in November, we did indeed thaw while on vacation. Seasoned in sea salt and sand, we warmed up well in the Florida sunshine and Atlantic water. But now we are back home in the Frozen Tundra and diligently trying not to re-freeze because that would be so distasteful.
While I still feel thawed and still have a little sand between my toes, I am eager to bask with you in the warm memories! I plan to serve up our family’s Top 10 of the Florida Keys. Of course, I don’t want to over-stuff this post with all the photos and stories from a week-long trip. That’d be too messy. A trip like this calls for several small courses! So do enjoy this one, and please come back often so you don’t miss anything!
Number One: Sea Turtles
“So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems… And God saw that it was good.”
— Genesis 1:21
Of the top 10 things we love about the Florida Keys, the sea turtles rank pretty high. The first full day we spent in the Keys, we devoted a large chunk of time to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, FL.
Sea turtles happen to be my favorite animal — I fell in love with them while Michael and I were vacationing in the Cayman Islands several years ago. Anyway, sea turtles are Linnea’s favorite, too, which made the Turtle Hospital a must-see.
Touring the hospital and learning about sea turtle injuries was quite intriguing. I never knew sea turtles had so many health challenges! Shark bites, boat propeller incidents and entanglement in fishing line are a few primary causes of injury for these captivating creatures. The hospital’s emergency room and operating room offer pretty impressive care, and the folks who work at the hospital are clearly devoted to helping these amazing creatures recover from whatever ails them.
During a recent cold snap in the area, the water temperature dropped into the 50s and many sea turtles suffered from “cold stunning.” As a result, the hospital took in more than 170 turtles in January — that’s more patients than the hospital typically gets in a full year! Most of those turtles had already been released when we were there, but 20 or so were still there recovering in outside tanks like this.
The girls adored seeing the sea turtles up close! We saw Loggerheads, Hawks Bills, Green Turtles, and the rare Kemp’s Ridleys.
Without a doubt, everyone’s favorite turtle was Scooter, an adorable 1-year-old Loggerhead who is perfectly healthy.
Scooter goes with the hospital biologists when they visit schools, and he helps educate students about sea turtles and what the hospital does. While the tour guide was holding him, Scooter waved his fin at Laurel.
Toward the end of the tour, our guide passed around some catfish food for us to feed to the turtles. The turtles were anticipating this, so they followed us closely — they swam and we walked alongside the water.
After the tour, we visited the gift shop. Having saved up her allowance for weeks in hopes of buying a stuffed sea turtle, Laurel delighted in finally wrapping her arms around this one.
Notice it has an orange bandage — the tour guide/reptile biologist carefully treated Laurel’s little turtle before releasing it to her. So cute! Linnea had to have one, too.
Its fin needed a white bandage, as you can see.
I think these turtles are going to be well cared for, don’t you?
Thanks for joining us at the Turtle Hospital. Stay tuned for the next post, when we learn more about another favorite sea creature as our Top 10 of the Florida Keys continues!
Someone recently asked me if homeschoolers ever get snow days.
By my measurement, that’s a deep question. So I guess it requires a pretty deep answer.
Consider the beauty of a snow day: Catch up on sleep. Hang out all day with people you love dearly. Take a break from the usual routine of school or work. Stay home. Wear your pajamas all day. Sip some hot chocolate in the middle of the afternoon. Slow down and enjoy a new experience outside like sledding or building a snowman.
Homeschooling is a lot like that. A flexible schedule allows homeschoolers to catch up on sleep when they’ve been deprived. They hang out all day with the people they love dearly. They can wear pajamas all day, though we never make it much past 8 a.m. in ours. Homeschoolers often have time to enjoy a new experience as a family, whether it’s through a book that’s read-aloud, a field trip to the theatre or museum, or a science project worked on together.
Also consider the classic book Snowy Day, written by Ezra Jack Keats. It’s a simple story of a little boy who wakes up to a winter wonderland of snow. Since school is canceled, the boy spends the entire day exploring and playing in the fresh snow. Among other things, he experiments with his foot prints, makes a snowangel, and eventually discovers that snowballs melt when brought inside. That one day he learns more about snow than he ever would learn about it in a classroom.
Likewise, when there’s an opportunity to sink deeply into a certain subject,
homeschoolers have the freedom to wallow in it for a while.
They also have the freedom to step back and view it from a totally different angle.
Don’t get me wrong. A classroom can be great for practicing handwriting and studying spelling words and reading all about this incredible world our Father created. But often a textbook experience falls way short of a true learning experience. And that’s what’s great about education that isn’t trapped inside the four walls of a classroom. That’s why it’s essential for students to have the freedom to go out into the world to learn about it up close, first hand!
Most folks agree, enjoying a snow day is the safe, cozy thing to do when the snow is really piling up outside. And for our family, homeschooling is a safe and cozy way to truly learn about this great big world God created.
Yes, homeschooling has its ups.
And homeschooling has its downsides.
But we strive to enjoy the ride anyhow.
And we are thankful for friends who help us up when we reach the bottom.
Together may we reach new heights every day, whether it’s a snow day or not.
The middle of January is drawing near, and I am supposed to be writing my Christmas thank-you notes. Actually, by now I think I am supposed to have already mailed my thank-you notes.
To be exact, I’ve only put off writing my thank yous on paper until now. I’ve written them in my head over and over! I keep pondering the lovely, heartfelt gifts my family and I received this Christmas, and I feel so loved. Of course, I don’t usually write a note for every single gift I receive, especially if I’ve already thanked the gift-giver in person. But you know how it is. Some gifts are given with such love, thoughtfulness and effort, that you simply must express your gratitude thoroughly in writing!
Anyone who knows me well knows that gift giving is one of my love languages. It’s how I show loved ones that I know them and care for them and treasure them dearly.
I knew she'd love it!
I knew she'd love it!
I knew she'd love it!I knew she'd love it!
So I suppose the reverse is true to some degree; receiving good gifts is one way I feel loved because it shows that I am known and someone cares for and treasures me, too.
My oldest daughter, Linnea, shares this love language as well. She is constantly giving gifts to me, her father, her sister, and nearly anyone else within reach. She loves to give! And she often gives good gifts: a baby toy for a friend with a new baby, a toy cell phone for her little sister who loves talk and pretend, and a sweet song for her daddy who loves anything musical.
This Christmas Linnea gave me a beautiful silver bracelet with three shiny silver charms; one says “joy,” which is Linnea’s middle name, another says “hope,” which is Laurel’s middle name, and the third one says, “Mom.” She picked out the charms all by herself, and according to my husband, the store clerk nearly broke down and bawled when Linnea told her the significance of the charms she selected. What a sweetie!
Also, in her Friday art class, Linnea made me the cutest, most colorful little “pinch pot” with a lid.
Linnea knew I'd love it!
What a treasure! I store my bracelet and earrings in it every night.
Did you know that giving good gifts is related to the Golden Rule? In fact, Matthew 7:9-12 says, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Ultimately, the greatest Gift-Giver is God. As James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift if from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
So in light of that verse, this is my thank-you note to God for some of the good, perfect and memorable gifts He has graciously given me and for which I am ever so thankful.
Thank You, Father, for these gifts You knew I’d love. Thank You for…
1. a smile that reveals what she didn’t for Christmas – teeth
thank You
2. Christmas doodling by a 4-year-old who just rediscovered markers
thank You
3. hot tea in a tiny teacup prepared just for me by a very lady-like 7-year-old
thank You
4. groggy hugs just after naptime from a cuddly 4-year-old
5. cozy storytimes together with a favorite book and two favorite bears
thank You
6. warm, delicious home-cooked meals and uplifting conversations shared with very dear friends in Minnesota and in Iowa
7. gleeful cries near the Advent Calendar day after day
8. the feel and fragrance of a carefully selected Balsam Fir
thank You
9. delicate little fingers plinking out “Away in a Manager” on the piano
thank You
1o. little secrets that slip innocently from the lips of a 4-year-old overjoyed about buying a gift for her daddy
11. little secrets that are broadcast loudly, yet innocently, from the observant lips of a 4-year-old who likes when packages arrive at the door
thank You
12. carefully crafted gifts from the creative hands of a 7-year-old
thank You
13. a deeply heartfelt “Oh, thank you, Mommy!” from a 4-year-old receiving her own copy of a treasured book
14. the sweet little exchange of gifts between to very loving sisters on Christmas Eve
thank You
15. the giddy, child-like excitement in a grown man receiving the latest accessory for his guitar
16. the giddy, child-like excitement of a grown man heading off to pull an ice house onto a frozen lake
17. the sweet creamy taste of homemade chocolate fudge
18. the glow of Christmas lights crusted over with snow
thank You
19. finding and catching up with very dear old friends who live far, far away
20. and snow falling on snow falling on snow falling on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and many days thereafter
thank You
I think I hear God saying, “I knew she’d love it!”
Starlight Writer 
