Just a BlinkProof Time Flies

Stove in the A-frame cabin.

We are home sweet home with a pile of laundry that is still swimming with the aromas of Up North: Bug spray, sun screen, pine sap and camp fire smoke. We spent the weekend in an A-frame style cabin along the Canadian border. Our friends Andrew and Heather came up and stayed at a near by cabin.

Here are the highlights of our trip:

• Ryan went fishing for the first time. He caught four small mouth bass and one 14″ northern. Not bad for a 3 year old. By far his favorite part of the experience was the leeches in a cup!
• Molly loved to eat the fresh blueberries and raspberries that we picked each day.
• The kids each got to ride on a four wheeler.
• I got to take a photo walk one morning. Still water, calling loons, and no kids. Lovely.
• Peter was able to brush up his skills with a shot gun. He and Andrew did some serious clay shooting. Peter has a bruise on his shoulder to prove it.

The dock at sunrise.

Papa Phil helps Ryan pick fresh peas from the veggie garden.

Well it’s no Christmas card but we are all together! Top: Carly, Peter (Ryan), Phil, Tim and Lisa. Bottom: John, Kris, Molly and Jess.

The Anderson Family. Deegan, Sarah, Eric, Terry, Molly, Jeff, Mary Jo, Amanda.

This clothes pin bag is so charming with yellow, denim and rickrack. It was Great-Aunt Dorothy’s, (Grandma Margaret Thompson-Jensen’s sister),  from way back when and it is still in use by her grand-daughters.

Third cousins Deegan, Molly and Ryan swam in the mini-pool by the shade.

Surprisingly strong Molly made her way to the corn. She loves corn on the cob! The only time she was fussy all day was when her corn was all done.

[12.3.5 = 12 months, three weeks and 5 days old]

Molly is busy, busy, busy. Here are some things she has been up to these days.

• Molly can click her tongue (as shown in photo). She is always talking in baby gibberish and using her tongue to build her speach muscles and to feel her teeth.
• She is really testing out the waters in being a full blown toddler. She started saying no-no already! She loves to climb up on Ryan’s bed, the couch and the stairs. She throws tantrums which are hilarious to watch. She has tried biting a few times when she is beyond frustrated.
• Her favorite blanket is a pink fleece that Grandma Margaret gave to her as a baby gift. The blankie has been named Pink for now. We’ll see what she calls it later. (Ry has a fleece blankie too that he named Blue.)
• She loves to eat noodles, pork chops, half frozen green peas, crackers of any kind, ice cream, scrambled eggs and Scooters (Malt-o-Meal’s fake Honey Nut Cherrios which do not have any nuts in them what-so-ever!)
• Her favorite toys are purses, little people and books. She shows interest in balls, cars (with a zoom sound-so sweet!) and of course, water play.
• She can use sign-language to say: Milk, Please, More, Want and Thirsty. We taught her some signing skills to help her communicate before/during her process in learning how to talk. Though her signs are often accompanied with a whine they have helped us in the “What do you want!??? Stop Crying!” parenting moments.

Scrape, sludge, slop.

The wallpaper border in the bathroom officially bit the dust. Nike’s famous slogan, Just Do It, penetrated my mind. After 3 years of having a “when I get to it” attitude I finally, Just Did It. I used a mini-spatula from a camp cook stove, a washcloth, and steam from the shower as aids in the border removal task.

I pushed away the guilt for letting Molly cry after waking up too early during nap time (all the while convincing myself that I am letting her build character) and for letting Ryan play computer games unsupervised. I lost myself in thought somewhere between my sweat becoming indistinguishable from the wallpaper adhesive and my shoulders shaking from overuse.

Note to self: do not do the push-up challenge endurance test the night before removing wallpaper.

I smiled at God in gratitude for the quiet I found while I worked. I scraped and slopped prayerfully, tearing up as I used my hands for such a minimal chore. I remembered that I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. He is the Great Restorer. He wrote upon my heart to be a restorer too. In the simple act of removing a wallpaper border I was in union with the Spirit.

I will be the first one to “roll my eyes” at over-spiritualism. However, I do want to share about the times in my life that have brought me closer to God. I am slowly finding pieces of me as I learn to view myself as God views me.

How does God view you? You were made in His image too. What are you reflecting? Encourager? Father? Creator? Forgiver? Lover? Find something that you can do that reflects what God has written on your heart. You will not regret it.

And yes, both Molly and Ryan fell back asleep, eventually.

The During. An important phase in the process of Before and After.