Raspberries

Raspberry Picking

Our raspberries have been amazing this year.  Every few days we've been able to go out and pick at least a bowl full and sometimes two or three - the branches just hang down because they are so heavy with delicious red ripe raspberries!  These two are happy little helpers (though with very few berries ending up in the bowls :) I love this patch and always feel like it's such a treat from my sweetheart (who planted  it for me when we moved in) whenever I go out there. And it's even more fun to share such a fun treat with these cute kids. 

My keys to raspberry success this year: 

1. Forget to turn the water off each time you water and completely flood the patch once or twice a week through July  

2. Forget to water all together for the rest of the season  

3. Enjoy lots and lots of raspberries :)

A few days ago Owen watched me lay out the extra berries on a cookie sheet to put in the freezer (which just happens to be at a perfect Owen level) - later that afternoon, I was sitting in the reading room when Owen crawled around the corner of the kitchen with his mouth, shirt and fingers covered in raspberry juice and in his best lion voice growled "I'm snitching raspberries!"

Lullabies

Little Porter loves a good lullaby and is great to calm down to a sweet song. This afternoon he gave me one of his best and sweetest first smiles while I wrapped him up and sang to him 'little one, when you sleep I can't help but kiss your cheek...'

So I've been thinking of lullabies and thought I'd write down a few sweet lullaby memories. 

- I just came across a little lullaby book/Father's day gift that I made for Jordan just after Ellie was born. One of the sweetest memories of our hospital stay with Ellie was Jordan sitting in the hospital rocking chair, arms stretched out in front cradling little Ellie and him singing so sweetly to calm our new baby girl. 

- When Landon was one/two, if we sang even the first few wards of "I often go walking", he immediately raced to bed or laid down where he was to rest. 

-Until Landon was about 5 or 6, he had 5 songs we'd sing in order each night at bedtime. (In the leafy treetops, Whenever I hear, I have a family (vs. 1 & 2 counted as 2 songs for some reason :) and Landon, I love you) He always called these his 'love you songs'.

- For a long time Owen and I had a tradition that each day when I woke him up from his nap, he would come and sit with me on the couch and we would sing Moon River together while he finished waking up - sadly this is fading (along with his nap taking...) but oh what a sweet time to cuddle close to my little boy and sing to him, with his little voice joining in or sometimes even singing on his own to me. 

- And, just because I know someday I will forget and want to remember all their favorites -

I love these babies!

first month

Oh I love this little one! In just the last few days he's suddenly begun to follow me with his eyes, keeping track and making sure I'm staying close. I can tell that a lullaby while I hold him/do the dishes/make lunch is soon to be no longer enough - he wants my full attention - my eyes looking straight into his while I serenade this little boy to happiness with Capital I, Moon River, You are my Sunshine...  And oh, those bright shining eyes!

Mostly he says to me slow down. Soon I will grow. (Every day I will grow!) One day you will sleep again... Slow down for now. Hold me and feed me and wrap me and sleep with me and change me and cuddle me. Rest with me and hold me close and feel my tiny little baby breaths.  Sing to me and rock me and play a little sillyness with me.  Mostly, slow down. 

And so, slow days we will have :) I'm working (hard - oh, so hard!) to do just those things that are most important.  So we have messy bedrooms, but clean Sunday clothes. Chicken nugget dinners, but chocolate chip cookie after school snacks. Lots of sitting and holding instead of playing, but lots more story reading too. And what a treasure it is, just to sit and hold this little one. What a gift for slowing down.

Happy first month little Porter -we love you so!

Rainy Days

Enjoying today's rainy day

We've had some pretty great rainy days lately - here are a few happy things :)

1. I haven't watered my garden since Porter was born. I think that Kathie kept it alive through the end of August, and since then we've had enough rain to keep things growing despite my complete lack of attention. (And a side note, I've discovered that dinosaur chicken nuggets are a perfectly acceptable dinner, even a couple times a week when put on a sandwich with freshly picked garden tomatoes and other veggies :)

2. Landon played his first soccer game a few weeks ago in the middle of a crazy rain/wind storm. We tried to brave it out for a little while, but the kids and I soon joined the mini-van line up and watched from the car while Jordan bravely cheered from the side lines with a few other stalwart/wet parents.

Our view from the van/ a certain Landon who didn't seem to mind the rain too much :)

3. A few weeks ago we had a brief but intense downpour that brought  all of our neighbors outside for an impromptu water party. A few watched from their covered porches (like me), our teenage neighbor was quickly soaked with an umbrella-less walk around the block. Landon and Ellie jumped and splashed and danced in the huge puddles (as did our grown up next-door neighbor -- what a happy sight to see!)  Landon soon set out to follow a ball flowing through the gutters/puddles, then got sidetracked with dam building, and Jordan followed on his unicycle, an umbrella high overhead. :)

Sunday thoughts

on motherhood (beautiful artwork from here)

Last week I talked with a friend in my ward for a few minutes in the mother's room while we both nursed our babies. And all week I've thought about our conversation and how in just a regular chat about life with newborns, she was able to share her testimony and strengthen mine as well. Of how Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. How he is glad for mothers who take care His little ones. Of how important the work of being a mother is. And that I can pray for extra strength and my prayers will be answered by a loving Father in Heaven who wants me to succeed at this work and will strengthen me beyond my own capacity as I love and serve. (Thank you Catherine!)

And just a funny story from Relief Society --
A great lady, about 75 years old (though you'd guess about 20 years younger!) who is caring for her husband with Alzheimer's raised her hand to make 'an announcement' -

I told my husband that I was going to be quitting my job, and he asked what I was going to do instead. 'Well, I told him, I'm going to take care of you and you're going to take care of me and we're just going to take care of each other' to which he responded 'Well, that sounds wonderful, but if that's what we're going to be doing, don't you think we should get married?' So, after 6 children and 50 years of marriage, I've had another proposal!

And just like that, it's Fall!

My sweetly sleeping little buddy.

I've had great intentions of 'catching up' at some point here -- recounting some of our summer adventures if for nothing else just so that I can remember the vacations, wedding celebrations, new nephew celebrations, reunions, happy summer days playing with the kids, school time activities, camp fire adventures, visiting with family, playing with grandparents, keeping our garden alive, happy morning walks, waiting for baby, and the sweet birth of our little one... maybe one of these late nights when Porter wants to party my good intentions will come through,  maybe not :)

We've had some blustery/rainy/beautifully cool and Fall-feeling days. Today I had a minute with Porter happily snuggled up and sleeping in his wrap with me, so I started to clean out my closet... with the combination of being in between seasons a bit,  in-between-sized-me and a lot of laundry needing to be washed, I now have a total of 3 shirts hanging in the closet. :) But it was a sweet few minutes of packing up the old, thinking of this new season of life with another new little one. 

Somehow as I got nearer the end of this pregnancy, I could feel very much how quickly I would be on the other side of things... 3 weeks till baby would be in no time a 3 week old newborn. And we're nearly there, just as quickly as I felt it would be. And what sweet days these have been. 

So here's to another beautiful Logan fall. And great adventures to come. And slowing down. And doing hard things and loving the sweet times. And soccer games and practices and after school snacks and preschool time and sneaking in naps. Welcome Fall! 

welcome to the world

Porter Jay Brough

This little one was born last Sunday and we're so happy to have him in our family. Owen loves to give a gentle rub to his dark-haired little head with a "Can I be soft to him?" Ellie remembers always to wash her hands, then holds him for a few moments, anxious to cradle his head in just the right position in her arms.  Landon is the most eager to hold and cuddle Porter and marvels at his open eyes. "Welcome to the world, little buddy" he says.