Painted Faces

Yesterday at Ikea there was an artist painting the kids' faces. Of course my kids wanted something done, and I was quite surprised at the results! Molly carried herself like a queen all day, except for when she got mad at her brother and had a fit. When I pointed out to her that her makeup was running down her face, the tears stopped immediately and I was given the command to fix it. Of course she wanted to sleep with the facepaint on, but I told her we needed to wash it off, and this led to peals of grief over the loss of her beloved butterfly. I promised that we would print the pictures so we could see them anytime...

Life is very...

One has to be thankful for regular days. They are full, mostly forgettable, simple, and daily. Today was a day like that. Went to Bible study, got ready for company, forgot an appointment and arrived late, watched a movie with the kids, made tacos for dinner. The regular stuff. My advisor in graduate school gave me lots of Godly wisdom, but she said one thing that I remember very clearly. She said, "Life is very daily," and told me to remember that fact with the "dailiness" of life sets in. I've thought about that a long time...

The kids will probably not remember today when they're twenty, but it's the days like today that make them. It's things like discipline and guidance, hugs and kisses, sitting in laps and watching a good movie together on a hot day, counting blessings before bed that really matter, and add up to a harvest of righteousness.

Firefly Frolic

My summer is conspicuously unscheduled this year. Somewhere down the line I seem to have lost the need or desire to be insanely busy along with the rest of society. I have had time time to just kick back, read a couple of books, enjoy living in my house with my garden and cats, do a little cleaning, cook some...It feels great.

Along with this sweet time of unscheduled, lazy, long days, ideas for "what to do" become a little simpler. Dad suggested this evening a surprise for the kids--stay up past bedtime to hunt fireflies. You'd think we had given them the moon for a snack! They bounded around the yard with their butterfly nets and caught many, many firefies. The sound of their delight and the sight of them running and jumping and saying, "right behind you!" and "ooh, there's one!" and then rushing to put them in the bug keeper was better entertainment than the most expensive water park.

What have we become? It was a gorgeous, breezy day today, and this evening as the winds died down and the sun began to set, we sat out on the front step to enjoy the long shadows and gathering dusk. All around us, we should have seen kids riding bikes, calling to each other, doing what kids do on warm summer evenings, but all down the street we saw not another soul. All we heard was the hum of air conditioners and houses were buttoned up tight against the threat of a degree above 72. Matty asked where everyone was and Aimee answered "in their basements watching their TVs." I'm starting to think that our neighbors must find us odd because we actually play in our yard, plant a garden, and draw on our driveway with chalk...oh yes, and catch fireflies.