in the shadow of your wings...

My daddy gave the best hugs.  He stood 5'10", which was a perfect height for me to bury my head in his underarm when we hugged.  He had broad shoulders, long arms, and large hands...all of the necessary parts to give great hugs.  When my head was buried in his chest, I felt safe...all was right with the world...even if things were chaotic...it was a safe place...it was a refuge for me.

A few days ago, I needed one of my daddy's hugs.  I was tired.  My allergies were out of whack.  I had made one too many commitments.  I wasn't quite sure where to go to feel safe.  Then, it was as if, God Himself spoke to me and said...I am your refuge.  Bury your head in my chest.  Let me hide you under the shadow of my mighty wing.  

I am thankful that my Heavenly Father knows what I need before it is even uttered from my mouth.  I am thankful that He blessed me with an earthly father who knew how to make me feel appreciated...valued...safe.  

"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you...Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me."--Psalm 63: 1-3, 7-8.

Biscuits and Bluegrass

The Loveless Cafe was on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay a few years ago.  Bobby Flay's peppery biscuits beat out Loveless' buttery-biscuit goodness, but it's still a famous place, nevertheless.  Last weekend, I took my very country boys (don't worry, they were wearing shoes) to eat free biscuits and hear some bluegrass music at the iconic spot.  We had a blast!

Chomping down on the free biscuits...

Listening to the bluegrass...

Making pottery....Emmanuel was so proud...he did it with his own hands...

Painting the pottery at home...

Emmanuel was so proud.  He kept carrying his little bowl around and showing it to everyone.  He was beaming because he created something of value with his own hands...

As his parent, I love opportunities for him to create because it gives me another example to remind him of God's delight in us, his creation...in God's desire for relationship with us, his creation...in God's crazy, unconditional, grace-filled love for us, his creation.

And, that, my friends, is way better than free biscuits...

1931

...the year that Myrtle Louise Scivley was born.   2011...the year that she had a very first birthday party (which happened to be a surprise!)

Happy, Happy 80th Birthday, Granny Myrt.  I love you.

MZ, JA, and EA

You know how really famous people are known by their initials....Jennifer Lopez is J. Lo,  Kim Kardashian is Kim K, Justin Bieber is JB (Ok...really I don't know if these are true...but I googled them).  Well, I have some really famous people in my life, and they are so cool that they are known only by their initials...

Friend #1: MZ...also known as Michelle Zei.  MZ came to visit us this summer all the way from Philly.  It was great to see a familiar face from our life in Baltimore.  The boys really enjoyed her company, and Eli and I enjoyed her stories about college life and her family.  She continues to grow into an amazing young woman, and I feel so blessed to watch her from afar.

We ate at a local ice cream place, whose portion sizes and flavor profiles are ridiculous...you want to keep eating because it tastes so good but then you realize that maybe you should have parked further down to street so that you can say that you got some cardio in by walking a mile to your car...

On this day, E was a pirate!

And, we ate at the Pancake Pantry...now the Pancake Pantry has a ridiculous reputation...we waited in line for an hour on a Sunday after church...and the line was down the street when we left.   For those of you who are wondering if it is worth it...

you should believe the hype...this place has singlehandedly changed the way that I think about pancakes.  I have since experimented with more savory pancakes (with bacon and cheese and peppers), more seasonal stuff (like pumpkin) and cinnamon, banana...I will never eat plain ole' pancakes again.  (I will also try to get in some cardio before ever eating her again).

I know it seems like all we did was eat...and remember, I have an obsession with food, and MZ is a great little chef (she comes from an line of great Italian chefs)....so we did eat a lot...but we also spent some time with Elvis.

Now, I know it's not Memphis....but there's an Elvis in Nashville, so I couldn't resist a photo op...

She also hung out with me and the boys (and about 30 other moms/kiddos) at the Purity Dairy Plant where we got....free ice cream! 

I love, love, love me some MZ...and we were so thankful that she spent some time with us before heading back to college (where, btw, she's a rockstar!)

Friend #2:  JA...also known as "Baby" John Aubrey...with his mom KMBE (this is a long story....just trust me on this one)...Baby John Aubrey was born last August and without going into all the details, I will just say that he is quite the miracle.  It was a glorious site seeing my friend of almost 15 years in her role as mom.  She is an amazing mom and her little prince is exactly how I thought he would be.  God is so good.

JA! 

Fast friends.... 

Or partners in crime?  

Friend #3: Ahhhh, how I love thee, EA.  EA--stands for Erin-Ashley, but Emmanuel calls her Mrs. Erin AND Ashley.  EA was my roommate in college for a bit...she was my Spanish study buddy...she was my prayer warrior....I love this girl!  She loves Jesus with all of her heart....she is the mother that I aspire to be...she is intentional and thoughtful and super trendy and cute.  She reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made...I am blessed by her friendship.  EA is scheduled to travel north to Tennessee in mid-November...and I'm sure there will be a blog to document this epic visit!

Smiling at the Same Time?

Every mother has a goal by which she measures her "motherly progress."  Mothers rate themselves based upon a number of milestones that former "Moms of the Year" created and achieved. Among these are the following:
1.  Is your child sleeping through the night by 6 weeks?
2.  Is your child's pincer grip perfect by 8 months?
3.  Is your child successfully potty-trained by 2 years?

Another set of situations that moms use to harshly judge themselves often happen with visits from long lost family members or strangers in the grocery store...those standards are as follows:
1.  Where are your child's socks (shoes)?  Don't you know you need to keep shoes on that child.
2.  Why doesn't your child use his fork?  Aren't you teaching him the proper way to eat?
3.  Why is your child only eating cheese?  Doesn't my day old goulash sound appetizing to your toddler (Actually, goulash does taste better once it's had time to sit for a while)?

Obviously, this is meant to be funny.

Well,  I can tell you right now that I am no "Mother of the Year."  I love my boys more than I ever thought possible...but I never seem to have the right answers to the aforementioned questions.  My children are the ones who are up all night, who will pee outside on command (Emmanuel), and who never have on both shoes at the same time (Reese).

Really, I am ok with it.  I spent a long time trying to be a part of the "Mom of the Year Club," but it was absolutely no fun.  So, now, I have created my own goal....

I would like to have more than one picture where Emmanuel and Reese are smiling at the same time.

Reese with his silly grin!

Emmanuel cheesing it up for the camera!

I haven't quite figured out how to get them to smile at the same time.  And, I am slowly becoming ok with that, too.  Pictures...real pictures are supposed to capture the essence of the moment.  They are supposed to show the truth.  In 30 years when I look back at these pictures of my kids, I want to see them for who they are...not with smiles that are forced and tired...but in laughter that is organic and pure.

It is sort of the same with my mothering...I don't want it to be forced or to conform to someone else's standards of what it means to be a "good mom"...I want my mothering to be pure and true for what works for our little family...so far, we are having a great ride...and I am so thankful for that.

Little Worker Bees

Emmanuel and Reese are my little worker bees.  They have boundless amounts of energy, and they aren't afraid of a little hard work.  Yard work...house work...it doesn't matter...they love to be involved in whatever is going on.  (I'm just really hoping this lasts throughout their adolescent years!)

Washing the car...

Helping with the jumper cable--battery charger thingie (obviously this is something that I don't recommend)...

Attempting to mow the grass...

Helping with the outside decor...

And, using the leaf blower...

They also love digging the garden...they are amazing at planting flowers, but they will eat all of the veggies...They love to help cook (partially because of my obsession with food)...they help in the grocery store by helping me cross things off my list and telling the butcher what kind of meat they would like to eat that week...

These are some of my favorite things about these little guys....their eagerness to help makes me slow down just a bit...it makes me stop and appreciate the process of cooking and gardening and yard work...these boys are making me see life in a completely different way, and...

I am filled to the brim.