The Birthday Party

After dinner the scattered kids were called back for cake and

well wishes for Papa.

Each of them had made cards with their own tributes ...

special gifts from the heart.

Being together, even though we're missing five,

is also one of the best gifts.

After dessert, we visited on the patio 

and, when the treehouse play got too crowded =)

the boys started a game of soccer

My photos are bad...

but they're still reminders of some "seriously fun" playing.

Kristal shared this photo of the girls.

I believe the older ones ended up sharing secrets in the treehouse

while these two raided the dress up trunk.

I'm always surprised what they come up with,

paired with their priceless smiles.

And this is how we celebrated this non-milestone birthday ...

very grateful for another year.

From the Mouths of Babes

 

 

This weekend we celebrated my H's birthday - which I'll post pictures of yet  - but for now I want to remember sweet Jade's words of encouragement and affirmation that she wrote out of her own accord. She came to me in the kitchen with a tiny notebook and quietly asked me if she could read her note when Papa opens his presents. 

She got a little shy - or eager - not sure which it was -

and decided to read it to him before the rest of the family arrived.

However, once everyone shared their cards with him, she stood up and read it again!

Truly something that burned in her heart to share.

So just in case you need this today ...

God loves you!

No matter what, He cares about you.

He doesn't forget you.

He loves you!

❤ Jade ❤

Father/Son Puppy Edition

You wouldn't know it by this picture,

but Jack's smile, stroking his cousin's new puppy

is a victory, because he has been afraid of "doggies".

When he came over a few days later,

I showed him a photo of his daddy holding a puppy -

and you probably know why. 

Oh, how he loves seeing photos of his dad!

I realized that I should be handing the photo album over,

but just haven't been able to just yet. 

True to life glimpses of a past season give a grandparent

a second chance to enjoy. 

❤❤❤

 

Tribute to the Dads in our Family

This Father's Day weekend, when I saw this post

I realized again what a blessing it is to see a son become a dad!

This photo somehow, as crazy as it is, captures the fun he has with his kids,

no matter what they're doing, be it work or play. 

Ben is a building contractor and it was so great 

to put the process of our new house build into his hands!

I really appreciate seeing how much he is like his dad

and maybe even a bit like me. 

At the very least, he gets me. 

Shaun recently made a career change that involved a few years of schooling. 

He just graduated with his Bachelor of Education degree with great distinction!

He will be teaching 5th Grade this coming year and I know that he will be an amazing teacher.

This also is a fun snapshot I took from a video. A water fight with his kids on the weekend.

Chris has been a jungle pilot since 2005, with a few years off in 2012 - 2014.

In those years he realized again that flying is what he loves and he and his family went back.

He does medical flights and delivers basic essentials to remote places in Papua.

Living where they do, he gives his kids opportunities they would likely never have here ...

things such as swimming with white sharks and every water sport imaginable, 

often making the boating and boarding equipment himself. 

Brothers from different mothers,

but they all call me Mom,

which truly is an honor and a term of endearment. 

They give us many reasons to be thankful,

especially for their desire to honor God, 

and love their family. 

 

Mimi's Strawberry Jam

Our strawberry season, here in the berry capital of Canada, is short but sweet.

Other berries follow suit ... raspberries, blueberries and blackberries ...

but the berries that make it into jam every year are strawberries.

Our local, naturally grown, berries are not large,

but juicy and sweet.

I began making jam with my mom, who was used to cooking jam until it looked right. 

There is something about acquiring the skill or knowing when jam has the right gel,

especially when cooking without pectin, as she often did.

Over the years I've played with the box recipe and what I've learned from her

and come up with a recipe that has become a family favorite.

Not too sweet, not too marmalade-like, a tad runny, so that it can easily be spread onto a scone or into that hole in a split Zwieback.

The overseas grandkids call it Grammy's jam and our local ones call it Mimi's jam.

Jam that has been made in the various places our kids have lived and also been tucked into countless suitcases, including the suitcase that arrived in Indonesia this week. 

The recipe is posted on the MGCC site as light and runny strawberry jam.

It was so much fun to take time for a three generation cooking day!

Natalie is the one who first called me "Mimi" (short for Grammy).

I thought, at the time, surely the name would not stick to teenage years.

But here she is, Mimi's girl, who just finished ninth grade.

 

When a Season has Changed

These days, as I've observed Tehya prepare for her first trip back to her home in Indonesia, I've had some time to wonder about the ebb and flow of this life we've shared. 

Thinking back to that very teary day when we said goodbye to her as a toddler, I never could have imagined a day like today. Grown up Tehya, stepping up to the check-in counter at the airport and taking care of all the details pertaining to travel overseas. On her own. 

Not like seventeen years ago, when I packed up tiny gifts for her mom to give to her in future days ... a favorite cup, a story book, band-aids, smarties, a stuffed toy, bubbles, a purse with tiny treasures inside, thoughtfully wrapped to evoke memories of her Grammy and Papa. There was no good facetime way of communicating, but today it's all just like the tide that receded and returned.  

While we get glimpses of that sweet baby face and attitude that will tackle any problem, it has been a time to move on and go deeper. Our rooms have been filled with joy, music and spontaneus dance, as she has helped us settle into our smart home. We've observed her pen and paper journaling, aritistically putting into words or art, the things that inspire her.  We've shared unexpected moments, such as going through her box of treasures, while unpacking my long ago unfounded fear of not being able to have a relationship with grandchildren so far away. We've happily survived driving lessons, last minute made plans, snow shoeing, bike rides, baking fancy cakes, laughing through movies, meeting new friends and finding her gone to watch the sun rise. 

These have been days of catching up and being blessed in ways that only came about because her home was once far away.