Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Tuesday, April 28, 2015.

Outside my window...  still cloudy, but a bit brighter.  It was soooo dark this morning - thick, heavy clouds that promised (and delivered) rain.  You just never know with spring.  Yesterday it was sunny and seventy... SEVENTY!  But today?  Not so much.

Yes.  April 25.  In Washington.  On the way to Leavenworth for a rafting adventure.  Not here at my house.

Hearing...  a very quiet house.  Wyatt is at the college, Tate is downstairs shining his boots (inspection tonight), and Gunnar is finishing his math.  Little Sammy - the boy Gunnar babysits - is sleeping in the boys' bedroom.  He's so good - Gunnar has no trouble getting him down for a nap.

At Steven's Pass

Pondering...  as the weather warms up and the layers come off, the topic of modesty always seems to bubble up.  I read an interesting thought on modesty in an apologetics book (not where I would've looked for that) by Mary Jo Sharp.  She said,  Modesty is encouraged in Christian scriptures, but it is less about preventing sin and more about not overshadowing the inward virtue and good works of one who has been transformed in nature to do what is good and right.  She referenced 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:4.  It reminds me of a friend's attitude.  As she was getting dressed to go somewhere, her little girls were trying to talk her into more make-up, bright red lipstick, something like that.  Her response was that too much of that makes it hard for people to see Jesus.  Amen.

Praying...  we have friends adjusting to being parents (yippee!), but the "big issue" right now is that we have a house full of sick.  I mean, I have to be thankful in that we're struggling with yucky colds probably made worse by an overabundance of pollen, rather than something terrifying or life-threatening, but still... we're pretty tired of all the coughing.  Wyatt missed school yesterday and this morning (but made it to his afternoon class), and Tate is just a coughing machine.  The doc gave us some new things to try, so we're hoping and praying for improvement.

I have no idea.  Wyatt?

Thankful...  for over-all good health (really!), for a fun time rafting last weekend with the youth group, for two new babies - one adopted and one born to friends on Sunday, and for my good friend Ginny who stayed for a visit this afternoon :D

Wearing...  blue jeans, blue short-sleeve sweater, socks and slippers.  Okay?  Okay.

Our mighty group of rafters

Going...  to meet with some friends from church (moms) for a Bible study tonight.  Well, calling it a Bible study is kind of a stretch, but it's fellowship and encouragement :D

Ready to launch - Wyatt and Gunnar in the middle boat, Tate in another boat out of sight.

Reading...  I've been using Dan Phillips' God's Wisdom in Proverbs as a reference book, but am determined to finish ALL of it.  And if that made it sound like an unpleasant chore, far from it!  If you're looking for a great exposition on Proverbs, look no further.  Deep enough for the serious academic theologian, but accessible to the rest of us as well.

Tate is in the smaller boat to the right, and the other boys are in the boat to the left.

Looking forward to...  possibly another Naomi visit soon?

Notice the sunny, blue sky?  What a gift from God, because the water is snow-melt.

In the kitchen...  there are some leftovers in the fridge (yay!) and I don't need to cook any dinner tonight.  On CAP nights the boys are gone at normal dinner time so we have a big lunch.  Today?  Pizza!

In the learning rooms...  in spite of having his violin lesson AND his babysitting job, Gunnar got all his school work done today.  Tate always works diligently.  And Wyatt... I have no idea.  He missed his morning class because he didn't want to cough and blow his nose all the way through a 2+ hour class, but made it to his math class (test tomorrow, I think.)

Had to portage around a dam.

Around the house...  tissues, tissues, tissues.  *sigh*

At a calm place on the river - so thankful for the sunshine!

 The Mother Load...  didn't we just clean this house?  How did it get so dusty and dirty already???
At least the boys' bathroom is clean.  When Wyatt (finally!) finished his painting job I had the boys scour it, aaaaaand then the toilet got clogged.  Ew.  You'll thank me not to go into any further detail than to say that all the usual methods to clear it failed, and Kerry had to bring in The Snake.  Double ew, and then more cleaning.

You'd think the whole trip was calm and flat.
Kerry had to stow his camera under his wet suit
and PADDLE through the rapids, so no pictures of that.

Noticing that...  I just love watching Gunnar at his violin lesson - the looks on his face... interest, concentration, discovery... love it.  Sometimes I go to Tate's piano lesson - which I also enjoy - but his back is to me.

I think it's a paddle "high five".

Something fun to share...  if you'd like to go rafting (or backpacking or mountaineering or more) with a group, check out Youth Dynamics Adventures :D

A favorite quote for today... 

The car can fail today and the kids and the dog and the fire detector and the dishwasher and the doctor and the whole free democratic world and its entire economic system but the mercies of God cannot and will not fail and His faithfulness is not merely great - it is unwavering.

 - Ann Voskamp

They're racing.  But Tate's boat  is going backwards, just to add to the challenge.

One of my favorite things...  that the boys had so much fun :D

Gunnar being a "Bow Baby" - that's a good thing.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  hmmm, get everyone healthy?  If I could control that, that would be my plan.  In other words, take it easy and make lots of good food. ;D

Post-rafting exploring in Leavenworth.

A peek into my world...  God was so good to the youth group kids.  They went through snow and rain on the way over and snow and rain on the way back, but the whole time they were rafting?  SUNNY.  It might not have been very warm (look how the kids were dressed afterwards!), but it was SUNNY.