The last ride on the Silver Lake Railroad

On a mild Sunday afternoon in October, we remembered hearing about a small railroad in Silver Lake, New Hampshire where they offer free train rides run on donations and by volunteers.  We decided to give it a try and at the very least it would be a beautiful ride up north near peak leaf season. When we got there, we realized we would ride the very last train of the season on this adorable little railroad that runs through the New Hampshire woods. The experience was quintessential New England *magic* and we look forward to making this trip an annual tradition. 

The Autumn List 2015

Levi and Kerrie's Car Birthday Bash

Levi and I are both August babies and this year we shared a car-themed family birthday party. Special thanks to Grammy for making us awesome matching box cars! Notable gifts included a few "real" (but found on the side of the road) drums for Levi and Brian got me an awesome record player and some fun records to start my collection. :)

these days...

these days, I'm...

- catching up on some blogging :)
- head over heals excited for my sister Kimmie's engagement and wedding in October
- writing 3rd quarter evaluations for my students and gearing up for the home stretch, a big art show and lots of awesome final projects
- watching the Magnolia trees start to blossom and getting ready to celebrate the birth of a special little lady!
- spending almost every day with my Dad, trying to keep him company, bring some cheer (mostly in the form of my children) and encouraging him to eat and keep on fighting. 
- listening to Maggie giggle and imitate words and intonations 
- enjoying "spring" Levi and the change in his demeanor now that he spends most of his days outside running around, smelling the wild air and making as much mud as possible.
- loving the love my kids have for each other
- crossing all my fingers (and saying all my prayers) that Brian's master's thesis gets the "Ok" so we can celebrate big time in May.
- putting my new fav album on repeat, Psalms by Sandra McCracken.
- crushing hard on my neighborhood; the salty air, the blossoming gardens, running into friends everywhere, the beautiful historic streets filling up with people and excitement again
- picnicking as much as possible
- looking forward to this week of school vacation and time spent enjoying spring with my loves.

Magnolia's Dedication

(We dedicated Magnolia to God at our church on Easter morning. Below is a letter Brian and I wrote to her in honor of the day.)

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Dear Magnolia, we dedicate you to God, because God made you. You belong to Him. He knows everything about you and loves you perfectly. He brought you to life. The rest of your life is in His hands, so we accept that now. We ask God to be gracious to you with His gifts, and merciful in forgiving and finding you when you’re lost. We pray that God would teach you faith, hope, and love through the power of his Holy Spirit.

We learned from our Chinese sister in Christ that your name, Magnolia, translates to “Mulan” in Chinese, which means “virtue.” We pray that you would live and breathe virtue, thinking on things good, lovely, pure, and honorable. We dedicate you to God’s people, His church and holy bride, so that you might learn about God’s goodness. We pray that you might one day be a giving member of the Church, gladly passing on the goodness that you tasted and enjoyed.

We named you because of the beautiful flowers that grow on the Magnolia tree and because of the place where we first lived as a married couple. We lived in a little seaside village called Magnolia. Some say it was given this name because it was the northern-most place where Magnolia trees could still grow. The Magnolia trees had just sprung into bloom when you were born.

Despite the difficulties that surrounded your birth, and the frigid New England winter you’ve endured, you’ve grown strong and blossomed bright with joy already. You lighten our hearts and minds with your jubilant laughter and sweet smile. You delight in everyone you meet, making all of us feel loved. We’re so very thankful for you and can't wait to watch you grow into the woman God created you to be.

Love,

Mama and Papa

Retreating

(From an afternoon spent on a much needed mini-retreat at Tower Hill Botanic Gardens. I drove down by myself and spent a few hours walking slowly through the greenhouses, taking photographs and then settling down a little nook to sketch for a while. It was warm, green, airy and perfectly quiet other than the water fountain and some faint classical music...and it was just what the doctor ordered.)

A little old lady saw me taking photographs and insisted on taking a photo of me, "for scale". :)

these days

A little bit of this and a little bit of that..

- life is full right now. When I'm not teaching, I'm most likely with the kids at my parents house, spending time with my Dad who continues to battle cancer and is going through 3 chemotherapy drugs.  There are many ups and downs, but I'm grateful for these days and Levi and Magnolia are good medicine for everyone. For updates: Caring Bridge: Jay McKenna) 

- speaking of being grateful, this is worth a read "What to do if You Know You Need to get your Rhythm Back" (and I need to get back to my weekly thankful posts!)

- I don't know why it took me 5+ years of $4 lattes to google "how to make your own latte"...but I'm ashamed to say it did. Anyways, a few weeks ago I happened upon a simple little espresso maker and handheld milk frother at IKEA. A couple of youtube videos later and I'm now making delicious and CHEAP lattes of my very own. Game changer.

- I'm afraid Levi and I have been pushing each other's buttons like never before.  He's three (#THREENAGER!), he's been cooped up far too much this winter and potty training has been, well.. difficult to say the least. The other day he said in discouragement, "Mama, you only ever talk to me about things that I don't want to do". That hit me hard. Of course it wasn't entirely true, but it made me remember that I need to fill him up with encouraging and life giving words more often to offset the constant (but necessary) potty reminders, redirections and consequences. On a particularly hard day, Brian suggested I go into his bedroom and watch him sleep for a bit. My husband is so wise...my heart immediately softened, seeing Levi so calm, adorable and small - just him, without the drama of the day. I SO needed that.

- On a more positive note, Levi and I have been making it a habit to climb into our hammock chair and read together while Magnolia naps. Sometimes it's hard to stop myself from using that time to clean the house or get some schoolwork done, but these moments have been so tender and sweet and worth every second. 

- We got together with our homeschool co-op group to make our yearly Easter Gardens. As usual, it was great fun spending time in the warm, sunny greenhouse choosing plants and very meaningful talking about Lent and the Easter story as we plant our little garden. Most nights this lent, we've lit candles, read through gospel stories from The Jesus Storybook Bible and talked about ways we can sacrifice for the good of others.

- Brian has had a busy year as he's been working on his thesis for his master's degree in English/Creative Writing. It was a bit up in the air whether or not he'd have to do another semester, but he pushed through and it looks like he'll graduate in May. I'm so proud of him!

- The other day a Chinese friend at church (who adores Maggie) took me aside to let me know that "Magnolia" in Chinese is "Mulan". She went on to say that the Mulan/Magnolia flower is very revered in Chinese culture and is a symbol of virtue and purity. My Dad and sisters have always loved the Disney movie, "Mulan", so they are particularly overjoyed at this news. ;)

- today was almost 60 degrees! Snow is melting and spring may come after all.. praise the Lord.