Dove Hunting

Benj got his birthday present early this year: a BB gun with extra ammo.

He wanted it in time to take it dove hunting on Labor Day.

When he found it sitting out for him, he ripped it open and immediately started sizing it up.

On Labor Day night, laying in bed, I was watching a video of them cleaning the birds after the hunt.

I couldn't help but laugh.

They're sitting in the truck bed twisting and pulling off bird heads and wings.

My nephew Grayson thinks it's disgusting, but he stands there watching.

Benji is totally interested and engaged, actively cleaning and gutting the birds. I think he was stoked to be using his pocket knife on something legit, and when I asked him how it was to clean and gut a bird, he gave me one passionate "awesome". (And it wasn't the little-boy-gleeful-shout version of awesome; it was the older, collected-but-punctuated-and-emphatic awesome. 

Turns out...these boys are growing up.)

Isaiah is completely grossed out and it shows on his face. He is repulsed, but drawn to watching anyway. My favorite line from him that makes me bust a gut every time?

"I could do the feather pulling, but I can't do the decapitating body parts."

Bella, my almost-seven-year-old niece, is clapping with joy at the prospect of taking off bird wings. 

("Okay, okay, I'll do this! I'll do this!")

Oh my gosh, I love her.

Honestly?

Super funny video. 

I laugh every time I watch it.

 And even if Isaiah didn't love that part, he did enjoy shooting at "tweety birds" late that afternoon, 

and Benj loved shooting cans and hearing them PING.

Oh, and the dove hearts. He wanted to keep them.

When they got back, Isaiah promptly told me that he wanted a BB gun and ammo for his birthday present, too.

 So, friends, that's how we're going to end up with two BB guns in the house, and target practice going down in the backyard.

Good times.

Playing in the Woods

"We need the tonic of wilderness. We can never have enough of nature."

(Henry David Thoreau)

Today we drove almost an hour south of our home to hike in a canyon we'd never spent time in before. 

 It makes me happy that the boys are in their element there, exploring in the woods. 

I loved watching Bruce pick up huge sticks and admiring how handsome he is when you call his name and he looks at you and his ears rotate forward and he looks, all at once, noble and majestic and friendly with those kind eyes of his.

I don't know what it is but Claire has theeeeee cutest little bum and legs right now, and watching her in her new little hiking kicks made me happy. She's getting so big. And she'll tell you: "I'm the baby of the family, but I'm not a baby. That means I'm the youngest."

I loved watching my sister and Claire and Bella and Bruce up ahead on the trail. 

I loved cold river water on my feet.

I loved the beauty of the canyon, the sideways slabs of stone, the mix of trees, the rushing water, the fact that it felt as though we were all alone in it.

That moment with my sister under the falls. 

It was cold, we were laughing, and I love that we grabbed each other's hands. 

I loved a few quiet minutes with Mia, 

talking as we strolled along together.

I loved talking with Christa about the wonder of life--from the incredible detail in a single cell, to how amazing bees are and the intricate order and precision of all natural things--and the witness these things are, to both of us, over and over, of the existence of God.

And no matter where we go, I swear we always come home with more sticks. Cuz...Benji. 

Love these boys.

Apple Pie 4th of July

This morning I woke up the kids at 5:15. 

(the boys in 2007 at the Provo balloon fest)

We headed to the hot air balloon fest in Provo because I completely spaced the balloon fest for our city days this year. 

(Which, as a side note, was a total bummer because it's so small-town charming: smaller and less people (always what I prefer cuz I'll take the quiet most any day), free donuts and juice, candy thrown from the balloons.  Anyway...it's awesome.)

So, 5:15 it was.

We met up with Scott when we were there, and once it was over, the older three headed to the parade with him.  

But not this guy.

He didn't want the crowds or the heat, so he headed to the store with me to get apples for apple pie.

And it was so perfect.

Maybe it's cuz they're twins, but I hardly ever get one-on-one time with the boys. 

But it's the best.

Made my whole day, those two hours.

We came home and sat at the kitchen table talking and eating breakfast together, and then laughed at ourselves as we snapped some silly photos.

Then, it was aprons on and we got to work.

(We both love to be in the kitchen.)

Got the apples peeled, and then we sliced them; some to be steamed, 

some left raw.

Put the raw ones in the bowl and added spices and sugar and tapioca.

Steamed the others, and he was stirring regularly so nothing got burned as I made pie crust and rolled out the bottom layer.

Once the steamed apples were done, we combined the two, and Isaiah kept commenting on the smell.

(It smelled like fall as the sunshine streamed in.)

Put the bottom crust in the pie plate and then ladled the filling in.

Isaiah cut up a cube of butter in sections and placed them across the top.

 I rolled out the top crust and put it on, cut the sides, folded them under, crimped the edges.

Put slices down the top.

And then, to be festive, we added a star of dough, and stuck it in the oven to bake while we listened to The Weepies and talked and cleaned up.

(Cuz how American is it to make apple pie for the 4th of July?)

She's out now, and when she's cooled off, I'll sprinkle her pretty with sugar and maybe a little cinnamon.

This afternoon we're headed down to my sister's with all(most) of my family for rafting and playing in the pond, building castles in the sand, fried chicken, fried cauliflower (if you've never tried it, it's amazing! and I'm headed to the store in a sec to get it so the frying can commence), pinochle, watermelon, chips, salad, pies and homemade ice cream and fireworks in the street once it's dark.

Happy 4th of July, folks.

Hope you have a lovely one.

Happy 69, Dad

I've been at my dad's grave a lot this past week. 

We gathered as a family on Saturday, stood around his grave, held hands, and talked about things we loved about him.

I went back on Sunday with the kids before dinner and we just walked.

Then, I went back on Tuesday, the first of March, because it was his birthday.

I took fresh flowers and put them in a mason jar and tied some twine around it.

This little verse was given to me after my dad died.  I was moved by it, mostly because of how it beautifully articulates the influence of one person.  Their death affects you in deep and lovely ways because of the richness of what was shared in life, all the love that was there, and their footprint remains in everything you do.

It simply says this:

"Your absence has gone through me

Like thread through a needle.

Everything I do is stitched with its color."

(W. S. Merwin)

And you know what?

I've put spring on my mantle.  

And I had to put the little organ up there, because it makes me think of him 

(March being his birthday month and all).

xoxo

Thankful

Thanksgiving week has come and gone, and here we are on the final evening of November.

I've found myself feeling reflective and super grateful.

 For good friends.

For nourishing words.

For long hugs.

 For simple things like a smattering of delicious food to eat and clean, running water, electricity.

Simple things that are actually huge, huge things.

Not simple at all.

I take them for granted every day.

For family.

 For favorite tunes.

For night driving.

For laughter.

 Warm snuggles in the night

Confidence in God

 Neighborly kindness that never seems to stop

Conversations with people I love

Insurance
Singing with a bunch of people that love to sing and being moved to tears by the power I felt in that room

At the beginning of November, we wrote things on this tree and put it on the fridge.

Things we were thankful for.

Some of my favorites?

Legos

Babies

Star Wars

Mashed potatoes and gravy

Education

Pebble ice

Jack o' lanterns

The world and the planets

Jek-14

Valentines Day

Yep.  

From big blessings to small, I'm feeling really thankful.

Just thankful.