Leafy fun!

That 'fall feeling' lies heavily in the air as sweatshirts are front and center in the closet, pumpkin-flavored goodies adorn the countertops, holiday creamers taking up residence in the fridge, and leaves that were once waving their bright red and orange beauty for all to see are now crunching beneath our feet.

Sunset through the trees

I know that every year, at this time of year, I post pictures such as these of our three boys and the leaf piles that consume our backyard. Forgive the redundancy. But there's just something to that joy written across their boyish faces as they try to catch something that weighs next to nothing as it comes twisting and turning steadily to the ground, to their smirks and 'game faces' as they line up like the offensive line of their favorite football team (...ahem...Vikes) ready to tackle that leaf pile. Sheer joy!

Enamored with the leaf-blower





'bring on the leaf blower daddy!'

Laughter eruption!!

Charge!!!

lost in leaves!

Ginger was in on the action as well!!

"Love me Austin..." ;)

In his singing voice..."aahhhhhhhhhhh" :)

Leaves exuberate laughter. That's why we had to get in on the action as well. Something so simple, yet something that brings our family together after another hectic week.


game face....



ninja-daddy!

A relaxing sunny Sunday afternoon :)

Catching falling leaves!



mama and mini-man :)

And this is how I found these two after a long day of leaf-playing :)
Mason climbed up to the top bunk and snuggled in with his brother. Priceless.

pumpkins are carved!

As we turn the calendar page to November, you know what comes next for this faith family of five...bring on our Thanksgiving tree as we continue to not pass up these defining family moments and traditions! Living simply. One day at a time. One faith step at a time.

Raising men, not boys

I hesitated a little to write this post because of a possible firestorm it could create, but this is my life lately...well, for the past few days at least as I watched my boys put their hands to 'work', and with very few suggestions to do so or reprimands from this mom's point of view. With Andy gone hunting for a few days, it was just a mom & her three sons type of weekend. And I have to say there was a bit of that 'mama pride' surfacing when they came to me asking if they could 'clean up the garden' and 'take care of the dog logs' in order to eventually rake up some leaves (I mean, it would be a bummer to rake up those dog logs within a pile of leaves only to end up landing in something squishy...). As I watched them voluntarily get their hands dirty it brought my mind back to this very topic I have thought of and prayed over probably a hundred times. This idea of raising men, not boys. And not just men, but men who love Jesus to their very core and are "manly men." Hard-working. Strong but tender. Goal-setters and achievers. Servants. Respected. Leaders. Men! Like their daddy. :)

Carson working away!

Gotta start somewhere!

In today's culture, many kids (and sadly, adults) are expected things to be handed to them without an effort to earn, a drive to work hard, and a goal to set in order to achieve. They're "righted" to it, to whatever the 'it' is that they think they so selfishly deserve, with parents bending over backward to give 'it' to them. And many times there's barely an ounce of gratefulness to accompany that giving. It's hard to watch. Disheartening. Disgusting actually. They want it, they get it. And many times on the spot! I've fallen prey to that in those little things--I mean, they're my boys! I want to give them those things they want. But making them wait for those 'larger' items, making them earn their want, and even guiding them to put priorities in order (though they may not see it that way at the present moment) is one hundred percent worth the end result. Teaching them the value of things, and what things are truly valuable in the first place! I don't want three 'grown-up boys' when they've reached adulthood. I want our sons to be grown-up men.

Things are gettin' a little crazy around here....

You're reading about a girl who grew up on a farm, who knows firsthand how hard men can work. You wanna see a hard working man? I'll show you a few each and every summer when we head 'home' to the farm. My dad and brothers (and hubby of course) are some of thee most hard-working men I know!! Year-round, sun up to sun down with well-deserved coffee breaks necessary to continue the stamina all the way through the day and through those cold, bitter months. The hardest work ever, but (in my 'farm girl opinion') the most rewarding ever. (I could easily make a list of many men I know who are hard-workers so don't take offense, but for the sake of this post, I'll stick to the family few)

In this day and age, it's not easy to raise young men. Not when many of their peers have everything handed to them. And let me take it just one step farther. It's not easy to raise young Godly men. Not when the world surrounding them says everything otherwise. The culture is counter-clockwise & confusing at best with its' twisted teachings and 'grey' areas becoming more and more illuminated. With eyes to the skies, our knees are going to have perma-rug burn!
 
We may fail daily, but we can only pray that the successes outweigh the failures, that God's grace and mercy on our boys will continue to extend beyond today. This raising young gents is tough business! Constant questioning and evaluating through endless parenting, and thankfully highlighting in some awesome parenting books, right alongside the highlighting happening in His Book. It's tearfully exhausting some days! Must. Stay. The course.  

Boyish hands get dirty in the dirt and in the cookie dough. I like our gents to be well-rounded. :) Fueling their kitchen skills and their artistic skills....right?!

Carson's ninja ;) haha!

End result! I have the coffee brewing...anyone?!

And what's an October posting without a little fall color thrown into this mix of thoughts?! Beauty abounds as these seasons change; days are getting shorter but the striking sunsets still being painted masterfully by the Master. They almost take your breath away! Leaves are showing off their bold hues and with some trees, it seems to be one leaf at a time. And it's a reminder to me, as I stare out my kitchen window at the morning glow of golden leaves, sipping on my creamy, peppermint mocha flavored coffee, that this season of life will pass all too quickly as well. 

sunset soccer practice!