Sleepy Spring Sentiments

Spring fever is in the air!! On an afternoon when we found ourselves enjoying a rare hour of relaxation as a fam of five in the backyard, the echoing sounds of the neighborhood proved that spring has indeed arrived. From the noise of dirt-bikes in the desert, to hammers pounding nails alongside drills and saws busy on a project of some sort, to the gleeful cries of kids playing, to sprinkler systems being tested, it was a surround-sound of spring! And now spring break eagerly looms on the horizon which we are all greatly anticipating!!

Time for some catch!

Mason's ready!!

fort-building fun with cousin Aven!!



daddy and Mason sharing a few precious moments together as the sun sets

As many of you know, another Anderson birthday came and went and it contained a variety of humbling surprises, assortment of gifts, lots of lovin' by my gents, a few tears thanks in part to heartfelt, sappy cards and genuine sentiments. And an actual flow of tears streamed down my cheeks when my eyes beheld the sign my beyond-amazing-hubby handmade for me....sentimental for a variety of reasons!

Classy trio ;)

My sweet friend Elisha made it quite a fun day! :)

Birthday Breakfast!! Thanks babe!!! :)

a new fav coffee mug--love ya Shelly ;)

giggling with my gents

 I. Love. These. BOYS!!!

My new sign made by my incredibly talented and thoughtful hottie-hubby! It's PERFECT!



#stillcrazyabouthim

Baseball season is underway as Mason and Carson have joined their respective teams and attended their first practices, gearing up for their first 'game day'. I almost dare not blink as I feel as though these coming weeks are going to whiz on by like a race car at the Daytona 500!

Mason up to bat! look out....;)



Carson is ready for Little Majors!

And maybe that's why I've lingered a little bit longer in those dim-lit moments I check in on my sleeping gents before I head off to my own dreamland. As I stare at each one of them in their peaceful, deep dream-filled faces, I've found myself playing a warp-speed highlight reel of the day. Did I teach them enough today? Encourage them enough? Love them enough? Show Jesus to them enough? Spend enough time with each of them? Were my words more harsh than loving? Was I firm enough? Was I "mom" enough? Did we laugh enough? Did I lose my cool one too many times? I think it's a fair question. Or series of questions. And I'm sure I'm not the only mom that questions herself at the end of the day as the littles are tucked into bed, foreheads kissed, and prayers lifted up. These boys are my legacy--our legacy. And when the daylight hours give way to those night time hours, this is what matters most as we go barreling through this season of parenthood. Not facebook statuses or likeability, twitter feeds and followers, overscheduling playdates & coffee dates to already jam-packed weeks, stressing over petty, trivial matters that will be forgotten in a matter of days, etc., etc. Don't get me wrong, I full-on enjoy my coffee dates and play/park dates and being completely invested in the lives of others (friends and family alike). And I can stress over petty things like the best of 'em! But the not-so-subtle impressing on my heart that God refuses to let up on, is that what matters most at the end of the day is raising up boys who, Andy & I pray fervently and almost achingly, will become men that are Jesus lovers and followers, not cultural companions! Parenting purposefully. Allowing re-dos if necessary. Letting them see and be a part of an authentic faith lived out in those stressful, challenging, petty, relaxing, relational, seeking, joyful, every-day-moments of daily life. Every day that passes by is another day closer to their next birthday, to another year older...every day leads to another day, that leads to another day, that leads to another day...and pretty soon those days added up are gone and that little boy you brought home from the hospital is now off to "soar his wings and fly". My sister recently recalled how years ago, when her eldest son was graduating high school and preparing for college, she said that this same graduation day would be here for her youngest boy before she knew it....and now it's nearly here. At the end of this spring day, as I sneak in to kiss the flushed, rose-colored cheeks of these three sons of ours goodnight just one more time, I may linger a little longer....

MRA



Austin buried in his puppies

CJA

....because in these precious seconds that tick on by, all the chaos of the day becomes quiet and the cluttered mind becomes clear. If I could only bottle it up & be able to savor it just a little bit longer....

simple snapshots

This post doesn't necessarily contain a running 'theme' but is more along the lines of giving you simple snapshots peering into our crazily simple life as of lately. I'm sure I could caption each one specifically enough that would eventually lead into some sort of deep thought...or string of thoughts...providing you with a synopsis of God's testing my heart, or a specific moment turned into life-lesson as a mom (or wife, or friend, or sister, or...you fill in the blank!), or the continual work of His hand in the lives of others. But I'll keep it simple this time. ;) Our steady stream of activity may be overflowing its' banks some days, but within all the craziness there's a reality of simplicity that remains.

Never to old to play with cars! :)

Mini-man doing some hunting in the backyard ;)

I know I've written a time or two about this very idea of simplicity, how we seek to keep things that way amidst many days being filled to the brim and the over-complicated facets of life albeit schedules, relationships, etc. (which we ourselves tend to over-complicate!) Combined with living a life of authentic faith in Jesus Christ, living simply is a lifestyle we're not willing to compromise. It can be challenging, that's for sure, but Andy and I keep each other grounded. :)

It sure wasn't much but Mason's grin says it all--we definitely missed winter this year!

Always some new creation involving cars...



The undeniable joy of climbing a tree...

...yep, the simple things! :)















The 42nd Annual HCSD Student Art Show is underway! Once again, the hubs outdid himself in the detailed planning and prepping, and with the help of some dedicated students and staff, another fantastic & creative display of student artwork makes it's appearance at the Humboldt County Museum for the month of March!! Austin's artwork was one of the 4th graders chosen to have his picture displayed, and he was given the Judges' Choice Award for Grass Valley Elementary students!

proud of my budding artist!!

My artistic loves!!!:)

Like father, like son...definitely gets his talent from daddy!! :)

A simply beautiful view that never gets old! "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place... O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:3 & 9)

A nearly all-day event, celebrating this beautiful lady's Bday! Love ya Elisha!!

a quick and fun afternoon at the Winnemucca Airport's open house!

the boys really enjoyed looking at all the planes!

Takes me back to when my dad used to fly in one quite similar to this!

Carson taking his turn to pilot! :)

Pilot Mason!

"America's past-time"...oh that we would take advantage of these fleeting moments and continue the simplicity of backyard baseball and overall quality family time together, however that may look from day to day, week to week!!! :)

Carson is ready for Little Majors and Mason is excited for T-ball!!

Playing some catch!