Now it feels like fall.

I want to thank you for your understanding words and comforting prayers after my last post. They have helped so much.

"I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

- Psalm 27:13-14

I found this verse in my inbox after leaving the lab for my final hCG blood test yesterday. He always knows just what Words to send us, doesn't He?

October has certainly been a month of waiting. But it finally feels like fall in my neighborhood, and that is comforting in itself.

Last week we baked our favorite pumpkin cookies to share at our homeschool group's harvest party. It's tradition to visit the pumpkin patch and corn maze, then to celebrate afterward with a party at the park.

And, of course, I have to take lots of pictures...

Everyone brings treats to share. The kids decorate their bags, then the moms line up with the goodies.

We can't have a harvest party without apple bobbing!

 

We are abundantly blessed!!

How are enjoying the season of autumn?

La Habra Children's Museum

This week we spent a day with friends who moved to Orange County in April. We met them at a darling children's museum in the city of La Habra.



It's not a huge museum, but every room was thoughtfully designed and organized, and geared for touch and interaction.

 

The science and art exhibits were full of great things to explore, but the highlight was definitely the theater room.

Abundant costumes, a real piano, kid-adjustable stage lights, a microphone, and audience seating for parents (ahem) kept us entertained until it was time to go home.

The Fourth of July Parade

This morning we joined old friends and new ones to celebrate Independence Day with a little old-fashioned Americana.


 
I grew up in a classic bungalow cottage in a friendly neighborhood full of old houses and people who value tradition and community.

When I was about 10, a few families on our street started the "20th street Fourth of July Parade."

Every summer we expressed our patriotism in red, white and blue -- on our clothes, our fences, our bikes, strollers and wagons, and -- as the parade grew and grew -- on our Jeeps, tractors and fire trucks.







Though we don't live in the same neighborhood anymore, we're not very far away, and we still have lots of friends who attend the parade.

My friend Catherine and I grew up a block apart from each other on 20th Street from age 2. Here she is with her four adorable kiddos...

I love that I get to bring my own kids now. It's pretty amazing to see this tradition still going strong 26 years later.

Nearly 200 people came out this year, gratefully using our freedom to assemble to make some memories with friends, family and neighbors.



Go see my mom's post for some great pics and her own perspective on the parade!


Happy 4th of July! Are you celebrating today?

Scrapbooking therapy

Four and a half years ago, our church hired a new youth pastor to come up from Los Angeles. Greg and his wife, Claudia, had two little boys, and another baby on the way. Littlest was a newborn, and somehow I knew that we were going to be fast friends even before we met.

We spent three years working together in the church nursery, sharing our thoughts and feelings about mothering and homemaking, church, education and God. We had playdates and parties. I encouraged her to homeschool, and supported her when she decided to stop. I brought soup and sat with her when her fourth baby had nursing issues, and we had coffee dates when life got too complicated for playdates.

Last week I spent a few days scrap-booking photos for Claudia and Greg and their kiddos. They're moving back to the L.A. area in two weeks to be closer to their families.

Some brilliant person at church decided we should send them off with an album of memories. I offered to do the Sunday School pages, plus a few of my own. I wanted to do something to show how much they've meant to us, and that our friendship won't end just because they move.

I also thought it might be therapeutic. And I was right.

We've had to say goodbye to quite a few close friends in the last three years, and this time I wasn't handling it so well. Maybe it was knowing that they're not the only family we'll be saying goodbye to this year. Other very dear friends are expecting to move even further, and the anticipation makes it all the more difficult. Too many goodbyes, in too short a time.



The album gave me something to do with all that grief.

It felt good to look through old photos, and remember the fun we've had together. It felt good to lay out those memories on a page, to frame and savor each one. It felt good to make something beautiful out of something painful.



I believe in making an effort to keep in touch, and I'm not afraid to pile the kids in the car and drive a ways to see friends. But I also know how hard it can be, as kids get older, life gets more committed and complicated, and people make new lives in their new cities. Visits will happen, but they will probably be less frequent than we'd like.

Sometimes it's hard to let go of my own ideas of what the future should hold, even though I know that God is trustworthy and has a plan for each of us.



I'm grateful for the chance to treasure my friendships by savoring the memories we have created thus far, no matter what the future brings.

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
--Romans 8:28

On the rink

We hosted our Christmas party for our little homeschooling group at the ice rink this year. The kids had a blast -- I just wish I'd remembered to take more pictures off the rink! Some of the kids didn't skate, but everyone enjoyed sharing Christmas cookies and catching up with old friends.