Smashing Pumpkins

I've been dying to post this really special memory from Christmas break. Near the end of our trip Back Home, dad decided it was time to head out to the woods with mom's discarded fall-decor pumpkins. Oh yes, we were in for some country fun.

 

 Dad has a little trailer he can pull behind his mower. It's just the right size for 4-6 little girls to take a ride. And so they did, minus Baby, all bundled up on that crisp, cold, blue-sky day.

And these beautiful pumpkins? They were the intended victims of our woodsy activities...

Beware! She's been given permission to destroy...

And she did. The kids took all the smaller pumpkins and proceeded to stomp them, hurl them against trees, gouge them with sticks. Nothing like permission to ruin things on purpose!

And watch out for him, too. He means business, clearly...

Let's see how high daddy can throw the pumpkin....

....or how hard we can pitch them at trees. LC threw this one several times before it split.

MK was impressed with the way her pumpkin broke off in the shape of a slice.

Punkin' chunkin!

Then it was time for a little target practice. Dad set up the low-sodium targets, and prepared the girls to aim with a little BB gun. (And rest assured, dad is very, very cautious and attentive regarding gun safety). Most of the girls managed to hit a can after a try or two!

This was my favorite part, though. See the pumpkin carnage above? This, of course, was not the work of a BB gun. Everyone put on ear protection and stayed "behind the line" while dad and BB finished off the large pumpkins with his 12-gauge. You can see the remnants of the other pumpkins there on the ground. Told you it was country fun!

It was such a happy, shining afternoon with my dad and all the kids. Such a treasure of a memory, the kind that just makes me smile every time it comes to mind because of the random silliness of it all, and because of the joy of togetherness. (My mom was having togetherness with CJ back in the warm, cozy house, so hats off to her for babysitting!)

Lastly, this was us singing Baby It's Cold Outside at the top of our lungs for the photo.

So, wow. There's much on heart, mind, and plate these days around here. I am happy to say that we are indeed making headway in the not-drowning department! Indeed, small changes are occurring that are resulting in more order and predictability around the house (read: we are more likely to find the clothing we need clean lately, and I'm following my meal plans well, and the kids are taking on their own new responsibilities nicely - praise God!)

These simple changes, mercies from Jesus, are freeing just a bit of time, and slightly more mental space for me. This is a blessing, since, as I mentioned in my last post, my peeps are needing more and more meaningful time and conversation with mom and dad. And on top of that, we're always somewhere on the roller coaster of helping AH deal with the pain of the past - and often that is extremely time consuming and emotionally draining. Sometimes after a particularly hard or long talk with her on deep issues, we'll gather around for a movie or Netflix show. They're fond of The Twilight Zone, as are we, so it's a fun way to cuddle a bit and decompress after such intensity. TV isn't always our go-to, but I have to say, it's been a pleasant way to smooth away some of the yuck that follows after some of the hard talks. But, I am rambling.

I'm glad for some small, special moments lately and for some unpleasant things...

1168. painting CA's toenails in the middle of our busiest homeschool day

1169. mom and dad, always willing to talk - they understand our family dynamics better than anyone on earth, and I'm so glad for their listening ears and understanding hearts!!

1170. cedar pollen season

1171. being sick from the cedar pollen

1172. the awesome breakfast the kids made for me when I allowed my cedar-sick self to sleep in earlier this week (I won't embarrass myself by listing out what all I ate...)

1173. little steps of faith, thank you, Jesus: MK beginning to realize that Jesus' miracles were....real (this one struggles with matters of faith right now)

1174. sweet encouragement to this mother's heart: AH asking prayer for my allergy-sick self in Sunday school this week

1175. an amaryllis sprouting from its pot in the dining room - hope embodied

1176. oh! the fact that cedar season is over in a month or so, halleluiah!

1177. an impossibly slow, late start to our schoolday on Tuesday

1178. that long, long talk with AH that needed to happen, though it pushed our starting time even later that day

1179. God's kindness to help us finish all our school in spite of all of the above

1189. the privilege of being the ones to walk AH into, and through, her healing

1190. the delight that Baby is, despite her super-precociousness of late...oh, those dimples and her adorable attempts at talking...and the white, shiny curls...mmmm-hmmm!

1191. having BB by my side as we face all these things