Winter Update

So we left off at Merry Christmas here. Christmas was sweet and quiet.  On Christmas Day we actually celebrated Keagan's birthday at Grandpa B's. My Keagan Michael Burkey is 11.  Last night in church he leans over and whispers to me," How do you spell Michael."   I almost laughed out loud.  Poor kid suddenly realizes he really should know how to spell his whole name.  I didn't tell him how that when he was born I named him without actually ever realizing that a is before e in Michael.  Hehe!  Should I even tell him?  I mean, why discourage a kid like that telling him he gets his handicaps honestly?  :)  In reality, he's not really struggling too much IQ wise.  He decorated his own cake.  He does a new experiment every day.  His brain never quits.   I want to stop him right at this stage.  Before he reaches the deep waters of teen life and all the questions of life.  

This is what it's like shopping with those two youngest boys of mine.  For whoever can't tell....this is Mathias.  His head is down inside his coat and the Styrofoam bust was sitting on top of his head.  I was looking carefully at all the craft things and I turn around to see this sightless thing.   

We went to Idaho in the first week of January.  These two traded glasses for fun while we were  traveling and thought a picture was in order.  What they didn't realize was that you really can't tell.  Aren't they cute?  I am spoiling them.  maybe.  Mostly I am soaking up their childishness.  Their innocence.  

David and Sam were successfully married while we were in Idaho.  It was a beautiful wedding.  It had all the emotions.  And it was wonderful seeing and meeting old and new friends.  

My most favorite part of our trip.  Tramps with mom through the woods.  

And my kids loved singing around the piano with Mom.  

This batch of cousins had a LOT of fun.  It was especially special to see this younger set of cousins figure out they exist. 

It was snowing and beautiful when we left. 

And here's beauty right here at home too.  There are no sunsets so wonderful than out my living room window. 

We actually found enough snow blown up into a big enough drift to be able to dig tunnels in. 

She's mine.  I think I'll keep her home from school a couple more years.  

A warm Sunday afternoon bike ride in January.  And of course this is how you pose .  Casually sitting in the middle of the road leaning against his bike with ripped jeans and crocs.  what a kid. 

On my birthday, Jeanie had an appointment with the vision evaluation people.  They were sure over the phone that they could test her at five years old.  I warned them of all the things she's delayed in and they still wanted to see her.  Turns out you can't evaluate how she takes in information through her eyes to her brain when she doesn't know her letters and  numbers and shapes and colors. So that was a waste of time.  I'm nearly ready to say skip it and let her be.  She seems happy and doesn't need all this poking .  But someday she will need to have some tools.....  Her speech therapists sees her advancing still and I can see she's still learning.  It's just in letters and numbers and shapes and colors it won't register.  She's a completely normal kid except when you ask her what color something is.  This morning she pointed at a letter and asked me what letter it was!  That was a first!  So finally she's understanding that those magnetic shapes on the fridge are letters.  Now if I can get her understand that putting letters together make words.  Oh and she can't count.  But she's way better at household chores for her age than the boys were. And the other day I actually was able to read a whole story and keep her attention for long enough to get her to grasp the story.  I'm a little at loss and I'm a little thinking I'm over reacting.  I'm a mom.  I think all moms do this sometimes.  

So now we're into the dead of winter and it's time to clear the cobwebs.  News Years resolutions aren't a part of my life.  But I'm all about clearing out and cleaning and getting the New year going in February.  So every week I've been knocking out one thing that bugs me.  It's a nice feeling.

And because life is so uncertain and full of complexities here are a few sure things:
Jesus (Thank Goodness!)
Love ( It covers a multitude of Sins)
Seasons( This too shall Pass)
Mercy (I wish to be given lots and I wish to know how to give it more)
Grace ( The thing I need because I'm never enough and Grace makes me enough)
Loneliness ( It's the push to fall into all the Grace and Mercy and Love of Jesus)
Misunderstanding( Because I'm human and there are always more than my perspective)
Truth( I'm full circle.  Jesus is truth and what he is and what he did for me is truth)
And possibly this echoes that life has been hard of late.  That's because it is.  In a beautiful way maybe?  You know how things look distorted through tears?  It's like that.  Everything distorted but still has a shimmering of beauty.