100 Things I love Spring 2023

I love when spring finally comes. I love that last snow that is so wet and so heavy but comes before all the buds and blooms. It soaks the earth, giving us one more snow day but melting before the day is done. I love when the wet snows turn into thunderstorms. How the booms of thunder shake the whole house and streaks of lightning stretch across the skyline. I love seeing the storms roll in over the mountains and pour on us before they continue on down the plains. I love when the grass starts greening and the tress start filling in, and everything looks a little less brown. When the birds can be heard chirping and the leaves rustle in the morning breeze. I love walking up to my lilac and excitedly exclaiming that blooms are coming – pointing them out to the girls with glee!

I love seeing the seasons through the eyes of my kids. I love how they say things like “Mom it’s not cold outside anymore!” or “Mom! The grass doesn’t poke my feet anymore!” And how they ask to go on hikes everyday to see if the cacti have bloomed or new wildflowers have popped up. I love looking out the window of the office and seeing pops of color scattered across the hill. The Colorado wildflowers are coming in and I can tell even from here in my office chair that the bright orange ones are Indian Paintbrushes and the yellow tall ones are the blooms of the yucca. I love that all the yucas bloomed this year because of the daily rainstorms we were spoiled with this spring and they cover the rolling hills. And I love that with all that rain, I didn’t even worry about the fire danger once!

I love how much the girls like to be “twinsies” and if I buy anything new (not thrifted) they have to match. I love how even when they wear their thrifted/ hand-me-downs they still find ways to be matching – like both wearing flowers or unicorns or polka dots on the top and bottom or simply both wearing t-shirts. I love that they always find joy in the little things and I am inspired to see the world through their eyes! I love that they are now both old enough to go to VBS this year (Millie is 3 and potty-trained so she can be in the preschool program!) And I love that I went ahead and signed them up for three of them! 😉 I love how Hilde keeps saying , “Millie! You’re so big now you get to go to school with me! Isn’t that exciting?!” and while Millie has been potty-trained for a good while now, I love that we only have one kid in diapers! Our budget also loves it!

I love when Hilde wakes up in the morning and she cant-stop-talking! I love how Bruce tries to usher her out of the room to give me just a couple more minutes of sleep while they go downstairs and start the coffee maker. And I love that because I love a good cup of coffee first thing when I wake up! I love how Hilde is a problem solver. She is always thinking of how to solve all the things – find my phone, guess what happened to the birdfeeder last night, think about where we should go, figure out how to make Thorin stop crying. I love that she is always up for an adventure and she begs to get out of the house everyday. I love that now that the weather is much nicer, we can spend most of those outings outside!

I love how she has memorized the Lord’s prayer and now likes to say that before every meal. I love that she knows the lyrics to all the songs we listen to, including so many classic hymns. And I love that she loves to think about it and share her thoughts with me, like this one: “Mom does God love it when we sing to Him? Like sing the doxology? I think he does! Because when I get presents on my birthday it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And I think our songs are a gift to God that makes him happy! Because I love God and I want to give him gifts!” That was one I had to pull out my phone asap to leave in my memories. I love how she wants to take photos of me and everything on my phone.. or their tablet… or the instax.

She even likes to use my DSLR to take pictures but I am a little more wary of that. Don’t worry, I still let her, I just make sure the strap is on and I am close by! I love her framing (it is still hard for her to hold it because it is so heavy) and I love the random photos I get out of it – all photos through the eyes of a four-year-old child!

I love Millie’s love for dress up. When she puts a princess dress on, she is now said princess. You may call her Elsa but not Millie. Belle but not Millie. Tinkerbell but not Millie. And I love how no matter how many times we correct her, when she is wearing the pink dress, she is Tangled and not Rapunzel (and obviously, not Millie.) I love how she wears a pair of plastic high heals that barely fit her feet. They are too big and too skinny all at the same time. And I love that she loves them because “the butts are long so I can stand tall!” And I also love that is an exact quote that I laughed so hard at, I had to put it in the notes app on my phone with the date to never forget it (it was April 20th by the way!) That’s another thing I love – I love writing down the silly things my kids say in the notes app on my phone complete with dates and labels to help me find them again in the future so I can relive the moment over… and over… and over!

I love when Millie calls Bruce or I in at bedtime just to let us know that “whales drink water” and I love when she says “whobody” instead of anybody or who, and I love how she pokes her head out of her room a million times asking “is it done quiet time?” I finally got an egg timer (why didn’t I do this years ago?!!?) and now she goes “My timer is beeping! It’s done quiet time!” And honestly, I love that little timer too. And I love when she realized she hadn’t asked Jesus into her heart yet and so she said “Jesus please come into my heart!” with all the joy and trust of a little kid (6/17/23)! And I love that Hilde started to say the same thing but quickly remembered she already had asked Jesus that so he was already there!

I love my little man Thorin and his bedhead. I love how his hair is getting blonder, his cheeks are getting rounder, and he resembles a British schoolboy. I love how he sits criss-cross applesauce like he is ready for story time and how still at 10 months he isn’t crawling anywhere. And yes, I honestly love it because he is one less child I have to make sure doesn’t disappear on me when I plop him in the Livingroom. I love how he blows out air in little “pfts” all the time and how his top teeth just started popping through. I love how he loves to eat (how else do you stay this chunky?!?) and I love how much he loves me (although I would love it if he didn’t cry every time he saw me ;))

I love his that his top two teeth are just coming in, and coming in together for that matter! I love how teeth change the face, shape, and smile of a baby. I love that he is still nursing but I feel like he may be slowing down? He is very into real food these days so I am just going to ride it out as long as we can. I love the sound of the rocker as it goes back and forth in the quietness of the nursery while I rock Thorin to sleep (or back to sleep!) And sometimes I love listening to audiobooks during those times – enjoying the rest and rocking a little bit longer than needed to hold my sleeping baby and get to the end of the chapter. I love being able to say “the boys” and “the girls” when talking about our family. For so long it was only “the girls” and Bruce but now he gets team too! I love how Thorin’s birthday is coming up this summer and it’s time to start planning it! I love that kids are always growing and learning (yet I sometimes morn how quick times pass too!)

I love that there are always so many things to be thankful for! Even in the midst of crazy news, political drama, and a broken world, God is still good and He is always at work! I love how He uses motherhood to refine me and I love how He uses my children to inspire me and encourage me in my walk with Him! I love how all these things that I love are really just all things I am thankful to God for. I love how His mercies never end. I love that in Him there is life abundant and hope. Always hope.