it's official

we have booked our campsite for

Limekiln State Park in Big Sur.
we'll stay the night thursday, august 16
and leave on saturday the 18th.

unless they'll let us stay one more night.
we'll be living in monterey by then,
which is only an hour away
so we can hang out there sat. night.

our space accommodates 8,
which will cover our family and
the jeromy and carrie dyer family.
this is our 2nd limekiln camping trip together
and it was our turn to book.

spaces are extremely limited.

so family (and friends),
if you're game,
book your reservation NOW.

click on the Limekiln link above
and then on "reservations & fees."
ours is a tent space only.
but reservations are not site specific.

we discovered this hidden treasure during our first year of marriage while living in san luis obispo. I randomly selected this campground from all others along the 90 mile Big Sur coastline and surprised micah for his birthday. the campsites are under the redwoods along a beautiful creek while others overlook the ocean. the creek flows all the way down to the ocean and up to a beautiful waterfall. after 5 years, it was so interesting to see how much the fall had changed. much of the pool had been filled from landslides and the amount of water falling was much less.
still amazing and beautiful!

Is it too early to post about Mother’s Day?

(Note: This is my inaugural post in the blogging-world. Micah)

The Little Boy Found, by William Blake (1791)

The little boy lost in the lonely fen,
Led by the wand’ring light,
Began to cry, but God ever nigh,
Appear’d like his father in white.

He kissed the child & by the hand led
And to his mother brought,
Who in sorrow pale, thro’ the lonely dale
Her little boy weeping sought.

(from Songs of Innocence)

I love my mom, my mother-in-law and my grandmothers. But this praise of the highest order is for my dear wife and the mother of our boys.

During dinner tonight Lolly and Jaden had this exchange.

Lolly:

Thanks for eating your dinner so good, Jaden.

Jaden:

You’re welcome.

Thanks for being a mom.

Thanks for having babies.

Thanks for having me.

I was glad that Jaden expressed what very few mothers get to hear. Thanks. Not just for making the dinner. Not just for sacrificing so much for him everyday. Not just for being the kind of mother that would go through the lonely fen looking for her lost child. But thanks for being my mother.

Thanks for deciding to have me. Thanks for giving birth to me. Thanks for staying up with me, feeding me, bathing me, teaching me how to walk, how to talk.

Thanks for always asking about my day after school, even when my responses are somewhat lacking. Thanks for praying with me and teaching me about my Heavenly Father.

Thanks for everything. Basically . . . as summed up by Jaden (and expandable to all mothers):

“Thanks for having me.”

can anyone guess

where you can do this
AND this
all on the same day?!

here's another hint
it was amazingly beautiful
(why is this the 1st time I've ever been I ask you?!!!
it won't be the last.)

what a fabulous weekend with family
for such an exciting cause.
we were celebrating the nuptials of
shane and lauren dyer.
(click above)
she's an incredible girl and we're so happy for them!

here's some more pics of the FUN:
THANK YOU dyers
for including us in this perfect weekend.
so FUN.

The Goods

ONE girl made a whole LOT of people happy todaywith this generous donation.

15 ENORMOUS bags of loot were transported from the hill residence in bakersfield
here to solano park to bless the lives of many.
21 families at last count.
when jaden got home from school and saw the scene he asked his dad,
"did you sell anything yet?"
micah replied, "well, we're not selling it but we've given a lot away."
jaden: "why aren't you selling it? don't you want to make some money?"
micah: "since auntie shelli gave it to us, we're giving it to other people."
--end of discussion--

2 minutes later, jaden returns with these:
and his cash register and announces,
"10 dollars for this side and 12 dollars for that one."
then he waits for a second and wonders why no one is coming.
micah was ever so proud. a boy after his own heart.

there was something for everyone:

shell, we can't THANK YOU enough.
you can't even imagine how grateful everyone was!

YOU are AMAZING!
in my lifetime, I hope you can feel charity at its finest for yourself.
we loved seeing you and your family this weekend.
we LOVE you!

a womb with a view

I know, not a very good one.

but good enough for us to see a 9 1/2 week old baby with a HEARTBEAT.

jaden is REALLY excited and would LOVE a SISTER.
he took this picture with him to school today.

beckam thinks a dog would be nice:
"beckam, do you want a baby brother or sister?"
"no, a DOG."

WE JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW!

today

jaden comes running in the house upon returning from church after being told to come inside to change clothes to get ready for our picnic and exclaims,
"mom! I started to stay outside to play but then I remembered...EXACTNESS...and I ran right inside."
LOVE THAT BOY!! may he always remember exactness.
AND, in reflecting on his recent field-trip to the library and getting to see behind the scenes of the book return, he said, "that was such a great opportunity."

as beckam is walking out of the house on his way to our picnic with his ovaltine, he says, "I going drink my coffee outside."
you know, since that's a drink of choice in our house--WHAT?! where do they come up with these things?! oh yeah, from my family. he's also been heard from the backseat calling, "I want my starbucks." ever tried their strawberry creams? he knows what's good.