October 1, 2010
-
{this isn’t a dress rehearsal}
and because of that there are some days you just have to… leave the vacuum in the middle of the living room…those dishes piled high by the sink…school lessons halfway done…laundry left unfolded…stick on the same outfit you’ve worn three days in a row…finger through your hair since the hairbrush can’t be found…grab the big kids, the medium size kid, and the teeny baby…run out the door like the house is on fire…head to the nearest park…and throw a blanket down on the ground under the biggest tree you can find…
and sit.
and smile.
and soak it in.
the sunshine.
the breeze.
the faces that are with you.
because y.o.u k.n.o.w that someday at sometime you’ll be somewhere and it’ll be another warm autumn day very much like this one and suddenly when the sun hits your face just right or the leaves crunch beneath your feet a certain way it’ll take you back… back to this day. and i can see it now. you’ll close your eyes as you recall the images embossed so deeply on your heart. standing there probably looking slightly goofy with a smile dancing at your mouth and maybe an unwanted tear or two in your eyes, but you’ll be glad. so glad that you stopped all those things you could have been doing and went and did what you did.
you’ll have the rest of your life to have everything folded and dried and cleaned and put away. and yourself in ironed clothes with brushed hair, showered and well rested! … but these days. and the million little moments that fill them will only happen once.
no, life isn’t a dress rehearsal. there’s no do-overs or hoping to get it right the second time through.
and when it comes to investing in my children that motivates me to make deliberate, conscious choices.
to keep the important, important.
“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.”
we walked around a trail in the woods…
it’s been a hot, dry summer and so the leaves are pretty much just dying and falling off the trees.
the kids and i made a game of how many we could crunch. i liked the sound they made
we stopped by the river and the kids waded and played while i fed reese…
the sweater reese has on was the sweater we brought kate home from the hospital in after her surgery when she was 6 wks old…
the way life flips at times and comes full circle is enchanting.
these shots of my first born girl w. my baby girl find me staring back and forth from one face to the other -
reese looks different than kate did at this age, yet there’s something still so familiar and kate-like in her.
¸.·´¸.·¨) ¸.·¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ (¸.·¨¯`♥ amber
Comments (35)
Beautiful Amber! Love the tone in the last one!
Little Reese is such a cutie! I’m so incredibly happy for you. : )
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Awesome pics! Looks like such a great time.
awwwwwwww.
happy sigh. reading these words of yours and lovelovelove the photos.
{especially stroller-pushing-Emma}
i really enjoyed your thoughts on the million little moments and making deliberate, conscious choices…
ToDaY…
because “the days are long and the years are short.”
{i think i first heard that our friend audrey}
{kate’s surgery?! you feel like an “old”-been-friends-for-a-long-time-friend.
}
but then i read something like that and i realize there is so much
about your journey that i don’t know.
HaPpY WeEkEnD!!! love ya!
Beautiful pictures! And a very very good reminder for me to make the most of the moments I have with my family. Thank you.
first of all i LOVE this song by Brian Doerksen. we went to a concert of his a couple of years ago and the cd that this song is on was the one that i purchased. its such an amazing reminder that he is in control…in the midst of our chaos.
love that you were able to have these moments with all the kids. seems wonderful. i have been consumed with school work as of late, i need to be reminded to just revel in the moments that I find myself a part of
loved this post…that last pic’s quote has challenged me – ”you only get to live each moment once. live it well.” i need to remember that! reese is so beautiful & you look great!
I just love the beautiful park! Why isn’t there one like that close to my house?? lol
When you’re IN the picture, who’s taking them? You must have a family full of wonderful photographers, I’m impressed!
I have to remind myself to slow down too. Doing stuff with the kids is more important than the dishes. Thank you for posting this!
It took me forever to feeling normal after having my fourth….no way would i have been out and about as soon as you have been!! Your RoCk!
This post made me feel kind of sad because it reminded me all too clearly of how out of control this summer became for me. Some of it my fault, some of it just the way things fell into place (since I never in my wildest dreams expected our new book to consume the life out of my summer like it did). Still, I feel sad. And a little guilty. Because some days the dirt and the dishes piled high, not because I was stopping with the kids to breathe but because I was spinning way too hard with my things. In some ways, it felt like I lost a summer with my boys. Not that I lost them, but that I lost the chance to do some of those fun summery things we usually do. I am clinging to the memories of teaching Adam how to swim, of laughing at Liam’s new attempts at conversation, of glancing at them a million times as they played and played together …. and now that life is slowing down, I am savoring, hoping, deliberately choosing to enjoy them in more than 2 minute intervals. Happy weekend!
I’ll be coming back. I only got the chance to scroll through and tke a quick peak at your beautiful pictures.
One of those perfect little snippets in time!
You made me get all teary eyed over this post.
Beautiful, beautiful time with you all. I am sooo glad you are enjoying these moments, and have the wisdom to do so.
beautiful photos ~
Great pics! Looks like a fun day….. ~amber
I should hang around you more, Amber.
I think it would do me a lot of good!
I love that you just did that.
Just left all of the chaos at home and took a picnic to the park with the kids.
You’re getting it right!
Yep, I’m there…..at the point of remembering all those special moments……now all my kids are grown, and OH HOW I MISS THEM!!!! Enjoy, relax, take it all in….the time when they are all gone comes way toooooo soon!! Love you and you are doing it right! Have a beautiful full with your precious ones! Will is coming in this coming Thursday, and I can’t wait!
<3
Love to you and yours! Mrs. B
Wow beautiful! Family time, there is nothing more precious or valuable than that. It blesses me to see you cherish such a blessing. I haven’t been able to have children since I haven’t met my husband yet and am past the time of being able to have kids. I’ve cried in waves (ebbs and flows) over this but I know the Lord has something special for me! Keep cherishing those little gems of yours hun!
I love reading your blogs as you let me journey into special glimpses of your family time.
{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}
Lovely pictures like always
…good for you getting out and enjoying the wonderful weather. I told my Dad I could really love Fall if I didn’t know what was coming…and really I do love it, just don’t want it to end. I’m all for leaving the mess behind and catching a little fresh air and a few rays of sun. Baby looks like a real dear! Blessings on your weekend, Jess
I love your posts. The pictures are so beautiful and peaceful. Kiss your beautiful baby girl for me. She’s precious. I find myself many times making a conscious effort to drink in the moment with my precious baby girl. I KNOW I will miss these days.
amber, what lovely pictures!! it speaks perfectly of your amazing day, outside. bravo for taking your precious baby girl out and spending quality time with the older children.
as far as the baby bump, it’s all gone girl!! it has been three years for me and I still have mine!
I’m so blessed you took this time for your family and for yourself – because these snippets of time with your kids grow your relationship with them, which grows your love for them, which gives a much more solid foundation for those days when you feel like it is all coming apart! I loved days like you describe above, and probably had far more of them than I should have, seeing that my house needed lots more attention than yours ever looks like it needs!
I love the photos, too. That tree Ben is sitting in is incredible!
Amen! This dishes/laundry/cleaning will wait. mine sure is.
Beautiful pictures Amber!
So beautiful! That park looks so peaceful. That is definitely a place I would go to escape cleaning and stuff!
Reese is growing fast! And you look great!
Thanks for the reminder- I’m going to try to do something FUN this week w/ my kids!
You look wonderful, even if you aren’t feeling it these days!!
So true, Amber….so true.
We have this moment…today.
Every autumn, the memory of my youngest ones flood my mind…the twinnie boys…packed into the stroller for a walk. They would reach down to touch the leaves and squeal with delight. It is like it was yesterday.
Yesterday…
They are 26 now. One will be a daddy soon.
Treasure the precious present.
It is a gift.
So true that our time with our children only happens once. You are on the right track.. keep treasuring the moments!
Beautiful snapshots from your day.
@down_onthefarm -
yeah, kate had pyloric stenosis {when the tube to your stomach grows together} and had to have surgery when she was 6wks old. scary times back then but God brought us through~
@bethro78 -
kate and ben both do pretty good w/ the camera~ once i set the lighting they can just focus and shoot. the one w/ all of us i put on self timer and balanced it on top of the stroller!
So very smart to take time and enjoy the present!!
These are the days that the kids will remember…..
And what a beautiful day too!
We had a party at our house lastnight for Tyler and Alex’s birthdays. We (a couple of my sisters, my mom and I) were on your site, and we all decided you are disgustingly pretty and you DON’T look like you just had a baby! We are all also in love with little Reese. If for some reason you change your mind about keeping her, we’ll take her for you guys!
And about the clean house, welcome to baby #4! I had everything (well, for the most part) organized and under control until Allison came along. That’s when my house began to not be as clean as I liked it!
I am learning to get over it, even though I sometimes lose it when it’s a big mess. Memories are more important than a clean house and a hairbrush! 
Enjoy these times, they go so fast! I really don’t like it!
Your pictures are beautiful…..and my sister Stephanie said to tell you she loves your shirt! =)
Love that you did this. It’s what i call Intentional Living. So proud of you.
I love your spontaneity! I love doing stuff like this but growing up my mom was pretty scheduled so instead of throwing everything out the window she usually used it for motivation to get everything done.
In fact so much of the story of Reese is like me…she’s the 4th like me…my mom really wanted another baby and kept praying for me-that’s the funnest part to remind her when she gets irritated 
…and lots more similarities.
you don’t look like you just had a baby. You look too good for that.
The age difference between Reese and Kate is almost just like my sister and I. Growing up people thought that she was my mom and my brother my dad and my mom my grandma since she had gray hair-she was 43 when she had me
Thank you for the reminder. You are so right!!!! Beautiful pictures. Have a great day!
i hear ya on scary. my oldest, jared, was tested to rule out that pyloric stenosis thing…scary for sure. i realize how difficult feedings must have been prior to kate’s diagnosis. that had its own stress. and you. a first time mom and in a foreign country too. i am sorry that you had to go through that. but i like the word ThRoUgH. and that HE is the same today.
luv
Your saying on the last pic really, really caught my attention! Life goes so fast,its scary what all we miss just because were too busy!