April 6

I ordered new seedlings for the hydroponic garden this afternoon, so it seemed logical that I start the process of clearing out the existing, mostly overgrown and underproductive plants. 

Isaac had already picked and chopped up some green onion for his nachos, and was actively bagging up the leftovers for later use when I got to work. As I started to wrangle with a particularly stubborn arugula vine, he asked if he could taste a leaf. So I handed him one, and he nibbled an edge. I'm not much on arugula in general --and the one in my garden is very, very spicy-- but he said he liked it, so I plucked leaves and flowers (because did you know the flowers are actually pretty tasty? The flavor is similar but much milder than the leaves) for him to bag up.

He also said he wanted to save some cilantro, so I trimmed several sections for him and put them on the counter. And then Brady appeared and asked if he could bag up parsley. And when he'd finished with that task, he sat down by the garden and pruned an entire large bowl's worth of lettuce. 

So thanks to their efforts, the fridge is now stocked with lots of greens. 

It's the first weekday of Spring Break and it's true that neither of them has any plans, but I was still pleased that they wanted to help with such a practical, arguably mundane task. They're good boys, and I'm thankful to be their mom.

April 5

It's been a quiet, restful Easter at our house.

When the boys came downstairs this morning, we gathered in the family room where the Easter Bunny had left their baskets in front of the fireplace. They plunked down on the floor, graciously consented to photos, and then went through their booty. I was quietly thankful that I judged their interests as well as I did because that doesn't always happen. (The proof in the pudding? Isaac assembled his mini wind-up robot as soon as he got home from church and Brady bounced his high-bounce bouncy ball against the back of the house for hours. And both munched their Hershey's bunnies and Sour Patch Kids. And at one point, I looked over and realized that both were busily working on their respective Sudoku books. That's success. And although I could make it about me, I'll pass to praise on to the Lord for giving me good ideas!)

After the baskets were emptied we got dressed (and yep, I got Isaac and Brady matching shirts, which they accepted and wore with zero complaints) and went to church, where a Christian dance group performed in addition to the usual Sunday sermon. I've always had an emotional connection with dance, so they brought tears to my eyes.

We filled the rest of the afternoon with the A's game on TV and lasagna for dinner followed by several hands of cards around the table. And then after that, Adam connected with Abby via video call.

So I'd say it was a good family day. 

And beyond that, it was a good day to remember and be thankful for the Resurrection of Jesus. His fully selfless, sacrificial act changed life forever for those who call Him Lord: given that the Resurrection means that Logan is waiting for us on the other side of the veil and not gone forever, I can never be grateful enough for Easter.

April 4

The Freshman Dons played a doubleheader at home today against Cal High. The two-game days are always kind of brutal, especially when the sun is shining without the benefit of ray-busting cloud-cover, but it's still fun to be out there cheering on our boys.

In the end, they came away with a win and a loss. Brady started the first game in right field and went 1 for 3 with a nice double down the right field line. In game two --which featured a very different lineup, since they have a 22-man roster-- he came in at the top of the 7th and pitched a scoreless inning. 

All in all, a solid day of work. And a decent outcome against a good team.

This is a pic of some of the boys that one of the parents suggested we snap after game two. (Brady is third from the right.) We've definitely been on some teams that had an unfavorable vibe, but I'm grateful to say that this is definitely not one of them. The smiles are on their faces here are real, because they genuinely like playing together. So for that not-small blessing, I am thankful.

April 3

It's hard to know what to write about Good Friday. 

Easter --which celebrates the resurrection of Christ-- is the highest of Christian holidays, as it's the day that Jesus rose from the dead to save all who believe in Him from their own sin.

But Good Friday --the day that He was crucified on the cross-- had to come first. He had to bear the weight of all sin before he could rescue us from ourselves.

I didn't spend a lot of time reflecting on that reality today, so I was thankful when Abby texted to share about her experience at the Good Friday service at her church. It made an impact on her, and her sharing her thoughts made an impact on me. And although it's something of a somber day of remembrance, I am thankful to know that Sunday is coming.

April 2

If you look very closely at the envelope Isaac is holding, you will see the name of the college he's decided to attend.

After visiting LA over the weekend and going over the pros and cons of Azusa Pacific and Biola and recalling his impressions of Wheaton, he casually revealed his decision to me while we waited to board our flight home yesterday morning.

So after much consideration, he will... be following in his sister's footsteps and attending Wheaton. He told the whole family--including Abby, who was present via video call-- last night after dinner. (Abby grinned and immediately shook her pom poms, which was kind of hilarious.)

Honestly, I'm happy, but I was a little bit surprised. When we first headed down to LA, it kind of felt like he would be confirming a decision to attend Biola. He's always been a warm weather guy and I could see him enjoying life in Southern California, but the campus just didn't appeal to him. 

But, he mused, Wheaton is beautiful. And the academics there are great. And he had a lot of fun during his overnight visit last Fall. (In fact, the guy who served as his host has actually followed up with Abby to ask if he'd be attending the school or not.) And despite earlier thoughts and opinions and concerns about cold weather and snow, Wheaton felt like the right decision to him.

So today I've been thinking about what a blessing it is to have two children who have wanted to continue to live out their faith in tangible ways in college. And my big prayer is that Isaac will enjoy his time there just as much as I know Abby has enjoyed hers.

April 1

Isaac and I returned to the nest today following a lovely and informative trip to LA.

It was a huge blessing to us to be welcomed so warmly by Charlie and Alexi, who are master hosts. Even Penny the cat --after she was given 24 hours and a helping of catnip to adapt to our presence-- made us feel like we belonged with her meows (and by not immediately fleeing when we approached).

So this evening, as I head off to bed, I'm thankful for them and for their hospitality.

(And not-so-incidentally, the trip was indeed fruitful, as Isaac has made his college decision. But I'll wait on spilling those beans until he formally clicks the button to accept admission. ;) )

March 31

Today was our last full day in LA. We began it by navigating to IHOP in Pasadena for some pancakes and eggs benedict. Then we drove to Azusa Pacific in time for the one o'clock campus tour.

We arrived a little early and, after chatting with the employee at the entry gate and explaining that Isaac was an admitted student and we just wanted to walk around the campus, she gave us a parking pass and sent us on to the welcome center.

The tour itself was very comprehensive and Isaac really liked the west part of the campus, which is landscaped nicely and had a sort campground vibe. He also appreciated how you can take a trolley to the second part of campus, which is where most of the class buildings are located. When we headed back to the car afterward, he said that it was the prettiest campus he'd seen and lamented that the school didn't have higher academic standards.

Then we drove back to Charlie's house, where the guys shot the breeze and made a dinner plan. We dined at The Raymond 1886, where all of the food was excellent, before we went back to the house to rest. As we rested, I casually watched Brady's team defeat the team from Dublin and tried to get Penny the cat to like me.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be on this trip with Isaac; hearing his thoughts, helping him organize his things, and watching him quietly analyze data in order to select the school that's truly right for him has been a blessing. And I can't wait to see what's next!