It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

A couple of weeks ago, there were two specific things calling my name in Oklahoma. I know, random, right? First of all, I have family that lives in a TINY little "town" called Welch. I use the word town here very loosely, as it is basically code for one gas station, and one general store and lots o land. My grandparents live on a farm here and I used to spend every summer there as a child. The other thing that was occurring in Oklahoma were two of our dear friends, Jeff and Chelsea's wedding! So, my father and B and I flew out to visit my grandparents at the beginning of the week and the Love flew out and met us at the wedding rehearsal on Friday. We had a lovely time with my grandparents, except for the fact that Miss B and I somehow got the stomach flu on the first night we got there! Little B didn't stop throwing up for FOUR DAYS. Poor B!! And poor 8 months pregnant me! I thought I was going to die! I was having nightmares of a preterm labor in the barn because the nearest hospital is hours away. Although both of us felt positively awful for a good portion of the time, we did manage to sneak in a few things I remember from my childhood.

fishing with great- grandpa


catching frogs


going on nature walks


finding walking sticks


picking wild flowers


searching for barn cats


i love my grandparents old barn and their property




It was amazing to me that Miss B could be so entertained by, well, NOTHING to be honest with you. We live such a different life here in southern California. We think our kids need STUFF to make them happy. Ipods, Ipads, XBOX, Wii, various sports, activities, playgroups etc for them to be content. But really, they just need a walking stick and the endless road. I think perhaps WE are the ones that need this stuff. That by purchasing it for them it somehow makes us better parents. Miss B could have entertained herself for HOURS picking up walnuts in my grandparents yard and putting them in a bucket. We saw a turtle lazily strolling by the road one afternoon. We picked it up and B was so happy to watch it move around slowly and eat what she put in front of it. She was enthralled by the cows in the pasture and the "horsies" that ran wild. It reminded me of a verse in Matthew,

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

we complicate things so much as we grow up. But truly we can learn a lot from our little babes about being content. It was so fascinating for me to watch my little girl share some of the same experiences that I had had as a child. How simple life is. How simple life can be. The Lord calls us to have a child-like faith. One that seeks after Him with a pure and unadulterated heart.

Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

He wants our fellowship. He wants a simple, innocent and humble relationship with His children. Let us all be reminded of this fact when we watch our little ones.

The wedding later that weekend, of course was a blast. Some highlight photos: