I don’t mean to sound like a cliché (although Luke always tells me not to be afraid of them because a cliché is a cliché for a reason!), but April positively flew by! The strange thing is that my month was extremely uneventful. Nearly every day looked the same as the kids and I pushed through our final month of school, gathered around the table for meals, and enjoyed as much of the beautiful spring weather as we could. The days felt long, but the month was lightning fast. Here’s a taste of some of the month’s standouts.
|| READING LATELY ||
My reading this month was a mixed bag. This modern classic was an easy 5-stars, and I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner! This historical novel was well-written but complicated, and this book of interconnected short stories was interesting but too surreal for my taste. My top nonfiction this month was this truth-packed gem from a favorite Christian writer/speaker. I also enjoyed reading some literary commentary in the form of this, and some history with this and this. I’ll be sharing full book reviews in a Quick Lit post next week.
|| LISTENING LATELY ||
What I HAVEN’T been spending much time listening to is, sadly, Taylor Swift’s new album. I am a longtime Taylor fan (dating back to her debut album) and was looking forward to this latest release, but for the most part have found the album to be a disappointment: nearly half of the songs are explicit (thankfully there are clean versions on Spotify), and while the lyrics are interesting (if somewhat depressing), the musicality is just too similar to songs she’s done before. The overdone synthesizers are too much for me. I do like a handful of the songs quite a bit, including “Florida!!!,” “loml,” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” but as a whole it’s probably tied for Lover as my least favorite of her albums. Have you given the album a listen? If so, I would love to know what you think!
I HAVE been listening to many podcasts, per my usual. Here are some especially informative and inspiring shows from the month.
That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs—The Gospel of John with Dr. Nijay K. Gupta – Episode 873 (Annie did deep-dive podcasts on each of the Gospels and the book of Acts, all excellent: Luke with Bethany Allen, Mark with Esau McCaulley, Matthew with Dr. Scot McKnight, Acts with Kevin Queen)
Mama Bear Apologetics—Episode 101. What Bible Translation Should I Use?
Unshaken Faith Podcast—#39 Does “Bad Therapy” Lead to Deconstruction?
The Natasha Crain Podcast: 40. How to Discern Truth from Culture’s Lies, with Pastor Jack Hibbs
Don’t Mom Alone—Stewarding Sacred and Spiritual Disciplines at Home :: Jennifer Pepito [ep 464]
Mama Bear Apologetics—Episode 102: ROAR’ing Through the He Gets Us Campaign
|| MONTHLY KID-ISMS ||
The kid-isms this month were less about funny sayings and more about sweet and memorable moments.
CHARLESTON:
+ After reading about Christian persecution in the Third Century Rome: “There are a lot of good things about the past, but that is really not one of them.”
+ “I’m not sure I should read such good books anymore, because then I just want them to come true.”
Charleston has been a total bookworm lately, spending every spare minute with his nose in a book. Luke told me he was worried because Charleston has been reading so much. . . I don’t see the problem. 😉 He’s working his way through the Spy School books and has read the first seven books in the series in the last month!
SULLIVAN:
+ “Don’t squish the baby or else he might get all hurt and he’ll have to grow all over again.”
+ “Charlie, what’s five times three?” Charleston: “Fifteen.” Sully: “That’s close!
The kids were eating ice cream cones at Chick-fil-a, and Sully (usually our slowest eater) was demolishing his cone at an alarming pace. Then he started wincing and saying he had brain freeze, but instead of slowing down he just ate his ice cream faster, playing up his increasing headaches for laughs. He loves to be a clown and was totally relishing the attention, and the rest of us could not contain our laughter! It was truly a moment to remember.
KALINDA:
+ Overheard singing to herself: “I love my moooomy, because she loves meeee. Because she sings me lullabies, it’s good for her and it’s good for me, like hooooney.”
+ “Mom, do you remember when me and Sully were born?” Me: “Yes, it was on your birthday, September 27.” Kali: “Our birthday?! Why were were born on our birthday?!”
Our little princess continues to embrace ALL the girliness. I still pick most of her outfits, but each night she spends time choosing which jewelry, shoes, and hair items she will wear the next day, and she loves putting on makeup and painting her nails as often as she can. We attended our first night of a new community group a couple of weeks ago, and she made fast friends with the dress-up box in the young daughter’s room. (Check out the outfit she put together in the pic below!)
Lately she’s taken to pausing at the entrance of a room or building to strike a (diva-esque) pose before walking through the door. I have no idea where she gets this! We spend a lot of time talking about inner beauty, and she does seem to understand that her heart matters a lot more than her outer appearance; but she sure does have fun with all the glamor!
|| HAPPENINGS & HIGHLIGHTS ||
My parents were passing through town for a couple of days in early April, and though our time with them was brief, we all enjoyed it to the fullest! We got to celebrate my mom’s birthday (for the first time in-person in almost ten years!), took a ride on the train, busted out the board games, played in the yard, had them tag along to gymnastics and dance, and went out to eat. Though the circumstances that led to their visit were sad ones, we loved getting this unplanned time with them.
It seemed overhyped. . . and then I witnessed the total eclipse for myself and was mesmerized. I love that our family got this moment together. Photos don’t do it justice, but it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Last weekend Luke and Charleston had their final monthly Trail Life campout of the school year. I know they both (especially Charleston) have loved these camping trips, and it’s been fun for me to watch from the sidelines as they’ve grown in community and outdoorsman skills. This trip got cut a little short, with the boys heading home one night early due to predicted thunderstorms. (They made the right decision: the fathers and sons who chose to stay had to abandon camp in the middle of the night!) I’m sure Luke is looking forward to a break from these trips over the summer as they require a lot of work on his part, but I’m grateful for all the camping memories they made this year and all the memories they’ll make on future Trail Life campouts in the years to come! (MANY years for Luke: assuming all three boys do Trail Life through high school, he’s got nineteen more years ahead of him!)
I’m currently 23 weeks pregnant—well past the halfway mark! Baby is healthy and growing, and kicking up a storm. And this second trimester has been a dream! Most days I forget I’m pregnant until I try to squeeze into an outfit that won’t fit, or catch a glimpse of my belly in the mirror. We still don’t have a name picked out and have made zero attempts at nesting—but with the third trimester fast approaching, some serious baby prep is high on the agenda!
|| ICYMI: APRIL ON THE BLOG ||
BOOK CORNER:
Bookish Considerations: Are You a Rereader?
Best of the Backlist: Books That Care For Your Soul
LIFE & REFLECTIONS:
Notes From the Pit “It can be hard to reflect on the light from the depths of a hard time. Rehearsing the joy, comfort, and presence of the Lord outside of the pit prepares our hearts for the pits that will inevitably come. We can make trust in God’s faithfulness our default so that it comes naturally, in good times and in bad.“
Totality ” The supernatural halo stunned us with its splendor, and even our young children—prancing around our yard in excitement—could recognize the magnificence of what we were witnessing. Suddenly, the hype all made sense.“
The Strength of My Heart (April Verse—Psalm 73:23-26) ” I know that God is not just a God of peaks and valleys, but also a God of the meandering middle. He desires to lend His loving presence and limitless comfort in my EVERY circumstance, including those tearful nighttime moments when I’m too tired and worn down to cry out to Him. I don’t need to wait until I’m on the brink of drowning to reach for His offered life raft; I can join Him in His rescue vehicle any time I please.“
Routines That Work Are Working for Me “I find it fascinating (and helpful!) to hear what is working well for other people: even when someone else’s routine isn’t remotely close to one that would work for me, there are always seeds of ideas that I may wish to incorporate into my own daily rhythms.“
JUST FOR FUN:
28 Things That Are Totally Overrated
QUOTABLE:
“To be a witness does not consist in engaging in propaganda, nor even in stirring people up, but in being a living mystery. It means to live in such a way that one’s life would not make sense if God did not exist.” ~ Emmanuel Suhard
“We so often want the benefit of a seasoned life without the seasoning.” ~ Lisa Whittle
“We gain an understanding of where we need to be in the future by investing in our current situation.” ~ Curtis Zackery
Was your April as quick as mine? Fast or slow, I hope you found joy and enjoyment this month!