Author Archives: Chayli

•

I'm not usually one for making big, loud resolutions. Some years I don't make any; some years I make a very few very quietly and do very badly at following through. Usually by February I've forgotten all about them, honestly.

But last year sometime, my sister-in-law Abby gave me a pretty little journal, and I thought surely I could jot down a little something every day till that journal was full.

I'm on my second journal. And it's November. Maybe thirty years old is the prime age for resolution-keeping. 🙂 ...continue reading →

• 1 Comment

•

They weren’t supposed to grow up this fast.Whatever happened to these funny little boys just getting to know each other?Whatever happened to every moment of every day being filled with little-boy needs and wants?

And whatever happened to all those sleepless nights anyway? I sleep all night now, most nights, and I feel quite spoiled.

...continue reading →

•

This is my boy, Sebastian.When he first came along, we were very hopeful that our wishes for a more laid-back baby (after our very wild little Alec) were coming true. Alas, it was not to be. He is every bit as wild and loud and rambunctious as Alec. Of course, we don’t actually mind. It’s so fun to watch the two of them, especially when they’re not actively fighting. Two charming, adventuresome, grab-life-by-the-horns little boys. ...continue reading →

• 6 Comments

•

This is my boy, Alec.If you, as a stranger, were to meet him, he would probably be holding onto my skirts, half-whispering, half-whining, “Hold me, hold me,” and as much as he would be shy in your presence, he also wouldn’t be able to look away.

Fifteen minutes later (or less if you were an Alec-whisperer), he would be full of giggles and words and all the ideas that seem to randomly pop into a three-year-old’s mind. He would be charming and a bit too silly, and then you would see my Alec. ...continue reading →

•

Our part of Oregon was “treated” to a massive ice storm this past weekend. We lost power Friday night, and I could hardly sleep for all the creaking of trees and thudding of falling branches. When Eric went out the next morning, he texted me to say it looked like a war zone. Broken trees, downed power lines, brush and branches strewn everywhere, and everything coated with ice.

I stepped out on the deck, and even though the trees were still creaking, it was eerily still. Usually when trees creak it’s because the wind is blowing them, but there was no wind, only ice. A third of our beautiful willow tree was gone, broken in a jagged pile on the ground. The top of one of our pine trees had completely snapped off. The camellia bush by the deck was flattened in about four different ways, each branch sprawled out wherever the ice took it. I watched a massive limb crash into the creek, and again, it was so surreal. No wind, no warning, just a sudden crack, and falling wood. ...continue reading →