slowing down

EVERY year i've "done" Lent, it's been a season not for me only to put less in my body, but to move slower. it's not intentional, necessarily. but, as i have to turn to Him so often during my day instead of turning to food, it forces me to slow down.

it's one of the sweetest parts.

my first long run after Lent started was awful. i knew it would be. i've detoxed from sugar before. i dreaded it. but i still went out intending to run 12 miles. last time i remember i could barely get to 2 miles, then i walked for an hour. this time i ran 6 miles, then walked for an hour. you know what i noticed? when i   s l o w e d  d o w n  i was able to see more and hear more. i was able to hear the birds and see the amazing clouds in the sky. my thoughts became even deeper, along with the breaths i was able to take in. you'll never be able to convince me to give up running completely - i crave the endorphin rush too much. but i can't deny the benefit of slowing down to walk and taking in all i was passing instead of just blowing right past (not that i run THAT fast! :-))

sawyer's reading has EXPLODED the last week or so. oh, how i LOVE when that lightbulb goes off!!! he reads all.the.time. and he has 2 brothers that LOVE to listen to him! (we all do, really!)

joshua has this toy that is awesome. it has lots of pieces so when it gets put away, it gets forgotten. but when it gets brought back out, it's always a hit. lincoln and sawyer have been playing with it the last couple days. they have had so much fun building circuit after circuit after circuit. yesterday they played with it ALL morning, i never did school with lincoln because i couldn't bear to stop them! (that counts as school, right??)

i don't need to say much, do i :-) they are the cutest. {sawyer HAS to wear tall socks, "like joshua"}

 this was on my pillow the other night. i mean?!?! who do you think wrote it??

it was bailey. that girl. i don't know if it is precious. or alarming ?!?

and it's STILL world water week!!!! we still have some money to go that will be MATCHED if you give! i have so many "water" shirts that i can wear a different one all week! :-) go here to give! EVERY dollar counts!!!

we're still going strong with my helpers during dinner! {my kids all have water shirts, too! ;-)} some nights are better than others...the better ones tend to be the nights we're not rushed (surprise, surprise!) you can't be in a hurry when you have kids helping in the kitchen. that's going to take some more thinking ahead on my part...but it's worth it! check out that smile ;-)

slowing down - both outwardly and inside my heart - is one of the sweetest parts of Lent for me.