a day with thomas//an evening with jeremy

i've begun to notice autumn's approach and i couldn't be more eager to welcome it. i eased into the past few days on the front porch swing, listening to the sounds of morning. out here beyond the city, those sounds are really calming, especially when my other senses are waking up to the aroma of good strong coffee, the feel of a breeze against my cheeks, and the sight of five large maple trees still with all their green (but not for long).

jeremy and i were talking last night about how we feel like we're always waiting for the transitional phases in our life to end, for the seasons of change to stop or slow down so that we can just exist for awhile. we came to the realization that we'll probably be waiting forever, because change is just a part of life. we will always be experiencing joy over a birth, grief over a death, a new job, an old house [in need of restoration], or some other unseen part of our story we've yet to arrive upon. and whether the changes be good or less than ideal, we decided we need to just rest in the moments while we're in them---to welcome them even.

a recent moment that our family really enjoyed was the day that Thomas the Tank Engine came to town. we bought tickets for september 6th, and headed to the train station for a 25 minute ride along the tracks.





eli loved looking out the window at the passing scenery and sitting in a big seat all by himself. but what he loved more than anything was playing with the little flip-up ashtrays on the arms of the seats; those fascinated him to no end!





he also had fun inside the petting zoo, hugging and feeding the baby goats.


yesterday marked our four-year anniversary. time has flown, and we had much to reflect on and celebrate. we left eli with friends for a sleepover while we went to Margot Cafe for an amazing three-course dinner.

at Margot.

we had planned on a walk downtown, seeing a movie, taking advantage of our lack of responsibility for a night...but at 9:15 we looked at each other and confirmed exhaustion so we headed home. i guess our pre-date afternoon of chasing eli at the park wore us out.




it was still a good day, and this morning we had a quiet (though quick) breakfast at Red Tree Coffee down the hill. then i rushed over to pick up eli who was having a wonderful time in his godparents' kitchen and didn't seem to want to leave. he greeted me with a huge hug and a happy, sticky face. i missed him so much and he was only away from us for 15 hours. and while i realize i'm saying this at a quarter 'til noon after two cups of coffee, i would never trade being awakened at 6 am by my chirping little boy for endless quiet mornings of sleeping undisturbed.