rockinbabies

    I was just about to tuck into bed and saw these photos from three years ago when we were making our last album. Look at how small Jude is! Not only am I bewildered by how quickly time passes but I am kind of enamoured to see these old photos of us in the same process of record-making that we are in recently. It looks similar. And it looks so different. I am grateful for all of that.

     Last night we turned on our Ipod and shuffled through what would be a tentaive sequence for all of the songs on our new record. Did you hear that? We have all of the songs for a new record! Rejoice! Jump up and down! Squeel your socks off!! Because it is nothing short of a miracle. And not only do we have enough songs for this record, we have enough songs for the next record... I know! Bannanas! We are beside ourselves. And not a little bit stunned.

    Anyways, as we listened to our sequence and tried to fish in the air for those last, much-needed lyrics I realized that we had been dancing for a good ten minutes to our new record. And Skip was too. Dancing with our eyes closed and our hips shaking. Wow. Embarrassing stuff. But good signs. Very good signs.    

     And so we are in a bit of a MARVEL-ous state these days. And part of that marvelling (especially as I look at these pictures) is seeing just how complicated, detailed, and fabulous God has been in His construction of our life so far. Just in the events in this particular room pictured above with Jude and Ambrose at 4 and 2. This room was our studio where we recorded 4 e.p.s and later wrote half of the ideas for this new record, it was the guest room that housed Keegs, Logy, and Kali and Paul when they each moved to town, this past year it was our school room where Jude plowed right on through the 1st grade, I learned the miraculous ropes and mountains of what it means to teach (hats off to you all!),and Ambrose basically taught himself to read, and at the same time it was also our nursery where both older boys crawled into a crib, overwhelemed by love and enthusiasm, to welcome our third Matheny babe to the party. Incredible.

 

Anyways, all of this mumbling past my bedtime is to say what might just be obvious anyways: that time is flying and we are holding our best to the tales of It's cape. And it is a good ride so far. A wild and happy and fruitful ride that has been crowded with Life. And that is something to marvel at.

last few days of crazy

We are wrapping up the last few days of school around here which means Field days, Parties, and the usual craziness. Perks of the week so far indclude a new habit of afternoon watercoloring, the arrival of my Mother's Day gift of a Blendtec (and the simultaneous gift of Ambrose drinking "Hulk Smoothies" with delight--that is cups and cups of spinache people. Seriously),and the general mayhem of watching a bunch of kids drag their teacher's around on sleds and throw water balloons at each other. Ah. good things.

 

    The wonderful thing about weddings is that you get to experience an entire armful of the some of the largest moments you will ever have in the breadth of a short few days and in the company of some of your most favorite people who have all been specifically collected together if only for this once. Everything about it is a miracle. From the promises made to the minutes spent.

 Whether it is simply the company itself: old and dear friends gathered together again to remember, to celebrate, to cheer on, and to be a witness together...

 

Or the way that that company spends the inevitably profound minutes that you get to share together: huddling with children of friends and members of family in limosines, in hotel lobbies,in late night hotel rooms, over toasting tables, through morning brunches, and rehearsal dinners.

 

 

 

And because it is family and because you love them, every minute that is small is then big. They each have that wonderful prismatic power of "being made right into a memory" as you  watch them happen. Like our little boys' hair all combed into ducktails, or Logan coming into our room to put on his tie and kiss his nephews before he says "I do", or Skip holding Leslee and Logan's wedding  rings on his fingers in the minutes before their vows. And this is to say nothing of watching Leslee walking down the aisle, or watching Logan's face when he saw her, or watching them get to hold hands and walk on out of there as the newest Mathenys...

 

 

 

 

All of it was a treasure. Every single minute of it.

 

 

 

The Groom

 

May 10, 2012

See that Ambrose smile up there? That is a very satisfied and happy boy after he waited for a good 30 minutes (an eternity in kid time) for a trolley to show up that was heading out way. Adults and kids alike were very patient and flexible as we waited and then eventually gave up on the train showing, headed back towards the hotel on foot, but then waved down an unexpected train at the last minute for the last few blocks! Yay!!
This result was right up there with "standing in a sharks jaw" and "eating a coconut cream snowball that is bigger than my face". No bigs.

May 10, 2012

We are down in New Orleans tearing it up and preparing to celebrate Logan and Leslee all weekend which means all sorts of general fun and craziness. Yesterday we walked along the Mississippi, went to the American Aquarium, and even managed to ride a trolley car which left all kids and adults smiling and content by bedtime. Woooohooo!

Birthday roundup

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Spies Like Us

Secret Finger Prints, invisible ink, sketches of bad guys, and little intruders...A very Top Secret afternoon indeed.

Birthday Stuff

Ha HA! 5 Years old and still kicking the world in the pants! Every single minute! Yesterday was such a rock block of sugar and party and presents and water! I say sugar because two Krispy Kremes later and a glance at his plate full of cupcakes and Brosie said, "Whew Mama, I have hit my limit on sugar this week." Not me, him. I swear. But how else are you going to ramp a kid up to sing birthday songs, open gifts, and run in his swimsuit through this amazing new park we have in downtown Nashville? Cool huh?

 

 

I think Ambrose was so taken with the park that he actually thinks the city might have built it specifically for him for his birthday. I am cool with letting that idea linger. We all had our own childhood "misunderstandings". Let it sliiiiiide....

    After all of that water and sugar we got to calm down and fly a bunch of rubber band airplanes (THANK you Mela! Everybody FLIPPED!) in the back garden with Uncle Keegan and Aunt Margaret.

 

Legos, Power Rangers, a Dance party or seven, and even a little brother who ripped his diaper off and left a little pile of unmentionables right smack in the middle of the dance floor led to one Unforgettable birthday for sweet, coolio Ambrose. Ah, what a kid and what a day.

Sprinklers