Offering My Greatest Treasures

Every spring our lives change. 

Every. Single. Spring.

The Anderson family has some huge life-altering event/news take place. 

Some events are the best of our lives: the birth of Caithness Maela, the birth of Aberdeen Daye. 

Some events the most dramatic or painful: our home flooded with 5,000 gallons of raw sewage, the loss of our baby boy, Iain. 

This April marks the 3 year anniversary of one of the greatest times of trial in our lives. It is a story to be told, and we will tell it each year--to the glory of God. This story will be forever be etched on our hearts.

After church on Easter Sunday 2012 in Missouri while the majority of the family took naps I took Caedmon, then 5, out to fly his kite. While sitting on the bank of our pond I noticed an awful bruise on his right knee; black, blue, purple, it was horrible. Yet he didnʼt recall how heʼd gotten it or seem in pain from it. As I pointed it out later to Mark I realised both Caedmonʼs knees were bruised quite traumatically. That evening we were appalled to find similar bruising all over his body. Mark and I looked over Caedmon at each other with an awful sense of dread in our eyes. It was then the numbness began.

Caedmon flying his kite the day we discovered his bruises.

Touring Scotland: Monks, Cows, and Chairs

Recently we had a party here and invited a bunch of university students here to chill for a week.

Well that's only partially true. 

I don't normally use the word "chill" as it is rather foreign and chafes at this thirty-something momma who sees the value in not embracing skinny jeans, the sensibility in buying shoes for comfort, and the FOR THE LOVE OF PETE turn the stereo OFF in the car for some peace and quiet!!!

Now, for our lesson in how to avoid awkward introductions and hideously long, nearly run-on sentences.

Wow.

I think I'll begin the post again.

Once upon a time a group of students from Lincoln Christian University came to Scotland to have a Tour of the Reformation.

We welcomed them with open arms.

Dr. Middleton led the group and arrived a few days early because he loves the Anderson kids...

On or About This Day: 10 March

Airdrie is napping.
Mark has the big kids playing outside.
I have NOTHING to do!

That's a lie.
But if I don't turn around and look a the massive pile of laundry waiting for me...

I have NOTHING to do!

Ok, still stretching it.
But I thought I'd procrastinate with a fun thing called "On or About This Day."

Back when Caedmon was born I started a great system for keeping my photos organised on my computer. I can look up a photo by month, by kid's age, by siblings age....it works well.

And now that I already have the system in place it's not any effort to maintain.
Which is good because ain't nobody got time for that.

(PILE OF LAUNDRY BEHIND ME staring me down)

Ahem.



10 March 2015
A nice bright and sunny day in Scotland, but here's the previous years' story as told by my iPhoto Album on or near 10 March:

2014

Ouch! Caedmon, then 7, was in public school at this time and was sent home because of this. 

He ran into a wall, poor guy. 

Janu'ry In a Few Pictures

My husband got me a new (to me) camera for Christmas.

I thought I'd share a photographic journal of January (Janu'ry, if you're Scottish) with y'all.

I think I've mentioned I want to be a photographer just take a decent picture.

I also want to be a musician. 

My husband is a musician, a gifted one. 

So I'm slightly perturbed when I pick up his fiddle and attempt to play Ashoken Farewell and it sounds like a dang racoon scratching his grabby little claws on a chalkboard.

Now that I've painted that word picture for you I want you apply that to me and photography.

Some of these photos were taken with a Canon 400D with a Sigma 28-70mm lens and some were with an old school iPhone.

I'm not telling which are which.

Y'all I'm basically a nocturnal animal carrying around a fancy camera, hoping for the best.

January in Scotland gives you a whopping 7 hours of daylight. 

So we tried to finish school at breakneck speed to get out and enjoy the day, no matter the weather.