Well, here we are, off and running in 2018, with our hopes and dreams fresh and new. Or familiar and rolled up with additional determination. I hope you enjoyed the holidays and now we are back together here on the Wild Chin Hair blog! I appreciate all of you who stop by when you get a chance to read the latest post.

Back to this week’s post, House Full of Cute. Let me explain.

Did you know we share our home from time to time as the right opportunity comes along? When we bought this home in our early forties, just the two of us, we felt it was important to be generous with it. It is a two-floor home with four bedrooms. That is too much house for only the two of us to rumble around in.

In the twenty-one years we have lived here, we have opened our doors and our hearts to eighteen different people in various combinations and life situations, two of whom were young children with their parents. A teacher, a nephew, a couple whose home was being remodeled, grad school students, undergrads, some raising support to go to the mission field, and some just working on figuring out their next step. Short term housemates leave us with great lessons and memories.

Sharing our home is part of who we are as followers of Christ. We believe we have enough to share in order to support others in pursuing a dream that will contribute to better the world through creative generosity. The four rooms and a bathroom upstairs become a welcoming home sweet home, and we share the kitchen and laundry room located downstairs.

Now on to the cute. Currently, we have friends living upstairs, returning after several years as missionaries in Sweden. They lived here five years ago as newlyweds. They are working on finding meaningful work and settling into life back in the United States.

This time, they came to Milton House with their young son, Oliver. He will be two at the end of January. He has brought a whole new level of joy and cute to Milton House. I smile the minute I hear his little voice or the literal pitter-patter of little feet. He is a happy guy.

We did not have children, and welcoming some young ones into our home has been a great gift. Peter, who lived here from 2010-2012, shortly after his birth until he was just over two years old, trained us well in this respect. We were his first neighbors and had such fun getting to know him. We learned that “boo-babies” were blueberries, and so much more.

Ollie will be two in a few weeks. He as brought more sweet experiences to our lives that we will never forget. We are privileged to see these children and watch them develop day by day.  Sometimes, we even get to help out by playing with them or watching them while they sleep so momma and dada can run out for a cup of coffee or to rent a movie.

Ollie helped his mom bake muffins this past week. I just melted just like butter from all the cuteness. This toddler lives life in grand ways.

And of course, there’s also our sweet dog Sam rounding out the house of cute.

Stay charming, my friends!