Proud Mama

Several times this year I've had the privilege of helping out in Lucy's Kindergarten classroom. I've enjoyed watching the kids interact, putting names with faces from Lucy's classroom stories, observing the teacher and how she expects great things from the kids, and getting to know just a smidgen of what Lucy experiences every day.

This morning, I snuck into the classroom just a few minutes earlier than when I was scheduled to come. Her teacher, Mrs. S., and few kids saw me, but Lucy didn't. I sat down in a pint-sized chair behind a table in the back (which, by the way, is just ever so slightly awkward when pregnant!), and got to witness something that I thought was very special.

Lucy had been chosen to "show and tell" some of her school work. Her workbook was displayed on the screen at the front of the classroom where the kids all sat on the big rug, and she used the pointer stick to read her sentence to the whole class.

"I can go on the monkeybars," she read as she pointed to each word she had written on the page.

What was of particular interest to Mrs. S. was the spaces she put between her words. She explained how she put a finger or sideways hand after one word before she started to write the next. A very nice example, said Mrs. S.

It didn't matter at all that the word "monkeybars" was completely misspelled. It didn't matter that the tail of her "g" was completely above the line. It didn't matter that her stick-figure drawing had all kinds of mysterious swirlies all around it.

I suddenly found myself misty-eyed with pride and realizing I needed to pull it together before the whole class saw me blubbering over her handiwork.

The class gave her the "seal of approval" where they clapped as if they had flippers and made sounds like seals. Very cute.

And then she saw me. (Thankfully I had pulled myself together by this time.) And her face lit up like Christmas lights. I think mine did, too. As soon as they were dismissed from the rug for the next activity she came and gave me a huge hug. (I think I got three big hugs from her in the classroom today.)

I love that she loves that I'm there. I know one day (all too soon, I'm sure) I will probably be a source of embarrassment to her, and on those occasions I'm going to have to remember this morning -- the look on her face and those precious hugs she gave me in front of all her classmates.

In more than just one way this morning, I was a very proud mama, indeed.

I've been collecting evidence...

Josiah is earning a reputation as his father's son. He's not obsessive, just, um, orderly.

My favorite is this last one. We didn't actually see him do this, but after the kids were in bed we discovered the entire nativity scene lined up to see the baby Jesus. We didn't have to speculate to know whose handiwork it was.

And these were just the ones I had the camera handy for.

Ah, my little bean counter. He makes Daddy so proud...

A random collection

I thought I would post a few pictures from this past month or so before the next holiday comes along or the seasons change yet again.

Our first dusting of snow, while the leaves were still changing color (and still ON the trees).

Our resident deer family regularly walks behind our house in the fall and winter. Two new fawns have been accompanying the other dozen in recent weeks, and we often catch them hopping our fence early in the morning.

Playtime after the October snowstorm. Something we love about Colorado: the snow is beautiful, but when the sun comes out it's back to short sleeves. Needless to say, this poor snowman didn't last long.

Joey learned the joy of puddle stomping as the snow rapidly melted. It was the first time he didn't complain about wearing his boots. In fact, he wanted to wear them everywhere, all day.

You saw the kids in their costumes in my last post, but here's our whole family at our church's fall festival, Neewallah Palooza. John decided the night before to dress up as Coach McDaniels, so I had to come up with something. A cat-ears headband and a cheap black eyeliner for my nose and whiskers was my big costume investment this year, though Joey kept calling me Mickey Mouse.

We had a very special visit from my dearest friend Cessy and her darling little Edie Pearl while John was out of the country. What a sweet time of just being together and enjoying the days! Edie loved the fringe on the scarf I made for Cessy.

Believe it or not, this is the only picture I got with all three kids.

Here's what happens when two friends finally get the kids in bed and collapse on the couch, catching up and telling stories, without setting the timer for the cookies in the oven. Fifty-five minutes later, I wasn't sure if we couldn't breath from the smoke or from laughing so hard. A memory that was well worth opening all the doors and windows on a 40-degree night at 10pm!

And one of my favs from this fall. Love those fall colors!

A letter to my one-and-only

Dear Blog,

I miss you.

I've thought about writing so many times in recenty weeks, but somehow the days pass and the page remains blank... I'm certainly not one to make excuses, but please remember that I am five months pregnant and caring for two young children beside. I must admit that I'm more tired than usual these days. And I have fewer brain cells to work with, too.

I've been wanting to tell you about the huge October snow storm we had that gave Lucy her first THREE snow days ever. Day One was exciting and fun. We loved staying in our jammies all day, making cookies, soup, caramel corn, and hot chocolate. Day Two was endurable. We watched more TV than we probably should have. Day Three was supposed to be her class Halloween party, and she was supposed to go to school in her costume, but we managed to fight back tears (yes, I said "we") and got to play in the 24 inches of snow with daddy instead, though it was almost entirely melted by the next afternoon.

I've been wanting to tell you about how adorable my kids were on Halloween. Lucy originally wanted to be a ghost, and I was tempted to let her, thinking of how easy and cheap the costume would be. But then she fell in love with the idea of Tinkerbell and her glittery wings. Josiah was Bob the Builder -- an idea I came up with two days before the 31st. We already had the plaid shirt and overalls, so I added a cheap $2 construction hat from the party store and a dollar tool belt from Walmart and tied some of his plastic tools to it. Done. And very cute. He really got into trick-or-treating, too, and he still says "trick or treat" to an occasional store clerk or friend who answers their door. Lucy is The Saver and wants to ration her treats until they become rock hard and we throw the rest away in August. Joey, on the other hand, just wanted to eat them all as soon as they were handed out. He went home with mostly empty wrappers. Eh, it's only once a year, right?

A year ago I wrote to you through the wild ride that Joey took us on. Did you remember that November is the anniversary of his hospitalization? It feels like a lifetime ago (and to him it was half of his lifetime ago), yet it's hard to believe it's already been a year. He's been so wonderfully healthy, growing, and happy, with the occasional two-year-old tantrum, of course.

And I've made progress in the area of Nesting that I want to share with you! I hope to post pictures soon of the new arrangement of our front room and playroom. The months ahead hold so much more nesting potential, I really don't want to get too far behind in showing you.

Most recently I've been wanting to tell you the way I could not have survived the two weeks that John was in Argentina if not for the love of my neighbors and friends. The word community has come to mean so much more to me than just the group of people living nearby. It's love and support and a lifeline during some long, hard days.

Please know I have not forgotten you, my dear blog. I long to write more. And perhaps I will soon. But let's just not set our expectations too high...

Love,
Me

Help! Knitting is taking over my life!

Okay, that's probably an exaggeration. But it might be fair to say that yarn is taking over my personal spending budget. At least it's cheap! After I perfected (and got bored with) the knit stitch, I went back to the internet and learned its counterpart, the purl. Now I officially know the two kinds of stitches required to knit just about anything. Not that I can, but I'm working on it.

Here is my very first project, completed. It's pretty stiff, so I'm not sure I'll actually wear it, but I do love the colors.
I got this sweet, soft baby pink and made a headband for Lucy. I'm also working on a scarf with the same yarn, at her request.
And my grumpy darling, modeling this super fluffy soft red scarf, which I actually do plan to wear. Might have to make him one of his own since he enjoys snuggling with mine...This fat yarn was irresistible in bright orange, and it makes the project go so much faster because it's so fat. Did I mention it was fat?
I'm a beginner, but I'm enjoying it. It's fun to find and experiment with different types and textures of yarn, to use different sizes of needles, and to figure out how some beautiful patterns are made. I'm enjoying meeting my need to create while at the same time sitting on my duff on the couch.

And the best part is that I can relax, create, and feel the little bitty baby movements going on inside my belly (that I miss out on when I'm too busy and active) all at the same time. I have to admit, this is the way to craft.

Nesting, Part 1: This Nesting Thing Is Already Getting Out of Hand

I'm just about half-way through my third pregnancy, and I'm nesting. Already. I'm itching to get things organized, cleaned, and settled for the next phase of our familiy's life.

But there are a number of things I feel it's just too early to do. For example, we plan to move the kids into their new rooms sometime after Christmas, which, at the earliest, is still more than two months away. And I don't want to wash the baby clothes until much closer to his or her arrival. And setting up the bassinet would just create something more to dust in the weeks ahead.

So, what can I do now? Learn something new and matronly!

Yesterday I taught myself how to knit. I've been feeling crafty, and I've always wanted to know how to knit. With the weather turning cooler (or downright cold, as it has snowed several times this month now), I figured knitting would be ideal for this season and this season of life.

I've been told that knitting is so easy, and I could teach myself. I had my doubts. But yesterday I splurged on a $2 skein of yarn (see, I'm already speaking the lingo) in these irresistible Fall colors and a $2 pair of knitting needles at Walmart. After lunch, while Joey was sleeping and Lucy was playing quietly by herself, I sat down with my recent purchase and my dear friend, the Internet.

The written instructions and illustrations were completely useless for me, but thankfully we live in the age of YouTube and other video instruction. I spent about an hour watching different clips and finally settled on one that was well-lighted, unassuming, and slow enough for me to actually observe what was going on.

John and I both had to laugh out loud later as I found myself resting my hands on my pregnant belly, sitting in the rocking chair, knitting. Whoa.

So this charming little scarf you see in the above photo may (someday) be adorning my neck. Hopefully before the season for wearing Fall colors has passed.

Summertime is fading fast

We had a cold spell about a week ago, and I thought for sure that Autumn had arrived. Actually, with the snow falling last Tuesday I though we went straight to winter and skipped Fall altogether. But it warmed up over the weekend and has been sunny and gorgeous for the last few days here in the Front Range.

However, our dear forecaster tells me it's soon to become much more Autumn-like. And since tomorrow is the 1st of October I suppose it's justified.

We've practically been forcing the kids to play outside until it's nearly too dark to see, knowing that soon enough we'll be trapped inside and driving each other batty. Bike rides, kite flights, long walks and plenty of time on the playgrounds. It's all been so nice. *sigh*

Here are a few captured moments of them taking advantage of the last days of the summery warmth:

Taking turns with wagon rides is fantastic, particularly because on this day my only involvement was behind the camera lens.

And who knew this backyard chunky plastic $5 garage sale find would provide hours -- literally HOURS -- of entertainment for the kids.

Perhaps not quite as intended, but if they're happy, I'm happy.

So goodbye, Summer. We look forward to catching glorious glimpses of you amidst our Rocky Mountain winter...

For the Joy of Sprinklers

Last week our sweet little neighbor boy turned four years old. His parents came up with the most appropriate celebration for him that I think I may have ever witnessed. Some kids have an infatuation with super heroes or princesses, baseball or butterflies. But for a few, it goes beyond mere enjoyment to reaching levels of obsession.

For Zane, that obsession is sprinklers.

He knows what time each house on the block has their sprinklers programed to turn on. He knows what kind of sprinkler heads they have and what sound they make. He knows what aisle the sprinkler systems are sold at Home Depot and he begs his mom to buy him sprinkler heads when they go. And most of all, he knows how much fun he has playing in the spraying water.

So for his birthday celebration, his mom asked our whole block to turn on the sprinklers in our front yards at precisely 6:30 pm. It was THE perfect way to help them celebrate! We were all out to witness his reaction. (And of course for the cupcakes promised afterward.)

Joy doesn't cover it. Bliss would not be a sufficient word. Glory might come close. Zane was beside himself as he ran from yard to yard.

Judging from the grin that never left his face, he was the happiest four-year-old. Ever.

What brings you that kind of joy? What makes you smile and laugh, no matter how often you see or feel or experience it? Don't you wish we could all live life as if we are looking forward to a sprinkler party? Or better yet, as if the whole block had sprinklers on, and knowing those sprinklers were turned on just for us...

Book review: Fearless

Are you controlled by fear? Is it your default reaction? In our world, financial ruin, illness, death of a loved one, or even the end of the world can consume our thoughts. Maybe you fear that you don’t matter, that God is disappointed in you, or even that God doesn’t exist.

Max Lucado’s newest book Fearless addresses fear as corrosion of our trust in God. “Fear may fill our world, but it doesn’t have to fill our hearts,” he writes. He discusses what the Bible has to say specifically about each of many reasons for fear and presents practical ideas on conquering those fears with God’s help, such as prayer and recalling scriptural truth and even hymns.

It’s not an overnight solution, but it’s wonderful place to begin the battle, and an excellent reference tool as each chapter addresses a different fear.

His pages are not just sprinkled but doused with scripture, particularly centered around Jesus’ numerous admonishments to “not fear.”

Lucado’s trademark colorful metaphors will cause you to digest this book slowly. It has encouraged me this week to focus on Jesus when I feel my own fears creeping into my thoughts.

How about you? Are you ready to envision your life without fear?

Coming soon...

Yes, that's right, we are expecting another baby!

To answer your questions....

If all goes as we hope, baby will make his or her appearance in March.
At 12 weeks now, I'm feeling pretty good.
Lucy is thrilled, though she says she wants a sister this time.
Josiah is happily clueless.

As John puts it, we are about to switch from a man-to-man to a zone defense.

We're excited and thankful!

Upside-down?

You could say that I'm adjusting well to having Lucy in school. So far, in the first 12 days, she has not yet been late and I've been there to greet her as soon as her teacher leads the kids out the door. She has been clothed, fed, and her hair has been brushed each morning (except for maybe one). She tells me about new friends and new activities, and recites word-for-word the affirmation she receives from her teacher. (Can you tell what her love language is?) She has made me proud, and since the first day we've had no tears.

But in other ways I definitely feel like the two hours and fourty-five minutes she is gone from us has indeed turned my world upside-down.

For one thing, I bought a watch. And I'm wearing it. After living in Africa, time had much less significance for me, and I could usually find a clock (or cell phone) when I really needed to know the exact hour. After Lucy was born and I was tracking feedings and naps, I worn a watch sporadically, but gave it up again after Joey was born. Now I have a very tight window for dropping Lucy off in the morning (the doors open at 9:05 and close at 9:10!), and I certainly don't want her to be the last one waiting around with her tummy growling for lunch. I've seen a few of those lonely kids, scanning the road and the parking lot for their parents, though I'm sure eventually it'll be mine...

Secondly, I seem to have misplaced my brain among all the papers Lucy has brought home. Granted, I could use the excuse that when the pile was an inch thick, we did have two extra families staying in our home. I guess I was too busy having fun and trying to keep the havoc caused by six adults and five children to a minimum, but it completely slipped by me that school pictures were last Thursday. What was she even wearing?? Was that the day I forgot to brush her hair?! I guess I'll find out eventually. And what?! The paper I got last night and didn't look at until noon today tells me I was supposed to provide the snack for the whole class this morning?! Good thing the teacher keeps an extra large stash of goldfish for just such an occasion. Yes, one particuar day was pretty bad for me, but I think I learned my lesson early on. And I got flowers and chocolate from my hubby that night for sobbing on the phone to him about what a horrible parent I am.

Thirdly, I think Joey has just given up on trying to survive without his sister and declares naptime at 9:30 or 10:00 almost every morning. A few times I've kept him out of the house or come up with something creative to do (like garage sale-ing), but generally he screams "NAAAAAP!!!" until I let him lay down in his crib. This has made for a few interesting afternoons, to say the least.

And lastly, I'm struggling with Lucy's independence. On the second day of school, she told me that I didn't need to go inside with her. I did anyway. She walked right past her classroom. On the third day, she tried again, and this time I quizzed her on where her classroom was, then watched her bouncing ponytail through the window to make sure she got there. Every day since, I stand out on the sidewalk, give her a kiss (thank God she's still letting me do that!), and watch her until she is inside the doors.

This morning she turned and blew me a kiss just before she walked in.

My aching heart melted right there on the sidewalk.

Somehow I think we're going to make it.

I hear Joey waking up from his nap. According to my watch, it's just in time to go pick up Lucy from school.

Lucy's first day of KINDERGARTEN!

Seems like we just met her...

And then I blinked and this happened...

And then she put on her backpack this morning for her first day of Kindergarten...

Look at that smile! She's going to LOVE it!

He's a maniac, MANIAC in the pool

I think the video speaks for itself.




Oh, wait, did you want a rear view, too?



'Nuff said.

Daddy-Daughter camping

Last night presented a grand adventure for Lucy. John came home and asked if she wanted to "go camping" in the backyard.

You should have seen her eyes light up! She's been waiting for this day since a year ago when we moved in and declared the back yard a perfect place for our tent.

From about 5:00 pm on, she kept telling us how "tired" she was, and when was it going to be bedtime? That was a first! It was all she could do to wait.

But first, they set up the tent together.

Then we waited until Joey was in bed before breaking out one of the best combinations ever created: s'mores.

Even though this was for daddy and daughter, I just had to be there to help document the experience. Oh, and s'mores are one of the reasons I love camping to begin with.

Without a place to build a fire, we opted for the open flame of the grill.

Mmmm, gooey goodness!

And then they settled in for the night. I checked on them a few times, looking out the window and seeing the glow of the flashlight casting shadows on the walls of the tent. I wondered if she would ever fall asleep...

John said she feel asleep close to 10pm. I heard them come in at about 6:30 this morning -- she made it all night!

I have a feeling this was just the first of many backyard camping adventures for our family.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Just in case you may have been under the impression that Disney World is the happiest place on earth, let me just be the one to set you straight.

It's Red Robin.

Okay, so it's only been a few decades since my parents took me to Orlando for The Experience, but it's only been a few hours since I've been to Red Robin, and I'm pretty sure my kids would agree with me on this one.

From the moment we set our feet on the asphalt, we could see "Red" at the door, waving and ready to welcome us. Yes, I'm talking about a big guy dressed in shiny yellow tights with a bird's body and blue vest, but I hadn't seen my kids' faces light up like that all day. (And we had a fun day!) They each got a high-five and giggled while "Red" did his little boogie dance before we we ushered inside.

And then there was the food. Lucy was beside herself that she could have grilled cheese for dinner, and Joey was so happy just to be there that he actually ate food. (For those of you who know this boy, you understand what a big deal this is.) Not only did he eat grilled cheese and fries, but he wiggled with glee to whatever 80's tunes were playing over the loud speaker.

As we ended our meal, we were graced once again with the presence of the sleek-legged big red bird and he made the rounds through the tables. You would think our kids gained a personal audience with Mickey Mouse himself.

And then to top it off, they each got a helium balloon on the way out.

For a five-year-old and a two-year-old, it just doesn't get much better than that.

Unless of course, we had allowed them to get that cherry-topped sundae.

He's TWO!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, smiley, silly boy! Josiah, you've kept us laughing, guessing, on our knees, and full of joy this year, and we are grateful for the gift from God that you are to our family!

A belly-floppin' good time

Joey's just warming up for his Big Day tomorrow -- a little pre-birthday fun...

Bliss

Eleven years ago, someone decided it would be a fine idea to let these two kids get married.

And it was. It was a very fine idea!

Happy Anniversary, babe! It just keeps getting better.

Make new friends, but keep the old...

One is silver and the other's gold...

I'm so sorry if you now have that song stuck in your head! I think I learned it waaaaay back in first grade, but never in my life has it seemed to ring more true.

And there's nothing sweeter than being with dear friends and watching your kids eat cherries and smear the juice all over their faces.

Let's hope they always see each other as "old friends," too...

Lucy, in the middle, between sisters Avery (left) and Rayna (right) -- I'm pretty sure they don't remember life without each other.

Oh Hail!

We've had some frightful weather in Colorado this week. Every afternoon has brought thunderstorms and more: Friday was the only day without tornado warnings and sightings!

Thursday afternoon we watched the dark clouds move in. By 3pm we were turning lights inside the house. And by 4pm the hail began. It grew loud so fast that after throwing some pillows and sweatshirts down the basement stairs, I turned to see the kids crying, but I couldn't even hear them!

The backyard as it bounced off the deck and lawn:

The front yard and the river of flowing hail down the gutters of the street:
The trees suffered the most, as there were leaves down everywhere:

It shredded the covers we had on our deck chairs:
And our grill cover looked like it had bullet holes!:
But it taught Lucy the importance and comfort of being able to pray whenever she wants. She said, "It was really short, but I prayed that God would protect our house from the storm." And He did.