Little Moments with Little Boys

Lest I get too caught up in schedules, activities, and what we are or are not accomplishing each day...I pray I don't forget to take time to enjoy the small people in  my house! Some days it seems that they are too much of a distraction from what I "really" need to do (laundry, cooking, homeschooling the older kids) that it's easy to forget that there was a time in my life when I ONLY spent time with littles! It hit me the other day that I rarely spend as much time on the floor holding and playing with these little guys the way I used to with Charis, Tobin, and Arden when they were young. Granted...it's getting much harder to get OFF the floor nowadays, ha! But still...Lord Jesus, please help me to make the most of every opportunity to love these precious treasures you've given to us.

Our favorite time of the day: when Daddy comes home from work!

Know anyone with a great bed head?! How about a fantastic hand-knitted sweater??

Tummy time! This picture makes me giggle because Lucan is ALWAYS in motion (notice the blurry feet) and because Charis recently resuscitated  Doof Dog (by stuffing him and sewing on a bandana to cover the gaping hole). 

Guess who lost his first tooth?! Oh, the trauma! There were tears. (Many tears.) And blood. (Lots of blood.) And a total lack of excitement or concern about whether a tooth fairy would bring recompense.

You know what's great about being two? You can wake up and decide, "I want to be a pirate today!" And no one looks askance at you at all! 

The bib says it all! Numero Sette may have completely upended our lives, but we wouldn't trade him for the world! 

Simply Summer

Yesterday was an all around good day. I found myself on multiple occasions thinking about how much I truly enjoy being around my kids--while that's a general truth, there are days when I secretly wish I could put them (or me!) on a bus! So days like yesterday really are a gift, when everything "clicks" and I truly feel Spirit-filled. What a blessing! All too often I am me-centered instead of Christ-centered, and my responses are less than "fruity" (Galatians 5:22-23).

We didn't do anything spectacular. The specialness of the day came from interacting with my kids, not feeling pressured by any time constraints, and taking the time to marvel at how God is working in their lives. We spent some sweet moments around the breakfast table discussing and practicing passages for Bible Bee memory work. Then we went off to the library to get our summer reading logs before school let out. Unfortunately, I did not realize that the library hours have been cut and are not really in an intuitive pattern--we were there at 10:30, and it didn't open until noon. Since Lucan had just awakened from an early nap, I hated to pack everyone up and just go back home, so I drove to the Dollar Tree.

It's been a couple of months since we did some shopping for Operation Christmas Child, and the kids are always excited to shop for their one "free" item that I let them pick out. They were so well-behaved, and I truly enjoyed being with them and listening to them interact, pointing out items that a sibling might enjoy, and talking excitedly about what they might do with this or that. We passed a couple of ladies who were talking animatedly and completely ignoring their three children, who were jumping out at people at the end of the aisles and waving flags vigorously, making much noise in the process. I skipped that aisle, and we continued on. All the kids were quietly walking along with me, not grabbing things or fighting (which does happen--don't get me wrong!), and we passed an elderly lady who stopped me and complimented me on the kids' behavior, having just passed the rowdy bunch a couple of aisle back herself.

We finished our shopping, maneuvering our two carts through the check-out line with minimal disturbance, and then we took a vote and decided to go back to the library before going home for lunch.

I actually got a book for me! I plan to read Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas, having watched the movie with Ted over the weekend. The movie, by the way, is very good--if you haven't seen it, rent it or borrow it! The kids did well at the library also, and we happily drove home and looked forward to our reading time in the afternoon.

As Lucan napped and the older kids spread out around the house to enjoy their new books, Kenna sat on my lap and we read for 1/2 hour together. I realized that it had been a long time since I had read more than one book to her at a sitting, and I relished the time to cuddle her and interact with her without feeling rushed to get somewhere. She was so sleepy, but alas, she did not nap. I fear her napping days are just about over! But she ended up helping me make bread and prepare dinner, so at least she wasn't whining or getting into trouble!

After dinner Charis and I went to the PEACH used curriculum sale. I spent a whoppin' $7.50, and I got a lot of great stuff, including quite a bit of free items. Charis took her spending money and found some things she wanted as well. We stopped by Walmart on the way home to get a few things, and then I treated us to drinks at Sonic. It's always fun to treat Charis--she gets so excited over small things and is verbally thankful. She kept exclaiming what a fun girls' night out we were having, and my heart was full after spending time with her, too.

We needed summer; I realize that now. I was getting too caught up in "doing" and not taking enough time for "being."

A Few of My Favorite Things

Maybe this can be a new blog entry type...Favorites on Friday!


A few moments of peace in our homeschooling day...books, puzzles, and games. Ahhhh!


Smiles from my baby boy. Love him so much!!


Working in the kitchen with my girls (and Lucan, too, I guess--he does make more work, LOL!). Here we were making Ranger Cookies. Would you like the recipe? Of course you would! I love to give credit to people who give me fabulous recipes, but there's no one to link to on this post...this family favorite goes way back to the first year Ted and I were married and living on a shoestring. The recipe came from the box of generic corn flakes we bought from the local H.E.B. grocery store!

NEW RANGER COOKIES
Hill Country Fare Corn Flakes box recipe

1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups corn flakes
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Mix sugars, shortening, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients; dough will be stiff. Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes at 375.

Little Joys of Homeschooling

Starting the day by watching/listening to/singing along with an iWorship DVD.

Praying as a family anytime we want. (Extra special joy listening to Kenna's sweet prayers: "Dear Jesus, Thank you for my family. I love you. Amen.")

Dancing in the kitchen with Lucan to the Geography Songs CD as the older kids sing along loudly.

Listening to Arden narrate (re-tell) a Bible story. (He chose Samson and Delilah.)

Reading a paragraph Tobin wrote all by himself.

Listening to the song Charis wrote for Kenna as she plays it on the piano and sings.

Watching the school kids give the little ones hugs and kisses on their way to the next activity.

Realizing the house is quiet...and finding all the kids reading books in various cozy spots.

A Day with Kenna

Welcome to a typical day with Kenna, during which you may find her...

...stripping paper off the crayons, a new addiction that may eventually require intervention...


...slathering anti-itch cream on herself and then trying to wipe it up with every single tissue in the box (bad Mommy for letting Charis keep the cream in her bedroom)...


..."helping" prepare Lucan's cereal...


...or finding and cuddling a worm.


Ah, the simple joys of being a toddler.

Hitting Our Stride

Today was very nearly the perfect day...and I didn't even eat any chocolate! It was just one of those days where everything seemed to finally come together in various areas of my life. If you'll indulge me, I'll share...

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Lucan wakes at 4:30 a.m. (This has been roughly his first meal of the day, anytime between 4:30 and 5:30. I actually don't mind. We put him down around 8:30 or 9 p.m. and are in bed not too long afterward. I've been sleeping so soundly that by the time he's finished nursing, I'm actually rarin' to go!) I put Lucan back down (he's already asleep by now) and get ready for an early morning run. The air is moist and quite cool; I almost wish I had gloves. The sky is so clear--I can see Orion and hundreds of other stars, so many more than I ever saw in Las Vegas.

My feet pound the pavement on what has become one of my favorite routes. It's really one of the only ways I can run this early in the morning, since there are no street lights here and I rely on the lights from the little lampposts in each yard. (Phooey to those folks who leave their homes shrouded in darkness...don't they realize I'm trying to run here?!) The route is a perfect 30-minute run and gets me home in time for a good stretch while reading the newspaper, followed by a nice quiet time with some hot tea.

Now it's time for a shower. Ah, a kink in my day already--Lucan is awake again, and it's not even 7:00. I prefer for his feedings to be at least 3 to 3 1/2 hours apart, so I briefly contemplate seeing if he'll settle himself back down, but then I hear Kenna also. I dash upstairs to get her out of the crib before she wakes Charis (who often unzips her crib tent and stumbles back to her own bed to go back to sleep) and discover the reason Kenna is already awake: she soaked through her diaper, jammies, and sheets. Well, I suppose I'd wake early too. I take her and Lucan downstairs, get her cleaned up, and find that Lucan has pooped. No wonder he woke early! I should have known...he's had blowouts every morning since Saturday. Thankfully this one is contained in his diaper.

A baby DVD started for Kenna, Lucan in his bouncy seat in my bathroom, and I am ready to shower. Quickly! I don't trust Kenna for long, and Lucan may very well decide he's ready for his second breakfast after all. Sure enough, he is ready to eat again by the time I'm dressed, so I feed him as Kenna finishes her "God Made Me" movie. Then we girls have our breakfast, as has become our habit; Kenna is pretty much ready for cereal before she makes it down the stairs, so I'm pretty fortunate that she allowed me to complete my shower. It's kind of nice having breakfast with a toddler who can feed herself--she's much more interested in eating than talking, giving me a chance to eat in peace while doing the daily crossword and skimming the paper. Lucan gurgles beside me in the exersaucer and goes down for a nap after I finish eating.

At 8:00 I go to wake the older kids, who are still zonkered. They very much enjoyed chapter 2 of Red Sails to Capri that we read outside on our back deck last night and would have stayed up longer listening if we had let them, but I see now that our decision to get them to bed was wise.

After breakfast I inform the kids we're trying something a little different, a transitional approach as I try to work my way into doing workboxes--probably not the way Sue would want me to, but I must do what I need to for our family and environment. I've been googling ideas and thinking and praying about how to organize our homeschool day, and I think some version of this system is for us--I'm just not quite ready to implement it all yet. So in the meantime we're working on following instructions, working independently, and maintaining order during the morning school session! I hand out printed checklists for the kids with 8 different activities on them. I tell them that after 3 assignments are complete, they may choose a "Funvelope," a closed envelope with an activity inside. (Today the 3 funvelopes contain a spelling game, Tangrams, and headphones with instructions to watch some fun and educational videos from a great website I would set them at).

The morning progresses very smoothly. I actually find myself with time on my hands to finish my crossword! I have a good one-on-one language arts time with Arden plus check everyone's math and language work without feeling frazzled or pulled in various directions. I smile to myself when I hear an exclamation of delight upon the finding of a fun new task to do.

We finish school before 11:00, so I have time to put some ingredients in the breadmaker for a new loaf of wheat bread. (We finished the last of the bread when the kids had toast this morning.) Charis and Arden wash the empty containers for our Happy Box so we can be sure to set it out by 4 p.m. Then it's time to warm up leftovers for lunch. The kids eat while I read a book about safety regarding strangers that I checked out from the library last week. We discuss safety measures, and then we take advantage of the gorgeous weather and head outside for "PE." The kids ride bikes and run around while I chat with Debi on the phone, the first time in quite awhile that we've talked. It's good to catch up, and we visit 20-30 minutes before I take the kids inside. Tobin vacuums the kitchen floor, and then we watch the rest of a sign language DVD we got from the library. It's a pretty good one, and I'm thrilled that I learn some new signs while feeling that I remember quite a bit. The kids enjoy it, too, begging for one more session until we actually finish the program.

Kenna and I read Bible stories together, and then she's ready for her nap. Lucan goes down also, and finally the rest of us are ready for Sonlight reading. First I quickly mop the kitchen floor, and then we gather on the couch to finish up Timeline figures from Core 1 (!!!) and do readings from Bible, history, and science. Not even finished with week one and already we're in love with Core 2.

In the afternoon I talk with a neighbor friend and ask her if she will schedule a Stampin' Up! party for me. She agrees and we set the date for September 24. Woohoo! More playtime outside--I've already put together tonight's casserole, so I enjoy chatting with another neighbor while her son, who has Down's Syndrome, jumps with my boys and Kenna on the trampoline with the sprinkler going underneath.

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It's been a great day. Now the kids are in bed and I'm about to nurse Lucan for the last time before bedtime (it's 8:30 now). I know not every day of homeschool or business activities will go so smoothly, so I smile and thank God for the little blessings when they do.

Feeling at Home

Not only are we pretty much unpacked and settled into our new house, but we are also thoroughly enjoying our new location and assignment. We figured coming back to a place we had been previously assigned would make another cross-country move less traumatic, and it did indeed. But I personally didn't realize it would be just as easy to find the little, life-enriching blessings that have flowed our way in the recent weeks.

Yesterday I was simply overwhelmed with God's goodness. He has answered so many specific prayers, and I can't help but sing His praises! I hope you'll indulge me as I share some of my answered prayers.

* A Christian neighbor--I prayed I would find at least one believing family close to our new home. God planted us just a couple of houses away from Sidra (pronounced See-dra) and her family, and we've already shared some times of deep conversation that let me know we will be good friends. She and her family moved to this neighborhood from another area in Dayton just about 3 months ago, and since their move was basically across town, they are also finding new friends, a new church, etc. She has a 4-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl. Our boys enjoy getting together to play Star Wars, and yesterday I held Lucan and chatted with Sidra while Kenna and Sarah played alongside each other.

* A Christian family with whom our family can share fellowship and encouragement--A few Sundays ago Ted and I attended the 11:00 service, during which we met Andy and Susie. We chatted awhile after church, and Susie was kind enough to invite us to their home for dinner last week. They actually live in our neighborhood, and we have quite a bit in common, including the fact that both the guys are USAFA graduates. They will be moving to CA in April, but I know we'll be good friends in the meantime!

* A running friend--During one of my first runs in the neighborhood, I specifically prayed that God would lead me to a believer who maybe could be a running partner for me. I haven't run with anyone (consistently) since Sarah B. and her family moved from Las Vegas to Texas, and while I've done a pretty good job of getting out the door consistently, I know it would be much easier to go regularly (and farther distances) if I can run with someone. Well, God is good! Susie is a runner also, and last night she introduced me to another lady in the neighborhood who is training for a half marathon! There are actually 3 of them who run together, and I look forward to jumping in with them before too long! (They're doing 10 miles today...I'm not quite ready for that yet!)

* Homeschool friends--Last night Susie picked me up and we went to a scrapbooking night at the home of a sweet Christian lady who is a CM consultant. (And she didn't even mind that I used all Stampin' Up! products on my own project!) No sooner had I sat down and pulled out my supplies than I heard a lady at the end of the table discussing the fact that she had just ordered her first Sonlight core!!! Wow! We started chatting...she has homeschooled several years, but this will be her first with Sonlight. Two other ladies there also homeschool! As it turned out, all of us who were in attendance (6 plus the consultant) are 1) believers and 2) affiliated with the military. Several of us attend FairCreek Church, several of us are runners, and several are homeschoolers! What a blessing! I'm just so thankful God allowed me to meet Susie, who has in turn introduced me to some other wonderful people!

In This Moment, I Thank God for...

* Crayon markings on the wall, because it means I have a toddler with the ability to create.

* A son sitting on top of the school table, because it means he is engrossed in a word puzzle book and is engaging his mind instead of his brother.

* A daughter who could be labeled a recluse at times, because it means she is exercising her imagination by playing alone in her room.

* The beautiful weather outside, because it gives us a chance to enjoy the sunshine during our afternoon school reading.

* Our minivan with a dent in the back door and trillions of crumbs scattered on the floor, because it is transportation for our whole family and is almost PAID OFF.

The Little Things, Part 2

Little joys of life from yesterday...

* The homeschool garage sale I attended--I spent $34 and got TONS of GREAT stuff, including 27 Mythbuster episodes on DVD!! One of my biggest joys from yesterday was seeing the look on Ted's face when he saw the collection! Also lots of wonderful books that our whole family will be enjoying for a long time to come.

* The gorgeous weather. From the wonderful smell of rain Wednesday night to the bright sunny afternoon yesterday, I'm finally starting to realize that I will actually miss Las Vegas when we move.

* Listening to Kenna's shrieks of laughter while I jumped on the trampoline with her. "Bump," she would demand, and I'd jump some more, toppling her over in a matter of moments, much to her delight.

* Watching the kids do an "experiment" to see what it's like to be blind. (Our current Sonlight read-aloud is Follow My Leader, about a boy who is blinded by a firecracker at age 11 and has to learn to adapt.) Charis kept asking for more and more "tasks" to perform while "blind!" Great discussion opportunities. I cherish these moments of homeschooling my kids.

* Surprising the kids with a hot chocolate treat in the middle of the afternoon...while sitting down myself with a chai latte!

* Seeing Charis almost single-handedly make the meatloaf that we had for dinner last night. What a great little cook she is becoming! (And as a fun side note...she crushed the crackers while being "blind," but the rest of the project she did while fully sighted--thank goodness, ha!)