Living the "wildlife"

There was housework, homework, schoolwork, and who knows what other kind of work to be done, but our eyes met over the chaos of lunch, and Greg said, "Let's go to the zoo."

And so we did.

Mimi and Gramps gave us a year-long family zoo membership for Christmas, and it is kind of our unofficial goal to go once a month. 

We were hooked after our first visit in January, went just a a couple of weeks later in February, and have been going crazy to get back since! 

The weather this afternoon was perfect and we all needed the family time out in the real world and fresh air.

Today's visit was full of fun surprises.

The first was this bobcat, which totally ignored us:

He paced around his enclosure, obviously aware of our presence, but careful to keep his back turned.

Until...two female keepers came walking past on the path, carrying on a lively conversation together. As soon as we heard their voices, Mr. Bobcat could, too, and he turned around and watched them with great interested until they had passed out of sight and out of earshot. 

With his familiar friends gone, Mr. Bobcat settled back in to ignore us some more. 

The whole scenario was unmistakable and oh-so-fascinating!

Now that it is spring time, an exhibit we've been waiting on since January is finally open, and it was even better than we had imagined!

It's called the Wild Bird Walkabout, and is filled with parakeets. You enter three sets of double doors (to prevent escapees) into the screened enclosure full of the brightly colored birds. For a buck you can buy a popsicle stick coated in hot glue and dipped in birdseed. Then you go a-huntin'!

 SO...

 ...MUCH....

 FUN!!!

You'll notice there are no pictures of Brooklyn feeding the birdies. Almost first thing, one landed on her hand and kind of freaked her out. She wasn't interested in trying again after that! Maybe next time. :)

There we were, in a zoo full of animals, and everything came to a halt when Tyler found a ladybug.

He asked if he could keep it.

I said no.

We were happy to find the giraffes outside today:

Fun, fun, day! The gift that keeps on giving. :)

(For those of you keeping up at home, yes, this is a new seating arrangement. Effective as of the zoo parking lot today. )

Palm Sunday Weekend

Busy traveling weekend! 

Mama and Levi got to spend Friday night at Mimi and Gramps's house! 

The rest of the gang stayed behind for the fire station field trip....

 (if I wasn't so tired lazy in a hurry to be done with this post there would be a cutie patootie picture here of the kids on a fire truck. But Greg took that pic with his phone and getting it from there to here is more than I care to tackle at this hour. Just imagine the cuteness!) 

....then came on to Mimi and Gramps' for a Saturday night stay.

We woke up at Mimi and Gramps' house Sunday morning, hurrying and scurrying (after a leisurely breakfast, of course!) and got us and all our stuff out the door in time to be on time to Nana and PawPaw's church where Daddy was preaching.

Daniel didn't know much about the preaching, but he thoroughly enjoyed the toy basket in the nursery:

After a yummy lunch and wonderful singing service, we headed straight back home in time for potty stops and to load back up and go to our own church for evening service, where we observed the Lord's Supper. At the beginning of the service a group of 4-6 year olds went down to the front for a special children's lesson on the Lord's Supper. Tyler, of course, was part of this crew. The lesson was very interactive, and everyone enjoyed hearing the candid comments from the children relayed for the rest of us. Tyler even piped up a time or two, including making sure the pastor knew that our grape jelly looked just like the bottle of grape juice the pastor was holding up. :)

After the kiddos were all pajamaed up at home, we gathered around for a bedtime devotion. A few years ago we did a countdown to Easter by following the last week of Jesus with a Bible reading and nightly activity. We all loved that and decided to do it again this year. 

So, it being Palm Sunday, we read all about Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  We started with an Easter egg full of leaves. 

The olders were well aware that it was Palm Sunday and quickly guessed at the significance of the leaves. 

After we read the passage, everyone from Daniel to Daddy got a leaf to cut into palm fronds, and we hung them all together on our bulletin board. 

After some good discussion on how we can welcome Jesus into our own lives daily as Lord and King, just like the Jews welcomed him that day, we said our prayers and went to bed!

The Day We Called "Spring Break"

We kind of had to make our own spring break this year. 

The week we had off from school was cold and gray and rainy, and by the end of it, we were beginning to succomb one by one to some illness which may or may not have been the flu.

Then the following week there were still sick feverish people (we really know how to drag it out), and still lots of clouds and gray.

SO....when this Monday was predicted to be warm and sunny we said, "THIS IS IT!! SPRING BREAK!"

And we made a run for the nearest park and soaked up every ray of sun we possibly could.

And ate bologna.

Look at that blue sky! (And that serious drummer face.)

Fishing.

More fishing. Daddy caught the only fish of the day. But we'll be trying again soon!

And that's what I did on my summer vacation spring break!

Friday, December 5

Today was all about Bethlehem!  Our surprise stocking held watercolor paints and .... the van keys!

We looked at the globe to see where in the world Bethlehem is, then painted pictures of shepherds on the way to Bethlehem. 

We also watched this video, on what the stable and manger were probably really like:

After supper we met up with friends and drove to a church in a neighboring town that was hosting a "Walk Through Bethlehem", an excellent outdoor reenactment of what the streets of Bethlehem might have been like when Jesus was born. The kids (and mama and daddy too) loved it!

And, of course...there were cookies, too.

 Lots and lots of cookies.

In which everything goes wrong, but it's all still good

Most of you probably know Greg is a full-time seminary student. We started our second year as a seminary family this August. In this area, it is very common for students to fill in for churches when their pastor is sick, out of town, etc.,  or when a church is without a pastor.

Sometimes Greg goes alone while the rest of us attend our church here in town, sometimes he takes a kid or two, and occasionally the whole family goes along.

Today, for a church an hour away, that we knew nothing about, with a 3 week old, for the first Sunday out as a family of 8, for the first cold morning of the season, we decided to all go along. Because that makes perfect sense.

I had my alarm set for 6:00am, which turned out to be unnecessary because Levi was up nursing at 5:30. 

6:00 should have been plenty of time to get the family out the door, but I had forgotten to take into consideration that I would spend some of that time sitting on my booty nursing, not getting people and stuff ready. So there was a half hour lost right off the bat, from 7:30-8:00.

Then there was the fact that Brooklyn, recovering from a cold, had a coughing fit that left snot in her hair and down the front of her dress. (I know you wanted to know that). The dress we had carefully selected the night before. As in, everything else we tried on either didn't fit or wasn't right in some other way.

Then there was the fact that Alan's navy pants were too short AND he was wearing them with white socks. And the search for black socks for Tyler took a while, too. 

I had a few minutes to fix my hair, then grabbed the rest of my makeup to finish in the van. But with everything else that took up our time, I wasn't able to pack the sandwich fixins I had planned on bringing with us. 

Still, we were out the door only 10 minutes after we had planned, and still with 15 minutes "cushion" time.  I sound all calm about that now, but in reality I was sitting in my seat with jaw set and fists clenched. What a lovely way to set off as a family to worship! Or not.

It was about that time I realized I had left my phone at home. 

I don't go anywhere without my phone.

Except today. 

I was less than thrilled.

And Levi was scr-eam-ing. 

I wanted to turn around and go home right then. But to turn around and drop us off would most definitely have made Greg late. So on we went. 

And within just a minute or two Levi quit screaming and went to sleep. And it really didn't take too long for my knots to unclench and let myself enjoy the time in the front seat with my husband. We don't seem to see much of each other these busy days, so we were looking forward to the driving time today.

The driving time that was quite pleasant, even with Daniel whining and whimpering most of the way.

Then there was the moment about 15-20 minutes from the church when Brooklyn announced she had to pee.

There was absolutely nowhere to stop, because the moment she made this little announcement Greg was taking a huge descending, u-turn type exit to get us onto the next highway. Mid-way through this exit I, only half-jokingly, said "and now everyone's carsick!"

The words were barely out of my mouth before Daniel's breakfast was flying out of his. We didn't even have time to react before Brooklyn, in the next row back, was puking too.

I'm not kidding: I laughed out loud.

Greg did a u-turn and pulled into an abandoned drive across the road, where we all piled out and got busy. 

I think it was the first time in his LIFE that Daniel had thrown up and he didn't like the experience One. Bit. Thank you very much. He wouldn't stop crying!

Brooklyn on the other hand, is an old pro at this carsick thing and waited patiently while we worked on Daniel and carseats and Alan's jeans (unfortunate victim sitting next to Brooklyn).

In the middle of nowhere you have no data signal, so Greg called my Dad to see if there was a dollar store in this little town. And - yay! - there was!

So we loaded everyone back up, Greg called the church and let them know we wouldn't be making Sunday school (and told them why) and then he went shopping for new clothes for the pukers while I nursed Levi. We decided to not dress anyone in their new clothes until we got there, ya know? Oh, and then Brooklyn reminded us that she still needed to pee, and while debating on whether to take her into the dollar store or not, it became a non-issue. So now, even her panties would be going in the dirty clothes sack. 

I believe, as Greg put the van in gear, our words were, "Onward!"

We made it to the church without further incident, and with plenty of time to spare before services. 

I got Brooky changed pretty quickly (and we even found clean dry panties in the back!) and she went in with Daddy and her big brothers while I went to work on Daniel. He and Levi and I brought up the rear. 

The arrival of our family brought the Sunday morning attendance total up to a whopping 18. We were happy to be with those sweet people though, in their pretty little country church. And I mean "little" literally. The ladies' room was so small that the trash can had to sit on top of the toilet tank because there wasn't a space in the floor for it! It also the first time I had ever seen pews without armrests on the ends. Not that I was concerned with resting my arms, but those open-ended benches immediately brought images to mind of any number of my children falling off the end and out into the aisle. 

I am pleased to say, though, that we made it through the entire service without anyone falling anywhere, Levi slept beautifully in his carseat the entire time (a true miracle), and there were no other mishaps or meltdowns, either. 

And while the ride home wasn't exactly a picnic, it was far from eventful. We were thankful to be home for a late lunch and then an afternoon of quiet while the littles napped. Yes, I'd do it all over again.

But I might pack a change of clothes next time. ;)

December 11

Another dentist day.

In his checkup yesterday Dale was found to need a little work and we were able to get him in today.

He was scheduled for two hours, but thankfully done after just one. Alan and Tyler and I hung out in the waiting room watching tv, playing on the tablet, reading. I was so, so grateful for a friend that volunteered to keep kids for me during that time, so we didn't have to keep Brooklyn and Daniel contained and entertained and quiet in a little waiting room.

We read a chapter of One Wintry Night after we got home and got the littles in bed for naps. Today's reading brought us all the way up through the time of the judges and prophets. So close to the coming of the Messiah! 

We started working on hand-sewn ornaments, something they've been asking to do for a while. Dale was still numb from the dentist (and frankly, a little grumpy) so he didn't feel like doing anything.

Today was an exciting day for all 3 big boys: Daddy drove the school bus route that stops right in front of our house! Red. Letter. Day. There was jumping, waving, shouting...oh it was more exciting than Santa in a parade.

Potato/broccoli soup for supper, then Daddy and 2 biggest boys went to church.

That's it. No pictures, very little Christmas-ing, hardly anything to count as 'school'. But the kitchen is clean, the playroom is vacuumed, we tended to our teeth, visited with friends, read good books and used our hands. And that somehow filled another whole day!

December 10

This morning I loaded up our crew of 5 and we went for our first visit to our new dentist since moving. Dale was the only one with an appointment today, and so far we really like everything and everyone about their office! The others behaved themselves very nicely in the waiting room while Dale had his checkup and cleaning.

Slim pickin's on pictures today, so you get one of me trying to figure out
 how to wear my scarf before heading out to the dentist's office. :)

This afternoon I should have been doing any number of productive things, but instead I enjoyed myself very much 1 - cuddling with my husband before he went to work after lunch, 2 - visiting with our new pastor and his wife when they dropped by, 3 - chatting with my sister on the phone. (Hey - at least I was putting away clean laundry for that last one!)

As much as I enjoyed the phone call, I did hang up from it in almost panic mode that ohmygoodness-it'sonlytwoweeks tillChristmas!!!!

So when Daddy got home from work I insisted we all go shopping together. The two main items I wanted to find were not available, but we did get some other things checked off our list, both holiday-ish (like trade gifts for an upcoming party and supplies for the kids to make gifts for their friends) and everyday-ish (like bananas and diapers). :)

We had a late supper, got the kitchen clean and the groceries put away and spent some time reading from Matthew 1 about Joseph being a just man and not making an example of Mary. We sang a few Christmas carols, said prayers and sent the kiddos off to bed.

Then, I was able to get a big chunk of Christmas shopping done online! Those items I couldn't get in person today are now paid for and hopefully on their way tomorrow! Which reminds me: Mom, Dad... that package from Amazon with my name on it you'll get in the mail one day next week? Don't open it!! :)

A (Wednes)day in the life..

Wednesdays are our new Library storytime days (instead of Tuesdays like they were before we moved).  Going out always means gearing everything in that direction, with that end in mind.

The kids all slept late this morning, which is no surprise, seeing as how almost every night is like a slumber party for them.  We can hear them in their room laughing and talking sometimes up to an hour after we've said our 'goodnights' and shut the door.  As long as they aren't too loud we generally leave them alone.  

Anyway, since they are shaving an hour off their sleep time at the beginning of the night sometimes they gain it back in the mornings.  And then some of them don't exactly come bounding out of bed in the mornings anyway.  But then, neither do I. :)

All that to say...the kids slept late this morning.  For several mornings in a a row I had people clamoring for breakfast by 7:30, so I adjusted my routine and started having it ready by then.  At 7:30 this morning I had a plate of pancakes on the table and not a kid in sight!

After breakfast we got the dishes washed and the little ones dressed, then began gathering our library books and our accessories, since the theme for storytime today was Crazy Hat Day.

Alan spent a while the night before working on a fancy/crazy crown:

Dale and I were both greatly amused by his use of a tiny souvenir baseball cap:

But then he changed at the last minute when I found a forgotten cap from his old Mario costume.

We went with the obvious choice for Miss B:

Tyler balked on all the options we had laid out for him and went hatless.  He seemed quite comfortable with that choice (I had his hat in my purse the whole time, and he knew it), but he was happy to wear the crazy visor he made as a craft afterward.  Go figure.

We go home and dove into school and getting ready for lunch (cheesy spaghetti - yay!).  Just for fun I made a microwave peach cobbler.  It turned out pretty good.  I also used this time to crank out a couple of loads of laundry.

Brooklyn went down for her nap right after lunch.  She was ready!
Me: It's naptime for you, girly!
Brooklyn, all smiles: I know!
Then, climbing onto the rail of her crib: Need blanket!
I tossed her in and gave her a blanket: Night, night!
Brooklyn, still all smiles, popped her thumb in her mouth, flopped over onto her side: 'Night night!! 

I don't know when I've ever seen her so happy to go to bed.  But, come to think of it, she was in a great mood a lot today, so maybe that had something to do with it.

After getting Miss B all tucked in, I had a nice phone chat with my sister while I nursed Daniel and the big boys played.  He doesn't nurse himself to sleep very often, so today I just enjoyed holding him for a while, taking in his sweet baby face.

I finally laid him down with at least half a dozen things on my "should do" list, but I sat and just enjoyed the quiet and some internet for a while.  I gathered the big boys to finish their school.  Whether out of laziness or to save my own sanity (there's a thin line there, I think) I didn't bother trying to make Tyler nap today.  I decided he might as well tag along for afternoon school with Alan, which consists of a quick Bible reading, some science and some History.  It's pretty light, and pretty fun.

I love that "school" can happen anywhere.  Today we all ended up piled on my bed (a first for us, I'm pretty sure) learning about Columbus and classifying African animals.

Pretty soon the babies were up and we all snacked, and before I knew it it was 4:00.  I had to get supper made and the kitchen clean and everyone ready to go out the door in just over two hours.

Long story short: we made it.  Instead of our usual Wednesday night classes, Greg was the guest devotion-giver at a nursing home service.  We decided earlier this week to take the whole family along.  Greg played his guitar and the big boys stood by him and sang a few hymns.  I sat nearby and sang along, bouncing Daniel in my lap and watching Brooklyn fidget around and flirt with the nearest old lady.  I don't know if they heard a word of Greg's devotion, but the residents were more than thrilled with our passel o'kiddos.  

We had time for a quick walmart run on the way home.  

With fresh bananas, a bag of fritos and a can of raisins, all's right in our world again. ;)

Pj's, a snack, and everyone hustled off to bed for another slumber party.  Life's good. 

9/11/13

An "odd" day. Ha. Sorry to make light of such a serious day. But you have to admit 9/11/13 is a pretty cool date.

Today was our first storytime at our new library.  It was their first one (back from summer break, I presume), so we got in on the beginning.  Because it was 9/11, they planned a special patriotic theme and balloon release.

I knew ahead of time this would be the theme.  I didn't know exactly how they would address it, so I thought I'd prep the boys ahead of time.  

Dale has heard the basics of what happened that day, but Alan never had.  So as we finished up breakfast yesterday (the 10th) I told them I had a story to tell them.

"One fall morning, right about this time of year, people all over the country were busy going to work and going to school.  It was a pretty fall morning, and almost this very time of the morning...."

I proceeded to tell the story, in my own words, and with only as much detail as they asked for what happened on that day 12 years ago.  Much to my surprise I found myself with tears in my eyes and an occasional break in my voice.  The memory of the emotion came back so easily.  Not only that, but (and I remember feeling the exact same way when I told Dale about 9/11), I felt there is a bit of a loss of innocence for them to know that such evil is alive and well in today's world.  But along with the evil there is goodness and kindness.  There is courage.  And there are heroes.  That is what I remember so much about 9/11.  

Without the evil would the heroism mean as much?

As it turned out, the librarians weren't anybody's fools, and the preschool program was all about the good ol' U.S.of A. - red, white, and blue, the founding fathers, and the Pledge of Allegiance.  Balloons for everyone.  There was no mention of plane crashes or falling buildings or terror.  Or even heroes, for that matter.  

Still, it was a nice program, and we're glad to be out making new library friends.  And now, for one more of my children, September 11 is a part of their world, just like it is for all of us who remember that day, and always will.

Early mornings, busy days

Several days this week have involved early morning trips to the garden.  Early to avoid the quickly rising temperatures.  To the garden for picking and weeding.

In addition to baskets full of fresh veggies, there are always a few other interesting finds.

Like a watermelon plant coming up volunteer (from last year) in the tomato row:

I was fascinated by the perfect spacing of these insect eggs (before i scraped them all in the dirt):

One of our favorite finds...a bird's nest in a tomato plant, with three little speckled eggs!

We've seen a mocking bird coming and going, and yes, mocking birds eat tomatoes.  But this one gets to stay.  Maybe she won't eat too much.

One morning after leaving the garden we stopped by to see Gramps' ongoing project with a neighbor: digging a well. 

 The boys seemed to like seeing it all in action, especially knowing that after the neighbor's well is done, there will be one dug at Gramps' place.

I still marvel at being a mama to boys!