This Moment

Have you ever waited a long time for a trip or an event, and once it was finally underway you took notice of it?  "This is it!  I'm here!  It's really happening!"


I felt that way about my life today.  I looked around and thought, "This is it!  I am in the middle of the good stuff."

What I especially loved about the feeling was that the moment wasn't what one would think would prompt such a thought.  I wasn't snuggled under a blanket reading to my cherubs, or sprawled on a blanket in the sunshine blowing bubbles and imparting wisdom as they listened quietly with awe.

No, I was standing in my kitchen working on something, with 4 kids in 4 different rooms doing 4 different things. One of them interrupted my work with a funny thought that made him laugh.  It made me laugh, too.  And in that moment, in the middle of another day of housework, parenting, diapering, and schooling, it hit me, "I'm living the good life."

An abundant life more than I could have dreamed up on my own.

Remind me of that tomorrow when three out of four are crying, the house is a mess and lunch is late, 'kay?

900 Posts!

And almost 5 years!

To celebrate I am sharing a couple of Brooklyn videos from today.

While they are for everyone's enjoyment, they are especially for the benefit of the (many) people who seem to only be able to catch Brooklyn at her less-than-best.  (A.K.A. Our entire church family.)

See?  I told you she doesn't cry all the time! :)

She was feeling even more giggly and smiley than these videos show, but I couldn't quite bear recording (and publishing) myself making all the faces and noises it was requiring to get all those smiles and giggles. 

Enjoy! (And thanks for being here for all those posts!)

Hey look!

A poll! 


Would you mind ....


answering the question ....


over there....


to your right.....


under my picture?


Thanks!

Random collection of thoughts, photos, and newsy bits

Sometimes when I want to write a blog post but have nothing in particular to say (which happens more often than I care to admit) I look through my photo files for random, forgotten pictures.


I do have a detailed, and knowing me, probably lengthy post on unmedicated childbirth cooking in my head, but it's not ready yet. 


So guess what?!  A tour through the ol' photo album!


First up, Dale wanted to make his own dessert creation.  With a little help from me and the internet, we came up with this:

S'mores Pizza!  Pizza crust, peanut butter, marshmallows, chocolate chips, crumbled graham crackers.
Make until melty and puffy.  Eat immediately.  Make another the next day with the other half of your pizza dough. Or maybe that's just us.


Have I mentioned it snowed!?  Always big news in this neck o' the woods, and this has been a fairly mild winter, with nary a hint of anything frozen.  Until one day last week!  We woke up to white and it lasted about half the day before the rain washed it away.  We still got our fill.  We love the snow, but we also love our 60 degree winter days. And might or might not venture out barefoot in them occasionally.  But not in the snow.  We suit up in full garb when it snows!  More or less.

One of my little Valentines:

Daddy had a birthday.  He also had help blowing out the candles.

My arm is stuck out all crazy ready to pull Tyler back in case he began to face plant into the flames.  I suppose I planned on snatching him by the hair on his head.  More likely I didn't have a plan.  Just reflexes on the ready.  And yes, the picture is blurry.  With the constant motion around here, I'm not surprised.


And finally, a picture of Tyler.  Just because I like the swirly-twirly motion in it.  And the sweet expression on his little baby face!

My girl...

..... she doesn't like the "Tummy Time."

We do it anyway.

In short bits.

She raises up on those little arms like a good girl for a little while.

And then ends up like this:

Come to think of it, I don't think any of my kids have liked 'tummy time'.  

But we (sort of) do it anyway.

And they've all crawled and walked and developed just fine.

But Miss B is the first one to do this:

Ahh.... that's it.  Much better.  Gigantic tear and all.

I think he got the idea

We've been studying the American Revolution for several weeks now, particularly highlighting the Declaration of Independence.


I should not be surprised, then, by the handwritten statement presented to me yesterday:

in our room

a Delcrition

We can play monopoly when we want to.

We have the right to play Boggle with[out]

having to pay a tax for yorr games.

Dale

Alan

I suppose next they'll be dumping the games in the ocean.  Or shooting at me as I come down the hallway. 
Better confiscate the nerf guns.  

Sugar n' spice n'.... hairbows, of course.

After hooking Miss B up with a handful of hair accessories before she was ever born, things like life and, ohhhh, I dunno... taking care of a newborn and 3 other kids kind of got in the way of the crafting.


But after weeks of good intentions, I've finally whipped out a couple of hairbows!

I have to agree with what Christy said in her tutorial... it's addictive!

I've got a wholllle hanger full of ribbon and a baggie full of clips. 
I've even got a willing subject!

Now I've just got to find make the time.  I think that can be arranged. :)