faithfull mama

john 3:16

2011-12-08T08:39:00.001-06:00

As of last night, Nathaniel has taken it upon himself to teach his brothers John 3:16 so that they can join him at AWANA Sparks.

This was Ethan's rendition last night:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. That whoever believes in Him should not panic...."

Not quite the verse, but oh so true.

There came a simple reminder that was exactly right for this time of change and mounting pressure to make sure the house is ready to sell, find the "perfect" next job in the "right" place for our family. From the mouth of babes, as they say.

echoes

2011-11-28T21:07:00.000-06:00

This conversation that I happened to hear tonight is a complete echo of what has been on mine and the mister's hearts. We are deeply desiring to have more of Jesus and to do so much more of His work.

The audio clip below is a Focus on the Family interview with Francis Chan. [For those who might not have read "Crazy Love," I highly recommend it.]

a heart of thankfulness

2011-11-28T13:51:00.000-06:00

Since we've been married, I think we've spent every Thanksgiving except the first away from home. Although we've sometimes had family come and visit, we have often spent this time with friends, usually new ones. This year we invited some of the mister's colleagues and their families to share Thanksgiving dinner with us. This was my first sit-down Thanksgiving dinner. We set one adult table and two kid tables - one for the boys and a quieter one for the girls. We borrowed dishes, chairs, and tables. The boys found some pinecones that we put in a vase with cranberries for their centerpiece and lots of butcher paper and crayons on the kids' tables to keep them entertained along with some Mayflower boats with candy. [Truthfully, I did not have time to take pictures before everyone ate, so these are all some time after the table was cleared, hence no dishes.]

Again, I was reminded that I love a full house. I loved watching the kids make up games, play bingo and color. It was so nice to be able to chat with the other couples, talk about old traditions, tell funny stories, and plan for the future. It was also a pretty good deal to be able to share the cooking with some of the ladies and my goodness, I have to say that their dishes were scrumptious!

boats with treats for the kids

lots of art work at the kids table

There is much to be thankful for today and always. We are so incredibly blessed, who could list it all? My heart is thankful for friends and for how God fills in the gaps. I am thankful for the gift of doing ordinary things and enjoying an ordinary day. I am learning that it is indeed a gift.

And, I am extremely thankful for who God is because even if all the things we have disappear or we come upon troublesome times, we can still Give thanks to God, for He is good! His love endures forever.

our thankful garland

more on apples

2011-10-26T23:21:00.000-05:00

We read so many books about apples, orchards, pies, and of course Johnny Appleseed during our apple unit.

We also did a few crafts including making this little flip book about an apple tree through the seasons. This activity helped us summarize all that we had learned about seasons, how plants and trees grow, and of course apples. We had learned about Van Gogh for art and we used I tried to put out as many textures/media as I could find like pipe cleaner, foam sheets, tissue paper, pompoms, and of course paint. We had learned about Van Gogh for art, so we tried out some of different brush strokes and heavy paints like he used in his work. I love that their handprints are included in this. We used their painted hands for the leaves on the summer and autumn page. But, we forgot to put in ladybugs and bees which are an important part of the process.

We also used fabric paint and apples cut lengthwise and crosswise to stamp the rest of our muslin. Now, I have to figure out what to make with this fabric. Any ideas?

And of course, we had a little taste test. I only selected four varieties to taste - Honeycrisp, Sweetango, Golden Delicious, and Fuji. Each voter received 3 stars (votes). I suggested putting two stars for your most favorite and one for your second favorite. Of course, Nathaniel chimed in with every other possibility, so eventually I let them "cast" their 3 stars however they wanted. Nathaniel put all three down in one spot, so he could be sure to make sure his apple won. Jude liked the name delicious and sweet, so he divided his stars between the two. Ethan was our most fickle voter moving his stars between the columns so he could be sure he would be on the winning apple. Talk about personalities.

Once the voting was completed, they graphed the votes on a sheet that I created with the pictures of the apples. This was the first time that Jude and Ethan did any graphing work. So interesting to watch their little brains go through the steps of processing this task.

all about apples

2011-10-26T06:00:00.003-05:00

Here's something I've discovered this year. The apples from the orchard are so much better than the ones from the store. I don't know why this year has been so different. Usually, I'm not insistent on fresh apples but man, the ones that we've gotten from the store this season just don't compare to the ones we picked a few weeks ago. So, we made another trip.

The first excursion was with my Bible Study gals which was loads of fun. I also considered it a field trip to go with our apple unit. The second trip was made with another couple ladies whose husbands were in some way busy with their doctoring work. We packed a little picnic and met up under the apple trees on a Saturday afternoon.

thanks Erin, for our field trip picture. :)

On our first trip, I took the boys through the corn maze. We slowly meandered through exploring every possible option. I am ashamed to say that on this second trip (with grown up help) I managed to lose one child in the corn maze... and worse, didn't even notice until someone said "Aren't we missing one?" Oh yes, that one was mine and where was I? On the tractor about to head back to the main area.

Just a little bit panicked, the three remaining boys and I quickly scrambled off the tractor. Nathaniel and Jude ran through the corn maze crying out for Ethan. They were definitely on a mission! Nathaniel eventually found him all the way at the back of the corn maze. It seems he wanted to try to get out on his own and abandoned the pack of other children. Thankfully, he wasn't too frightened ... but I know I was saying some prayers as I bumbled through the maze.

The kittens and puppies were out and about this past weekend. Is it obvious that they want a pet? Nathaniel asked me today if he could be a dog walker so he could have time with dogs without us having to own one. I've told them that we'll consider pets once we figure out where to next. That's sooner than I think.

The boys saw caramel apples at the orchard and really wanted to have some. I promised we would make it at home (including the m&m's just like at the orchard). I was brave enough to take them all to the store and get the caramel that very day. But then it took me two days to get motivated to melt the caramel. :) And wouldn't you know, I should have bought a lot more caramel.

Surprise, surprise... daddy came home early! Just in time to enjoy the caramel apples. These silly boys ran out of the house to get daddy to taste their apples.

I have more to post on our apple unit... later. For now, here are my goobers (again).

leaf pounding

2011-10-20T16:05:00.013-05:00

During our recent unit on leaves and plants, we tried out several new hands-on activities that the boys really enjoyed. We did lots of leaf collecting and some leaf pressing and painting.

Our kindergarten curriculum (My Father's World) has a Biblical theme for each unit. The theme for this one was "I will live and grow in Jesus." The curriculum suggested using a branch of leaves to illustrate this point. We put a whole branch in a vase with water and then we pulled off one leaf and put it by the branch but unconnected. The twins were fascinated and would check it every day to see how the leaf was doing. After a couple days, the leaf is, of course, dry and brittle and the boys totally got it without any explanation. That night, they greeted their very confused daddy waving the poor leaf and saying "See, this is what happens when you're not with Jesus." Gosh, I love how these children see things so simply.

We also tried leaf pounding. I read about it online and figured it would be most fun for the boys since it involved hammers, loud pounding, and smushing things to smithereens. Of course, they loved it.

We collected leaves from around the neighborhood and pulled out the hammers. I cut out two sheets of unbleached muslin for each. The boys arranged their leaves on one sheet of muslin and covered their arrangements with another sheet. We put all three layers on some cardboard and hammered away till we could see the imprint of the leaf. I eventually took this activity outside where our neighbor kids could join in the merriment.

I strung a few together with some vintage green and white polka dot bias tape I had collected from a yard sale and for now it's hanging by our front door.

The maple leaf is my favorite. Such clear lines.

I think the boys liked the colored leaves and the real wet leaves that would really splatter all over.. wouldn't you know? Fun to hammer but not such a good imprint.

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homeschooling: two months

2011-10-14T06:57:00.001-05:00

Two months into homeschooling... and we are still going strong and even living together in peace. I call this our golden age because it's fresh and different and therefore exciting.

We have worked out a routine so that if we have a "normal" day, we know what to expect. But, in fact, we make many exceptions. I am finding that this is part of the fun of homeschooling. We take detours and slow down to observe a little bit closer or to study a new interest. I feel like I have been given such a gift as I learn, observe, and grow alongside my little ones. I don't know how long this journey will last but I sure do hope the attitude of learning and the joy in being together stay with us for years to come.

Our routine, on a typical day looks something like this:

(also proof that i was once a consultant)

We haven't been getting in enough Spanish, artist study or music theory as I would like, but we will be working on that over the next couple months. Jude and Ethan sort of audit the afternoon boxes. They stay and listen and pick up what's interesting to them. A couple afternoons a week, I do try and work with them specifically on their reading. We take Fridays off unless there's a project to be done or we've missed work from earlier in the week.

I am thankful for the years of preschool the kids have done. I use quite a bit of material for circle time and calendar from our preschool co-op teacher in Sayre, PA, Mrs. Hafer. Because it was a co-op, the parents took turns being the TA and we learned the songs and various techniques that Mrs. Hafer used. We use three of the songs she taught us in the morning for the months of the year, days of the week and the weather.

Nathaniel enjoys history very much. We are using Story of the World on audio which has been a nice way to mix things up for him. The boys also get very interested in the particular units we are studying. I have discovered that they love craft/science projects and remember quite a bit from them. We did a unit on the moon and just the other day after AWANA the twins were so excited to show me the moon, saying "Look, it's a gibbous." :)

Jude and Ethan both started to read within the first couple weeks of school which is such a huge accomplishment for them. They were at the brink for so long, I just couldn't wait for them to take the plunge. They now speak phonetically which goes something like, "M-m-m-o-o-m, c-c-c-a-a-n..." Very slow and very funny... thankfully, they seem to be just doing it with certain words these days.

Our greatest challenge has been keeping Ezra occupied. I was convinced that my various bags of during-school-only toys would do the trick. But no, this little man needs to be doing exactly what his brothers are doing. I still lay out a blanket for him with some play items, sorting toys, or puzzles. He sits down with it for a little bit but eventually comes over to be with his brothers. So, we let him. He has his own set of notebooks that he scribbles in, when the brothers show me their work, he comes over and says "mama" until I carefully examine his doodles as well. If they read, he gets a book and reads with them and on and on...

I already get the sense that the "golden age" is approaching its end, not in a riotous fashion but it's becoming obvious that the littles need a few different things to keep it interesting. I'm working on finding ways to keep them engaged and to change things up just enough that they stay with me on our ride.

ezra: eighteen [18] months

2011-10-07T16:51:00.001-05:00

Our littlest man is such a ham. He's a very jolly fellow with a pleasant temperament, moving along with his brothers, definitely a part of the pack. He's more possessive of his mommy and daddy than his brothers were which is at the same time perplexing and hilarious. When he sees his brothers cozying up with a parent, he somehow manages to squeeze right in between, do some cozying of his own, and then scamper off.

ezra at 18 months

He loves his brothers and believes he is about four years old. He tries to make his brothers laugh by doing funny dances and making funny faces. His antics never fail and his brothers end up in peals of laughter. He spins in circles until he's dizzy and bumps into a piece of furniture, then he laughs and continues to spin. He loves to be outside, going up and down on the slide or swinging. He sits on the tricycle and somehow meanders along the sidewalk

He imitates everyone around him. He pushes toy cars around with the sweetest sound effects. He likes to play with the toy kitchen tools and of course, all of daddy's gadgets.

i need to get my blanket just right so i can pretend to take a nap

His naughtiness is tempered with the cutest grin and if he knows you're really upset, he'll quickly back away...literally and pretend to hide even though he's right in front of you. He pushes a chair around so that he can access whatever is supposed to be out of his reach which can get quite tiring for his mama. He loves to help clean up,which I suppose is good because he can reach the water dispenser on the fridge which affords him plenty of opportunity to wipe up spills.

this smile says, i'm thinking about something naughty and it involves you.

the cute, playful grin that makes you just want to squeeze him and bite his cheeks

He still is not very verbal although he gets what he wants with signs or other gesturing. Mamma, Dadda, Nanni (nathaniel), bye-bye, hi, ba-bo, pala, done, thangu (thankyou) are his most frequent words with a few more sneaking in each day. In a way, this keeps him a baby just a bit longer and that is special. He loves most every food with a particular fondness for sweets and also yogurt, pasta, fish, and chapatti. Without a doubt, he loves his milk.

taking a break

He is quite dramatic making many different faces and sounds to convey his meanings. I've tried to capture some of that with the photos here.

the squint that say "i don't really like what you're saying"

drama and flexibility while pointing out a minuscule ouch

We really do love this little man/person and and as with all our special boys, we are so thankful he's here.

my pupils

2011-10-04T16:35:00.000-05:00

At school today, we had:

The captain pirate (L) and his brave knight (R)

The industrious artist

And of course, the class clown.

When I looked around the table, I just couldn't help chuckling at how unique and interesting they all are, and then I ran off to quickly get my camera.

Door County, WI: Fish Creek {3}

2011-10-01T22:24:00.000-05:00

I love the names of these small towns right by Green Bay. We stayed in Egg Harbor where there are so many shops selling locally grown apples, plums and other yummies. I brought home some pumpkin butter and apricot jam and lots of fresh fruit. At one of the shops, they enjoyed apple cider popsicles and several turns around a huge apple on little dirt bikes. There were also a plentitude of antique shops. I had to restrain myself from entering though... I figured that one mamma with four boys under six and plenty of delicate items might cause unnecessary angst for all involved.

We also made the quick drive to the next town, Fish Creek. We enjoyed some frozen custard by the marina, let Nathaniel take lots of pictures, sat and watched ducks for a good long while, and walked around a quaint 'spring through fall' town. Of course, I stopped at the local coffee and chocolate shop where I was told that most everyone leaves the town after the first of November. I can just imagine how cold, gray, and windy it must be in the winter. But approaching the end of the summer, it was perfection.

Door County, WI: The Beach {2}

2011-09-30T23:23:00.002-05:00

Truth be told, the mister and I would rather be at the top of a cool mountain than sitting on a hot beach. Yes, it's beautiful and it's fun to play in the water and the sand... but it's also hot. Not so on this trip, and I just might have changed my mind about the beach. The weather was lovely... sunny but not terribly hot with just the right amount of wind and occasional cloud cover to make me want to come to the beach repeatedly.

The children were delighted. They made sand castles that seemed to have a decidedly mexican flair (think sombrero). But, hey they were without any tools, and they were so pleased with their creations. The water was a bit cool but with the sun, it was pleasant. They ran in and out, playing, splashing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves. They collected rocks, dug their fingers into the moist, thick sand and got as wet and sandy as they possibly could.

Door County, WI: Nature Walk {1}

2011-09-30T16:53:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, we travelled several hours away from home leaving behind the routine, chores, and school workbooks to tag along with the mister at a conference. After all the packing and loading up and running in and out of the house for that one last thing, we drove off, and I think took a collective deep breath. Sometimes, being away from the usual is just what's needed. We took walks, drew, read, sat on the sofa, cooked simple meals, went to the beach, and caught up with the mr. as much as we could.

{There are so many pictures, I think I'll have post them separately.}

I have been wanting to get the boys started on a nature journal for school... so on the first morning, we went on a nature walk around the lodge armed with a camera and a bag to collect treasures. With four boys, trust me, there are lots of treasures. We walked, we explored, we rested, and Jude found a friend. He named him "Jumpy" and we spent a lot of time with said cricket. Nathaniel would plead to let the cricket get back to his family, Jude would concede, and then filled with regret, he and Ethan would run off to search for Jumpy again. Of course, the littlest one is the best impersonator and so just like his brothers, Ezra went in search of his own critters. He found some ants that he wanted to befriend, but he couldn't quite keep up with them. Good for the ants, I'm thinking.

Nathaniel has been really interested in taking photos and it's always fascinating to see things from his perspective.

faith academy

2011-08-16T22:51:00.000-05:00

drawing by nathaniel, bookmark gifted to mommy from nathaniel. so true!

Well, tomorrow we start our first day of homeschooling. [I somewhat offhandedly named it faith academy for the obvious reasons and because it made be chuckle since it sounds so typical of indian & christian school names.] I am excited and just a tad nervous. I was one of those kids who was always excited for the first day of school, organizing and reorganizing my supplies and making sure everything was packed up and ready to go for the first day. The same couldn't be said for the second week.. but the first day was always much anticipated. I sort of feel the same for tomorrow. I've reviewed the lessons for the day numerous times and I've got our materials ready to go. Most importantly, I've prayed and surrended our plans to the Lord and asked for His blessing on our desires and efforts.

"reading" tintin. once daddy's favorite.

I know real life and four children are going to alter the course of learning that I've outlined, but isn't that part of the experience and, with limits, even the fun of learning together. The boys are excited as well and have all sorts of suggestions for me. In fact, we had to sit down on Monday and have a little meeting so they could express all their thoughts in advance of tomorrow. Jude and Ethan want to call me Mrs. Faith. Nathaniel suggests that if the class (of 3) isn't behaving, I have them put their heads down on the table like his kindergarten teacher did. They wanted to know all about recess and what they would do if it rained and on and on the questions and discussion went. Clearly, they've been in a school environment before and therefore have expectations... that will soon need adjusting, I'm sure.

I've been really blessed to be surrounded by so many homeschoolers including many local friends. Some who have been doing it for many years and others who have littles just a little older or about the same age as mine. I have received such great advice and plan on receiving much more.

how i love these little men.

My objectives for our year are to explore what we're curious about safely, learn lots, laugh a bunch, and learn to work together as a team. {I might have to come back to these.}

Here's my curriculum plan for the year -

Nathaniel (6, starting 2nd grade):

Bible - AWANA, Sunday School, Christian Light Workbooks, and other at home education

Math - Singapore Math 2A, 2B

Language Arts (grammar, writing) - First Language Lessons 2

Spelling - All About Spelling

Reading - We'll use the library. I had him starting out of with the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but wouldn't you know, he already went and read it in the last two days. So...

Science - Simple and Fun Science (we'll be doing lots of experiments and hands-on learning)

Spanish - (we're going to start with the local library has and expand from there)

History - Story of the World, Ancient Times

Geography - country study starting with Egypt

Music - piano, (still working on extra curriculum here)

Art - tag along with Jude & Ethan's art project or tied to Geography

P.E. - local sports classes/team

Jude & Ethan (4, starting Kindergarten light)

Bible, Math, Language Arts, Art - My Father's World Kindergarten

Bible - supplemented with AWANA, Sunday School, and other at home education

Phonics - supplemented with Hooked on Phonics

Handwriting - Writing without Tears

Spanish - (we're going to start with the local library has and expand from there)

P.E. - local sports classes/team

** Depending on their interest, they will also do some of the Geography, History, and Science that Nathaniel does.

Keeping our little man, Ezra occupied during our homeschool time may be our greatest challenge. Anyone have suggestions? For right now, I have some new toys and baskets of goodies for him.

rainy day play

2011-06-15T13:41:00.003-05:00

Last week we had a rainy day just as the boys were feeling well enough to go outside and play. After a morning of occupying themselves, I started to hear the dreaded "I'm bored." [Usually, I let them figure it out but every once in a while I understand the need for instruction.]

So, I brought out some cardboard and asked them what they would like to make. Nathaniel immediately said a "space helmet." The twins jumped on board with the idea. No one cared that the box I brought out was a huge Sams Club size diaper box. So, we created a very spacious space helmet. ;)

The painting and decorating took up a good chunk of time, and they had lots of fun. Jude and Ethan told me so repeatedly. Sometimes fun can be so simple. Of course it can also be messy which does give me pause before I suggest an art activity. For me personally, it has helped to have certain supplies put away for just when we need it. We have an old sheet dedicated to messy projects. I've also put together a bag full of paints, brushes, glue, and cut up paper that we can just pull out when the mood strikes. I need to put in more collage items for smaller projects.

And now, we can take our helmet out and play as astronauts, sometimes robot or if you're Jude - you can be George Washington giving a speech from his space helmet.

"george washington"

I almost forgot to ask, what do you do with littles on a rainy day?

check out susie mey

2011-06-15T13:40:00.000-05:00

It's a new shop featuring really sweet and unique clothes that are handmade by one of the original members of the fantastic 8. The fantastic 8? Not a group of superheros, just eight kids that grew up together, spending the night at each other's houses, playing, sometimes fighting, putting on many sunday school productions together, and we are as close as family. I'm so excited for you, Susan and can't wait to see what happens with your new adventure.

on my heart today

2011-06-13T23:55:00.000-05:00

are my brother in law and sister in law in London who today buried their little baby boy. Here's my way of remembering little Joshua.

**********

Dear Joshua,

You have gone home to be with Jesus. How sweet it must be to hear the songs of angels. We imagine the beauty that surrounds you, the glory, and the awesome presence of our Father.

And, we mourn. We waited for you. We trusted that a miracle would make you well, and that one day you would be running about with your pack of cousin brothers. We were hopeful because you stayed a strong little baby despite the numerous challenges you and your mommy faced. And then, you came. You brought joy and light to your mommy and daddy for a few short hours. Oh, how we hoped and prayed for more than that. Your cousins still pray for you.   I wish that we could have held you just once.

Then just as quickly as you came, you were gone. So, we cry. We are sad. It feels like too much. We even question God's plan. And that's ok because God, well, He's our daddy. I think He understands.

In time, we remember that God's plan is far beyond our thoughts. He let His own Son die and turned His face away from Jesus at his greatest time of pain. Why? For love. Does it make sense? Only in the fullness of time.

We weren't promised an easy life just because we signed up to follow Christ. In fact, suffering seems to be part of the walk. But the good news is that He is walking it with us. He is holding our hand.  He knows our ache. He cries with us and catches our tears.

Above all else, this is truth: WE ARE LOVED. Deeply loved.

We will remember you, Joshua and the short time you shared with us.  We will keep our hands in Jesus' big ones. We will trust Him because He loved us first and He says that He will be faithful to the very end. And at the end, we'll meet you on the other shore.

************

This is what it means to be held

How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive

This is what it is to be loved and to know

That the promise was that when everything fell

We'd be held

If hope if born of suffering

If this is only the beginning

Can we not wait, for one hour

Watching for our Savior

This is what it means to be held

How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive

This is what it is to be loved and to know

That the promise was that when everything fell

We'd be held

"Held" by Natalie Grant

settling into summer break

2011-06-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

We are about three weeks into summer vacation. The first week was very exciting with our roadtrip to Maryland and back. The last couple weeks have been much quieter as we settle into a comfortable routine of play, creativity, exploration, and even rest. The days do seem calmer without the need to rush off to school and back. I wonder how that could be since the littles were only in preschool and kindergarten. I am also excited about the possibilities that could mean as we start our homeschool journey in the fall.

Here is a glimpse into one of our days this week.

These big brothers take their role in life seriously (unless of course they're "learning about animals" by watching wildkratts when every dvd, blanket, and board game could be pulled out around their feet and they wouldn't have a clue how it happened). They even like to call themselves "achachi" the Malayalee respectful word for big brother. As for Ezra, he loves being part of the pack and delights in his brothers' attention, and as a mamma, I love that. So much so, that sometimes it's even worth forgoing the usual "get down off the table" and "don't make a mess."

Wouldn't you know that we've jumped back down into the 60's after being near 100 degrees for a few days. Other than the difficulty of figuring out which clothes to keep out, I'm not complaining. When the sun is out, these are perfect temperatures to be out playing in the dirt. So, with little helper in tow, I went out to plant a few more veggies and check on our seedlings.

I don't think I will ever tire of seeing how buried seeds sprout into new life. Reminds me of this verse always, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives."

little feet in the dirt

gardener in training

The boys and I refilled our tiny sandpit. We found an old brush and funnel at a yard sale for 10 cents each. They've had so much fun playing out there. It was definitely worth the little investment.

notice the critters that have come out to play. they keep asking for a real pet (especially jude).

oh, it's a smiley face! and i thought i was called over to see some sort of interesting sand castle design.

And to wind down the day, we tasted our first home-made popsicles. They had each picked out flavors the night before. Nathaniel had a layered one with strawberry banana and blueberry-almond. Jude decided on strawberry banana for himself and Ezra. Ethan, he came up with pear and peach - something to do with matching his green holder. I could do a little personality analysis just based on this activity. I think we will be making more of these. I might even have to try these fudgesicles.

My goodness, what a long post! I suppose these summer days also gives me more time for blogging.

a colorful quilt for baby harper

2011-06-09T17:37:00.002-05:00

I am so excited that this is finished (before baby Harper turns one)! Harper was born in April and her mommy and I did a Bible Study together this past year and will be leading another one together next year.

I started the quilt with the colors of Harper's baby room - pink, red, white, and blue. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and pick some really vibrant colors for this sweet baby girl. I have to say that it was quite fun to do, and I am pleased with the result.

Truth be told, this really counts as my very first quilt. Well, at least the first one that I've gone through all the official steps - piecing, batting, quilting, and binding. This one didn't have a batting. So, here are the details... and wouldn't you know I forgot to measure it!

I used a cotton batting that's a really nice weight. I decided on a gray cotton for the back. I thought that would be a good way to tone it down, if needed. I quilted it with straight lines; the simplicity of which really appeals to me. And, I can't tell you how much fun it was to take it out of the dryer and see the crinkly-goodness of the fabric shrinking around the stitches. And there it was, a comfy, snuggly quilt. Like magic!

I do feel a little bit bad that I've never made one for the boys. They kept trying to sneak it off my sewing table and snuggle with it. Maybe we should put that on the list. I would love to make one for each of them to have on their beds. One day....

But for now, I'm glad to have this one off to baby Harper.

imposed rest

2011-06-08T16:44:00.000-05:00

So I thought a couple days of imposed rest might be useful since the boys haven't been able to shake this cold/cough thing they've got going on. Not too sure that it's worked. So I gave up on that idea and we were out and about today catching up on errands. But yesterday, this is where you could find us...

all cozied up downstairs with our critter friends...

and our snacks and fruit and veggie smoothies.

home for the weekend

2011-06-06T00:37:00.000-05:00

You wouldn't know seeing them running about during the day, but our boys have been fighting off a cold and horrible cough for the past week. The worst of it is at night when it feels like I take turns comforting children throughout the night. The twins are both on their "sick beds" which are blankets spread out on the floor. For some reason, this is kind of a treat especially when the blankets migrate into mommy and daddy's room.

So, we've stayed home this weekend even keeping the younger three home from church today. Despite the coughs, we've had a good and productive weekend. Saturday was spent outdoors with lots of weeding for me. The big garden bed is finally clear after removing about five bags of stuff. The boys stayed busy painting the swingset and deck. Today we stayed indoors more as we tried to force rest on the little people.

hard-working boys.

aren't they funny with their footwear? i can even say now with some proof that it runs in the family (bottom right).

{but really adult boots were worn for protection while spray cleaning the deck. MD friends, yes, he did use the beloved deck wash}

not a bad place for a nap. it would be better in a hammock, don't you think?

a cool, refreshing break... yeah for the first watermelon of the season!

the beginnings of a quiet sunday morning.

and another nap. this time in his highchair. and yes, he stayed in his pj's all day.

he's awake and helping mommy finish up a quilt. more on that later

{beck, is that the sort of crochet dish scrubbie you use? this is the first one i made that is now a play pincuhion for ezra}

every time i spread out the quilt, he would come and lay down on it or in this case just rest his head on the fabric. i suppose we can now say that it's "kid-tested"

a whole lot of flowers from the mister brought home after he and nathaniel went to church. just because. now, isn't that nice?

and one flower pot (or old ash bucket) planted. more tomorrow.

wow, that's one picture-filled post. hope you had a good weekend too!

warmer days?

2011-06-04T02:30:00.000-05:00

Well, today we got up to 96 degrees up here in Rochester. As is becoming a sort of custom, the kids and I got loaded up in the car to run some errands and let mommy stop at some yard sales. It is a bit of an addiction, I admit. Thankfully, the littles are quite amenable and have found ways to keep themselves amused.

On the way home, I looked back to find Jude shirtless because it was "sooo hot." These temperature jumps make it hard for little (and not so little) bodies to adjust.

So, I decided to put out some water play... The boys had fun despite the water still being chilly. The neighbor boys came out to play. Jude and Ethan rolled down a hill. And when they were done in our yard, they hopped the fence to the neighbor's and used their hose to create a water slide. Carefree, childhood days. Does it make you nostalgic?

Ezra does love the water, but the cold direct spray was a bit much, so I set him up his own little area to splash away.

And then I realized. Oops, what about dinner? This is a common occurence during the summers around here. Am I alone? I had thought about making some fish since we've had so much chicken and so on. Well, some cod, calimari, scallops, tomatoes, portabellos, capers, spinach, and spaghetti later... we had our meal.

It stretched the boys a bit, but I'm all for that. I think overall, they got what they needed and we had an enjoyable home-made, nutritious meal. I'm trying to encourage myself to do this more in lieu of calling the mister and asking him to pick something up. Now, if only I had written down how I made it.

a late start

2011-06-03T01:29:00.000-05:00

With everything else that's been going on like little one's graduating and brother's getting engaged and not to mention the slow start to spring and still cool temperatures, we have just started to clean out our garden. I am planning on not doing so much this year for several reasons. For one, we expect to travel to the East Coast right around peak harvest. I've also signed up with a CSA this summer and given that we have one more planned year here (oh my!) I don't want to overstock our pantries and freezers with goodness that we won't be able to move.

All that being said, it is nearly impossible to sit inside and leave the garden space unused... for me or the littles! We found a stack of books about gardening at the library, and I believe the boys have been inspired. Both yesterday and today, they have been quite eager to "get to gardening" and have gone out without me to start digging and cleaning out the incredible abundance of weeds in our little beds.

ezra usually hangs out in the stroller

but we let him out, so he could get his feet and hands wet.

We've got one more bed to weed out and then we've got some heirloom tomatoes and peppers to put in. We'll also be doing some beans, peas, beets, radishes, kale, and carrots. We may even put in some eggplant and okra -- but they do like warm temps which we haven't felt much.

of course, he ended up right in the middle of things

I let the boys have one garden bed all for themselves. They planted it with sunflowers, cosmos, and nasturtium. I was going for larger seeds and easy to grow plants. I do hope they come out. They also have marigolds, but I like to co-plant those with the veggies to help with insects and such. I did sneakily sprinkle in some chamomile in their bed too. I know I won't have lots for tea, but I would like to try just a small batch. How fun to make my own tea!

my dwarves tire quickly though. then they go play. ezra loves the slide. and his brothers love toting him around. i am so glad to finally have this totally ezra-smile on film.

oh look, he found our little sandbox. sand and water... hours of delight. but first, i must remember to buy more sand.

spring days

2011-05-16T22:13:00.000-05:00

spring, finally. we see dandelions everywhere. so yellow. gorgeous.
[as long as it's not growing in our yard, according to the mister]

i have received so many boy-handled gifts this past week. we have a little collection basket by the front door for all these sorts of precious bounty.

even the youngest has contributed.

we've had many walks.

we've enjoyed the neighborhood park.

we've snuck in some learning outside school. he's making mommy's grocery list which ended up being mostly pictoral.

his little brother snatched up the paper to try it himself.

we've reacquainted ourselves with all the fun, mostly-thrifted outdoor toys and shared them with our neighbors.

we've enjoyed dinner al fresco as much as we can. the boys enjoy it so much and it makes clean up so much easier for mama.

silly boys

2011-05-15T23:14:00.001-05:00

I found this on the computer. Despite the poor quality, it's plenty clear that the boys were having quite a bit of fun on the webcam. I'm still wondering where I was when all this was happening because there are several recordings. But, what I love the best is that they were having fun together.

Nathaniel took over the singing at the beginning. Jude's doing a whole lot of background dancing, and I'm pretty sure Ethan was responsible for the visual effects.

and please pay no attention to the mess behind them, it has since been somewhat tidied.

And for their grandparents, who I"m sure will ask me to translate the lyrics. here they are. (accuracy to the original is completely unknown)

Compassion and mercy from you to me and me to you and you to me

Exactly what God wants to see, and yes that is the point. Hey!

Jonah was a prophet, ooh-ooh

But he never really got it, it's sad but true

If you want you can spot it, doodly-doo,

He did not get the point

It's true in your life, you probably don't ride on a camel

or you won't wake up inside a large aquatic mammal

So in your life, there's something you can do

Everyone deserves a second chance from you.

for the babes

2011-04-26T17:23:00.000-05:00

I have a great excuse to shop for fabric! I have several friends that just had or are expecting baby girls. For a mom of four boys, this is exciting news indeed!

I am in various stages of creating blankets for some of them. Here's one that I made for a friend who had her baby on Easter morning. Her baby room colors are pink, green and brown, so I chose fabrics in those hues for the blanket. It is a cozy flannel on one side and some flannel and cotton strips on the other. I didn't add batting because the flannel is thick enough for a spring baby. I quilted it with simple straight lines and added a little bit of green ric rac and brown binding. I don't remember what it measured but it was generous because I do love a good-sized baby blanket that can double as a nursing cover.

I have another colorful strip quilt that needs to be finished for a friend... whose baby is almost a month old! Yikes, I better get to that! And then I need to come up with something lovely for my cousin's baby who will be born in a month. I'm so excited to finally have a girl baby in the family!

And for the boys... well, they like to crowd into the office chair when I'm online and if I'm on ravelry they request things. Here's something I made for them a while ago to their specifications.

ravelry link here

These finger puppets were fun and pretty simple to make. I love the tails on all these critters although you can't really see them in this picture. The pig was requested by Ethan, the cow (who looks like he has measles) by Nathaniel, and the dog by Jude who was most surprised when he saw that he had essentially ordered Clifford.

it is a good day

2011-04-22T13:31:00.003-05:00

God the designer of the stars and galaxies loves me
He wants to be in relationship with me
He gave it all so that I could live and live abundantly
He died in love... but rose in power
Giving me hope for eternity

We remember His death today. Really, we are remembering His great, great love for us. and we wait expectantly for resurrection day. Because on that day, He was powerfully raised from the dead and the Bible says we can experience that same power raising us from death into life. I'm not just talking about judgment day, I'm talking about those situations in our life that seem "dead." There is hope. God can breathe life and resurrection power into those situations or areas of our life. It's not just about reaching heaven one day but experiencing heaven on earth today. Sunday's coming, friends.

I am determined to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:10-11

around the house

2011-04-22T00:12:00.000-05:00

As of last night, N has one-less tooth and his mama is so excited and sad/anxious/nostalgic at how big her first baby is getting. He is beyond excited as he's been waiting for this happy occasion for over a year now. He's been shaking it for about a week and yesterday, he came to show his daddy and without a single tear, mid-coversation, his daddy just pulled out the tooth. I was most surprised given that I remember teeth pulling as an event with lots of tears, running away, and other high-strung antics. *cringe*

My parents have been living with us for over two months. Today was their departure day, and it is a transition! I am thankful for the time we had together and for the bonds that span the generations. This morning, Ezra joined his appacha as soon as he woke up for some snuggling...

some music and dancing...

and looks like he needed some coffee too...

The older three.. well, I found them spread out on the bed with their assorment of creatures. Jude and Ethan literally travel through the house with these friends and make up stories and chat incessantly with each other. I suppose N decided to join them today.

Take a closer look, what do we see. Oh, it seems that everything has been injured and in need of medical attention. I hear the airplane was attacked by an eagle mid-flight. The others, I'm not quite sure but I did make it clear (I think) that they could only allow three more injuries for that's all the bandaids they had left. We shall see, I suppose. This is why we buy the cheap stuff.

And finally, a glimpse of how we are enjoying spring in MN, force it and bring it in indoors. For those of you who are unfamiliar with our recent spring weather - we've had winter weather advisories which brought snow, freezing rain and other such silliness that should not be seen in the spring! But, I am thankful that we didn't see the 6 inches predicted and that the snowblower got to remain tucked away!

daddy's home to help with homework

2011-04-18T23:14:00.001-05:00

It's a special treat when daddy's home to help with school work. Here's how it looks.

discussions

working oh so hard

uh, there's someone extra and he seems to have lost a shirt. typical, really.

and another... he seems to be a bit more cautious in his approach.

maybe it's time for a break? i'm thinking ezra thinks his brothers are pretty fascinating creatures. I would have to agree.

12 months

2011-04-18T16:47:00.001-05:00

My sweet man is a whole year old now. I realize this seems to be the universal sentiment from mothers at this time (and perhaps always), but I'll say it anyway, where ever has the time gone? It continues to amaze me how a short 12 months brings about such changes in a little person and how such a little person can exhibit so much personality.

Our guy is not really verbal yet, but he knows how to communicate what he wants. He uses a few signs but primarily the one to nurse which he uses often... very, very often. He has his two upper teeth and is working hard for those two bottom ones which makes for very sharp kisses. He has been a much fussier eater than his brothers but I think we're working up to a healthy appetite. He is very playful and is easily amused. His cute chuckle and silly faces have us all charmed. His brothers are very protective and are enjoying that they can play with him more. I just love this age where he straddles being a cuddly, needy baby and a quirky little person.

Of all our little guys, he has had the privilege of spending the most time with his daddy at this age. They have already started to use electronics/technology as a means of spending quality time together. In particular, Ezra love this video, and, yes it's in German. If his daddy's in the bed with the computer he comes over, does a little hopping (dancing), and points to the laptop. Then he moves around until he's snuggled in perfectly close and falls asleep. Sweetness.

We had two birthday celebrations for him with just our family. The first was a bit early since Sam, Gifty, Mom and Dad were in town all at the same time. I made a chocolate almond cake from the Joy of Cooking. I quite liked it. I don't think Ezra could believe his good fortune of not only being allowed to climb onto the table but also to have managed to grab a handful of cake and then more and more.

Ethan-man, why the funny face?

On his actually birthday, we had our first grilled meal of the summer followed by an assortment of home-made red velvet and carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. The twins and I had bought balloons for E after school which kept him entertained for the rest of the day and some. A whole month later, I'm still trying to get that last balloon to come down off our ceiling!

the little red hen... sort of.

2011-04-09T00:26:00.000-05:00

unlike the little red hen, i have lots and lots of helpers from start to finish. and unlike the little red hen, we haven't started with seeds (yet).

there is something so simple and so rewarding in the art of bread making. i can assure you it's not just the littles who oooh and ahh when we check and see the dough swelling under the wet towel.

"protecting the bread"

and there are so many interested in sampling the nicely (i think) misshapen bread as soon as it comes out of the oven.

there's so much more to try and learn, but little by little we are doing more bread making at our house.

looking back

2011-04-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

I am so behind on posts, I don't even know where to start. Rewind a couple months ... Ezra at 11 months.

Lounging, tired child. He was somewhere between being sick and teething (for his very first pair of teeth).

These last few months have been full of exploration. Exploring what his own little fingers and legs can do and exploring the world around him.

Just eating his bread. He pulled out the roaster and sat in it to enjoy his snack. Doesn't he look comfortable? I haven't committed to a high chair yet, but I will admit that I used his idea for a few days.

for japan

2011-03-22T22:57:00.001-05:00

I was asked to offer a prayer for Japan at a recent Bible Study meeting. In this group of about 120 women, we have a few of Japanese origin who are part of an ESL study group. I have had the privilege of getting to know a number of them. And although I wasn't immediately comfortable with the idea of praying in front of this awesome group of ladies, I felt God's gentle tug pulling me away from my own insecurities to do what I know is His will...pray for my friends and their families. I did, and I was blessed.

Since some have asked, here is the prayer....

Please continue to pray and do what you can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O God, Our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come

Our shelter from the raging storm

And our eternal home.

Father, as we stand in your presence this morning, we intercede for Japan.

Even though we will never understand such suffering this side of heaven, we believe your Word which says that You are love. You love Japan and its people. As so many are hurting now, we stand in the gap for them today, and we pray...

We ask for miracles

We pray for strength for rescue workers as they tirelessly search

We pray for wisdom and unexpected success for those dealing with the nuclear reactors

We pray your comfort for those who have lost or are still searching for loved ones

We pray for healing and medical attention to reach those who are injured and sick

We pray for food, water, and supplies to quickly reach those in greatest need

We pray endurance and hope for those who have survived and must now rebuild in the face of such devastation

We pray for the Christians in Japan, that their faith would not fail. That they would shine their lights so brightly that the doors of many other hearts would open to receive You

We pray for continued safety, health and provision for our Side by Side group in Sendai.

We especially pray for our Japanese friends and sisters in this room who grieve over losses and injuries. Who are concerned about the known and unknown, and the future of their country.

Envelope our friends here in your extravagant love and comfort. Give them your peace that is beyond and even defies human understanding. Be their refuge, their fortress, their God in whom they can trust. Give them reason to hope.

Stir our hearts with your love for Japan. Cause us to see how we can stretch out our hands in help – to be your hands and your feet.

Restore peace and joy to Japan and the Japanese people.

We pray in Jesus’ name

brrr...

2011-01-22T20:05:00.002-06:00

Perhaps you've heard that we are experiencing a deep freeze out here in MN. It sure feels that way to me. We've been snow covered since before Christmas, and I have to say that I'm snow and cold weary. Don't get me wrong, I do love snow, but well it is possible to have "too much of a good thing."

six yr old attains new heights at driveway entrance; mom wonders how much higher she can go

When you get to a certain point, there is just no where to put the snow. I suppose this is why I see this sort of thing:

If you look carefully (2nd truck on left) , you will see that they are collecting the snow off the roads and blowing it into dumptrucks. Once the dumptrucks are full of snow, they are driven off to some mysterious location with their load of white stuff. I remember when I saw this for the first time last year, I laughed so hard that we ended up in a place where dump trucks carry snow not mud.

When we lived in PA, we used to say that Buffalo, NY is where all the snow goes to die. I say differently now.

So, what do we do with all this snow? Make the most of it, I guess... Children do that so well. I'm sure there's a life lesson there.

In addition to the buckets of snow, we have also had some really low temperatures -- like where we hope to hit zero.

I thought this was so bad, I took a picture.

Until the next morning.

This has all left me wondering how it was possible for pioneers of old (think Ingalls family) to have survived a MN winter in a log cabin with far fewer clothes, I'm sure, and no blown heat.

And yet, if you look close there is beauty all around. And the knowledge that winter can't last forever. Spring, color and life are around the corner... even though the corner may be a bit farther away than I would like.

vibrant color: amaryllis

I didn't mean to, but as I'm writing, I can't help but apply that to our lives. It brings me to the verse (Ps. 30:5), "...Even though weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning." Think on it, friends. God's at work even though we may not see it. Hope always. Dawn will break.

signs of life: burning bush

granny squares

2011-01-19T23:09:00.003-06:00

there is something so fun about making them. it's what made me want to learn to crochet (again) about a year ago. it's a relaxing activity and you can make them in all different patterns, sizes, colors etc without needing intricate patterns and such. for the past week, i've just picked up yarn and hook and worked through a few in the evenings as a way to close out the day with no long-term project in mind.

but now thanks to sarah london, my granny squares have a purpose. [i just love crafting for this reason.] she's decided to respond to the flooding in australia (read more here) by providing handmade blankets to people as they rebuild. in her words, she's looking to provide "comfort and colour... as a reminder that there is always a rainbow after a storm."

so if you can, join. no guilt if you can't.

we've come to a decision

2011-01-19T19:51:00.000-06:00

I bet you can tell about what... Yes, we've prayerfully decided to homeschool the boys next year. We are both very excited about trying this out although we both realize there will be some very challenging moments ahead. This is not a long-term decision.... I think I would must rather sign up for just one year at a time. But for right now for our family, we believe this will be a good thing.

I have looked through a multitude of catalogs, read as many books as I could pick up at the library, and talked to several friends who homeschool both locally and not. What a blessing to be able to have access to so much great information. I am really excited about the plethora of homeschooling families and co-ops in this area and will definitely be looking to plug-in as best as I can. We have not made final decisions about which curriculum, but some great friends have let me go through what they're using and that's been so helpful. Unfortunately, none of the local stores carry homeschool textbooks anymore and the MN homeschooling conference is about 4 hours away, so I won't get to go through as many as I would like, but I'm sure you could never get through all of them anyway. At this point, I will be cherry picking from several catalogs and mixing up the levels. The twins will be starting Kindergarten and Nathaniel will be somewhere between 1st and 2nd grade. I love looking through all the catalogs. Who ever knew there was so much you could teach wee ones?

At some point next year, I know I will need to come back and revisit this post and remind myself that I chose this option, and I really did think it was a good idea.

10 months

2011-01-14T17:05:00.000-06:00

This past month has been full of activity for little Ezra. He took his first steps 2 days into being 9 months old and has been gaining balance and momentum since.

He is eating better although he still has days where he has no interest in solid food. On those days, you will probably find his daddy sneaking in some chocolate to give him some calories. I know, I know.. I can't believe it either. Although our little man has no teeth yet, he still likes to try to take big bites. He clenches down really hard and holds his fists really tight. It's awfully cute.

He give big, wet kisses when you ask and even when you don't which is ok with all of us since we just can't get enough. He's learned to clap and raise his hands when he hears music. He's adding to his musical repertoire with a hilarious little bounce action. He loves this touch and feel book, "Brown Bear, Who Do You Love." He really likes any sort of electronic gadget and particularly his daddy's computer, pager, and cell phone.

He's a charmer this one, and I think it's safe to say that we are all enchanted especially his brothers. Ezra is now waddling behind them when they go off to play and in no time, I'm sure he'll be right in the middle of things.

a sweater

2011-01-14T17:04:00.002-06:00

I actually managed to finish a project! It's a crocheted sweater called Bombay Love found here on ravelry. The original has shorter sleeves, but I lengthened them given we do live in MN. I used yarn that I had on hand in colors that I primarily had on hand because I wasn't sure how it would go. But, this sweater works up so quickly (the beauty of crochet) you could seriously make one in every color scheme you wanted.

More pictures to come in the next post.

catching up on 2010: 4 year olds

2011-01-06T12:28:00.000-06:00

wednesday. november 10, 2010.
the boys turned four this past year. for some reason, it feels like they crossed a line and now should be "big boys." but these two, they're babies at heart and act like it still which all in all, i think is a good thing.

they were delighted to celebrate their day with their friends at pre-school and cupcakes. mrs. leif had them pick out toys and one got a penguin and the other some sort of shrek toy which they played with for the rest of the day. before i picked them up, i filled up the car with as many green and yellow balloons as i could blow up and when they saw it, they exclaimed with awe, "how did they get in here?" simple delights.

we had a little photoshoot in which the penguin and shrek made many appearances, lots of play, dinner, and then off they went to awana. post-awana and still in their vests they had cake. two! both with candles! there's something magical about preschoolers and candles, i tell you.

a good day.

chefs and judges

2011-01-03T22:01:00.000-06:00

I am desperately behind on posts but instead of playing catch up today, I thought I would just enjoy today's antics from my two talkative, moody, extremely imaginative goobers. But first,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So, back to the goobers... J & E can often be found playing some sort of imaginative game together, particularly when big brother is at school. It usually involves a lot of play acting and discussion, they are in character and need to be addressed accordingly, and they happily spend hours moving around the house chit-chatting and make- believing. I love watching and listening them and wish I could somehow record all their chatter. Today, I managed to take a few photos without getting the usual funny faces.

playing "chefs and judges" (can you tell we probably watch too much foodnetwork tv?)

jude (the judge) telling ethan (the chef) how to cut his vegetables

the judge getting in on the rolling action.

six years

2010-11-24T00:49:00.001-06:00

The little man that opened the door to my motherhood journey is now SIX! Nathaniel had been talking about having a surprise birthday party for most of the summer, and so that's what we did. His friends were really good about keeping the secret, and he was completely surprised. Post-festivities, N wanted to go over every detail with me from how his friends knew to come, to where their cars were, and where each one chose to hide. He just couldn't believe we could surprise him and his six-year old self.

We had originally planned to celebrate at the local apple orchard. However, a cold, rainy day kept us indoors. So, we had to make some adjustments, but I think for a first birthday with friends, all went well!

invitations

he's surprised! (...and his brothers too)

apple orchard @ home

making apple magnets along with a discussion on this verse "And he shall keep you as the apple of His eye"

how many candy corn in the jar? they were so funny with their guesses... it ranged from 100 to 1 million. Actual number? 402... 4+0+2=6.

boys completely enthralled with the history of apple bobbing.. true or false, i still don't know. but, i can say that i was completely impressed with the mister's storytelling skills

caramel apples to put in the goody bag

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10 boys in all... and we really did have a jolly good time.

N's actual birthday fell on a Sunday this year and it just so happened that we had a fellowship gathering after church. So, we took over a cake and had a special time with our church family.

this will have to count as our family picture

just for fun

2010-11-23T00:16:00.001-06:00

Every once in a while, we'll take the time to deck the table. The boys really enjoy setting the table including bringing out all the silverware and linens that we rarely end up needing. We light candles which never ceases to entertain the littles, who would much prefer to dine only by candlelight, and we all sit down and enjoy a meal together. On this particular night, we had salad, roasted trout, roasted asparagus, and vegetable rice.

St. Paul

2010-11-23T00:01:00.001-06:00

Where has the month gone? We have been thoroughly spoiled out here in Minnesota with such a pleasant and mild fall season. We've even had days in the seventies! And, no real snowfall to speak of... although as I write this, a wintry mix is falling.

We've tried to take advantage of these moderate temperatures before the blistery winter winds blow in. And let me tell you, it get oh sooo cold out here in the midwest. One afternoon, we took the boys up north to the Cities. We enjoyed a somewhat ad hoc picnic outside of St. Paul Cathedral before we visited the Children's Museum.

st. paul's cathedral

leaf angels

out & about: the zoo

2010-10-07T00:24:00.000-05:00

Not too long ago, on a sunny, windy, glorious, midwest kind of day...

...we took three three little monkeys...

...and a monkey-in-training to the zoo

They were delighted with the animals and spent a great deal of time in particular watching tigers and bears with only a sheet of glass separating them. Fascinating but unfortunately our camera had run out of juice by then. So, here's a picture of a moose. What a funny creature with it's top-heavy and dainty legs structure.

Oh, and I took the kids in to visit the goats. Having done this before, I don't know why I forgot how eager they can be to find get a hold of their grub. I danced with a few and left with the extra adornment of hoof marks on my sweater. However, that did not deter me from asking the mister if one day when I grow up, I could have my very own goat. He didn't answer, but I'm holding out hope. Perhaps, I should start with chickens.

All in all, a good day.

and he's on the move

2010-09-18T00:04:00.001-05:00

My happy, little man is 6 months (and three days) and he's finding his way into lots of new and interesting things. He's constantly rolling, spinning, and scooching into new exploration. Today, he even sat up on his own for a bit. It's great fun for his brothers and of course exciting to watch him grow, but I do wish he would stay a babe in arms for a bit longer.

I was out in the garden with him picking what must be the end of the season vegetables, and he was itching to get in my basket. So, after a quick rinse I let him get his fingers on all the different textures.

And then wouldn't you know, he rolled off the mat to go explore something else. A water puddle... could you blame him?

in the kitchen: off the beaten path

2010-07-21T23:09:00.000-05:00

Given all the fresh produce of the season from our garden, the CSA, and of course the grocery store, we've been trying out some different ingredients and different recipes.

Beets are quickly moving up my favorite list. I really enjoy them steamed, but we've also tried out a very colorful beet root yogurt dish called pachadi in Malayalam. It's really not as intense as it looks. It's in fact a mild yogurt dish to accompany rice and such.

Kohlrabi -- a new ingredient to me. Very tasty prepared as thoran, a typical South Indian dish.

And, we've had lots of watermelon over the past few weeks. I saw a recipe in this cookbook for pickled watermelon rind and my sister and I made it. It's quite refreshing - a little sweet, a hint of ginger and star anise, and a nice cold crunch.

a walk

2010-07-21T22:46:00.001-05:00

with lots of extra gear...

stylish wear...

plenty of breaks and more silliness than I know what to do with.

This is how we roll. :)

from the garden: carrots

2010-07-21T22:36:00.001-05:00

This is the first time we've grown carrots. And, I can't believe how much fun it is. I think some of the fun comes from the carrot being a root vegetable, so it's always a suprise what you get when you pull them up. The boys love tugging them out of the ground. I can barely get them washed up before they want to start chomping on them.

making butter

2010-07-14T18:22:00.000-05:00

put whipping cream in a container and shake...

then shake some more...

and even more until... the sound changes. yeah!

creamy, butter ready. i wish i had the foresight to prepare some home-made bread alongside but store bought was just fine.

and i think the boys agree. so yummy and a perfect activity for little hands with lots of energy.

snippets of our day

2010-07-13T01:50:00.001-05:00

helping in the kitchen

coloring, painting, cutting, glueing

entertaining baby

mommy's newly crocheted bag becoming a play prop for going to the store, swinging, and karate fighting

bathtime fun - big brother helping the littles

mornings

2010-07-13T01:01:00.000-05:00

these are special times. i love the hands, feet, cuddles, and squeals that come from these little ones in the morning when they all climb into our bed. i love that the three older ones come to visit little ezra first thing in the morning and that at almost four months, he fits right in.

celebrating

2010-07-09T00:01:00.003-05:00

Today we celebrated my sister's birthday. We haven't lived in the same state for seven years now, so I count it a privilege to have had her living with us since baby Ezra's birth.

The boys were so excited last night planning what they would do. Nathaniel is hugely into surprises, so he just wanted to hide somewhere and then come out and say happy birthday. They also decided to have a dance party for Giftychechi because she likes to dance. And they put their daddy in charge of the "games."

So far birthdays have been simple in our home. It's a day that we usually spend together enjoying each other's company and a special meal taking time to celebrate the special birthday person. Today was just that way.

N woke up earliest and had my parents on the phone so that when G woke up we could all say happy birthday to her together. We had a special breakfast ready and much to the boys' delight there was more for them too. Breakfast was light with lots of fruit, yogurt, granola, fresh juice, and cranberry-orange scones (one of my all time favorites).

And we ended the day with dinner and a quasi-dance performance by the boys. G likes hors d'oeuvres, so I decided to do an around the world tapas style dinner. So, we had smoked salmon on herb toast, shrimp spring rolls, chicken saltimbocca, uzhunnu vada, and steak ssam.

Our favorite was the smoked salmon followed closely by the spring rolls and hoisin-peanut sauce.

Instead of making a cake, I ordered a variety of mini-cakes from the local bakery that the mister picked up on his way home. As for favorites, G and I debated between the dark chocolate cake of the ice cream sundae vs the cherry center of the torte. The mister was a fan of the red velvet as was N. E liked the orange chocolate and J couldn't get enough frosting.

**edited** The boys helped me create cards on the computer and then they colored them in. The twins always seem to be in character so E signed off as Giftychechi's baby spinch (don't ask) and J signed off as Rufus the dog (I heard him wrong and typed Ruford). N was sticking with the dancing theme and thought the dancing skeleton was hilarious. They were quite proud of their contribution. As E said, "I did a great job coloring" At least we're building confidence, right?

All in all, I hope G had a good day. I know I'm blessed to have her as a sister and I'm thankful for all God has done for her and for every promise and blessing that awaits her in Him.

reading fun

2010-07-03T23:46:00.001-05:00

I think it's safe to say that mr. and I share a passion for books. I love libraries, bookstores, friend's bookshelves and usually anywhere where there's books to flip through. We don't get to the library as often as I would like, but when we do, it usually takes up quite a chunk of our day. In between visits, we have plenty of books at home most of which I've collected for quarters at yard sales and the thrift store. I like to rotate books in and out of their space and keep baskets in different places around the house to make it accessible and fun vs. overwhelming.

Last week, we took the trip to the library and spent a few hours there. It was fun to see how the boys are developing their own interests in learning more about this big wide world through books.

N is a strong reader and now it's my challenge to find books that are interesting for him but are also age appropriate. I tried the Boxcar Children and ended up having a discussion on where the parents of the children went. His most recent fascination seems to be with dinosaurs. Just in case you're interested, I've recently learned that if you scrambled a dinosaur egg, you could feed 36 people!

The little guys don't read on their own, but they do sit and make up fascinating stories based on the pictures. Usually, everyone in the family is represented in the story and there's lots going on. Truly, their imagination impresses me.

serious perusers

sad faces when i told them they had to put some back

2010-06-29T23:24:00.002-05:00

Can you guess where my jeans and I travelled today?

Yup, more berries. Lots.

This the very end of the season, so I wasn't hoping for much more than a fun excursion for the kids. When we got there I had an interesting discussion with the farmer about whether I was an expert strawberry picker because according to him, if I wasn't I probably didn't need to bother going down to the patches. I was a tad confused because I had called ahead and made sure there was still some picking to be done. Then he says he didn't know who he was talking to at the time and he asked if I was from India and again questioned my strawberry picking qualifications. Huh? Well, then I had to explain that I was no expert but that I had grown and picked strawberries before. Strange and kind of funny... But believe me, I was motivated to pick some berries.

So...here we are with 20 pounds of strawberries (at the end of the season). Unfortunately, the farmer man had switched places with his wife when we came up to pay, so I lost my chance to boast. The Lord works in mysterious ways. :) And, I did have a nice chat with his wife. But, next time I think I'll be saying that I am an expert in strawberry picking.

All in all, it was a lovely time. The day was warm and pleasant with a cool breeze. The boys enjoyed themselves and were actually quite helpful. They ran into some friends from school, played with a couple toads that they found, and of course ate many delicious strawberries. Unfortunately, I left my camera card at home and so missed out on some good photo opps. But, trust me it was a fun day.

And now off to bed. We're going to the library in the morning for a show and to surprise the boys by meeting up with some of the boys' friends from school.

new to me

2010-06-25T23:29:00.003-05:00

I have a somewhat secret love of things that are old and chippy. It's a cautious affection because I'm always wary of bringing home too much junk that in the near future I will need to pack up. But, I can't seem to stop myself from picking things up that look like this...

I think most of my family would think I was kind of nutty for actually purchasing this box. Thankfully, my husband says not a negative word when he sees my additions to the garage and eventually the house. Back to the box, I really don't know what I'll do with it. Ideas are welcome but it was only 50 cents and I just love the blue/grey chippy paint. See, look...

And then there's this bucket.. isn't it neat? I really like the ones with old labels but I didn't want to dish out the extra dollar.

I purchased this wooden pully at a local yard sale. I like it sitting out in the flower bed. I wish I had bought its pair because it would have made more of a statement. Lesson learned.

I have an affinity for little people chairs. This is my latest and since I had left my other chairs in PA, I was pretty excited to find it. It needs a good dusting. I'm not sure if I'll paint it or not. In the background, is my consignment store ash bucket turned flower pot and my yard sale blue wicker chairs.

And, since I'm being honest -- let me say that I turned my minivan around in the street and ran out in the pouring rain to pick this thing up off the curb. This and several wood sticks that I thought would be a good 'trellis' for the beans. And it's not the first time I've stopped to pick things off the curb. But, look at the hinge and the nice whitewash .. I couldn't just leave it. I think it will make a good flower box.

For the first time, I'm linking up to Southern Hospitality's Thrifty Treasures.

summer sports

2010-06-24T00:13:00.001-05:00

His first day of sports camp at the Y -- Boy, was he so excited!! This two-day a week sports sampler has resulted in a number of interesting training sessions at home where I've tried to explain the objectives behind kickball, t-ball, and most recently football. We've practiced our throwing, catching, fielding, and kicking and for anyone who knows me, you know this stretches my athletic abilities. But it's fun because he loves it and after our first practice, he cuddled up next to me on the recliner and said, "I love you, mommy." I was curious, so I asked why. He says, "Just because I do." Yeah, my heart melted.

The brothers got to come to the last session and they were plenty occupied. They do love getting messy... I suppose most 3-yr olds do.

It took Ethan a few minutes before he was comfortable with sand on his feet... but once he did...

...he was very comfortable. They made a friend and concocted a game of sand swimming.

And Ezra enjoyed the sun, the new noises, digging his feet in the sand, and a wee nap

Father's Day

2010-06-23T00:25:00.001-05:00

We were excited to walk out of church and see the sun shining and the clouds receding. Although an indoor picnic sounded ok.. it was nice to be able to head out to a local park and enjoy the afternoon with ...

yummy food

(garden salad, 3 types of tea sandwiches - roast beef, fresh mozzarella, and smoked salmon, warm brie with pears & apples, lime rice, spicy cilantro chicken, and fresh fruits and custard for dessert - and yes, my sister and i have a habit of going just a little bit overboard)

...good company

...peaceful ambience (not to mention some shade)

...space to run off some energy

...giggly, happy baby

...time to enjoy giggly, happy baby

But, I have to say the best thing about Father's Day this year was the chance to hear my husband speak in church again. It's something I believe he has a gifting for and it's been too long. I'm thankful for a great pastor who is so interested in stirring up the gifts in every member of the church. If you're so inclined, click here to listen. (click on the 'service_06_20_10.mp3' and move to the 19 minute mark)

in the kitchen

2010-06-19T02:13:00.000-05:00

Since tomorrow brings another farmer's market with more vegetables, I thought I would recap what's been made this past week. Does anyone else struggle with making sure nothing spoils in the back of the fridge or the bottom of a drawer? I know it's happened to me more often than I would like to admit... so here's last week's recap:

Tossed Salad (lots of it)

Steamed Bok Choy with Ginger

Asian-style Lettuce Wraps

Dhal with Methi (fenugreek leaves)

Guacamole and Chicken Roast used up the cilantro

Russian Kale Thoran (Malayalee sauteed vegetable)

A little bit about Thoran. This is a common way to prepare vegetables in Kerala cooking - it's simple, healthy, and tasty. To prepare, you first fry mustard seed, then add in onions, grated coconut, green chilis, curry leaves, and turmeric. In the case of dark green vegetables, I like to add in some cooked masoor dhal, a couple cloves of garlic, a little bit of cumin and chili powder. I mash all these ingredients into a coarse paste and add it to the mustard seed. Once your onions are cooked through and the coconut is toasted, you add in your chopped vegetables. Season with salt. Cover the mixture and let it cook through.

While making the thoran, I just had to take some pictures of my little assistant. He really likes to be in the middle of all the action which in this case means he's on the kitchen floor playing on his activity mat with his little birdie.

a little part

2010-06-17T00:09:00.000-05:00

I read about Kelly who recently lost her battle with cancer and her husband and son that are dealing with this great loss in their lives. Tonya over at Plain & Joyful Living was (as she says) "nudged" to pull together a blanket for Kelly's son Ari -- made from squares sent in by woman all over who were moved by Kelly's story and want to share some measure of love, prayer and peace to her family. You can read more here.

I mailed in a couple of squares -- nothing extraordinary. But, I'm excited to see how all these different squares are pieced and constructed into something beautiful and meaningful for Ari.

oxbow

2010-06-16T23:30:00.003-05:00

These pictures are from two months ago shortly after my appendectomy when Ezra was just about a month old. Gosh, that seems like a lot longer than 2 months. We had taken the boys out to a local park to breathe in some fresh spring air.

all my boys

hubby & one month old ezra - he looked so tiny then (and it's only been a couple months)

ethan - i could do a whole post on this child's many self-designed outfits. And yes, I let him come out of the house like that.

jude - what can i say about my adventurer. he's already had one wardrobe change and he just looks like he's considering what mischief he can find next.

nathaniel - finally a picture that he's not ~~grimacing~~ grinning

three months

2010-06-14T22:55:00.001-05:00

My sweet boy is three months old today. He's such a delightful baby with a cheery and peaceful disposition. He takes a good long look at someone before he offers an enchanting smile that seems to say, "Hey, I know you and I'm glad you came around." He loves baths and now likes to sit and coo at the baby in the mirror. He even lets out a little wail when I turn him away from his reflection.

I can already see that he loves his brothers. He is completely engaged and amused when they come around doing all kinds of stunts to make "baby Ez-i-ra" laugh.

On Saturday during family prayer, he turned over from his belly to his back much to the delight of his big brothers. They giggled and cheered him on and woke up the next morning asking for him to do it again. I suppose he'll be moving around sooner than I'm ready, but right now I am thoroughly enjoying these cuddly baby months.

incoming

2010-06-14T22:54:00.002-05:00

I think we're going to be inundated with fresh produce this summer. I took the plunge and signed up to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I'm excited to be bringing all this fresh, organic, local goodness into our home. I'm also excited to see what kinds of dishes we can prepare with all the various veggies from the CSA as well as our garden. I hesitated initially because I'm just not sure how much of the produce fits our mix of American and Indian cooking. I finally figured that I could adjust and I think it will be a fun little game to play with myself this summer.

This Saturday was our first pick-up. So, the kids, my sister and I headed over to the Farmer's Market to pick up our box. The twins were less than easy to herd, so there's some training that needs to be done there. They kept bringing me things - heads of lettuce, plants, baked goods. Ayy!

But we made it home with all the littles in tow, despite the rain, and with many goodies. We've already made a salad and I'm thinking of chicken lettuce wraps with the bibb and some dhal curry with the methi and cilantro. We'll see what becomes of the rest.

bibb lettuce, wild spinach, cilantro, methi, bok choy, red and green leef lettuce, white turnips, russian kale

flavor-full strawberries that quickly met their fate

do they look guilty or what?

looks like they enjoyed it

what's in the garden

2010-06-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

Carrots, radishes, lettuce and herbs in the raised bed. The beets, beans, and peas are sprouting. In the back beds, we have tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, and of course chili peppers. The rabbits got to the kale already. I'm trying out acorn squash and tomatillo for the first time.

i've got a lot of helpers who pay no attention to my directions on what to pick. but i love that they're so interested in helping me.

and it all goes in to making a yummy salad:

funny boys

2010-06-09T02:06:00.006-05:00

nathaniel: (after having a little too much fun with his modeling clay) mamma, doesn't ezra look like an indian girl?

ezra: unsuspecting child, completely amused by his big brothers

me: funny children, get the camera. thinking to myself that i need to explain to these little ones the difference between a hindu girl and an indian one. and also, how is it that a picture in a book showing an indian woman outweighs the image of me that they see every day.

rapunzel, rapunzel, let down your hair

2010-06-09T01:52:00.005-05:00

a slightly different version. oh these boys. according to them, the little girls next door like to get sprayed, so my silly guys fill up their water guns and head on over to the girls' endless delight.

notice ethan's outfit - he was dressed up as "indy" - indiana jones. with the hat, he looked more like an amishboy. without it, he looked like an IPC pastor.

blissful summertime.

jude and ezra

2010-06-09T01:44:00.001-05:00

dan & katie beachy

2010-06-09T01:37:00.001-05:00

About a month ago, this dear couple came to visit us. Our first visitors from home other than family. Dan Beachy officiated our wedding - he travelled all the way to India for the ceremony. And ever since, he's taken a particular interest in our steps of life. He came up to PA to pack our moving truck and along with my dad drove over 1000 miles to MN. About Katie Beachy, what can I say other than she's one strong woman. She struggles to maintain a weight of about 100 lbs but I tell you she could outlift, outrun, outdo me any day. And her dry sense of humor always draws a laugh.

This couple is part of our extended family even though we appear quite different. The Beachys are former Amishpeople and bring much of that tradition with them as we bring much of our Indian tradition with us. Surprisingly, these heritages play quite well together as they both share conservative principles, a focus on family, and the importance of hard work. But more than this, our families are drawn together by our love for Jesus. It's amazing how the common purpose of knowing our God can unite our hearts.

Our time together was spent sharing meals, chatting, playing games with the children including Dan chasing the boys around the house, teaching and learning, and worshiping together. A "wonderful gut" time it was.

sharing a meal

yummy cheesecake made by my sister

lounging

katie teaching me to how to crochet an 8-petal flower

playing with ezra

bouquets

2010-06-09T00:46:00.000-05:00

Every time J & E see cut flowers at the store, they say: "Momma, those flowers are for you." And they carry on until I say thank you. Needless to say most of these flowers do not come home with us... but sometimes I just can't resist. Such was the case this past weekend.

Peonies with their vibrant and fragrant blooms are one of my favorite. To my great delight, I found some at the farmer's market this weekend. I wonder how the ones I planted in PA are coming along.

Asparagus Lasagna

2010-05-01T23:23:00.000-05:00

You must try this simple and delish recipe especially now that asparagus is in season. Speaking of, have you ever seen an asparagus plant -- different than what I expected. Anyways, I digress...

This lasagna comes out of the oven bubbly and crispy and unlike the typical lasagna has a very light feel. I first had this when a friend of mine made it for a bookclub meeting. I must say that I don't remember the book we discussed that night but I do remember this lasagna and a completely decadent chocolate cake. The recipe originates from Sara Moulton (Executive Chef at the sadly no longer existent Gourmet magazine) and can be found here.

I will also say that my boys (5 y/o & twin 3 y/os) like this and eat all the asparagus.

Here's the recipe with my modifications

1 pound asparagus (trimmed)
2 t. extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 scallions, sliced
1 15-oz container ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp milk
27 -30 refrigerated wonton wrappers
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
4 oz. parmesan cheese

Toss asparagus with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Place asparagus on baking sheet and toss onions, garlic, and scallions in any remaining oil. Broil on high heat for 5 minutes. Asparagus should be bright green and slightly tender.

Chop asparagus into quarters.

Blend ricotta cheese, milk, and broiled onions, garlic, and scallions. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking sheet and then arrange 1/3 of wonton wrappers. Layer with asparagus, cheese mixture, and then mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Repeat. Top with remaining third of wonton wrappers, ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella, and parmesan.

If desired, drizzle the edges with a wee bit of olive oil.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes until bubbly and brown. The edges should be crispy.

spring fever

2010-04-23T23:49:00.001-05:00

i miss that wild and crazy bush

and its dainty yellow flowers

...images from here

and to think that back in PA, i considered cutting it down every year because it took so much effort to prune it just right to get those yellow buds come early spring.

i think i'm also going to miss the lilacs, hydrangeas, azaleas, rhododendrons, clematis, and rose of sharon. i don't see myself planting all these again here, so i shall have to content myself with making a list and planning for a future garden.

of course small scale gardening is under foot here as well.. phlox and daisies, lavender, primrose, delphiniums, various annuals, and i am hoping to get at least one hydrangea in. and of course, the vegetable/herb garden.

like my boys, i do like playing in the mud.

strawberry jammin'

2010-04-18T01:11:00.004-05:00

It's been a couple years since I've made homemade jam but since there have been bunches of strawberries in the markets, how could I not? Not to mention, it's so very yummy!

Aren't strawberries lovely - just to look at? Who could resist taking a few pictures?

At our last home, I had a strawberry patch for making jam (if I could get to the berries before my boys ate them all). But this year, we just bought several pounds. This has been a longer process than I remember which probably has something to do with having a teeny one in the house and big brothers who are constantly on the go. Kudos to those that end up with 52 jars of jam for the year!

I really wanted a recipe with less sugar than the typical 4-7 cups, so I tried Stephinie's recipe and it turned out very well! I did pulse the berries a bit in the food processor so that brought the berries down to a little over 8 cups. For my own sake - when I'm looking for recipes for next year, I've summarized it below.

- 8 cups crushed strawberries (slightly over 4 lbs)

- 1/4 c lime juice

- 1 c water

- 2 c sugar

- 1 box (1.75 oz) low/no-sugar pectin

Bring strawberries, lime juice, water and 1.5 c of the sugar to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure your mixture doesn't boil over.

Mix pectin with remaining .5 c sugar and pour into boiling strawberries. Stir to make sure everything mixes well and you don't end up with lumps at the bottom.

[While you're stirring, be sure to take a nice deep breath and enjoy that sweet syrupy smell that I'm sure would make a hummingbird swoon.]

Cook additional 5 minutes and remove from heat. Skim off any foam.

Then pour into hot jars and seal as instructed by manufacturer. I did go ahead and process my jams for 10 minutes in a water bath which is also why I reduced the cooking time from the original recipe.

And there you have it, homemade soft-set reduced-sugar jam. Each batch made about 9 cups of jam.

I'll make another batch tomorrow with a bit more sugar for gift-giving and such.

four weeks

2010-04-13T00:35:00.001-05:00

It's amazing to me how this little fellow has so quickly found his place in our hearts and in our family. His brothers love to lie down next to him and "just talk" with him. He's begun to take in a bit more of his surroundings and coos back at us. He has the happiest smile and sometimes an out loud chuckle in his sleep which makes me wish I could catch a glimpse of his dreams. He is generally a sweet, easygoing baby which is a welcome change... although I think my perspective may be somewhat skewed after the twins. Ayy, what a handful they were and what joy and amusement they bring into our lives now.

maybe yes, maybe later

2010-04-08T00:21:00.004-05:00

notice that i'm not saying maybe no...

I really like this pattern from oliver + s

and this one

but then i ask myself all these questions - should i spend the $$ when i don't even know if i'm capable of making this from a pattern, do i have the time right now let alone the mental/physical energy and bandwidth. i don't know... but one day, i will get to this, and i hope it's sooner than later.

the wonders of what HE did on the cross

2010-04-02T17:35:00.001-05:00

This beautiful hymn has been playing in my mind these past couple days and I thought I would share it with you. It reminds me of His incredible love towards me and causes me out of love to offer him my life and my all.

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God!

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down!

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were an off'ring far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

gentle reminders

2010-03-28T13:19:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you get a reminder of how quickly things can change, how little in control we are, and what is really important. I have been gently reminded.

12 days post-partum, I was occupying myself by cutting and organizing a boat-load of coupons. I had what I thought was a back ache which slowly turned into a stomach ache, but I thought, this too shall pass. Well, it just wouldn’t go away. My husband {M} came home post-call, and after taking a look at me says, “You look sick, what’s wrong?” My response, “Well, my stomach hurts, I’m tired, and I haven’t showered yet.” After a few hours and no relief, M did his own exam and suspected appendicitis so off we went to the ER. I had a terribly hard time leaving my wee ones especially my little Ezra. He’s the only one who is solely dependent on me and I had no idea how long I would be gone for.

Anyways, M was right – appendicitis it was for which surgery is the only option. I am happy to say that they were able to the surgery laparoscopically which meant I was back home in less than 24 hours. Very sore, but I was back in my noisy home with all the ones I love most. I’m still waiting to feel back to normal but in the meantime, my heart is full of thankfulness. I dropped quite a few tears that night … and not because I was scared or anxious but because I was reminded of God’s goodness. For instance…

-- My parents and sister are still here and were able to take care of the children. That’s 3 extra pairs of hands who would have otherwise been 1000 miles away

-- Baby Ezra took the bottle for the first time, sweet adaptable little guy and when I got home, he went happily back to nursing

-- The boys joyfully adjusted to very quick changes

-- M was home on a Friday afternoon and could be with me the whole time at the hospital even though I’m sure he was exhausted from being on call on Thursday

-- The medical team was extremely supporting. They provided pumping supplies, information and anything else I needed to make sure this surgery was easy for me and my 12-day old baby

-- I got to the hospital earlier than later… resulting in a faster, ‘simpler’ surgical procedure

So, I’m sitting on my bed, not doing too much other than nursing a baby, enjoying the sounds of the little ones chattering away as my sister tells them the Easter story, listening to pots and pans clanging in the kitchen, wondering what the smells in the kitchen mean, waiting for my hubby and dad to come back from church and waiting for this body to heal up so I can be off again.

in love

2010-03-18T18:30:00.001-05:00

tonight

2010-03-12T22:57:00.004-06:00

another knitting project while waiting for baby to make an appearance, a cup of chaya, & and a warm bun with jam.

guess what comes next....

wishing you a happy, restful weekend.

snippets of our days

2010-03-08T22:57:00.004-06:00

:: making for baby::

:: granny squares ::

:: silly faces ::

:: happy ones, too ::

:: bring in the green ::

:: walks with grandparents ::

:: could it be ::

:: a MN thaw? ::

:: hope ::

:: simple fun ::

38 weeks

2010-02-27T22:58:00.003-06:00

Soon, I will meet my littlest guy for the first time.

I can't wait to...

...hold his fingers

... kiss his little wrinkly toes

...run my finger down his nose

...have him all snug up against me

...consider who he most resembles

...give him a name

...see how his brothers react when they meet him for the first time

...and to fall completely in love with a wee one all over again.

simplicity parenting

2010-02-26T14:01:00.000-06:00

I just won this book off Jean's site, The Artful Parent! I found her interview on the Waldorf method very fascinating, and I am so looking forward to learning more. Read the interview here.

This year, we've turned some of our parenting focus on having more unplugged time with our little ones and getting them tuned into more meaningful and simple activities that encourage creative play.

valentines recap

2010-02-25T22:59:00.003-06:00

for posterity's sake...

... "you are dino-mite" bookmarks [inspired by martha]
... painting the town red for j & e's valentine cards
.... cookie decorating
... newspaper bunting "god is love" [inspired by maya*made]