Bo's hreat...

I've been mulling over this post for a while and trying to figure out how to cohesively put my thoughts in order. I knew I needed a chunk of uninterrupted time and with J working and all the kids sound asleep in their beds, I'm guessing this is as good as it's going to get!

So here we go; you may want to grab a refill because I can't promise it will be brief :)

I don't have a lot of super early memories. Most of my earliest memories are snippets or moments of experiences: smells or flashes of color or specific noises.

I do remember one specific occasion when I was four. Don't ask me how I know I was four; I just know.

Anyhow, I was sitting on the stairs in the house we lived in for my first 8 years, and my mom was vacumming. I knew she couldn't hear me because I said several things to her and she didn't respond. In that sense, I knew it was a safe moment to speak as loudly as I wanted and remain unheard.

I blurted out a simple prayer in that moment, "Jesus, I know you are real, and I love you. I want you to come live in my heart!"

I could hardly contain my excitement and rushed to tell my mom what had just happened as the vacuum puttered to silence.

Mom was so excited for me, and she encouraged me and talked to me about what an important decision this was.

I don't think that it's possible for a four year old to truly understand the importance and depth of a relationship with Jesus, but I was most sincere in my invitation, and this began a a lifetime of wanting to know more about who Jesus is and why he is so important.

Fast forward 25 years.

We've talked much with all our kids about Jesus and who he was and why he was important. More than the talking, I pray that my kids will see Jesus in me as I am vulnerable and authentic with them. I pray that they will know that I believe with all my heart in a God who pursues me passionately and relates to me intimately.

Shifting gears here, but I promise this relates...

Lately, Bo has shown a keen interest in words and in reading. It seemed as if overnight, we went from a few basic phonic lessons to him suddenly learning to read. In addition we've been spelling words and writing words together. To date, he's read four books with no assistance from me [actually, he did need a little help with sometimes] but mostly he's reading independent of me. It's really fun to watch and be a part of!

And just for humility's sake, I will add that Ella [almost three] does not yet know the entire alphabet. I've done the same exercises and activities with her that I did with Bo, but she just doesn't seem to have the same level of interest.

One of the words Bo enjoys spelling on the refrigerator is Jesus. As I was working in the kitchen one day while the little ones napped, I asked Bo to spell some words about Jesus. I loaded some dishes in the dishwasher and turned around to see this...

"What does it say, Bo?"

"It says, 'Jesus came into my heart'!"

I immediately burst into tears.

"Are those happy tears mom, or sad tears?"

I explained that they were happy tears and told him that he was talking about something very important and we talked briefly about who Jesus was and what it means to know him and love him.

It was awesome.

We then took a closer look at the word "hreat" and sounded it out together.

He was so proud to get it all spelled out and tell me again and again what it said. I could hardly get him to stand still for the picture.

It was constant talking at that point about how excited he was to have Jesus as a friend forever.

"Oh, and mom," he added, "you don't have to worry about me disobeying anymore. Now that Jesus is in my heart, I will never disobey again. Isn't that good news?"

I explained that while that would be nice, he will unfortunately continue to sin and disobey, at least on this side of Heaven. We're definitely still working on the finer points of his theology!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:4-10

He can walk just like us!

Yesterday, Jack went from taking three or four steps in a row to walking much longer stretches around the room. He still hasn't mastered the art of standing up on his own, so if he falls down, he is usually down unless someone or something helps him get back up on his feet.

I attempted to capture the walking on video, but Bo and Ella decided they were much more interesting subjects and made it nearly impossible to get any footage of Jack.

As Jack was making his way across the room at one point, Ella exclaimed, "look, he can walk just like us!" I'm not certain she and Bo are ready for a little brother who can keep up with them :)

I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture, but we also have quite a little climber on our hands. He's agile, and he's quick!

You are my sunshine

Daddy and Bo went outside for a few minutes to do a quick project and the kids were eagerly anticipating their return at the door.

Ella loves to make Jack laugh!

Cold Front

Right now, our outdoor thermostat reads 108 degrees. And it's not the first time this week it's been that high either. We've been in the triple digits here for well over a week.

Sigh.

They say there's a cold front coming in tonight which should put tomorrow's high around 94. Would you believe that sounds so much cooler right now?!

Anyhow, we've had to be creative with our activities around here. I've made every effort to run errands in the morning and be home by 10 or 11 at the latest. It's typically still in the 90s at that point. The kids keep begging to go outside, but it's just so stinking hot that it's hard to keep from melting.

We've devised this lovely "water park" in the back yard that has provided hours of entertainment and managed to keep us all [relatively] cool when we play outside.

Hope you're staying cool too!

This is why I love the public library...

My kids will be occupied for hours today!


Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Bo's incident Tuesday night was an isolated event. He bounced out of bed Wednesday morning [at 6 AM] asking what was for breakfast. The other kids have seemed to feel fine. Whew!

at which point I was regretting the berry smoothies we had for lunch

The day started out pleasantly enough. We lingered over breakfast and then headed to the "kid's club" [code for childcare at the gym]. Then we headed to hobby lobby for a little fabric shopping, a drink from the water fountain, and a breathless conversation with my sister as I pushed the stroller around the store.

By the time we got home we laughed over lunch, which included yummy blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry smoothies along with an extra handful of blueberries for each of the kids.

The younger two went down by one, and Bo and I read for the better part of an hour.

It was after rest time that I noticed Bo was a bit more snuggly than usual. He just wanted to lay around and wasn't interested in any sort of activity.

He actually fell asleep as I was preparing dinner, so I roused him and tried to get him to the table. As I tended to the end of dinner [J was working late tonight, so I was managing kids and getting things together by myself] I heard Ella...

"Uh, oh, mommy, Bo is throwing up!"

Uh-oh is right. A nice pink pile of mush right there on the couch.

He took a few steps, and round two hit the carpet narrowly missing the elaborate train tracks we'd labored over yesterday.

I hustled him onto the tile in the kitchen just in time for round three.

By now, Ella was screaming, and Jack was hysterical in his high chair.

Bo just stood there like a champ, waiting for me to help him get cleaned up.



I got the little ones food, got Bo cleaned up, and began disinfecting the couch, the floor, and the tile.

Bo happily announced, "I feel so much better; I'm hungry now."

He was three bites into a piece of dry toast when round four hit the floor and covered him once again. Another 20 minutes of cleanup and hysterics from Jack and all was restored.

After an hour of picking up pieces of digested food, my dinner didn't look quite as appetizing, but I managed to eat anyways. J walked in from work just as everyone began to play happily again.

And to cap it all off, I had to go back to the Hobby Lobby because I realized I'd left the store this morning without paying for one of the more expensive items. It was inadvertent shoplifting for sure, but I knew I needed to go back.

I'm freshly showered because I couldn't seem to shake the smell of yuck, and I can rest easy knowing I'm not a petty thief.

I'm hopeful this little incident is contained to Bo and the hour we spent this evening. If not, it could be a long night...

Sweetness

I opened up Picasa today, and I just couldn't resist these shots...

Happiness

Several weeks ago when I was home, my dad and I took a mini-road trip down to GC&SU to hang out with my sister Maggie the night before her graduation.

As we drove, my dad asked if I was happy.

"Well," I said thoughtfully, "I think that if you'd told me seven years ago that I would be living in the midwest with three kids and a fourth on the way, I might have taken pause at the top of the aisle." I giggled, "but I am absolutely happy, and oh, so blessed. And the truth is that I can't imagine my life any other way!"

Today, we celebrate those seven years of marriage.

Seven years ago I was dancing with my sisters in the ballet room at the church, making sure my hair was just right.
Seven years ago J was getting dressed in the lobby of the church [found out about that one when we watched our wedding video] and we were both so unaware what our lives together would hold.

I have been amazed and overwhelmed at the man I married. We'd only known each other two years when we said "I do", but I felt confident that he was a man of characer and integrity. I am thankful that instinct was correct!

I love you babe.
Thanks for putting up with all my crazy!

Secrets

I waited until the last possible minute to take the kids to get Father's day gifts because I knew that the secrets would be hard to keep. The kids were so excited to pick out gifts and wrap them up yesterday.

Ella kept finding J and saying, "Don't worry daddy, I will keep your presents a secret. I'm not going to tell you what your presents are. I will wait and tell you on Father's day at breakfast."

Bo kept saying, "Dad, I need to tell you something. Mom, don't worry, I'm just going to tell him about my day and not the presents!"

Miraculously, we managed to keep the gifts a secret until dad actually opened them this morning at breakfast. Whew! I didn't think there was any way that was going to happen.

Seriously though, I'm so thankful for the dad J is to these kids. They love him and want to be with him so much. It's absolutely precious to watch them adore him.

I thought when I married J that he would be a great dad, but what a blessing to see him in action. I'm so thankful for his playful spirit and strong love for these kids. Watching him love them is absolutely the icing of every day!

And as I walk this journey of parenthood, I am also thankful for the influence of my dad in my life. He was always willing to ask the hard questions and make the effort to have a relationship with me. How I treasure the memories of donuts at the secret place and early morning Bible studies with him!

Happy Father's Day!

Snap, Crackle, Pop

The other night I was walking out of Babie's R' Us with Ella's bed rails in hand. I noticed a car parked near mine with two couples talking, arguing very loudly.

I recognized the two women because they checked out in front of me inside. Their purchase was a couple bottles and nipples and a large tray of pre-mixed formula. There was much discussion about how they would pay the $32 total and one woman reluctantly counted out the cash to cover the transaction.

I walked out the door and noticed their discussions as well as the fact that the two men were smoking in the front of the car and the women stood in the grass next to the car also smoking.

And then I saw him. I think it was a him.

A precious bundle of blue all tucked in the middle of the backseat. He didn't make a peep, but I could see his open eyes as I pushed my cart past the chaos. He was so little and new.

I started to take some deep breaths and willed myself to hold it together until I got to the car. It was then that I burst into tears. I couldn't stop the flood.

I just felt for the uncertainty of that babe and the unsettling way that all the adults around him seemed so overwhelmed. I fear that this will sound as though I was judging them and that really was not my heart. I just ached for each of them, and I prayed that God would touch them in that moment and as that baby grew.

I couldn't help but be overwhelmed at the blessing of my precious babes all tucked safely in their beds. Why does God bless me so lavishly? How can He pour out such richness on our family?

This will not be much of a surprise for most of you who know me personally, but I am pregnant again. I'm not sure why I haven't posted it on the blog before now. I guess I've just been processing the reality in my own way in my own time, and in many ways, I feel like I'm still picking up the emotional pieces of the miscarriage as well.

This pregnancy has been a little more tenuous. I am surrendering a spirit of fear almost constantly, but the loss has made me so much more aware of how fragile our lives and the life of the unborn truly is.

I am also still very much praying and hoping that an adoption can happen for our family. It is such a strong desire of my heart. I don't know if now will be the time; there certainly hasn't been a lot of new information regarding specific children who would be a good fit for our family. I'm just hopeful that someday soon we will be able to add to our family through adoption.

Most of the time these days, I find myself trying to take a nap while the children rest in the afternoon. And I am also enjoying rice crispy treats on a regular basis. I'm not sure if it's the sweet or the crunch or what, but nothing seems to satisfy me like rice crispy treat. And I don't typically even like them at all!

J joked the other night that it's a good thing we're not pregnant with triplets or we'd have to name them snap, crackle, and pop!

No worries...it's just one little one [we confirmed with an early ultrasound] that should join our family at the beginning of December. We can't wait!

Summertime Fun!

These shots are actually from a church picnic not too long ago. Bo really enjoyed the big slide

He went down as many times as he could in a hour.

Ella went down once.

She was much happier off of the slide and wrapped up in her towel!

Jack watched the whole thing from his stroller, but enjoyed a splash from the bottom of the slide here and there.
Fun for all!

Does this really mean she's a big girl?

After a morning out at the gym and the library this morning, we came home and finally set up Ella's new big girl bed. She was soooooo excited as we began assembling the bedrails and kept asking me if I was done yet.

Here's the before shot:

Ella was ready for her nap by the time I finished, and really wanted to pose with the bed.

After naps, the kids all spent a good amount of time playing on her new bed.


She was asking if she could go to bed straight from the dinner table; I managed to convince her to wait until 7 to get in the bed, but that was the absolute longest she could wait.
I hope the love affair continues!

The Olden Days

My sister and I were talking earlier, and she asked me why I had not posted the specifics of some conversation I had with Bo about Maggie's graduation and the day we went to college. She thought it was hysterical and recounted it to some of her friends who also got a kick out of it.

"Why didn't you put it on the blog?" she [and apparently several others] asked.

I laughed as I told her I could probably do a day of "live blogging" and post a million funny little things the kids do and say.

The truth is that by the time I sit down to type, I typically just end up posting the most recent thing because that is what I remember the best. And if I'm honest, the memory these days is getting shorter and shorter :)

Like today...

There's the fact that the kids were asking why the engine of the car wouldn't roll over and run away. It's at the shop getting a new starter.

Bo and Ella have suddenly decided that they enjoy being penguins more than they enjoy being kids. Bo even informed me that I didn't have to cook his fish last night if I didn't want to. He claimed he was happy to eat it raw since that's what the penguins do.
When I told him that people typically have to cook their fish before they eat it, he reminded me that sushi is made of uncooked fish. Hmmmmm...

Bo asked me how the other kids knew all the "emotions" to the songs from VBS.

J had "dance party" with the kids last night where they each had a chance to perform individual solos, and they have been asking all day if we're going to have another dance party when daddy gets home. Bo's been working on his signature move [a point to the sky, a point to the floor, and a point at the "people"].

Bo's started referring to anything from the past tense as the olden days.

And now that I'm sitting here trying to type, I can't seem to remember the million other hysterical things that made up the last 24 hours! I'm not even sure that anyone else will find this stuff as funny, cute, wonderful, amazing, and precious as I do.

Oh, how I will miss these olden days at some point!

Here, eat this!

Plan A this morning was to load up the kids and run some errands. It's time for Ella to graduate to a "big girl" bed, so we were going to get some bed rails and accessories for her new big girl room. Unfortunately, the car wouldn't start, so it's turned into a morning at home instead.

Plan B is playtime in the back yard. Ella just approached me with a big bucket of dirt.

"Here, eat this" she said.
"What is it?" I asked, poised to take a bite.
"It's dirt."
"Well, I don't want to eat dirt, Ella"
"Oh, mom, you can just pretend!"

Could they be more different?

**follows all the instructions carefully and what he lacks in ability he makes up for with enthusiasm!

**is really only interested in seeing herself

**this kid actually seems to have some rhythm :)

At least they all love to dance!

Plank, Chark, Prosh, and Knuck

It's been a "recovery" day of sorts around here. After a week of running around for VBS and a busy weekend, I needed a day at home to relax and get things back in order.

I managed to get the house dusted, vaccuumed, swept, and generally clean in addition to doing several loads of laundry. Ahhh...it's nice to feel like things are back in order. Even two of the three children are clean at this point. The third is still napping quietly in his bed and if the smell of his room is any indication of the state of his diaper, he will need a bath as soon as he starts stirring!

One of the down sides to a full day at home is that there is often a fair amount of conflict between the children. It's a good time to address issues and discipline well, but it can sure be exhausting.

Bo, especially, has decided that his new favorite game is to be an imitator of the Ninevites. He really enjoys the story of Jonah preaching repentance to the evil people...so much so that he has decided it's big fun to pretend to be one of said evil people.

He's realized that "hitting" and "pushing" are serious buzz words, so he's gotten pretty creative in his attacks on the others. At one point today, Jack was playing happily with all the plastic cups in the kitchen while I swept the floor. Seconds later he was screaming, and I noticed a large red welt over his eye.

Ella was playing in the den, so Bo was the natural culprit.

Me: Bo did you hit Jack?
Bo: No, I planked him.
Me: Is that why his face is red?
Bo: Yes, I planked him into the cabinet.

So it was during our discipline that I reminded him that a hit by any other name was still a hit and that it was important he not hit his brother. I also decided on our memory verse for the week:

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. "
Ephesians 5:1

I love it when the lights come up!

After a week of Vacation Bible School, the church had a big assembly for all the kids and picnic dinner Friday night. There were a number of performances of the songs the kids have been learning and singing all week. I was asking Bo if he wanted to go and sing with the motions and eat dinner with everyone, and he got really excited.

"You mean the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and 'London Bridge is Falling Down'?"

"No," I explained, "I mean the songs you've been learning all week with your group at VBS."

"Hmmm, I'm not sure about that," he replied.

My mom called as we were getting ready to leave and I told her I thought he was a little nervous about the idea of being up in front of everyone. I joked with my mom that he had not inherited his mother's love of the spotlight.

Then, my mom reminded me of the church talent show that I performed in two different times as a very little girl [4 and 6]. It was an adult event; a time for the adults in the church to perform while the little ones stayed at home with babysitters, but they made the mistake of announcing in church.

I heard the word "show" and immediately began planning my act. When I approached mom with my plan, she tried to talk me out of it, but I would not be swayed. She ended up getting permission for me to perform, and my act [along with sisters and friends] was the lone child act in the entire show. She told me that I would constantly remind her that "I love it when the lights come up!"

And if I'm honest, I still do!

Bo, not so much! When the music started and all the kids ran down front, he was a little hesitant to say the least. It was Ella who sprinted down the aisle at full speed to join the crowd. Bo followed her down and joined her.

Now, Ella did not know the songs. She had never seen the motions, but Bo's been learning them all week. He mostly just stood and watched the big screens. Ella kept checking to make sure I was watching and taking pictures.

One of the leaders finally stepped in and helped Bo do the motions, but he still seemed pretty clueless!

Jack was eager to watch from our seats.

In case you want to check out the video, I'm including a little snippet of that too...

Let him eat cake!

My sister called me out on the lack of posts, so I thought I would put together something cute and funny this morning before I start rounding up kids for VBS, but I've got nothin'. We had J's end of the year dinner last night with all of the residents from his program, and a bedtime after midnight just does not translate well to early morning creativity!

Here are some pictures from our little birthday celebration with Jack. It was a month late, but he didn't really seem to care.

He had a great time until the cake was gone.

At that point, he was so sad that there wasn't any more for him...

VBS

We are doing Vacation Bible School this week, so things have been a little bit crazy around here. Getting 3 kids out of the house by 8:30 is not for the wimpy!

Oh, and when I walked in Monday morning the coordinator informed me that I was now the head crafts person since the lady who had been in charge was out with a throat infection.

Ummm, okay, yeah, sure!

Today we realized we were about 30 short of a craft that had to be pre-assembled, and it was something that I had NO IDEA how to put together. Fortunately, there were two ladies who had taken care of some of the prep and knew what to do.

So that AM craziness coupled with one of the worst headaches/migraines today that I've had in a really long time has kept me offline...

Hopefully there will be more to come soon!