Flying with Four

Finding What She Loves

2010-05-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Kathryn's Showcase for Christian Youth Theater was last night. It is so fun to watch Kathryn perform. She just loves it. Her eyes sparkle. She has so much fun! I am constantly amazed to watch our kids find what they love to do. CYT is such a wonderful organization. It has done so much for Kathryn. What a blessing to have CYT here! Her voice teacher is amazing!

The First Two Pieces of Clothing!

2010-03-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine loaned me a pattern for some cute little ruffle pants. I've never made clothes for my girls, but I thought I'd try. It was fun to watch Bridget swish around in her ruffles!

One of the Best Blog Prizes Ever!

2010-03-08T06:25:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness! I found this on a friend's blog! It is one of my dream cameras! I'm crossing my fingers!

Makes Me Smile

2010-02-04T18:34:00.001-08:00

Our Lunch with Daddy

2010-02-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

So the older kids didn't have school today. We picked Jerry up from work and went to lunch at Max and Erma's. Of course it was crowded with all the business people on their lunch breaks. Henry kept asking Jerry to go the bathroom. So after the third trip, I said to him, "Henry, you've gone potty three times. Do you really have to go or is the bathroom super cool?" He then says in a voice that was not at all quiet, "Mom, it is awesome! You get to pee on the floor! It is so cool!" I kid you not, he talked about it even after we got home! "Mom, it's too bad you're not a boy because you would get to aim for the floor! It was amazing!"

A Favorite Christmas Gift

2010-01-20T11:52:00.000-08:00

December Daily Album: Day 21

2009-12-21T08:55:00.001-08:00

The first real day of Christmas vacation! Some of the kids slept in until 9! I was downstairs, and I heard Henry get up and go, "Wow, thanks!" He comes downstairs and says, "Thanks for that thingy in my room. Who bought it?"

"You mean your new dresser?" I asked him. "Daddy got that for you."

"Can we call him and thank him?" he asked me! Gotta savor those moments. What a sweetie!

Kathryn and Bridget are managing to use the snowman kit to make snowman with the dusting that we have on the ground. I hope we get more snow for them.

December Daily Album: Day 13

2009-12-13T05:13:00.000-08:00

The game of choice this weekend...seven people playing...who would have thought it could be so fun?!

December Daily Album: Day 12

2009-12-12T05:15:00.000-08:00

Our family Christmas weekend: 17 people in our home!! It was so fun. We look forward to it. This was the first year where we really played games. The kids played really well together. The kids spent hours in the garage on scooters, listening to music and dancing and singing. There were lots of legos and dress up clothes! It was fun to cook big and amazing to see it all eaten! We laughed because we thought we would have all these leftovers, and we didn't have any. My kids are really, really missing their cousins. What a blessing to have everyone together. I wish we could do it more!

December Daily Album: Day 9

2009-12-09T19:55:00.001-08:00

"Mom, can we pleeeeeeease play outside?" Poor little Henry just looked outside all day. It was wet, 50 mph winds and snowing. So we went straight to the hot chocolate and made brownies instead. Maybe we can play in the snow tomorrow. Oh...and the snowman melted over the night.

December Daily Album: Day 8

2009-12-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

Our tiny snowman from Monday made it all day through the rain. Even as the kids were going to bed at 8:30 and it was blowing and pouring outside, little Frosty sat there against the tree. I know it doesn't look like much, but Henry was thrilled that it was still "alive."

December Daily Album: Day 7

2009-12-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

The first snow! The kids hopped right out of bed when I told them it had snowed! We had Christmas cartoon breakfast and watched part of Frosty the Snowman while we ate, which I rarely do. After working at school for a bit, I took Henry and Bridget outside. We had less than an inch of snow, but they still made snow angels, snowballs, and a tiny snowman. After dinner we watched The Charlie Brown Christmas show and got the Christmas letter ready to mail! The kids loved that all these things are on their poster of things to do during the Christmas season. It has been fun to cross them off the list as we complete them!

December Daily Album: Day 6

2009-12-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

One day I will actually work on my December Daily Album. It is sitting there in my dining room begging for time from me, but not today. After church Jerry and I went to the Colts game. We beat the Titans. It is so fun to be at the game! 12-0!!! The kids got along while we were gone too!

December Daily Album: Day 5

2009-12-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

Jack had another basketball game. He seems to really enjoy it. Our pastor is one of the coaches and there are several kids on the team from our church. Jerry can't stand basketball, but he let me put Jack in it this year because it is the last year for instructional basketball around here. It is crazy to me that you can go from calling basically nothing in one league to travel in one year. These are the times when I want to go back in time with my kids and let them do sports like we did growing up. So much pressure. I'm not sure if he will even want to play again. For now though, it is fun for him. Henry loves it because he gets to make all kinds of noise in the bleachers. I get to practice patience...lots and lots of patience. The other big thing from today is Jerry finished the Christmas letter and took me out for a late dinner after the kids were in bed.

December Daily Album: Day 4

2009-12-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

So today we saw a coyote in our backyard for the first time. Granted, it was down by the water in the common area, but still... I grabbed my camera and when I opened the back door to try to get a better shot, he ran away. Hopefully he will never come back. We can hear the coyotes at night sometimes. It totally freaks out the girls. The kids didn't have school today, so the day was filled with Barbies, video games, and baking cookies.

December Daily Album: Day 3

2009-12-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

Today was the annual school Christmas program. It once included the entire school and thankfully has been changed to only the first and second grade. Kathryn was in the audience for the first time. She would much rather be on stage. Jack, however, would prefer to skip it altogether. I hadn't even heard the songs once since Jack doesn't sing them all over the house like his sister did. The highlight for Jack was coming home and having hot chocolate and watching Leave It to Beaver. The differences between my children will never cease to amaze me. I was so thankful we had a sitter for the little ones, as no little kid ever makes it all the way through the school Christmas program.

December Daily Album: Day 2

2009-12-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

Wednesdays are always crazy for us. Many of the things we do on a regular basis are rarely put in scrapbooks/blogs. Every Wednesday Kathryn and Jack get home from school, have a snack, race to piano, have dinner, race to Kids Choir, and then we all do Wednesday Warriors together at church. Tonight Jerry continued to teach on sanctification. It is so fun to watch him. We both enjoy our groups, and I have the honor of taking pictures every week, which is really just such fun. After WW, we came home and had hot chocolate and crossed it off our Christmas Season poster. I'm sure there will be much more hot chocolate consumed this month, but it was fun to do something on their list.

December Daily Album: Day 1

2009-12-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Today the kids got their advent calendars. I always had one growing up, and it is fun to share this tradition with our kids. They love looking for the number and seeing what picture is under their tiny piece of chocolate!

Here is the poster "we" made. During dinner everyone mentioned things that they wanted to do during the Christmas season this year. Then after dinner, I wrote them all down and put this on our refrigerator. We did this during the fall as well. They love crossing stuff off the list as we complete each activity! Nobody said anything about presents, which made me really thankful...well, shocked and thankful.

Getting Ready for December

2009-11-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

Let the baking begin! Henry and Bridget wanted to make brownies this afternoon. Today is our last meal with leftover turkey! Tonight after dinner we will make our Christmas poster of all the things we want to do during December. My December Daily album is ready to be filled. We put up our tree and garland. The Christmas toys and Christmas books came out early too. It has been fun to pick a new one to read every night. The oven timer just went off...time to check on the brownies!

Happy Fall!

2009-10-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hope you are enjoying the fall! Henry had his first field trip yesterday. His preschool class went to a local pumpkin patch in the pouring rain. He couldn't have been happier! Life is busy, but we are doing well. If anyone is still reading this, sorry I haven't posted more. Jerry is super busy with all things related to the swine flu. Kathryn is getting ready to be in her first play with CYT. Jack starts basketball soon. My photography business is off and running. It all happened quickly, but I have booked all can for this year! I have been blessed with an amazing husband that has been super supportive as I start this fun adventure. Enjoy this beautiful time of year!

A Gentle Reminder for My Kiddos

2009-08-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

I just finished this frame for the kids' bathroom. It says, "We are brothers and sisters, and we are best friends!" Thanks Traci, for the phrase and the reminder. We've had a bit of brother/sister competitiveness around here. I know it is normal, but I so want them to grow up being best friends.

Finally!

2009-08-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been forever. I have tons to post about the summer, but for now I'll start with Jack's birthday. He turned seven yesterday! He was beyond thrilled to open his first box of "real" legos. He just yelled, "Finally!" We made the kids wait until now because of Henry and Bridget being so young. Today it was storming and cold all day! What a perfect day for his first big project! I was his assistant and helped him find the pieces.

Great job Jack! Happy Birthday!

Last PTO Gift!!!!

2009-05-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

It seems silly to post this, but a couple of you have asked for my latest craft. Here it is! I made 75 slider seed packets for the teachers at our school. You pull the ribbon and the packet comes out. I will be making more of these to hold gift cards. They were super easy to do. The containers are from the dollar spot at Target.

Toddlers at the Piano Recital

2009-05-06T05:03:00.001-07:00

Sunday was Kathryn's piano recital. Actually, Jack should have played too, but he had a baseball game instead. Jerry is one of the coaches, so he went to the game too. Thankfully, Kathryn was the fifth person to play. She did a great job! I had Henry and Bridget in the foyer and did my best to try to keep them quiet. A dear friend watched them while Kathryn played, but then we spent the next hour of the recital in the nursery. So while we were in the nursery, we had a bit of a photo shoot.

What a Fun Surprise!

2009-04-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Our friends called this morning and said, "Hey we have the Vince Lombardi trophy at our house today. Come on over if you want to take some pictures!" What fun!!!!

Thanks, Jennifer!

2009-03-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

What in the world?! It is a Christmas layout in March! What can I say? I am so behind. I had the lofty goals of doing a page a day book in December. Then we got the yuck bug, and the whole thing was shelved. The book was already done, but the pictures needed to be added. Bring in Jennifer...she is doing a scrap simple challenge. Jennifer, I may actually get this book done one Friday at a time! Thanks for all you do! Hope your challenge is a big success!

Happy Spring

2009-03-20T06:18:00.001-07:00

Please Pray for this Family

2009-03-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

I was reading a friend's blog tonight, and she posted a link to this family and asked that we pray for them. Thanks for praying.

The Brady Effect

2009-03-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Our kids love to watch The Brady Bunch. The other day we were watching the episode with the pay phone. Henry goes, "Mom, can we get a phone with a string?"

Then last week we were watching it and Cindy Brady had bows in her hair tied from super thick yarn. I said to Kathryn, "See that yarn in Cindy's hair? When Mommy was little, Grandma Coil tied that in my hair."

She didn't even pause and said, "And then they invented ribbon." Nice.

New Room

2009-03-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

We waited until Friday night to show the boys their new room. We knew they would be excited, and it was nice to let them just have fun without worrying about school the next day. It was so fun to hear their excitement and watch their faces. They had seen their new beadspreads and knew they were getting bunk beds, but that was it.

They played in their room all weekend. Jack gets the "upbed" as Henry calls it.

I still have a few things to put on the wall, but they are enjoying sleeping in their new room. It isn't very photo worthy, but the thing I love most about putting the boys in this room is they each have their own closet now. All of their clothes are in their room. We haven't had that since Henry was born. I've been going through all of the kids' clothes and trying to really get rid of as much as possible. It seems they basically live in the same ten outfits. Bridget will get a new room next. It is so strange to think that we will be putting the crib Jerry made in storage soon. We've had it up for eight years!

Kathryn Turns Eight!

2009-02-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

She is eight! When I student taught second grade, those kids seemed so young, so tiny. They were little. Kathryn is now one of them, and she is so old and so big! Time is going by quickly! Here is a brief recap of all of her birthday hoopla.

My parents came down two weeks ago to celebrate Kathryn's birthday and also babysit for us while Jerry and I went to a marriage conference.

This was the year of the birthday party. The kids get to have a party with friends every other year. Kathryn wanted a Nancy Drew party this year. So we had a case for the girls to solve, and they hunted for clues all over the house. I wrote, "Happy Birthday Detective Kathryn" on her cake with fingerprints on the sides. Kathryn wanted to decorate it too. Mom, thanks for all the years you let me decorate my own cake. Did I start at eight? The OCD part of me had to just step back and let her have fun. She just loved decorating, and I do think it helped her realize why mommy can't whip out a cake like Duff on Ace of Cakes. So that was a plus.

She gave out Nancy Drew books instead of regular goodie bags.

It was fun that Valentine's Day was on a Saturday this year! She had a good time. There were no major incidents, but mercy, I think eight might be my limit of kiddos for a party. They made a frame with their initial on it. It was very entertaining to watch and listen to them sing karaoke as the party was ending. After they had cake, they didn't really want to watch the rest of the Nancy Drew movie. So they were singing instead. They were belting out those songs from HSM and Camp Rock and just dancing away.

Week of Freezing Cold Snow Days

2009-02-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

These are several weeks old, but I did want to post some pictures from our winter storms a few weeks ago. We never lost power, so really, we just had fun as a family.

Kathryn is our snow bunny. She would play outside for hours and hours. We had three snow forts in the front yard, so the kids played house some and Star Wars most of the time. There was a whole group of first grade Jedi on Hoth in our driveway.

I can't remember all of the kids ever sitting like this at any other time. Maybe it was just because it was so amazingly cold! :)

Jerry actually shot -15 or so in his car with his phone. It was the first time any of us remember school being canceled because of the cold. Crazy weather!

Just a Few More Planners

2009-02-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here are three more planners I made for this year. I am done until summer, when I start making the planners for 2010. Thanks to those of you that got them! It is a labor of love, as a dear friend said. Hugs!

'C' Planner

2009-01-07T05:57:00.001-08:00

'S' Planner

2009-01-06T16:42:00.001-08:00

It is that time of year again. I'm a little late with all the planners this year. Seven people getting the stomach flu during Christmas break will do that to you! So here is the first one. The red trim matches in real life. Three people came to pick up their books today. It was so fun for me to see their reactions!

One Word Project

2009-01-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I have much to catch up on here, but for now I wanted to leave you with a link to Ali Edwards' blog and the one word project. I just love it. She has several posts about it and has done it for several years. If you choose to do it, I'd love to hear what your word is. Blessings to you!

Christmas Candy Holder

2008-12-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd show these little candy holders I made for all of the teachers at school! They are going to be the little gift for the teachers from PTO. I made seventy! I may make more for us to hand out to friends. Maybe if I package up our Christmas candy this way, then I won't eat it all! :)

Have a great day!

The Election and Cookies

2008-11-05T16:24:00.000-08:00

Jerry took yesterday and today as vacation. We both wanted to be able to vote and so we took turns watching the wee ones. It took each of us close to two hours. Thankfully, we both had books and coffee, and really, I enjoyed the time. We vote at our church in our neighborhood, so it is always fun to see lots of people you know. Last night our kids were asleep before the results of the election were final. Jerry and I went out on a date so we could just get our minds off the election.

Then this morning I was off to the dentist before the kids got on the school bus, so we didn't really get a chance to talk too much about the election. It hit me today that Bush has been in office since before any of our kids were born. They don't know anything other than being in a house that loves their president, not just respects the office of being president. I talked to the kids briefly this morning about how we are called to pray for the president and that is what we will do.

After school the kids had a snack. Kathryn, totally unprovoked, goes, "Mom, I feel so badly for John McCain. I wish I could make him cookies to make him feel better."

Halloween Night

2008-11-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

Friday was the perfect day for Halloween. Jerry had to work late, so I took the kids trick-or-treating by myself. It was the first year that all four of them walked. We were a bit of a sitcom, but everyone had fun and stayed safe. It was fun to see all of our neighbors and all the decorations. Bridget was content to hold the same two suckers the whole time. Our church had a party that night too. Kathryn rode the mechanical bull. Jack and Henry spent most of the night jumping in the bounce house. Poor Jack wore his costume the whole time!

Halloween Day

2008-11-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

Friday we were blessed with a beautiful day. I took B and H to our favorite park.

A Conversation with Henry

2008-10-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

I love Henry's age. I love the randomness of our talks. Here is part of our conversation on the way home from dinner:

Mom, where is Halloween? Can we go there?

Halloween isn't a place. It is a holiday.

Can we go there?

It isn't a where. It is a when.

Can we go there? Can we go there right now?

No. Halloween is next week.

Can we get the Christmas tree and snow ready. It is going to snow.

Henry it is fall. It won't snow until winter. I can't make it snow.

Why?

Only God can make it snow.

If you freeze it will kill you.

Well, uh...

The snowman is frozen. Then sun melts it.

Let's look at the decorations. Ooo...do you see that big spider in the big web?

We need a big napkin to kill it. Who are those guys?

Bikers.

Who is that?

A runner.

A runner? I can run. I have lots of running shoes.

Good Henry.

You can borrow my running shoes Mommy.

Your running shoes would be too small for Mommy.

You need big, fat running shoes.

Thanks Henry.

I can run really fast.

Yes you can Henry.

Can we go to Mrs. Wiley's? Can we call her right now?

We can call her when we get home.

But we have a phone in here.

But I have her phone number at home.

Are we going to Mrs. Wiley's?

We'll ask her when we call her.

Look at that pumpkin Mommy. There is another big spider mommy.

Practice

2008-10-01T08:18:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Patch

2008-09-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

Friday I took the kids to a local pumpkin patch. We went with a friend of mine and her two children. The kids had a ball looking for their pumpkins. B liked gnawing at the stem on her little pumpkin. Kathryn was a bit upset when I, albeit stupidly, put her pumpkin back and kept the extra one that had a stem instead. Note to self for next year: my children will be able to tell their pumpkin from all the other ones they did not pick--no swapping. Kathryn gave all of the pumpkins baths when we got home. This was the first time we have gone early enough where everyone actually got to pull the pumpkin off the vine. We were a regular sitcom at the checkout. I know that the more I do these kinds of major outings, the better I will get, but mercy, it was a site. Again you just have to laugh...four kids, four pumpkins, four apple cider slushies, and a gallon of cider. Thankfully, the place is very calm and quiet, so the kids played while I made my trip to the van on the gravel with the stroller and grocery cart. I think B loved the bumpy ride, but I just had to laugh. Oh, fyi...if you fill a small grocery cart with pumpkins and use one hand to pull the cart over gravel...the whole thing tips over. Nobody will notice though because all of this barely makes any noise. ;)

Helpful Find

2008-09-24T09:16:00.001-07:00

Our Wednesdays are really busy. We are running kids here and there. So when all of the hoopla started, I thought I would just make Wednesdays be the day when I cook in my crock pot. It was going to be fast food night, but the fun fast food turned into another errand. So last night while I was surfing through the blogs, I found this super helpful site. This gal is using her crock pot every day in 2008. She shows you a picture, lists the ingredients, gives directions, and then gives her "verdict" of the recipe. I love that they are all indexed too. Let me know if you try a recipe and really love it. If I can get both kids to sleep at the same time, then I'm off to paint the dining room! If not now, then tonight after bed!

Quick Answer

2008-09-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

The word search canvas was made with stickers. I painted the canvas my base color. Then after it was dry, I put on all of the stickers. Then I spray painted the canvas. When it was dry, I just pealed off the stickers. So, so easy. Just make sure that the 'm' and 'w' and 'h' aren't so wide that it throws stuff off. You can find free sites to plug in the words you want to include. Hope that helps! Have a great day!

A Fun Project

2008-09-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Peggy showed me how to make this fun project. Peggy's sister made one of these with different words about Peggy's family. I loved that I had everything needed already, even the canvas! :) It didn't take very long, and the kids have had a ball looking for and finding the words. I'm actually going to circle several of them before I hang it on the wall. The kids want them for their rooms too with more details about them and the things they love. What fun!

Eggs, Rice and Abraham Lincoln

2008-09-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

So the other night Kathryn goes, "Mom, there are eggs in the tank." She was in her room looking at her tank and I didn't think too much of it. Bedtime routines were in full swing, and frankly, I just forgot. Well, last night, Kathryn goes, "Mom, Princess Aurora laid eggs."

This is where I must explain everything. Jerry has always wanted a big fish tank. This summer he saw an add for a ride-a-long bicycle, which we wanted to buy for the boys. The man was also selling this fish tank. It was sitting in his garage and he gave us an amazing deal on everything, including the fish. Our kids were going through a Sleeping Beauty phase at the time. We had just recently watch the movie, hence the names of the fish. The huge pink one became Princess Aurora. The gray striped one was named Prince Philip. The scary, huge, spotted one is Malificent. And the three fish that were the same kind became Flora, Fauna and Merry Weather.

Well, unbeknownst to me, Prince Philip and Princess Aurora are the same kind of fish. I still find that staggering since she is about the size of my hand and pink. Now we are all getting a kick out of our own Disney variety show going on in the fish tank. We have our own version of Finding Nemo as Aurora guards her eggs and Malificent tries to eat them.

So we were talking about all of this at breakfast. Kathryn's teacher is going to have a baby very soon. I keep telling Kathryn to give her teacher a lot of grace since she is very pregnant. Kathryn is eating her cereal and goes, "Mom, is it true I was once the size of a piece of rice?"

"Yes, Kathryn we all were at one point," I told her.

Her big question: "Even Abraham Lincoln?"

I love watching their minds work.

Let me know if you want some wee little fish once these guys hatch, assuming Malificent doesn't eat them all.

Pendants

2008-09-15T05:21:00.001-07:00

A dear friend of mine asked me to make some pendant necklaces with some of her favorite verses on the back. It was such fun to make these for her. These were done in the same way that I did the PTO necklaces. The larger rectangles are my favorite. Taylor gals, when we get together next time, this could be our fun project!

I also wanted to just shout out a huge congrats to my friend Jennifer! Today is really just a fabulous day for her in the whole world of stamping and designing! Great job! You rock!

It's Official and another marathon post

2008-09-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Kathryn's first soccer practice! It was pouring down rain as we drove to practice. I asked her if she would like me to pray for her. She was very anxious. So we prayed together. I prayed she would have fun despite the rain. I prayed about there being no lightening so she could still play...lots of things, etc. Then Kathryn goes, "You didn't pray for the rain to stop." So she did. We get to the fields and park the car and as we are walking to her field, the rain stops. She was thrilled. The coaches were super nice. Our household has zero soccer experience. Her coaches were so kind and really explained everything to her. She had a ball. As I was watching them do their little drills and games, it hit me...I'm officially a 'Soccer Mom' now. Thankfully a neighbor watched our younger three during all of this. Next time I'll bring them all, but it was fun to have that special time with Kathryn--just the two of us.

In other random news...

Once again this morning I went into Bridget's room to see her jumping in her crib with her PJs unsnapped and her wet diaper tossed to the floor. Both B and the bed were dry. Our doctor suggested I potty train B and H at the same time. Unless that comes with a free padded room for me, I think I am going to have to wait a bit on that one.

Henry said he was going to go potty yesterday. I was in the middle of making dinner, so he did it all by himself. Typing that I realize, once again, just how stupid of me that was, but I have to let him try, right?! Anyway... he comes back to the kitchen and says he did it and wants his treat. I looked at him. He was wet all the way down to his elbows. "Henry, did you wash your hands in the sink all by yourself?" I asked him. "No, in the toilet," he said. Nice. Gross. So off we were to sanitize Henry and the bathroom floor. Yuck, but also yuck with laughter, which is what I need when attempting to potty train.

Jack's big thing this week is that he lost his first tooth and went to the dentist. He got some cool chum at the dentist, including a little timer. He was thrilled! I was amazed and so thankful to hear that he didn't have any cavities.

One last thing... when I was in school we had a news magazine called Scholastic Junior--something like that. Well, now-a-days the kiddos get Time for Kids instead. Last week Kathryn came home with her little news magazine from school. Senator Obama was on the cover. She handed it to me and then told me how she asked the librarian for the McCain one, but they didn't have any. Full on drama. Guess she is absorbing much more during this election cycle. We just had to chuckle.

Sorry for the marathon post. It is what it is and right now life is full and busy.

Balancing Act

2008-08-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Game On: Henry's Turn

2008-08-24T18:21:00.001-07:00

So we made it through the first full week of school. Wednesday afternoon I took Henry to the pool with one of my friends. We were having fun chasing our little boys all over the pool. Then Henry stopped and said, "Mommy I have to go the bathroom. I want to go on the potty." So potty training--again--game on.

I am seriously a horrible potty trainer. It just isn't one of my strengths. I really feel like it is just God trying to humble me and remind me daily--actually every fifteen minutes according to all the timers-- that I am not in control.

So off we started on our potty training adventure. It is Henry, so I should have known it was just going to be interesting. He is just the funniest little guy! We often share our high and low points of the day during dinner. Well, Henry was having some trouble just being still and waiting on the potty. So I said, "Henry what was the best part of your day?"

"Going to the zoo," he said.

"Henry, we didn't go to the zoo today." Right as I am saying this, Henry leans back as he is sitting on the potty. I am sitting on the floor across from Henry leaning against the wall. So Henry then precedes to pee in a huge arc right on my skirt. Then he yells, "That was the best part of my day Mommy." Nice.

Later we had another favorite quote from Henry. He said he had to go, and he is rushing to get on the potty and goes, "This dude's gotta pee." Lovely. I am thankful that he keeps making me laugh because potty training is just a huge test of my patience. The first day he kept drinking Crystal Lite white grape juice, which then gave him quite an unpleasant condition for potty training. Lovely. So now we are using chocolate milk. Getting all of my kids to drink enough to make them go has always been a big challenge. Kathryn and Jack have been helpful. They celebrate with him and encourage him. It is just a whole new ball game when you have older ones too.

Then today in the hallway at church I was asking a dear friend of mine that has four boys about the whole potty training thing. I just got caught up in the conversation and really without thinking about it I said, "I just don't know when to switch to underwear." Could context be any more important than at that moment?! I was so unaware of what I had said until one of Jerry's friends goes, "I have a hard time knowing when to switch too." All of us were laughing and I was so thankful that I knew the people in the hallway and didn't have to apologize to any visitors or anything. Mercy. I was so busted and embarrassed.

Yesterday Jerry took Kathryn to get her soccer stuff. Today she put on her new shorts, shoes, shin guards and socks. She was outside kicking the ball around and goes, "It is too bad Jack didn't sign up for soccer because the gear is so cool." Oh, she cracks me up.

Hopefully tomorrow will go well in the whole potty training adventure. I just finished off the bag of m&ms that is part of his reward. Looks like we will be using the Mike & Ikes instead.

Jack: Time is Going Too Quickly

2008-08-12T06:03:00.001-07:00

Jack recently turned six. I can't even believe it! Last night we were eating dinner and we were talking about the upcoming school year. I can't believe my baby boy is going to be in first grade! I told him it seemed like just yesterday that he fit into my two hands. How he came into the world with his beautiful, big eyes open, but he didn't cry at all! He got a big kick out of hearing that. It is just amazing to think that he will be at school all day! I am really going to miss him. He is such a go-with-the-flow kind of kid.

PTO: The Start of New Year Gift

2008-08-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

So I have been encouraged to share this on my blog. Thank you Jennifer! ;) My latest creative outlet has been making these little necklaces. My friend Shay and I have been making them all summer. Normally they have fun, pretty, decorative paper. My role on PTO this year is making teacher gifts. I so love my job! Basically I just use all my ideas until I'm out, and then the next person will take over. So this is the gift for all of the staff at our school for the beginning of the year. I made seventy of these! It was so fun to deliver them to the school today.

Our July: The Marathon Post

2008-08-06T05:23:00.000-07:00

Where has summer gone? I can't believe it is almost over. It goes by too quickly. I thought I'd do a little recap of July. I've tried to blog several times. My lists of drafts is quite long. We have had some challenging things this summer. I am trusting that God is trying to teach us and grow us. That being said, here are a few of our fun moments in July.

Swim team ended. I loved watching the kids. What a great sport! Kathryn and Jack really loved it. I think it really gave each of them confidence in what they could achieve. It was a huge blessing to get to know other gals in our neighborhood. It was so fun to visit every morning and just do life with my other swim team mom friends. I can't wait until next summer!
We were unable to go away on an extended vacation this summer. It was so obvious to us that we needed to be home. Jerry took a week off and we just did fun things around town. It was actually a very relaxing vacation. Since we were home, I was able to to attend a funeral and visit with extended family. Jerry loves to fish, and he has really passed that to Kathryn and Jack. They will take the fish off the hook too. A month of lots of rain meant fun stuff indoors. Only Henry could get this much cookie dough on his face and in his hair!
I was able to take the kids up to my parents' house for a week. We took Kathryn to camp for the first time. The rest of us went to the zoo that week. I just love the Children's Zoo. The kids can do so many fun activities, the animals are closer together, more rides, and the kids can interact with more animals too.
Jack and Henry had their first pony rides. Henry loved the fact that he picked the smallest pony there. Jack picked the largest.

This part of the zoo is always amazing to me. The kangaroos can hop right in your path. It is so fun for the kids to be this close to the animals. Jack loves the game Zoo Tycoon, so he had fun getting ideas for "his zoo."
Mom and I took Kathryn to camp. She was so excited. I was so proud of her. She went by herself. She was there for two nights. She introduced herself to her new friends and sat with them at the opening program. When it was time to go with her counselor, she goes, "Bye Mom!" and just waved. It was fun to see how the camp has changed since I went. One of my high school and grade school friends had a daughter in Kathryn's cabin too! What fun! She loved camp so much. It was fun to hear all the details over the next several weeks. She would just tell stories whenever they came to her. So fun!
Jerry built five chairs while he was on vacation. He even let Jack build one chair. It was great bonding for them, and Jack was thrilled to get to use all the tools. He was very proud of his accomplishment too.

Baseball ended in July too. My parents were able to come down for Jack's last game.

Kathryn continued with piano in the summer. Jack starts next week. She can play a lot by ear, which is always amazing to me. There are many moments of, "Mom, guess what this is." "This is Me" from Camp Rock is her newest favorite.
My parents have visited several times to see the kids in all their activities. Bridget is all about my mom right now. She is just squeezing her so tightly. Bridget has also become a full-on toddler. She is exploring and into everything.
Enjoy the rest of the summer--for us that is less than a week! Sorry for the marathon post. I'll try to do better when school starts--more structure is always good for me.

Giant Trivial Pursuit

2008-06-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today we hosted a giant trivial pursuit game. We asked five families from our church to be on bike teams. They each asked a family that they either didn't know well or just because of the chaos of life haven't found a time to all get together. Then we had six different families that live in our neighborhood and go to our church be question houses. Each house was a different color. We rode bikes to each house and would try to answer a question correctly. If we got the answer wrong, then they had us do something silly like play leap frog, sing, etc. It was so fun! God blessed us with a perfect afternoon despite all the rain we had in the morning. After we were done with the game, everyone came back to our house for a pitch-in cookout. What a fun evening! Those of you from Taylor that might read this may remember doing something very similar on a wing pick-a-date once. I'm hoping we can do this again in the fall. The kids loved it!

Staying Cool

2008-06-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Father's Day!

2008-06-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was just a wonderful day for our family. The kids were thrilled to give Jerry his "Best Chef" plate and mug. Jerry had gone to the store with Kathryn and saw her face as she passed the plate. She was so excited.

Our kids loved to spend time with "Gwampa." I think I may be sad when Henry finally gets his r's.

Bridget was glued to my mom all weekend. Mom just loved on her the whole time. Bridget played on the waterslide for the first time on Father's Day. It was so cute to hear her baby squeals of delight when she went down the very bottom of the slide.

Jack loves the slide. I was so thankful that the kids could play on it while my parents were here. We had a wonderful, sunny weekend.

Henry loves to swing. Sometimes he pretends he is Batman, and says he is going to "fly like a bald eagle."

Bridget loves her baby swing.

My parents left after dinner. Jerry cooked all weekend. Everything was fabulous. He made paprika shrimp with avocado and orange salsa over rice for dinner. It was so good. It got really windy after dinner, and Jerry and Henry were able to fly a kite while laying in the hammock.

That night there was a big storm here. Jerry and I sat on the porch and just watched it roll in. The wind gusts were amazing and there was quite the lightening show. Thankfully the wee ones slept through it because they were worn out from their day on the slide.

The First Swim Meet!

2008-06-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

Last night our kids had their first swim meet. It was so fun. My parents came down to watch. We so enjoyed going down memory lane and talking about the days when my brothers and I swam for our neighborhood pool. The kids did great! They loved that they got to write "their schedules" on their bodies with sharpies. Jack swam back, breast and free. He was just so cute. They only have to swim half a lap. Their coaches catch them in the middle of the pool. He had fun and was so proud of himself. Kathryn swam fly in the medley relay, but since it was the first time she had ever done a relay and the first meet, she didn't quite get all the info from her coach. The free swimmer dove in and started, and then Kathryn turned around and swam free too. It was so cute. She was so worried about being disqualified that she cried. So a trip to the concession stand and a few fun phrases of "Go Waves" and "Eat My Bubbles" on her back, and she was back to her old self. She swam fly and breast for the individual events. She won her heat for breast. I was so excited! She looked around for the other swimmers and knew she was winning, hence the big smile. Then she swam the last lap of the free relay. It was just a great evening. I loved hanging out with all the other parents and hearing the kids talk about their races. It wasn't even over until 9:30, so Kathryn was loving life that she got to be up the late. I am just so thankful my dear friend Elizabeth told us about swim team around here. It is just great. The kids practice every day in June and three times a week in July. I am so proud of the progress they have made on their strokes, and they have really started to make lots of new friends. Did I mention yet how much I love swim team?! ;)

A Bit of an Update

2008-06-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been a long time. Here is a little of what has been happening around here during the last month or so. School is finally out, so we are now busy with swim team and baseball. So fun! Sorry about the pictures. I was playing with the settings in blogger.

I found matching dresses for the girls. They were on sale, and it was the first time that they have been twins. So fun! This month has been filled with fun deals and garage sales. Jerry is hooked now too after he got a weber grill super cheap!

Our church had our end of the year event for the children's program. The kids raced match box cars, big wheels, giant trikes, and motorized cars. Kathryn rode my old big wheel.

We have been spending tons of time outside. Even though it took a long time to get warm, we are in full summer mode now. We have been able to put the waterslide up several times too. Henry is climbing even more than he did last summer. He is super into Batman now and always wants to play super hero. It is quite funny and entertaining.

Jack and Kathryn on the last day of school. They were so excited! I so hope that Jack gets the same teacher Kathryn had this year. She was just fabulous!

Jack graduated from kindergarten. Once that hat came off, there was no getting it on again. We tried and tried. It was a fun morning. I can't believe that our oldest two will be gone all day next year. The time is going by too quickly.

Kathryn had her first piano recital. She did a great job. She had so much poise and didn't freak out at all when she made a mistake. I was so proud of her. She handled herself so well. It was fun for all of us to hear the high school students play. I think that it was really motivating for Kathryn too.

Jerry is enjoying cooking on the grill now that it is nice outside. He is having fun learning how to use charcoal too. So far he has made ribs, lamb chops, shrimp tacos, salmon and some grilled corn salad. He keeps thanking me for "letting" him cook. I'm loving every minute of it. :)

We have been having so many thunderstorms here. Two of our kids sleep through them, and the other two always wind up in our bed or on our floor. We have even had some big storms during the day. The kids just kind of huddle together during the whole thing. One night they were all in our room. It was crazy, but when they woke up in the morning, I just thought, "How fun for them." I mean really they had a blast, and that is what they will remember.

A Few Days to Go

2008-05-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

I took pictures for a friend a couple weeks ago. She had her baby four days after this picture was taken. It was so fun! I so dream of doing what my friend Traci has started--one day. For now, it was really fun to play. This is one of my favorite shots.

Not the Typical Mother's Day Weekend

2008-05-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

It feels like forever since I tried to do this. Thursday night I was very brief in my post. Earlier that evening I had taken Jack to Kathryn's program at school. It was the end of the year musical program. After that we went to Steak 'n Shake. It was fun to have that much time with just Kathryn and Jack. They were so good and it was really fun.

Later that evening I felt horrible. I have been eating pretty well the last few months, and so I thought my late evening calorie fest at Steak 'n Shake was just giving me heartburn. Well, it just got worse over the course of the night. I couldn't sleep and the pain was really bad, so at 6:00 in the morning we called a dear friend to come and watch the kids, and Jerry took me to the ER. After a few tests, they decided I needed to have my gall bladder removed. Our friends and neighbors were just amazing. They took care of our children. The kids got up well for Corrie, and Kathryn was very understanding about me not being able to go to the Mother's Day Tea at school.

The surgery went well. I was able to spend the night at the hospital. I was so thankful to get to do that. My parents came down to help out with the kiddos. I got home late yesterday. I'm still sore, but things are going well. I am so thankful that they did the surgery and didn't have me wait to have another gall bladder attack. Everyone was so kind and really helped our family. Not the typical Mother's Day, but I am so thankful for how God took care of me and our family.

Please Pray!

2008-05-08T19:05:00.001-07:00

You know I just haven't had the umph to do this. Life is busy and crazy and challenging and fun. However, I was going through my blog roll tonight and went to Leslie's page. Please, please pray for them. Leslie's cancer is back and they are just going through so much. Thank you!

The Thrill of the Hunt

2008-04-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

This morning was just super fun. Garage Sale season is in full swing. I just love it. Seriously, one good deal, and the whole morning is worth it. Today was just the best! Kathryn really needed a new bike. There were tons of neighborhood sales this morning, and at the first one, I found a super cool bike for her. I asked the lady how much she wanted for it, and she was like, "How about seven dollars?" Made my morning. I was so excited! What fun! Jerry has been working on the desk he found for Kathryn too. He sanded it down and is painting it white. So fun! Then after I picked up Jack, I asked him if he wanted to go garage sale-ing some more. He loves it because the very first time he went he got a fun, loud, toy weed wacker for a dime. Now he is hooked. We went to a house and she had Rescue Hero central. We don't have any of those things, and really, they haven't talked about it much. Jack spent nine dollars of his own money and got this Rescue Hero tower thing, a jet, a boat, and five guys. They are loving life tonight. He is so proud of the fact that he bought it too. Love it! Ok...one last thing that I have to share...I found a pair of tags on GAP capri pants for $5. Love it! So fun! Course you either get this or think I'm crazy. :) I have some dear friends here that love this too. We call each other all morning and share where to go. So fun! Hopefully tomorrow will be fun too!

A Weekend of Fun Blessings

2008-04-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

As I sit here, it is hard for me to believe how much has happened this weekend. It is very surreal. Friday Jerry and I went to garage sales. It was basically the venue for just spending time together and chatting. It was fun to drive around and run into a few friends and look for some fun deals. My husband is just the best. We did that together in the morning, and then that evening he let me go and meet some of my college friends for dinner.

Then Saturday morning Jerry and Steve taught a cooking class for the women's spring event at our church. They made yummy food for twelve gals while I took the kids to chic-fil-a. When I returned, the women said just the sweetest and kindest things about my dear husband. He is just wonderful. Then Jerry let me go catch up with my college friends again.

This weekend was our "Taylor Girls Weekend." Nine of us got together to just visit and catch up. One of our friends moved to Upland in the last year, so we were not only able to see each other, but we were able to revisit Taylor together. This was only the second time I have been able to go. It seems I have basically been pregnant or nursing most of the other years. What a rejuvenating time! It was so good to just talk and laugh and listen and laugh some more. Those of you that couldn't make it this year, you were dearly missed. I so hope that there is a time when we can all be together for one of these.

It was amazing to walk around the campus together. We were walking on the sidewalk that leads from the DC (where we ate) to our dorm. It was just surreal for me. How many times did we do that very walk in college? Then, we got to our dorm... I haven't been back to the dorms since we graduated, so that was just fun. Someone said the picture of Grace had faded. Someone else said it smelled the same. We went into the lounge and then we had our own ring down for our friend that got married last year. It was so fun to just laugh and remember those times from college. She passed around her ring for all of us to see. Then she stood up on the bricks for us and told us how she got engaged. Then another friend that got engaged after graduation shared her story too. We cheered after each of them told their story. A few people walked through the lounge while we did that. We are all married now, and there was just something so sweet and surreal and fun about celebrating that in an old fashioned Taylor way.

Then we went on our wing. The room I lived in as a freshmen is totally gone and is now part of the laundry room. Of course we were just talking and laughing. We even joked how we are "those people" now. We could remember when other gals would do this when we were in college. Now we were the ones going down memory lane, amazed by what had changed and what was the same. Everything would trigger another story. The bathroom has been remodeled, which only made us laugh about time when the dividers to our stalls ended up under the bell tower.

Then it was off to Ivanhoe's for lunch. We had dinner at T.O.P.P.I.T (The Only Pizza Place in Town). Breadsticks and more fun down memory lane. Later that night we were able to get shakes from Ivanhoe's. We had lots of time to visit and relax. It was much needed down time for all of us. Melynie has some great pictures up, and I'm sure Traci and Heather will add some soon too.

We had a class tonight at church and some dear friends were asking about my weekend. I feel like it was just so rejuvenating and like a time to just reboot. That may sound silly, but I can't really describe it. I think the fact that we were there together when it wasn't a crazy alumni time made me way more reflective. It just looked like a regular spring Saturday at Taylor. It just hit me how back then I wondered what was I going to do? Would I get married? Who would I marry? Where was I going to live? How was God going to use me? Would I have children? So many questions and challenges. Then tonight it really hit me how God has just been so faithful. Different memories would come to mind as we walked around campus, and oh, to just tap the old me on the shoulder and say, "Don't worry. God is faithful. Trust Him and trust His timing." Now we are all in a different season and there are new questions, but God is the same. He is faithful. His timing is perfect. I am just so thankful. What a blessing these women are in my life!

Discoveries

2008-04-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today I was making dinner, and I had the Food Network on TV. All the sudden I hear one of the kids yell, "Hey Mom, Rachel Ray is using one of our tools." Jerry will be thrilled to hear that one. She was just using one of those big hand held zesters--I can't remember the fancy cooking term for it. Anyway...

Earlier we were outside playing at our neighbors' house. It was a beautiful day, and I was able to visit with our neighbor and watch the kids play in her backyard at the same time. At one point Henry went out of my view, so I asked the other kids, "Hey guys, where is Henry?" (Note they were in a fenced in yard, so I wasn't worried. Where could he go? Oh, where there is my Henry, there is a way.) Kathryn goes, "He's going in and out of the dog door." Nice.

Hidden Treasure

2008-04-09T11:07:00.001-07:00

So this afternoon the kids were having fun playing outside on their park. Henry asked me to move his beach chair into the sandbox so he could pretend he was at the ocean. We put the chair down, and there, all alone, was one tiny robin egg. The kids had so much fun holding a "real" egg. Normally we would leave the eggs alone to hatch, but the sandbox is definitely kid territory, not bird territory. So they got to tell Daddy what they found. What joy it brought them! So fun to see things through their eyes.

Our Monday Adventure

2008-04-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today was a bit of a crazy day! We were outside for most of it though, which is such a welcome switch. I took the kids to the park and walked around the track with the younger two in a stroller. The older two rode their bikes and played with bubbles. Then a dear friend met us up there with her three kids. They were all having fun. The bleachers of the ball diamond are always a fun place to play. I know I have told my children countless times to be careful and not jump off the bleachers. Alas, some things are only learned the hard way, and as much as I can say things to try to protect them, sometimes they try them anyway. So Jack jumped off the top row. He hurt his foot, but we were able to go straight to Dr. Jack's office. Then we went to the hospital for his "fancy picture" of his foot. Jack could understand x-ray much better than Henry. The people at the hospital were so kind. They gave the kids coloring books and crayons. Thankfully we were seen very quickly. They called back early this evening, and everything is fine. He must have just bruised his foot badly. Kathryn is really trying to take care of him, and he just spent most of the evening relaxing on the couch.

Every now and then I have these big "Mom" moments. It may sound ridiculous. Of course I'm the mom, but sometimes the fact that we have four kids hits me harder than others. Or I think back to when I was a kid and my parents were doing something very parental, and now that is me. I can't really articulate it very well. Today though, registering Jack and putting on his little hospital band was a very real "Mom" moment. I am so thankful that all of it was just for an x-ray.

Totally unrelated....my dear friend Jennifer is giving away some fabulously fun blog candy. She is so generous and amazingly talented, not to mention just a super nice friend! Good luck!

Celebrating A Sunny Weekend

2008-04-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

We have finally had two sunny days in a row! Yesterday we celebrated by going to the zoo. We hadn't been there since the fall. It was fun to just take one stroller. The kids are getting big so quickly. Henry thoroughly enjoyed his newfound freedom of walking at the zoo. The best part though was when he climbed up onto the first rung of a fence where they had a bunch of ostriches and gazelles. He climbed up and then as loud as he could, he yelled, "Hello animals! It's me Henry!" So cute. Jerry actually got the whole thing on film. Total fluke, but we are so thankful! He had some great comments. There was the bit too about how the monkeys needed some "goop" on their "tushes" aka the baboons needed diaper ointment. We went to the big butterfly exhibit too. The kids loved seeing so many different butterflies up close. Jerry even commented how it was just the perfect day. He ended our evening by making a fabulous halibut dish with a mango salsa. Then he built Kathryn some cubbies for her closet. He is just the best!

Today was church for half of us. Half of us stayed home with our colds and whatnot. Jerry and Steve made a great lunch--deconstructed pesto pasta--it is fun to just say. Henry ate four helpings! Hopefully I can find a way to grow basil this year without the beetles eating it all. It was so good. Steve had brought some of his mom's pesto over Monday. We ate all of it. It was just the best thing. Oh to make pesto remotely as good! Then we played outside with all the neighbors. Then the guys made a pork tenderloin stuffed with spinach and other yummy goodness. What a great weekend! Hope you enjoyed yours as well!

The Shark

2008-03-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

So today I was cleaning up after B had finished her snack. Henry is in this phase where he likes to help me with the swivel vacuum. We used to own one that was called "the shark," which is why I still call the little vacuum the shark. So as I look at the mess of crackers on the floor, I asked Henry to go get the shark.

"Ok, mama," he said.

Then he ran out of the kitchen. I got busy doing other things. A few minutes passed, and Henry comes running into the kitchen.

"I got it mama," he said as he proudly held his big stuffed Bruce the shark up in the air for me to see. "I got Bruce."

So cute.

Baby Toile

2008-03-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

This was a quick card for a friend. The little metal tag says, "baby." I'm still working on Easter posts. Hope you are all doing well. We're still here, just crazy busy as always! Have a great weekend!

Piper's New Favorite Spot

2008-03-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Music Class

2008-03-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Today Jerry and I were able to go and watch Kathryn's music class at school. It was a huge blessing that her teacher had scheduled this for Jerry's short day. Her music teacher had the parents of each first grade class come in and watch. It wasn't a performance. We were able to see what they do. She explained things, did activities with the kids, and we were even able to participate. What fun! They played different instruments too. When it was time for the dance with the volunteers, Kathryn picked Jack, which I just thought was so sweet. Our whole family was there, and it was so low-key and relaxed. Kathryn loves music--everything about it. So it was such a joy for us to get to see her. It is always fun to see her classroom teacher too. I just love her. I so hope that she is able to stay next year and that Jack gets her.

Blah-Yuck!

2008-03-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

Some things just don't change. I can remember being in certain situations when I was in grade school and high school and college and thinking to myself that one day I won't have to deal with this. This kind of thing only happens now--that is what I would say to myself. When I am older, these things won't happen. When I am a grown-up or a mom or a wife or have a job or am just not in school, this kind of thing won't happen. When I was single, I would think, these things won't happen when I'm married. When we didn't have kids, I would think, these things won't happen when I'm a mom. Now I am a mom and I am finding myself trying to find out how to help Kathryn. I am not being a good example to her because I am still having trouble with the same thing. Why can't I just grow up? or not be hurt? or not be offended? or not take it personally? Is it just always going to be like this? Why can't I get over this hump in my journey in life? Kathryn is just starting to see the same hump. I am not trying to pretend it isn't there anymore. I'm just telling her that it is real and it hurts and honestly, that hurt doesn't change even as you get older, but we can try hard not to cause this kind of hurt in others. We hope for the best for them. We pray for them. We rejoice for them. We think the best of them and for them. We are happy for them. We celebrate. We assume the best. We try really hard to not put words in their mouth. We pray. We give it to God, and then see that we have taken it back, and then give it back to Him again. We pray that God will help us to do all those things that we know we should do and feel those things we know we should feel. It is always a pride problem--good or bad--it is a sin thing. Blah--yuck!

Through Their Eyes

2008-03-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

I was reading the paper online, and Kathryn saw where it said the name of our town and "Weather Alert."

Kathryn: What is the weather alert Mom?

Me: We are under a flood warning.

Kathryn: We better build an ark.

The other day Henry lost his shoe. He came up to me and said, "I lost my Lightening McQueen shoe Mom. That Swiper is fast."

A Favorite Thing

2008-03-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

Please Pray!

2008-03-10T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today is Leslie's surgery. It should start around 10:00. Please pray for Leslie and her family. The surgery is going to take most of the day. Please pray for this sweet family!

Just for Fun

2008-03-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

So I got this link from the kwerner design blog. It is fun. Course I also loved "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" :)

A Big Thank You!

2008-02-28T16:46:00.001-08:00

Growing up I spent a great deal of time at Mr. & Mrs. M's house. If my parents ever went on vacation, they took care of me. Mrs. M and my mom have been friends long before I was born. Their kids, Kathy and Craig, would stay at our house when Mr. & Mrs. M would go out of town. Craig is the only person I know that is now doing what he said he would do when he was little. I can remember him saying he wanted to make toys. He would draw pictures of fascinating toys. Now, he is a designer and makes toys. So cool! Anyway...when Craig was little someone made him a bunch of bean bags for all of his army guys, etc. Fast forward to the present. We now go to Colts games with Kathy and Michael (well, we try at least--I will try to be better next year, Kathy). Craig and Diana had their son on the same day and at the same hospital where we had Bridget. Our moms ran into each other--surprise! What fun! So Craig designed and had the sandbags made for his son and nephew. The smallest amount they could make was 2000! So Mr. and Mrs. M generously gave some to us and to my brother Steve. Our kids just love them! They stack them, play army guys with them, toss them, put them in dump trucks, play with them in their castles, and the most unexpected use thus far--they make perfect pillows for all of Kathryn's Polly Pockets. Thank you so much, Mr. & Mrs. M for this great gift that is used in new ways daily!

Prayer Request

2008-02-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

One of my college friends guided me to this blog. This family is just going through such a difficult time. Leslie has cancer. She is a TU grad. She and her husband have a two-year-old son. If you have a moment, please read their blog and lift them up in prayer. If you are willing, please leave a comment of encouragement for them as well. I look at Henry. He is the same age as Leslie's son. I can't imagine going through all that Leslie is going through. This family will be on my heart. Please join me in praying for them!

Has it really been a Year?

2008-02-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my youngest child is going to be one tomorrow. Where did the time go? It is such a bittersweet thing for me. There has to be a last baby...that is what I keep telling myself, what Jerry and I keep telling each other. She is cutting her fourth tooth. She will soon stop nursing. She is cruising around from toy to toy and furniture to furniture. Soon she will be walking. She is eating table food. My precious baby is not a baby anymore. I love the baby stage. I really do. Even though I can be so tired and can't really remember the last time I slept through the night, I just love the baby stage. Bridget is my koala bear. She won't go in the nursery. When she cries, she wants me to hold her. She wants and loves to be held, and she holds on for dear life most of the time. I cringe at how I must have rushed Kathryn and Jack when they were little. I was waiting eagerly for them to walk, to run, to go on the potty, to eat regular food...to be big fast. Now I am in reverse...take your time, it will be ok, nurse some more...it just goes by too fast. B makes us laugh. She is wristy like Kathryn was. She lets Kathryn mother her. She will be tough because of her two big brothers. We are so blessed, and we are so thankful!

Happy Birthday Kathryn!

2008-02-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

My little girl is getting big. Time is going by quickly. Yesterday I took Kathryn and one of her friends to a pottery studio and out for ice cream. It was a fun afternoon. The timing was perfect as her teacher didn't give out homework this week! It is still hard to believe that she is already seven. She is quite the passionate little girl. She loves to sing and play the piano. She can pick out tunes on the piano all by herself. She loves to mother her little sister. She loves to cook and loves to make her own cooking videos a la food network. She has a wonderful sense of humor and loves to do arts and crafts. She loves to read too. She teaches me so much daily.

Early Wish!

2008-02-13T06:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day--a day early! :) This is always a crazy, fun time in our family as it is also Kathryn's birthday! We have much fun planned, and so I have much to do. We celebrate Valentine's Day in the morning and have our special breakfast, and then it is on to the birthday! I wanted to get this up as these cards were fun and easy to make. Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Monogram Cards

2008-02-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

The challenges are out, but I just haven't been able to get to them yet. I had hoped to make these cards fit Beate's challenge, but then I just decided to make these very clean and simple. A good friend of mine had a birthday yesterday. So these cards are made with her first initial and with papers I know she likes. I also took a picture of her birthday card. Hope you like it! Thanks for looking.

Where is the lightening!?!

2008-02-11T20:24:00.001-08:00

So yesterday I was sitting in the library reading and trying to finish my study for tonight. Not proud that I wasn't done, but that is the reality. Anyway... Henry was watching Dora/Diego and I thought I would have some time to study. Well, I finished reading this verse which talks about doing things in God's strength and not your own and watching what you say. Then as I'm looking up the next verse, I hear the cheerful sound of Henry's little feet running on the kitchen floor. I look up, and there is my son running naked around the kitchen table.

"Henry, where are your clothes?" I ask him.

"I pooped."

"Where did you poop?"

"I naked."

"Where did you poop?"

Then he runs over to the corner of the family room to show me his pile of clothes and his open, poop-filled diaper sitting behind the rocking chair. Lovely. Let there be no doubt that he is ready to potty train now. I guess he got tired of waiting. So I cleaned him up. Cleaned the carpet up. Explained yet again how he just can't take off his clothes and run around.

Then I went back to my study, and Henry went to go play with Jack. I finish looking up the next verse which says, "Whatever you do.....do it all for the glory of God."

I'll take "Delegates for 100" Alex

2008-02-05T17:44:00.000-08:00

Oh to understand all that is happening on "Super Tuesday." We lived in SC for four years. It was so fun--oh the political fun. Speakers, adds, phone calls, visits from the President. Now we live in a state that has a really late primary I feel very removed from all the political stuff. I don't even know when our primary is...need to find that out. Tonight as I was watching everything unfold on CNN, Kathryn was asking me about the maps, the colors, the numbers. I feel like the more I watch, the more questions I have. I would love to just have a glimpse of understanding at how all of this worked. Super delegate? Somebody won ten super delegates? What on earth is that? I couldn't be more confused. Oh to go back to Mr. Fluegge's US History class and ask better questions. Oh the graphics...those guys must just have a ball. Maps, colors, set design, music...and we haven't even reached the super fun part with the maps where they can take off a state and then put up a new state that is either red or blue. It is the political version of Viper99000 or whatever the weathermen are using these days. We always say that it seems those weather guys must really have fun with all their tools and graphics, especially around here with all of our wacky weather. Oh the math on CNN...if I ever go back to teaching math (very unlikely), it would be so different. "When are we ever going to use this?" Watching the news. How many word problems can you make just from watching thirty seconds of primary coverage. Oh the fun!

Sorry this post should have had a disclaimer:

This is what happens when you are on Henry duty during primary season and the house has run out of chocolate!

Random Stuff to Start the Week

2008-02-04T06:36:00.000-08:00

Our team's little brother won the super bowl! Yeah! I think we got the biggest kick out of watching Peyton cheer for Eli. What fun!

Henry got up as soon as the game was over. He was ready for the day. Wide awake! Lovely.

Jerry was looking at my weekend sketch card yesterday and saw my eyelet kit. He goes, "Awe, look at your little girl hammer." Nice.

Jerry made wings last night, so I told the kids they had to stay out of the kitchen because there was hot oil on the stove. "Hot oil is dangerous, so you need to stay out of the kitchen," I told them. "Just like a volcano," said Jack. You have to love his comments.

I was finally able to upload a card onto splitcoast and start my "gallery." One lonely card...need to work on that too.

After lunch today Henry was running around and gave me the "Oh no!" look. Then he threw up in my hands. Lovely.

All in a day's work. :) Happy Monday!

Paper I Just Love & WSChallenge #33

2008-02-03T14:51:00.001-08:00

Well once again it has taken me a whole week to post. Sorry about that. Life is just busy. I have been working on planners, and so it was a treat for me to take a break from those to do Beate's challenge this weekend. I must confess that at this point I pretty much collect paper. I have decorative paper that I just love, and sadly, I don't ever use it because I just love it. This weekend I decided to use a bunch of stuff that I just love. The card was inspired by a tag my friend Shay made at my tag making party in December. The little metal charm says, "thanks." It is hard to see in this picture. When I have some extra time, I'll have to update this with the details about the stuff I used. It was very fun to make this even though it took forever. Normally I am a "mass produce cards quickly" kind of girl, so it is fun to take a long time to do one card. Thanks Beate for the great challenge! Hope you like it!

A Card Made for the Lunch Box

2008-01-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

I finally finished another Beate Sketch! It was fun to use these stamps to make this card for my daughter's lunch box. She will be so excited when she finds it. The image is retired SU, and the sentiment is from Studio g. I used a copic marker to color the little girl. I only have three of the markers, so I used SU watercolor pencils and a blender pen for the rest. Copic markers are just so fun! When I showed the card to Jerry, he said it was bright...guess that is good for a sunshine card for my little girl! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

The 'c' Planner

2008-01-27T14:31:00.000-08:00

This planner was made with paper that I got at Hobby Lobby. I am sorry that I don't know what it is called. They have the double-sided versions of the paper at Michael's.

Cupcakes

2008-01-24T17:54:00.001-08:00

Ok, I realize that most of you are probably going, "What?" I am on Henry duty right now (I think he may actually be asleep at this point--Yea!), and I was trying to get this blog a bit more organized. I found this picture that I took at Jana's shower in November. The cupcakes were just so beautiful and fabulously good. Taylor from Taylored Expressions loves cupcakes, and she does this fun thing called Cupcake Friday. So Happy Cupcake Friday Eve Taylor!

Card Swap

2008-01-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

This is the thank you card I made for Jen's card sketch and card swap. I'm trying to get back on my blog. It seems that there have been so many sad and horrible and tragic things going on, and in all honesty, it has just been hard to sit down and write. I am so thankful for my family and my children and husband and our health and safety and faith. It has been a couple of weeks of just being thankful, watching the kids sleep peacefully and lots of extra hugs and "I love you."

The stamp and ink are from SU. Green dot paper is CM. All other paper is from Michael's. The ribbon is from flower factory.

On My Heart

2008-01-14T07:11:00.000-08:00

I keep trying to type about this and I just can't seem to get it right...

My friend posted this past week about a recent tragedy. This family is on my heart. If the Lord brings them to your heart and mind, please pray for them.

Here is the family's blog with updates.

Thanks for praying!

Still Here

2008-01-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been over a week since my last post. We are getting back into the swing of things. I guess too I have had a lot on my mind and heart, and normally I write about stuff here, but I couldn't do that this time. Maybe that will go away. Maybe it is the fact that it has been raining every day this week.

Today at breakfast Kathryn goes, "I don't think Jesus is coming back today, Mom." She said it in this very disappointed and matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Probably not, but wouldn't that be great?" I answered. "Yeah," she said.

Maybe that is it too. The flurry of a new year...the end of Christmas...putting things away and then finding more stuff to put away. We received a Christmas letter from a friend reminding us to really treasure these months and years. Their oldest is going to graduate from high school this spring. I can remember being in youth group and their son was too little to even talk. Bridget is starting to pull up, eat baby food, and she is just big. Time is going fast. I want to treasure it and enjoy it...even the chaos. Maybe that is it too.

Photography Resolutions

2008-01-02T17:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight while on Henry duty I found a link to new year resolutions in photography. I am putting it on my blog so that it will be something I will see often. Some of the ideas sound so fun to try. If any of you start to do any of the projects listed, please let me know.

Last Day of the Year

2007-12-31T09:49:00.000-08:00

This picture is from yesterday. Henry is just so fun to photograph because he doesn't really play to the camera just yet. So fun!

Church was just fabulous yesterday. What a great message! So challenging and just so real. I guess I don't really have anything huge share. This may be an uneventful post, but to us right now, uneventful is wonderful! Last night we made California Rolls with Steve and watched part of the Colts game. Such a fun dinner! Bridget loves to listen to Steve play the piano, so that was just so cute to watch. Today we are putting away stuff and catching up on laundry. We'll play games tonight with some friends and eat fun food. I want to do some goals and just chatting with the kids about the year. Hope everyone has a safe and fun New Year!

Congrats Jana and John! They got married this weekend! I can't wait to see pictures!

The 'e' Planner

2007-12-31T08:41:00.000-08:00

This planner was made with the Phoebe line from Basic Grey. I so love their stuff.

My 2008 Planner

2007-12-29T06:15:00.001-08:00

So here are the covers for my new planner. The paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Halfway Cafe Collection. I have two more in the works, so I will post them when they are done. Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

Christmas Morning

2007-12-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post a few pictures from our Christmas morning. The kids actually slept in. What a treat for us!

Henry loved his Christmas book. I actually had to talk him into coming downstairs because he just wanted to sit and read his book and play the song over and over again. I was thrilled that he loved it.

Kathryn was delighted when she opened her Hannah Montana wig. She doesn't watch the show anymore, but she loves to sing the songs she remembers.

Jack was so excited to open his first big Star Wars ship from Jerry's parents.

As expected, Bridget was most excited with the paper and the ribbons.

'Twas the Night

2007-12-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas, when chaos did roam

as Henry shoved toilet paper down the throne.

Long talks about plumbers were lectured with care

In hopes that no more toilets would be plugged up there.

Bridget cried loudly, wetting her whole head

While I anticipated Henry climbing out of bed.

And I sat in my chair with my Mac on my lap

With a large Mt. Dew to avoid a quick nap.

When downstairs I heard quite a loud sound.

It was Kathryn and Jack watching Charlie Brown.

I sat and I prayed that all would soon sleep

And that our toilet would not leak a peep.

"My ear hurts," I heard my mom say.

Her earring was stuck in K's braid to stay.

Then thankfully I heard my mom sign in relief.

Her ear was free. Oh good grief!

Kathryn cried while standing there.

Then ran up to tell me they had cut her hair.

Finally it was time to kiss them and give them a hug.

I smiled and sighed and prayed for them on the rug.

"Sleep, Kathryn! Sleep, Henry! Sleep, Bridget and Jack!

Stay in bed, so your tush I don't have to whack!

Sleep in! Have good dreams! Sleep longer than us all!

Now hurry adults! Let us relax. Let us all!

As I write this Henry is asleep--now I am free

To go downstairs and watch Rush Hour Three?

Not exactly "It's A Wonderful Life"

The movie was Jerry's choice, not the choice of his wife.

And so I am going to quit my little song.

I had not realized that the poem is so long!

Merry Christmas!

What can I say? I haven't had a lot of sleep lately. :) Have a wonderful Christmas!

"Beauty Shop"

2007-12-20T18:11:00.001-08:00

What can I say? Kathryn is quite the hair stylist. Playing Beauty Shop is really code for "Mommy just needs to sit down for a minute." My parents are visiting for Christmas so they were watching the wee ones while Kathryn did my hair. When Henry came upstairs, he goes, "Mawmee, Fawncy Hairw."