Older Photos

I'm posting a whole slough of stuff on Craigslist today, and as I searched for the saved pictures of bed frames and little people houses, I came across old shots of the girls. Wow, how they grow! And boy, how I wish I could rightly taste and feel every moment in my imagination. Eric would say that is the longing for another place, the next, perfect place. C.S. Lewis and I know he is right. Ahhh, nostalgia.

So, here are some oldies-but-goodies. All Eva, age 2, taken on a vacation to Ohio to celebrate Ryan and Stephanie's wedding. Some of these shots were taken by Uncle Dana... that's why they're so good :).

Status Updates

Borrowing from my brilliant friend Nicole, this week I will be recording life by way of my Facebook updates.

Tuesday: "Overheard from the kitchen, "Eva will you help me build a fort? OK, good. Then Mommy won't be able to find me to spank me." "

True story, I do spank the little rascals. And lately we've been trying to graciously and lovingly reinforce obedience a little more firmly around here. The reinforcements come largely in the form of spankings. And they know when they've got it coming to them, though obviously they can run, but they can't hide ;).

Sunday: "Just took Hope to the bathroom at 11:00 at night. Deliriously she asked for, "Privacy, please." Then decisively she announced, "This drives me crazy!" Then in a slightly maniacal voice, "I'm driving crazy!" Then she was asleep in bed again. Whew"

Hope continues her maddening habit of getting up twice a night to go to the bathroom, with help. Of course, Eva's habit of wetting the bed twice a night is even more maddening, so... we take what we can get. Hope is very sweet and usually not delirious when we take her. Next week, Eric has allotted four days to finish remodeling our upstairs bathroom, so perhaps next week Hope will no longer need assistance to find the toilet in the middle of the night!

Thursday: "7 little girls playing, two dressers painted, 24 "all natural" chicken nuggets, 2 poopy diapers, tasty beet salad, and sunshine. Ordinary, but still interesting, afternoon around our house."

I run a very unofficial daycare here. Apparently my spiritual gift for serving the church is watching kiddos, because I do a lot of it! I enjoy it (don't stop bringing your kids over!), and by default there is no shortage of playmates for Hope while Eva is away at school. Officially, I have also started watching two little girls for 10 or so hours per week, for actual income. At our peak last week, there were 9 little girls and 2 boys playing in our yard, with the addition of the neighbor kids. Busy, anyone???

The beets are starting to run dry, though we're still consuming them occasionally. All natural chicken nuggets do, in fact, have only five ingredients that are all recognizeable. While they aren't quite real food, they aren't the worst alternative :).

The dressers and the sunshine went hand in hand. The following day, the temperatures dipped low and we got our first snow. I was so thankful to finish up the last of the summer/fall bedroom redecorate project before we were trapped inside. I was also relieved to be able to accomplish a painting project with a gazillion little people underfoot! My ability to multi-task, the level of everyday chaos, and the number of children at our house seem to be multiplying equally and exponentially these days!

OK, reading through this I'm deciding that Nicole's Facebook posts are much more interesting than mine. And her commentary is superbly more interesting. So, I'm quitting now. But at least I've journaled and remembered, right?!?

Almost Wordless Wednesday: All a little out of focus, which only reinforces the generally chaotic vibe

If I were to give captions to these photos it would be something like:

"Yeah! Let's go hiking!" "I'm tiiiired" "No eating rocks." "Let's climb those stairs!" "Will you hold me?" "Hazel, you can't catch me!" "I want to ride in the stroller." "Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!" "My stomach hurts." "What is for dinner?" "I DON'T want to _______" "C',mon Hopie!" "My stomach hurts." "She won't hold my hand." "I'm tiiiiired."

Weekend Top 10

10. TWO afternoon naps for me.

9. Snow! The first snowfall of the season started on Friday night, and Hope roused us bright and early on Saturday morning to take in the winter wonderland. Finally Eva has a playmate for colder adventures. The girls played together for a good hour in the white without any complaints of snow in their gloves, cold faces, or inability to actually walk through the snow. For better or worse, they're growing up!

8. Completed bedroom renovation. The girls' bedroom underwent a face lift, starting in August and ending today. They have now have bunk beds, blue walls, another dresser, new curtains, bedding, decorations, and **pause for dramatic effect** a bed canopy. The room is not an interior design masterpiece in any way, but it is a major improvement. And the girls love it. And I know I spent less than $100, thanks to re purposing, recycling, garage saling, spray paint, and Ikea. Wahoo!

7. Sleeping in my own bed at night. Esther has now moved into the new and improved girls' dormitory (see above). Since lately she does not sleep soundly with her mother in the room, I have been sleeping on the love seat. For at least a month. But not anymore!!!

6. Family of 5. Eric did not take any trips or do much socializing this weekend, so we enjoyed lots of face time with him. Mmmmm.

5. Mommy date for Hope. The middle daughter and I went out for dinner to Noodles tonight. We chit chatted about the Sunday School lesson this morning, then pulled out Sesame Street Dominoes and later read three lovely picture books. We sat together on the same side of the booth the whole time and totally soaked up the personal attention.

4. Mommy date for (duh) Mommy. Our church women's meeting was cancelled due to the snow storm, so I had some beautiful time away on Saturday morning by myself. I ate quiche, drank coffee, and read excerpts from three books: Keep a Quiet Heart, When I Don't Desire God, and most importantly the Bible. I needed some good time with God and was mercifully refreshed by the Holy Spirit's presence with me.

3. Homespun productions. While Hope and I were away tonight, Eva and Eric worked up a little dramatic presentation. We arrived home to paper arrows directing us to the basement. We sat in a line on our little green chairs and watched as Ms. Beadle (Eva) instructed her pupil (Eric) in math skilz. In Act II, Laura (Eric) tried to convince Mary (Eva) to raise some money by selling questionable home remedies. In Act III, Laura (Eva) is chastised by the elderly neighbor (Eric) for attempting to sell said remedies door to door. The play was well rehearsed and very professional. Complete with an actor Q&A at the end.

I bought season tickets to all the performances forever into eternity, and I didn't even bat an eyelash at the cost :). I can't wait to see more from these budding actors!

2. Worshiping together with our church family today. Sunday IS the best day of the week.

1. Daddy date for Eva to see Anne of Green Gables, performed by some of our own dear babysitters. Grace played Anne with an "E", and Bronte played Marilla. Apparently, Eva was on the absolute edge of her seat the entire time, and I hear nothing but rave reviews and high praise for the teen actors and actresses. Eva LOVES this kind of old fashioned, female drama with big puffy sleeves and a touch of romance, so I knew she would adore Anne. I'm sad to have missed it, but Eric and Eva had a really special night together!

This weekend was all together relaxing, relational, and refreshing.