Wordless Wednesday: 424 Days and Counting (but almost done!)

UTAH!

In January, Eric and I took a special trip to Park City, Utah to chill with our friends David and Beth Anderson. We were gone for 6 days with no kids! It was a hard decision to go since we hadn't really envisioned spending money this way and because it was a long time away from the kids. I'm so glad we went though! There is more to tell about this trip than I have time for blogging, so I'm just going to throw out a few happy pictures.

We skied, quite a lot. Two days of downhill skiing and one day of cross country. As you can see, Beth is mega preggers, so she was not allowed on downhill skis. David and Beth humbly (and patiently) invited me to teach them the basics of cross country skiing, and they caught on quickly! Cross country is a great workout for a gestating mama!
Basically, it was 5 degrees in Minneapolis, and 35 degrees in Utah the whole time. It was paradise. The sun on my fair skin felt as good as a Triple Chocolate Coconut Raspberry Entirely Decadent dessert on my tongue. (I have a good imagination for things like dessert, and I really love sunshine). David (certified ski instructor) very generously spent most of two days teaching Eric to downhill ski. Although he is still struggling a bit, David dun good! Eric can remain in control at all times and actually wants to continue learning the skills. While they taught and learned and skied a bit together, and while Beth ran all our errands and cooked our food (thanks Mom!), I explored the resort solo. It was fun and exhilarating and challenging and refreshing!Then we met up and did a few runs together. David and I also got to (recklessly) ski together a bit, allowing me to ski some new runs with a companion. David also evaluated my skiing a bit and helped me to start unlearning some bad habits and catch on to some new tricks. I can't wait to hit the slopes again and practice!
When we weren't skiing, we were settling Catan, talking politics, eating delicious food, talking economics, watching Sundance films, talking A Capella, sleeping in, talking parenting, hot tubbing, talking science, looking for Eric's lost _______ (fill in the blank), talking religion, cooking, talking Jesus, gleaning Sundance freebies, talking major life decisions, and talking some more. It was a sweet time!

Thanks D & B for convincing us to make the trip, and of course taking great care of us!

Theology 101

I've been away from the blog for over a month. And what a month it has been! I have many posts rattling around in my head, begging for an outlet, so hopefully someday soon I'll free my fingers and take back my brain. For now, just a quick snippet about dinnertime tonight.

For the last few months we have been using a great resource, Long Story Short, for family devotions after dinner. Our church generously purchased a copy for each family in our church, and what a gift (!), as it is the perfect fit for our kids. The lessons are short, simple, and Biblically grounded. A testimony to the uniqueness of male leadership, the girls love, love, love to share this special time with Dad way more than they enjoy their teaching times with Mom.

Tonight, Eric opened by asking for a show of hands, "Raise your hand if you have ever in your life disobeyed..." Of course, the hands shot up (even little Esther appropriately thought hand raising was cool and required). The following conversation was about how Satan lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden, convincing her to disobey God and promising that it would have positive consequences. It was good.

Eva's observations afterward were fascinating. Our resident kindergartner hasn't wasted any time getting to the big questions. First she said, "If I saw a snake in a tree, I would probably go a little closer to see it better." Then after some consideration, "But if it TALKED to me, I would stay far away. Because that would be Satan." Then the million dollar question, "Why did God create Satan if He knew Satan would tempt us to sin?"

And though we've hardly just begun, we've already shut the book on Theology 101. Up next week: The total depravity of man, the freedom of the will, and original sin. Buckle your seat belts Mom and Dad, the kids have some questions!

***In the interest of total disclosure and keepin' it real, if you are like me, you might read this post and think, "Great, another family who is doing devotions and having provocative and gratifying dinnertime conversations." Then you might compare yourself to those (imaginary) families and beat yourself up for your (perceived) lack of familial accomplishment. Let's just be straight here and remember that ANY grace, even somewhat regular family devotions, is GOD'S grace. We don't claim any credit, and I know that God's grace is available to all who seek it. Amen. :) ***

Sweet Flying

"A Bulwark Never Failing"

Name that tune! If you're a hymnal buff or attend a Reformed church, you probably know it. Yes, the hymn writer is talking about God. Today, however, I will be primarily talking about our home. The phrase preceding "a bulwark" is "A mighty FORTRESS is our God." Truly, He is a mighty fortress and a bulwark never failing (can I get an amen?!?). And our house? I suppose you could say it is an allegory pointing to God....

I'll let the pictures explain- See, this is our front curb. Do you notice the wall of snow (it's not really obvious or anything :) ? Let's take a look at some of the other houses in our neighborhood.

Lots and lots of snow, but no bulwark.
Quite a lot of snow, almost a bulwark, but not quite like this: If you haven't heard, we were blasted with a pretty good snowstorm this past weekend. Epic, really :). Halfway through the day on Saturday the plows were pulled off the road, the buses sent to the garage, the airport closed (first time since the Halloween Blizzard of 1991), and the Metrodome roof collapsed. As one twitter fan commented, "proof that God really does hate the Vikings." Ha!

We were silly enough to think the storm would quickly pass, so we spent snowy Friday night at the Darling's house. Really, we should've hightailed it home while we had a chance. By Saturday morning it was pointless to try. We ended up staying until Sunday afternoon. When we finally got home, our yard was peacefully hibernating under a three foot thick blanket of snow. Sitting in the van, I was eye-level with the top of the drift. The girls and I cruised the neighborhood for an hour while Eric worked to make a path to the door.

After a quick dinner of leftovers, Eric headed back outside to continue his quest to conquer nature. When he finally came inside at 10:00 pm, I had to laugh. He had stacked the frozen blocks of snow around the perimeter of our sidewalk and the curb to create an incredible castle wall. You can imagine our little "princesses" are thrilled! We're calling the snow wall our "fortress", and although it is a little embarrassing to see all the passing cars slow to a crawl to observe the spectacle, it was a lot cheaper than an extravagant display of Christmas lights! When I asked Eric "WHY?", he gave lots of reasons. I think the real motivating factor though was the remains of a boyish fascination with Legos. Who wouldn't want to spend 6 hours in sub- zero temps building with large blocks of snow??? He slept really well last night.

This year will be a snowy one, I think it's fair to say. Our poor short-legged daughters will have a hard time playing in the white fluff, but they will have fun navigating the corridors of our fortress. Even the connecting mailman paths make for a nice meander.

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.

Wordless Wednesday - BWCA 2010

Disapointment Lake

Eric and I just returned from a trip to the Boundary Waters with three other couples. To sum it up in a word, it was FUN. I, personally, needed to play a little bit and got many opportunities to indulge. Eric, I presume, needed a new audience for some punny jokes that have been clamoring around in his head. The humor found it's way out. FUN.

Now, like any good drama, the highs could not have been so high without a few lows. Our campsite for three days was located on a small, rocky, picturesque island on none other than Disappointment Lake. On Disappointment Lake ...

... Eric's Teva sandal strap broke, leaving him without aquatic footwear
... it rained every night
... Eric fell in the water THREE different times trying to get in our canoe
... A lovely small mouthed bass freed himself AFTER being caught
... Eric dumped A LOT of charcoal ash in our chocolate cherry cheesecake
... then Eric dumped our chocolate cherry ash cheesecake on the ground
... we ate Ash cake mixed with dirt
... two black bear found our bear tree and greeted the men at the tree one evening
... after relocating our food pack onto the mainland, a bear still found it
... our food pack was the only pack to be completely consumed by the bear, save one grimy aluminum spoon
... we borrowed the world's slowest and heaviest canoe for the trip
... we proved to be the world's slowest and heaviest paddling team
... we were met with huge gusts of wind and billowing "seas" on our way out, doubling our paddling time...

BUT, it was still so much FUN!!!

Hopefully I'll post some pictures soon.

Wordless Wednesday - Super Dad

Catching Up

Oh, do I have some catching up to do! Life has been moving at breakneck speed for the last few months, leaving secondary priorities (like blogging) completely sidelined. I do hope to catch up and at least blog about Eva's 5th birthday, but in the mean time here are some simple updates:

1. All of us: We love summer. We love grilling and leaving the kitchen a little less "lived in". We love eating on the patio and having some elbow room at the table. We love splashing in the kiddie pool. We love our friends, the Thompsons, who have been staying with us for the last two weeks before moving to another state. We love working in our really enormous garden plot at my parent's "homestead". We enjoy working in our small raised garden beds on our own little parcel of land. We have three or four little green Roma tomatoes and lots of blossoms on the other tomato plants! We loved our most recent field trips to Gale Woods Farm and the Children's Museum.

2. Eric: Just returned from leading a trip to the NEXT conference in Maryland. He describes it as totally awesome, transformative, and I'm sure will be a mile marker we remember when we're looking back on these years. His passion for Jesus was renewed, as well as a deeper love for serving the church and serving/loving our family.

Immediately after returning from NEXT, Eric started his new job which is really, really busy. He spends lots of extra time learning the job so he can be really, really good at it really, really quickly. Man, what a good employee!

3. Me: I am generally racing from one craziness to another. I spend my days cooking, picking up toys and personal paraphernalia, refereeing child's play, applying band-aids, answering the phone and email, chatting with neighbors, making and unmaking the guest bed, and I've just recently started drinking a half a cup of coffee with cream each morning. My, what a miracle drug!

I set a personal record by being in the grocery store with my girls at 9:20 this morning and home unloading the car by 10:00. Three cheers for coffee and for Hope, our unrelenting alarm clock.

4. Eva: Finally recovered from the extreme highs of having a birthday, she is trying to find her place in the world. Truthfully, we've been struggling a lot lately to train and discipline Eva, which can also make fun and loving times hard to come by. But, she is staying busy nonetheless, dressing up in long dresses, jumping off the picnic table into the kiddie pool, playing for hours with her friends, and giving long and detailed descriptions of her own decision making processes. Whew!

5. Hope: Currently fighting a mild cold, her two year old voice sounds extra dopey these days. She also spends hours of the day changing between ballet clothes, gymnastics leotards, prairie girl dresses, swimsuits, and sweatsuits. She hates tank tops and short sleeves and pitches enormous fits if I insist that she wear summer clothes. Her bangs are often in her eyes, but it doesn't stop her from browsing books for hours of the day. She can also be found screaming, squealing, giggling, and arguing with her live-in playmate Malachi Thompson.

Esther: Today was the crabbiest day of her life. I held her a lot and thanked God that she is not normally like this, allowing me to complete my tasks with two hands. She is not truly "mobile", but wiggles around quite a bit and has the longest reach possible. She also has a fantastic gag reflex, which enables her to never choke on or swallow the myriad of things she is able to stick in her mouth (thanks to her amazingly long reach). She started eating solids a few weeks ago and is really enthusiastic. She screeches and howls if we sit up to the table to eat and don't include her. Unlike her sisters, she pounds mashed up table foods like I've never given her an once of breast milk in her life. She is typically really happy, really excited to eat anything, completely obsessed with watching her sisters play, and passionate about biting off large chunks of paper that she reaches with her long arms.

Her bangs are never in her eyes anymore since she almost always sports a little ponytail, and she looks super cute with her four little baby teeth. Basically, I think she's adorable and tons of fun!

Alrighty, that's the to-the-minute update. Peace out!

Looking Back at Winter

We're away in Crookston this weekend celebrating Easter and having some family time. It's fun! At present, I am blogging to keep myself awake while I watch the other adults play a long, drawn out game of Seafarers of Catan. This is the "three hour tour game, here on Patenaude's Island...".

While we sit, I am sharing photos from this winter. This was a blessed winter. Very little "cold/flu season" sickness. Lots of sparkly white snow. Relatively short in duration. Spring has arrived early, boasting a snowless March and summer temperatures over the last few days. The girls are begging me to fill up the kiddie pool. Invigorating!

However, I'm taking a moment to travel back in time. Eric went on another of his winter adventures, testing his manliness and survival skills. This year the weather was a full 50 degrees warmer than last year. Yes, it was in the mid 2o's, making it practically a tropical getaway in mid-February.

Eric describes the trip as cold, fun, awesome. Here are the pictures in no particular order at all: Building the quinzee. I think there were 12 guys on the trip this year.

loaded up sleds.

diversion on Saturday afternoon. Sledding

Everybody together in the quinzee.

Eric is warm blooded (yes, he's a mammal!), so during the challenging up and down hike, pulling a sled full of gear, he stripped down to his undies. No, those are are not his everyday shorts. He said he kept his body heat while shoveling snow for the quinzee, so he didn't have to put on pants until three hours after arriving in camp.

mug shot.

Morning fire.

The first quinzee actually caved in, and they had to build another the next day. This photo is a good teaching tool...

Close quarters... shoulder to shoulder... these men are bonded for life...

morning devotional time?

aerial view of the camp (if you can say "aerial" when you're just standing on top of a hill).

The whole gang (L-R): Bert Eikum, Nathan Hettick, Jonathan Anderstrom, Aaron Darling,

Chad Whipple, Robin Sutphen, Scott Krismarzick (sp?), Jason Lindquist, Eric, Clyde Veldhuizen, Luke Thompson, Mark Brenner.

Right Now

1. Right now Hope is prying magnets off the refrigerator and throwing them to the floor, lovingly declaring, "here ya go, aminals." she is wearing a black ballet leotard and pretend plastic high heel shoes with pink rosettes. When she takes a break from taking apart my refrigerator display, she is pressing the buttons on my under-cabinet CD player. Her goal is to learn what effect each button has, or else break the machine. I suspect she'll succeed either way.

2. Right now Eva is lugging Esther around the house and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. She just tried on a new shirt/pants combination and came asking for my opinion on her preference for all aqua. She's only four, but my opinion really doesn't matter folks. She'll wear a monochromatic scheme if she wants to... and really, I don't usually care what she's wearing.

3. Right now Esther is patiently taking in the sights from her sister's hip. She has just patiently travelled to the girls newly rearranged bedroom where she has been securely enveloped in a nest of blankets on Eva's bed. She is patiently watching the girls sort the coins in Eva's piggy bank and squeal. Have I mentioned that Esther is patient?

4. Right now I am unloading my thoughts on the computer. I'm considering why I spent the whole day doing laundry and our bedroom floor is still covered in clothes. I'm considering why Hope insists on doing everything that she is not capable of and whines and screams when she is redirected. Soon, I'll go put new sheets on the guest bed. Eric's best friend from childhood is staying with us all week. We're happy about that!

5. Right now Eric is at Invest, a class where men go to discuss deep theological matters. He loves it and almost never misses. He almost always does all his homework too, which has not been his pattern in the past. I admire him for his diligence.

6. Right now I should get off of the computer and get some little girlies into bed. It's getting to be that hell-raising time of night, and I wouldn't want to prolong it by waisting time on the computer.

Farewell, friends and family!

Happy Pearl Harbor Day

My dear hubby's birthday was this month (groan! I started this post three days BEFORE his birthday and I'm just now posting it!). You guessed it, he shares his special day with the national holiday, Pearl Harbor Day. Because I am not really, really good at writing nice things that don't get extra long, I will attempt to honor him using the favorite elementary school vocabulary building activity: an adjective for each letter of your name.

*****

E - Emotional. I thought for the bulk of our marriage that your love of logical arguments and well-reasoned approach to planning meant that you weren't very emotional. I was wrong, and I stand corrected. I love that you cry at sappy movies and sometimes during worship at church. You make the perfect daddy for little girls since you love being cuddly and tender.

R - Righteous. Over the past six months I have admired an increased desire for godliness and discipline in your life. God is bringing you to a new place in your walk with him... a place that requires self-discipline and a "dependent effort," as you like to say. Psalm 97:11-12 comes to mind, as well as Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled."

I - Involved. I am ever thankful to have an husband who wants to be involved in raising our daughters. At the very least, you participate with me each day in dinnertime craziness and bedtime extra-craziness.

C - Comedian. You're funny, which is one of the reasons I had so much fun with you before we were married. Most of your joking comes out when we're in a group of people, and I love watching you get a few laughs.

*****

H - Hospitable. You lead the way in making our home and family a place where hospitality happens. I would have people over occasionally on my own, but you make it a constant activity and it is such fun!

A - Ambitious. You are competitive and aggressive, whether at work or play. Don't even think of winning a board game without a serious challenge from Eric! I'm proud of how hard you work at your job and how you strive for excellence there.

N - Nostalgic. You love to reminisce, which is fun and refreshing.

S - Stable. Although you may be emotional and nostalgic, you are level headed and calm in leading our family. You always have an optimistic outlook and a certainty that things will be OK. You make me feel safe and provided for.

E - Explorer. This is not one of your prominent character traits, but it sure is fun when your French-Canadian heritage shines through and you want to adventure with me in the great outdoors. On a related note, you are always eager for a new adventure in other areas of life too: learning a new skill, visiting a new place, expanding your knowledge about something.

N - Nurturing. You are a marvelous father, always excited to help the girls grow, learn, and explore. You eagerly spend time with them and take the time to make them feel special and loved.

*****

Eric Hansen, I'm thankful to be your wife and impressed with the man God is forming you to be. Happy 31st Birthday!

Christmas letter, 2009

EDIT: I am so sorry that this is cramped and hard to read! I am in a fight with blogger right now, and I might not win. My apologies!

..............................................................................................

Wow, another year has passed! I so look forward to Christmastime, despite it's hectic and over scheduled nature. Believe it or not, I also look forward to writing a Christmas update, letting people know what has been going on in our lives and reflecting on the past 365 days. This year, like every other, has been full of ups and down and lots of firsts for kids and parents alike. More ups than downs, thankfully- and that will be the subject of this year's letter.

At the close of 2009 the Patenaude's are extremely thankful for...

...Sisters! Our crew now numbers three, and three GIRLS at that! We have so much fun watching the girls be sisters together. Playing, pretending, laughing, loving, fighting, and being funny.

...The end of a decent pregnancy with no true complications.

...A face paced and simple delivery, welcoming Esther Hansen Patenaude to the family (October 2).

...A steady job for Eric that meets our needs.

...The sometimes uncomfortable opportunity for reflection and change that Eric's job brings.

...The opportunity for Becca to stay at home with the girls, attempting to shape little people into God-followers.

...The forced humility that comes by parenting and being with these little people day in and day out.

...A co-worker who picks Eric up two days a week so that I (Becca) can use the van. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we scurry around to preschool, errands, and play dates.

...A warm, dry, and snug house.

...The possibility that someday we will live in a warm dry and spacious house. :)

...An emergency room only 4 blocks away. Each of the girls had a trip this year: Eva for stitches in her chin, Hope for anaphalactic shock (egg allergy), Esther for viral meningitis.

...The opportunity to supplement our income by providing daycare for another baby.

...And the last day that the baby came to our house and started being cared for by her own daddy.

...Our not-so-small group at church. We share the intimate details of each other's lives and do our best to "love each other deeply" (1 Peter 1) through word and deed.

...The five weeks of meals provided by our small group after Esther's birth.

...Monday nights when we alternate childcare and dates with our dear friends Aaron and Bethany.

...A growing marriage in which we seem to become increasingly at peace with ourselves and each other.

...Camping. Eric did some hardcore winter camping last January. The rest of us camped with him several times during the summer. It was especially fun to camp with my grandparents and parents at Lake Mille Lacs, a four generational camping trip!

...Levi Justice. We happily welcomed our first cousin on the Spears side, only 4 weeks older than Esther. We're expecting two more cousins on the Patenaude side, bringing the grand total to 12!

...Energy. My days at home are bustling, and I'm thankful for the grace to keep up with it all. I'm also thankful for happy little girls who spin circles around me and make daring leaps off the couch into my lap.

...Fun. Nintendo Wii, trips to the park, bike rides, hiking, sight seeing, relaxing with friends, grilling, and building snow houses are just a few of our entertaining endeavors.

...Visits from friends and family. This year has been a bit slower than years past, but our itty-bitty spare room and bath provided comfort for many dear ones over the past year.

...Good books. I have so enjoyed reading to Eva and Hope this year, particularly the Little House on the Prairie books and the Box Car Children. Eric and I have even cracked a few books lately as well!

...Hard work. Eric continues to get himself into a wide range of home improvement projects, and it seems to be really good for him on many levels. We all enjoy the fruit of his labor when they're complete.

...Friends and family. We are blessed to call many delightful people friends and so thankful that they stick with us through the ups and downs. We also cherish the fellowship of both sides of our family where relationships are strong and constant.

But we are immeasurably thankful for...

...the birth of Jesus, celebrated at Christmas. Through Him we have these abundant good gifts, fellowship with God the Father, and the Holy Spirit to walk with us on this wild journey. Someone recently praised Eric with the words, "you're a good man, Mr. Patenaude." To which he rightly responded, "Noooo, but I have a great Savior!" We are thankful for Jesus' birth, death, and most importantly resurrection this year.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a new year filled with a deeper understanding of God's love for you!

with Thanksgiving,

Eric, Becca, Eva (4), Hope(2), and Esther(2 mos.)

Week in review

I tend to build posts around pictures, so since our camera's gone missing, I've been wracking my brain for something to post about. Anything. Something. Well, I've finally got it. I'll write about our everyday lives. And you'll see them for what they really are... typical, routine, uninspiring, dare I say it: boring.

1. The camera is missing. Hopefully it will be found when we head home this week for Thanksgiving. We think Eric left it at his Dad's house when they went deer hunting a few weeks ago. I feel unable to enjoy the moment if I can't attempt to preserve it in digital format. Strange person, I am.

2. We have not had H1N1. We have had a run of the mill round of coughing and sore throats. Even poor little Esther experienced her first viral infection at the ripe old age of 6 weeks. She handled it gracefully (thanks be to God!), and we all pretty much better except for a lingering cough here and there. Nobody missed preschool or any other scheduled outing due to our illness, so it must not have been that bad. And to give it a positive spin, our well conditioned immune systems will probably be so strong that we won't get sick in Crookston during the upcoming long weekend.

3. When I said our lives were boring, I didn't really mean it. They are routine, but the routine was broken slightly last Sunday when we dedicated Esther. That was a fun day. The church was packed with the extended families of six or seven young children whose parents were promising to train them up in the knowledge and fear of the Lord. Although we know that it is God who draws each one to himself and ultimately saves them, it is a solemn moment in which we dedicate ourselves, as parents, to the grand task of guiding our children towards the light of Christ. The children were prayed for, and the parents were prayed for that we might be able to portray the gospel and Jesus Christ as altogether lovely and desirable to our little ones. Lord, let that be so! I especially love the part where the pastor asks the rest of the church family if they will come along side the parents in this endeavor (in a few more and fancier words :). It is so affirming and reassuring to hear a hearty "we will" coming from the people you live life with throughout each week.

4. Following the dedication, we had a small gathering at our house. My parents and my sister and her family joined us for dinner and hanging out. The highlight, in my opinion, was the lovely chocolate cake with coconut-vanilla frosting.

5. Eva had a nice week of preschool. The theme this week was Thanksgiving, since we are taking next week off altogether. Her teacher on Thursday told with me a few fun things that Eva had shared during the day. First, she raised her hand in confusion and insistence regarding the pilgrims, "The Pilgrims were immigrants, right?" Well, sort of. "No, they WERE immigrants." Well, technically they were, I guess. After hearing about Abraham Lincoln declaring Thanksgiving to be a national holiday, Eva raised her hand (again), "George Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln." Thank you for sharing, Eva. The teacher told me that they then launched into an explanation of assassinating presidents, and (of course) how killing someone is a sin. During show and tell time, Eva introduced her little people doll house and the people who come with it (dressed in apparel and colors reminiscent of the late 1990's). The people, however, were introduced as "Pa, but his real name is Charles. And Ma, but her real name is Caroline. And Mary, Laura..." You get the idea. Have I mentioned that Eva is obsessed?!?!

6. We've missed Eric a lot lately. Between deer hunting weekend and many evening meetings at church, it seems like we haven't seem a lot of him. One night as he headed out the door, Hope had a total meltdown. She sat crying on the floor, probably kicking and writhing, though I don't rightly remember. Anyway, she quickly got up and, through her crying and screaming, managed to put on her shoes, socks, coat, and mittens to go out and "find Daddy". After I locked the screen door and it became apparent that she wouldn't get out, she stood at the door crying, "He's LOST, he's LOST, he's LOST..." over and over again. I said it was pitiful and sad, but my mom (who overheard the ordeal on the phone) said I should blog about it. So here I am blogging.

7. Eric was busy as a beaver today. After a big cup of coffee this morning, he suggested that we wash the windows. After washing every window in the house, inside and out, we had lunch. He also cleaned the gutters, raked the leaves, and worked on "real" work. Now he is playing poker with his buddies and it is a well deserved break!

8. I had a productive day too. After the window washing and cleaning up the backyard flower beds, Eva and I hit the mall. I purchased a shirt for her ($2.49), and a pair of cute jeans for me ($2.59), and a few other majorly discounted items. Any day is productive when you find brand new jeans for $2.59.

9. Now I must be productive and load the dishwasher, fold laundry, and make chili. Told you my life is boring. ;)

"Half-Pint of Cider, All Drunk Up"

The Harvest Party, attended by our small group from church, was a big hit with the whole family this year. It was Esther's first small group event, and she slept through the majority of it- a sure sign that she LOVED the outing. For the older girls, it was nothing but an extension of their everyday pretend world. I introduce to you: the Ingalls Family (Charles, Caroline, Mary, and Laura). I suggest to you that if you care at all about fashion or at least attempting to flatter whatever shape God has blessed you with, prairie style finished with a small print pinafore is NOT the way to go. My three week postpartum shape was certainly hidden under all those layers, but most definitely not improved. Nope. Not at all.

But where did those fantastically modest frocks come from? Hope wore a dress and bonnet that was made for my sister in law when she was a child. She recently passed it on to Eva, and Eva might wear it out! Hope also sported a pinafore apron made by my grandmother for one of my young cousins and passed on to us. Her costume was completed by adorable little black pointy toe boots. Eva's and my dresses were sewn by a good friend of my family. She had four daughters, about my same age, and each summer we all attended "Old Time School" together, in a one-room school house, in our old time outfits. Our friend was gracious enough to unearth the dresses, shawls, boots, bonnets, and lunch pails that her girls had worn to school 20 years ago or more! Eric admittedly felt a little left out of the loop, as we threw his costume together (complete with nylon rope suspenders) the night of the party :(.

I don't know how Ma did it, wearing a bonnet and trying to keep track of her three little girls all the time! The radius of sight when that bonnet is snugly tied under your chin is really small! Right, Hope? Ahhh, now that's better!
And there's Half-Pint herself. Eva was in a make-believe paradise, in which all the adults called her Laura and she was allowed as many corn bread muffins as she could consume. To her, pioneer life is intoxicating, captivating, and all together perfect. I think it is the delightful combination of high adventure and simplicity intertwined with family life that make keep us coming back to those good 'ol days. To top it all off, we found out there were prizes to be won for the best costumes. A combination of pride and ecstasy slowly crept across Eva's face when they announced the winners for "best executed costume", the Ingalls Family!!! It took her half a second to realize that WE were the INGALLS family, but then she was all about the chocolates and coffee that we won! And here's Pa with his happy girls.
We weren't the only fun costumes at the party that night. Although I didn't get good pictures of everyone, there was also the Wetzel family, dressed as a small swarm of bees.And Becca L., came as an "extinct Northwest mechanic."
And Caleb and Kristie came as a cowboy and his princess. This picture was taken as Caleb tried his hardest to get Kristie to kiss him in front of other people. He succeeded! Jon H., voted least likely to ever dress up, surprised us all and came as an over-the-top tourist. He had it all: water sox, chapstik lanyard, foam visor, name tag, Hawaiian shirt, sunscreen nose, and last but not least FANNY PACK! Tonya complimented him in her turtle costume.
Joel and Erika were a pumpkin and it's guts. Mmmmm...Hope's buddy, Roman, was a cow.
And his mother was the most beautiful widow in mourning I've ever laid eyes on.
Did you want to see one last picture of little Hope in her prairie garb??? Me too!There she goes!