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.

Tired Post

It is 11:08 PM, and I promised myself I would blog tonight, so here I am. I really wanted to watch something on Netflix, but the site is not cooperating. I'd really like to blog more, and I'm thinking that my posts might start to be more of the "stream of consciousness" or "dear diary" variety. Maybe just the "here's what we did today" journal. I want to remember stuff, I just don't have a lot of time for formulating cute posts or uploading (forget editing!) photos. So, here's my trial run:

Today is Saturday, October 30th.

In the kitchen- Turkey stock has been simmering all day. Just minutes ago, I strained the finished product and scalded my fingers picking hot meat of the bones. Glamorous, I tell you ;). We ate wheat/flax/coconut oil pancakes at breakfast with some beet/apple juice. And for lunch, I splurged on Chipotle. Did you know that Chipotle has very affordable, large, fairly nutritious kids meals starting at $2.50. My favorite chain restaurant has just gotten better!
Dinner consisted of fruit/spinach/yogurt/honey smoothies and old fashioned popcorn. The girls adore that menu, and I appreciate the efficiency of it.

Today I am creating- Also in the kitchen today, three very impressive jack o lanterns, if I do say so myself :). My sister and her son spent the night yesterday and most of the day with us today. We had a lot of fun scooping the pumpkin guts, trying to come up with a good design, then meticulously carving each wacky face. They are wacky, but I'll have to reveal the photos another time.

I am pondering- I have a strong internal desire for rhythm and beauty in this life. I know I am longing for another life, the life to come. But how can I bring more rhythm and beauty to this life, the here and now?

Still yearning to home school... I love to teach and learn together. Will that desire ever subside, or is it God directed?

Out my window- The invigorating days of Autumn are coming to a close, leaving the gray, almost-winter days. Leaves are mostly off the trees now, the vibrant hews raked and mulched and locked away inside garbage receptacles unjustly labeled "lawn waste". The nip in the air is starting to make me uncomfortable outside, and the house feels extra toasty after any amount of time in the fresh. I finished cutting back perennials today and raked crispy leaves over the flower beds. Yanked out the tomato plants that finally froze to death last week. I don't know where all the sand from the sandbox disappeared to you this fall, but there was a lot of organic matter to sweep off the patio today! We still have piles of winter squash and pie pumpkins, but I moved them inside the garage to keep a bit longer. Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will clean out the play area and stack all the hideous plastic outdoor toys against the fence until the spring when we burst outside on the first 40 degree day.

About the children- Esther had a good day today, the first in several hard days. She might be teething? Entering some new stage or developing an unseen skill? I am hopeful for a cheerful child again tomorrow.

Eva also had a good day today. After a few weeks of defiant and chaotic behavior, a very firm discipline and heart to heart with her mother seemed to have it's desired effect. I am hopeful for lasting heart change for my oldest.

Hope is a ray of sunshine lately. My eager companion and helper, asking many questions to make sense of her world and inviting me to see through pint-sized eyes. She is finally out of a tantrum stage; this week she was the relational motor oil that kept us all smiling and together.

Eva secretly discovered the Halloween goodies to be given to trick or treaters, and devoured 10 Fruit by the Foot packages behind the couch in the basement last night. The evidence was revealed this morning, so there was no movie at the library today and there will be no trick or treating tomorrow. I don't feel disappointed one bit, and she seems quietly content to have been fairly corrected. Hope is blissfully ignorant that her rights were revoked, hand me down style :).

On the road- Eric is at a men's retreat with my dad and brother in law this weekend. He is in the wilderness, but still uploading Facebook posts from his new Droid. Juxtaposition. We're eager to see him tomorrow evening!

I'm thinking- that I should fall asleep now. And that I like clearing my brain with this journal like endeavor. Good night.

Wordless Wednesday: October 9th, 84* and sunny

How come you never blog anymore???

Because it has been an extremely productive garden year (except for tomatoes).

Because I currently have 18 pie pumpkins on my patio and 30 more in the garden.

Because I have at least 50 lbs. of winter squash "keeping" until winter and twice as much still in the garden.

Because my house smelled like rotting tomatoes for a whole week before I remembered the huge bag of tomatoes hiding in the corner.

Because our diet consists of a variety of simple, semi convenience foods and every possible combination of vegetable side dishes.

Because there are 30 pounds of beets in the aforementioned corner of the kitchen now. And a whole 'nother row still in the garden.

Because our breakfasts are ALWAYS accompanied by fresh carrot/apple/beet juice and I cannot fathom the idea of keeping the pulp for baking purposes.

Because potatoes are my new favorite vegetable. They KEEP for a long time!

Because I have served apples in every possible manner: pie, cake, muffins, sauce, butter, from the hand, with carmel, cider...

Because one entire produce drawer in the refrigerator is filled with Anaheim *HOT* peppers. Must make jelly?

Because my fingers and fingernails are permanently stained by beet juice and dirt.

Because my kitchen floor is nothing short of disgusting, layer upon layer of sticky squished tomatoes, carrots, summer squash, and more spotting the floor. If you love me, you will come and scrub my kitchen floor!

Because I am living on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Half of the time I am in a frenzy of chopping, dicing, canning, and freezing. The rest of the time I am in the fetal position, crying for my mommy to come and please tell me what to do next.

with love from my "fragrant" kitchen,
Becca

PS)although it may not sound like it, I love fall. The weather, the produce, the leaves, the fires.

PPS)If this sounds like a lot of vegetables, just remember this is only 1/3 of the booty. We had a cooperative garden this year and divided everything equally. Holy pile o' produce!

Wordless Wednesday - BWCA 2010

Eva's Birthday - Friend Party

Geez! I'm only four months behind on posting for Eva's birthday. What can I say, I've been spending my time on more important endeavors than the Internet.


So, May 4th marked Eva's 5th birthday, and as it turned out, we celebrated hard core for a good two weeks. She has two friends at church who have birthdays very close to hers. When the girls were born, our families were together in the same small group. Since that time, we haven't seen as much of these families as we'd like, but of course we stay in touch. One of the moms had the brilliant idea to do a combined birthday party since the girls would all be inviting a lot of the same guests from church. We loved the idea of combining our time, energy, and money to make a fun party! We ended up having 16 girls total. The theme was "princess" or "crowns" or something similar. It was a blast! Here are a few pictures-

(Eva, Taylor, Gracie)

The girls made "magic" wands consisting of shiny wrapping paper, bamboo skewers, tag board, glitter, markers, curling ribbon, sequins, and more. They were really snazzy! And really messy :).

(Ashley, Emmi, Eva, Briana, Elayna)

Jenna made cupcakes for each girl with a crown and their name on it. They were really cute!

You can also see Jenna's handiwork on the girls' faces below. Cake decorator and face painter extraordinaire! The birthday girls blew out their candles.
It was a beautiful April morning, so all the girls spread out on the deck for their princess lunch.

Jess and Jenna were the royal servants, catering crown-shaped PBJ sandwiches, cheese, strawberries, "princess punch", cupcakes, and ice cream. Apparently I just loitered around snapping pictures ;).After everybody went home, we posed a few pictures of the birthday girls together. The composition of this shot matches a Wal Mart portrait (don't scoff now!) we had taken of the girls when Eva was a mere 5 weeks old. I tried to scan it into the computer, but alas it is lost in the disorganized bowels of my hard drive.

***goofy girls***
***happy birthday girls***

test.

Kindergarten, here I come!

I cannot believe that we're already at this stage of life! Eva headed off to RDLS, a Spanish immersion school yesterday.

Leaving the house early in the morning (7:25, to be exact), she seemed totally calm, confident, and happy. We prayed together at breakfast, which really helped me to calm down. Nonetheless, I gave her the fiercest, tightest, longest good-bye hug ever! I was continually surprised all day when the tears would flow... I just missed her so much! I seemed to have absolutely no control over the thoughts racing around in my head, not the least of which being, "I knew we should've homeschooled!"

Picking Eva up at the bus stop was probably the highlight of my day. The first words out of her mouth were, "I LOVE school!" It was bittersweet to hear her say that. .. glad that she had a happy day... sad that she is content being away... can't believe those first five years with her flew by so fast. Even as I type this, my eyes are flooding with tears. Whew!

Since her entire school day is in Spanish and she doesn't yet speak the language, Eric and I were full of questions about her comprehension, frustrations, confusion, etc. Turns out, it didn't bother her a bit to not understand the teacher, and she could give us lots of details about the day and what she was supposed to do without having exact words. From my own Spanish teaching background, I knew this would be true, especially for someone as young as Eva. She remembered the words to some of the songs they sang ("Buenos dias, Buenos dias, Como estas?...). She also knew practically every detail about two discipline situations (the kids names, infractions, consequences). I think her biggest anxiety before going to school was the thought of getting in trouble at school!

Highlights of her day? After telling me that she loved school, her next words were, "And I already made a best friend. Two actually!" Samantha is her current classroom best friend, and Mari is her bus best friend. How awesome kids are at making friends!

Eva had a "God sighting" from her first day at school too. She told me, "Mom, God helped me today!" She explained, "I went to the bathroom, and after I was done I couldn't unlock the door. So, I prayed two times. Then I could open the door!" I imagine my panicked little kindergartner facing the rest of her day locked in the girls bathroom, and I am sure she cried out to God with urgency. Her voice was really ecstatic as she reported God's care for her, and I am so thankful to know that her seedling faith is still growing, even away from our constant guidance.

Oh, what an adventure kindergarten feels like!