March Life in Pictures

~  Just a Few Moments of My Month   ~

I was working merrily along in the kitchen, getting far more accomplished than usual, when it hit me: The tots are QUIET. Have been quiet for a little while now. Any mom of tots knows that this means you must investigate right away. Case in point: 1 entire box of Strawberry Shortcake band-aids applied to 1 little tot's ankles. Mama keeps a straight and serious face, but inwardly thanks God it was just band-aids and not the Vaseline or the Desitin!!

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I've been on a sewing spree lately. I really do love creating if I just have the time to do it. Time is rather scarce, as always, but a couple of little things I did get done are these ...

A skirt for Christi from my left-over curtain scraps.

Curtains for the nursery.

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A gorgeous sunrise after a snowy night. March has been a most odd yet delightful month this year! We went from many inches of snow to vibrant green grass in less than 2 weeks time. I'm loving it!!



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Sometimes moms do crazy things just to make their kiddoes smile .....

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This little rolly-poly, handsome fellow is just pure joy in this household. I wonder how we ever made it without him!!

He just turned 5 months old this week, and is a solid 20 pounds already. My arms feel about like jello by the time I lay him in his bed at night. He loves his siblings, noisy toys, rice cereal, his softest blanket, and his Mama!

He does *not* like a quiet, boring house, applesauce, sleeping on his tummy, ladies Bible study, or any type of bottle.

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Such delightfulness! Poking tiny little seeds into fluffy soil and planning our first garden here on the farm. I'm sure we're over-zealous right now, but we cannot help but imagine blueberry bushes, raspberries, apple trees, grape arbors, mint tea, tulip beds, lilac bushes, a large strawberry patch, and much more. We've been tilling a large section, and also doing another section with "lasagna gardening". I'm so excited to see how it all turns out.

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A parting shot. This little missy has hair that will go completely curly at the first sign of heat or humidity. Her smile is healing up after a dozen or so stitches a couple of weeks ago. She was standing on a stool by the sink, helping me wash dishes when she got too far off the one corner and tumbled off. She caught the corner of her mouth and it was so deep and nasty looking. We went from Dr.s office to Urgent Care to ER to the specialist where we finally got an excellent Dr {father of 5!} to fix it up. She was such a trooper!!! I promised her a reward for her bravery, and she had only 1 choice: a fancy princess dress. So a fancy princess dress it was and she was just delighted.

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And that, my friends, it a couple of snapshots of my month. Glad you stopped by!

September Snapshots

I never guessed when I wrote that last post that I'd make a flying trip to the east coast for the funeral of my youngest cousin. Or that once again those words would echo through my mind, to treasure the memories and to make every moment count. It is more than my brain can comprehend to say good-by a vivacious, happy-go-lucky, giggly 8-yr. old. And I could do nothing but weep brokenly as my Aunt pulled up the covers for the last time over his little jean shorts and bare feet, and kissed him good-night. Oh, the pain! Every part of me wants to somehow make it more bearable; to dice that hurt and pain up into little pieces and distribute them around so we can all help bear it. And yet, I can't. Oh, God, YOU can! Walk with them!

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It seemed that as September crept up on the calendar, so did fall. We have been having the most gorgeous weather I could wish for! And even though this means that snowy days are just around the corner {groan}, I am loving the vibrant autumn colors!! Extreme blue skies, golden grain fields, bright pumpkins, great bunches of goldenrod in the roadside ditches, and huge mum plants bursting with color. We finally set a weekend aside for camping {in early Sept.} and it could not have been more perfect. I will admit that the more children we have, the less relaxing the camping trip is for Mama, but it's still so much fun to break out of the normal routine and enjoy each other more. We spent a Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend at a lake not far from our house. Fishing, swimming, making s'mores, campfire cooking, sleeping in tents, and playing games. And I love the snappy mornings where we huddle around the campfire with hot chocolate with jackets and fuzzy blankets until the sun warms eveything up. {I also love husbands who run to the store the night before to buy their very pregnant wife an air mattress so she can actually sleep at night!}

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School is finally in full swing. We got a slightly late-ish start since I simply didn't get my book order in soon enough. But I think with the boys' beginning-of-the-year enthusiasm, we might just catch up anyways. I have been wrestling in my mind since last year what kind of curriculum to use this year. Ever since Josiah started kindergarden at age 5, I've just been picking up a Math book here and a Reading book there, patching together whatever works to round out the learning. But as the boys are growing older, I am finding it harder to put together a thorough, complete education with my previous slap-together methods. So this year we made the decision to try the ACE curriculum. I grew up using CLE, which is very similar in lay-out, so I can easily understand how it's laid out and how to teach it. And so far, I am very pleased. The boys love how their work is laid out in daily, weekly, and yearly goals, and they eagerly work way ahead so they can take a day off here or there to go to work with Dad. I'm sure it's plenty early to tell yet, but so far, so very good. And Christi, of course, is just delighted to be officially "learning to read"! =)

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Baby-name discussions are pretty much at the top of the list right now. Of course the children have plenty of their own suggestions. Princess, Strawberry Shortcake, and Petunia rank right up there with Frank, Junior, and George. Thankfully, their Daddy and I get the final say! =) I dug out all the newborn clothes the other day and washed them .... such fun! Tiny little booties and soft fuzzy blankets, little blue sleepers and tiny pink caps. The doctor visits are more frequent now, as we count down the last few weeks. She was pleased to see that the baby is about 6 pounds now, so the lil' punkin is growing quite well in spite of the 2-vessel cord. We have so much to thank God for! 

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Well, the hubby is home and supper needs to hit the table. Hope your evening is wonderful.

 Thanks for stopping by.

Feliz Navidad!

Was your Christmas weekend special? We sure had some fun days. But, we are still anticipating the best yet to come!! =) Chuck & Katie, Jim & Rachel, and Pete & Audrey are all due to arrive this week, and then the fun really begins. I think I have been more keenly aware this year than any before, how important, special, irreplaceable, and comfortable it is to have siblings, family, & loved ones to share life with. And the more my siblings & I grow up, the more amazing it is to relate to other adults, on adult terms, who think & act alot like I do! =) It is SO much fun.

Back to this holiday weekend ... it was kind of a challenge to come up with fun, creative ways to celebrate the day, when our main celebrations are still a week ahead. We had a big snow storm on Christmas Eve, so Daddy & the boys were out for 3 days straight getting all the snow removal customers taken care of.  I feel bad that Jason didn't get a single day off just to relax, but again, that is still coming. Thankfully, the cabin we are headed to is far enough away that he won't be able to come back for work if it does snow again. =)

On Christmas Eve we had a fun snack-supper & family night. Squirt cheese, summer sausage, crackers, cookies, Bugles (!), nuts, drink, etc. The children thought it was pretty fun to eat as many snacks as they wanted. Plus, they were allowed to eat them in the living room while we watched Touched By an Angel. Double fun.

After the movie, we tucked the little tots into bed, and brought out all the fun items for making gingerbread houses! I mixed up small batches of frosting-glue, made with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 2 t. of water. I put it into ziplock bags with a tiny corner snipped off, and it worked wonderfully for gluing all the little houses together. I had thought we would just make one large house, but each person wanted to make their own, so we ended up with a whole village.

Josiah & Micah creating their masterpieces.

Christi was delighted with the whole cady idea. She plastered as many pieces on as possible.

The whole town on top on the piano.

By the time all the houses were done, it was way past bedtime and Mama got to clean up a very messy kitchen. It's good that some things happen only once a year.

Christmas Day dawned beautiful, with fresh cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for breakfast. Jason & the boys were gone for the morning shoveling snow, so the rest of us had a relaxed morning with bubble baths and games. Then mid-afternoon, my family came over for a genuine Guyanese supper.

I made Bhunjal Beef.

And curried chicken & potatoes.

And roti.

It was very delicious, very authentic, and received rave reviews.

Not your normal Christmas fare, but special just the same.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

 

Homespun Christmas

Christmas seems to be getting less & less complicated the more babies I have. In fact, last year I did not put up one candle or wreath. Why bother when little people yank them down, destoy garlands, eat candles, and and smash Mary & the wise man? Is it worth my frustration to try to preserve the 'look' of Christmas?

But this year I decided I had to do something. I want my little people to love Christmas, to catch the excitement in the air AND in their Mommy. I want them to look forward to the special events and extra-fun splurges that are just for once-a-year.

Soooo ... we dug out the nativity set. Bought a few cheap-o replacement pieces at Wal-Mart. And oh, it's been fun watching the little ones learn who's who. And we went to the live animal Christmas Play. Yes, it was torture making 2 tots sit for 2+ hours, but it was also so rewarding to see how much the older ones understood and grasped. Christi was in awe of the angel. "Mom!", she whispered! "It is my first time ever seeing a real, live angel!" Next on my list is making a gingerbread house. I have never tried it before, but judging by the excitement factor of the other participants, it cannot fail. I also want to do some cut-out cookies {big hit!}.

Another simple idea that I am loving is something I saw at a MOPS meeting a few weeks ago. You hang clusters of Christmas tree ornaments on longs ribbons. I recently found all Christmas decor at 50% off at a local thrift shop, so I scored a large bagful for just a few dollars. This morning Christi helped string them onto ribbons, and we all love the results!!

I did 3 clusters like this, and the best part is, the little ones can't even touch them!

What do you do with your little ones to make Christmas special?