She eats cheerios with a spoon all by herself. She still wants to hold my hands to walk. Her smile is sweeter than a million spoonfuls of nutella and her eyes are the dreamiest brown.
Betty
A Growth-full Week
It’s been the inevitable low after the high. A great weekend, followed by some real-life hard times. What better way to break up the monotony than taking a field trip to a local farm/veterinary clinic? So, yesterday we headed out to some friends’ farm for some animal fun.
Nadine was in her glory, feeding the baby goats and petting the horses. Betty wasn’t as sure about the goats at first, but soon warmed up to them. She also got licked many time by one of the dogs until she giggled. It was so adorable.
Jack was super brave to ride the horse bare-back in his crocs. He’s brave in other ways too. The other day I was watching him from the bathroom window. He was outside, tying a karate belt to a tree branch. Next, he climbed the tree and tied the other end to a higher branch. Then he jumped down and grabbed hold of the loop he just made. After a quick tug to make sure it was tight, he confidently hoisted himself about four off the ground and started to pull himself up by the rope. All of a sudden, one end came untied and he fell flat on his back with a thud. I expected tears, but he lay there for a second before brushing himself off and standing up. I came outside to make sure he was okay, and before I could ask him, he said, “Mom! Guess what? I just made a trap and it works!” Pause. “I tested it.” Oh, my.
I know the Lord has great plans for that boy. When he’s not being tough, he is super sweet. He’s been diligently working on his letters and numbers. I found that counting to a hundred while pulling out a measuring tape is right up his alley.
Betty has been changing so much this month! She still gives us “the look” with wrinkled nose, furrowed eyebrows and a loud squawking sound to accompany it. We are working on our manners and today she learned how to give high fives. Her favorite thing outside is to collect rocks, put them into something and give a high five after each rock. She’s sporting seven teeth, with more popping through very soon. She loves to talk with her hands and tell stories with much inflection. Perhaps a linguist?
There is something satisfying about watching boys whack things with sticks. Their language isn’t with words, but rather with loud noises and a mutual understanding of sounds and war-like cries.
They are very different than girls.
Girls are pretty and sweet. Even with a drooly mouth, this one still looks beautiful.
So, even though I’ve been challenged to my core this week on wife-hood and mother-hood, I’m so thankful for the rewards each day. Hugs, forgiveness, love, smiles, and little glimpses of growth in hearts and minds.
Monday Crunchies
Monday. The day when it feels like every cracker crumb is stuck to the bottom of my slippers as I crunch across my kitchen floor. The day when school sneaks up and says, “Boo!”and scares me every time. The day when the contents of my fridge force my creativity to expand to un-natural proportions just to think of something with which to feed my tribe. The day when an extra cup of tea is in tall order. I honestly don’t dislike Mondays, mostly because there is nothing too drastically different about them than every other day in the week. I still cook, clean, change diapers, do laundry, make three meals, sweep dust bunnies, wipe mysterious stickies off the floor, play referee, and plop into bed exhausted. True, Monday follows our one and only guaranteed family day, which is always a bit of a letdown. I guess that is why my kitchen floor feels more crunchy than usual and school seems a bit harder than other days. Today Betty also seemed to turn a corner in her tiny growing-up life. She has a snotty nose and a sore throat, but there was more to her wee little crying fits than just all that. They definitely left me swirling a little bit. I’m bracing myself for a new year, new Betty.
Is there anything cuter than a heart on the bum? Perhaps, maybe, that heart sneaking away up the stairs in a flash…
I had a lot of girl time this weekend while Matthew took the boys rock-climbing among other things. It is rare that I catch all three playing so sweetly together. Nadine was pushing the littles in the clothes basket, which was just as exciting as any boardwalk ride, let me tell you!
Betty weighed in a whopping eighteen pounds at her one-year check-up. She loves to walk, assisted. Some of her new tricks include blowing kisses and giving away real-life, sloppy wet smooches on your cheeks. She climbs the stairs in a jiffy and then lays on her belly at the top and squawks for help to get back down again.
On Saturday when she was starting to get feverish, Nadine rocked her right to sleep while humming “Silent Night”. It was precious.
Speaking of sleep, this is my favorite part of Monday and every day. Sneaking into the kids’ bedrooms and watching the way sleep transforms their darling faces. Betty snores and is always in a different position. Sometimes on her tummy, sometimes her back, sometimes with her feet straight up in the air on the side of her pack n’ play. Elijah generally is sprawled out across his bed and can’t be woken up for anything. Just like his daddy. Jack is usually curled up into a tight ball, sometimes his entire body underneath the covers. Just like his mama. Nadine is almost never asleep before I go to bed, but when the rarity occurs, she is on her back, straight and tall, or half way under her covers and half-way on top of them. She’s somewhat haphazard when she sleeps. There is frequently something funny about how Elsie has fallen asleep. She doesn’t have any one special thing which she likes to sleep with every night. She almost always is asleep on her back, like a statue, sometimes hands folded across her chest. The other night, unbeknownst to me, she fell asleep holding a balloon she had received that day. It is pretty tricky taking pictures in a dark bedroom, but the flash didn’t even make her flinch.
This Monday Matthew got his third out of four infusions. He’s feeling so much better than three weeks ago, and next week we’ll see where he is in a bit more detail. When he got home from work, I was sitting on the dirty kitchen floor with Betty on my lap, banging spoons onto a metal bowl. He knew about my challenges of Monday. Then he handed me pure gold: my favoritest tea ever and German chocolate. Now there is a sweet way to end a Monday.
Highlights of Color and Love
Last night I was playing through the events of the day and picking out my favorite ones. One of the highlights of my day definitely was when I was playing the piano with Betty on my lap and she kept laying her head down on the keys. That is her signature move for love. In words, if she could speak them, she said, “Mom, I love the piano and I could sit on your lap and listen all day.” The second highlight came while I was sitting at the piano and turned to see a dear friend standing at my door and hoping to find the tea pot on. Friends, my tea pot is always on. It was 2pm and I was still in my PJ’s: red fleecy pants with valentine hearts, and a green Ocean City sweatshirt. I looked like Valentine’s-Day-still-clinging-to-Christmas. It was groovy. For an instant I felt embarrassed, but that quickly left me when I remembered that real friends step inside your house, no matter how it or you look. And somehow nothing matters except their presence blessing your home. It was truly a highlight.
Sometimes I want to jump inside of Jack’s head. He thinks deep thoughts, but can’t always express them. Like yesterday when he told me he just can’t wait to get to heaven. He is pretty sure that God is going to lower a sheet from the sky and haul us all up there. I just listened as his wiry strong body tried to fit on my lap. I like to talk about heaven with my kids, because they have such peace about how good it is. The unknown is fearful and a bit insecure for us. Often our “knowledge” gets in the way of our faith.
Jack thinks in straight lines. He thinks a lot like how he laid these cards out on the table the other day.
Methodically. Carefully. A bit wildly at times. Notice the sword at the ready in the backpack? Have I mentioned before how big his hands are? They’re almost my size. Carrots and the color orange rock his world. Why not turn them into works of art? Yesterday he did just that:
Yes, he did that with his teeth.
Another highlight of my day was cozying the whole family up in the living room to watch Kung Fu Panda 2.
I love my kids. I love that all four of their blankets are from when I was growing up. I love that Jack’s special Pooh blanket was actually a baby gift for Nadine and that he somehow adopted it for himself. I love that Elsie has the most ginormous blanket and the littlest bed and that her Aunt Heather had it on her bed before she got married and moved away. I made Jack’s blanket when I was about 13, my first and only attempt at quilting. I was going to give it to my brother for Christmas that year, but thought maybe the roses were a little too feminine when it was all said and done. Sorry, John! We have never had the whole matching nursery/bedroom ensemble and it’s pretty obvious with the medley of colors hugging the kids in that picture.
Our color scheme is a coordination of memories and love. That makes me want to do a Betty move and put my head down on each cozy nook in that picture and say, I love you.
Come Away With Me
I’ve been wanting to write about our amazing Anniversary Weekend, but somehow I find myself collapsed into bed each night, starting another day, then collapsing again. As refreshing as it was to put a little time lapse on mommy-ing for a couple days, it was sweet to be back at it again on Monday. The fondness that comes with absence was strong that day for all of us. The rest of the week has been a bit more like “normal”, and I’ve felt a tad overwhelmed by the constancy of motherhood. My little baby Betty is officially a one-year-old and woke up one morning acting like one! She climbs the stairs like it’s her job, and pulls open cupboards and doors, happily exploring anything and everything with her sweet little hands. She loves to stand on her tippy toes and laugh out-loud. She has the roar of a little lion that can rise to the top of seven voices. She can then just as quickly be quiet and politely sign for “more please” at meal times, delicately touching her little fingers together with both hands. Daily, I wonder how such a voice can come out of such a tiny girl.
Our weekend away was water to my parched soul. After Matt’s mom picked up the kids, we were going to meet at home. A little accidental locking of his keys in his truck didn’t damper our spirits for a great weekend. We started with dinner at Bonefish Grill, which was yum times ten. Then it was off to a mysterious place for dessert. We pulled into a favorite coffee shop called Burlap & Bean and enjoyed huge mugs of fabulous coffee, dessert, and a live concert by a local artist. It was Simon & Garfunkle meets the Beetles with a tad bit of original funk to round it all out. We loved it.
Charlie Philips
The next morning we had breakfast at the Classic Diner, which many friends have told us about. It was super classy and delicious. 
I loved the mirror in the bathroom!
We took our time meandering before taking a run/jog/walk through Valley Forge. I regret not wearing my camera around my neck, as akward as it might have been. The day was breathtakingly beautiful and felt like May, not January. I almost feel like summer really should be in a few weeks because of the seasonal jet lag that day gave me. It was glorious. We jogged, explored iron canons, peeked in the windows of some old houses, and hiked across fields to find shortcuts on the way back. I felt like I was twenty again, getting to know this cute guy that I hoped I would marry one day… then I basked in the joy that we already were married. It is heaven to be filled with such love.
My phone was a little less awkward to carry, and shot this fun picture… the only one of the two of us from the weekend.
After Valley Forge, we trekked to the grocery store and enjoyed the indulgence of shopping for one meal in mind. We went home and cooked and cleaned for our fancy dinner with friends. I had my camera out and ready to shoot, but never touched it all night long. Everything from the cheese and olives to the mushroom caps was delightful, but were mere highlights to the main event: friendship. We basked in the joy of God’s faithfulness in our lives and the lives of each couple with us.
We taped questions underneath each plate which that person had to answer. I think the question that sticks with me the most is, “What hardship has strengthened your marriage the most?” As I reflect back on ten years I remember a lot. The worst and yet best times have been the times when God’s strength was made perfect in our weakness. Those dark tunnels of financial destitution, spiritual drought, and physical suffering have brought the most blessing.
This week I’ve come face-to-face with one of those past trials. Though Matthew feels pretty well, it’s obvious the Wegener’s disease is rearing its ugly head again. His eyes look sick and I think it’s more difficult for me than for him sometimes. But I know it isn’t easy for him to face this reality again. On Friday he goes in for his first round of four infusions that will hopefully shock his immune system into doing something else with itself instead of attack his sinuses. I despise Wegener’s disease and every disease on this earth that reminds us of our imperfection and humanness. I hate the way disease alters our bodies from how God intended them to be. Sometimes I’m tired of being strong, which is when I realize that’s a good thing. I am so very weak, and I feel God’s strength welling up inside of me to carry me through this step. He gives me enough strength to hold my husband’s hand through sickness and health. I have faith that God hasn’t changed and He will do great things through this trial. Thanks for praying!
A Bitty Blessing
There is no need to convince me about how darling our little Betty is.
Her happiness for living is so contagious.
She is still bitty, but the blessing of her in our lives is so huge!
The Three-Minute Tour
It took me a year to walk to this place. That is, it has taken me a year to actually do it. It really only takes about three minutes to get there. So, today, for the third time in one week, we headed over to the baseball field that is on the next block. This time we pulled the wagon. Yes, it is as dirty as it looks. The girls obviously didn’t mind! Betty was chomping at the bit with her two little teeth.
After discovering this place which has fences to scale and a big field in which to run, the kids beg every day to go to “the park”. About one minute after we got there, Jack discovered his hidden (or not so hidden) Ninja self. After all, it is what he wants to be when he grows up.
Not to be outdone by her big brother, Elsie scaled right up the fence. She was so proud of herself when she succeeded in going up AND down without any help.
Here is another face of accomplishment. Jack hopped on Elijah’s big bike and took off with a grin. He zoomed around the field like he’s been riding big bikes his whole life, promptly pushed it up to the top of the highest hill he could find and raced down without a flinch.
Then he discovered that riding with one hand is pretty cool too.
I think I see his manhood seeping out of this picture. He so proudly showed me the hair on his legs the other day, and thought they looked like a man’s. He’s still a little boy, though. I don’t know too many men who would walk around with used bubble wands attached to their belt-loops like it’s the coolest thing in the world.
Elsie is a little runner. She runs back and forth tirelessly, with just her shadow to spur her on towards faster speeds. 
That and her fancy shoes:
Then there’s my not-so-little girl who is wearing my shoes now and borrows my jacket because the ones from last year go up a few inches from her wrist.
Elijah and Nadine love to play kickball, soccer, or whatever they think of at the moment.
Elsie is so close to mastering the two-wheeler. She had me in fits of laughter with all her giggling and accidental slamming on of her brakes. It is a really good workout to push a three-year old on a teeny bike that requires a constant squat while running.
Then there’s this little munchkin who just goes with the flow. If the flow happens to hit the decrepit swings for a few minutes, then she’s all smiles. She doesn’t care how nasty the chains look, or even if they hold her up. She is consumed with smiles and the new feeling of her tummy tickling inside her as the air whooshes by her face like a big breath.
Every single day the kids remind me to make time for fun. Hold all calls until the book is finished. Turn up the music and dance. They don’t care if they have matching shoes, matching clothes, or a beat-up soccer ball. They do care about feeling loved. They want us to notice how cool they are with their imaginations. Like when playgrounds become castles and bubble wands become keys. They want us to see them in action, laugh at their silliness, and cheer their accomplishments. So leave the clothes pile stacked high and grab the dirty wagon. Don’t wait a day, a month, a year… remember, it might only take three minutes to get there.
My Crumb Catcher
Betty. She truly is the whipped cream on top of my highly caffeinated life with children. She’s into so many things now, like touching the toe kick in the kitchen, where the counter top and floor meet and every crumb collects. Somehow cheerios taste better after they’ve been lodged underneath the dishwasher first. She is my swiffer. Her two little teeth love to chew! She’s a big fan of beef stew and lasagna. She’s such a little peanut, with 6-9 month clothes still a bit roomy. She waves “night night”, signs for “more please” and “all done”. Her resident stylists love to slick her hair up into a cute “Jack Jack” impression. It’s funny, except when one of said stylists licks his hands before applying them to her hair… gross. She takes everything in stride, even if Mommy doesn’t.
I’m so thankful for this bitty girl who makes our life more full. Her nicknames include, “Punkin’ Pie”, “Little Snunger” “Cutie Pie”, and my personal favorite that Elsie likes to sing, “Betty is a little hut ho.” Not sure what that is, but it’s pretty cute when she sings it. 
She is my only brown-eyed child, just like her name-sake, Grandma Betty. I often wish they could have met.
Grow Old With Me 