kids; fun

Another Day in The Life

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It’s pretty awesome when it’s been a few months since something like this has happened, and then it happens when I least expect it.  Let’s just say I love surprises.  Matthew called me to say that I had to be ready to go out with him at 5:30 tonight.  “Wear work-out clothes, but bring something to change into as well.”  Oh boy.  That is what happens when you go on dates with a personal trainer.  SO, thanks to our amazing friend and pastor, Jon, who watched our kids, Matthew and I took off for an evening of fun.  I fought the urge to get grumpy about part A of our date.  We went to the cross-fit gym and my nerves stopped fidgeting once I got moving.  It was hard not to think about anything other than my shaking legs and the uncomfortably close feeling of about to puke.  But, like everyone said, after finishing I felt great.  It was also pretty cute seeing Matthew’s beaming face when I was all done.  Afterwards we grabbed something to eat and enjoyed some uninterrupted conversation.

That, coupled with another sweet friend bringing us dinner, made up for the especially tiring morning  I had.  After we finished school, I  finally caved and went to the grocery store.  It is pretty bad when the kids are eating graham crackers for breakfast… and lunch.  Despite low blood-sugar levels, everyone was especially energetic it seemed.   We were one of those families today at the store.  The boys were ninjas who were hungry for everything they saw and pretended to consume each item on every shelf.  Then somewhere between when I was paying attention and when I was reading labels on shampoo bottles, Nadine had been chasing Betty down the aisle and fell and skinned her knee on the linoleum floor.  It’s pretty hard to skin your knee on linoleum.  She started crying and saying she broke her knee, and the next thing I knew, there were people around us and someone fetched us bandaids.   She hobbled her way around the rest of the way, but it just seemed to fit the category of crazy-things-that-rarely-happen-while-you’re-shopping.

We also had to go to the dentist to get some cavities filled, (thank you, Grandma for your help!) which added another dose of real-life excitement to our day.  Tucked in there were our everyday messes and tears,

 

along with sweet moments and smiles.

Tomorrow we head to the shore.  Hopefully this time we won’t be plagued with the throw-up bug!  I am really looking forward to no agenda but family.  I was planning on packing tonight, but since I got whisked away by my lover-boy, it can all wait until tomorrow.  Good night.

Getting Summer

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I find myself saying “Gotcha!” a lot whenever I pick up Betty.  It can be in a reassuring voice after she’s fallen, or in a fun voice as she is being tickled.

I didn’t realize this until today when Nadine said, “Gotcha.”  Then she paused before exclaiming, “I’ve never said that word before!”  Then she went on to say, “Would someone please explain what that means?” Seeing as though I was the only one in the room at the time, I took the liberty of explaining it to her.

She was unloading the dishwasher at the time.  I had just sat down after teaching school all morning, cooking lunch, and doing some other things.  Nadine said, “It must feel good to take a break!”  I chuckled at her comment, nodded my head, and sipped my tea. I had just started my lunch.  Somewhere in between scrounging up five lunches with very little food left in our cupboards (I’m determined not to go shopping this week), cleaning up multiple spills, cleaning up one messy baby, laying said baby down for her nap… I finally sat down for my lunch.  This is what often happens after the feeding frenzy we call lunch.  Our kids are eating machines.  I can pretty much honestly say that our fridge is empty.

There is a little milk left, 4 eggs, one block of cheese (which is odd to still have), and a bag of peppers,which has now been roasted and pulverized into salsa.  There is a jar of jam, a few olives and some mustard.  Oh, and relish and garlic!  We have some ice-tea too, but that is about it.  We’re out of cereal, bread, and fruit.  We have many tomatoes and butternut squash.  It’s so adventurous cooking only with what you have!

Speaking of cooking with what we have, our garden has been such a blessing this year!  For the past few days, this is what I get, plus some squash:

Every dinner includes tomatoes.  I find that if I just roast them up, blend them up, or cut them up right away, not one goes to waste.  They are just pure loveliness.  Elijah took these pictures of the gardens this week:

I relish every color, every flower, every taste of summer.  I will be hanging on to it with my last bit of strength, even while fall sneaks up to take its place.  The changing of seasons is like a game of musical chairs, except there is only one chair.  As the music of summer starts to fade, and the rhythm of fall is about to begin, I feel badly for the one about to get kicked out into the march of time again.  I just want to grab summer forever and say, “Gotcha!” and never let go.

Jack’s Treasure Shelf

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Climbing onto the top bunk is like climbing into another world.  A world full of imagination and intrigue.  Jack is organized, precise, and treasures memories as much as shiny things.  His love language comes in the form of gifts.  He keeps everything special on his shelf.  I had to capture it.  His pockets used to fill to overflowing with treasures.  Now he keeps them more contained in a box or on his shelf.

Oh, sweet Jack.  I hope you always treasure life.

 

Second Annual Kids’ Day

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Our second annual Kid’s Day was a huge success!  It began with a breakfast of waffles, chocolate ice-cream and bacon!

Our first stop was the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia!

The kids have been begging to go there for a long time.  First, we explored the giant heart!

Nadine and I also rode the “sky bike” high above the atrium!  It was scarier than I thought!

Then we sat on the front steps and ate popcorn.

 

 

The highlight for me was when Matthew bought me cotton candy!  I looked at the street vendor with the same longing as a little kid.  Something about never getting it growing up, makes cotton candy, chocolate chips, and m&m’s all things that will never grow old for me.  Cotton candy.  Oh, my heart.

Our next stop was Grandma Weldon’s where we dropped the little two girls off, since they aren’t super restaurant savvy yet.  Then the five of us went to Red Robin for supper!  It was delish!  Their choice of eats.

Our last stop was a mini-golf place, where the three of them played 18 holes.  Elijah was most consistent, and Nadine came in second.  Jack was the winner of the most holes-in-one and his first two shots were both a hole-in-one.  On the second one, Elijah’s ball actually bumped Jack’s ball, which ricocheted off the edge and then rolled into the hole!  It was exciting!  

It was a great day.  We’re so thankful for our five amazing blessings.  It’s exciting to celebrate our family together and make memories in this way.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Funny Freeze-Frame Moments

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Betty just makes me chuckle.  Her accessories now include fuzzy hello kitty slippers.  It doesn’t matter if it’s 90 degrees with 99 percent humidity outside, she loves to wear them.

The other thing she loves to do is be with her big sisters.

 

My first attempt at shooting a picture with all three girls in their matching dresses that Grandma made.  Betty kept walking towards me, and I don’t realize how very tall Nadine is, until trying to stage all three of them together.  Every time she would kneel down, so would the other two, which still made for an awkward angle.  I love how Betty gives her cheesiest grin whenever a camera, or a phone, or anything resembling either of those things, is pointed in her direction.

On Sunday, we had a fun family picnic with the Weldons and my sister-in-law’s parents.  It was so much fun!  Betty loved the pool, and actually swam in just swimmies and without me holding her!  She doesn’t mind water in her face.  My all-time favorite moment of the day was putting her into this get-up.  Thanks to Capri for shooting this picture with her camera while I was in the water.  I couldn’t stop laughing!  The swimmies kept her little body from slipping down through the tube, and she just floated around the pool, jabbering away and loving it.

There were other really funny moments, which we’ll leave out of print.  But I’d love to know what you think we’re laughing about.

 

If at least twenty people comment about what they think is so funny, I will tell you.  Those of you who were there, are not allowed to say!

Beach Memories and a Little Lesson in French

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Today we drove into Philly to pick up Matthew’s race packet.  Twenty-seven is my new favorite number, for my favorite guy who will be sporting bib number 27 for 24 hours.  My butterflies are still in full flight, but he’s calm as a cucumber, reading on the couch across from me.  The two little girls are at Grandpa & Grandma’s, and the older three are here with us at the Weldon’s.

I finally went through my fourth of July pictures when we were at the shore.  There weren’t very many to choose from, since we were sick and my camera spent a lot of time in its bag.  But these are my favorites:

I had so much fun clicking pictures of my little sneaker-stomper this week.  Betty proudly walks around and our latest game has been to practice saying words together.  Her favorite is when I say, “Diaper,” the way she says it.  She laughs a belly laugh then mimics “diapur!”  Try to imagine saying diaper with a French accent.  Betty has the perfect French accent.  “One, twooo,” with the sweetest French “U” sound.  If you are wondering what I mean, try these six steps to make a perfect French “u” sound:

  • Open your mouth.
  • Say O.
  • Draw out the O until your lips are where they would be to make a W sound.
  • Purse your lips as tightly as you can.
  • Keeping your lips pursed, say E.
  • Voilà the French U!

Ma petite fille douce!

Stay tuned for post-race news next week!  Thanks so much for praying for us!

An Afternoon in Philly

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A little while ago our family took a day trip into Philadelphia.  No agenda.  Just ourselves.  We had a meltdown from the 4-year-old, so I took just the tall crowd up the Art Museum steps for some fun pictures.

We saw five different weddings being shot around the Art Museum.  Couldn’t help sneaking this picture.

It wasn’t until I was shooting pictures of our kids when I saw how funny their outfits were.  About 99 percent of the time I let them choose their own clothes.  Sometimes I veto a certain ensemble when we are going someplace nice.  Usually I don’t.  They are who they are.  I love their confidence.

Shadows are such close friends.

Yes, Jack was carrying a gun in the city and brandishing it while he ran down the steps.  One gun was bright blue and the other was a marshmallow blaster made of PVC piping.  Always ready for battle.

The tears flowed for quite a while before finally subsiding.  I love these kids!

Not every day do you see a UFO on wheels!

At last, her sweet face came out for a smile.

Can you guess where this is?

If that was you behind us in your Ferrari, you made my boys’ day.

I love Philadelphia.  It’s my favorite city with so many memories made there.  I can always be persuaded to spend a day in Philly.

Running Through The Night and More

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After my last weepy post, I have been blessed by the hugs, reassurances, and reminders of faithful friends all around me.  It is difficult for me to know the balance between honesty and what could come across as, “Pity me, please,” that is so often inundating our lives… or walls.  It is my true hope that I can be real both in life and in writing.  That what you see is what you get.  I have daily struggles, and validating that fact is better than ignoring them.  I want to convey a well-balanced story of my heart and life, without being depressing or making one cock their head and wonder if everything is always perfect.  My life is an open book, and I hope I can be courageous enough to show you not only the beautiful parts of it, but also the difficult and sometimes ugly.  Ultimately, everything points to Jesus, the Author and Perfector of my faith.

This week has been full of spring-time activities.  A long-anticipated visit from an old friend.  Night-time talks on the front porch.  Roses from our garden in full bloom.  Putting a bathing suit on Betty for the first time.

Strawberry picking with the kids.

The boys decked themselves out the other day in this fashion.  Paperclips in their ears, gaudy jewelry, and the usual bling all over Jack.  They love to be tough and strong.  They can also be so gentle and loving.  I am constantly amazed by this sweet balance that both they and their Daddy possess.

Speaking of Matthew… he took me on a date Friday night.  We enjoyed live music at Burlap & Bean, with some delicious coffee and tea.  We had some much-needed time to reconnect and pray together.

Tonight he is running through most of the night in preparation for his ultra-marathon next month.  We will be posting more details about it soon.  I plan on interviewing him myself to answer the many questions poised his way.  In fact, if you have any questions about his goal of running 100 miles in 24 hours, please post them in the comments, and I’ll be sure to add them to the interview!

God painted a beautiful rainbow this evening.  I ran outside in the rain with a cardboard box on my head, squealing at the sight.  I always try to imagine I’m Noah, seeing a rainbow for the first time.  It always works, and I’m amazed every time.  God’s promises will never ever fail.

Purple and Camo: The Perfect Blend

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This morning as we ate crepes there was much drawing going on around the table.  Robots, cats, and flaming arrows (which I innocently thought were flowers).  Elijah asked Elsie how to spell her name.  She began to clearly spell it out for him in a teacher-like voice.  Then she proceeded to tell him, “Elijah, you didn’t do it correct.  Here, let me do it for you.”  He is the type to be able to chuckle to himself at her bossiness, and we exchanged smiles about it.

This weekend there was a father-daughter dance at church.  The girls were decked out in their “wedding dresses” (dresses they wore to Matt’s brother’s wedding) all afternoon.  Yes, Elsie wore a yellow head-band.  One would never know the drama that went on with that decision.  When they came home that night Elsie told me that, “I was only dancing with my feet one time.”  The rest of the time Daddy held her while they danced.  We both realize this will not always be so, so we treasure the small beautiful girl with the high-pitched voice that we sometimes just want to be quiet.  Even though some days the tears seem to come in the quantity to fill a small ocean, we love our precious Elsie Rose who knows how to spell her name and loves everything pink.  And purple.

Then we have our oldest, who didn’t need to be held to meet Daddy’s eyes while they danced.  Her beauty is swiftly unfolding, and it’s frightening and exciting all at once to see her growing up.  When we were driving to church the other day she dramatically yelled from the back seat, “Don’t open the windows!  My earrings are dangly!”  Elijah agreed that they just might fly out.  It was pretty funny.

While the two oldest girls were away, the boys, Betty, and I stayed home.  At the moment I was taking this picture, I was not exactly happy with the mess going on here.  They made strawberry-watermelon juice with every kitchen tool imaginable and I was stepping on sticky juice all night.  Matt left me with a smile that said, “Enjoy them, they’re just being boys.”  After this picture, they hopped in the tub, Betty went to bed, and I made pizza.  Then I introduced the boys to one of my favorite shows as a kid: Knight Rider, and we ate homemade pizza and oohed and aaahed over the coolness of Kit, and there was nothing girly until the purple clad girls came home donning balloons and memories of dancing with Daddy.

Our house is full of the mixture of flowers and flounce, camo and guns.  Gaudy necklaces and hair ties that don’t match, bicycles that make loud noises and robot drawings.  Pretty tea parties and scary bike ramps.  Perfume and stinky feet.  Hello Kitty bandaids covering a scratch and bruised and bloody knees that deflect the stick of  a bandaid.  Once in awhile these two worlds collide, and I catch moments of gentle love between them.  True gentlemen can put aside their macho muscles to gently hug their sisters and tell them how pretty they look.  Strong women can hang on to their femininity while scaling daunting heights and playing in the mud.  When boys and girls live together there are clashes, yes, but there is also a perfect blending of beauty and brawn, sweet and salty, tenderness and toughness.  Sometimes I don’t always appreciate their differences and honestly I sometimes define different as wrong.  Don’t we all?  But having five little personalities surrounding me every day all day long, I realize and must embrace their differences and not try to compare them with others or change them.  They each fill a void that would otherwise be in this world, and together they are the perfect blend.

Dreaming in Horse-Colored Glasses

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So, when the boys play outside, they get their imagination helmets on… or goggles; whichever you prefer.  They have a fort in the backyard, tucked between the alley way fence and the pine trees.  They have it decked out with old car mats (trash-picked from a neighbor) and other special treasures.

Here they stand, on either side of the fence, working on the burglar trap.  Not sure how it works, but Jack is testing its effectiveness.

There is so much to consider and laugh about when building a fort.

Nadine has been taking horseback riding lessons for a few weeks now.  She is in her element while touching any animal, especially horses.  Her teacher is terrific, and Nadine loves to tell us everything she has learned.

Last week we had so much fun watching her in the ring.  Elsie entertained herself by doing things like jumping from heights and picking dandelions.

Betty was thrilled to have her Daddy close-by.

There is nothing cuter than a father-daughter conversation on a bench.  It is exciting to watch them imagine, learn, and enjoy doing what they love to do.  It is so satisfying to do what you have been created to do.  Speaking of, in the near future we have many changes coming to our family… no, I’m not pregnant, and I will share more soon.  For now I must go and do something I’ve been created to do: fold laundry!