This week in school has been busy! We made gliders in Science class one day to learn about drag and experiment with a long skinny wing vs a short and wide wing… which flies further? It’s always fun when school can be brought outside.
Our sidewalk always needs a sweep, and we have a few kids who adore sweeping. I love her joy and I also love her outfit… which has been going strong for three days now. I think it’s one of her favorites too! 
I’m thankful for homeschooling, but by three o’clock my brain is toast and I need a few minutes of alone time. The other day Betty, who’s middle name is shadow, said, “I really want to follow you because I have a lot of stuff to say to you!” I mean, really. How do you not squeeze someone like that? She’s also very perceptive of when I need a break. A couple days ago, she happened to be walking up the stairs behind me as I retreated to my room for a few minutes of silence. She immediately said, “I’m not following you, mom.” I laughed on the inside, and her wit started the process of melting away the stress of that day. She is loving Kindergarten. She constantly wants to do more and learn more.
Elijah continues to invent, experiment and build. He got over his fear and mastered a front flip off the diving board this summer. He almost made me dive headfirst into our grill while I was flipping hamburgers the other night, when he snuck up behind me and scared the living daylights out of me! He’s a great big brother. He loves music and his guitar lesson is the highlight of his week.
Nadine is doing great in school. She loves her time with her rabbits. Yes, Oreo is really jumping into the air. He races around our front porch and Nadine says he’s happy when he does that. I don’t speak bunny, but she does. She occasionally babysits now, which she enjoys very much! She is super into coloring to de-stress, and continues to be the best letter-writer in the County!
Jack keeps improving on his reading. He is strong and a perfectionist. He enjoys competing with Matthew and one day he will beat him, I’m sure! He totally beats me in pull-ups, push-ups and the like. He loves to play with coins and carry them around in a sock.
Elsie is a great big sister. She and Betty still enjoy twinning some days. She is very much into gymnastics, even though not officially taking lessons. She watched some YouTube videos and learned how to do a back bend, and how to do a back pullover on the bars! She has turned into a bookworm, and I love that her favorite book right now was one of my favorite books when I was her age: Annie Oakley! She constantly is tidying up around the house, and more than a few times I have come upstairs at the end of the day to find the bathroom scrubbed, or my bed made. She is a strong girl with a lot of determination!
In a few weeks Matthew & I will be running the Ragnar relay again. So I’ve been running a lot. Since we started taking Plexus and my blood sugar has been stabilizing, I actually sweat now. I never used to sweat, and so this is a new phenomenon for me and I text way too many pictures of my sweaty face to Matthew because it tickles me… literally! When I’m not running or teaching school, I’m IN school or in our kitchen. Things I study: I’m still studying to become a certified aromatherapist, which I love and dive into when there’s a free evening. Also, constantly researching gut health. My favorite beverage is a tumeric latte, which helps with inflammation. It’s a sad evening when the whole thing spills all over the table and dyes the floor yellow. It’s amazing stuff.
Time with Matthew is incredibly precious. The other night we were able to slip away for a little date. I pulled out some shoes I haven’t worn since I was a teenager. Fun times!
In closing, I’ll attach a video we made yesterday. In science we decided to conduct a little experiment about a product in our house we generally think is “healthy”. But is it? Check it out to see our amateur video attempts. This was our first run through, and the kids thought the humor was fun so here it is. First cut. Enjoy!
kids
Fifth Annual Kids’ Day and Other August Adventures
August has been simply amazing. One highlight was our Fifth Annual Kids’ Day. We decided to pack up the kids and take them to Six Flags Great Adventure for a day of thrills and laughter. Everyone loves rollercoasters, and even though the one who loves them the most is the shortest, we still did a whole lot of fun together. On the Congo Rapids, we laughed so hard because on each and every opportunity for water to crash into our raft, Jack and Matthew got soaked. Meanwhile, Elijah, who was the only one hoping to get wet, stayed completely dry. He wasn’t too happy about that. My favorite part of the day was going on Nitro with the three bigs, in the dark, right before closing. It was so fun, we ran all the way around to the front of the line again so we could ride it one more time, and we made it to the second to last ride before it shut down for the night. We laughed and screamed and declared it to have been the perfect adventure.
Our second adventure in August was our family vacation down at Ocean City, NJ. I barely pulled out my camera, but we sure had a blast. Betty adores the ocean, is fearless to ride the waves, and we all had so much fun boogie boarding together. It’s been a long time since I’ve body-slid onto the shore from the top of a wave and had my bathing suit filled with sand.
This is how sad Betty gets when she’s told Daddy needs a break.
A few gorgeous runs with Matthew lit up some of the mornings.
One night, we hung out at the boardwalk. I asked someone to take our family’s picture, and happened to ask a professional photographer. He nailed it.
That night we enjoyed the musical talent of many different bands, and joined in the dance party with some friends. It was a blast. At one point I had ice-cream dripping down both of my hands, where the kids had stuffed their cones so they could dance instead. They busted some sweet moves and won enough free mini-golf games so they could go golfing the next day. One night I found the kids on the upstairs deck, talking and laughing together. It felt strangely grown-up-ish and not childish. Good food, walks, talks, sand, sun, runs, and many wonderful memories made it the perfect week.
From there, we traveled to MD to visit friends, and then to Washington D.C. to see the sights and more friends of ours. It was a great memory, for sure!
By the time we reached the White House, our feet felt like they just might fall off. Some, more than others. However, it was still worth the time and mileage to make those memories together.
Summer’s memories are treasured, like love notes tucked into my pocket. Every once in awhile I will pull them out and smile, remembering each moment together.
A favorite song of mine recently has been rolling around in my head all week. I thought it fitting to put the words on the backdrop of one of this week’s sunrises.
First Day Fun
Today began our new adventure. Our one-room-schoolhouse is now officially in session. These beautiful kids were excited to start and did an amazing job! We’re super excited about what this year will bring, and thankful to know the One who will take us through each day! This is the first year I will have all five in a grade. In case the comment is on the tip of your tongue, please know, I also can not do this. Not alone, anyway. I have a really big God who has promised to provide the resources to do what He calls us to do. If that means teaching our kids at home, then He gives the strength, the joy, the patience, the creativity, and the desire to do so. Praising the Lord for His great faithfulness, for strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside…
Sweet Summer
Since school is beginning very soon, I thought now would be a good time to do a quick overview of our summer so far. It’s been delightful to say the least! June started out with a half marathon, which I completed with two friends. It was much harder than anticipated, but I finished and was thankful for the challenge!
July was full of some sickness, but was trumped by the ocean, soccer camp, girls’ camp, wrestling camp, and family time.
So far, August has been beautiful. Our dear friends came to visit us from Ohio. Ruthie and I go all the way back to age ten. Lots of front porch talks, a trip to the beach, and seeing our kids play with each other was such a joy. The garden is bursting with color. Matthew made the girls’ room a lot more fun by hanging their bed from the ceiling. It is only accessible via a ladder and monkey bars. Notice, my oldest daughter has to bend over a bit to look like the same height as her mother. Matthew is doing marvelously well health-wise. More on that later.
God has been so faithful and good to us. Summer isn’t over yet, and it’s been grand so far.
I Just Want A Yes
One thing which bothers me is when one of my children asks me for a snack as I’m cooking dinner. About a week ago, my littlest was doing just that. As I looked at her and firmly told her, “No,” she sat down on the floor, tucked her head in between her knees and cried dramatically: “But I just want a yes!” The outburst stopped me in my tracks. It almost felt like her words were being interpreted from my own heart’s silent prayer to my Heavenly Father. I just want a yes.
This week was a rough one for me. That same particular little girl started having a fever and alarmingly swollen lymph nodes, warranting a doctor’s visit and a round of blood-work. 
Thankfully, the blood-work came back normal, but the next day she developed a scary-looking rash on her forehead/scalp area. To make a long story short, 3 doctor visits later and an incredibly high temp of 105 at one point… she was diagnosed with Lyme’s disease. Lyme’s is a tick borne disease and nothing to take lightly.
This was the point where I began to ask others to pray for us. It was going on five days of constant fever, and Thursday night she was unable to walk up the stairs or move her leg from standing to sitting. She hadn’t really complained yet, despite how wretched she felt, so when she started to cry about her leg hurting so badly, I knew she was in a lot of pain. God promises us tremendous power is made available through a good man’s earnest prayer. (James 5:16) I just wanted a yes, but realized God wouldn’t change in any way if He said no.
We went to bed Thursday night, the only difference being we were completely surrounded by the prayers of so many. It was like a thick blanket or wall, surrounding her on all sides throughout the entire night. It was palpable. On Friday morning, I woke up to a sweet, smiling face in my bed. She had climbed up without any pain or problem and said, “Look at my ear!” (which is where the rash had started). It was completely normal, and there was no rash anywhere. Her fever was gone completely. She was smiling. I’m so thankful He said, “Yes!”
The night before, I had told the Lord again that she was His. I am convinced of God’s goodness and faithfulness not because of what He will or will not do in my life, but because of Who He is. We can not sit on the floor and scream: I just want a yes! If we interpret what He does based on what we think is good, or what we think He should do, we misinterpret His character. Our definition of good is limited by time and space and is tainted by our own selfishness. We can’t see the big picture. Just because I told Betty “no” to having a snack, didn’t equate me as a bad mom. In fact, I said no because there was something even better just ahead if she would just trust me and wait for it. God always acts in accordance with His character and not just according to what we think is good. Having Him take one of my children is something so difficult that I can not even begin to imagine or even dwell on it for one second because of the ache it produces in my heart. However, I was swiftly reminded this week that everything God has given to us can be taken in an instant. Yet, no matter what, God does not change in His goodness, His faithfulness, or His nearness.
Jesus said in John 14:27- I leave behind with you- peace; I give you my own peace and my gift is nothing like the peace of this world. You must not be distressed and you must not be daunted. This verse popped up twice on Thursday. Once, on a crumpled piece of paper that survived an entire heavy duty whirl in the washing machine. (When does paper ever survive a wash?) God knew I needed to hear from Him and be reminded that circumstances don’t change His gift of peace.
The scariness of the situation didn’t shift the truth of God’s nearness. I also read this reminder: Never forget the nearness of your Lord...He is right here with me. Don’t worry over anything whatever. Whenever you pray, tell God every detail of your reeds in thankful prayer, and the peace of God…that peace He knew we so desperately needed, so He left it with us when He went back to Heaven… Which surpasses human understanding… if you’ve experienced it, you know it… Will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus. This peace doesn’t come and go, but is like a sentry over our hearts and minds: keeping worry out and keeping peace in, so we can rest.
2 Months, 1 Amazing Guy, 5 Kids, 1 Rabbit, and 22 Bobby-pins
We stood on the edge of the woods, arms around each other and Nadine started to quietly sing: “Nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, hey, hey, hey, good-bye.” Matthew and I hugged her close and sang along, our mournful song stretching past the trees and into the May evening with respect and emotion. A pile of stones marks his grave, as this week we said goodbye to our first pet. Toby was Nadine’s rabbit, and she loved and trained him well. I will miss watching her train him on the front porch and take him for walks around the block on his little leash. The words sharpie-d onto his grave-stone say it all:
On a happier note, our school-year is done. We are schooling all year, which basically means we are taking a short break before starting again! This allows for longer breaks during Christmas-time and the dreaded February blues. Today I have an incredibly special place to school-plan. While Matthew works on a side job, this is my view:
I do not take this for granted and have spent most of my morning in awe of the fact that there is no one needing me. In fact, I even managed to go to the bathroom without anyone yelling, “MOM!” Because as every mother knows, the time when every child all of a sudden urgently needs them, is the moment the bathroom door closes.
In the past few months of non-writing, there are mounds of funnies jotted into my phone’s notebook, along with lots of pictures. Our spring has been full of gardening, school, organizing, and purging. Recently, we’ve been going room-by-room throughout the house and deep-cleaning every nook and cranny. This is useful for two things: to get rid of what is not needed, and to find lost things. I don’t know about you, but there are a few items in our home which notoriously get lost throughout the year: bobby-pins, scissors, pencils, pens, hair-ties, hair-brushes, and socks. There is a small list of things of more value and meaning which have also gone missing, and this was another reason for the deep-cleaning. Unfortunately, those things still haven’t been found, but we do have a FULL jar of pencils, pens, and scissors again. As well as this nice array of 22 bobby-pins confiscated from one room alone:
My heart is so full of thankfulness for the five amazing gifts God has given to us. They bless our lives more than words or pictures can express. But I will try to express it anyway.
Nadine has such a huge heart. This was shown so clearly this week when she lost Toby. How she carried him bravely from the accident and stayed with him and didn’t shy away from showing her grief. She has been babysitting and absolutely loves kids. Her passion for horses has not been abated, and she loves to spend her free time writing letters to her amazing friends. She is keeping alive the art of creating home-made envelopes and giving the post office lots of service! She holds the highest record on “bop-it”, which is like a concentration game: 250. I think my record is 21. She sang her first solo and did a beautiful job at their end-of-school play. She is a strong girl, and loves to arm wrestle. I love how she cleans up the kitchen at night for me, when I’m feeling like toast. Her energy is exactly what I need sometimes.
Elijah is growing up, like boys do. Our recent trip to the Franklin Institute to see the “Art of the Brick” Lego display was pretty epic. He and Jack have been building all sorts of things in their spare time, making guns that shoot legos, and vending machines that actually work. It is beyond me. He is often my side-kick in the kitchen. He recently made some chicken curry that was pretty bombdiggity. He did a great job a couple weeks ago, helping Matthew at our church to teach a lesson about lying. He has a gift for music and I absolutely love listening to him jam on the guitar. It is his new passion, and he brings us great joy to hear him play and sing.
Jack finished up his year of wrestling, turned 9, and all sorts of other momentous things in April. At the kids’ end-of-the-year school celebration with their co-op, they performed a musical called, “Rats”. Jack was one of the rats, and I learned something I never knew about him before: that boy can act! He was not afraid on the stage, and he actually hammed it up quite a bit. He is fearless on his bike, which is sometimes not a good thing. He loves to hold hands, and can give the best shoulder massages. When I think of Jack, I think of a strong, tame, hug-gable tiger.
Elsie is a fearless, yet at times, shy girl. She has the most beautiful singing voice, and the ability to pick up songs on the piano naturally. She did a great job at the end-of-the-year play as well. When she has two wheels under her, she becomes very bold. The other day our family went to the skate park together and she was the only girl in the entire park, fearlessly rollerblading between some crazy fast boys on jumps. She prefers to be outside, and has the best imagination. Her end-of-the-year science experiment with flowers and colored water worked out well, and it was fun watch the flowers turn into different colors. She turned 7, got glasses, and seemed to grow up all in a matter of months.
Betty, who is four (which really means “I’m almost five”), tops our charts with hilarity. She adores school, her yellow crocs, and being a part of everything. Like when the kids were all playing “Truth or Dare” in the car. She piped up: “Truth or dare? Truth is, I dare you to jump out of the window!” Elijah calmly answered, “Betty, I’m not going to jump out the window.” She probably crossed her eyes, which is something she does a lot of right now when she’s annoyed. She recently learned how to ride a bike without training wheels, had her first three-legged race, and a host of other firsts that come with being under the age of five. She tells stories which go on for many minutes. The most recent one she told started off like this: “Long ago, when I was three…” She loves “noodle” cookies (snickerdoodles) and “reading”. When we were gardening last week she exclaimed, “There’s a lot of bees in this village!” I must have said, “Sweetheart” to her at some point because she looked at me with a dead-pan face (as she always looks when she says things that crack us up) and said, “Sweetheart?! Why do you always call me sweetheart?” I was so taken aback, I wasn’t sure how to respond! 
Another highlight of our spring was saying hello again to my parents who recently just arrived back from Africa. It was fun house-sitting for them, but much more fun having them back again. You can read all about their trip here.
Meeting our international travelers at the airport. I love hellos!
Matthew has been doing pretty well. I don’t think I could be more thankful for him than I am right now, although I know tomorrow it will be more, because that’s how love is. It grows with time. And though we’re not old, we’re older than we were, and I have time on my side to say without a doubt: It just gets better.
Halfway To Seventy
Every time March rolls around, I get very excited. I love birthdays and am not afraid of them. I am now officially halfway to seventy:
Today we got a foot of snow for my birthday. It was PILES of fun, and I’m thankful Matthew was able to work from home! This week was full of surprises. It began with an early birthday cake, made especially by our cousin, who owns The Master’s Baker. Seeing as though we didn’t even have a wedding cake, this was my first experience at receiving a professional custom-made cake. Isn’t it gorgeous?
Since winter is here and all, we decided we would take it by the hand and have fun with it. My next surprise was a night away with everyone at Bear Creek mountain resort, for our very first family skiing adventure! 
The last time I went skiing was on my 19th birthday. My best friend, Rebecca, was giving me clues on what to do to prepare for this epic surprise she had planned with my sister. She told me things like, “Make sure you shave your legs,” and “Dress nice!” When my birthday rolled around, they blindfolded me and brought me downstairs to the kitchen where I was met by Matthew, his brother, and Rebecca’s brothers. Matthew handed me my “treasure map” to the surprise: a map of the ski place we would be going to that day! I laughed and said, “Good thing I shaved my legs!” before running back upstairs to change. It was a great memory. That may have been the time I kept skiing backwards and couldn’t figure out how to turn myself back around, which only came in handy when I wanted to wave at people as I passed them. It also may have been the time I accidentally went down a black diamond, without knowing how to slow down at all. I do remember flying past Matthew, and truly hoping I would make it down to the bottom in one piece.
Funny how time telescopes when you find yourself in the exact place you have been in the past. I wasn’t skiing backwards or even down a black diamond. Yet all of a sudden I felt the same freedom mingled with danger, and I was 19 again. Except when I fell. Then the nostalgia went poof like the snow in which I landed, and I was definitely thirty-five. And I definitely had five people I had birthed from my body, sharing the ever-expanding niches of my heart. I don’t remember what it is like to be completely separate from those feelings of mother-love. To do anything apart from my mind, body and soul being so deeply connected with another human being. I would rather be halfway to seventy and not remember what it’s like to be independent of those feelings, than be nineteen and have no idea what I’m missing. And as exhausting as motherhood can be, it’s even more exhilarating than that.
My breath caught more times than just when the wind whipped my face. As I skied next to Elsie while she zipped to the bottom of a hill, red cheeks, one strand of hair constantly falling out of her hat and helmet, I smiled at her bravery. She went from being scared to death to go down the hill, to falling, to dusting herself off and saying, “Let’s do it again!” It caught when I saw Nadine gracefully maneuvering the snowy hills, her tall self looking so beautiful. She was so helpful with Betty, both on the slopes and the night before, when we had supper together.
She’s a wonderful big sister. So is Elsie, who is also not afraid to perform interpretive dance in the middle of a restaurant in pj’s and socks.
I laughed at Elijah, my crazy, creative boy, who thought to video himself while he skied and then simultaneously wiped out at the bottom.
I found it hard to breath as I watched Jack plow recklessly and fearlessly down hills and over jumps, creating a puff of snow when he fell.
He wore his t-shirt around his face for most of the day.
I found it especially hard to believe my baby bear is growing up enough to have a ski day of her own. She absolutely loved it when Matthew held her waist all the way down the hill. I almost cried when her little voice called down to me from the ski lift and she waved her little mitten hand and went higher and farther away from me. When her daddy was not able to ski with her, this is what she thought about the whole idea:
Yes, this is her “I’m-happy-and-I-know-it-but-just-not-about-skiing” face.
Our day ended abruptly when I got a call on my phone, just as I had sat down in the lodge with Nadine and Betty and a hot cup of tea. It was Matthew, and he said Elsie had fallen getting off the ski lift and he wasn’t sure if her arm was broken. My throat had a lump in it when I saw the snowmobile with a red cross on it make its way to the ski patrol, a tiny bundle on its sled. I told Nadine to pray and then ran over to meet Matthew. This darling little thing was getting checked out, and we still weren’t sure about her condition. After a lollipop, an ice-cream bar, and many attempts by the sweet ski patrol medics to get her to smile, Matthew got the rest of the crew packed up and we left. I experienced one of the most frightening and harrowing drives through ice and sleet and snow, but made it to the hospital near our house. Long, happy story short: her arm is not broken! We are so grateful to God.
When Matthew and I collapsed into bed, he sighed, “That was the best day ever.”
I would have to agree. And this time, I didn’t even have to shave my legs.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (In A Nutshell)
The past month has been epic. I forgot my camera for the first big event, but snagged a few of my sisters’ photos. My brother-in-law planned a fabulous surprise birthday for my oldest sister. The day before, my brother hatched a plan to fly up here for a couple of hours to surprise her. It worked. I picked him, my nephew, and niece up from the local airport an hour before the party started. I felt like a little girl, back in the middle of Africa, waiting for him and my sister to fly home from boarding school. My other sister and I would listen for the sound of the small Cessna flying in from where they went to school. First a distant hum, then louder until we could see the plane circling over our station. This was slightly different, since he was the actual pilot this time, and his son was texting me from the airplane. But those distant memories were stirred from the corners of my brain, and I actually jumped up and down and screamed just like I did when I was Betty’s age. From our house, I heard the airplane and saw it coming in for landing. We raced to the van to drive the mile to the airport to pick them up and head over to the surprise party.
Here we are, youngest to oldest. It was such a treat to be together, even if it was only for a couple of hours.
My nephews, the oldest and youngest of my parent’s 18 grand-kids, spanning 18 years apart. So precious.
A few weeks ago, the kids and I took a secret drive to Valley Forge for a Christmas photo shoot. I was excited at the forecast of snow flurries that day, and was imagining their white little selves falling on our noses and eyelashes in picture perfect clarity. What really happened was a lot of this:
Also a lot of shivering and red noses. 
Eventually we came up with a winner, where everyone was looking, no one was doing peace signs behind anyone’s back, no one was saying, “I’m freezing!” and no one was sticking out their tongue.
Although, they’re all pretty fun. We did one more shoot outside because the flurries were starting. Everyone sat down and this happened:
But then this happened, which is pretty sweet. 
Oh, and the flurries stopped once they sat down. Go figure. 
This month there has been a lot of this as well:
The Sunday before Christmas there was another attempted photo shoot of the kids. This one turned out great.
The rest pretty much followed this pattern: 
Christmas Eve was spent at the Weldon’s house with family. After many attempts at getting a picture with Matthew, 99% of them being blurry, like this: 
One finally turned out crisp and clear.
Our yearly tradition of Santa coming to town was a success. All of our kids know it’s really Uncle Jon, but they still play along for the most part.
Christmas was a lovely day here at home. We didn’t have to be anywhere and spent the day at home by ourselves for the first time ever. We had monkey bread for breakfast, but I pretty much left my camera on the shelf for the rest of the day. 
I have some treasured memories of squeals and hugs by appreciative hearts. It was a beautiful day. That evening for supper Matthew’s parents, sister and brother, and my parents came for dinner. 
We enjoyed a fun evening together and the Weldons spent the night.
The next day we went rock climbing. This girl right here is a natural. The boots. The green tights. The pony-tail. I couldn’t stop smiling.
All the girls were smoking it to the top over and over. 
The next day was interesting. We went to Jack’s wrestling tournament. We had expectations of hanging out together for a few hours in the afternoon, cheering him on, then getting home in plenty of time for supper. We can laugh now, but we weren’t laughing then. I had thoughts like this going through my head: “It won’t be long,” he said. “It’ll be fun,” he said. Looking back, it was fun. The kids brought their walkie-talkies, and were able to get lots of fresh air, running around outside and testing them out while we waited for 130 matches until Jack’s first match. The worst part of the day was right before Jack went onto the mat for the last time. I glanced around and couldn’t see Betty anywhere. I got a sickening feeling in my stomach as I looked all around the people-filled gym. We had just walked from another mat to this one, and somewhere along the way, Betty got lost in the shuffle. Jack was up to wrestle. I didn’t want to panic in front of him and mess up his concentration. I grabbed one of the walkie-talkies while Elijah and Nadine grabbed two more and we set off to find her. All in all, it was about five minutes total before I walked down the hallway and saw her huddled behind the door to the gym. She had her little stuffed puppy and was crying. I scooped her up, emotions spilling out of every pore. Jack was wrestling by then, and I just held her and we cried happy tears while we yelled encouragements to Jack. My entire body was shaking. I praise the Lord for watching over Betty. We figured that as we walked to the mat and stopped, she must have kept walking until she got to the hall and didn’t see us anymore. I told her what a good girl she was to stop and wait for me to find her. It was a long day that started and ended about three hours later than we expected. Jack won his matches and got a first place trophy. His eyes said it all:
After getting to bed close to midnight, our plans for the next day somewhat unraveled. We were supposed to leave at ten o’clock in the morning. Around ten thirty, the last of our five sleepy heads stumbled downstairs from their cozy bed. Pancakes started. Someone else desperately needed a shower, especially since they couldn’t remember the last time they did so. At last, everyone was fed, so I headed upstairs for my own shower. On the way, I met a special six-year old girl who was staring at herself in the mirror and said to me in a puzzled voice: “It’s like someone cut my hair!” as she fiddled with her brown silky mop. I was about to just say, “Uh-huh”, but something stopped me in my tracks. “Elsie, why is your hair so short? Did you cut your hair?” Her eyes showed a slight mixture of fear and debate about her answer. The truth won out, and she told me she was just curious about how it would feel to cut it off. I think she found out pretty quickly. So, my shower was delayed for a bit longer while I opened up the hair salon in the bathroom. By noon we were ready to leave, but we didn’t actually leave until one-thirty. And THAT is how we roll some mornings in our house.
We arrived at Matt’s brother’s house a couple of hours late, but enjoyed time together and another visit from Santa. Here’s Elsie with her new haircut:
If I could summarize the entire month of December into one photo collage, it would look like this:
Joyous New Year!
When Sparks Fly and Cracks are Backed
It’s two o’clock, and I am finally eating lunch. The quiet scribble of one person doing their writing homework is like music to my ears, while the hot tea is like medicine for my harried brain. Outside, the boys are reading on the trampoline. You know, between jumps. This morning was full of dictation, reading out loud, and lots and lots of math. Math four times around each day has both enriched my brain and caused it to temporarily shut down for the day. A few facts I have learned today:
The moment I have to use the bathroom is the moment everyone has a need of great importance.
Informative speeches are impossible to write. (That fact is up for debate. Maybe the person claiming it should write a persuasive speech to prove their point.)
It is not difficult to make deodorant, and it smells amazing.
I often wipe my nose on my sleeve without even thinking. Please tell me this is something moms with small kids often do.
Receiving a big box with a smile on the side is a huge reason for celebration. Especially when the box contains a new heating element for the stove.
Ah, the stove. About a week ago, I was testing out some recipes for my first ever cooking class.
As I preheated the oven for some grain-free corn bread, I noticed a small flame dancing inside the oven. This would not be a problem if we had a brick oven, but ours happens to be electric. I tried to blow it out, because this has worked in the past. When it seemed to get bigger and start spreading, I called Elijah to grab the fire extinguisher. I ordered everyone outside, while we unsuccessfully put out the sparking flames. Finally, I told Elijah to run get our neighbor, while I called 911. Fortunately, I was able to tell the dispatcher never mind, as our neighbor ran over with a big fire extinguisher and the grand idea of flipping off the breaker connected to the stove. The second he did that, the fire fizzled into nothing. What a bunch of excitement. And mess.
Of course my cooking class was in about ten hours, and I was now without a stove. Enter: wonderful neighbors again. Thankfully, their stove was just fine, and the classes were able to go on as planned, with just a little extra walking. I also paid double to have someone overnight a new heating element. How exciting it was to receive the box. The thrill died about as quickly as a blown-out candle when I pulled out a completely bent element that would not work at all. Thankfully, you can return things in this country. The box we received today with the smiley face on it contained a just as happy part, which will be responsible for much delightful baking this fall.
Now, seven hours later, I can hardly believe another day has passed. Often you can find out what filled my day, by glancing at the open tabs on the computer: Aromahead Institute, Patchouli, Artemisia, DIY rope rug, Amazon, Crockpot Bacon and Goat Cheese, Elderberry Syrup, Hillsong Acoustic Sessions. The other way to find out what has filled our lives the past couple of weeks is to dump some photos from my phone:
Winter clothes turnover day, many Betty faces, our own William Tell, walking Toby the rabbit, school planning squeezed in during piano lesson time, late night Bible studies, and lots of tea.
This week we also saw our whole Weldon family, including our Italian family and the college boy, which was a huge treat!
Sleepy head Betty, and her outfit of choice this Sunday: red silk and black velvet Christmas dress, blue cotton tights with pink flowers on them and black patent leather shoes. She has been asking a lot when Christmas is coming. She asks in such a way that makes it sound like a person is coming to visit us very soon. My week has also been full of aromatherapy school, pumpkins and the chiropractor. Whenever we go to the chiropractor, Betty grins, gives a big sigh, and says she loves getting her “crack backed”.
This year, the four bigs have also been involved in a homeschool co-op. Their science teacher took these great pictures of them in his class as they were learning about density.
This was the scene around the table tonight. We’ve got four readers, taking turns reading around the table. It is one of my favorite parts of the day. As is this time: hanging out with my man. Good night.
A Crazy-Hair Day
A week ago I wrote this, before being interrupted for another week:
Right now one boy is blaring classical piano music throughout the house. Two kids are playing a board game, and the other two are building with blocks and dancing at intervals. I snuck out to the front porch, literally hiding a brownie in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Just five minutes of peace would be super. It’s been a long afternoon of school, apple-sauce-making, supper-cooking, and I’m not even cleaned up yet. Time for tea and an undisclosed chocolatey snack.
It sounds all too-familiar, like I was about to type the same words now… as I lick the melted chocolate off my spoon and swallow the last sip of afternoon tea. The kids are all in their rooms practicing how to be quiet. I had a long but beautiful day being a doula yesterday, arriving home close to 2AM. Needless to say, I was pretty exhausted. The last thought I had before drifting off to sleep was: I hope I get breakfast in bed. My super amazing daughter must have known (you see, when you pray, the Holy Spirit is listening, and can communicate that need to someone else who is listening to Him). Her sweet self prepared this breakfast for me, and we enjoyed a lovely morning in our PJ’s.
By lunch-time, however, my lack of sleep started to kick in. I started making scrambled eggs and dropped one on the ground. I snapped at the children I loved so much. Then, I stopped and apologized for my grumpy attitude. Everyone suggested maybe I needed a nap. Then Nadine smoothed the air even further with her honest comment, “You know, Mom? Your hair looks CRAZY today!” I burst out laughing. It still looks crazy, by the way.
The text I sent to Matthew, which prompted my apology to the children.
So, Betty and I decided to take a nap, even though she is “never tired”. Like the other day, when she told me, “My tummy hurts. I’m tired of falling asleep.” Then this happened:
Today she told me she wanted to “talk” before we fell asleep. Thus began our conversation: “I have a question.”
“Yes, Betty? What’s your question?”
“When will I be six?”
“After you’re five.”
“Will I always be six?”
“The whole time you’re six, yes.” We then proceeded to practice counting up to six on our fingers. She is dead set on being six.
She says some pretty hilarious things these days. The other night she lamented in a very sorrowful voice, “Everybody makes me so sad.” When I asked her what would make her happy, she replied, “If you make chicken.” She asked me this out-of-the-blue question the other day: “Mom, can I put this rock in my pocket?”
“Um, sure,” I replied, puzzled.
“Just in case I need it for something.” Good to know she’s prepared.
When I asked her if she wanted apple sauce or yogurt for a snack she answered, “Hmmmmmmmm. I think my body wants yogurt.”
Last weekend, Matthew surprised me with one of my favorite date days ever. We were given tickets to Chester County Day, and drove all around the area touring historical homes, barns, and grounds. It was so beautiful, inspiring and refreshing.
I’ve been slightly obsessed with Instagram the past two weeks. The photos aren’t a false impression of my life, so much as they are a bit of an incomplete picture of it. You might see a shot of apple crisp, but in the background you can’t see the piles of dishes I just washed or have to still wash. You might see us reading books on the front porch, but you can’t see the dirt on the ground, or feel the mosquitoes trying to bite us. You might see the photo of a budding piano-player, but only we can hear the same three songs being played hundreds of times on the keyboard. You see the flower, but not the weeds. 
This week’s favorite photos are as follows:
Jack’s ongoing collection of shiny things. A healed bone in Nadine’s big toe. Rock-climbing date with my Elsie Rose. Nadine’s 12th birthday, complete with crepe cake. Love and Daddy. The baby-waiting game. Beautiful clouds that make me wish I was a bird.
The boys just dug out some old CD’s, and we’re rocking out to the Kry, one of my favorite 90’s music memories. The girls are “secretly” rearranging their room (even though I could hear the furniture scooting all around their room from where I lay in bed while attempting to nap). My hair is still crazy. My heart is full.
Grow Old With Me 