Whenever Parker gets out of the tub and has wrinkled fingers, he holds them up and says...
"Look, I got pawprints".
This morning, he wanted to wear a certain sweater. I told him no, that I had already picked out a brown/tan/light blue one that was exactly like all three brothers were wearing. He thought for a minute. Then he said, "that's cool. I can match them. Matchin's cool".
Yesterday, Kev went to walmart with Jay, Mag and Parker to get some groceries before the snow began to come down hard. By the time they were out of there, a few inches had fallen. On the way home, apparently, they slid a bit near home. Kev didn't mention it, but the kids did. This morning, I was staying home and we gave the kids the option of going to church or staying home with me. Parker opted for going to church and a sibling asked him why he made that choice. He replied, "I want to go so I can go on a snow ride in the bus." I asked him what that meant and he said, "a snow ride means we hit train tracks and go bump bump and then we sliiiiiiiiiiddddeee a little and say 'woo hoo!'"
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Finally, proof that Jerald is my son...
To say that Jerald is the spitting image of his daddy is an understatement.
He looks like him, acts like him, thinks like him.
If ever a child should have been a junior, it is Jerald.
The other day, however, I was reminded of the one thing that he without a doubt gets from his mama...his need for order and organization.
The other day, however, I was reminded of the one thing that he without a doubt gets from his mama...his need for order and organization.
Those who have been in my house, don't laugh. I know you can't tell it by visiting. The truth is homeschooling five children, dealing with their significant food issues and some other issues with a few of them, getting very little sleep and having five out of seven people having a less significant need for order...well, the house takes a back seat in all of that.
However, ask my husband and you will learn quickly that if I had the time and energy, everything in my house would be labeled, organized and likely in alphabetical order whenever possible. He will tell you too, that I'm a much nicer person to live with when clutter and chaos do not reign.
Ever since toddlerhood, Jerald has liked order. He lines up his cars, his thomas trains, his shoes. He has often cleaned for me, not so much for me, as for himself because he wants his stuff organized.
A few days ago, he told me all about his new glasses wearing schedule.
A few months ago, his glasses turned up broken and we needed to order a new pair. Kev said to order two, so if they ended up broken again (as is prone to happen with boys) he'd have a spare. We order from a great online site that is quite inexpensive, so this was not a big deal to order two pair. The particular pair he wanted, the same ones he had before, comes in four colors. He had a hard time deciding which 2 colors he wanted, and I ended up ordering all four (for under 50 bucks!). So, now he has four pairs of glasses in four different colors. It's quite the dilemma then, to decide which ones to wear at various times. Does he do it based on outfit? Pick the pair he likes most and keep the others for spares? Let a sibling pick? What to do, what to do...
A schedule.
That's what I need. I know, I'll do it based on the week. Every Sunday, I'll swap them out. So, the first week is gold, my favorite. Then silver, grey and black and back to gold.
Works for me. Good plan, Jay. Glad to see that his mama did contribute something to his personality...
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Look and Find
A little bit ago, four out of five children were in bed. Number five, also known as Parker the insomniac was bouncing off the walls. I told him to pick a book and sit on the couch for a bit. He currently LOVES look and find books...the ones where you look for various objects hidden within the picture. We have several different ones. Tonight, he picked "Look and Find Mickey Mouse". After about twenty minutes, I noticed he was being unusually quiet.
when joy comes in the morning...
(a follow up to this post)
One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 30. Over and over these past six years, that passage has come to mind and I've thought especially about two portions...the second part of verse 5:
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
and verses 11-12:
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Yes, grief sneaks in...but joy comes in the morning and sometimes joy can even come in the mourning.
In December 2003, I miscarried our fourth baby. I remember the excitement of telling the kids I was pregnant. We announced it to family via our Christmas letter and we spent November and most of December discussing names, guessing about the gender and dreaming what life would be like with four...that seemed like so much more than three! When I began to miscarry at Kev's family Christmas party, I was crushed. We left immediately and prayed on the way home that our little ones life would be protected. It was, but not in the way we desired. From my womb to Jesus' arms. The best protection of life I can imagine, but oh how it hurt. I ached to know the gender, have just a glimpse of what my little one would have been like, here in this life. In the midst of that pain...joy came in the mourning. Jerald and Rocklin were insistent that the baby was a boy and they wanted to pick a name. There may be a girl in heaven named Thomas Dominic, but that's okay. The joy of seeing such little boys love a baby they would never meet is indescribable. In a world that often doesn't recognize unborn children, let alone miscarried ones, my boys now six years later still talk about their baby in heaven.
Just about three months later, I got the urgent phone call that my brother was in the hospital and not doing well. We quickly got things in order, clothes packed, etc and left for the seven or so hour drive to New Hampshire. The next couple of weeks are mostly a blur, but I remember so many little moments where my children brought joy in the mourning. Hugs just when I needed them, laughter to break the silence of pain, the light of life in the midst of darkness.
At some point during the week before Aaron died, it became apparent that he wasn't going to make it. I remember going in to talk to him for a bit, telling him that I loved him and was sorry for the argument we had a few months earlier. We hadn't spoken since. Until that week as I stood by his side as he was in a semi-coma, fighting for his life. At first, he was able to squeeze hands a bit. Some say it was involuntary. I believe otherwise. I believe he heard my words that day and that we were able to reconcile our relationship even with him unable to speak. There was a playroom down the end of a long corridor and that's where the kids were with various relatives. Kev was at the other end of the corridor waiting just outside the ICU's double doors for me to come out. I stumbled through the doors and into his arms.
It's funny that so much is a blur, but I still remember the laughter of my kids resonating down the hall as I stood sobbing into the chest of my husband. After several minutes, the sobbing turned to wailing and I collapsed onto the cold tile floor. Kev didn't really know what to do, so he just knelt beside me and rubbed my back while I wailed. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only about 10 mins. I heard the distinctive, precocious, squeaky voice of my not quite five years old, eldest son.
Um, Mommy?
Mommy, why are you on the floor and crying?
Well, little man, Uncle Aaron is very sick and I think he's going to die and to go to Heaven. I love him a lot and I will miss him a lot, so I'm crying because I'm very sad.
Silence.
Classic Jerald face. Straight face...no emotion.
I look to Kev for help. I'm still crying a bit and not sure what/if anything to say.
Jerald breaks the silence.
Well, I will miss him too, (pause) but I ain't crying about it.
Let's go play!
I laugh. I might have even snorted a little. Then, we went to the playroom.
Snippets of joy in the mourning.
Yes, I have moments of grief that even these years later sometimes feel suffocating. Yet, the moments of joy are so much more significant. In all of it, I strive to "sing praise and not be silent, I want to give thanks forever."
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
I don't always understand it. I struggle and fumble in the dark, trying to make sense of it all. Yet, I believe God's word to be true. I believe it's often in life's darkest hours where we grow the most and learn the most. I believe there is no depths of sorrow so deep that His love isn't deeper still. So I press on, crying a little and laughing a lot...remembering the bad and learning from it, remembering the good and cherishing it.
One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 30. Over and over these past six years, that passage has come to mind and I've thought especially about two portions...the second part of verse 5:
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
and verses 11-12:
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Yes, grief sneaks in...but joy comes in the morning and sometimes joy can even come in the mourning.
In December 2003, I miscarried our fourth baby. I remember the excitement of telling the kids I was pregnant. We announced it to family via our Christmas letter and we spent November and most of December discussing names, guessing about the gender and dreaming what life would be like with four...that seemed like so much more than three! When I began to miscarry at Kev's family Christmas party, I was crushed. We left immediately and prayed on the way home that our little ones life would be protected. It was, but not in the way we desired. From my womb to Jesus' arms. The best protection of life I can imagine, but oh how it hurt. I ached to know the gender, have just a glimpse of what my little one would have been like, here in this life. In the midst of that pain...joy came in the mourning. Jerald and Rocklin were insistent that the baby was a boy and they wanted to pick a name. There may be a girl in heaven named Thomas Dominic, but that's okay. The joy of seeing such little boys love a baby they would never meet is indescribable. In a world that often doesn't recognize unborn children, let alone miscarried ones, my boys now six years later still talk about their baby in heaven.
Just about three months later, I got the urgent phone call that my brother was in the hospital and not doing well. We quickly got things in order, clothes packed, etc and left for the seven or so hour drive to New Hampshire. The next couple of weeks are mostly a blur, but I remember so many little moments where my children brought joy in the mourning. Hugs just when I needed them, laughter to break the silence of pain, the light of life in the midst of darkness.
At some point during the week before Aaron died, it became apparent that he wasn't going to make it. I remember going in to talk to him for a bit, telling him that I loved him and was sorry for the argument we had a few months earlier. We hadn't spoken since. Until that week as I stood by his side as he was in a semi-coma, fighting for his life. At first, he was able to squeeze hands a bit. Some say it was involuntary. I believe otherwise. I believe he heard my words that day and that we were able to reconcile our relationship even with him unable to speak. There was a playroom down the end of a long corridor and that's where the kids were with various relatives. Kev was at the other end of the corridor waiting just outside the ICU's double doors for me to come out. I stumbled through the doors and into his arms.
It's funny that so much is a blur, but I still remember the laughter of my kids resonating down the hall as I stood sobbing into the chest of my husband. After several minutes, the sobbing turned to wailing and I collapsed onto the cold tile floor. Kev didn't really know what to do, so he just knelt beside me and rubbed my back while I wailed. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only about 10 mins. I heard the distinctive, precocious, squeaky voice of my not quite five years old, eldest son.
Um, Mommy?
Mommy, why are you on the floor and crying?
Well, little man, Uncle Aaron is very sick and I think he's going to die and to go to Heaven. I love him a lot and I will miss him a lot, so I'm crying because I'm very sad.
Silence.
Classic Jerald face. Straight face...no emotion.
I look to Kev for help. I'm still crying a bit and not sure what/if anything to say.
Jerald breaks the silence.
Well, I will miss him too, (pause) but I ain't crying about it.
Let's go play!
I laugh. I might have even snorted a little. Then, we went to the playroom.
Laughter through tears. Joy in the mourning.
The past three years, as we've gone through the deaths of four grandparents (two on the same day even), several other relatives and even one young friend, I can't begin to recount all the moments where joy came in the mourning. How good came out of the awful. Broken relationships repaired as the brevity of life was considered. People realizing the need to live, love and laugh instead of focus on the negative. A scattered extended family coming together to grieve and remember together. My son singing at some of the funerals out of a desire to use music as a means of healing and comfort. Snuggling with my baby-girl and crying together and remembering together and laughing together.Snippets of joy in the mourning.
Yes, I have moments of grief that even these years later sometimes feel suffocating. Yet, the moments of joy are so much more significant. In all of it, I strive to "sing praise and not be silent, I want to give thanks forever."
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
I don't always understand it. I struggle and fumble in the dark, trying to make sense of it all. Yet, I believe God's word to be true. I believe it's often in life's darkest hours where we grow the most and learn the most. I believe there is no depths of sorrow so deep that His love isn't deeper still. So I press on, crying a little and laughing a lot...remembering the bad and learning from it, remembering the good and cherishing it.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
When kids get the camera...again
I have posted a few times before when the kids have gotten a hold of the camera...like here and here.
I love when this happens, it's fun to see their perspective on things and what they deem photo worthy. I discovered this morning that Parker had gotten the camera and shot about 15 pics and it gave me the idea to let each kiddo have a turn. This afternoon, I gave them the camera and said "take 7 pictures each of whatever you want and bring the camera back to me". Here's a few of the pictures of the day, little rebel style:
I love when this happens, it's fun to see their perspective on things and what they deem photo worthy. I discovered this morning that Parker had gotten the camera and shot about 15 pics and it gave me the idea to let each kiddo have a turn. This afternoon, I gave them the camera and said "take 7 pictures each of whatever you want and bring the camera back to me". Here's a few of the pictures of the day, little rebel style:
Parker's view...
Aaron's view...
Magdalyn's view...
Magdalyn's view...
Rocklin's view...
Jerald's view...
Jerald's view...
Parker's future revealed...
Parker talks often of wanting to be a daddy when he grows up. He likes to play with Mag's dolls pretending she's the mom and he's the dad. She gets to feed them and change their diapers, he changes their clothes, cuddles them and wears them in the sling...whatta guy!
The other night, Kev came home with a box of chocolates for me. The box was shaped like a heart and Parker said, "that's from daddy, it's a heart and it means love." A bit later, he sighed a deep, dreamy sigh and said "I hope some day I can be a daddy so I can eat chocolate." Since he's currently allergic/intolerant to chocolate, he'll have to settle for pretending he's a daddy just because it's fun not because it's rewarded by chocolate.
His career aspirations at this age usually consist of the usual "boy things"...firefighter, policeman, trashguy. The other day, he decided to try football on for size.
Someone let the NFL know they better watch out, Park the Spark is on the way!
Get a look at that mean football face...he means business!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Breast Cancer Banner
Many years ago, before Kev and I were married until Rocklin was born, we were youth leaders for our church youth group. A huge part of our philosophy on that was parental involvement. Due to that, we attempted to not just focus on the teens, but to get to know their families as a whole. One particular family became very special friends to us and we spent much time with them. We house sat/dog sat for them when they traveled, we sometimes even stayed with the kids for an overnight or a weekend. This couple spent much time mentoring us and helping us to grow in our marriage and in our christian walk. When Rocklin was a baby, they moved away and we were very sad. As life went on and babies came, we slowly lost touch with them outside of an email once and again and a yearly Christmas letter. I was delighted last year to find Sarah on facebook and more recently her mom. It's been wonderful to reconnect with them again. That delight was dampered a tiny bit when I found out a week or two ago that Rocky is battling breast cancer.
Sarah has given me permission to share with you the banner that she has created as a reminder that "the big C" is big and scary, but there is a bigger "C" Jesus Christ who is sovereign over it all. You can read her blog post by clicking here. She has created a store where you can buy this copyrighted image on coffee mugs, magnets, stickers, etc and you can find that here. If you know someone battling breast cancer, it might be an encouragement to them.
Prayers are appreciated for Rocky and her family through such a tough time...We love you B family!
Sarah has given me permission to share with you the banner that she has created as a reminder that "the big C" is big and scary, but there is a bigger "C" Jesus Christ who is sovereign over it all. You can read her blog post by clicking here. She has created a store where you can buy this copyrighted image on coffee mugs, magnets, stickers, etc and you can find that here. If you know someone battling breast cancer, it might be an encouragement to them.
Prayers are appreciated for Rocky and her family through such a tough time...We love you B family!
Friday, January 22, 2010
When grief sneaks in...
The past several years have been full of grief for my extended family. So many loved ones gone...grandparents, great grands, aunts, uncles, cousings, siblings, friends...some after long illnesses, others unexpectantly and seemingly out of nowhere.
It's always such a hard thing to work through. I'm also realizing more and more that it's an unending work to process through all the facets of grief. I used to think you cry a bit, hurt a lot, life goes on and so do you. While that is still true, it's so much more. Every time I think I've moved past it, grief sneaks in and takes me by surprise.
My childhood was less than ideal. Too share much more is way more personal than I'm willing to get on a public blog. However, I will say it was in large part chaotic, confusing and traumatic. One of those traumatic times being when my dad died. I was not quite twelve at the time and by choice, I don't remember a lot. Good memories are few and I think of those at times, but otherwise it's just out of my mind. Then last year, my paternal Grandma became ill and needed care.
That's when grief sneaked in...
...going through the process of her illness, caring for her and then her death. I expected a bit of grief. Really, it's hard to watch someone get sicker and sicker and eventually die. It doesn't matter that they are 98yrs old, that your relationship was rocky or that they are ready to go...it's just hard. What I didn't expect was for 20yr old grief to sneak in, but it did. Grief is tricky how it manifests itself too. As I watched my grandmother die, I felt like I was losing my dad all over again. Okay, that makes sense, sort of. Then comes anger. Weird. I'm still processing how/why I felt angry. It wasn't my job to take care of Grandma, it was my dad's. Why wasn't he there to deal with it?
Grief sneaks in so often in everyday life...
Certain smells, songs, foods, books, interesting how they can all trigger this monster called grief. I am perplexed how I can look into Aaron's eyes and feel such tremendous joy and at the same time such tremendous grief at times. How I can laugh and at the same time almost stop breathing from the crushing weight of grief, remembering why his name is Aaron and just how much I miss my brother everyday.
The whole reason this post came to my mind today, was because of a reminder of the subtlety grief.
We recently hit the two year anniversary of my maternal Grandmother's death and will be coming up on three years for my Grandpa very soon. Outside of my husband and children, my maternal grandparents were the most important people in my life. Yes, I have lots of others I love...my mom, my siblings, etc. My grandparents though, they were my rock for so many years. They believed in me when no one else did. They put up with my rebellion and stubborness when I hurt them deeply over and over. They were proud of me and (after the years of bad choices) the choices I made even when they didn't understand. Christmas was hard for me this year, oddly, moreso than the past two years. However, I moved through that and things have been fine. In the hustle and bustle of life I hadn't even thought about grief for the past couple of weeks.
That is until I showered this morning.
Did I mention grief is odd? The triggers, the times, the subtlety...all so odd.
This morning I showered, as I do every morning. Same routine every day. I wasn't thinking of much more than what needs to be accomplished today. Then I reached for my razor. That's when it happened.
Grief sneaked in...
My razor sits high on the soap holder alongside Kev's soap. Irish Spring original. I've never thought about it before, that's what he's used as long as we've been married. This morning, I noticed it's time for a new bar. All that was there, next to my razor was a thin little sliver of soap.
Grief. Tears.
My first thought was
Why in the world am I crying?
My body responded with tears before I even had a chance to process the thought.
I close my eyes.
Suddenly, I'm seventeen years old again. I'm standing in the bathroom doorway of my grandparents dingy old mobile home. To my left is my grandparents bedroom, to my right is the old washer and dryer. I'm holding a container full of soap scraps. Mostly irish Spring, a few are ivory and whatever other brand was cheapest that shopping trip.
The overwhelming smell though is the Irish Spring and I smell it now just as I did that day.
One reach for a razor on a busy Friday morning and I'm back in that moment.
I'm arguing with my grandmother. I found it utterly ridiculous that she was saving every teeny scrap of bar soap to use for laundry detergent. We had laundry detergent sitting right there for her use. Tempers flared, she told me I could do my own laundry from that point on. In a huff I dumped the soap scraps all over the place and stormed out of the house in my pajamas.
My thoughts are interrupted by the laughter of my children.
Still, grief continues to stand at my side...I'd gladly wash my laundry with Irish Spring scraps if I could have that moment back. To understand her point of view, to see my immaturity, to say I'm sorry and to hug her once more.
Now, a few hours later. Grief is gone again. Kicked out of the house until the next moment it sneaks in unaware. In these moments, I try and process it all and reconcile it.
I choose to grasp truth. The truth is grief is hard, but the memories and the moments past are greater. I do not grieve without hope. I believe there will be a day when I'll be united with these loved ones and that we will worship our Creator together for eternity. I am reminded that as believers, we can grieve with hope. That yes, it's hard when loved ones die, but it's not the end. Better yet, it's really just the beginning. The beginning of something far more wonderful than I can ever imagine. This life and this world is not my home.
It's always such a hard thing to work through. I'm also realizing more and more that it's an unending work to process through all the facets of grief. I used to think you cry a bit, hurt a lot, life goes on and so do you. While that is still true, it's so much more. Every time I think I've moved past it, grief sneaks in and takes me by surprise.
My childhood was less than ideal. Too share much more is way more personal than I'm willing to get on a public blog. However, I will say it was in large part chaotic, confusing and traumatic. One of those traumatic times being when my dad died. I was not quite twelve at the time and by choice, I don't remember a lot. Good memories are few and I think of those at times, but otherwise it's just out of my mind. Then last year, my paternal Grandma became ill and needed care.
That's when grief sneaked in...
...going through the process of her illness, caring for her and then her death. I expected a bit of grief. Really, it's hard to watch someone get sicker and sicker and eventually die. It doesn't matter that they are 98yrs old, that your relationship was rocky or that they are ready to go...it's just hard. What I didn't expect was for 20yr old grief to sneak in, but it did. Grief is tricky how it manifests itself too. As I watched my grandmother die, I felt like I was losing my dad all over again. Okay, that makes sense, sort of. Then comes anger. Weird. I'm still processing how/why I felt angry. It wasn't my job to take care of Grandma, it was my dad's. Why wasn't he there to deal with it?
Grief sneaks in so often in everyday life...
Certain smells, songs, foods, books, interesting how they can all trigger this monster called grief. I am perplexed how I can look into Aaron's eyes and feel such tremendous joy and at the same time such tremendous grief at times. How I can laugh and at the same time almost stop breathing from the crushing weight of grief, remembering why his name is Aaron and just how much I miss my brother everyday.
The whole reason this post came to my mind today, was because of a reminder of the subtlety grief.
We recently hit the two year anniversary of my maternal Grandmother's death and will be coming up on three years for my Grandpa very soon. Outside of my husband and children, my maternal grandparents were the most important people in my life. Yes, I have lots of others I love...my mom, my siblings, etc. My grandparents though, they were my rock for so many years. They believed in me when no one else did. They put up with my rebellion and stubborness when I hurt them deeply over and over. They were proud of me and (after the years of bad choices) the choices I made even when they didn't understand. Christmas was hard for me this year, oddly, moreso than the past two years. However, I moved through that and things have been fine. In the hustle and bustle of life I hadn't even thought about grief for the past couple of weeks.
That is until I showered this morning.
Did I mention grief is odd? The triggers, the times, the subtlety...all so odd.
This morning I showered, as I do every morning. Same routine every day. I wasn't thinking of much more than what needs to be accomplished today. Then I reached for my razor. That's when it happened.
Grief sneaked in...
My razor sits high on the soap holder alongside Kev's soap. Irish Spring original. I've never thought about it before, that's what he's used as long as we've been married. This morning, I noticed it's time for a new bar. All that was there, next to my razor was a thin little sliver of soap.
Grief. Tears.
My first thought was
Why in the world am I crying?
My body responded with tears before I even had a chance to process the thought.
I close my eyes.
Suddenly, I'm seventeen years old again. I'm standing in the bathroom doorway of my grandparents dingy old mobile home. To my left is my grandparents bedroom, to my right is the old washer and dryer. I'm holding a container full of soap scraps. Mostly irish Spring, a few are ivory and whatever other brand was cheapest that shopping trip.
The overwhelming smell though is the Irish Spring and I smell it now just as I did that day.
One reach for a razor on a busy Friday morning and I'm back in that moment.
I'm arguing with my grandmother. I found it utterly ridiculous that she was saving every teeny scrap of bar soap to use for laundry detergent. We had laundry detergent sitting right there for her use. Tempers flared, she told me I could do my own laundry from that point on. In a huff I dumped the soap scraps all over the place and stormed out of the house in my pajamas.
My thoughts are interrupted by the laughter of my children.
Still, grief continues to stand at my side...I'd gladly wash my laundry with Irish Spring scraps if I could have that moment back. To understand her point of view, to see my immaturity, to say I'm sorry and to hug her once more.
Now, a few hours later. Grief is gone again. Kicked out of the house until the next moment it sneaks in unaware. In these moments, I try and process it all and reconcile it.
I choose to grasp truth. The truth is grief is hard, but the memories and the moments past are greater. I do not grieve without hope. I believe there will be a day when I'll be united with these loved ones and that we will worship our Creator together for eternity. I am reminded that as believers, we can grieve with hope. That yes, it's hard when loved ones die, but it's not the end. Better yet, it's really just the beginning. The beginning of something far more wonderful than I can ever imagine. This life and this world is not my home.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Children at work
We are memorizing Psalm 23, one day last week, Kev taught about what the first few verses mean. A bit later, it was chore time. Magdalyn's morning chore is to keep track of Bentley while the boys and I do the other chores. She takes this job very seriously, and decided dogs are close enough to sheep, that she can be their shepherd (sheperdess?). As the little boys finished chores, they switched from cleaning boy mode to shepherd mode as well. Parker ditched the costume before I found batteries for the camera, but here are the other two shepherding their sheep.
After Breakfast, is a bit of free-time while I clean up the kitchen and prepare to start school. Once in a while, I get a volunteer to help with the dishes so I can get the free time. I am so blessed by these children! Mag decided she was tired of the shepherd get up and wanted to be a servant girl instead. Servant girl Mag and her lowly assistant Parker washed all of the breakfast dishes while I walked around snapping pictures of everyone.
While my servants slaved away, I went on a hunt to see what the other boys were doing during their free time.
Anyone wanna guess what Jerald was doing?
I expected birdwatching, however, it was a cold dreary morning and their weren't many birds around. He opted for his second favorite activity, reading. True to form, he rarely stops moving even while he's reading. He sat near the trampoline so he could bounce the stick horse on it while he read. Often he will sit in that same chair and spin as he reads.
Now where in the house is Rocklin?
Ah, no surprise here either...playing football in the foyer. Yes, it's an outdoor activity. It was cold/nasty weather and outside wasn't an option. He went to the foyer and when I found him he said, "there's nothing breakable right here and I promise I won't throw it high". It's a very small space, but apparently there was enough room for him to run in a small circle.
And finally, I'm off to find Aaron. I found him...the sullen shepherd that lost his sheep (they were outside)...see how pitiful and sad he looks?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Haiti
My mind cannot let go of the horrendous situation in Haiti. A 7.0 earthquake is a horrible thing. Consider it's a 7.0 earthquake in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and it's that much worse. Haiti already had an infrastructure in shambles...a country with little money, no building code enforcement, a nearly non-existent medical system. I cannot begin to imagine what it's like to be there right now. The chaos, the fear, the smell, the sorrow, the destruction. I'm not sure if the aftershocks have finally stopped, but I know when I first thought of that I was thinking just a little shaking here and there. I was stunned to read last night that some of those aftershocks were hitting 5.0 to 5.9 on the richter scale. My heart breaks for the families that have lost loved ones, for the orphans who had no one to hold them through this, for those that are now orphans.
I know it's all over the news and there are probably several sources for info, but here are two blogs if you are interested...
The Livesay family is a missionary family in Haiti and this is their family blog.
Gods littlest Angels is an orphanage in Haiti, you can find the director's blog here.
What you can do to help? Donate. They need food, medical supplies, water...They need medical volunteers so if you have that training contact an organization such as the red cross to find out how you can help. If you do not have medical training, you likely can't do much right now, but add to the load. The best option is to donate whatever funds you are able.
The American Red Cross = by Texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999 you can give a 10 dollar donation. How easy is that?
World Vision
Samaritans purse
Compassion International
Partners in Health
Concern Worldwide
Heartline Ministries
Pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for those who are working tirelessly to find the wounded and help them, to find the missing and reunite families, to feed/clothe/shelter those that have lost what little they had, to begin the long efforts of rebuilding. Pray for the children that are now orphans, the parents that are now childless, those that have lost their families and everything they owned. Pray for people to be stirred to donate funds for these efforts. It's so easy to think of it as just another bad thing somewhere far away. Give thanks for your warm home and loved ones gathered 'round. Hug your kids a little tighter and make sure "I love you" is on your lips as your spouse heads out the door.
I know it's all over the news and there are probably several sources for info, but here are two blogs if you are interested...
The Livesay family is a missionary family in Haiti and this is their family blog.
Gods littlest Angels is an orphanage in Haiti, you can find the director's blog here.
What you can do to help? Donate. They need food, medical supplies, water...They need medical volunteers so if you have that training contact an organization such as the red cross to find out how you can help. If you do not have medical training, you likely can't do much right now, but add to the load. The best option is to donate whatever funds you are able.
The American Red Cross = by Texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999 you can give a 10 dollar donation. How easy is that?
World Vision
Samaritans purse
Compassion International
Partners in Health
Concern Worldwide
Heartline Ministries
Pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for those who are working tirelessly to find the wounded and help them, to find the missing and reunite families, to feed/clothe/shelter those that have lost what little they had, to begin the long efforts of rebuilding. Pray for the children that are now orphans, the parents that are now childless, those that have lost their families and everything they owned. Pray for people to be stirred to donate funds for these efforts. It's so easy to think of it as just another bad thing somewhere far away. Give thanks for your warm home and loved ones gathered 'round. Hug your kids a little tighter and make sure "I love you" is on your lips as your spouse heads out the door.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Parker's new favorite book...
(clicking above image will take you to the amazon page)
We've had this book for some time and we've read it more times than I can count. However, when you are three, things seem new when you haven't seen them for a while. Our last reading was at least a few months ago. I pulled it out today and Parker did his little "woo hoo" dance.
Unlike my other four children, books don't keep his attention for long unless they are really really good in his opinion. He'll sit and glance at books often. He'll even sit for a good 30 mins somedays and look at books. However, he generally looks at one book for 5 mins or less before going to the next book. Not so with "the piggy shoe" book as he calls it. He can sit and "read" this book easily for an hour.
I can understand why, it really is a great book. The pictures are colorful, simple, yet detailed. They are busy without being obnoxious. The text is broken into simple "bite size" chunks with ever changing font size. Usually books that have the font sort of weeble and wobble all over the page drives me nuts. It's somehow refreshing and interesting with this book.
The text itself is written in a way that my youngers can grasp some concepts. Yet, it's complex enough to keep the interest of the biggers and help them memorize some simple science concepts and vocabulary. It's probably best suited to the 5-8 age group. It's engaging enough that my crew doesn't even realize they learned definitions to things such as bacteria, cilia, quarks, electrons, and molecules just by reading this book.
If it's not in your personal library yet, you might consider it. It's a definate keeper here!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Communication
Communication can be such a wonderful thing. Tough words from a friend can be a good thing if the intent and motive is communicated well. Directions when understood, can keep you from getting lost and spending crucial time trying to find your way. Body language, can make a bad day better even without words.
We are blessed to live in a time that makes communication easier, more frequent and at times much better than in days gone by. With the invention of cell phones, email, instant messaging, texting, twitter, facebook...communication is at our fingertips 24/7 in ways our ancestors could not have imagined.
On the flip side, when communication goes awry it can be very frustrating. Getting lost can cost crucial time that sometimes means missed appointments or worse, missing a job interview, etc. Words from a friend can cut like a knife if the tone and intent are misunderstood. A smile misinterpreted as a sneer can make a bad day worse.
Yes, for all of our improvements in communication there is no way to improve upon how information is perceived. This morning was a real life example of communication gone wrong.
It went something like this...
around 8am, Rocklin and I are getting ready to head out to get some bloodwork done. I was given "sorta, kinda" directions from our ped's nurse. You know, the type that says "it's over near _____ on the opposite side of the road"?
I turn to Kev for help, my wonderful, skilled map-reading husband who is generally not directionally challenged and teases me incessantly about my lack of skills in that area. So what that I didn't know which direction South was nearly twelve years ago, that's why they make GPS systems and compasses. Ahem, where was I? Oh right, back to this morning. I turn to Kev and ask him to call and get more detailed directions so I don't get lost. He calls and is greeted by a friendly, but seemingly clueless lab-tech. She tells him the office is located on Main street, sort of near the Dunkin Donuts and that's really the best she can do because she's not from this area "sorry". He hangs up and says, "There is no main street or Dunkin Donuts in Milford". Okay, dear readers, this should be clue number one that there is a communication problem happening. My sweet husband, the one that is most definately not directionally challenged does not pick up on this clue. (neither do I, but that's besides the point)
Off to the computer he goes to try and figure it out. We make the assumption that she means it's the main road that goes through town. The ped nurse said it was on the highway, the tech said main street...logical conclusion the highway is the main street. As for dunkin donuts, we assume she meant a different donut shop that is in that general area. We decide to look up the address for the lab online. Good thinking, Kev! Ah ha! We are on the right track, it's on the highway as we thought. Very near our dentist, so now I know just about where I'm going for once. Lab form and cell phone in hand, we head out.
We arrive at the lab, sign says it's open 6-12 on saturday and it's 9:30 all is good in the world. We get out, walk up to the door and there is a sign on the door, "temporarily closed until further notice". WHAT???!!! I call Kev and he says, hang on, let me call and find out what's going on. They were just there twenty minutes before how could it be closed? Now, I wasn't there...remember, I'm freezing to death in a parking lot, waiting for my sweet, not directionally challenged husband to turn into my knight in shining armor and save the day.
However, from talking to him, I can surmise the conversation went something like this...
Kev: My wife is sitting in your parking lot right now and there is a sign on the door that says you are closed.
Lab tech: no that's on the first floor, we are located on the second.
Kev: um, there is no second floor to that building.
Lab tech: We are right on main street, on the second floor of the medical building. I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with Smyrna to give better directions.
Kev: SMYRNA????? She's in Milford.
Lab tech: Oh, well, we are located on Main Street in Smyrna. The Milford office is closed right now due to leasing issues.
Kev then calls me and says, "Hey Sherlock, the office is on Main street in SMYRNA...apparently the phone number is a new Smyrna prefix".
Communication gone wrong. Not such a beautiful thing.
Hilarious? Yes, after the fact.
My sweet husband, the one that is not directionally challenged thought something was up because he didn't recognize the prefix for the phone number. The lab tech is a bit clueless, but at least knows what street her office is located on. The problem is both assumed they were talking about the same town...even the same county would have been a step closer in the right direction.
By the time all was sorted out, it was much later than planned. Having many other things to do today, we are opting to post-pone bloodwork. Either later in the week or next Saturday, Rock and I will head out to try again. This time headed North towards Smyrna, a route I most definately can handle.
We would have just gone to the other lab, the one that I know exactly where it's located and it's in Milford. However, there is quite a significant difference in the charges. I hope this mornings experience was not an indication that we are about to "get what we paid for" by going to a less expensive lab.
*picture is Rocklin in 2002
Friday, January 8, 2010
Big Hopes for the Big '10
Big Hopes for Health...
*I have paperwork here to fax next week so that our records and slides from DuPont can get sent to CHOP for a second opinion. We are cautiously hopeful that they will either confirm our suspicions or tell us we are wrong, but offer the right path for us to go down. I'm not sure I can endure another year of "we don't know" from another set of doctors. Okay, I know I can endure it...God's grace is sufficient and his strength and mercies and joy renew me daily. However, I don't want to endure it another year...I want answers...the right ones. More than answers, I simply want my children to eat without symptoms and to feel well.
*Rocklin goes tomorrow morning for bloodwork. We are hoping for clear direction and answers on why he's suffered through so many years of pain. Even more we hope to find why it's so much worse the past six months and what we can do about it.
* A strict diet with little variety and little nutritional sustenance has gotten us at least to a managable point. I worry about it longterm, as it certainly does not meet the nutritional needs of growing children. However, it's equally unhealthy, a lot less stressful and much more painful to eat a "good" diet and have your children vomiting and rashy along with a whole host of other symptoms daily. It is what it is, I do the best I can in feeding them and hope it's someday different.
*We will begin next week trying to get an appointment for several children to see a developmental pediatrician. It's quite a wait, as there are only two in the entire state. The issues are a bit different for each kiddo, but one of the primary ones is essentially the same: sensory. Different issues for each in that realm, but issues none the less. Parker especially needs this I think. At a time when he should have outgrown or be outgrowing things, they seem to be getting worse.
*Aaron's EEG results came back normal, so we are glad to finally have something that was black/white and not a gray area. There was little concern otherwise, but it was good to rule out seizure activity.
Will 2010 be the year for answers? We hope so!
Big Hopes for Homeschooling...
*Next week we will be starting a few new things I had intended to start earlier in the year. After much consideration, we decided to school by the calendar year instead of the school system year. This makes more sense for our family since we homeschool year round. So we'll start new things in the new year rather than September.
*We will be switching from Mystery of History to Tapestry of Grace for our history curriculum. For those interested, we are starting with Year 2 of the 4 year cycle.
* We will be switching our science to Noeo science, starting with chemistry. We still love the Apologia Exploring creation series. However, they are a better fit for us to read together, and for the biggers to independently do some activities. It's not the best fit for us to use as our primary science text.
*Everything else, will remain the same, but I'm hoping for more structure and more consistency. Story of my life. I need to be more diligent and more disciplined in about every area. Sigh.
Big Hopes for Home...
*We have several projects we hope to complete. Finishing upstairs, clearing out the basement. A lot of little things, like painting the trim in Mag's room that wasn't finished when I painted her room *gasp* nearly three years ago.
*I am working on a book list to complete. Books that I want to read for me. I didn't even begin to reach last years reading goal. This year I hope is different. I love to read, I simply need to make time to read.
*We hope soon will be the first time since 1999 that we will have no one in diapers (at least during the daytime).
*We are hoping to add to our family this year.
So, yes we have Big Hopes for 2010, but I trust in a Big God. A God that can bring our hopes to fruition when they are in His will and Lead us gently back to the path when our hopes stray.
Happy New Year!
*I have paperwork here to fax next week so that our records and slides from DuPont can get sent to CHOP for a second opinion. We are cautiously hopeful that they will either confirm our suspicions or tell us we are wrong, but offer the right path for us to go down. I'm not sure I can endure another year of "we don't know" from another set of doctors. Okay, I know I can endure it...God's grace is sufficient and his strength and mercies and joy renew me daily. However, I don't want to endure it another year...I want answers...the right ones. More than answers, I simply want my children to eat without symptoms and to feel well.
*Rocklin goes tomorrow morning for bloodwork. We are hoping for clear direction and answers on why he's suffered through so many years of pain. Even more we hope to find why it's so much worse the past six months and what we can do about it.
* A strict diet with little variety and little nutritional sustenance has gotten us at least to a managable point. I worry about it longterm, as it certainly does not meet the nutritional needs of growing children. However, it's equally unhealthy, a lot less stressful and much more painful to eat a "good" diet and have your children vomiting and rashy along with a whole host of other symptoms daily. It is what it is, I do the best I can in feeding them and hope it's someday different.
*We will begin next week trying to get an appointment for several children to see a developmental pediatrician. It's quite a wait, as there are only two in the entire state. The issues are a bit different for each kiddo, but one of the primary ones is essentially the same: sensory. Different issues for each in that realm, but issues none the less. Parker especially needs this I think. At a time when he should have outgrown or be outgrowing things, they seem to be getting worse.
*Aaron's EEG results came back normal, so we are glad to finally have something that was black/white and not a gray area. There was little concern otherwise, but it was good to rule out seizure activity.
Will 2010 be the year for answers? We hope so!
Big Hopes for Homeschooling...
*Next week we will be starting a few new things I had intended to start earlier in the year. After much consideration, we decided to school by the calendar year instead of the school system year. This makes more sense for our family since we homeschool year round. So we'll start new things in the new year rather than September.
*We will be switching from Mystery of History to Tapestry of Grace for our history curriculum. For those interested, we are starting with Year 2 of the 4 year cycle.
* We will be switching our science to Noeo science, starting with chemistry. We still love the Apologia Exploring creation series. However, they are a better fit for us to read together, and for the biggers to independently do some activities. It's not the best fit for us to use as our primary science text.
*Everything else, will remain the same, but I'm hoping for more structure and more consistency. Story of my life. I need to be more diligent and more disciplined in about every area. Sigh.
Big Hopes for Home...
*We have several projects we hope to complete. Finishing upstairs, clearing out the basement. A lot of little things, like painting the trim in Mag's room that wasn't finished when I painted her room *gasp* nearly three years ago.
*I am working on a book list to complete. Books that I want to read for me. I didn't even begin to reach last years reading goal. This year I hope is different. I love to read, I simply need to make time to read.
*We hope soon will be the first time since 1999 that we will have no one in diapers (at least during the daytime).
*We are hoping to add to our family this year.
So, yes we have Big Hopes for 2010, but I trust in a Big God. A God that can bring our hopes to fruition when they are in His will and Lead us gently back to the path when our hopes stray.
Happy New Year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
