Weekend Walkthrough

Friday night we had our VBS performances. It was awesome. I've been saying this a lot in the past months, but I don't know if it was me or they changed things at the church, but it seemed to go so much better than past years. There didn't seem to be as many people, as much crowding, as much waiting time between things, and everything was just easy and fun. 

The kids did so well at their performances. 

Jada loved self defense class, all the food she got to make in her cooking class each day, and she took first place in the pinewood derby races with the "glitter car" she constructed herself. She got a blue ribbon and a whole bunch of candy! ;) 

Zeek also made his own pinewood derby car. He did not win any races, and Jada lovingly reminded him of this about every 10 minutes... but she was "sweet enough" to share her candy with him. He said his woodworking class was his favorite. He made a decent sized wooden treasure chest and a piece of cross art. His performance was in sign language. He LOVES sign language. Like passionately, and wants to take a real sign language class (he does not want to take ANY CLASSES in ANYTHING EVER!) Each night he would show me all the sign language he learned that day. Pretty awesome. 

Kaila made a gorgeous piece of statement art. It is on a long plank of wood which she nailed the form of letters into, then strung with colored string to make the words, "Serve others to be great". It's awesome. She also got to be in the rocket class... something all the younger kids long for. She made her own rocket and got to launch it the night of the performances. This is a tradition of the church. All the VBS kids run out into the field as the sun is setting, and all the kids from the rocket classes launch their rockets. The kids chase them as they parachute back to the earth. It's an honor to catch and retrieve one of these great rocket treasures. :) 

Kaila's performance was in co-ed dance mob. It was SO cute. She is such a cute little hip-hopper. 

Saturday we had the Ottos over for a birthday celebration, lunch, and dinner. As always, it was the best. The dads grilled salmon, steak, burgers and potatoes. Greg made egg salad and homemade cornbread. It was all so scrumptious. 

The kids played endlessly, the moms talked, painted nails, and tried on clothes for our moms' night out. 

We had cake and opened presents. It was kind of the funnest day we've all had in a long time.  

Sunday was a down day. The kids did their church thing in the morning with another "What's in the Bible" video. So cute. Then they finished up their Mindcraft marathon. AMEN! :)

Today, they are back to having to make their own entertainment without a media source. I have a chalk scavenger hunt to draw out in the driveway for them in a minute. We're going to do some school, some baking, and a little art project. It's supposed to be hot with scattered thunderstorms, so we will stick around the house. 

We have some big plans for fun this week though!!! 

Hope you have a good week. 

In the Midst of it All

Today, something happened to me. Either having four kids is starting to grow on me, or someone slipped me some good drugs (in which case I want to know what it was so I can put in an order)

Today, nothing could discourage me. I was just grateful and happy all day long. 

Things started out pretty interestingly:
When I started the shower and went off in search of a towel (which I did not find, because every towel in my entire life was in the wash) Frank, the dog, decided it would be fun to jump in and get soaking wet - then, about five minutes before we had to leave for VBS, Jada asked me if I would like her to take a shower before she got dressed and did her hair (I was under the impression she was ready for the car) - and while I was doing a quick change of Leo's last minute poop diaper (20 minutes after we should have left) he took the new outfit I had selected for him to wear and wiped it on his parts, right through the poop. 

But instead of these surmounting road blocks causing me to lose my love for life, I had an unusually peaceful calming sensation wash over me at every obstacle. All I could do was smile. I kept finding reassurance in how precious all these kids are. I was determined to cherish our moments whether we were on time, drenched, poopy, dressed, or not, and I was certain that we were going to enjoy our drive to the church even if we got there late for chapel... 
I can only imagine such a perspective came from One Place. Thank You, God. :)

I also noticed today that I am so much less concerned with shoveling out and organizing the kind of "clutter" that is making its way around the perimeter of every room in my once minimalistic home. 

Sure there are drying bottles, rings, and nipples on my window sill - but I know right where they are, ready and waiting for me at the drop of a hat (which is the time frame in which I generally need most things these days). 

And yes, there has been a dueling set of playmobile vikings, horses and weapons on the top counter of my kitchen island for over a week - but every kid in my house, including the baby, plays with them right there every single day (usually while I'm cooking something and they are sharing their stories with me). 

I know I would have never had a continuous stream of piled art projects in the works, activity books, buckets of colors, scissors, glue, etc... laying out on the dining room table, always - but putting these things away just means more monotonous back and forth, in and out, bustle and shuffle through the kitchen and laundry areas, into the craft room... all FOR WHAT? 

There are books with little dog-earred pages stacked everywhere - but a summer full of reading kids makes my heart sing.

There's a Thomas the Train universe taking up the far left third of my living room -but I love seeking out a missing Leo only to find him sitting with his sister smack in the center of that train-land, reaching up with a content smile, the offering of a blue caboose, and the invitation to join in. 

There are reusable diapers, disposables, and boxes of wipes around every corner - because you just never know when you'll need to pop a squat and change a butt. :)

The line of shoes on the bench in the entry way is endless, the front of my sparkling white kitchen cabinets are, well... not white anymore,  and the fridge literally throws meals out at me when I open it now (kind of convenient I think). 

And I've only taken account of my main floor here. I'm not even going into my upstairs or my downstairs... 
no, I mean literally, I don't go to either floor. 
They belong to the kids. They are filled with forts and demolished kingdoms, dominoes and connect four game pieces, clothes and all those MIA towels??? Yep! They too are scattered from one end to the other. 
But these little areas are dear to the small people in my house. The only thing that upsets them is to disrupt those spaces where they meet with their imaginations to play and create until something else shiny catches their eye. :)

As messy, and busy, and at times chaotic as things can be - with the routines for everything, and the washing and straightening, planning and cooking, feeding and cleaning, diapering, and laundering, setting up and taking back down, taxing, and tucking in... I couldn't be happier. 

I've been looking around all day just beaming from the inside out. Don't get me wrong, I will enjoy when we return back to our own, simpler, quieter, less chaotic reality in a month, but I can say with absolute certainly that I'm pretty in love with our life right now. 

Who would have thought? :)

VBS

The kids started VBS yesterday. Jada and Kaila did well waking up earlier than usual. Zeek, as usual, was already awake. We were in the car and on our way right on schedule giving me plenty of time to tour the kids through the large building and locate each of their classes with them. I stayed with them through the morning celebration time, and then Leo and I left for our alone time. 

We went to Barnes and Noble and poked around... I was looking for some new sketching materials and some activity books for Jada- she isn't into the same stuff Zeek and Kaila are, so sometimes she's my little wanderer with "nothing to do" :)

I let Leo walk around in the store. He was really well behaved. With all that was at his tiny fingertips I was amazed that he only took a few books (with puppies) off the shelves. Even in the kids section he did well. It was nice to have him all to myself. It reminded me of the days of Zeek and I out when he was that age. As much as I enjoy the productivity level of having more, there's just something about having one child. It feels so special and different. Anyway, we were pals. We went to Noodles for lunch and then back to pick up the big kids. 

The kids told me all about their classes, and even what they learned about God and serving. They had memorized their scripture for the week, "He (Jesus) came to serve and not to be served" I believe it was. 

I'm glad they enjoyed it.

We stopped for our groceries on the way home. It's so nice grocery shopping with them. They can find food like nobodies business, so I just put them on missions in each isle. It takes me about half the time to shop with them that it does when I'm alone. Leo must love grocery shopping because he was perfect again. 

Once home, I told the kids they could play Minecraft, endlessly. Zeek got the full version on xbox this weekend and he and Kaila are loving it. Jada, of course, isn't into it as much. But they decided to each build her her own room per her specifications, and she decided that she will chose the best one and keep it. I'm glad they do their best to include her. 

She hung out with her new paperdoll sticker books while Leo and I made meals, cleaned up, did laundry, had a sink bath (well Leo did that part)... 

Tomorrow, it's VBS again, and I would love to do strawberry picking on the way home.
Can you believe we haven't done that yet!? 

I just never know what we're in store for these days. :)

LiFest

We went. We had fun. We defied all bedtimes imaginable and stayed out way too late. It was awesome.

We saw Jimmy Needham three times. Of course, I loved every second of every show. It was my first time seeing him, AND I got to meet him and chat with him a little after one of his shows. 

 (testing camera settings)

Zeek took our picture for me. Love it! ;)

We went through the Compassion Experience, which was a 20 minute personal family tour through the life of a Compassion Student. We wore headsets and used iPods as we moved through rooms where the student's home, city, school, etc... were recreated for us to see for ourselves. It was really cool and moving. It really inspired me to keep writing to and encouraging our sponsored student. The kids asked a lot of questions and we all learned a lot.

We spent some time under a tree in a field talking, relaxing, and playing rock games. Some people stopped us to tell me what an adorable family I have. I had to explain that they are my family, just not all my children. :) I couldn't agree more though, they are all quite adorable. 

We saw an improve comedy show, ate an entire Papa Murphy's family sized cheese pizza, waited in line, no lie, for about an hour and a half for the best french fries on the planet (not all that), and then, FINALLY, when the sun went down and the temperatures dropped into a tolerable range, we got to see Skillet! 

There were flames and fireworks and even the ground shook from the music (as Jada excitedly pointed out to me). The kids loved it. Kaila was rocking out. It was so cute to see them pumping their fists in the air, jumping up and down, screaming the lyrics when the band told the crowd what to sing. So fun and adorable. 

Then we went back the car and got our hoodies, and decided to go back to the party for the worship time with Jimmy. Jada fell asleep in her chair, Zeek laid on my lap most of the time, and Kaila listened to the songs and watched all the people worship... it was very sweet and special. 

We got home around 1:15a, and we were all in bed asleep by 2.
Although, we took the day off to rest and recuperate, I'm hoping we don't still have little zombies tomorrow when we start FIne Arts/VBS. 

Tonight will be an early bedtime, for sure. For ALL of us. :)

"Say Cheese!"

"Give me weird!"

Begging!

Screaming! 

Looking cute!

Holding on for dear life!

"Smile!"

"just make you're own baked goods" ???

Yesterday was another home day. We tried to leave to go strawberry picking, but someone (no one knows who) turned both of the lights on in the back of the Pilot and drained the battery to zero... so we decided to save strawberry picking for another time. We could have taken the Jeep, but moving the car seats back and forth for a four mile round trip seemed a little extensive... 
Yes, I'm learning to cut things out, say no, change course, and get over my usual fervor for cleanliness, order and followthrough. Heck, I've been cutting out and saying no to the laundry for days! :) 

I made a gluten free angel food cake, and just as I was about to dive into making one with wheat for everyone else, I recognized that our life would be a lot easier and more fun if I got out of the kitchen- so I decided to just buy one at the store. 

Not sure I would be happy to have to make those substitutions forever... but what's six weeks of high fructose, GMOs, ethoxylated monoglycerides, diglicerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate and 1000 more synthetic and chemically processed ingredients pouring into our babies' bodies??? :(

Okay, so the transition might hurt a little. But I'm making headway. And I'm seeing first hand why my favorite mamas of three and four kids laugh and scorn me with envy over my clean house and frivolous suggestions that they just make their own baked goods. I could slap myself just typing it now. 

I give! I give! I'm not sure how all our children are accounted for much less alive - and if you're making your own bread you either have a plural marriage or you're not watching your kids grow up. I got it. :)

So, today this Mom is going to engage in some more personal chill therapy... thankfully, my sweet husband made the time to put the Pilot back on it's feet last night so we can use it to hit a park with a picnic and then get to that strawberry patch on the way home. I'd love to make some cookies, and maybe squeeze in another load of laundry. We'll see how high my super mom stats can register on the richter today. 

I'm off - like a dirty shirt! God knows there are a few of those piling up around here.

Home Day

Not much to say this morning. Yesterday we did exactly as planned. Relaxed. 
Well, we didn't host or attend a playdate anyway. :) 

The big kids played like crazy. I cleaned, changed diapers, fed, cleaned more, set up art projects, tried to do laundry, took everyone grocery shopping (which went surprisingly well) finally got in a shower around 4:30... then Greg came home, we did our devotion while I finished making dinner, then baby to sleep, then I finally ate, then tucked in the girls with prayers while Greg read and prayed with Zeek, then bed for Greg and I.

Today, we will stay home again, I think. But we would all like to go up the street and pick strawberries at some point. Sounds good to me. 

Maybe I'll get that laundry done... 

Reading Reading Reading

It's interesting how many things I'm seeing differently now that we have four kids in the house. It's a small thing to see one kid do or not do something. It's much more impactful to watch the effect things have on a small group. 

For instance, it's been easy to let Zeek "check his farm" on his iPad for 10 minutes (or an hour) first thing in the mornings. But it made a whole different impact on me to see three kids with their faces in their electronics 10 seconds into the day - to watch them walk away from their games having their direction impaired, imaginations shut down, and even connections with each other difficult to attain for awhile. Like a bunch of tiny drunks. :) 

This led to a new rule in the house: 
NO MORNING MEDIA - which surprisingly led to them having no interest in media once they get going.   

I think they've replaced this down time activity with reading. Zeek has loved reading for about a year now, and I know from Robin that Kaila likes to read a lot, too. Now Jada is joining right in! 

I love to walk in and find them all together in one room enthralled in their books smack the middle of the day.

Yesterday, we met friends at the park for lunch. It rained on us, but we stayed anyway. The kids played in the park through the rain. It was so cute and fun. Until it was over, and we were all soaked, and the temperature started to drop. 

We took the party to Miss Linsey's house. The kids played board games. Then they wanted to read! So they raided the bags of books I had just picked up at the library for my kids, and they sprawled out in the living room and got to it. It was awesome! 

I wish I would have  signed my girls up for the summer reading program when I got Zeek in. They would have crushed it. 

At night, I tuck the girls in and Greg tucks Zeek in. The guys read and talk and pray. The girls and I evaluate our day a little, talk about the good and bad, discuss the plans for the next day, do a circle prayer (one of my favorite parts of the day), and then I tell them how long they can read for. They always beg for a little longer and celebrate when I agree. This is funny since they pass out 15 minutes into their books, either way. :)

Today, we are going to stay home and veg. The kids are looking forward to hanging out at the house so they can get back to their own little projects and plans they have going all around the house as well as outdoors. 

I'm glad we're staying home too. It feels like Thursday to Greg and I. 

We joke that when the kids leave it will feel like stepping off a tread mill. We will have SO much time on our hands.

Until then, I'm soaking it up! :)