Another Year Over

2008 is drawing to a close. Can't say as I'm terribly broken up about it, seeing as most of my focus for 2008 has been making it through January 2009 (for an obvious reason). However, the end of the year does make me take stock and evaluate changes I want to see happen for the New Year to come. I don't make resolutions per se, I just like to give thought to the positives and negatives of the old year, so I don't repeat mistakes (I hate it when I am a repeat offender!!).

And I don't make goals, because inevitably a goal list becomes a "kick me while I'm down list", as I tend to make impossible, lofty goals to live up to, like a clean house. What's the point of putting into writing a goal, that will most likely never be achieved in my lifetime without substantial outside help (note to King: Merry Maids is always looking for new clients, maybe I could help them reach one of their goals for 2009!!).

So as this year ends, I think that I will settle for some vague general thoughts for the coming year:
-Happy, healthy children. [Note: I will settle for just healthy!]

-Happy, healthy Mama. [Note: I will settle for just happy! A girl's gotta have her chocolate.now.]

-Continuation of our morning devotions, renewal of our prayer time before school starts.

-Children who want to make my faith theirs.

-Children who have an unlimited view of the possibilities that the future holds for them and feel free to pursue them.

Happy New Year Dear Friends! May it be one filled with immeasurable blessing for each of you and your families!!

R.I.P. Dotty Harold

Dotty Harold

2006-2008

a much loved guinea pig

Today we said goodbye to Dotty Harold. Our little pig in residence. She was a sweet little thing. So tolerant of all the LOVE that was bestowed on her daily. We'll miss you.

Merry Christmas from the Castle!!

Dear Jesus,
Happy Birthday tomorrow!
Love, Princess #2
(This was her dinner prayer tonight-too sweet not to share.)

***************************************

Overheard at bedtime:

Princess #1: Daddy, what time can we get up tomorrow?

King: No sooner than 9am!

Princess #1 (in all seriousness): I'm sorry, that's just not going to work for me!

***************************************

Princess #3 at bedtime, on the verge of a baby-fit has a moment of realization (much to her parents happiness) . . ."Wait, if I don't go to bed, then it won't be tomorrow-when-I-wake-up and I won't get to open presents!"

Happiness Is . . .

. . . finding out the Sharpie stayed capped while being washed. The Sharpie that slipped into one of his pockets unbeknownst to the Queen.

He's a lucky man, that one.

Meanie No More

So today I had no intention of doing school. Friends are coming over, and I wanted to make a batch of Christmas bread, not to mention laundry-til-I-die (Monday's usual chore). However, the princess' did not know my plans and assumed that they would have lessons as usual. So after breakfast and laundry sorting, they settled down to play in those last few coveted minutes before school was to start.

I got a load started and then nonchalantly asked if anyone minded if we took the day off from school. I wish you could have seen the glow of love that shone from their little eyes as they looked up at me in disbelief. I am a meanie no longer. I am their beloved mother and home-educator willing to give them a break from the drudgery that haunts their weekday mornings. I AM QUEEN. At least til I serve them leftovers for lunch. But until then, I plan to revel in my new found position of the Coolest.Mom.Evah!!

Happiness Is. . .

. . . a snow day! It's snowing here. Really snowing. Like Midwest winters long (happily, for my part) forgotten snowing. And it's been snowing since last night. Church was cancelled and we have been enjoying the day all cozy, snug and buttoned in. Makes me really glad that I finished all my errand running before all this, since there are probably 3 snow plows total for our county, of which 2 are operational (that was a joke, kinda). And it makes me glad that I have knitting projects to work on with no place to go--the best kind of snow day! We have made a batch of peanut brittle, popped popcorn for carmel corn, and have even played a round of "Littlest Pet Shop Monopoly".

It sure feels like Christmas now!

My Mistake

I just love Pandora radio. My hubby has a great Christmas "station" set up for us and it's great to hear song after song without commercial interruption. The princess' love it too and have each settled on a favorite song. The youngest princess loves "Little Drummer Boy". She recognizes the tune and comes running over to the computer to get a better listen.

So last night, while we were decorating cookies, "her" song comes on for the second time in one day, and I say to her, "That's pretty cool that you get to hear your favorite song two times today."

And she replies, "No, that's a girl rumping and pumping, not a boy, Mama!"

My mistake.

Happiness Is . . .

. . . snow! It helps to keep the Princess' busy outdoors so Mama can make peanut brittle without help! Unfortunately, it's so stinkin' cold (for here), that they don't stay out too long. . . and that's why Mama stood on the deck to take pictures, rather than venture out to get close-ups.
Princess #2 showing me her snow sliding invention!
Princess #1 having a snow snack.

Princess #3 wearing snow-PANTS, since, "Mama, they just don't make snow dresses."

Resisting the Urge

As many of you know, I am a Christmas junkie. Every year I wait patiently for the day after giving thanks and go full-tilt-bozo into the preparations for Christmas. This year is different. Mostly due to the simple facts of my life. I now homeschool two children, which on a good day takes up the morning. Then there is that third child to keep tabs on, usually not too difficult, just follow the trail of discarded Barbies she leaves in her wake. And let's not forget the fourth one, who for some reason has decided that my rib cage will make a nice little nest, making eating, bending, and breathing into chores. All of these little people added to the general tiredness that the final weeks bring have led me to do my best to resist the urge to (over) do Christmas.

What brings me to blog about this little aspect of the season, you ask? Tonight, I decided to make a batch a sugar cookie dough for cut-outs. Usually, I double or even triple the batch, just to make sure there are enough for guests, me, the neighbors, me, Grandpa and me. This year however, I singled it. Yep, just followed the recipe.

And yah, a few, small, non-tired cells of my body are freaking out.

You're Welcome

Just thought I'd let those of you whose necks live in my woods in on a little secret. We won't be having any snow this year. How can I be so sure, you ask?

I just ordered (bargain!!) winter boots for Princess #1, since she's outgrown the biggest pair we own.

That usually seals the deal for snow (or lack thereof).

In Need of a Vent

WARNING: I AM GOING TO RANT

I really hate comments comparing my pregnant belly to what some well-meaning (I'm sure) mother remembers hers as being. I don't care if yours was smaller. I don't care if you looked 2 months pregnant at delivery. I don't care that you only put on 15 pounds and that was when you were wearing your winter gear, clunky boots, and were dripping wet. Good for you. Thanks for using your comment to point out that I don't.

To be honest, I am content with how I look. In fact, this fourth pregnancy has been very kind to my pride-no innertube like I wore with #2, no belly hanging over my waist like with #3, just a nice round, high, centered bump. My weight gain is the best it's ever been, baby is healthy and happy. So there.

Thanks, I feel better.

Dreaming of Nesting

I've never done this before, that is, dream of nesting. I've always just done it, without much rational thought. For example, with Princess #1, I obsessively cleaned all the baseboards in the house so when she started crawling they wouldn't be dusty, and since she crawled immediately after birth it was a good thing I did!;) Then with Princess #2, instead of readying the baby gear (which would have been a good call due to her early arrival), I obsessively picked ALL the apricots off our trees in a burst of crazy energy and then lacked the energy to deal with all the fruit! Thank goodness for a mom who knows how to put up fruit and seems to enjoy the task. And with Princess #3, for some reason the oven had to be spotless, and since the "self-clean" mode really meant "clean it yourself", I did so with a lot of elbow grease since oven cleaner is so nasty. Of course, lots of other "nesting" went on, but it all seemed to have rhyme and reason.

Now this time around, the past few nights I have been dreaming that I am cleaning out the pantry. In fact, it killed me yesterday to not be able to touch it and then today we had MOPS, so it's gone untouched again!

So tomorrow, dear pantry, you will be mine, and maybe these weird dreams will end-or else point out some other random thing that needs settling.

Snappity Snap

So Princess #1 has been diligently trying for the past year to conquer two important life skills: snapping her fingers and whistling. It recently really chapped her hide to find out that Mrs. H's little guy could whistle with ease, and she has yet to get a single tweet, you know since she is all worldly and wise and he is only 5.

However, all weekend, we've been hearing her little fingers trying to snap and by George, she's got it. And now has a new (annoying) habit to share with us while she's reading, walking, doing schoolwork, watching a movie, riding in the car, and I'm pretty sure she's figured out a way to do it while practicing the violin.

I will say this in her defense, it does make it easy for mama to figure out where she's holed up when it's chore time! Don't tell.

Happiness Is . . .

. . . hearing the sound of snaps and overall buckles clanging in your dryer again!

Thanks to the generosity of my parents (and a sister), baby has a dresser which was delivered by Papa yesterday. So, I decided to abandon my thoughts of Christmas baking in order to clean said dresser and wash baby's clothes. It is so great to have all that laundry done and his little clothes all folded and tucked away in anticipation.

Houston, We Have A Name

Even two names! Even two names that go together with our last! Whoo-hoo! Stay tuned til February to see if we actually end up sticking with them, since we're not unveiling his monikers until we meet this fellow. I know, I know, why even blog about something you weren't going to reveal, but it is exciting to me that he is named. It makes him feel more "real" somehow. We have learned our lessons from the past with announcing baby's name early, and because of that choice had to deal with comments, the "how do you spell that's", and did you know that so and so and so and so and so and so, all have babies with that same name. Never again, we swore, and Princess #3 remained nameless to family and friends til her birth--much better in our humble opinion to share a name along with the new one. Much less helpful input if you know whattamean!

As some of you know, naming our babies is no easy task! We agonize, civilly disagree with one another's top picks, make lists (okay, just I make the lists), try out different ones, and I like to do the backyard yell test. The backyard yell test is performed by opening the back door and yelling both first and middle names, as if the child was in trouble in order to see if I can snap it out to my satisfaction. All of the princess' have first and middle names that really snap when needed, thanks to this test! And of course, most importantly, we pay careful attention to what the names mean. In fact, my first choice was tossed because of a dumb meaning (read: I couldn't weasel a good alternative meaning anywhere on the Internet, in order to sell my pick!).

Now that I have had the experience of naming a boy, I would take naming a girl hands down any day! All of you with multiple boys that you have named, I can only imagine what you went through, you have my undying admiration, seriously.

And if you are like the princess', who are all dying to know baby's name, I'll quote the king's standard reply, "Izuzu F150".

You Say Boxer, and I Say Boxer

The English language is confusing to be sure, but I have discovered that some words with multiple meanings can come in handy for covering up a conversation that didn't need to be heard by little "royal" ears without stretching the truth. Here is my case in point.

Last night while we were getting the girls in bed, the king and I were talking about what kind of unders our little guy might wear. I told him about a friend's little guy, and how he sports boxers and how cute they were. Then Princess #1 pipes up from her room (across the hall): "Are you guys talking about boxers?"

After a quick glance at one another we answer in the affirmative. And she wants to know why we are talking about the neighbor's dog which happens to be a Boxer (how convenient). And we reply that we want to know how she can hear what we're saying now, but not when we're sitting at the dinner table having a conversation.

And *GIRL* Hats and Hats

Even though Princess #3 is still waiting for her hat (when I ordered yarn for the older two, she declined to make a choice and of course, now she wants one), I thought I would post some pictures of the older two's latest head-gear. It is the pattern Capitan done up in some more of Jill Draper's amazing handspun yarn (baby's toddler hat is in her yarn as well). If you are a knitter, her yarn is so worth ordering, plus you will be supporting an indie-spinner/dyer. How cool is that?

Princess #2 doing school in her new hat, colorway is CMY. She likes it because it doesn't itch!!


Princess #1 has worn her hat non-stop since completion. That feels good! It is in the Butterfly Wings 2 colorway.

The sistah's showing off their inner gangstahs. ;)

Baby *BOY* Hats and Hats and Hats

I have a weakness for hats. Especially on my children. So that is why the knitting for baby has so far consisted of, you guessed it, hats. Here are some photos of the finished projects modeled by Princess #3 and *scary* Isabella (Princess #1's life like doll).

This hat is knit with completely wonderful handspun yarn I got from a seller on etsy.com. I love how squishy and thick it is. So much so, that I couldn't make a baby hat with it, instead I made a toddler hat that should fit him next winter and hopefully the winter after that. That is how much I love this yarn!

This hat was a special request by the king. It looks like the golf cap my Grandpa used to wear, complete with a little brim. It is knit with yummy Malabrigo yarn and is so incredibly soft. It is itty bitty, but should fit him from newborn to summer since the band is nice and stretchy.

I love this pattern. It is great for using up the leftover sock yarn balls that seem to languish in my yarn tub. And I love stripes. It should fit him come fall.

Overheard in the bathroom: Part II

Tonight while I am elbow deep in kneading bread, Princess #3 yells, "I'm all done!" since she has finished with her business.

The king heads in to help her, bless his heart, and I hear this:

"Hi, I'm Daddy and I'll be your wiper tonight."

The man cracks me up.

Happiness Is . . .

. . . a fabulous nap in a fabulous get-up! Here is my "Fancy Princess #3".

Happiness Is . . .

. . . Olive Garden salad and breadsticks delivered unexpectedly to your front door by a dear friend! Yummy! Thank you for the treat friend!!

Already??

We are just about to the third trimester for those of you keeping track, but not quite there yet. Silly me thinking that the tiredness and achiness that comes with those fun-filled last weeks would hold off til the appointed week. Wishful thinking to be sure.

However, as I looked at the calendar this afternoon, I realized that with the changing of my due date (the good direction!) at my last appointment and with the way my babies usually come early, that my tiredness is right on time. I'm just wishing the honeymoon period (2nd trimester) would last just a tad longer . . . obviously this baby is not my first!!

I Need Revenge!!

Princess #2 came tearing through the house after being punished (e.g. made to do a despised chore w/o compensation) for fighting with her sister, screaming, "I NEED REVENGE!!!" I asked her if she even knew what revenge was and what the word meant. And she replied with: "I know what revenge is, I am six! And besides I only wanted the good kind of revenge!"

Well, as long as it was the good kind . . .

Name Game

The princess' have been dying to name their brother, so as a result I've been fielding some wild ideas all week and thought I'd share some them with you. . .
*Abednego
*Shadrack
*Bob (Princess #3's idea!)
*Meshack
*David
*Ezra
*Murdock
*Shrek (Princess #2's idea!)
And that's all I can remember for now. Good thing we do not run a democracy around here, if so I can only imagine what his name could be!!

Fear vs. Faith

WARNING: BLOG POST CONTAINS OVERT RELIGIOUS OVERTONES!!
(Thought I'd better put a disclaimer, seeing as I usually keep things light around here.)

I have been convicted this past week of my arrogance. Let me explain. About a week ago, I had a follow-up OB appointment during which we went over the ultrasound results. When you hear the phrase, "I don't know how to say this, but . . .", you know that nothing good is going to follow. So when I heard that phrase last week, I braced myself mentally. You see, I'd heard it before, approximately 6 1/2 years ago . And I remembered the fear and anxiety that followed. My midwife explained that baby had a cyst in his brain. She was very encouraging, not too worried, she had never seen one amount to anything in her 30+ years of babies. I decided that I wanted a second opinion and made an appointment to see the same specialist who had helped us with Princess #2.

I did my research on the cyst and if it was bad, it was very very bad. Like your baby dies bad. And I started talking to God about this specific thing. I started off with telling Him, what's up with that, you give me this baby only to take it away-that doesn't make any sense. It wasn't until I got to the point (took til Thursday!!) of telling Him that it was okay for this baby to NOT be okay, that He started talking back. And I don't mean like talking talking, I've never experienced that, for me hearing Him is being prompted to read a passage of scripture or stumbling onto a blog or conversation that adds wisdom. Through it all, I came to the realization that it is completely arrogant of me to expect a healthy, live baby. If I believe that God knows and wants what is best for me, (and I like to think that I do) then who am I to question if He chooses to take my child from me or gives me a baby with a handicap, as His ways are perfect.

This all came to sharp focus on Sunday morning. Our pastor had a great message, during which he shared an insight on 1 Corinthians 10:13 ("No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."). He asked "How do you know that you can hold up under a trial? . . . Because it is happening to you." This was just a balm to my heart. It makes me sound less crazy for saying I'm at peace with whatever the outcome of this little life. No matter what comes my way, I can handle it because of this promise of God's faithfulness.

So we had our appointment with the specialist yesterday. Believe it or not, I was more worried that somehow the "boy parts" wouldn't be there than about the cyst (you try believing after you've had three girls!!). The tech confirmed that baby is indeed all-boy and then went to look at his brain. He couldn't find the cyst. It was literally gone. He very carefully took a look at every other part of baby, paying special attention to the parts that could be affected if this was the very very bad version, and everything looked great. In fact, baby is beyond healthy, weighing in at over 1 1/2 pounds!! Amazing.

Was this process pointless? Maybe to some. But for me it made me think, it made me aware of sin in my life to confess, it humbled me, and in the end eternally grateful for the chance to raise this little man to be a follower of the One True God.

Murphy's Law?

So I'm wondering why my car seems to use less gas now that the prices have dropped almost $1.50/gallon this past week?

Is is just me? Or is it Murphy?

She's Got the Magic

One of the standing jokes at our castle has to do with our girls' growth. If the king or queen happen to notice ankles or wrists or behinds poking out of the ends of clothing we tell the offender to stop growing. We tell them we don't allow it and they had better stop it (you know, in a very serious tone). The girls' think that this is great fun and take great pride in showing off the ankles, wrists, and behinds, just to play the game.

Recently Princess #3 has a new take on the game. As I was tucking her into bed one night last week, I couldn't get over how long she was in bed-seriously long. So I told her that she better stop growing or she was going to run out of bed. After she got done giggling she told me that she couldn't stop because of the "magic". So I bit.

Queen: What magic?

Princess #3: God's magic. I have it in me and it makes me grow. I tried asking Him to take the magic out, but He doesn't want to.

Queen: Oh, why doesn't He want to take it out?

Princess #3: Because you only have the magic when you're little to make you get big like Mama.

Queen: What happens to the magic once you're big like Mama?

Princess #3: God takes it out when you're done. And that is all I know right now.

Go Figure

Last night I decided to give into two cravings. The first (and most important) being not cooking dinner. The second being Olive Garden salad and bread sticks. I looked high and low on-line to find a coupon for dinner, but was unsuccessful, so I decided to blow my month's eat-out budget in one fell swoop. I am pleased to report that both cravings were fulfilled-deliciously, with leftovers being devoured at lunch and dinner today!

Then as I flipped through the coupon circular in our local paper what is the first coupon for???

(drum roll please)

. . . Olive Garden.

Knock, Knock

I think that one of the best (only?) perks about being pregnant is feeling the baby move. I remember with Princess #1 feeling her first strong kick on Christmas Eve morning and then at very predictable times thereafter. Princess #2 was a different story, she was like having an internal amusement park 24/7! Princess #3 was also a predictable baby, preferring to move only after meals. This little one loves to really move it, move it at night and early in the mornings. He moves during the day too, but the wee hours seem to be his favorite (yah, I'm scared).

This morning, I had my first "conversation" with him!! He kicked, a real good one, and I pushed back where I felt the move, and then he instantly replied with another good strong kick. Too much fun. This went on for several minutes during which I know I had the biggest, dopiest smile on my face.

And I couldn't help it, I'm in love.

Baby Boom

As some of you know, I am the oldest of four girls. All married, all settled and all having babies! That's right. This weekend we discovered that all four of us will be adding children to our families. My next sister and hubby are waiting to adopt-most likely by the end of next year (pray with me, will ya?), the third one of us is due with her 2nd in March/April, and the youngest one of us is due with her 1st in May/June. Pretty crazy. My parents and grandparents will double the number of (great)grandkids they have next year!!

I was thinking of my next youngest sister today, and her impending adoption and realized that very likely her baby may be growing in it's biological mom's womb, and if not, his/her conception is imminent! That is pretty amazing to think about. I've been praying for his/her mom and for this important, so many lives-changing decision she is going to make. God is good and He knows all the details and is in all the details. It will be exciting to see His hand in all of this.

As for me, I am doing my best to race through the Christmas knitting. My goal was to be done by the end of October. Unrealistic to be sure. Especially when some of the gifts are two-parters. So, I am doing my best to be content with my progress and delay the baby knitting a bit longer. But, I may have to have a fix and tear into the first official "boy" yarn I have purchased . . .

Playing Hooky

As some of you know, I am one of those militant homeschool moms. My girls have school daily. I am a firm believer in sticking to the schedule. We try to keep the same schedule as the local school district, so that the girls are available to play with friends on their days off.

That being said, I do try to be flexible, which is one of the beauties of homeschooling. We are free to go to MOPS once a month, and every Friday from October through March they attend a homeschool co-op, so we do have "breaks" from the weekly grind. Today, however, I decided that I needed a day to play hooky. I had a bunch of errands that I actually wanted to do and those were all in the same general vicinity of the photo studio where #2 had her appointment, so we shopped til we dropped! And it was great. The girls had so much fun looking at all the pretty fall (and now Christmas!) things that were for sale. Princess #1 kept us on task, reading the list and checking the time (some school was being done!), Princess #2 marked the list off, and Princess #3 stayed close to the cart (always a bonus!) and gave her opinions.

Tomorrow we are off to pick apples at a local orchard in the afternoon. The girls can't wait, and honestly, neither can I!

Overwhelmed

Today is overwhelming. Not because of anything specific, it just is. A good house cleaning is way overdue, school to be taught, laundry to be washed, dried, folded and put away, meals to prepare, children to ferry to activities, Bible study to be hosted, and no energy to want to deal with any of the above. So I sit here and compound the problem and the feeling of knowing that I'm wasting precious time blogging about it! How ironic!

However, as I think about it, things have been accomplished today despite me. I actually remembered to call the sprinkler guy to have him winterize the irrigation system, and to call to reschedule Princess #2's picture session and I am switching loads of laundry (maybe not folding or putting away just yet), but it is getting washed and dried. School was taught and hopefully absorbed. Two meals down, one to go.

I should do this more often, I'm feeling much better about the day's outlook. I think I will rally the troops and have them do some vacuuming before rest-time. Thanks for listening!

When You Hear the Beep

So, I just had to relate this conversation I had yesterday with the littlest Princess. She had a night-time accident over the weekend and was explaining to me why exactly it had happened.

Princess #3: If I had just got up when I heard the first beep then I could have gone potty in the bathroom.

Queen: What beep?

Princess #3 (very matter-of-factly): The beep I hear when I have to go potty. God makes a beep sound and when I hear it it means I have to go potty. But the other night I didn't go when I heard the beep and then I heard another beep, and the last beep I got up but I didn't have enough time to make it.

Queen: How come I don't hear a beep?

Princess #3 (shrugs): You better listen better Mama. I'll ask God if I can share my beeps with you if you want.

Queen: Thanks, that would be great.

Now the phrase "when you hear the beep", has taken on a whole new meaning for me!

Who Knew?

I have a new weakness-boy clothes! Today as I just happened to be reaching up in a cupboard for something, a "gym bucks" coupon fell out. I had totally forgot that I had it, since I so rarely shop at Gymboree, much less spend enough to get the coupons. I quickly checked the expiration and was just under the mark (Divine coincidence? I think so!).

So after school and lunch and lunch clean-up I checked out their clearance pages! And bought the cutest raccoon stuff ever! I love raccoons and I love the idea of my little guy sporting some cute rascally clothes. Who knew there were so many fun things to dress a boy in?

A New FAQ

This one is sure to haunt us for a long time I am sure. So here it is.

Q: So now that you are finally having a boy, you guys must done having kids right?

A: [To be read/said with extreme sugary sweet, drippy sarcasm, my favorite kind, the kind that keeps them guessing.] Yep, you're right we are, because the only reason we will soon have four kids is that we just had to have that boy. Oh, and we would have kept on having kids until we got the gender that was "missing" from our family. Because as everyone knows, having a boy when you have daughters is all that matters.

Let the Knitting Begin

So now that baby's gender is known, I am itching to get knitting for him! Last night I couldn't get to sleep because my mind was humming with projects I want to make, and the quandary of which one to do first. Get Ziggy, cargo pants, the token beanie or two or three, the sweet Norwegian baby cap, Hickory Dickory Dot, a little brimmed golf hat like his Great Grandpa used to wear, the possibilities are endless (Ravelry isn't helping contain the madness either). And the color choices!! Reds, navys, greens, browns, I am in a non-purple-colored-yarn haze of bliss!!

His blanket is on the needles and going well, but it is going to have to take a hiatus because I have committed (as in, I bought the yarn already darn it) to make Christmas gifts this year. So I am committing the month of October to Christmas knitting. So far one down and four to go!! Thankfully, I have already finished a couple of gifts earlier this year. So I'm off to get to the gifts but I'll be dreaming of baby boy knits all the while-forgetting all about those dreams of a white Christmas!

Baby News

We had our ultrasound today and even though it feels weird to say/type this--we're having a BOY! I'll write more later, but for now we're just riding the baby boy is healthy high!

Yikes-I just realized I'm going to have to rename my blog!! Still it's still sinking in . . .

I Guess That's Why

Princess #3 is finishing up with her "business" while pondering this thought: "Why don't Murray and Jackson (our dogs) need to use toilet paper?"

When Mama doesn't answer with a satisfactory answer, she decides: "It's because they don't have any hands!"

That must be it.

I Hate It When. . .

. . . I am overly confident in what my pantry contains and flippantly assume that the ingredients for the meal on my menu exist in my house and arrogantly continue to knit . . . only to discover that I was sadly mistaken.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I hate shots. I freak out at the sight of needles. I can't watch when they draw blood, put in an IV, any of that stuff. Epidurals are out, they involve a needle right-IN YOUR SPINE? Not doing it-I don't care how bad the pain is! But when it comes to my kids I can't and solemnly refuse to let my fear be adopted by them. So I put on the brave front and shrug it off for them, hoping that they don't notice I'm not watching the nurses and that my knees are knocking. That intro brings us to today.

The older two have been due for their annual well-childs for over a month now and I finally remembered to make the appointment. I knew that both were due for the 2nd round of Hep A, but wanted clarification about the chicken pox booster since I'd been hearing conflicting things and since there has been a tiny outbreak at church. So now they are up to two shots a piece and they are a bit nervous, but I tell it's no biggie, we'll go out for ice cream (which next to chocolate, makes everything better). Thankfully our doc's office has the nurses tag team so it isn't one shot after another and each girl does great.

As we're headed down the hall for the stairs, I realize that I have to go to the bathroom. again. But God used the stop for good, because as a result, #3 (of course) had to try it out first and I took a look at the girls' arms in the meantime, and noticed that #1 had a huge hive under where the band-aid was. I took off the band-aid thinking that the nurse misplaced the band-aid and was going to move it, so none of us (read: mama) had to look at the injection site. It wasn't the injection site. Then she began to feel dizzy and got real pale. So I quickly got out the "propaganda" from the CDC and read that she had almost all the symptoms of a moderate to severe allergic reaction and that we should immediately see a doctor. Thankfully we were 5 steps from the office, so we piled back in, the nurse saw us and the doctor too. After about 20 minutes, some Tylenol, a shot of benadryl, cold compress, and some m&m's we were back in business. And I'm happy to report she is back to herself, for better or worse as the case may be.

FAQ's

This may end up being a series of posts, who knows?! But as I'm sure my friend Laughter Thoughts can attest, the more kids you have, the more at liberty people (friends/family/complete strangers) feel to ask you personal questions or make assumptions. Thankfully for the most part, my personality is such that I get a big ol' laugh at most or can at least see the humor in the situation later. So here is my attempt at answering some of those burning questions!

Q: Congratulations!! (then using a slightly hushed, more dramatic tone): Was this a planned thing?

A: Aren't all babies planned on some level? Seriously, this has been our most prayed for, agonized over, PLANNED pregnancy. With #1, I did all the lobbying and then God softened my husband's heart and there she was. With #2, it was a done deal, Lord willing, we weren't having an only child. With #3, I really wanted another one, husband was skeptical, and then there she was! With #4, back in February my husband asked me to pray with him about our family size and then in May we decided that we would step out in faith and see what happened. And there you go.

Q: Where on earth are you going to put this one? You'll probably have to add on to the house, right?

A: Funny how it works, but sharing a room with your sibling(s) doesn't kill you, I know totally weird, huh? I am living proof, as are my sisters, as are my girls. It's also funny how you don't know you are a boy or girl until about age 2 or 3 and even then, it's because someone told you that you were. So I think we'll be just fine with our three bedroom home.

Q: But what if it's a boy? (said again with the slightly hushed, dramatic tone)

A: Have you met my family? Would you like to see our track record with conceiving boys? Oh you have, then why the concern. Really, what better way for a boy to learn to treat women the right way than to be surrounded by sisters? Wouldn't he be spoiled rotten, you bet, but then we tend to spoil all our babies rotten!

Q: You're going to have to get a bigger car.

A: To quote my husband, "They don't come much bigger than this one."

Q: You should know by now how that happens. (pointing to my belly)

A: To quote Laughter Thoughts: "Why do you think we keep having them?"

The Cat's Out!

Well, it is safe to say that most everyone who reads this blog and/or who has had a visual sighting knows that the Queen is having baby #4. If you didn't--surprise!! We are about half way there, due in February '09, and if this little one cooperates we will know he or she (who am I kidding with the "he" right??) on Friday.

Today at Soccer Saturday, I had taken off the baggy, dark-colored (hopes of a slimming look!) sweater, and then saw a mom from Princess #1's previous team and her jaw dropped when she saw my "bump". To say she was stunned would be putting it mildly. Secretly, I found it hilarious and even more so when she was hustled off to the "potty" by her 4 year old before she could say anything more than a breathless hello. I suppose it's something to look forward to for next week.

I find people's reactions to this pregnancy very interesting. In fact, I should put up a FAQ's post sometime!! So anyway, the cat's out of the bag and I can now bore you all to death with baby updates. . .

I Didn't Think It Was That Bad

So got up yesterday morning, and am getting ready to hop into the shower, when the youngest princess marches in and without even so much as a "good morning" informs me, "Mama you need to brush your hair!"

I reply that I will after my shower, but that is not good enough for this little rascal. She very calmly hands me the brush and says, "Here."

Good Car Music

I had the "family" car all to myself tonight! (Did you see those stars align??) Anyway, usually I keep it silent, just soaking in the peace and alone time. Tonight however, I decided to turn on the music and each song that played was perfect! Have you ever had that happen--when each piece of music is the one you needed to hear to lift your spirits or encourage? I hope so.

I must say it was the icing on the already delicious cake of time to myself!

Ode to the Magic Eraser

Oh, how I love you, my Magic Eraser.
With just a little water and a quick swipe, the sticky finger prints that decorate ALL my walls at the 3 foot and under mark, "magically" disappear.
When I shudder at the state of the bathroom floor, I can just grab you, drop to my knees and the nail polish tracks disappear.
I don't know how you do what you do, but please don't ever stop. I just couldn't live without you!

Shhh, Don't Tell!

I told the girls that school would commence right after I check email. Of course, they know I use the term "check email" loosely! So after a couple of minutes. . .

Princess #2: Mom is school going to start soon?

Queen: Yep, just need to check yahoo mail and we'll start.

Then I overhear in hushed, flushed, tones:

Princess #1: Why did you have to remind her? We could have played a lot longer!!

Of course, now they did get to play longer, since I had to blog their conversation-we all win!

You Know You're Old When. . .

. . . the local radio station announces that there is going to be an Amy Grant "Lead Me On" 20th anniversary tour coming soon, and you think wow, she's still kickin'.

. . . and then you realize that you went to the original, 20 (yikes!) years ago!

Bad Mommy!

It was just sitting there on the counter, the one token piece of chocolate in the entire house, waiting to be put in my Bunco gift, and I ate it. I didn't even want it, but I ate it. It didn't even taste good, but I ate it. Very naughty. Especially since that means that at some point between now and Tuesday night, I have to find a replacement for my gift, with all three in tow. That right there my friends, is my punishment.

Dinner Laughs

While discussing the title of a Veggie Tale movie, the king mentioned one of the characters was named the "Italian Scallion". Immediately the girls jumped on the word scallion. Then the discuusion turned to what a "stallion" was.

I answered with: A male horse.

Princess #2 pauses, and says: Oh so it would be a horse that delivers the mail! Like in the olden days.

Then she couldn't figure out why mama was trying to conceal her laughter (and failing miserably, I should add)! Before she could get upset, we assured her that it was that pesky English language that was so confusing and funny-not her definition.

Say What?

Today at lunch, Princess #3 was inspecting the ketchup bottle. She looked up from her study to ask: "Does ketchup have cheeseburgers in it?"

And being the helpful mother I am, only half-listening, while cutting up #2's lunch say: "No it just has ketchup in it."

My Destiny??

My Dad sent me the link to the following youtube video and it is too funny!! Even if you don't homeschool, it is still a hoot. I needed a laugh this morning-thanks Dad!

Confession

I have a little 'fessing up to do about my ironing. It should probably remain just between us friends.

I don't iron the backs of my skirts and/or dresses.

If I lived close enough to walk to church or my shopping destinations I would probably give the backs a taste of the heat, but since I gotta drive, why bother to unwrinkle what is going to just get wrinkled up on my way! And that was my little secret to getting to the sewing faster yesterday!!

Don't say you've never done it or at the very least thought about it . . .

Bribing Myself

So I hate ironing. It is a loathsome chore to me. I will usually let the items that need to be ironed sit until I have at least an hour's worth of work, you know to make my time worthwhile, it's not like I'm procrastinating or anything. Uh-huh.

Well, today we had nice cooler weather, good sewing weather I thought to myself during school. However, my mom and I have the same deal, no sewing til the ironing is done. So once school let out I attacked the pile. Got the ironing done, the knitting blocked and even a bit of sewing done. Nothing like a little bribery to get a detested job done!

(Note for Friberg girls: I even did it without a stash of green m&m's and pretzel sticks!!)

In A Perfect World. . .

. . . school would have been taught and the garden tended. However, here at the castle the world is not perfect, it is real, and things didn't go according to my plan!

Over the weekend here the temps were sweltering, true August desert weather--100+ temps daily. Soccer games were watched, but just sitting in the sun sucked out so much energy that the normal weekend routine was interrupted! So that left weekend chores for today. So we stripped beds/remade them, and went grocery shopping! Not to mention the normal Monday of chore of laundry-til-you-die!

School will start tomorrow (I hope!) . . . in my perfectly real world!!

More Giggles

My girls make me laugh, which is a great thing! Finding my life amusing is the next best thing to knitting as far as keeping the queen sane! So I share two separate conversations with Princess #2 yesterday that still have me giggling.

We're at the table eating dinner, which happened to include rice. She stops eating and says, "Mama, when I grow up I am going to learn how to speak Chinese a little bit and go over to China with someone who knows how to speak Chinese and Washington, and I'm going to tell people in China that you can eat other things that aren't rice. That way they can have something else to eat." Too funny. Washington.

And then at bedtime, Princess #3 had a tiny thorn or sliver in her toadie and we were soaking it a bit trying to get it to work it's way out without assistance. When Princess #2 saw that our efforts were not working, she immediately ran to mama's bag and got out the "twizzlers", so the thorn could be taken out. I bit back the giggle then because she was so worried about her sister and her willingness to try and help was so sweet, I didn't want her to think I was laughing at her help.
(Twizzlers is "Washington" for tweezers, doncha know?)

Hope you had a laugh now too!

Time's a-ticking

Over the weekend I had the girls' clean up their rooms. P#1 has her own room and the younger two share. P#2 got right to work and put books back up on the bookshelf, and the library books in their place. It was great! I look across the hall to P#1's room and she's curled up on the guest "futon" reading a long lost Archie magazine! Like mother like daughter--those darn sidetracks especially in the form of books or knitting. Anyway, I offer to help and we begin to tackle her room.

From the vantage point of the hall, it sure didn't look too messy, but boy-howdy is that girl a pack rat! We found all kind of things that could be thrown away OR kept in her "special things" box. Well, among the things we found was her calendar, crammed under her desk. I flipped it to August and hung it up again. Then something caught my eye on it, a sticker on Monday August 18th. I leaned in for a closer look and it reads "School Starts". WHAT?! No one told me, and I'm the teacher!!!

Then I remembered the logic of having her put the sticker on that date. We'll be involved in our homeschool co-op again this year, and that sucks up a day of school a week starting in October, and then in September we're expecting company and school may or may not get completely done each day. Soooo, we're starting early. And as I'm reaching for the brown bag to breathe into, I remember, I did all my lesson plans, all I have to do to get ready for next week, is to organize their worksheets for the week. Hooray!

Now, I'm eager and excited to embark on this next year of learning adventure and fun. The smell of newly sharpened pencils to quote "You've Got Mail" has got my nose twitching and ready to see how third grade, first grade part deux, and keeping an eager preschooler busy will work exactly.

Please, be a friend, and remind me that come January when I'm pulling my hair out and ranting to the gods, I wrote this post about how excited I was for school to begin!

Princess #2 is 6!

In news better a week late than never, Princess #2 is 6! The long-awaited day finally arrived. She had a great day. And I love that she always chooses take-out for her birthday dinner, so nice for mama!

It's hard to believe that this little "preemie" has developed into such a lovely, funny, silly, fancy girl. She is my one that consistently runs hot or cold-there is no middle ground with this girl! However, I must say despite the craziness of having a personality like this in our family, it is part of her charm. Her world is black and white and I love that about her, everything is an absolute. She loves very deeply and has friends everywhere! She runs into more friends on a trip, well, just about anywhere, than I do long-lost high school acquaintances at Costco (and that is saying something my friends)!

When I think back as to how scared we were that we could possibly lose her in the womb or shortly after her early arrival, I feel so blessed to have her in our family. My parents always remind us when we get frustrated with her, that once all that energy and fire are channeled in one (positive!) direction, she is going to be a force to be reckoned with, and I have to agree. I am eager to see where the Lord leads her in life. For now, she wants to be a veteranian and a people doctor, and set up practice on Nanny's farm, so that she can take of the animals and her grandparents, how sweet is that?!

Home Sweet Bathroom

We are still (or maybe it's just me) that is recovering from our journey to the Midwest and back again, so I apologize for the lack of posting. Here's one quick one from the day we returned.

Once we all piled in through the door, the happy exclamations began from the older two: my toys! my kitty! my room! air conditioning! and so on. Princess #3 didn't have too much to say, just kind of wandered around. Then she heads into the bathroom to take care of some business, and we hear this shout of excitement: It's my same bathroom and my same potty and my same stool!! Oh thank you Mommy that I'm home!

She is Free

So we're driving today to yet another location to deposit yet another pet in preparation for our long trek, and we're listening to the radio. I'm daydreaming, scratch that, rehashing all the things that have yet to be done and absolutely need to be done before we can leave when Princess #3 pipes up from the back row "turn it up Mama it's my favorite!" So I do. It's this song by the Newsboys called "I Am Free". I don't think too much of it til I hear her version sung as loud as she can. . . "I am three to live. I am three to dance." and so on! It was so cute!!! When she's done, she sighs a happy sigh and says I love that song for three year olds.

Me too, baby girl, me too.

When Pigs Fly

While we waited and waited and waited for our pizza hut pizza and breadsticks at my local favorite shopping destination, we saw some interesting people. We saw the guy at the register with purple hair, who as Princess #2 informed me, can't go swimming or it will wash out into the water. Does he wash his hair I had to wonder. Princess #2 didn't think so or it wouldn't have been such a bright purple. And we waited with another employee who had half pink/half yellow hair and a gizillion piercings that fascinated the girls to no end. Thankfully their comments waited for the ride home! Whew!

Just when I think that the conversation topic has run dry, Princess #1 declares that she will just get a tiny diamond nose thing and not the rest of the stuff that girl had on.

Oh really . . .

Swinging Fun

I need to take some pictures! ARGH! Anyway, yesterday the weather finally cooperated and beautiful. Not that the cool weather has slowed the Princess' in their love of doing anything outdoors, but it has stopped their mama.

So back to yesterday. Princess #3 was on the swing and asking for a "spin doggie", which is when you twist up the swing and then give an under doggie--see, it's all making sense now! Immediately her older sisters said "No spin doggies, Daddy said no, they are too dangerous!" So she replies with, "How about a spin puppy then?"

She's a clever one, that one.

Remembering

It's June. One of my niece's is about to celebrate her 1st year of life. So sweet. It makes me nostaligic for when my girls were that age. And it makes me sad to remember that my second niece was to be born this month. Little Abigail Faith went to be with Jesus all too soon. She was so wanted and so prayed for and so loved.

Miscarriage isn't something that women like to talk about because it is so heartbreaking to remember and yet it's something that most women have experienced, some multiple times. If you think of it, say a prayer for someone you may know who has experienced a loss of a baby, the loss of who might have been. I know I'm praying for my sister and her husband, and am thinking of my sweet niece in the arms of Jesus.

At about the same time that my niece died, another friend's mom died, and she has told me repeatedly that she feels in her heart that her mom, who absolutely loved babies and the Lord, is there in heaven caring for my little niece. What a lovely thought.

Baby Fit Free!

I am so encouraged! Last night was our first baby fit free bedtime (say that 10 times fast) in over two weeks. It was so awesome. I didn't have to pin down a toddler. I didn't have to block the door. I didn't have to take any stuffed animals away. I didn't have to make any threats. I didn't have to pray feverishly that my child would chill out and just GO TO SLEEP. I didn't even have to call for back-up!!

And then, as if last night wasn't enough, this morning for the first time in over two weeks, Princess #3 put on only one outfit without a fit and proceeded to ask me to do her hair. People, this is HUGE. You really have no idea how amazing these past 18 hours have been--seriously!! I know that this is only one small step, but I'll take it. Thanks to all of you who have said prayers on our behalf. I think we are starting to see a faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and I don't think it's a firefly.

She Loves Me??

Some of you know the battle of the wills we have been having at the castle as of late with Princess #3. And most of you with young children know that "terrible 2's" are nothing compared to the power of the "terrible, horrible 3's". That horrible power unleashed in a three year old whose will is being thwarted (in their world) is an awesome sight to behold I must say, being witness to it several times daily over the past weeks. But there is hope . . . here is a conversation I had with P#3 today.

Princess #3: I love you Mama.

Queen: Do you really? Because when you love someone you want to make them happy. And what makes Mama happy?

Princess #3: Lotsa kisses and hugs, and back scratches!

Queen: And Mama loves it when you don't have baby fits and when you obey the first time right? So you can show Mama love by not having baby fits and by obeying right?

Princess #3: Yah. I guess I only love you sometimes. But I want to love you always.

No Good

No good can come from a day that started at 10:30pm the night before can it? I guess I'll find out today. Princess #3 was up then for quite a while, and then was woken up just a "skosh" before 6 this morning by her dear bunkmate. We made it to 7:30 with no problems, but then those darn panties felt "funny" again and there's no end in sight to the cranky-pants.

Thankfully, school's out, so I can deal with just her and not have to work with the older two on school stuff. Well, the crying has slowed, so I'll see if we can find some breakfast that suits her royal self!

School's Out!

School's out for the summer at the castle, I am happy to report! Last year all of the "extra" stuff made for a longer school year, but thanks to the hard work of the princess' and the determination of the queen we are done!! I promised a trip to Sonic as a fun done with school treat, so we'll go do that maybe Friday, since the king will be home. Princess #1 is most excited about that, the servers are on skates mama, and I saw him skate backwards, with food and he didn't fall. I love how easily pleased and amused they are (just like mama).

Today we had another experience with a home-schooling doubter. Someone just curious as to why my school-aged-looking daughter could be done with school by noon. . . you know those helpful little comments. I think I need to order a t-shirt I saw a while back. It said something to the effect of: I am in school now and you're talking during class! Too funny.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting my spring cleaning done in the next few weeks and maybe some weeding done too (notice I didn't say gardening-just the weeding). Kind of a boring post, but baby fits are no fun for anyone and that's been most of the mothering "fun" I've had as of late.

Morning Conversations

I'm drying my hair, Princess #2 is perched on the plant ledge in our bathroom, thoughtfully looking out the window. And the conversation goes something like this...

Queen: Whatcha thinking about little love?

Princess #2: I love mornings.

Queen: What do you love about them?

Princess #2: It's just that when I wake up sometimes I have sleep in my eyes and I love to get the sleep out of my eyes. It just feels so good to get the little crisp things out of my eyes. And you only get to do it in the morning, unless you take a nap, but then after nap you may not have any sleep in your eyes. It really just depends. . .

Queen (speechless, thinking . . .): I had to ask, I couldn't just let the comment go at mornings, I had to ask.

Overheard in the bathroom . . .

Princess #1 to Princess#2: Have you seen my nail polish?

Princess #2: Nope. Which one was it?

Princess #3: I've seen your nail pole-ash.

Princess #1: Where?

Princess #3: It's on your fingers. (giggles giggles giggles)

Princess #1 (with frustration!): Not that one, the one that looks like SPIT!


I guess put that way, clear nail polish does kinda look like spit . . .

Princess #1 is 8!

Old news I know, but thought I'd finally get some pictures posted. No she didn't get the present of her dreams (see a couple posts down, I'm too lazy to link), but she did have lots of fun opening her gifts. Birthday lunch was drumsticks, rainbow jello (of course) and root beer, followed by a teddy bear shaped cake.

It's hard to believe that she is the same baby that I used to read the weekly menu/grocery list to in order for her to fall asleep. Or that she is the same toddler telling us all about her "betty bullon" (belly button). Or the same little girl who wanted to be called "beach girl" the entire time on a trip to the OR coast. Now she is so self-suffcient. She likes having the freedom to get herself to bed on time and she likes to ride her bike solo up to her "sniffing spot". She had a speaking part in her latest KIX program for pete's sake! Who is this GIRL?!?

Some things haven't changed, she loves to talk. She loves to cuddle at bedtime. She loves to plan her future-currently it involves living in her own house with her own pets so she won't be lonely (a future cat lady?) and being a missionary. I love that she dreams big. I love that she writes me secret notes and then tells me where to find them so I won't miss them. I love that she loves the Lord with all her heart and wants to find ways she can serve Him (Mama, holding Mrs. U's baby at MOPS was showing Jesus right? Oh yes honey!!).

Anyway, Happy 8th Birthday Princess!!

She Makes Me Laugh

So Princess #3 has faithfully been doing her chores "for real money", as she likes to say, for quite a few months. And as of her last "pay day" had enough money for a purple ballerina Barbie. So she purchased her last week. (She was almost as excited about the receipt, let me tell ya!)

Anyway, after rest time, which she shared with her new acquisition. She came downstairs and told me that her Barbie has "buzzums". And then she pulled down poor Barbie's ballet costume and showed me the proof. I had to concur (after much laughter), Barbie does indeed have "buzzums". But we decided that she would be much more modest if we kept her "buzzies" covered up and out of sight!

It Was a Simple Question

Princess #1's 8th b-day is around the corner. Literally. We're stumped and this is all the help we're getting.

Queen: "So what do you want the most for your birthday?"

Princess #1: "A new baby brother or sister."

Queen: (thinking: Awww, that's so sweet.) Says "Go tell Daddy and see what he says."

A few minutes later . . .

Princess #1: "Mama, Daddy says we don't have enough time for me to get a new sibling before my birthday."

Queen: "Valid point. What else do you want?" (Silently thinking, we dodged that bullet. That time.)

So There!

While playing "tease Daddy with my lipgloss"* (the fabulous game that's sweeping the nation) tonight, Princess #3 declared she'd had enough:

"Daddy, leave the Princess alone!"

It's the first time she's ever referred to herself as such, and it was said with such certainty, he couldn't help but obey her royal highness while I laughed myself into another coughing fit.

*A super fun game in which one little girl waves lipgloss in her Daddy's face while telling him he can't have any "because boys don't wear lipgloss". Then he tries to take said lipgloss and she runs and he chases, well you get the picture. Did I mention it was super fun? Ahem.

Another Spelling Lesson

While reading the "Girls Book on How To Best at Everything"(a must read for any young royal) Princess #1 yells, "What does U-R-I-N-E spell and what does it mean?"
Once explained, says, "Eww that's gross."

We're still laughing.

I am the Lone Beacon

Did I mention that according to the highly accurate Austen quiz that I am Elizabeth B.? Did I mention that it was men's retreat weekend at our church this past weekend? Part of the description from Elizabeth Bennet's personality is that she is the "lone beacon of reason in a sea of ridiculousness". Emphasis this weekend on the words LONE and SEA.

My sea has three versions of ridiculousness and I got to enjoy all them (on my own) this weekend, thankfully though, not all at once.

Wasting Time, Austen Style

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of ridiculousness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed.

Colin Firth here I come! :) :)

Spelling Bee

Spell along with the littlest princess:

Princess #3 (pointing to the queen's carbonated drug of choice): "Can I have a S-O-T of your pop?"

She thinks that Princess #1 is so cool when she spells out "secret" messages to mama that she had to try it herself!

Bliss

This morning was pure bliss. I got up at my normal time (just slightly after the crack of dawn) and it was quiet--really quiet. No singing from the other room while waiting for it to be dawn (when they are allowed up), no lights clicking on from the early sneaky reader (princess #1), even the dog was quiet (he's usually snoring). It was heaven. It felt like I was the only person in the house which was lovely and extremely rare. (Being a stay-home mama and a homeschooling mama to boot doesn't lead to much time alone in one's house . . . go figure!)
I don't know what each of you need to recharge, but for me it's solitude and even more so quiet solitude or solitude with noise of my choice. That's why this morning was such a treat. Even though my solitude only lasted for about 30 minutes (I know-like eternity, huh??), it made facing the day so much more bearable.
And now it's almost rest time. Notice I didn't call it "quiet" time because it's not. Oh the kids are quiet (as in no screaming/talking/singing, etc.), but I can still hear the occasional thump or the patter of footsteps or the incessant foot tapping that my oldest does while reading, that remind me that I'm not alone! But I'll take it.
Wishes for a restful day to each of you readers. . .

Birds and the Cows?

On our way to Papa's farm Easter morning, Princess #2 spotted an unusual sight! A cow was standing up on his hind-legs like Otis in Barnyard, but why oh why was it milking another cow?? Then she says : "Or maybe Mama he was tired of standing up and was just resting on the other cow."

We decided it was probably the latter. . . hmmmm.

Feel the Love

A homeschooling photo essay. Photos by the queen. Essay by Princess #1.

Not loved sincerely P#1

Kinda loved bye P#1

Loved greatly sincerely P#1

Today her doodling took on a purpose . . . to relieve the day's angst!

Thankfully by the third worksheet life was back to being good again.

Mama's Little Helper

Overheard at the dinner table . . .

King: So how did you help Mama set up at MOPS today?

Princess #2: I helped get all the other kids in trouble.

Words of truth--'nough said!

An Ah-Ha Moment

So tonight I had an "ah-ha" moment. You know, the moment when the stars align and everything makes sense again. Let me explain . . . I struggle with keeping my house clean and picked up. No sooner do the toys get picked up in order for me to vacuum or walk through without tripping, that they are dumped out again! It feels like I am always getting after the girls to clean up when you're done or could you please put that away. Well, no longer! I have discovered tonight that I should have been getting after Captain Marbles!

Princess #3 turned him in tonight. After reminding the littlest Princess to please leave toys in the family room tonight (we are hosting Bible study), she informed me that it wasn't her doing the dumping and dropping, but someone else was responsible. It was a relief to know that it was someone else--none other than Capt. Marbles. I knew that there was no way that three girls could make all the messes I continually find. . .

Princess #3 is 3!

My baby's three. THREE. three. And she loved having her birthday all to herself and reveled in "her" day! She tore through her presents not taking time to savor the gift, but instead savoring the delicious sounds of paper ripping and hearing that yes, she could indeed open all of them with no waiting her turn! Once she got through the business of opening, she turned back to see her loot which some of us were furiously "un-twisty-tying" trying to beat the crazy pace she was setting for us. And we lost her to the goodies for the rest of the afternoon.

It's been a ride this past year, especially the past six months with this little girl. But it's been good (in retrospect and great b.c. ifyouknowwhattamean) and it's been good to watch her come into her own a bit more and blossom into a little girl. She has quite the vocab and quite the memory. And quite the strong will at times. But the softest heart and servant's heart once that will has bent. She is the only one of the bunch who after throwing a humungous baby-fit, will then almost immediately afterwards ask for forgiveness. A skill I marvel at and need to cultivate in my own life. So anyway, my dear baby is three and I am looking forward to what this new year in her life brings.

Sassafras

Sass, sass, nothing but sassafras around the castle these days. The "I don't wanna's" are out in full force no matter what the topic. It's frustrating to try and maintain control (I do run a benevolent dictatorship here, you know), when all you hear all day are disparaging remarks. Rest assured, I will think of some torture to get the princess' to toe the line consistently, that's what dictators do. The trick is hiding the fact that it's torture (quite honestly more so for the dictator) and getting the girls to believe that obeying the first time, eating meals, doing school, going potty w/o help, getting along w/eachother, etc. are all things that they want to do!

It's that time of year when everyone gets a little stir-crazy and sick of one other. I just wish that they would clue in that the big people are feeling that way too and give a little break. I really hate being the "bad" guy all day long, the spoiler of fun, the enforcer of school, the one who likes a tiny path to walk through the family room . . .

Anyway, enough complaining. The sun was out enough this afternoon to make a beautiful rainbow, and the oldest princess reminded us that it was God's reminder of a promise made long ago and the youngest proclaimed it a "miracle". And since He always keeps His promises, I can rest in the fact that there is nothing I will go through that is too difficult with Him along for the ride-even slogging through that ever growing Mount Barbie that takes root in my path to the kitchen!

Knitty Photos

Here are some photos of some of the finished projects . . . if you roll your mouse over each picture & give a click, a caption should appear (no money back guarantees though!).

One More Benefit of Homeschooling

Flurries of homeschooling posts here lately. I guess it's due to trying to get back into the routine of things after Christmas, MOPS, and all the New Year hoopla. Today Princess #2 decided that she needed to wear "glasses" aka swim goggles that she found who knows where, not in the swimming lesson bag, of that I am sure! Anyway, if I was sending her to school, I know for a fact that I would have had to deal with (what we fondly call) a baby fit when I would have told her that the goggles needed to stay home. However, since she is homeschooled, I could say sounds fine to me, and when the novelty wore off, I could gloat in my own private victory dance to the tune of "I told you so".

A Little Humor

As most of you know, I'm a homeschoolin' mama. We have our "yay for school days" and our moany groany, I hate learning and always want to be in (insert grade level of choice) grade. And you just have to roll with it.

Today was a moany groany, waily, gnashy of teeth kind of school day with both school-age princess' dishing out quite a bit of sass. I cracked open another can of my preferred carbonated drug of choice and dug in my heels. And school happened. I am the queen, remember?!

However, later on this afternoon while chatting with one of my sisters, Princess #2 announces that she has a joke. So I thought I'd share it . . .

Q: "What school teaches lots of math?"

A: "Homeschool"

Can you guess her favorite subject???