A Letter to My Seven-Year-Old

 Dear Gabi,
     God has blessed me with four amazing, undeservedly-wonderful children.  You, my sweet girl, are one of those blessings that I thank God for daily.  You are the one that changed me from wife to momma, and although I love you and your siblings equally, there is just something special about the firstborn.
     With you, darling, I have experienced all kinds of momma firsts.  Together, we have navigated our way through growing and losing teeth, tantrums and sweet first words, reading and playing together.  I cherish the relationship that you and I have, and I hope it only grows stronger throughout the years ahead.
     I am humbled and inspired by the person you are at age seven.  I want to tell you about these things that I admire about you because I want you to hold on to these things and make them a part of yourself always.
    1.  First, you have such a tender heart.  When things aren't right between you and someone else, you can't do anything else until that has been resolved.  I hear it in your earnest prayers to God and in your conversations throughout the day.
    2.  Secondly, you exhibit such a spirit of kindness, especially towards your brothers and sister.  I rarely have to remind you to share - you are always a step ahead of me, volunteering your things to others.  Even at seven, you recognize that your autistic brother needs more kindness and understanding than most, and you freely offer it to him without expecting anything in return.
    3.  God has blessed you with an overflowing well of love.  Our days are full of hugs, kisses, and "I love you's" from you.  I hope you know that every time you give Daddy one of those hugs and kisses, you melt his heart and strengthen his resolve to be the best daddy he can to you.  Never stop sharing your love.  Unfortunately, there will be people in the future that make you want to hide and hold love back.  Resolve now to love openly, despite others.
    4.  We named you well, Gabi!  You and I have dozens of conversations all day, and though I may not always look like I am paying complete attention, I am savoring the fact that you trust and love me enough to share what you're thinking.  I pray that you will always feel free to share your heart with me.  I love to listen to your thoughts - it makes me marvel at the lovely young lady you're becoming.
     This weekend of celebrating your seventh birthday will be forever engraved in my memory.  Spending time with you shopping, getting your ears pierced, and having the privilege to get your your first American Girl doll were all priceless experiences.  I am so proud of you for getting your ears pierced!  I know that your fears often get in the way of you having some great experiences.  I totally get how paralyzing those fears can be, no matter how silly they may seem later.  I know every fiber of your being didn't want to go back to the earring store to get your ears pierced, even though you wanted it so badly.  But you managed to find the tools to overcome that fear, and I can see how happy you are that you went through with it.  I will be reminding you of this victory time and again as you face more fears in the future.
    For this year of your life, I have two wishes.  First, I pray that you will grow in leaps and bounds in your relationship with Jesus Christ this year.  Also, I hope that you will be able to make some new and wonderful friendships this year.  I know this is not your strong point.  You hide behind your shyness and wait for others to make the first move.  Ask God for courage, my sweet love, this year to speak up and to be the one to introduce yourself.  You can do it, and you will reap the benefits of good friendships for a lifetime!
    I love you, Gabi!  Happy happy birthday to you!  I can't wait to see what wonderful things this year will bring for you.
          all my love, always and forever,
                            Momma

 {happy surprise!}

 {Daddy's girl always}

{happy chocolate cake}

Little Piglet

Ah, Momma's milk just isn't enough for this little piglet anymore.  Thus we have begun our adventure in "solids."
Here she is giving her take on rice cereal.  Not bad, Momma, but the pureed pears you gave me yesterday were infinitely better than this!
Yeah, I should have held off on the liquid sugar a little longer...

Train Fever

What is it about little boys and trains? Honestly, the Beast never really seemed to care about trains, but our Spud seems to have been born with a toy train in his hand. He is THAT obsessed. He does love him some Thomas and Friends, but he is perfectly willing to play with generic trains too. Spud will take quite a bit of time to set up his tracks in the morning and then spend hours driving his trains endlessly around the track. Whatever pull those trains have on the little guy, I want in on their secret. If he paid half as much attention to me as he did those trains, I would be Mother of the Year!

Anyway, when we found out a train show would be in Portland a few weeks ago, we (the Nerd) thought it would be a fun event for the kids. (That's because he read the ticket information that said kids were FREE!) Adults were ten dollars each, and they lured you in with promises that all kids would get to ride Thomas the Tank Engine.

Most of the rest of the show was run by guys who are a little too into their trains, if you know what I mean. They are the kind that search and search for the perfect tree replica to put in a special spot in their train set-up in their house. Still, my little man was bursting at the seams with excitement at all the trains!

Not only did several very kind vendors let him "operate" their trains, but he also spent some time in a play area playing with Thomas trains and lots and lots of plastic tracks. Pretty much the same thing he could have done at home, except at home we don't have a hot dog vendor standing nearby tempting kids with his $4 hot dogs and sodas.

There was a giant Lego city set up in the middle of the show. The Beast was especially enamored with the pirate ship and kept sneaking under the rope to "get a better look." The guys who had spent over fourteen hours building the city were having mini panic attacks at this threat to their handiwork. I did my best to keep my extremely over-stimulated Beast from doing any damage.

We were able to get in the line early to ride Thomas the Tank Engine. Spud's eyes were wide at the fact that we were getting to see the "real Thomas." The Beast was in awe of the steam that came out of Thomas' smoke stack. All of us were a little underwhelmed at the very short and uneventful ride the kids got.

I still don't get why trains have such a magnetic appeal for my son. Seeing his face light up at the show, though, was worth stopping at every. single. booth. to look at the trains. And then, when the Nerd decided to take them on a ride on a "real train" (i.e. the Metro downtown), the kids' reactions were priceless. Totally worth the ticket money and outrageous downtown parking fees!

Valentines Scavenger Hunt

What is one to do to ensure that her homeschooled daughter receives a whole pile of Valentines on the holiday of love? Have a Valentines scavenger hunt, of course. All you need is a bunch of valentines, candy, paper, and a pen, and you're set to make this a tradition in your house. (The Drama Queen loved it so much that she asked if we could have a scavenger hunt for every holiday!)

Anyway, the night before Valentines Day I went around the house and hid sweet little valentines and candy for the kids, three of each in each hiding spot so no kid was left out. I then wrote out a series of (easy!) clues for the kids to use to find all their treats. Here is a little glimpse into the action: (disclaimer - our hunt took place first thing after breakfast. The Drama Queen had already gotten dressed, but somehow the Beast had become Spiderman during the night and the Spud had lost his pajama pants. I took photos anyway.)

Hosanna Joy's Birth Story

Okay, so it took me a while to get this posted - a month after the sweet baby girl was born, in fact. But here it is - the story of the arrival of baby number four to our family.

When my estimated due date came and went, I posted this picture on Facebook. I was so ready to have that baby! The nights were miserable with painful Braxton Hicks contractions, and the days were endless. I had not been able to make any firm commitments to attend any of the various Christmas functions we had been invited to since we had no idea when Little Sprout finally would make her appearance. The day after my due date, I attended a Ladies' Christmas Ornament Exchange Party for my church and stopped counting how many people asked, "Oh so you haven't had that baby yet?"

On Friday evening (December 9), after doing several laps at the mall and Target and only ending up with swollen ankles and an aching back, I saw online that there was going to be a lunar eclipse in the early morning. Not only that, but a full moon was scheduled for that Saturday night. I'm by no means superstitious, but both of my boys had been born during a full moon - so I was hopeful. Unfortunately, it was entirely too foggy in our area to view the lunar eclipse that morning. I had even set my alarm for 4:00 am to see it! That morning, I could barely move because I was experiencing some intense lower back pain. I had had this pain off and on during the pregnancy. I was bummed because I wanted the pain to at least be productive contractions! We decided to go out with the kids for a little while, but I was exhausted and hurting. The back spasms kept coming and I just wanted to go home and sleep. Our Sunday School class had a Christmas party scheduled for that evening. We had not planned on going because we thought Little Sprout would have arrived by then. I didn't really feel like going but thought it might be distracting and help keep my mind off the whole "when is this baby going to come?"

While dropping the kids off at childcare before heading to the party, the back spasms started getting much more intense. I could barely breathe when they came, nearly doubling me over with pain. A friend suggested that I might be in labor, but since I had never experienced back labor with my other babies, I was reluctant to think this might be true. I was also really tired of false labor! At the party, everyone was merrily eating and talking. I could barely take a bite before I would feel that "stabbed in the back" pain, and I would have to sit there and force myself to breathe through it. The Nerd convinced me to start timing the back spasms, in case it really was labor. They started becoming very regular, about ten minutes apart and lasting forty seconds to a minute. I still insisted on staying at the party for the gift exchange :) At this point, I was having trouble focusing on anyone or anything. We left the party and went to pick up the kids. Although I was against it, the Nerd called the hospital to let them know I was in labor. By this time, the contractions were 8 minutes apart, but I was sure the nurse was just going to tell me to wait it out until they got closer together before coming in to the hospital. However, she told us to come in right away.

My in-laws came and got the kids, and we headed in to the hospital. While walking to the labor and delivery floor, I had to stop every couple of minutes and work through a contraction. I remember thinking that I had never experienced such painful contractions in either of my previous deliveries. I looked out the window while we were checking in and noticed the full moon. It wasn't long before the nurses had me settled in a room and hooked up to the monitors and IV. The Nerd started setting up his cot and letting people know I was in labor. We knew from previous babies that my labors were long, so there was no need to rush things. The midwife came in to check my cervix and announced, to my great shock, that I was 8 cm dilated and would be delivering the baby within the next couple of hours! Everything started happening so quickly at that point. I asked if I could still get an epidural to help with the back pain. The anesthesiologist told me that he could give me an epidural but that it wouldn't be able to take full effect since I was so close to delivering. It took him two tries (ouch!) but he finally got it in. At that point, any relief from the back pain was welcome! Apparently Little Sprout was positioned right up against my tailbone and the pressure was causing the back spasms. At midnight, I was ready to push, and after 45 tiring minutes of pushing, this adorable little girl came into our lives and stole our hearts instantly:

I wasn't able to hold her right away. Her lungs had a lot of fluid in them; so she had to lay flat in the warm bassinet for a while in order for her muscles not to work so hard to breathe. But oh! When they finally placed little Hosanna Joy in my arms, my heart swelled with happiness as I looked at my brand-new daughter.

She looked just like a girly version of our Spud. Her head of dark hair amazed and delighted us.

The Nerd was instantly smitten - another Daddy's girl has joined our family!

When the siblings were able to come visit later that morning, the Beast would not leave her side. The others got distracted by flashing buttons and curtains and nurses that gave them ice cream. The Beast held his little sister with great pride and showered her with kisses.

The Spud was pretty excited too! Look at that face!

We had an amazing stay at the hospital - our nurses were wonderful and everything went so well. But we were more than ready to take our newest addition home that Tuesday morning. She fits into our family like a glove - now just a month later and none of us can imagine our family without her.

Welcome, Hosanna Joy! Our family was not complete until you arrived, and now our lives are even more full of joy. :)

Best. Christmas. Ever.

This Christmas was definitely a little chaotic. But I consider it our best Christmas ever. (so far, of course.)

Because the kids took such care in making and selecting their cookies for Santa. And because I got to watch them anticipate the magic of Christmas in a way that only a child can.

Because they posed in their new Christmas jammies. (And because this year I think we got the cutest ones yet!)

Because we were blessed with an abundance of loot. :) And because it helped wile away the last days of pregnancy by choosing the best wrapping paper and eagerly anticipating the kids' reactions to all the gifts we chose just for them.

Because we could take time to sit down and remind ourselves of the real reason behind Christmas. And because it's such a powerful story - I can read it to the kids all year long and remind them that although Santa's a lot of fun, Jesus changed the world that night!

Because we got new matching Christmas stockings for the kids this year. (see Hosanna's peeking out behind the Spud?) And because I got to see the simple joy on my kids' faces as they pulled out Christmasy chapsticks and "grown-up" electric toothbrushes.

Because, this year, the Spud really "got it." He ripped into each present with great excitement, screeching what it was at the top of his lungs. Because he was the first to check to be sure that Santa had eaten his cookies and drunk his Pepsi.

Because my sweet girl showed genuine appreciation for each gift. ( and took this cute little fellow to bed with her that night!)

Because my kids spent the entire day experimenting with their new toys, taking baths so they could try out their new bath sets, and cheerfully playing together. Those are picture-worthy moments!

But, most of all, because we received the best Christmas present of all this year - the present of a new family member, who just so happens to be cute as a button. We are all thrilled with this gift and thank God that He saw fit to bless us with such a wonderful bundle of joy.

Christmas 2011 was a blessed day for us! I hope your Christmas was equally full of joyful memories!

thankful

short and sweet today.

The Drama Queen was helping me make a "so grateful" book today, and it reminded me of the innumerable blessings, small and big, in my life.

so grateful for:

grilled cheese for lunch on a cold rainy day

sibling love

imaginative play

online shopping

surprise gifts in the mail

supportive friends

the last weeks of tummy kicks :)

the excitement of waiting for Little Sprout to make an appearance

funny things my kids say

libraries

the comfort of God's Word

the anticipation of leftover turkey sandwiches

spending time with my littles

spending time away from my littles (recharge the batteries!)

coffee. oh yes.

Thinking Back

A year ago, I was blessed to take my daughter on a fun mommy/daughter trip all the way to Ontario, Canada, to visit my sister, her husband, and her new baby girl for two weeks.

We snuggled up on the airplane while the Drama Queen talked about anything and everything . And I got to listen - and revel in this time I had to devote to just one child. I had no idea that within a year she would no longer be my "only daughter." It makes me doubly glad we splurged a little to take this special trip - just me and my girl.


The time I got to spend with my tiny baby niece and the time that my daughter got to spend with her tiny baby cousin was priceless. It makes me excited to see her interact and bond with her baby sister in just a few months.

The relationship of a mother and her daughter is so precious. For a long time now, it has just been the Drama Queen and I, holding our own in a house of boys. Although we are extremely excited for the arrival of Little Sprout, I want to treasure these last moments of "just me and her" before we add another girl to the mix. This past Thursday night I surprised her and took her to Movie in the Park for a mommy/daughter date, armed with homebaked chocolate chip cookies and a warm blanket.

Here's hoping for many more sweet moments like these!

Precious Moments

Now that school is out for the Drama Queen, we have settled into a different and much more relaxed morning routine. I still get up before the kids do and try to get in some quiet time before the ruckus starts. When the kids come bouncing out of their rooms at 7:30 am or so, I make them breakfast and listen to their childish prattle. I then usually have the kids pick a show to watch on Netflix so I can check email, Facebook, and bloggy endeavors in peace for a half hour.

This morning, after a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and cow juice, I told the Beast it was his turn to pick the morning television fare. He pressed up against my leg and said, "Momma, I just want to snuggle with you. Can we watch something on the computer with you?" Oh, sweet mercy, my heart melted and I hoisted all 45 pounds of beastliness onto my lap as we perused the Disney Junior site for something fun to watch. Not wanting to be left out, the Spud began climbing on the side of the chair, begging for a space to snuggle too. With the Beast occupying one knee and the Spud the other, we cuddled and watched an episode of Little Einsteins together. My right leg fell asleep (can you guess which kid was sitting there?!) and I had to keep adjusting so that little Sprout would not get smooshed, but I savored every uncomfortable second. The requests to snuggle and the spur-of-the-moment hugs and kisses are not as frequent as they were before. Often it is me asking for the cuddle time; so when my little guys initiate it, it is pure bliss. I am reminded to cherish these times as I am all too well aware that the scarcity of such precious moments will only increase over time.

Felling nostalgic, I brought up some photos of the kids exactly one year ago and studied their chubby faces and lopsided grins. How much change one year brings! Just look at their sweet sweet selves:

Oh, I miss those days already! But, I don't want to dwell on past memories and miss the cuteness, the charm, the mischief, and the fun that is my life right now. I will have plenty of time later to cherish the MEMORIES; right now I want to cherish the MOMENTS!

Grandmas Are Cool

What better way to start a snow day than to wake up and discover that Grandma has come over to spend the whole day! Breakfast tastes so much yummier when cuddled on Grandma's lap reading the current favorite, Amelia Bedelia. Movies and fun TV shows are watched, and many exciting games of Uno Moo and Candyland are played with great vigor. Magazines and McDonalds' breakfast are brought over to spoil Mommy. Even potty training is a lot more exciting when Grandma is there!

Best of all, Grandma stays through the evening so Mommy and Daddy can go out on a date. While Mommy and Daddy are enjoying Chang's Mongolian Grill, Grandma reads more books and gives everyone a wonderful bubble bath. She even lets all the kiddies camp out on the boys' room floor for a "sleepover."

Yeah, Grandmas are pretty cool. . .

Five

Five years ago today the most beautiful baby girl entered my life and changed it forever.

I never thought one tiny human being could affect me that much. I instantly fell in love with her downy white-blonde hair, her brilliant blue eyes, and her sweet soft femininity.

I watched her grow from a smiling baby to a squirmy toddler, marveling at how quickly she reached each milestone and reveling in the delight of having a girl.

Barely past her first year of life, I introduced her to a chunky little guy that made her a big sister. She became second mother and instant playmate all at once.

A year and a half later, we gifted her with another little brother. She took it all in stride, enjoying her status as "oldest kid" and "only girl."

Since then, our drama queen has been growing like crazy. And I don't mean the "letting-out-the-hems-again" growing (although that certainly has been happening!), but the "I'm a big kid now and I can do practically everything by myself" growing. It has been both wonderful and terrifying to watch.

Now I catch her doing all sorts of things - reading books on her own, bossing her brothers around, matching her little outfits, telling knock-knock jokes to her friends, giggling at some preschool gossip, helping with the housework, and more.

She's getting to be quite grown-up. And I'm not sure I like it.

I just want to keep my little girl with the big cheesy grin and extreme exuberance for life (I never knew anyone to get as excited about pancakes as that one!) forever.

Five is not so bad. It seems so much bigger than four, but at least it's not fifteen.

I love you, sweet little angel - my "pickle head". :) Happy Fifth Birthday!