Two parents, four children, and our adventures in food, music and travel.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
One Row At A Time
This is extreem knitting at it's finest. Click on the blue underlined words below to read the story:
Knitting with utility poles
Knitting with utility poles
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Friday, May 12, 2006
go baby go!
Though I'm not a morning person, my little men are at full throttle from the moment they hit the floor. Here's a clip of their latest and greatest: head-to-head racing.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Big Boy
Two days ago on Hannah's birthday, Elijah took his first steps. Greg gave him two plastic eggs, then backed away, and he took 10 or 15 steps towards him. Since then we haven't really been able to get him to take more than a step or two, because he's too smart and knows our tricky ways now. I wasn't able to grab my camera fast enough to record thish event for all of you, but I do have another "first" here:
Monday, May 08, 2006
Neighbor drips
Ok, I've got several new kid videos, but I'll release them one at a time so you'll have something to look forward to. I had to show you all this one first, because it's just so unbelievable.
Have you watched it? Ok, then read on:
Soon after that, the neighbor came home to discover that he'd left some meat thawing in the sink with water running over it....when he went out to the store. The meat had thawed, sagged down into the drain and clogged it. The water was making his kitchen into a lake, as well as ours. By the time an hour had passed, Greg had emptied those buckets three times each. Thankfully, everything dried out just fine, and nothing of ours was damaged. At least it wasn't the toilet again. Now, if that had happened while we were out, we would have been pretty upset (we kept a bunch of important things on the counter, but have since found safer homes for them). So everything turned out fine in the end. Thank God! Also, we got to meet the neighbors.
Have you watched it? Ok, then read on:
Soon after that, the neighbor came home to discover that he'd left some meat thawing in the sink with water running over it....when he went out to the store. The meat had thawed, sagged down into the drain and clogged it. The water was making his kitchen into a lake, as well as ours. By the time an hour had passed, Greg had emptied those buckets three times each. Thankfully, everything dried out just fine, and nothing of ours was damaged. At least it wasn't the toilet again. Now, if that had happened while we were out, we would have been pretty upset (we kept a bunch of important things on the counter, but have since found safer homes for them). So everything turned out fine in the end. Thank God! Also, we got to meet the neighbors.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
You asked for it...
Wave and kiss:
Goodnight My Father (missing the second line, but he remembered most of it) =):
Goodnight My Father (missing the second line, but he remembered most of it) =):
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Handmade = Treasure The Moments
Here is Andrew, getting ready for his nap. He's sleeping on a fleece pillow that my friend Emily made for him, the blanket tucked around him is from my friend Idella, and the crocheted one next to him is one I made last year.
All little children that I have known recognize and appreciate handmade. As I was settling him for his nap just now, it got me thinking. The development of our children as people depends on our hands, our care, our time. When Andrew asks me to sing Goodnight My Father* to him one more time, or insists that I repeat the "ABC's" starting at "QRS", when he begs me to pray for him just a little longer (= cuddle time) and screams if I shut the door before he gets a chance to say "I love you too, Mommy", I am investing in a man. I am handshaping his character.
I read today in the book Beautiful In God's Eyes (by Elizabeth George) that "...50% of a child's character and personality development takes place by age three, and 75% by age five". The laundry needs to be done, there's little fingerprints on the walls, my dining room set is sticky, the floor is wanting a good scrub, my hair isn't fixed, I haven't put my makeup on yet...but my children need me. Getting the Stuff done is important. But investing my time, treasuring the moments with my babies, is always first.**
*Goodnight My Father is a song Barbara Cuomo taught me in Sunday school when I was probably 6 or 7. She handed out the lyrics on these little pieces of paper. I think she wrote it herself. I put the paper in my bottom drawer and still had it when I moved out to Tulsa in '01. The lyrics are a little choppy, and some of it may have changed a little with my memory, but it has comforted me in more situations than I can count. It's a beautiful prayer, and I'm so glad that Andrew loves it too. Maybe I'll put up a video sometime of Andrew singing it so that you all can hear how it goes.
Here are the lyrics:
Goodnight my father, put thoughts of Jesus in my head
Holy Spirit comfort me, put angels all around my bed
And fill my dreams with the things that please you
I long to hear Your sweet voice, it is so peaceful.
**To balance this, I assure you that I realize: Greg comes before the kids, God comes before Greg. =)
All little children that I have known recognize and appreciate handmade. As I was settling him for his nap just now, it got me thinking. The development of our children as people depends on our hands, our care, our time. When Andrew asks me to sing Goodnight My Father* to him one more time, or insists that I repeat the "ABC's" starting at "QRS", when he begs me to pray for him just a little longer (= cuddle time) and screams if I shut the door before he gets a chance to say "I love you too, Mommy", I am investing in a man. I am handshaping his character.
I read today in the book Beautiful In God's Eyes (by Elizabeth George) that "...50% of a child's character and personality development takes place by age three, and 75% by age five". The laundry needs to be done, there's little fingerprints on the walls, my dining room set is sticky, the floor is wanting a good scrub, my hair isn't fixed, I haven't put my makeup on yet...but my children need me. Getting the Stuff done is important. But investing my time, treasuring the moments with my babies, is always first.**
*Goodnight My Father is a song Barbara Cuomo taught me in Sunday school when I was probably 6 or 7. She handed out the lyrics on these little pieces of paper. I think she wrote it herself. I put the paper in my bottom drawer and still had it when I moved out to Tulsa in '01. The lyrics are a little choppy, and some of it may have changed a little with my memory, but it has comforted me in more situations than I can count. It's a beautiful prayer, and I'm so glad that Andrew loves it too. Maybe I'll put up a video sometime of Andrew singing it so that you all can hear how it goes.
Here are the lyrics:
Goodnight my father, put thoughts of Jesus in my head
Holy Spirit comfort me, put angels all around my bed
And fill my dreams with the things that please you
I long to hear Your sweet voice, it is so peaceful.
**To balance this, I assure you that I realize: Greg comes before the kids, God comes before Greg. =)
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The Boys Ride Out
Greg is amazing. He agrees to do things I'd never do. Like, for instance, taking the boys out on each of their respective vehicles together -- Elijah on the four-wheeler and Andrew on his tricycle. Brave guy. Elijah needs the button pushed the whole time too, so he has to hunch over for the entirety of the walk. The boys love it though. Check out this little video for a super cute action shot.
(I especially love the riding away shot of the little peachy head and sticking out ears, while Andrew speeds away in the distance.)
(I especially love the riding away shot of the little peachy head and sticking out ears, while Andrew speeds away in the distance.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)