Whiney Wednesday

In an effort to purge myself of life's small annoyances and lest I scandalize anyone in thinking that I am living homeschooling dream perfection, I thought I would participate in this. At least this week.

1. Adelle has hit the teething hard. It is making me very tired. She had been down to one nursing between 10 and 6 and would go back down in her crib after she ate. Alas, no longer. Multiple nursings a night that may or may not need snuggling afterward (like, I put her back down and abooout when I am asleep again she is awake and grumpy). It is a bummer for her, too, poor little thing. *yawn* Pass the coffee, please.

2. I am excited about moving to our new house, but I haaaate packing. The Learning Room and I have been doing battle for the last week. I keep trying, but everytime I walk in there, it just overwhelms me. It is getting done, little by little.

3. Having a hard time coming up with a third. Hmmm. Mosquitos? Issy got bit by several in our new backyard yesterday afternoon, apparently I need to get some sort of repellent.

If you would like to participate in Whiney Wednesday, click here.

Motherhood

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." -- Elizabeth Stone

I was laying in bed early this morning, nursing the baby and this quote came to mind. It is so spot on, at least for me. I remember being a teenager, surrounded by nieces and nephews and dreaming of the day when it would be my turn to get married and have a baby.

A baby. Even during our engagement, when Joe and I first started talking about our future family, that is what I thought of- babies.

Perhaps it was very shortsighted of me not to think about how my babies would someday grow into toddlers. Then preschoolers. Then kids. (and teenagers and adults eventually, but I still try not to think too much about that :) Maybe it was God's grace that led my short-sighted 20 year old self to think only about holding a soft, squishy baby and not think about all the sacrifice it would require to raise that baby into an adult and all the stages in between. Because really, if I had been aware of the sacrifice/ sorrow/ raw vulnerability that accompanied the overwhelming joy and Love, would I have jumped into parenthood with such abandon? Perhaps not. But I am forever thankful I did.

I think the first time the above quote became real for me was when Issy was faced with finding friends for the first time. She was so sad. And I couldn't make things better for her. There was no kiss-your-owie-and-make-it-all-better fix. I realized that was just the beginning, too. Over the years, especially as they grow in independence and encounter the world outside their home, there will be numerous occasions like that one. Some smaller and some bigger. I can help at times, but some growing pains situations they will have to navigate on their own. I hope to always be their soft place to land, though.

So what is a Mama to do? As I reflected on this, my recent post about Our Lady of Sorrows came to mind. Perhaps there is more than one reason God led me to choose that day. What a comfort. She was a Mama, watching her Son grow, navigate His way through sometimes painful situations. She shared in His absolute heavenly joy and his infinite Love. And when He was sentenced to death and crucified, she was there. She was His soft place to land.

How good it was of Him to give his mother to us- "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home." (Jn 19: 26-27) What an awesome intercessor for mothers.

Life is pretty busy around here

Our C week books

D Week

My sister Michelle and I decided to put our preschoolers in the Art Start program at the Wichita Art Museum. (well, really, it was her idea, as most of the good ones are :) She watched the biggers and the little ones while I took Annika and Liam there yesterday. The topic was masks- they saw some, read a book about some and made one. Fun time for our kids!

The fruits of their labors.

Our big four year olds. I remember when they were born!

Grammie took the kids on a walk the other day and these are all the nature things they collected, which they proudly displayed on the kitchen table.

In other news, we are currently taking a break from the Alphabet Path (we are sticking with our core stuff, just scaled back a lot) while we pack and move. It is just to a house across town, right by Joe's work, which will be really nice for him. I hope to take up the Alphabet Path again sometime mid- October, once we are all settled. The kids have really been enjoying it!

Adelle says, "Wait, what? You are moving?"

"Don't forget to take me!"

Discoveries!

We have been working this school year on being observant. Noticing things around you- the beauty of nature, creatures, weather, the feelings of others. Becoming aware little people. Taking the time to stop and admire things (I have a hard time with this!) and taking in all the details.

So it was very interesting when this little (big!) guy hopped onto our window. We stood and studied him for ten minutes, admiring everything about him.

We had the opportunity to visit some friends who have a house on some land. We got to pick apples and pears (which we made into applesauce!) and see baby chicks. The kids had a great time!

D is for doughnuts (and St. Dominic, dinosaurs and double daisies!)

Our Lady of Sorrows

9 years ago today, Joe and I consecrated ourselves to Mary on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It seemed appropriate at the time, the choice of feast day- my own mother had just died two and a half weeks prior. Although I don't spend as much time in my devotion to Mary as I used to, this post has given me occasion to reflect on the ways that her intercession has made a difference in my life over the last nine years. I mean, I will only be able to know all the ways it has changed me on the other side of eternity, but even now I can understand that she has been able to take the prayers from this mother's heart and lay them at the feet of her Son. What a wonderful gift God gave us in the Blessed Mother!

A is for Apple Pie

A couple of weeks ago, during A week, we made an Apple Pie to share with Grammie and Grandpa after dinner one night.

Take some Apples

+
Cute Kids

=
A Apple Pie

We had the opportunity to go to a local park for some nature study last week.

We saw some Bull Thistle

I think we decided this was Goldenrod?

Gumweed
And our cute little learners, sketching their discoveries.

Hard not to love...

Some of my best Adelle pictures are of her sitting in the high chair. Because then she can't get away.

Look, Mom! I can get my foot in on the action too!

Hey! Just talking on the phone here!

Could you hold on a minute? I am talking on the phone!!

9 years

I remember my Dad sitting my sister and me down on her porch swing that hot, August day nine years ago and telling us that Hospice had been in to see her that day and that her time was close.

I already knew it, though. She had been mostly sleeping the three days prior and was disoriented when she was awake. The night before she was so restless. I laid in my bed hearing her on and off. But that morning, she was quiet. I remember pulling up a chair beside her bed before I left for school and telling her that I would miss her but she could go if she needed to go.

So the porch swing conversation came as no surprise.

And we went to her. The 6 grandkids came and said their good-byes and went to stay with a family friend. Our priest came to do Anointing of the Sick. My father, sisters, brothers-in-law, her twin, a family friend, me and my then-fiance/now-husband stayed with her that evening. Telling stories of her. Praying her into her next life. Her breathing slowed, slowed more and then she left.

It was, by far, the most painful and sad experience that I have had in my life, at least this far. But I tell her birth into new life story because it was also so beautiful.

Beauty and Sorrow held hands that night.`

She is gone, but not forgotten. My little Issy, upon discussing her name saints, said, "There is a Saint Issy! My grandma!" Indeed, little one.

Some birthday and some cuteness

Here are a couple of pictures from Liam's birthday. In this picture, I am holding back his head because just prior to this he had leaned dangerously close to the candles.

The look of delight on his face in this picture tickles me. It is just pure, exuberant Liam.

The boys love it when Issy reads to them.

After our wet zoo day I decided I should take the kids for a non-wet zoo day. Well, as you might be able to tell from the jackets and umbrellas, I didn't exactly meet my goal, though it wasn't to bad. It just drizzled for a little while and then tapered off and we got to enjoy a cool, cloudy time.

I know I am biased, but I think my Adelle is just the most adorable little sugar :D Issy was playing dress up with her and put her in her butterfly wings and antenna from last Halloween.

First day of school

When I was a little girl, I was always so excited about the first day of school (that changed when I was about 16 :P). I could hardly sleep the night before, awake with the anticipation of everything that lie ahead. Even though the kids aren't going to school I was hoping to give them a little piece of that excitement. We talked about everything we were planning this year, the fun, the lessons, what they would like to learn about. All in all, yesterday was a pretty good day, although it showed me what might need some tweaking. I feel like every year we do this, the more comfortable I get with it, the more enthusiastic I get and they really respond to that. Here is to a great year!

Sketching pictures of apple trees.

Morning prayer time. Isaac was trying to get Adelle to look up, she just wanted to look at the book.

Since I have been dwelling on all the things that are unsatisfactory about my life right now (not here on my blog, but in my head) I am going to say how grateful I am for this morning. There was a thunderstorm last night, which left the morning coolish, breezy, cloudy and green. The perfect morning to open up a window, sit down with my cup of coffee and breathe fresh air. My heart aches for the mountains most days, so days like this make Kansas ok. I am very, very grateful for that.

Sweet boy is four.

Liam was in bed with me when we woke up this morning. I whispered, "Happy birthday, my little Li" to him and he said, "That is TODAY?!". He threw back the covers and looked at his legs and said, "Am I bigger?!" He stood up on the bed briefly, looked at himself and decided that yes, he had grown :D

Four years with Liam. I can't say it has all been unicorns and rainbows, but it has never been dull. He is a sweet, chatty, personable, persistent, funny little boy and I am glad I am his Mommy.

August 2010

March 2008 (19 months)

Wet day at the zoo

Well, we decided to go to the zoo on Sunday to take advantage of the cooler temperatures (finally!) Rain clouds threatened, but I figured it wouldn't rain long if it did at all. It started to rain about the time we got to the zoo. We stood inside the barn for a few minutes until I convinced Joe that we couldn't just stand there all afternoon, so we might as walk around and get a little rainy if need be.

And indeed, we did get wet. This delighted the children- playing in the rain, stomping in puddles. We did the indoor exhibits but it was still raining quite hard in between the buildings.

The soggy fam

Parrot

Vampire bats!

Sling me, Mom!

One day, she got the pouch sling out of the diaper bag (this one, actually.) and brought it over to where I was. She was trying to get in it. I didn't have the heart to tell her it wouldn't work quite the same if someone wasn't wearing it ;) Luckily, this did not bother her and she was persistent and cute. I like this girl.

Those moments.

We started "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume a few days ago as our chapter book read aloud (just finished the Mouse and the Motorcycle books). Yesterday evening, I had started a chapter, we read a while and then I had to go take Adelle and put her to bed. So Issy took the book, sat on the couch and proceeded to read it. When I came back 10 minutes later, I asked her some questions about what she had read to check her reading comprehension and wow, yes, she had been reading. I know she can read- she really looked off reading-wise in January (and she reads things over my shoulder :P), last night was just one of those moments when I saw her growing up. Worlds are opening up for her. Wow. And sigh.

My baby Adelle grows, too. At nearly 14 months, she says: Dada, ow, no, nigh-night, bye-bye, cheeeeeese (for the camera- not too shocking) and my favorite- she walks around with a blanket on her head and makes oooooooooo ghosty noises (the big kids taught her that, they all do it together).

They all grow. Too fast.

Some sweet cuteness

My sweet boys spending some time together before Isaac went off camping with Daddy and Liam got to stay here with me and Adelle.

I was getting breakfast ready and Issy put Adelle on the ottoman and was dancing around her singing a song. This amused her greatly.

Getting to be a big girl!

She was saying "cheeeeeeeese". Technically not the best smile but definite points for cuteness. (And the Liam in the background makes me laugh)