My little reminder

I received so many wonderful and greatly wanted/needed gifts for Christmas: professional quality muffin tins from Julia, a bedskirt for our bed from Daniel (yes, this is what I really wanted-- I guess I'm too practical/home-centered to want things like jewelry or special trips, etc!), a huge ceramic water pitcher from my in-laws, music books for lots of fun with the kids from my parents, and on and on it goes.

But I got one special, special gift from my big sister that you will often find me staring at, especially on those days when I think I just want to throw the towel in and let everybody figure out what they're going to eat, where they're going to sleep, how they're going to get dressed, and when they should go to the bathroom on their own.

It's not just that it's adorably wonderful. It's not just that it represents my own darling family-- us, captured as we are right now. It's not just that it was handmade, a special order with us in mind. It's that sometimes, some days, it's just what I need to look at to remember how blessed I am.

I'm blessed to have five little people running around my feet.

I'm blessed to have a husband who takes an amazingly active role in our children's lives, in my life, and in our home.

I'm blessed to have pretty things to look at and a cozy house to put them in.

I'm blessed to have extended family, like my sister, who love all of us so much.

I'm blessed that all of this comes from a Father who gives me heaps and heaps more than I deserve.

And, somehow, in a very calming and reassuring way, this little gift of miniature people helps me-- in a glance (or a long look, if need be!)-- remember all that I've been given, and how I have a great big God Who is watching over us all.

Absence

My computer time is limited these days due to the fact that my own personal notebook is, well, still broken. I have no one to blame but myself for this; I am, after all, the one who knocked it off my bed and squarely onto the power cord, breaking the power jack and rendering it useless once the battery was fully used up (basically, about 4 hours of use later). Honestly, I don't complain a bit about the fact that I only get to use a computer when Daniel's is available for my use-- that is more than I deserve! And I am beyond grateful for the online updates I grab here and there throughout most days thanks to Daniel's kindness in leaving this home as often as he possibly thinks he can go without it.

But the truth is, I don't have computer access during the day. And when I do have it, I frantically gather recipes from websites that used to be available to me at the simple stroke of a key. I respond to emails. I order the miscellaneous items that I purchase for our home each month online. I check my gcal in an effort to keep my life together. I try to keep up with our family photos by getting them saved into albums that can be easily printed.

I don't blog.

And certainly, my lack of blogging is definitely somewhat due to the limited computer access I am granted. But it's also because I find that I'm less inspired when I try to sit down and make myself write. Blogging is fastest and most efficiently done in the moment of inspiration. Making myself write simply because I have a computer with which to write seems to take forever. And besides, where, may I ask, is the fun in that?

But be assured, readers, we are alive.

We are busy, but happy. We are laughing a lot and crying a bit, too. Homeschooling is keeping me thoroughly engrossed. Our calendars are filling up and our hearts are ever expanding. We're reading more. I'm eating sweets less. My floors aren't getting cleaned as often as they should, but the laundry is caught up. Claire is growing and getting the fattest cheeks. Aubrey keeps us laughing. Jackson says the sweetest things. Bronwyn is learning what it means to pray from her heart. Gabriel never stops drawing and creating the most amazing things. We are singing together, playing together, learning together, working together, and growing together. All of us.

It's just not showing up online.

Do they come any cuter than this?

It's a birthday!

Today Jackson is four years old. We celebrated him last night with lots of family and his requested dinner of fettuccine alfredo. He was showered with "appreciations" (a family tradition) and lots of gifts that will keep him busy every minute his Christmas gifts don't!

Jackson is so sweet.

He is methodical and cuddly and quiet.

He plays happily by himself for hours.

He doesn't get off his bed until he's allowed. Like, ever.
(I love this about him.)

Jackson loves coffee (it's true) and making steamers with Daddy.

He also loves playing with swords (sound effects and all), stickers, yogurt, and his red sneakers.

We love him.
We're so thankful for these precious four years we've shared with him.
We're excited about the future the Lord has planned for him.
We love celebrating him!

Happy Birthday, Jackson Edward!

The kids

Gabriel has astounded me recently with how well he's reading-- and what kinds of words he's reading. We hadn't really worked on any sorts of phonics since mid-November and I was worried he'd be rusty; on the contrary, he's leaps and bounds ahead of where he was when we left off (maybe I should leave him alone more often?!). Yesterday as he read aloud to me, I wondered how we got here. All of a sudden, that's how.

Bronwyn is so tall these days. And has lost her toddler chub. And has beautiful long hair and an amazing smile. Sometimes I look at her and my breath catches in my throat. She's no longer one of my "littles," but a girl. A lovely, sparkly, growing-faster-than-I can-comprehend girl.

Jackson will be four in two days. In his own laid-back, quiet way, his whole face smiles as he talks about his birthday cake ("With M&M's, right, Mom?") and Uncle Merrick coming for his party and getting to go to junior church instead of the toddler nursery on Sunday. I love celebrating with him. I just wish we weren't already celebrating his fourth birthday.

Aubrey is sleeping in a big girl bed. And going potty (occasionally) on the potty chair. And eager to be given chores, like setting the table and dusting the bookshelves. Forget wanting to be one of the big kids-- she's certain she's one of the adults! Lately, I find myself enthralled with her conversation: such entertaining thoughts and such an animated face. I can't get enough of her.

Claire laughed. Her first deep, rolling, can-hardly-breathe, belly laugh. It was amazing. And then I just stared at her face. I found myself trying so hard to forever etch the way she looks today in my memory. It will be but a moment and she'll be reading aloud to me, too.

Ordination recollections

There were many great words and exhortations shared...

    









There was a solemn charge to pursue God and to be a faithful shepherd...





Some of our children got a little restless...





We laughed a lot...

We were showered with extravagant gifts that we will never forget...





And it was done... and it fit...

    

Little things I love

:: Pilot precise rolling ball pens. Strictly reserved for writing in my journal. I just might freak out if I find you using any of my special pens for something less worthy.

:: a rule I learned as a child and have since passed on to my own children: Don't Get the Next Thing Out Until the Last Thing is Put Away. Total life saver.

:: Orbit wintermint gum. Yum.

:: Hand lotion-- preferably Curel, but any kind will do in a pinch. I use it all. day. long during these dry winter months.

:: candles. Everywhere. Glowing on dark evenings. Making our spirits a bit warmer and brighter. (Gotta love $1 jar candles that allow such luxuries.)

:: our colorful klean kanteens. No more washing hundreds of cups each day as the kids keep hydrated.

:: the smiles on little faces as I serve them hot chocolate after winter outdoor playtime. Does it get any easier to make a kid's day than that???

Changing

Claire is now 2 months old.

:: She smiles liberally, which everyone who "talks" to her loves-- most of all me. She's recently started cooing and interacting a whole lot more, but overall she continues to be a fairly quiet baby.

:: I think it will be a while before she rolls over. Almost every time I put her on the floor, she gets smothered by her big sister Aubrey. What can I say? I fear that her eyes will get poked out more than I fear that she will never learn to move.

:: I'm not entirely certain how much she weighs, but in mid-December she was just shy of 11lbs, so I'm guessing she's around 12lbs now. She's getting a chubbier face all the time, which I love.

:: She's not quite big enough for Aubrey's hand-me-down small fuzzi bunz diapers yet, so we're still using the kissaluvs that Danica lent us. Thank goodness for those. I put her in a smattering of clothing sizes, going more by whether or not it looks okay than by the tag (she's wearing everything from newborn to 6m at this point).

:: Sleeping hasn't been quite as stellar lately due to a bad chest cold, but at least it only means that her 8-hour stretch is only reduced to a 5-hour stretch before she's waking to nurse.

:: She is changing every single day, which is good and right. But I do get very weepy thinking about her newborn days being over.

Hello, 2010

We returned home Friday night after a week in Pittsburgh with lots of family and friends. It was a great 6 days away, packed with visiting and eating and laughing and playing. The trip itself went very well: Aubrey was the only child we momentarily considered dropping off on the side of the road due to excessive whining (just kidding!). And, fortunately, we traveled ahead of the massive snowstorm that's hit New York and is keeping us rather housebound today.

The holidays are definitely feeling over at this point. My sister and her family have returned to California and the last of the special holiday events/activities have taken place. We de-decked the halls yesterday. Without the tree (Daniel & I took it apart Christmas night after we put the kids to bed since we were leaving the next day and wouldn't be around to water it), things didn't look cozy and Christmas-y around here, so it seemed silly to keep the other decorations up.

While we were gone, we had some sickness. Jackson and Aubrey both had sore throats, Jackson had an earache and fever, and Claire got very congested. Nobody was so sick that our plans for activities in Pittsburgh were significantly hindered, but by the middle of the night last night, Bronwyn, Jackson, and Aubrey were coughing and drippy-nosed just like their baby sister. Only Daniel and Gabriel got to go to the special New Year service at church today that we had so carefully made our travel plans around. I was disappointed, to say the least, but I've gotten over it by now.

Tomorrow we will be getting back into routine, though I won't start back with our regular school "schedule" until next Monday. Hopefully between now and then, the sickness will have moved on and I will get Claire into a bit of a routine. These first 2 months of hers have been all over the place since she was born on the precipice of a busy holiday season; the only groove we'd established was her bedtime, but even that has disappeared with the onset of this bad cold.

I'm glad for a new year, a new beginning. I feel ready to take on this semester and see what will come of it. It's good to know that whatever comes, Jesus is in control. Indeed, "the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places."