macaroni on my toes

Why haven't I been using my double stroller for the past two years???  Today we discovered that Flora, Scout, and Timber can all ride quite comfortably in the double stroller.  That means Mommy gets to exercise OUTSIDE!  Hooray!  And exercise I did!  That's 97 lbs of cuteness packed into that stroller.  Uphill or down, pushing these three through the neighborhoods was a real workout.  We went for a long walk this morning while it was still cool and then around the block a couple times this afternoon.  It was supposed to be an afternoon walk in which we ALL walked but ten yards down the sidewalk Scout decided he didn't want to walk.  So, we piled into the stroller again.

And then they decided to play dress-up this afternoon.  Our dress-up clothes collection is quite impressive thanks to a few hand-me-downs, a few good yard sales, and a 90% off Halloween costume sale at Target last year.  Money can't buy these expressions though!  

Ah, dinnertime -- possibly my least favorite hour of the day.  We were supposed to have grilled chicken but Chris got home later than he thought he would (and I don't do raw chicken) so I had to go to Plan B for the kids (the grown-ups will still have chicken later tonight).  Macaroni & Cheese to the rescue!  Except they didn't want to eat their macaroni.  I took a bite out of the pan to show them how good it was and suddenly they all wanted a bite of MY macaroni.  Finally I just sat down with the pan in my lap and let them eat all the macaroni they wanted. 

In the feeding frenzy that followed I ended up with macaroni on my toes and plenty of macaroni on the kitchen floor but their little bellies were full.  Not pretty, but effective.  Whatever works, right?? 

dickens, days, and darlin's

Perhaps Charles Dickens was raising two boys when he penned the opening words to A Tale of Two Cities.  He seems to describe the love/hate relationship between Scout and Timber perfectly.

A Tale of Two Cities
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way . . .

I would tweak it a bit though . . .

A Tale of Two Brothers
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of learning, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of cuteness, it was the epoch of tantrums, it was the season of Sharing, it was the season of Selfishness, it was the spring of brotherly love, it was the winter of sibling rivalry, we had every toy before us, we fight over one toy before us, we were all going direct to playtime, we were all going direct to time out. . .

You get the point.  The boys fight a lot and it drives me crazy.  From what I've heard this is just part of having boys.  They'll outgrow it.  I think sisters are the opposite.  They get along great at first and then start fighting and driving each other crazy as they enter their tween years.  Of course, eventually they ALL grow up and become mature adults who love and respect one another and don't poke each other in the eye.  Hopefully.   

******

Today is laundry day.  Flora always asks which day it is when she wakes up.  Sunday is church day, Monday is laundry day, Tuesday and Thursday are school days, Wednesday is home day, Friday is Daddy day, and Saturday is the-day-before-church-day day.  

So when she found out that today was laundry day her unexpected response was, "Oh yea!  Mommy, I love laundry day because laundry day means it's family posh day!"  Uh . . . okay.  Whatever that means.  Then she ran off to "get fancy."

And then we were getting ready to go grocery shopping and she walked into the room wearing two different shoes.  I told her to go put on two of the same shoe and her reply was, "Well, Mommy, it's laundry day so there won't be any people at Walmart to see my shoes because they'll all be at home doing laundry."  So then I had to explain that our laundry day wasn't everyone's laundry day. 

******

We always swing by the bakery when we do our Walmart shopping because they give cookies to the kids.  When the nice bakery lady handed Scout his cookie he surprised her and me both when he said, "Thanks, Darlin'!"

innocence and hate

The Westboro Baptist "Church" group picketed Cedar Ridge Christian Church this morning.  If the name "Westboro Baptist Church" doesn't ring a bell these are the people who picket soldiers' funerals, police officers' funerals, and tons of other events holding really hateful signs.  I don't even think they know what they're against anymore.  Everything and everyone that isn't part of their group maybe?? 

Cedar Ridge is where Chris has been doing his church plant residency for the past couple months.  According to Westboro's website (which I will NOT link to -- it's awful), this is the reason they picketed us: 


The preachers are to blame! Westboro will picket this so-called Christian Church (read whore house) because you are ashamed of the gospel of our dear Lord Jesus Christ!  Cedar Ridge Christian Church pretends to preach the gospel of Christ, but is in reality ashamed of it. Rather than preach the whole word of God, warning their fellow man that their sins are taking them to Hell, and teaching their members to strive against sin, they teach that all you have to do is say that you looooove Jesus it is all ok!

First of all, this is not true.  Cedar Ridge is totally grounded in Scripture.  Chris would never serve at a church that didn't preach the whole Gospel and have high expectations of its members. 

Secondly, today was Chris' first time to preach at Cedar Ridge!  What a welcome!  "The preachers are to blame!"  Haha, he did awesome though.  We've been working through an Essential Elements series on the fruit of the Spirit and before we even knew they would be picketing he was very appropriately scheduled to preach on kindness and goodness.  Two characteristics that the Westboro group fails to display. 

So, anyway, we had to drive right past the picketers and their horrible signs to get into the church parking lot.  Thankfully, none of my kids can read yet!  They had tons of questions though.

"Mommy, what are those people doing out there?  Why do they have those signs?  Why are they here?  Who are they?"  I gave very vague and apparently unsatisfactory answers to all their questions.  Finally, Flora realized the answer on her own.

"OH!" she said, "I know, Mommy!  They're probably holding up the words to the songs we sing in church so everyone will know how to sing them!"

Yes, wouldn't that be nice.... 

Ah, innocence.    

arts and crafts

Flora asked me what the next holiday was.  I told her Timber's birthday was the next holiday (because does Labor Day really count as a holiday to a 4-yr-old??) but she told me that birthdays weren't holidays (if birthdays don't count then I'm sure Labor Day wouldn't count).  So we decided that Halloween was the next holiday.  She nodded, disappeared down the hallway, then came back with several sheets of construction paper.  I was given very specific instructions to cut out "a pumpkin WITH a stem, a witch hat, and a ghost with hands."  I did my cutting and she again disappeared into my bedroom where all the art supplies are kept.  Scout came bounding up to me with two orange pieces of paper and asked for pumpkins too.  I cut.  He disappeared.  Hm.....what could they be up to back there??
They made these completely on their own (after I cut the requested shapes).  Flora's witch-ghost and jack-o-lantern are glued to purple paper and decorated with stickers.  Scout created a whole scene by gluing stuff to an old piece of foam board he found -- he told me the brown parts are the roof (with a pumpkin on the roof), the jack-o-lantern is inside the house, the green is the carpet, and the black is the driveway.  I was pretty impressed with their creativity!  Of course, if Timber had been awake I'm sure he would have added a few scribbles to each project.

I've been crafty lately too!  And I'm not usually crafty so I feel the need to brag a little bit.  I finally made my kitchen window look pretty.  It's been ugly for a very long time.


And then I made this wall decoration to hang above my dining table.  It's been a bare yellow wall for years. 

I went through a minimization phase a while back.  Everything came off the walls, the mantle, and every display surface.  I think it was a result of Flora and Scout getting old enough to destroy things.  It was nice for a while but now I'm ready to look at pretty things again.

Hooray for plenty of inspirational ideas on Pinterest!  I'm trying to talk Chris into working part-time at Hobby Lobby (helloooo discount!!!).  

big trucks and dirt

Big dump truck full of dirt. In front of our house. Can we say "better than Dora"???

Mesmerized....

And then the truck dumped the dirt all over Shawn and Katie's driveway! The kids thought this was great!

Sometimes the neighbors gang up on you and dump big piles of dirt in your yard when your husband isn't home (really great neighbors!!).

And, of course, the only thing to do with a big pile of dirt is to let your kids play in it! Immediately followed by bathtime....

more deep thoughts with Scout

We read to the kids from The Jesus Storybook Bible before bed.  It's absolutely the BEST storybook Bible for kids.  The stories are beautifully illustrated and creatively written in language simple enough for kids to understand yet sophisticated enough that I don't feel like I'm reading them The Bible for Preschool Dummies.  I could rave some more about this book but I won't.  If you have young kids you should definitely buy this book.  It's a winner.

So tonight we finally got to the part where Jesus dies on the cross.  The author and illustrator handle the disturbing topic gently but without glossing over any of the important facts.  Jesus died.  He was beaten and mocked.  He was sad to be separated from God.  And he did all those things to rescue us from that very fate.  Pretty heavy stuff whether you're 3-yrs-old or 30-yrs-old.

After the story, Flora left the room to tell Chris something and I asked Scout what he thought of the story.

"Good," he said.
"You liked it?" I asked.
"Yep."
"Why did you like it?"
"Because I like Jesus dying."
"Oh dear, what is wrong with this child???" (is what I thought)
"Why did you like Jesus dying?"  (is what I actually said)
"Because I'm not scared of it," was Scout's reply.
"Why aren't you scared of it?"
"Because I'm saved."

I don't know where he picked up the word "saved" although the book talks a lot about Jesus "saving" or "rescuing" us.  It just struck me as funny that I was worried about the story upsetting them or being too sad or too harsh for them to handle and Scout "got it" right away.  Jesus dying is not a sad story -- it's a great story!  And when I think about it, he's right -- I like Jesus dying too.

"Because I'm saved."

I went ahead and read the next chapter too so the kids could go to bed with visions of a risen Jesus dancing in their heads. 

a picture is worth....

This is the scene I found on the dresser in Flora and Scout's room.  It made me laugh so I thought I would share.  The angels look like they're rolling their eyes, don't they??  Probably muttering "Boys...." under their breath too. 

Timber has learned to climb over the couch but he's not tall enough to climb back.  Our couch is pushed into the bay window area so once you're back there you're stuck unless you can climb over the back of the couch.  Mommy to the rescue!

Flora drew a supercute family picture last night.  It's hanging over my computer right now.  See how she and I are dressed in pink and all the boys are dressed in blue?  This is definitely a keeper.

And finally, look what I found in my hall bathroom yesterday.  The electric outlets in BOTH of our upstairs bathrooms haven't worked since we moved into the house.  That's eight years, folks.  Chris got it in his head yesterday to try to solve this problem.  Again.  He's already attempted this several times over the past eight years.  It has stumped him and several other men with an amateur understanding of electric stuff.  No professionals have been called in because I don't want to pay to have my whole house rewired.  Hm.....even if he doesn't figure out the problem I sense a bathroom remodel in our future.

for the birthday girl

a letter to God

Flora:  Mommy, can I have some paper?  I want to write a note to God.
Me:  Okay, what are you going to tell God?
Flora:  Oh, you know, just some holy stuff.
Me:  Some holy stuff??
Flora:  Yeah, like this:

Dear God, 
Thank you for this world.  I love this world.  And please make all the boys stop being too loud and crazy.  And make all the people who can't see be able to see.  And please make all the kids never get sick again. 
 Love, Flora

she's much better at this than i was

One more post about Flora starting preschool and then I'll probably have it out of my system.  Maybe.  Who knows what preschool adventures await us?  I could be writing on this topic for a loooong time.

So today was Flora's second day of preschool.  I've heard that the second day is often harder than the first so I wasn't sure what to expect from her.  Also, yesterday she spent the first half of the day stating emphatically that she did NOT want to return to school (despite her glowing reports after her first day).  But the first thing she said to me this morning was "Don't forget to put the meat in my lunchbox."  That led me to believe that she was planning to go to school today.  A good sign. 

She ate her breakfast, watched some My Little Pony, and got dressed for school -- asking "When is it time to go to school?" about every five minutes.  Another good sign.  I basically just kept my mouth shut and let her lead all the school conversations.  I didn't want to say the wrong thing. 

At 9:20 we all piled into the van and made the 1 minute commute to her preschool.  Have I mentioned that the preschool is SUPER close to our house??  I love that.  We could walk if we needed to but we'd have to go a couple blocks down to a crosswalk since there's a busy 4-lane street separating us from the school.  But if we HAD to we could do it.  It would just take a lot longer than 1 minute. 

She hopped out of the van and informed me that she was going to go sit by the church doors and wait for me and the boys.  Um, okay....  Scout and Timber and I met her at the doors and we all walked inside.  She led the way to her room and gave her teacher a huge grin before hanging up her backpack and walking into the classroom.  I said goodbye and gave her a kiss and the boys and I headed out the door.  (They were incredibly cute, by the way!  I had asked Scout to hold Timber's hand in the parking lot and they continued to hold hands the whole time we were in the preschool building.) 

And that was it!  Smiles.....no tears......no sad faces or pleas to come home with us.  Awesome!  I can totally handle this!  

Many of you have heard about (or experienced!) my rocky start to school.  I think this is why I was so apprehensive about Flora starting school.  Here's a brief summary of what I put my parents through:

• My birthday was on the cutoff day so my parents were given the choice to send me to Kindergarten or wait until the next year.  They chose to send me.  Bad choice.
• I cried when my mom dropped me off at school.  Every day.  For a couple months.
• The teacher suggested I leave Kindergarten and start again the following year.  Yes, I am a Kindergarten drop out.  She comforted my parents with the fact that I was definitely ready for Kindergarten intellectually, but not socially/emotionally ready yet.  I'm sure that was a great comfort to them.  "Yeah, your daughter is smart but she's socially awkward."  I wonder what kind of future my parents saw for me at that point.....??
• Started Kindergarten the following year.  Cried.  Hid behind a trash can on the first day and refused to come out.  Hated school.  Rolled my eyes every time we were forced to "do the hokey pokey."  Yes, I was THAT kid.  
• Cried on the first day of school all the way up to fifth grade.  I didn't cry on the first day of fifth grade but I definitely got teary-eyed.  The scent of freshly sharpened pencils still puts a knot in my belly to this day.
• Was prone to crying fits whenever anything new or unexpected presented itself throughout elementary school.  Substitute teacher?  Cry.  Boy chased me at recess?  Cry.  Lose a tooth at school?  Cry.
• Went to the nurses office often with stomach aches.  Why couldn't she just send me home???  I was obviously very very sick.  
• Did not talk to boys AT ALL until junior high.  Denied the very existence of boys to my parents.  It's true.  I actually told them there weren't any boys in my Kindergarten class.  And I have no idea why.  I had good relationships with my dad and all the other men I knew.  I didn't have a problem talking to my boy cousins.  Just the boys at school. (any Big Bang Theory fans???  Think Raj.)  Again, I can only imagine what kind of future my parents saw for me!!  

But whatever....it's all good.  I had a rocky start but I turned out okay.  By high school I was talking to (and even dating) boys and definitely NOT crying at school anymore.  I actually WANTED to go to school once I'd had about nine years to get used to the idea. 

But you can see why I am nervous about Flora starting school.  I'm not sure how I could handle a huge emotional meltdown of hers while trying to keep Scout and Timber from leaving the building or eating other people's lunches or ransacking the director's office.  I am praying that her preschool days will continue to go as smoothly as these first two have.

Flora's favorite part of preschool:  Skittles.  Oh, and fruit snacks.
Flora's least favorite part of preschool:  Naptime.

a good brother

Scout's spontaneous prayer this morning:

"Dear Jesus, thank you for Flora to have a good day at school today.  Thank you for me to be a good brother.  Thank you for making us better and giving us good food to eat and for a good day.  Jesus, you're the best!  Amen."

I don't know what prompted him to start praying.  I said, "I need to go get ready" and he squinted his eyes shut and clasped his hands and started praying.  He was really cute on Tuesday while Flora was at her first day of school.  Throughout the day he would spontaneously say, "I think Flora is having fun at her new school" or "I think Flora will like her new school."  He was obviously thinking of her.  Yesterday they pushed their two twin beds together and declared that they would be sleeping like that from now on.  Such cute little friends!  

things to remember

The kids used to devour any fruits I put on their plates but lately they haven't been eating fruit very well.  Last night I tried a new approach.  Instead of making each child a plate I gave them each their individual bowls of lasagna but a made communal fruit and veggie plate to put in the middle of the table.  Will it work??  Will it??

It worked!!  They thought it was fun to share the plate and there was even some competition over who got the last strawberry.  In fact, Timber just saw the picture of the fruit plate on my computer and started asking for more.  Yay! 

Give a kid a map and send them to Pony Land!  Haha, the kids were talking about maps so I gave them each a map page out of an old atlas and sent them outside.  They studied their maps and slowly made their way to "Pony Land."  It was so funny eavesdropping on their map pretend play! 

flora's first day of preschool

Flora woke up ready to go!  Preschool doesn't start until 9:30 though so she had to wait a while.

First Day of School tradition (starting today) -- Handprints and writing her own name.

First Day of School tradition (starting today) -- answer all of these "favorites" questions.

Picture with Daddy before going to school!

Supposed to be a pic with Mommy before going to school but the boys crashed our photo.

More pics before school.  Scout was so excited for Flora!

There's a picture with Mommy!

And a silly one for good measure!

Classic kid-on-front-step-with-backpack-and-lunchbox pose.  Can't believe she's old enough to do this already! 

Her backpack is huge.  She's supposed to take a sheet and blanket to school for naptime so it had to be big.  I guess she'll be able to use it in kindergarten next year.

This pose was her idea.  She positioned the lunchbox and backpack.  

I was really impressed with her lunchbox choice.  I thought we would come home with Dora or Hello Kitty.  I picked out the backpack though.  Last minute dash to Target last night when I realized that all of her stuff wasn't going to fit in the little Strawberry Shortcake backpack she already had.

Being so brave!  She was excited until she actually got into the classroom with all the kids and parents.  Then she was overwhelmed and "scared."  But she didn't cry!  That's better than I expected!

Flora and her teacher, Ms. Lyla.  Flora says she's "fancy" which is the highest compliment she knows how to give.

The boys and I went to Walmart after we dropped Flora off.  I told them they could pick out a "Happy First Day of School" present for Flora.  Scout's first choice was a can of diced rutabagas (not kidding!) . . . he did much better on his second attempt.  She's really into My Little Pony right now.

Hooray for smiles after school!!!  She said she had a good day and wants to go back!!  I'm SO glad!  She also told me that she cried in her pillow a little bit during naptime though. 

Very happy with her My Little Pony present!

 Uh....I forgot to turn this before I uploaded it.  I think it will be easier for you to turn your head than for me to go back and upload it again.  :-)

Playing with her new pony.

Yep, she's still my little girl. 















Thank you to everyone who said a prayer for us today.  Flora had a great day at school, the boys played together SO well all day, Timber napped in his toddler bed for the first time, and I even took a little nap while he was sleeping and Scout was busy playing on the Kindle.  Oh, and the boys did not ask to watch tv at all while Flora was gone.  I guess I know who the tv instigator is now!!