Memories

I do not want to forget J saying "fumping" instead of something. It is so cute! Like "I see fumping!"


G, Big C, and I were in the van going to pick up "A" and I was talking about Big C and G said "We love C [talking of Big C]." To which Big C replied "I love you G." That is a tremendous blessing to see and hear of love between siblings. In fact, earlier in the evening I had been running errands with Big C and let him get some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and he wanted to save them until he was with Gabriel. He wanted to share them with G, A, and R.

Fairy Tale Retold

The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum

This book is apart of the "Living History Library" which I was completely unfamiliar with when I ordered this book. The first few chapters were dull and we had to hang on through the stage setting. It was worth it!! This book takes place during WWII and the Nazi occupation of Holland. The whole book is about what it was like for the people in this land, the feelings they struggled with and the decisions they were forced to make in hard times.

My boys really enjoyed the story. I will say though, when we got to the end of the book it is like your heart gets torn out! I think this happens because the tenor of the book is not the same tenor that it ends on so it takes the reader off guard!! It deals with human emotion, love, and doing what is right. This book takes a Catholic perspective which allowed me to do some instruction on those notes.

We Got to Bunnysit this summer

 This summer we got to bunnysit! "Bunjurmin" is the coolest bunny ever! We would love to have a bunny just like him and he LOVED the kids and the kids LOVED him!!!

My Sweet "A"

"A" made this moving card for me on her ipad. I love it. It is upside down here unfortunately. "A" is is sweet and since she was a little girl she has always been different (in a good way.) She is a bird of a different feather and marches to the beat of her own drum. I love that she is comfortable with who she is!!

"A's" June 2016 Recital

Above the littles are coloring on the stairs during the recital. They did a fantastic job!! They are learning! The week before the went to a senior flute recital! Praise the Lord for maturing:-)

 We have been so blessed here with the piano teacher "A" has. "A" does spend a lot of time practicing but there is NO DOUBT that her teacher Mrs. B is instrumental in what she has learned and gleaned. "A", I think I  have mentioned before on here, responds to her as an athlete does a loved coach. Not only has she taught "A" alot but she has been a huge source of encouragement. She is the real deal of a Christian. Honestly, I could go on and on about her. She is way up on my list of people I revere highly. I pray for God's blessing to be upon her and her family.

My Favorite Favorite Commercial!

The day and the life of a typical mother!!!! I LOVE this!!

Spring is Here!!

R, C, and A made a stick raft modeled after a "Mythbusters" episode they saw. My older brother said now they need to take full scale!!

Mac . . . Grill is not a place we go to super often but

we always love it when we do get to go!

A spring trip up to Washington D.C.

Forget double trouble this is triple trouble!!

Napolean the turtle is out newest addition to our family!

He is R's turtle and Napolean is very well cared for!

Puzzle time with Daddy.

Daddy made the kids a VERY special meal!! He BBQ'd ribs, and made esparagus, and brownies with Ghirradelli chocolate on top after the brownies get out of the oven!! YUMMY!

Yummy ribs!!

Yep, spring with its flowers are here!

Grandpa got the boys all antler horns when he was overseas!

B's first time "roller skating".

Sisters and Friends

Easter Sunday! Daddy was overseas and it was VERY rainy but

we still had the resurrection of our Saviour to celebrate!!

The picture on the right above of the boys playing chess I took for a friend that lives in Colorado and is one of our close friends and former church family there. She sent the kids an Easter care package with these little stuffed animals in it and the kids loved them. I wanted her so see how much! The boys had them close for their game of chess!

 

Above: Coloring spring pictures for Grandma!

2 Pictures above is the kids all on our crib/toddler bed before C dismantled it for us. It was starting to fall apart and I knew it had to be taken down even thought it made it through all 7 of our babies. Happy memories. We took one last picture to remember it by.

Our Little 4 Year Old!

This week with J:

I was reading a books to J and B and as usual Little C didn't want anything to do with the book reading time. She was instead enjoying swinging around a fairly heavy toy snake that kept hitting our book and sending it flying. I kept getting the book again and reading. Finally, I told her that was not kind and settled to read again. All of a sudden J who had showed NO SIGN of anger put himself backward (calmly) and said "Dear God, please forgive me." said J. I said J "what did you do?" J said "I was angry at Kitty" (Little C). Wow! He was asking forgiveness for a sin in his heart not even an action!

J (just turned 4) kept coming to me saying how R wasn't being nice and was annoying him. He wanted to be apart of what R was doing and I guess R wasn't making that easy. J came to me a number of times telling me this but I pretty much stayed out of it except to relay a message to R to be nice (that didn't work:-) Anyway, J came back again and said "Maybe I should bring him paper or a snack."( paper being aka a homemade card he would make with stickers or whatever) I told him I thought that was a good idea. Time went by and J came back to me and said "It worked" I asked what he did "I gave him chips." TOOOOOO funny how a 4 yr old solves the problem!

J yesterday was getting super fussy and crying over truly nothing. He realized that he was being silly so he asked me "Mommy can you leave so I can try again?" So he wanted me to walk away and give him another chance to act to correctly! So I did! I walked away and came back and praised him for acting correctly! He smiled at the praise! What an amazing kiddo!!!

One other story! I took J to the store with me and he was riding in the cart with all the items we had purchased. When we got back to the van he was helping by handing me stuff so I could put it into the trunk. When we were done I was pushing the cart over to the cart return with him still in it. He said, "Last but not least, Me!"  I laughed and laughed!! He is soooooo funny!!

"A" playing her piano . . .

Thank you Lord for all your blessings . . . 

for beautiful music, an excellent teacher, and a hard working kiddo.

R's Haikus

This year R (9 years old) learned some about Haikus and had to write some on his own.

Here is what a haiku is:

"Haiku" is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. Haiku poems consist of 3 lines. The first and last lines of aHaiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme. (definition taken from Kidzone.com)

Here are his creative works! I did correct spelling and some capitalization. He really struggles with those and honestly I am not even sure I did it right! But I thought he did a FANTASTICALLY CREATIVE job!!

Freezing cold it falls
It looks like salt on the road
Ouch it hits your hand.    

(hail)

A place to be free
Fifty states in harmony
Oh, how I love it.

(America)

Shoots of grass spring up
Beautiful smells everywhere
The deer have their does.

(spring)

It towers above
Oh, the purple majesty
Blanketed with white.

(Pikes Peak) He is familiar with Pikes Peak because we lived next to it for 3 years and loved it!

Red, yellow, brown, they fall
They all come down from their tree
Pretty as can be.

(leaves in Fall)

It covers your roof
Lightly it falls on the ground
It makes the sky white.

(snow)

Zoom it flashes by
It runs all over the sky
Oh how bright it is.

(a shooting star)

Ninja Certification

 Big sister "A" has worked with little "J" on becoming a "ninja". She used a vest we had purchased from the dollar store and when he would complete a "ninja" task she would make him a felt badge and put it on his vest. Oh boy did he like this! He also got items like the dollar store toy knife on his wrist after completing tasks. Tasks included such things as walking up the stairs quietly, sneaking up on mommy and giving her a hug without me turning to see him coming, staying in his bed at nap times or night night 3 times (that is a big task but he made it!), etc. She made the above certificate for him on the computer as having successfully completed jr. ninja training. What a special memory for the 2 of them to have as the years go by.

In the above picture she used painters tape to put the big N on his outfit and below she made his hat.

Funny and Sweet J

This morning at breakfast I was praying for the 3 littles ones before they ate. I remember thanking God for green grass that the kids can play on, etc. When I got done J (just turned 4) said
"I love God! How did he make all the things in the world without getting tired?"

He was so thankful for all the work God had done on his behalf!! A bit convicting to see that sweet thankful spirit when it is so easy to get caught up in the stresses of life.

Ok, this video we have gotten some great laughs out of! J is very expressive and I am so glad Daddy got this video so as the years pass we can still watch that cuteness!!

G has been wanting me for a while to make sure I put on the blog about J using the word "thumping" instead of something. It is SOOOOO cute!!!

Sweet Memories

Jedidiah told me he had a belly ache. I said "Ohh, let me hold you!" I picked him up and held him in the rocking chair. He said to me "Will you hold me forever?" I said "Do you want me to?" He replied, "Uh, hu" Sweet sweet memory for sure.

Jedidiah saw the book cover on our CS Lewis book. He asked "What is that?" I told him it was a dragon and that a little boy had been turned into a dragon. This got his attention. Then he noticed that the dragon had a tear and commented that he was crying. He said to me "How will he turn back into a boy?" He answered himself that "someone needs to give him a kiss."  I loved seeing his thought processing that kindness and love would fix it.

Misc. pictures of the Kiddo