More Training Wheels a-fallin'...

The time has come that I, as a mother, dread once again. another baby taking the training wheels off! Ian was so excited! it just amazes me how much more Isaiah and Ian can play together now too. they are suddenly like bossom buddies that can do "big boy" stuff together now. it has drastically changed thier relationship. just three more to go!

FAIR FOOD!!!..

Yep..the state fair is here!! which means tons of highly nutritious food like corn dogs, french fries, shakes, and elephant ears!!! this night was really really fun. the kids were so happy. unfortunately auntie na has most of the pics from this night so i will have to post later, but i just had to share a few of my favs!

Hapy Birthday to Me!...

My husband is so good!!! so, special occasions have been going down hill a bit the last year or two. you know, cards bought last minute, presents dwindling, and often replacing presents with flowers (which i hate). so, this birthday i thought i would plant a small subtle seed and i simply said, "honey, my birthday is coming up...and i want a card...and i want a cake...and i want a present." i only repeated it every day for 3 or 4 days, til i thought it was starting to get too obvious.

So, on my birthday i wake up to a card that says, among various other wonderful words, get ready for a weekend of refreshing and reconnecting. i was quite excited, but not too much remembering how the past few times has been. but then, while at the st. louis zoo with the kids that day, isaiah hands me a card at the elephants (who were quite enjoyable that day i might add). it said to make sure i was home by 3:30 and not late.

when i arrived home, i was promptly wisked away to what i soon came to find was a massage. not just a massage, but one that dirk had arranged for the lady to brush my hair with my favorite hair brush too. i love that...he is soooo thoughtful. after my massage i was given another card. this one read something like i hope you are enjoying your time of refreshing, i hope you like who i have for you next. now the word "who" stuck out a bit simply because dirk is very deliberate and eloquent when he rights. however, when no one but the pedicurist (is that a word) showed up next, the thought left my brain.

but half way through my pedicure, in walks oh so nonchalantly my bestest friend of all time from college!!!! we had not seen each other in 10 years!!! we lost touch for many of them and over the last 3 months or so we have really really reconnected. God has always been so gracious and creative with Carmen and I in that no matter where we are in life He allows us to always be going through very similar life circumstances so we are always able to stay connected. so, in she walked, freaked me out, and we spent the rest of the night being pampered, eating out, and just reconnecting (hummm...just like my card said).

the weekend progressed with she and her family stayign with us and we ate a lot, had 2 cookouts and a birthday party to boot!! with a card...AND a cake i might add!!! it was one of the best weekends i have had in many many years!!!

Carmen and Sarah...

My dad came up too for the weekend. little did i know every single person knew about this but me. dirk is sooo good at keeping surprises! it was really great to feel so loved. he also got me two amazing presents!!

Soccer Camp...

Some wonderful people in town set up a soccer camp for homeschoolers last month. it was soooo great! the kids had a wonderful time. plus i got 3 hours every single morning to sit with other moms and just be, learn, discuss and laugh. it was fun. even kenna did not peeter out. they really had fun.

the last day was a water fight day. but they weren't too wet for a group photo.

Daddy's boys...

i just love this pic of dirk and two of our boys. Elias and Isaiah, they were just spontaneously snuggling with daddy one morning. Here is a man that sure loves his babies. he is one of those that wants to be home all day long and just play with them all day. i sure wish he could! What a dad!!!

Playdate...

When my sister-in-law was here we had a playdate with alex too. the three kids are within 3 months of each other and totally different personalities so it is fun. You can so tell Elias has siblings in so many ways. it was fun....

Elias, Alex, and Luke

Vivaldi's Always Good...

the other day i was putting isaiah to bed and asked him what he wanted to listen to as he went to bed. he though for a long time and replied, "Vivaldi, mom...vivaldi's always good!"

well i posted that on facebook that night and the next week a friend came to visit and said that she got something in the mail. she had no idea why in the world they would get a coloring book in the mail seeing they have no kids at home anymore. but her husband said he was so impressed with Isaiah's comment that he ordered a composers coloring book. it was great to see Isaiah put faces to the names he listens to every day!!! what great friends we have...

little Fish!...

The kids are soooo happy in the water these days!! isaiah can hold his breath so stinkin long that it amazes me. here he is challenging his 10 year old friend to a match! as you can see...isaiah won!

Elias loves the water. he had no trouble joining in. he had just started walking that week so he was a little shakey, but hung in there with the best of them.


Bella, Makenna, and Ian

My girls really loving each other at this moment...notice i say at this moment..it did not last long.

Out of the Heart, the mouth speaks...

sometimes it gets rather discouraging training your kids. when there are 5, it is interesting because there is only a few minutes break between each training session. one person screams, a few seconds later one tattles, one disobeys, a few minutes later the next. it is endless from breakfast to bedtime. if it is not training for things done in the negative, it is training for the future in the positive. i am always amazed how easy my days are when my mom takes just one or two kids. it really really is easy due to the whole dynamic of the house being changed. those days are usually very very peaceful and filled with all 4 getting along very well. there is just something about all of them that just stirs the pot just enough.

then there are the days you realize that something has sunk in. those moments where a child repeats something in a way that makes you realize you really are making a difference. or they spontaneously empathize with a sibling. like Ian today when Isaiah had last his quarter for the candy machine, he was unable to get any. all the other kids had candy, but not isaiah. when Ian discovered this, he lovingly shared his last peice of candy and started dividing his left over money with Isaiah also. those moments make you proud.

Bella is definitely our hardest. she has been given a quality of stubornness from the Lord. i wait in great anticipation to see where God will channel this quality in my sweet girl. it is deep in the fabric of her being so i know God has a plan for it. but on a day to day basis it is quite frustrating to deal with. however, the other day bella asked for a pasketti (spaghetti) stick (noodle). i said she could not have one. but lo and behold in bella fashion she reached up and got one anyway. i said nothing partly to calm myself, partly to see what she would do and yet another part to plan my response. then the amazing happened. she looks at me and says, "mommy, did i disobey?" i silently nodded my head waiting to see where this would lead. and then she placed the noodle back on the counter and said, " i don't want to disobey, mommy!" in the quietest, sweetest spirit i have ever seen in my bella. i, of course, praised her up and down with hugs, kisses and scripture flowing from my mouth about what she had just done! i was thrilled. i was only a thrilled a fraction of what God is when she obeyed or even when we, as his children, obey. i can't imagine what he thinks when we finally get something.

a couple of weeks ago, Ian and bella were fighting over sharing something. ian was very frustrated and came running in the room yelling in desperation his two bible verses, yet mixing them up and tangling them together. he yells, "mommy, the bible says do everything in love, without listening or that is your folly and your shame. and bella is not doing everything in love!!!" i asked his what he thought he should do and he says ask bella to share in a nice way. i hear him run into the other room, out of breath, quickly say "bella the bible says do everything in love or it's your folly and your shame so you need to share, do you want to?" to everyone's surprise bella says, "sure, i know where we can sit..." and they blissfully run together to sit at the front door and share the water bottle.

those instances refreshed me as a mom. in a way that only your own child can. we all already know how hard parenting can be and how we will see our fruits years from whence we began. but we secretly, silently wait for those moments. the moments where we can plainly see what fruit our labor is bearing. the moments where you see God's Word really being hidden in thier hearts. the moments where the lesson really becomes a real life lesson for them in thier own way. Those spur us on!! they come small...they come infrequently...but they come.

i am so proud of my little one's hearts. i thank God for His grace and mercy on me to allow me to teach them and allow them to learn from such a broken vessel...

10 is Enough!!!....

We had Meghan's 3 sisters with us for 11 days and boy did i learn a lot. first i learned that 10 people in a house is a massive amount of people when 7 of them are kids. i learned that kids will incur many many repairs on your house. i learned that repeatedly slamming doors will result in numerous things falling off your walls. and i learned that i am thrilled that they were all at least over 5 years old!!!. we really had fun. they are great girls and were quite helpful with the children too.

Morghan (10) Addison (6) and Michaela (turned 12 when she was here)!!!

here they were right before they left our house

One final jump on the trampoline!!!

i love this pic of makenna!! we were all taking pictures together and i was lucky enough to snap at just the right moment!

yep...this is the crowd that graced our house for so long...yet not long enough. we have a big house and it was still noisy. as a matter of fact today we have not known what to do with such silence now that they are gone...but i am sure we will figure it out!

i loved this pic of elias...such a boy already!

We had a surprise birthday party for Meghan (24!) when the girls were here. she was beyond thrilled to be on her treasure hunt for her presents...

Michaela had a birthday too (12) while she was here so of course a party was in order!

my mom and Michaela.

my mom made michaela's cake...exactly to her specifications!

the birthday girl just needed a kiss!!!

daddy brought home a turtle that he saved from eminent peril and they named him slow poke. i allowed for his containment and torture in a box utnil the next to last day they were here...then i insisted they let that poor thing go. however, they really took good care of slow poke!

michaela finding one of her hidden presents on her birthday present treasure hunt.

a birthday hug!

Can It Be???...

Can it really be that my baby is ONE??? May 25th marks Elias's one year birthday and none of us can believe how the time has passed. It does not seem possible with this little one. all of thier first birthdays came fast, but Elias's was fastest for sure. Kimberly Smoot shot a couple of pics when we went into her studio to pick something up...the above pic is what came of it...

Here he is telling everybody he is ONE!

Paparum and Elias

Uncle Dennis and Auntie Na got Elias a small pool...can you tell that Elias is enjoying himself...oh yeah, that's right..all the other kids did!

sweet pic of daddy and elias

Meghan and elias

grandma and elias

auntie na and elias

Isaiah and daddy!

Uncle Dennis and Bella putting together the outside walking toy!

Bella thoroughly enjoying her cake...or should i say icing!

makenna made sure all the presents were opened...by her of course!

blue icing makes for fun faces

Addison and Bella