daybook, april 29th

Outside my Window...Sunshine

 

A Life of Learning...Mercury and Manna

I am thankful for...My Mom and Grandma

From the kitchen...3 Ways tonight

I am wearing...navy yoga pants, gray tee

 

I am reading...Ella Enchanted

I am praying...for a safe trip for my Mom and Grandma

I am creating...plans, lots of plans, for lots of things

 

I am hearing...trees blowing and birds chirping

I am remembering...that we must be ready for a busy night, it's 2:30...better start now

 

I am going...the girls have their last Ballet class tonight, Connor has his first Baseball game tonight

 

On my mind...my home

Noticing that...Sunshine makes me nicer

 

One of my favorite things...Amazon

 

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...a wonderful visit with Nana and Grandma Dutchie

ten things we love about korinne (who's ten)

Thing Number One We Love about You, Korinne :: You are Such a Girly Girl...pink, skipping, fairies, paper flowers, purple, your Punky Brewster style, hula hoops, mermaids, sunshine, beads, roller skates, tutus, dress up gowns, princesses, jump ropes, rainbows...

Thing Number Two We LOVE about You, Korinne :: You LOVE to Read (OK, so it's mostly Mommy that LOVES this part of You:), but you can get completely lost in a Book. And You want to be Laura Ingalls Wilder from Little House on the Prairie when you grow up (but you were afraid to wear the clothes that hung on the line to dry, "There might be bugs on them!")

Thing Number Three We LOVE about You, Korinne :: You are So Sweet, and Romantic...You can repeat, verbatim, the lines from Anne of Green Gables (is it Book 3?) where Anne and Gilbert finally kiss, Your Favorite Little House Book is where Laura and Almanzo get Married, Your Favorite Star Wars is where Anakin and Padme fall in Love, You get Super Excited when the Library has one of the Love Comes Softly DVDs in...

Thing Number Four We Love about You, Korinne :: You are Super Witty (OK, so this is not Kylie's Favorite part about You :), "I don't know what to do...I've been following Kylie all my life, and I just found out she's a NERD!" )

Thing Number Five We LOVE about You, Korinne :: your Daddy is Your Heroe and You are your Mother's Daughter (you get Elbowed with Knees, I get cold just thinking of the WindShield Factor *sigh* Mommy's so sorry Rin :)

Thing Number Six We LOVE about You, Korinne :: You want Twenty Children, even though you have FIVE Little Brothers

Thing Number Seven We LOVE about You, Korinne :: You do things like plan Family Fun Weekends, and FairyTale Puppet Shows, and Crafts to do with your Brothers, and Special Things to do for Anyone who will let you

Thing Number Eight We LOVE about You, Korinne :: Your Beautiful Smile...and Your Laugh, it's so Genuine and Big and Full

Thing Number Nine We LOVE about You, Korinne :: Your Imagination. You will Play anything, all the time. You go All Over this World, and you take your Little Brothers with you. The Nile River, where you have found Baby Moses (Judah), the Jungle, where you are finding injured Jungle Animals (Ben and Wesley), the WWII Battlefield where your Big Brothers (TJ and Connor) are fighting, and have left you to care for the Little Brothers still at home (Ben and Wesley), the Dugout at Plum Creek, on a Fishing boat in the Ocean, the ClassRoom where you are the Teacher, the Doctor's Office where you are the Mommy bringing in your Sick Children, the Grocery Store, the Library...

AND

Thing Number Ten We LOVE about You, Korinne :: That God gave You to Us. You are Ours, and You make our Life Happier, and Cozier, and Softer, and Prettier, and Smiley-er

my gift of service to you

I've needed a little help lately, and my friend, Cathy, kindly offered it. My response to her was, "But I do nothing for you. I can't ever come up with a way to pay you back, and I don't understand why you help us at all?" And she lovingly assured me, "It's my Ministry to you." So I accepted her much needed and appreciated help.

But I've fretted over it for the last few weeks. The "not being able to pay her back" part. And as I fretted and worried and fretted and thought...I began to see that my Life, my Children's Lives, my Husband's Life, Our Family...is indeed a Gift of Service, a Sacrifice of sorts for others. The sacrifice becomes *very clear*, after being an Army-made, "single Mom" to Seven Children for 12 1/2 days...

We *are* a Military Family, every time my Husband packs his bag to go, we are paying you back (or forward) for the help you offer us, while he is gone.

 

The last few weeks have been a challenge for me, to put it lightly. For those of you who do not know, my husband, Brian, is in the Army. He is in the AGR Program (Active Guard Reserves...which means he works full time for the Army Reserve Center here in town, and NO he is not a Recruiter). He is away at Army Schools, Training, and the likes, often. It stinks. I don't know how I manage to get through them (or the 3 months he was at Basic Training, or the year he was in Korea, or the 16 months he served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan).

 

I'm quick to miss him. I will tell my Mom, "I'm so lonely without him here." And she will say, "How can you be lonely with Seven Kids?" (She is joking, she knows how). I missed him the moment our lips met outside the airport, dropping him off. I knew we would not kiss again for 12 days. My heart ached for him as he told the Children good-bye, and I saw the look on their faces. I missed him that first night, when we did Family Worship on speaker phone, and then I missed him the second night, when he was at a Study Group, and we couldn't do Family Worship at all. I missed him last Monday morning, when I had to take the Girls to HomeSchool Testing, with their five little brothers in tow. I missed him, when our 7 yr old son had to miss his second and fourth Baseball Practice because we refused to leave him on the field, alone, with complete strangers, because his Sister had Cinderella Rehearsal. I missed him when the 3 boys, who had not gotten the cold yet, got it. I missed him when my Dad took us out to dinner without him. I missed him when TJ fell and cut open his eye. I missed him when Judah got fussy (for 4 days) as his two front teeth came in. I missed him as I took previously mentioned 3 boys to the doctor, while TeenAger babysat, I *really* missed him as the 8 of us went to WalMart to pick up the prescriptions for the 3 boys, and then I missed him when Wesley woke up the ninth night, crying and asking for him..."Is Daddy coming home Mommy?" I missed him. I missed 12 days of Love with him. My children missed 12 days with their Daddy. *He* missed baseball practice, sickness, family worship, conversation, a visit with my Dad, play time, hugs, ballet report cards, a birthday, kisses, smiles, giggles, Love...

No, I do not pick your kids up for their activities, I do not host dinner parties, I do not teach Sunday School, I barely return phone calls. But, this little thing, this thing that I do do, being a wife to a husband who Serves our Nation, upholding my Family who misses him while he is away, is my Gift of Service to You. I hope it's enough. It's all I can handle right now.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40

Thank You Cathy.

children's book monday: the napping house

The Napping House

by Audrey Wood, Illustrated by Don Wood

We have owned this book, since I took it home from one of Kylie's doctor's appointments when we were preparing for her spinal surgery back in 2008. She had brought it home from her public school library before that, and I remembered how fun it was. Cincinnati area residents and Half Price Books donated tons of used Children's Books to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and afterwards, they posted signs to take one (or two or seven) home with you. I did. It was one of those, Mom-You're-Embarrassing-Me kind of moments...me asking the nurse, "You mean, we can really take a few (or seven) of these?"...So sorry Kylie, moving on...

This book is by a husband and wife team. Audrey Wood is the author, her husband, Don Wood is the illustrator. Audrey came from a family of circus performers and artists. She knew she would be a Children's Book author in grade school. She read a Children's Book to her husband on their honeymoon, and he was hooked. She started writing her books once they had their first son. Isn't that one of the neatest stories about a Children's Book author you have ever heard?

This Children's Book is a very easy (would be great for a beginning reader), light, and silly story about a Child who has a sleepover with their Granny. Outside the bedroom window, it's dark and rainy. But the bed is cozy, the Granny is snoring, and the Child is dreaming. Through the night, the Granny, the child, and all their pets (and their pet's pets) end up in bed together. As the story progresses, and the night turns to morning, each picture gets a little lighter. And a surprise wakes them all up together, with the bright Sunshine spilling in through the bedroom window.

 

The house in the book is illustrated after the author's (and illustrator's) own home. And the last page in the book is such a wonderful picture of the relationship a Grandma can share with their GrandChild. It shows the Granny (donning her Apron) and the Child playing out in the yard... complete with a tricycle, tree house, tree swing, flower-boxed windows, white picket fence and a rainbow. Heavenly!

This is a very fun Children's Book that the kids and I have enjoyed reading and laughing at many, many times. It would also be a great book to keep at Granny's house (or Nana's or Mamaw's, as we like to call our Grandmas:)

thirteen

We never knew Thirteen Years could go so fast. Everyone kept telling us...and, we believed them...but we still never knew Thirteen Years could go so fast.

There are many things we would do differently. Many. But, they are the same things that have made you who you are. *And* You. Are. Wonderful.

You are Loving and Lovable. You shower all Six of your Siblings with Help and Kindness. You Care for Your Babies in a way we have never seen a 12 year old Care for a Baby. You still Embrace Us whenever you can.

You are Teachable. You didn't miss a beat when we brought you Home. You are Wise way Beyond your Thirteen Years. You Question Everything...God, Nature, English, Fractions, Good Literature. And you Seek Out the Answers.

You are Responsible. You Work too hard, even when it's not expected of you. We hear Francesca coming from the Kitchen, and we Know you are Busy. We have to push you to your Room to listen to your IPod, or Paint your Toes, or Play your Guitar, or Devour another Book, or Make another one of Your Lists.

You are a Talented Ballerina. It's a Joy to watch you. We wondered...was it Soccer...was it Cheerleading...was it Softball...was it VolleyBall. We never Dreamed it was Twirling. But we Love it. Because you Love it. Because you are Passionate about it. Because it makes you Happy.

You Love Jesus. You are Following Hard after Him, and Quick to Change Direction when you Stray from The Path. We will never forget when you Invited a Freshman from ASU to Church. Or that You slip Notes in Your Loved Ones Bags as they Leave, sharing with them, how they too, can have a Relationship with Jesus, and spend an Eternity with Him in Heaven.

You are Beautiful. Inside and Out. Because of all of these Things. You are Our Princess. And We will Try our Best to Continue to show you The Way. Because NOTHING is more Important to Us. NOTHING.