Sketch Tuesday: Lego

This week's Sketch Tuesday assignment was to build something with Lego, and then draw it. We have TJ's cardinal, Wesley's semi, and Benjamin's garden.

With Baby Sissy

ECC Nature Walk: Backyard Habitat

The boys, Brian, and I went on a Nature Walk today. We went "down to the creek" -- which is the boys absolute favorite place to be and thing to do.


The boys were supposed to mark out a square with a yard stick, observe with their senses, and record their observations.


It was a warm, blue skied sunshiny day ... and you could hear the stream trickling and the birds calling when the boys were quiet for more than a few seconds. ... I'm thinking I need to make a habit of this nature walking with my boys.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Daddy's Sugar Britches

He calls her "Sugar Britches," and I think of the two of them every time I hear Elizabeth Mitchell sing Little Sugar now. ... ... very sweet times with this little girl.

Six Weeks

Today marks six weeks. It's the first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up. It's the mark that turns newborn into a memory for me. You are a baby now, an infant. No longer so tiny and fragile and new.


I have all but forgotten the months and months of morning sickness. The cranky, sore, tired legs. The heartburn. And sleepless nights from a lack of comfort have turned into sleepless nights nursing and snuggling and making sure ...


I want to forget some things. Things that haunt me.


I want to forget the nurse's emotionless voice, "Call NICU." she tells them ... they don't hear her out in the hallway, though. She has to repeat herself, "Call NICU," she says more urgently.


I want to forget the look on your daddy's face ... that he let go, stepped back, and moved out of the way. It was like he went to a whole other place.


I want to forget my first words to you, "I'm sorry, Baby. I'm so sorry." I was overcome with heartache. With thoughts that the moment I'd look at your crying, wriggling body was not coming. I should have said -- I love you. 


I want to forget all these things. But I won't. Not ever.


But I never want to forget ...

... how surprised we were by your dark hair. Hair!

Or your dark blue eyes.

Or how long your tiny fingernails were.

Or the tiny newborn blemish in the corner of your left eye that is almost gone now.

Or how pretty I thought you looked the first time I put you in yellow.

Or how we slept chest to chest for four weeks ... and then all the sudden you were content to just snuggle down beside me in our bed.

Or how you smile at us. A baby's smile. Making me happy for the six week mark. And all the marks to come.

I love you, Miriam Clare. 

{ this moment }

. . . . . . . . .

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama.

. . . . . . . . . .

Daybook Entry, March 2014

Outside my window... it is cold today. But no snow. 

I am thinking... that I'll never stop missing the snow. No matter that all our friends and family back in Cincinnati are so exhausted of it they could die. I'll never stop missing the snow.

I am thankful... that we did get just a little snow a few weeks ago. Five inches ... maybe? Enough to shut down the entire state of South Carolina, anyway.

In the kitchen... I don't cook anymore. I'm teasing. Really, though ... I haven't cooked but a few meals since Miss Miriam was born. She takes up a lot ... A Lot ... of my time. It's nice having the girls around to help. And I'm very happy that one of Brian's passions is cooking.

I am wearing... gray yoga pants and a cream and light blue sweater.

I am creating... I got my weekly planner back out this morning. The last nine weeks are blank. See? Miriam takes ALL my time. So much that I can't even schedule the rest of it.

I am going... leaving here shortly to take Kylie to music lessons. I tell her every Tuesday how inconvenient it is to have to leave in the middle of naptime to take her to class. She tells me every Tuesday that I tell her every Tuesday. We are switching the time for music lessons after this semester.

I am wondering... if I'll get this Daybook Entry finished before I have to inconveniently leave for Kylie's music lessons in just a few minutes (?)

I am reading... Today is my last day of reading through the entire book of Psalms and Proverbs in one month. Until I realized it was the end of February ... which doesn't have enough days in it to read through the entire books. I just finished Phyllis Tickle's book for winter, waiting on UPS to deliver her spring book. I'm about to finish a Saint Patrick's Day book I bought for the older boys ... it's not at all what I expected ... I may not even have them read it.

*** PAUSE *** to take Kylie to music lessons. (Tuesday 1;45PM)

***RESUME*** (Wednesday 1:10PM)

I am hoping... that the fever that started in Zach late yesterday afternoon really is his tooth trying to come in, and not a nasty virus he's picked up from Who Knows Where -- since the child hasn't left the house in weeks ... ...

I am looking forward to... 5:00 PM when Brian will get home. Being a stay-at-home/homeschooling mom of nine kids makes having my husband arriving home from work seem like Christmas. The kids are always happy to see him, and I'm elated. Someone to talk to. Someone to help. Someone here. It's like a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders every time he walks back through the door.

I am learning... that I always forget how long it takes to get back to normal when a new baby arrives. I overestimate what our family is realistically capable of doing every single time. Miriam will be six weeks old on Friday ... and things still seem out of whack.

Around the house... I'm trying very hard to let some things go. We don't have to pick up the toys five times a day. Twice is good. I don't need all the laundry done every day. Three loads is good. I have stopped cooking breakfast on school days ... it would take me forty-five minutes to prepare the meal, and Kylie at least another half an hour to clean it up. We've embraced cereal and juice. It's nice. I also stopped having Kylie cook lunch. It cut her school time short, and it took Korinne too long to clean up. We're enjoying sandwiches and chips now (on paper plates if we have them). 

I am pondering... what is the difference between thinking and pondering? I'll have to look that up. Maybe "thinking" is something that has just been on my mind for a bit ... ... and "pondering" is something that has been on my mind for a while (which is longer than a bit).

A favorite quote for today... "May you never steal, lie, or cheat, but if you must steal, then steal away my sorrows, and if you must lie, lie with me all the nights of my life, and if you must cheat, then please cheat death because I couldn't live a day without you. Cheers!" -- from the movie Leap Year ... which I will be watching just *a few* times with my girls this month!

One of my favorite things... having teenage girls that I can do things like watch good movies with. We do love Leap Year. And Pearl Harbor. And Letters to Juliet. And You've Got Mail. And Enchanted. And Leap Year. 

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Korinne had a cardiology appointment this morning (all good news). She has ballet this evening. Kylie has youth praise band rehearsal before church this evening, so Brian and the boys will have to leave early for church too. Miriam, Zach, and I will stay home. 

(Pictures are peeks into my yesterday... )

Sketch Tuesday Letter L

L oki -- by Benjamin, age 5

L ightning McQueen -- by Wesley, age 6

L ynx -- by TJ, age 9

L och Ness Monster -- by Connor, age 11

***********

We actually missed the deadline for emailing our sketches in for Sketch Tuesday ... but I wanted to share them anyway. I hope to remember in time next week so that they can be included in the LEGO slide show.

Happy Sketching on Tuesday!

Where Is the Green Sheep?

 


by Mem Fox, "read" to you by Judah Bailey