What's That Yellow Thing??

Is that a DART?
Of course it is. Jonah got a new gun. Why would there NOT be a dart on the ceiling fan? Admittedly, a good shot. But perhaps he could keep them aimed at areas easily accessed?

No Words Necessary

He's just so sweet.

I Scared!

Micah: I scared, Mama!
Me: what are you afraid of?
Micah: the light!
Me:you're afraid of the light!
Micah: yes! I scared! Turn it off!

Sad to say, dear Micah, only God can turn off the lightening!

And, of course, Selah had to join in on being scared. Admittedly, it was one of the worst lightening storms we've ever seen, much less driven through. And she wanted us to turn down the noise of the rain because she couldn't hear her movie. Then, she started crying when the hail started. 

Tell Them I'm NOT, Mommy!

Me: you're not what??
Selah: I'm NOT sitting in the Queen Rat Seat!
Me: umm...okay. Boys, she is NOT sitting in the Queen Rat Seat! And stop teasing your sister.

How do you know?

How do you know this little boy had a great day?

Check out his feet!

Innocence?

It always amazes me how innocent this child looks should you catch her sleeping. Even though she's in the clothes and carseat she covered in baby food (this is from the other day), sleeping she just makes me want to brush the hair back from her face and tuck a blanket around her. Grungy or not. It's hard to not wish for her to never grow up.

I Feel Fine, Mom!

Noah: Really, I'm just taking a little rest.
Mom: Does your stomach hurt?
Noah:only little bit. Really I'm just tired!
Mom: really...?

Want to Guess Who These Clothes Belong to?

Perhaps the knife and candy bar wrapper caught there at the front are good telltale signs?

Help!

There's a basket stuck in my hair!

Life with Selah

Someone's refusing to buckle up.
Why?
Because her seat is messy.
How did it get messy?
She squeezed blueberry pear purple carrot baby food all over it.
Why?
She doesn't know but she claims, "I'm not going to do it again!! I'm not!"
Yeah, unlikely. But either way you have no choice but to sit in it. Yet another lesson in lying in the bed you made. Too bad it still isn't sinking in.

Noah's Home.

My phone died, so if you were anxiously awaiting news, I apologize. The scope went well, Noah is home, feels fine, and is enjoying a nice big glass of lemonade. If he still feels fine after that, he can have some soft food. He had a blue popsicle in the hospital (can you tell??) And he said his throat and stomach are all feeling great! His hand, from the IV, not so much. Apparently that's really bugging him. Looks like they couldn't get the IV right the first time as they are two holes. Not sure if that's the problem or not. He thinks it is just from the super sticky tape that hurt to rip off. Either way, if that's all that's bugging him, I think we made out well.

As for the results, it looks good in there. The doctor still took biopsies, as things can be wrong without outward symptoms, and we should have those results next week. He's back to a dairy free diet, but he's okay with that since his stomach has been hurting so much lately!

Look Familiar?

Noah's scope is this morning. There really aren't any toys for older kids in the admitting waiting room. So, he's stuck playing with the same one as Micah. The computer there isn't working, and the table is missing the magnets to move the toys inside. Not a huge deal,  though, he's so excited to here!

Who cares about dinner?

Probably everyone besides Micah and I. But it's moments like this that I actually "stop and smell the roses." And I don't want to move on. It was "nice" out today and the neighbors stopped by to play outside with our kids. So Micah skipped his nap. He's tired, and snuggly. And I don't want to get up to make dinner when I can snuggle a sweet, sick, tired 2-year-old little boy. Won't be long and he'll be 10 and not-so-snuggly like someone else I know. I already miss these days and they aren't even gone yet! I need to really enjoy them.

What Happens When Mommy is Sick?

<p>The kids eat peanut butter cookies and watcht tv. Blessedly, Daddy went to work late and made them eggs and toast before he left. And was still here when Micah followed Mommy's lead and lost his breakfast. Not likely to be a productive day here...just waiting for bedtime.

Is it Any Wonder?

When I wonder how it could take so long to peel potatoes for dinner, I am forced to remember that our children liken raw potatoes to candy. That was the third one Selah stole as I peeled. And I know that Jonah and Noah each had one as well. Guess I can stop wondering now.

Mikey gets the Star Wars plate??

No. Fair.

Someone has way too many brothers!

Selah walks into the classroom and says...

Sometimes, I just get hungry. So,  I just go get a banana. See?

Sigh. I know some of you are thinking, "at least she picks bananas for snack!" This is true...sometimes. This morning she snuck out of the classroom while I was busy scraping a whole book of stickers off the floor that she so kindly stuck there. She took Micah with her. A minute later Micah comes back saying, "Selah's eating something!" Jonah goes to investigate. Turns out she scaled the front of the freezer to get a pastry bag of frosting that I had HID behind the milk on the second shelf of the fridge. And she was hiding in the dining room under the table eating it. Of course it wasn't "safe" frosting, it had butter AND cream in it, so her stomach is going to be bugging her. Luckily, Micah didn't partake.

So yes, I'm relieved this time it was "safe" and healthy. But this child really needs to stop feeding herself whenever she feels like it.

Uhh, Mom?

What are these??

5 and a half years later...

<p>I made this pillow and pillow case for Noah for his first birthday. And he used it for a couple of years, then Selah used it, and now Micah has used it for at least a year. For most of the last 5 and a half years, some child has slept on it. It has been washed once a week for most of those years (hundreds of times.) And today, as I put the cover back on it after washing...I felt a distinct, sharp poke in my hand. Yep, it was that stick pin that is sitting on top in the picture, from when I sewed it. YIKES! And people wonder why I don't pin things when I sew them! It was pretty well tucked into a thick seam, so it is unlikely that it poked the kids, but I do still feel like a horrible mother. So, should I ever find time to spend at my sewing machine sometime in the future and you receive something I've made...check it for pins! Especially before handing to children. I'm refusing to think of all the horrible things that COULD have happened and choosing to praise God for the fact none of it did.

Hey, Mom!

When I put glue on something, like this, I stick it together. Like lettuce, cheese, and paper!

Do you really wonder why I hope this baby is another boy?!?

The Door is Shut...

And I can hear the little two in there talking. It's always a bit scary to open that door. But sometimes, you find sweet things. Today, they are building blocks together. It's so precious to me to see them playing together. It makes me want about 10 more kids...shh, don't tell Bryan!

Sneaky Selah

I look over to see a towel lump. Under the towel lump I find Selah eating sprinkles that she's somehow managed to forcefully open.

What a Sweetie.

Bryan put Selah to bed tonight and I, Micah. But, as is common, Selah was up to no good making a bed for herself in the hallway when I came out of Micah's room. So I put her back to bed...which is a simple 10 minute process. I cover her up with her sheet and two blankets and she professes to be "FREEZING." She needs another blanket...like that one, on the floor. Turns out she has a pile of 7 or so beach towels on her floor. And she continues to be "FREEZING" until all 7 are piled on top of her and her blankets. I finally escape, only to see her light on a few minutes later. I yell up for her to go to bed. And then 15 minutes or so later, I trudge up the stairs to find this. The "FREEZING"until child is sleeping with just a sheet, with the light on, obviously having fallen asleep reading the book, "Go, Dog, Go!" It's hard to feel anything but love for that precious child-at least when she's asleep!

Guess what this is, Mom?

Me:That is a soldier.

Selah:Nope. It's an Army guy.

Me:Right, they're called soldiers.

Selah:Nope. They're called ARMY GUYS.

Why argue? I'm sure I'll never really win. I guess we have a houseful of Army guys!

Warning: Child Missing Pants!

I'm sorry, I sometimes have to give in and take pictures of her without her pants because it is very rare that she is wearing any. Her reasons vary, but they're never very good. Funny, yes. But good reasons to walk around without pants? Not so much. Things like,  "my legs hurt," "I lost my pants," "I don't want to," "I'm too scared," and "I don't like them," are all commonly heard often.

But even with a pants-less child in the shot, it was very cute to see them all huddled around the photo frame a couple nights ago. When we decorated for Christmas the frame got moved into our bedroom and was just unearthed as we cleaned up for the dresser delivery. Since we have 2, yes, 2, pictures on our walls, the kids don't often see pictures of themselves. They have spent hours watching the 30 or so pictures in this frame over the last couple of days. It's both sweet and sad. Someday we'll find the time and money to put some pictures up. Thankfully, with the invention of the digital camera we have lots of pictures, they're just on memory cards or in computer folders...patiently awaiting the day someone has to look at them.

Banana Boats for Breakfast!

I promised them Banana Boats for dessert last night, and then we didn't have dessert. (I'm actually not sure why, perhaps because I went to vote in the primaries.) So...I told them they could have them for breakfast. I'd probably be inclined to argue that they're healthier than most cereal so I don't feel that guilty. (Not that I let them eat cereal but once a week.) The boys loved them. Selah and Micah were too hungry to wait for them as we had already taken Bryan to work so it was 8:15. They just ate their bananas plain, then begged for handfuls of chocolate chips and marshmallows. Not surprising at all.
They did follow their bananas with waffles, yogurt, and even rainbow salad with feta (Jonah). Don't worry that all I fed them was bananas.

What happens when Selah leaves the classroom

Red Sauce on Everything!

It is quite amusing to us that we spent about 8 years trying to convince Jonah that red sauce wasn't gross. And now look at him. He ate it when he was really little but then quit and wouldn't even try it. And now that he tried it a couple of months ago- at Bryan's urging that homemade red sauce is one of the best things on Earth- he can't get enough of it. He and I usually have pasta for lunch once a week or so, and it's the one thing he never complains about getting from the freezer in the basement. In fact, most of the time he doesn't even have to be asked to get it, he just runs down to grab some. So today, he's eating it on a quesadilla. Not totally strange but we are definitely sour cream on quesadillas people. Never tried anything else. And im sure he'll drink what's left in the bowl when he's done!

New Dressers!

I'm ridiculously excited to have new dressers as we've never had enough space to store clothes. When Micah was born we HAD to buy another dresser, and it had nowhere to go but the living room /hallway in the condo. Actuallly, now that I think about it,  I believe the changing table dresser was in the living room/hallway and the dresser went in the kids' room and that's how Selah ended up in the closet,  perhaps? I don't remember clearly. But it still wasn't nearly enough extra space and things improved when we moved into the new house since we bought Selah a whole bedroom set with 2 dressers and 2 nightstands. And she has a good size closet. That meant Micah got both the changing table and the dresser plus a GIANT closet that is simply storage at this point. And the boys have 2 dressers, which isn't enough, especially since we made one of their closets into a fort. So they're next on the list since Micah will be moving in with them very shortly. (EEK!) But it's kind of a relief that Bryan and I got new dressers yesterday. After a mere 11 years of marriage, we just might have room for all of our clothes to have a place! We bought a new bed shortly after Noah was born, and a dresser to go with it. But we couldn't afford more than that (or even that, really.) So then when we moved into this house, be splurged on nightstands! 3 more small drawers each. Sweet! Our closet, however, is so bad I didn't want to buy this house because of it. Seriously. Our house in GA I can honestly say I chose because it had a great yard and an awesome master closet. Especially after I got it organized. This house? The yard and master closet are both terrible. So we bought some new chests and we are going to start redoing our closet this week. YAY! Not much is more exciting than demolition, paint, wood, and power tools! I just can't wait. I have a really strange love for an organized closet. I LOVE opening closets to see then all nice and neat and organized. As in, I've, on occasion...and I refuse to acknowledge the frequency of such occasions ...been known to open closets just to look. Bryan wants to build a house someday and I think he may be a bit disturbed when he sees just how many square feet I intend to devote to closets. But we can deal with that when the time comes. So here's our new dressers...they don't match in color or style but they're very practical. The big one is way taller than I am, I can barely see in the second drawer and can only pat around in the top drawer. So I guess if Bryan wants to hide something from me, there's a good place to do it! And the kids are LOVING the door part. It opens and has shelves (which are yet bare) and a mirror on the door. So they like the full size mirror, we've never had one before (I'm very excited about this! I will no longer have to rely on Bryan's opinion of my outfit nor stand on my bathtub to try to see as much as possible. Yes, I do that.) I keep catching them looking in the mirror or climbing in and hiding on the shelves. And Jonah did shut Micah in there once, but I do hope there won't be a repeat of that. Once again, I wonder why we buy toys...

More Decorating.

When you walk into the kitchen and the two year old turns and hands you a highlighter, you know it's time to start looking for new artwork. And they just LOVE to color on doors and trim...which of course doesn't come off fully. Here's his doorway decoration this time around...and he got the window and the chair as well as his hand, too. But I did find some paper colored on...so I guess he started off well?

Ears, again?

Someone's been up since 5, crying for a myriad of reasons including being thirsty, having cold feet, needing something to snuggle, being hungry, and being afraid of her room. I finally just let her get up at 630. And then she says her ear hurts. Actually, she cried that her ear hurt. Pull out the otoscope, and sure enough, looks infected. Seems everytime she get anything, she gets an ear infection. Guess we will be hitting the doctor at some point today...

Snow Dino!

Bryan and the little two had some fun in the snow while the big two and I went to co-op this morning. "They" were forecasting 5-8 inches, but sadly we only got about 2. The temperature was just a wee bit too high, I think. We hovered just above the freezing mark pretty much all day. So the snow was wet, and mixed with some hail and sleet (or is it freezing rain) and while not pleasant, wasn't the 8 inches we were hoping for. But they did manage to make the dinosaur as well as a chair and a traditional snowman. I was just too hungry and cold to trample through the yard in my skirt to snap pictures of everything. So enjoy the dino!
(Jonah was trying to sneak into the pictures and wrongly claim responsibility, hence the half of a kid in most.)

Aha!

Earlier this week, I came into the dark kitchen, as usual, and made a cup of coffee. I have this down to a science, as I am usually holding a grumpy 2 year old and he doesn't like bright lights in the morning. (Who does?) So I hold the sugar over the coffee cup in the light of the night light, and count to 4. Add some half and half, stir, and take a sip as we mosey back to the bathroom for a shower. Hmm, either I forgot to stir, didn't count very well, the sugar is empty, or....something. back in the kitchen, we turn on the offensive lights to find it was the "or something." The pour spout on the sugar is clogged. I assumed this was just from the steam from the coffee building up sugar on the spout. Silly me. Yesterday I watched Selah grab the baby wipe container and tear off into the kitchen. I've lived with her long enough to know this ALWAYS requires investigation. And I entered the kitchen to find her drinking from the just-cleaned sugar spout. Which was now , once again, clogged. She ran away, but you can see her how she used that baby wipe container to climb up on the counter and get the sugar from the cupboard. Looks like I need to lock even more upper cupboards, since I can't hide everything in one. Never boring with this one around.

Failed Already!

But I'm not giving up yet!

For Lent,  I've given up Facebook-like many people do. I gave it up while the kids were awake last year and vowed to only be on when feeding Micah during the night. (It helped me to stay awake!) Giving it up not only gave me many opportunities to pray for others and grow closer to God, but also to care less about what was going on on facebook when Lent was over. So,  for me, it's been a good thing to give up.

I've also vowed to pray first thing every morning, read at least a devotional everyday (but spending time with the Bible is even better when I can. Doing the daily readings with the kids is probably the closest I can come to daily reading the Bible right now, but I'll take it.) Writing weekly to my friend in prison, and extra days of prayer and fasting. It's enough to be almost overwhelming but still doable for me...and I think that's exactly what I need this year.

Oh, and one last thing. The thing I failed at. Posting on the blog everyday. I tried to do this last year, too. And I got so much positive feedback, I was shocked. Why is this something related to a Lenten sacrifice? Well, because we have quite a few family members not on facebook who really enjoy keeping up with the kids. To the point that this brings them joy and gives them something to look forward to. I'll be honest, when our kids are grown, you can bet I'll be all over any blog or such of my grandkids...even though they're going to live next door! (Well, we can dream, anyway.) Hopefully they won't be 4 hours (or more) away at least. (Driving time to our closest relatives right now.) So, while not so much a sacrifice, it's a bit of a servant's work in trying to bring joy to others. And someday our kids will have this blog to look back on. Okay, someday Bryan & I will have this blog to look back on!

I'll get on with it...sorry I failed to post yesterday, I did take a bunch of pics, so i'll try to catch up this morning...though troops are making their way out of bed now and breakfast time is looming...

Here's Selah, being Selah. Just a simple picture to show what we have to deal with when Selah is sick. We have all had the flu here...lovely, eh? Selah got it first and has had it almost 2 weeks. And she's still being a drama queen about it. Her legs wont work. She can't get in her chair for lunch. Someone is going to have to carry her. Ignoring her does one of two things. Gives you a lump to trip around as you prepare lunch or gives you a screaming, flailing monster who continually repeats she can't walk, her legs don't work, and she needs someone to carry her. Sadly, Jonah is not acceptable for this position of someone, it can only be Bryan or I. And when Bryan's at work, that leaves....me. Even better, one you get her in her chair...she needs you to sit with her. And she wont eat until you do. Of course, if you're not done making lunch, she has to wait. So finally everyone, besides the pregnant lady, has food and you sit down to hold the 3 year old incapable of sitting alone. And what happens? The 2 year old gets an extreme case of jealousy and HAS tp sit with you, too. But the 3 year old doesn't want to share you with the 2 year old and the 2 year old doesn't want to share you with the 3 year old. So, of course, a fight ensues. On your lap. At the lunch table. This can be messy, I speak from experience. And the pregnant lady still hasn't eaten. So her blood sugar is low and she's feeling a bit fuzzy headed. And just wants a nap. And realizes that soon, there'll be a 2 & 3 year old. And a newborn. And still, only one mom. I need a grandma next door.

And yes, Bryan and I often walk around telling "If You Give a Selah a..." stories ...likened to "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." I don't know if I've ever posted one. I'll try to next time. She's quite a source of entertainment around here.

Lunch Date!

Noah and I had a lunch date last week! It was very nice. The little two are sick, and I teach two classes at our homeschool co-op so Bryan ended up taking the day off to watch them. And then Jonah went home with a friend so that left Noah and I to run a couple errands...and we took a rare opportunity to eat lunch out together. Now, since we don't eat meat on Fridays year round around here...there aren't a whole ton of options to choose from, especially since I have a shellfish allergy (and a limited budget) so places like Red Lobster are pretty much out. We ended up at IHOP. I'm not sure Noah has ever been there, and I know he hasn't that he can remember. When 3 of your kids have food restrictions, eating out is virtually impossible unless everyone goes to a salad place. Every kid's dream, right? Anyway, Noah is back on gluten and dairy right now, so we can have a scope done and just make sure he doesn't have EE like Micah. Long story that I haven't had a chance to write about, I hope to this weekend. But if you know us well, you know Noah has always had huge issues with food and I've been to a ridiculous number of doctor appointments trying to figure out what's wrong. Sadly, no one has been overly concerned and has simply tried to treat the symptoms instead of find a cause for his problems. While I don't want him to have EE, I'd be so relived to finally have a diagnosis and work toward a cause for the poor kid. Back on topic, he was thrilled to go to IHOP and get a make-your-own-funny-face pancake. And a HOT CHOCOLATE! Sadly though, this is Noah and he was gushing the whole time about how wonderful it was and ate probably 3 bites. He did finish his hot chocolate and water, though. And it only took an hour. I admit, I was falling asleep (literally) waiting for him to finally admit he was done. But it was a good time!

This 2 Year Old...

Needs a nap. I think we are going to try naps again. He doesn't seem to get up earlier when he catches a nap in the car or on the floor. He just seems to like to get up early in general! And I could use the break Micah napping provides. It makes it easier for me to give the older boys attention in their lessons. And Selah will happily play with playdough or paint, affording some quiet.

Like mother, like daughter

And like father, like son. 

She dressed herself

To play in the snow. I think she may be a bit cold!

Someone...

Has been spending too much time in the tattoo parlor!