Picture Organization

I've started organizing pictures. This may sound mundane and not that impressive but if you really understand everything that this entails you may be impressed. For awhile now we've just been loading pictures onto our computer with no rhyme or reason and thus had a picture folder that was filled with random pictures...this is not conducive to scrapbooking or "shutterfly"ing. So the other night I sat down and started organizing. So far I have most all the pictures stuck in appropriate "year" folders. Pictures from Erik's dad were nice because they all had the correct date on them, many others did not and I had to guess by the picture and relative age of the child in it (most of our pictures are of kiddos). There was actually one or two pictures that I zoomed in on to check out my luckily visible left hand to see if it was before or after Erik and I were married.
My goal is to be able to sit down and "scrapbook" a few pages every once in awhile and make a book on shutterfly for every year since 2003. We'll see how this goes, I'm hoping that this will eventually be easier than actually scrapbooking with stickers and paper. Right now I'm not so sure, and I still have to check my craft closet for loose pictures lurking in dark corners that have not been loaded on our computer yet.

It's a long one!

Merry Christmas to all! I must say that this Christmas I've not felt as jolly as usual. I think it might be the pregnancy hormones or nothing going the way I want it to but my mood and circumstances have improved in the last few days, making it a very Merry Christmas indeed.
I'm finally really thankful that I didn't fly to my sister's graduation, I wouldn't have made it home until Christmas day! Getting stuck in LA, even with my dad and mom and sisters didn't sound like much fun. Christmas Eve we set out cookies for Santa. The kiddos helped make them and were very excited to go to bed on Christmas Eve night. Erik gave me my Christmas gift after the kids went to bed and even installed it, I got a chandelier for our bedroom. Only after he installed it did we discover that we only had two light bulbs to put in it (that is without stealing from other light fixtures in the house) but it looks really cool. I thought that he was planning on getting this for me but I had no idea when he was going to get it because I've been at Home Depot with him everytime we've been up there, apparently one time when I took Hannah to the bathroom he rushed through, bought it and hid it in the suburban all before we got back!
Ivan was very excited to get a big boy bike for Christmas along with a "mater" helmet. And Clayton was excited to get two little board books and his little wooden chair we made him and Hannah was thrilled to get a violin. It will be hard to only allow her to play it when we can help her, but she loves it!
My parents' flight to Seattle from LA was cancelled on Monday and they couldn't get a flight till Christmas so I tried to convince them that they could just drive up to our house and spend Christmas with us but they prefered to wait and not make the long drive. Bummer, someday maybe I'll get to spend Christmas morning with my family again.
Erik's parents lost power at their house on Monday morning and they didn't want to leave and come to the warmth of our house either. Then they weren't sure that they wanted us to come and share in the cold on Christmas day either, but we decided that we were coming anyway and we got here about 3:30pm and the power came on at 6pm. We were very glad for that and decided to stay all weekend instead of just the night. I was starting to think that we were "abandoned" by family at Christmas because no one wanted to spend it with us! It just doesn't feel like Christmas without a bunch of family around.
I think this Christmas with our kiddos has turned out to be the best yet because the kid's actually looked forward to it with anticipation and giving them gifts that they wanted and were excited about was really fun. Makes me think of that verse in the New Testement that says something about if you know how to give good gifts to your children how much more does God know how (and want!) to give gifts to you! I know that's not word for word but I don't have a Bible near me at this moment.
Merry, Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, almost!

I have so much to blog about. Erik had a birthday, Ivan had a birthday, we've had snow, Erik didn't work all last week so projects are getting done at our house and Hannah and Ivan participated in the children's Christmas program today at church. So just to tide you over until I feel up to catching up on everything I'm posting my favorite picture of today. We got a picture of the kiddos this morning before church in their fancy clothes for Christmas. Ivan looks so much older with his hair spiked, he looks like a little rock star and the pose is priceless. Hannah's dress is the Christmas dress I made her this year, next year I'm going to try taffeta, maybe I can get the "poof" without the netting. Clayton is wearing the adorable sweater that Rolana knitted.

Disappointment

So I've pretty much decided that I'm not attending my sister's college graduation in Southern California. I am very disappointed. The weather being what it is and is suppose to be I just don't think I can handle the stress of not knowing whether I can make it to the airport or not. Then my sisters and I were suppose to drive back up but my mom didn't want to handle the stress of us driving in questionable weather so my parents decided to fly us all home, the only problem here being that I have no way home from the airport. I'm suppose to fly out Thursday morning and then my return flight would bring me back on Saturday night, that's a lot of flying in just a few short days and though it may seem like I have more energy than normal for a pregnant lady, I just don't think I could deal with this. I still have a day or two to maybe change my mind, I'm having a hard time dealing with the disappointment (after all, I've been looking forward to this for a year!) but as of now I'm staying home.

The Awkward Hug

Ever have one of these? You go to hug a friend/acquaintance, you are going for the side hug with one hand in the pocket of your coat when you realize they've got their other arm extended also, so you struggle to free your hand from said pocket and raise it above their oncoming arm so that you are not encircling them below both arms by this time you are too close to notice the tilt of their head which results in a slightly uncomfortable moment in which you stall with your foreheads almost meeting and if you're lucky, you choose opposite ways to continue your head tilt and the hug is accomplished. If it is a truly awkward hug though, you both end up going the same way and one of you usually ends up turning their head so that your cheeks are touching and you are both looking the same way, which makes the hug look awkward to anyone who might be watching. As you finally disentangle yourselves you are both mentally noting to be prepared the next time you meet to go for just the side hug, unless you notice they've got two arms extended.

I'm Exhausted

Erik didn't go to work today either, they found mold in the house they are remodeling so his boss is figuring out if it would be more cost effective to just bulldoze the entire house or try and remodel all the mold out and until this is figured out the job is at a stand still but Erik did work hard today, we all did (after we played at MOB). Erik re-fenced the backyard last night and today he built two gates so now my backyard is enclosed. I took down the remainder of the chicken fence and stacked fire-wood. I also found the perfect place for next year's garden. Our backyard looks huge now and the entire thing isn't even fenced, we still have about 25-30 feet of backyard past the back of the fence. I miss looking out and seeing my stupid chickens running around but I really like the space more. Again I have no pictures, but maybe soon.

It has come to pass.

We no longer have chickens, well we have them but they are in the freezer awaiting their time to be eaten. Erik butchered them tonight. Hannah and Ivan once again thought it was fascinating to watch and also that Erik found the starting of an egg inside one of them when he was cleaning them out. The backyard is on it's way to being fenced and I look forward to the day that I can send the kids and the dog into the backyard to play and not have to worry too much that they have gone wandering down the road.
In other dog news Quincy is doing well, acting a little more puppy-ish today and a little more sure of us though he does bark and whine through the night. Hopefully he'll be a smart dog and realize soon that it doesn't get him anywhere. He likes to hide under my chair instead of in his kennel and is sleeping there right now. He played pretty hard with the kids in the backyard during the chicken butchering.

Pictures

You get pictures and multiple blogs tonight because I finally uploaded pictures from my camera. I did get a picture of our stockings hanging from the framing right before we moved them to put the fireplace in, the stockings are now hanging from the bookcase. The fireplace did come on Friday and is partly installed. It is only partly installed because though the fireplace came, all of the parts did not. Erik did though cut the hole in the roof for the chimney which at this moment has plastic over it to keep the rain out. We are still hoping and praying to have a roaring fire by Christmas.

Our Newest Addition

Well, we did it. We have joined the community of dog owners. Today we drove to Astoria to pick out and pick up our newest addition. His name is Quincy (Hannah named him and we have no idea where the name came from). He's a blue heeler/lab mix and he's about 10 weeks old and right now he's sleeping peacefully in his kennel in the laundry room. Hannah is upset in the picture because she wanted Quincy to stand by her.

Stockings were hung by the chimney?

Our fireplace comes in today! Or rather it's suppose to. Erik and Hannah are going to go pick it up when he gets off work tonight, then we have to actually install it. Hopefully we'll have a fire by Christmas but Erik told me not to get my hopes up for a mantle by then. Right now our stockings are hanging from the framing. I was going to take a picture because it does look quite comical but once I finally found the camera it wouldn't turn on because of dead batteries. Too bad for you.

Black Friday

So, I did succumb to the temptation of cheap flannel and went shopping at 6am yesterday morning. I must say though that it was actually fun this year. Instead of a tiny JoAnn's in Astoria I moved up this year to the larger JoAnn's in McMinnville. There were plenty of carts for everyone that wanted one, the staff was efficient and friendly, there was plently of room to move around and there was no one frantically grabbing at the flannel trying to get all they could. People actually spent their time looking at the flannel and deciding what they wanted instead of grabbing like crazy. It was a civilized shopping experience. At the most I waited 30 minutes in the cutting line and 5 minutes in the checkout line! I also branched out this year and looked at and bought more than just flannel because I had time to look around without worrying that I needed to save a place in one of the lines. I was impressed that I spent $80 and saved $180 by buying everything on sale. Erik wasn't so impressed, he always says I could have saved more money by staying home and not spending any....
Erik and I did brave Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon and it wasn't bad but I don't think you could have paid me to be there at 5am. My in-laws went, walked in and turned around and came out (and that took them 20 minutes), they said it was a nightmere. I'm excited because even though I still have a few things to make for Christmas I think we have all the shopping done. And as we were leaving Wal-Mart there were two adorable husky puppies for sale so Erik and I spent some time petting them...we think we might get rid of (or eat) our chickens and get a dog. We did pass up the husky puppies but it was really hard.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year has been good. I've felt tired and out of it all day but I'm so very thankful for family that loves to play with my kiddos and lets me take a nap and says that I don't have to make anything for Thanksgiving dinner. I was suppose to make breakfast this morning but Erik took charge and finished that up for me and let me sleep, I'm definitely thankful for the wonderful husband I've been blessed with. As long as I'm listing things I'm thankful for I can't forget my kiddos. They amaze me every day with what comes out of their mouths (or in the case of Clayton, what goes in...). I'm so very thankful that they are excited to "have Jesus in my heart." Ivan has taken to saying that "Jesus is mine. And Jesus is daddy's." I just love it.
This morning my mom called to say that Grandma Dorothy died. She's my dad's mom. I find though that I have more to be thankful and grateful for than I have to be sad about. It's hard to be sad when I know she's in Heaven and that she was really ready to go home. I spent a week up at my parents' house and we got to see and talk with Grandma and she was more coherent than usual while we were visiting, asking how old my kiddos are and commenting on how cute they are. It was good to say goodbye that way and I have to admit that when we left I thought maybe it might be the last time I saw her alive. I am so thankful for her love for God and the legacy that has left in our family, first in hers and then tickling down into ours now. I'll miss her but I am so very thankful that I will see her again someday.
So it has been a good Thanksgiving and I hope yours was wonderful too.

Jesus in my Heart

Tonight after reading the Bible with the kiddos Erik asked Hannah if she wanted to pray and ask Jesus to live in her heart. She said she did want to but that she didn't know the words to say. So Erik took the boys to bed and Hannah and I prayed together that Jesus would live in her heart and take all her sins away. Then when I carried Hannah to bed, Ivan said that he was a "christ-masin" now. Erik said that he wanted Jesus in his heart too, so they prayed and Ivan asked Jesus to forgive him and live in his heart.
The last few weeks Hannah and Ivan have both actually wanted to pray (as long as we help them with the words) at night. It's very cute, and if we forget to pray for something that we prayed for the night before, Hannah will remind us.
I love my kiddos.

Jesus on the Cross

This morning at breakfast Hannah was explaining to Ivan that "sin is disobeying God" and "Jesus died on the cross to take away all our sin." It reminded me that I had meant to blog about something a few weeks ago and forgot. We all went to Tillamook a few weeks ago and we were looking around Rosenberg Building Supply when the kiddos spotted a kids "patio set". A table with umbrella and chairs. The table had a tic-tac-toe grid on it and it wasn't long before Hannah and Ivan discovered x 's and o's in the pockets on the chairs. Only they found the x's first, turned them on their sides and showed anyone who would look at the them..."Look it's Jesus on a cross." They got a few blank looks until I explained that they'd been paying close attention in Sunday school. So their alphabet skills may be slightly lacking at this moment but I'm not complaining.

Dishes

For those of you that know me and know my love of washing dishes, this may come as a surprise. I'm not even sure I want to mention it and run the risk of jinxing myself...but for a week now I've been able to keep my kitchen clean and all the dishes are done before I go to bed. I think maybe it was my week off from anything kitchen related, combined with my mother's ability to keep her kitchen clean with 3 grandkids and a daughter making messes that helped spur me on to greater heights (or depths) of cleanliness. Not to brag too much, but I've also kept on top of the laundry...clothes are clean and folded and put away. I say this all in amazement as these are not my strong points when it comes to "household management". I'm praying that my fervor and devotion will continue, it's really nice to wake up to a clean house and know that pans are already clean for making breakfast and that nothing is growing mold or going to suddenly evolve out of the slime and muck and run away. People have been telling me for years that it's easier to do one or two dishes at a time than waiting for them all to be dirty and trying to wash them all at once, I think I might be inclined to believe them now.

Our New Fireplace

So far this is the framing for our new fireplace and closet. This is about as far as we can go for now, turns out the fireplace we are getting is back-ordered 3 or 4 weeks. Hopefully it comes much sooner rather than later, but it should still be in time for Christmas!

The Cottage

Here are pictures of the really cool grand-kid cottage at my parent's house. Hannah and Grandma slept on the hide-a-bed most nights that we were there. Ivan joined them once and Hannah slept in the loft so Ivan could sleep with Grandma. They loved playing out there. My dad and Clayton came out to take pictures with me so there would be people in my pictures too. Clayton liked playing out there also, lots of toys and books to get into.

Halloween

Here are the kiddos in their Halloween Costumes. I made Hannah and Ivan's and Clayton's is one that we've had (and Hannah and Ivan have both worn). Ivan was so tired after the Harvest Party we went to that he was snoring by the time we made it back to Grandma's house. And Clayton's bear costume has gloves (paws) on it so he couldn't scratch himself! Hannah's wings I found at Fred Meyer, thank goodness I didn't have to make those too.

Clayton Walking

I have many many pictures to post from my week vacation, and I've been debating whether or not to post them all now or slowly over the next few days, just to keep you coming back for more. I think it might actually depend on what the kiddos let me do.
Clayton finally let me get him walking on video. Enjoy!

Whidbey Island

I am posting at this moment from Whidbey Island. I'm up here for the week visiting my parents. Erik and his brother BJ are hunting and Erik is also framing in the spot for our fireplace. We decided to go with number 3, the fireplace, because it would fit and look the best. I'm very excited and I hope we can get it all finished in time for Christmas. Today I finished Hannah and Ivan's Halloween costumes and I will take pictures of them tomorrow when we head to the Harvest Festival. Clayton has also decided that maybe now it's time to start walking, he actually took 3 or 4 steps a couple times tonight but never when I tried to take a video so his daddy (and my faithful blog readers) could see. Hannah is at this moment sleeping out in the "Cottage" with Grandma and Clayton and Ivan are in my room sleeping. My parents have this great shed that they fixed up into the coolest playhouse ever. It has electricity and heat and a loft and a hide-a-bed and all the toys and it's in a fenced backyard so the kids can take themselves out there whenever they want and play and read to their hearts contentment. Maybe I'll get a few pictures, I remembered to bring the camera, now I just have to remember to take pictures.

Free-Weekend!

This morning starts my full free day of this weekend. Erik took all the kiddos to his parent's house this weekend. They left yesterday afternoon so I got to shopping all by myself and out to dinner too. I've been looking at my list of things that I've been wanting to do without any kids around and I can't decide where to start. So I started here. Drinking a cup of coffee, peacefully, and setting down a few random and probably unimportant in the grand scheme of life thoughts. My plans, though they are not thrilling, are somewhat as follows: I would love to get the living room clean and rearranged, I have to clean the church (no skipping this one) and I would love to get started on the kids halloween costumes. I got all the fabric yesterday at JoAnn's and I'm excited to start on them. Hannah wants to be a fairy and Ivan wants to be a lion. Oh and I want to get the shelves up on the wall above my sink in the kitchen.
It was wonderful to sleep in this morning and get up without the usual mommy wake up call from Hannah.
I think now I'll get to working...my coffee is almost gone.

Woodstove

Erik and I for awhile now have played with the idea of putting a wood stove in our house. So far these are my ideas. Sorry the pictures aren't very clear, pencil does not scan well. Picture number 1 (they are labeled but in backwards) doesn't really work because of clearances and roof trusses. Number 2 is okay. Number 3 is my favorite and Erik likes number4. Number 4 would also be the easiest. Number 3 we lose less room but it is a lot of work. There's also the difference between a free-standing wood stove and an insert. You can't cook on an insert during power outages but we also have a propane cook-stove that I can and do cook on when the power goes out. With number 2 and number 4 we would shorten our front closet, put the door in the hallway and put the piano by the front door. Number 1 and number 3 we would shorten the closet and put the door in the hallway still but the piano would stay where it is. Which one do you like best?

Ivan's New Wool Coat

I made Ivan's coat this week also. His was a much easier pattern to understand and it was fun to sew together, though it was challenging. I love that it has 3 pockets on the outside and a pocket on the inside too. What boy doesn't love pockets to fill with things? He filled his with matchbox cars for church today. I promised him that I would get it finished so he could wear it to church so I took it to the theater with me last night and sewed the buttons on when I wasn't on stage. In the picture he has the sleeves rolled up a little so you see that I only had white thread for my serger. Oh well. I also asked him to smile and this is what I got.

Silly Boy

Ivan got sent to his room yesterday and this is how I found him about 10 minutes later. I didn't know it was possible for him to fit in the doll bed, let alone be comfortable enough to fall asleep. He slept there for an hour and a half.

Coffee Art

I had a canvas and I needed something in my kitchen, so I attempted art. Or to paint. I really liked how it turned out but it needs a word or words across the top...any ideas? I'm asking for suggestions because my brain just isn't coming up with the right word (s).

Hannah's New Wool Coat

I got around to sewing Hannah's coat much sooner than I thought. Yesterday Erik stayed home from work feeling very sick and since he had taken over the couch I sequestered myself in the kitchen and sewed. I didn't feel sick but I didn't feel well enough to do much of anything but since sewing only requires that I use my brain and my hands and feet all the while sitting at my sewing machine I figured it could still be deemed "resting". And so I sewed. Hannah's coat turned out cute and she really likes it so I won't launch into everything I wish I'd done differently but I will say that I didn't like the pattern, the way it was written or the way you were suppose to sew it together. This coat will probably be one of a kind and the pattern will get stuck in my pattern box until I've forgotten the headache it gave me. Ivan now wants a coat though and since I have the wool and a pattern his will come soon, I think. At least his pattern promises to be easy to sew.

The Show Must Go On

So Friday night I either got the flu or food poisoning. It could be either one, the flu has been going around and then Friday night I ate Burger King and drank a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks that tasted way too sweet (not a good combination...) . I made it to the JoAnn's sale and on my way to the theater I realized I needed food in my stomach or I wouldn't make it through the play. There is the argument that Burger King does not really qualify as food but....
Anyway, I threw it all up between the second and third acts. Felt well enough to make it through the third act and then spent the rest of Friday night and Saturday morning sick. I did make it to perform Saturday night and felt much better yesterday and performed our matinee; today I think I might just rest, all day.
Being sick is not much fun at all.

Daffodils

I've finally after 3 or 4 years gotten daffodil bulbs planted. Every spring when the daffodils bloom I make a mental note to plant some bulbs in the fall and so far, every year I've forgotten. But not this year! Last Saturday when we were at Costco I spied a huge bag of them and Erik didn't object when I sneaked them into the cart. Now not only have I remembered to buy them but Hannah and Ivan and I have just finished planting 60+ bulbs in the ground. It was difficult to keep Ivan from peeling them like an onion but they sure liked placing them in the hole that I dug. (How come I got the difficult part?) I still have about 10 or 15 bulbs left but I'm trying to decide where else I should plant them. Fall is my favorite time of year but a close second is the very beginning of spring when the daffodils bloom.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of the bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth (1804)

Of Hunting and Gates

Last night Erik called and asked me to come pick him up. He had been out sighting his scope on his rifle up at the rock quarry so he can hunting on Saturday and when he came back down the hill the gate across the road had been shut and locked. He had to walk all the way down the road to find a phone (in the rain and hail). I laughed and piled the kiddos in the Suburban to go pick him up. Which means I also had to be up and ready this morning to drive him back to pick up his truck when someone opened the gate. But wonderful husband that he is he suggested we take the kiddos out for breakfast after we did this. He also came up with a plan so that I can get to JoAnn's this weekend (without kids) cause patterns are on sale without his usual snide comments about JoAnn's sales or complaining that I really didn't need to spend the gas money to go. (Not that these incidents are related, mind you). I'm still laughing at him though for getting locked in but I'm hoping that it was worth it to get his gun sighted and that he will actually get a deer to put in our freezer.

Clayton's First Haircut

I've always been of the opinion that when it comes to hair, "don't sweat it, it'll grow," but it's harder to have the same attitude with your kiddos' hair. I'm finding though, that the more kiddos I have the easier it is to pass the "large milestones" like first haircut. I mention all this just to say that we buzzed Clayton's hair last night. He looks much more like Ivan now and still looks really stinkin' cute. All my boys are really stinkin' cute.

I'm still sort of surprised I got them all to sit still together for a picture. Next we'll work on smiles.

You're Not Old Enough...

I remember this one time before Erik and I got married I was in Center Diamond (the fabric store in Cannon Beach) and there was a woman in there with three little kids hanging around her legs. She left as I was waiting at the counter to get some fabric cut and the lady behind the counter mentioned the woman with the kids was "only 25 and has three kids under the age of 5!" I think at the time my response was something like "wow." And it wasn't the good sort of "wow". I was remembering that this morning as I realized I am 25 and have three children under the age of 5 and when number four makes it's appearance in March I will still be 25...so I will have 4 children under the age of 5. I laughed. My ideas and opinions have definitely changed in the last 6 years, but for the better, I must add.

Updated Finally

I am sadly falling behind in blogging. Many of you may be shocked to learn that this is my first time on the internet in 3 whole days! Two of those days I didn't even turn the computer on. I've been working hard in my yard, and then it was opening weekend of "Our Town" so I had many dress rehearsals and then performances (which by the way went really well). I'm glad that performances have started and I get to be home with my family most evenings now. Oh, and I've also been quilting like a mad woman. But I am enjoying myself.
Brief updates. Hannah wrote her name mostly by herself the other day, a moment to be proud of, of course it was in a card to my sister and thus got mailed to her. She also (with daddy's help) rode her "big-girl" bike with the training wheels around the block. Ivan is all boy and reminds us of that constantly. Clayton tonight learned to stand on his own. We had the piano bench on it's side in front the french doors so he couldn't fall down the back steps and he pulled himself up by one of the legs and stood there bouncing on his own two legs. It was very exciting.
And now I am going to watch Jeeves and Wooster with Erik. Goodnight.

Creation and Evolution

My heart feels heavy this morning. Last night I had two conversations with two different people about evolution and creation. The conversations were completely unrelated even though they happened only about an hour apart. The first was with a good friend who is a Christian and believes in what he termed the "long-day" view of Genesis chapter 1. The reasoning behind this being that there is so much "evidence" for evolution that it insults our intelligence (God gave us brains to use them after all) to ignore it and who are we to limit how God can create. That was a fascinating conversation but because we held common ground it wasn't without hope.
The second conversation was with the same man that I had my conversation with a week or so ago and that conversation felt completely devoid of hope. Not hope that I will argue him to my way of thinking...never that. But missing the hope that he will ever see the truth of who Jesus is. He thinks that to believe in the Bible is to throw all science out the window and that any science done by someone who believes in the Bible or a young earth is fluff. And I know that no matter what young earth science I show him he won't believe it, but that's because that's not the real issue. If the Bible is false from the beginning, then even though you may believe in "God" there is no personal responsibility, there is no "sin" or need for a Savior.
But where is my hope if the Bible is not true? Yes, there is a God, who has chosen to reveal himself through his word, Jesus Christ and through his word, the Bible so that we can know in some small way this amazing God that is beyond all comprehension. Because our God desires to have a relationship with us he sent his son Jesus and because of all of this I have hope that I will spend eternity in the presence of our Almighty God. If the Bible cannot be trusted from the first word, what part can I trust?
After the conversation was over, I left and I cried. Not because the conversation was hard, in fact this time around, I didn't say much, I just listened, but because I think I finally have an inkling of what God feels when we look at his creation and yet ignore Him and how he has revealed himself, and when we allow our intelligence to take the place of His...and so I cried.

1 Corinthians 1:17-25
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of it's power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
" I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Isaiah 64:4
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

I've been praying for opportunities now to share Christ and share the hope that I have in Him. I already know that this man thinks I'm foolish, so I have no fear there, I'm praying for the words to express this hope and this joy that I have in Jesus Christ. That I will find a receptive and willing-to-listen audience in my friend, for he does love to talk and argue, and that I will be bold when that opportunity arrives. Please pray in this with me.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Yesterday morning as I lay in bed (the kiddos actually let me do this for 30 whole minutes) I decided I really wanted "Thanksgiving Dinner". So we went to the store and picked up stuff. They didn't have whole turkeys and so I was forced to get a turkey breast and cook my stuffing outside the turkey but it all turned out delicious and I am really looking forward to leftovers today. I didn't make dessert or rolls or anything but we had turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes. When I told Erik what we were having for dinner he gave me the strangest look, I think it's because the night before I couldn't come up with one idea for dinner other than pumpkin waffles. It's only 10am but I might go eat some leftovers now.

Just Hair

I'm glad hair is just hair and it grows. Ivan wanted his hair cut like Daddy, so daddy did it. He buzzed it but thank goodness didn't shave it all off. I might have cried. So here are pictures of Erik and Ivan together. Ivan likes his hair but he didn't want to smile for the first picture.

2 Kings 2:23

Because of mis-communication and certain mishaps Erik is now bald. Erik has this fun cowlick at the back of his head that he can never get the same length as the rest of his hair no matter how many times he goes over it with the clippers. So he usually has me try because I can see what I'm doing. Well...I thought about trying it with the scissors, then decided against it and picked up the clippers to just do it that way, I turned them on and touched them to Erik's head just as he asked if I had put the attachment on...oops, too late. So instead of walking around with a huge bald spot on the back of his head he just shaved the rest of his hair off. The mis-communication was due to the fact that every time I have ever used the clippers on his hair he always has the attachment on and ready to go but this time he did not. I didn't think to look because he always has it ready for me and I've used the clippers maybe 10 times in my entire life...so all that being said, Erik is now bald. Our neighbors saw him and asked me what on earth possessed Erik to shave his head right before Fall; they sure did appreciate the laugh.

Bible-Believing Church

Today I had an absolutely fascinating conversation with a friend. Wait, let me back up. Today at church Pastor Dave talked about "throwing out the life-line" to those around us that are not saved, and some of the reasons why we do not. So all during the sermon I was praying for specific opportunities to share with specific people and also for the courage to do so when those occasions arose. I must say that my prayers were answered quite quickly today and thus I had this fascinating conversation with a friend. I mentioned something about being late for worship practice this morning and he asked,"What church do you go to again?"
I said, "Calvary Bible Church in Manzanita, the one right there on Laneda, same side as US Bank."
He said, "Oh, okay. What type of church would that be?"
I replied,"Well, it's kind of a non-denominational church, which is basically a denomination all it's own, but it's a basic Bible-believing church."
"Oh," said he, "you mean like literal history, creationism, the earth's only 6000 years old kind of Bible-believing?"
"Yes."
He was shocked to meet someone who believed in the Bible as literal history, and I have never before met someone who passionately believes that evolution and God can co-exist and that evolution is "guided by the gentle hand of God." Not only that but that religion and science are two separate things and when one tries to explain the other it crosses over the line of it's purpose. He also thinks that the Bible is one way to know God; a poetic, metaphorical way to know God but because God is so huge that we can't wrap our minds around him to limit ourselves to just the Bible is in a sense limiting God and giving us a very narrow view of who He is. ( He later also said, that there are many bibles and religions that all point us to god...)
I prayed the whole time for words to say and questions to ask with out being disrespectful or rude and it was a fun conversation of trying to explain to each other our different viewpoints. When I said that evolution cannot be a completely proven scientific fact he gave a little laugh and told me to bite my tongue and said that evolution is probably one of the most "stable" continuously proven theories.
Of course I asked questions like, what happens to original sin and the need for a Savior if there is death and decay before humans were ever in existence? And if natural selection is the method God chooses to further evolution what is the point of trying to cure death and disease or prolong life, aren't these the tools of natural selection?
I still as I write this am blown away by this conversation, it seemed so crazy and yet it was fascinating and fun. There was so much more to the conversation that what I've written here and I hope that he and I can continue to have conversations like this. I know that I will never argue him to faith in Jesus Christ and the one and only true God and Father but just to throw those seeds and let God handle the rest...I just feel so blessed right now to even have had this conversation...that at this moment I have no more words to say.

Dinner

Sometimes I try to make dinner interesting, but tonight I obviously failed...actually we just had a very tired girl tonight, but we didn't realize how tired until we left her at the table to finish her dinner and came back to find this only a few minutes later.

Pile O' Rock

This is my birthday present from Erik. I know it just looks like a pile of rocks...'cause that's actually what it is. It's a dump truck load of pit-run rock that I am slowly turning into rock borders and walls for flower beds and such. I'm very excited, I like playing with rocks!

Peaches

Well, they're done...mostly. I have no more jars and so I must be finished canning peaches. I have 70, yes seventy, quarts lining my cupboards and about half a box left to eat. We decided that we needed more peaches this year than I canned last year, so I got five boxes. I would have taken a picture and maybe in the near future I will, but I'm exhausted right now. I also have three boxes of apples sitting in my kitchen to make into applesauce; I'm so glad that they last longer than peaches because I have to find more jars (anyone got extras?). That's all. I'm going to go sit down.

Of Mice..er...rats and men...

Tonight Erik and Michelle took the kiddos on a walk so I could start canning peaches. As I was standing at the sink I looked out and noticed a huge rat calmly eating right alongside my chickens, so I just watched. As soon as Erik walked in the door I mentioned he should grab his gun. The rat obviously thought he was entitled to the food for he didn't even move as Erik got within a few feet and then...no more rat. Erik was very excited and called his brother right away to boast of his thrilling hunt. Men and their guns...
It really cracks me up though that this is the same wonderful man that while I was at play practice today cleaned the bathroom and made me an applesauce cake with peanut butter frosting!
What can I say, I love him!

Shoes

I have a love affair with shoes, though I most of the time I'd rather be barefoot. These red beauties were given to me for my birthday by my wonderful sister-in-law, Michelle.
These I found at Ross. I tried them on, I coveted and yet I did not buy them because alas, I did not have the money. The next time I went to Ross and actually had the money there was not one pair of these shoes to be found and I figured "Oh well, like I need another pair of shoes." Then my sister Beth and I went to Ross a few weeks later; I had money to spend and there they were, the only pair...in my size...and on clearance. I did "need" another pair of shoes after all.

Citizen's Environmental Peace Department

Today at the zoo I got the best birthday present ever. I came back to my suburban, which was parked in a compact parking spot!, and found a violation ticket under my windshield wiper. It was from the "CEPD", the Citizen's Environmental Peace Department, and it was for driving a SUV and polluting the environment. If you click on the picture you can read the whole enjoyable thing. According to the violation ticket, for my first offense I can pay the penalty by "donating 10 % of sales price of your SUV to your favorite environmental organization."
As defined for me on the back a SUV includes light trucks, mini vans and sport utility vehicles. I am so ashamed that I drive a vehicle that is large enough to hold my children and a few friends (so we can carpool). Of course if I complain and ask someone to create a green machine large enough for my family both now and future, I might get slapped with a violation for enlarging my carbon-footprint by having too many children (or any children at all).

The Unexpected...

Tonight my very wonderful husband let me go see "The Unexpected Guest" at the Theatre. I had tons of fun. It was a very enjoyable show...and I didn't even try and figure the murder out, I just watched. I sat next to a very friendly couple. I don't know their names or where they are from (I seem to always forget about introductions...) but we had a grand time chatting before and after and at intermission about anything and everything. The last show they had seen at the theatre was "Honk" so I'm guessing they are not locals because they seem to enjoy the theatre very much. But as they were leaving the man said, "Well, I hope you keep birthing life, creativity and faith, God Bless." And I smiled all the way home, it was just really really cool.

My Eldest Blessing

Being a parent is very exasperating. Hannah has been driving me nuts all day. She's fought with Ivan more than usual and she's been consistent at disobeying the very thing I just told her not to do. Tonight she threw a plate on the floor at dinner and it broke; she chose for punishment to go to bed early so she could still have apple cider with dinner. We went on a quick bike ride after dinner and on the way home she kept trying to crash into Ivan, again after I told her not to but then she rode on ahead, parked her bike in the driveway and ran back to, as she said: "give you a kiss and tell you I love you because I forgot when I was on my bike."
I tell you, your heart melts and you want to take back all punishments...
Of course then we got in the house and she threw a fit and demanded that I take her shoes off.
And here I heave a sigh, roll my eyes and send her off to bed with a really big kiss and many prayers.

Dante Reunion

This weekend we were at Erik's parents house for the "Dante Family Reunion". It was really fun, I always enjoy spending time with Erik's family. Great Grandpa and Grandma Dante saved a few boxes from their move to McMinnville for Hannah and Ivan to play in. They were thrilled.
We also went hiking at Silver Creek Falls, and it was really, really warm. A few of the days this weekend were over 100 degrees! I'm so glad Jon and Liz have air conditioning! The rest of the time we spent hanging out, shopping and watching a lot of Olympics and HGTV. I was only responsible for one meal this weekend, so I enjoyed myself throughly.
Erik has this week off for vacation though I'm not sure how much of a vacation it actually is, he's using the time to finish our shed and I'm hoping I can snag him to help me finish a few other projects as well.

Clayton is 1 !

First Birthday!First flip-flops!

First Pickle!

Hannah's Haircut

Ever since Aunt Michelle cut her hair short, Hannah has been begging to cut her hair also. This weekend Aunt Ashley brought her scissors to the family reunion so Hannah got her way, and I must say that even though I miss her longer hair she looks really stinkin' cute. Of course while Ashley was cutting my hair the next day Hannah got a hold of the scissors and cut a chunk out of her "bangs"...but it's not too horrible, still cute.

Baby Dreams

The strange dreams have started. Well, I guess they're not actually that strange but I do remember them. Last night I had two. Erik and I have been reading the time quintet by Madeline L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door etc. ) and I mentioned that the name Charles was growing on me, it also happens to be Erik's middle name and he thinks it was Great-Grandpa Worthylakes name. So we are starting to think that we might actually go with Charles if it's a boy. (Any suggestions for a middle name?) Well last night my first dream was that it was a boy and we did name him Charles, and then my second dream was that it was twin girls and so we got to use up both our girl names. Erik says I'm not allowed to dream anymore and if it is twins he's going to castrate himself. I'm really hoping it's a girl, it would be nice to have another girl and even out the balance of estrogen and testosterone in the house. Hannah says we should name a girl Tinkerbell and I said probably not, it'll either be Nora Elizabeth or Marilyn Olivia if it's a girl and she likes Marilyn Olivia the best (even though she can't quite say it).
As long as I keep eating I feel okay, if my stomach starts getting empty I feel nauseated and I must say I'm tired of eating already.

Decision

I made the decision, I am going to be a part of (or a take a part in) "Our Town". I'm not sure what finally made me say yes but I did. I'm kind of excited now. We'll see how it goes!

Baby Names

In response to Rolana's query about the six baby names we picked out and now not having a boy name....
We have 3 children, thus there are only three names left only one of which was a boy name : Roderick James but alas that name is no longer in the running. After watching "Jeeves and Wooster" the name Roderick takes on an overbearing, dictator quality thanks to the character of Roderick Spode. Ahh, the name is falling from favor; then there is the movie "Flushed Away" in the which the main character is a mouse named Roderick St. James or Roddy St. James who gets flushed down the toilet and at some point sings, "Poor, poor Roddy, flushed down his own potty..." Thus this is what I think of when hearing the name "Roderick James" and I just can't do that to a kid. So, alas we have two girl names and no boy name, so it better be a girl.

Our Town part 2

I still haven't made a decision about "Our Town". I tried to call the theatre today and nobody answered and then I got sidetracked with making dinner and cherry pies. We went on a walk today and our neighbor's cousin who is building a house across from Ed and Jan's new house gave us a huge bag of cherries from his orchard, so I made them a pie. I still am unsure if I will do "Our Town" or not...I skimmed through it again today and I think my last and "biggest" fear is that my tummy is going to be huge and I don't know if I can act around it. I know that sounds funny, but I think I'm tired of trying to disguise my belly (and not doing a very good job of it) for plays. I think the plan right now is to still see if the directors are okay with it. What I really want is someone to make the decision for me...but then not really 'cause if I asked Erik he would say "If you really want to know, I'd rather you not but it's up to you."
Oh and this baby better be a girl because I spent way to long on the internet yesterday looking up boy names and didn't see any I was crazy about.

Our Town

I'd pretty much decided that I wasn't going to be a part of the play "Our Town" and so I emailed Colleen at the Coaster Theatre to inform her of this and hope that she would pass it along the directors, well she never got the e-mail and even though I did not attend the second round of auditions they still called today and offered me the part of "Emily". Now I'm in a quandary and I think I'd like to do it. Colleen said she'd put me down as a tentative yes and let me think it over for a day. I'm suppose to call her tomorrow and let her know for sure, and I still don't know! I'm thinking it will come down to whether or not the directors want to have a pregnant lady playing a teenager! The play shows different parts of growing up so I would play from a teenager to her growing up and then dying in childbirth some years after her marriage...
We'll see!

IV Real

Baby number four is due in March! Yeah!

Hannah-isms

Last night we were talking with Hannah and she said, "When I grow up, I'm going to marry Bridger."
I said "Oh, really?"
"Yes," she said," 'Cause he's not a brother and when you have a favorite boy, you marry him."

Potty Training

We are finally working on potty training Ivan. I know he's only 2 and a half so the "finally" isn't really necessary but sometimes I feel way behind Rolana. : )
Yesterday I got home from the store and Erik asked if I had seen Ivan outside, I said, "No, don't you know where he is?" So we proceeded to search and call his name and then we heard a tiny voice from the bathroom say, "Poop." He had of his own will and choice gone into the bathroom and pooped in the toilet! We were quite shocked and elated. (Imagine being elated over poop!) Alas he did not do that today but we are still learning.

Housebound

I'm feeling sort of housebound without my suburban parked out front, even though it's hardly true that I am housebound. We just had the fuel filter and pump replaced on the suburban and I got it back from Scovel's only to discover that every time I take my foot off of the gas it dies. So it is back at Scovel's awaiting Rick's genius to figure it out. Thus no large vehicle in my driveway. My ever so kind sister-in-law Michelle, has been very generous with her car and with watching Clayton a few mornings this last week so I could take Hannah and Ivan into VBS for a little while and Maggie was wonderful to allow me to use her Geo (which was our Geo once upon a time) to go to Tillamook on Wednesday. But alas the feeling remains. I wish there were more places to which I could walk; I would prefer that even over driving but again I am confined to around the block and down the street with no destination but home again.

Tennis Anyone?

Last night I picked up a tennis racket (and actually used it) for the first time in over 3 1/2 years. We all went to the park last night and while Aunt Michelle looked after the kiddos, Erik and I got to play tennis. It wasn't pretty but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be and I still won 6-1, 6-2, even though I had eaten way too much pizza before we went. The last time we played tennis was when Hannah was still young enough to sit in the stroller and not complain too much. Hopefully we can play again soon...sooner than 3 1/2 years!

Really for Truly

On my way home from cleaning the church I stopped and got the mail, all that was in there was a hunting magazine for Erik. I figured he'd be thrilled and it would give him something to look through tonight. But I got home and found him already hard at work on something else. I think he just got tired of asking me to patch his pants.

Come for Coffee!

I've finally finished my adirondack chairs for my gazebo and it was actually warm enough this morning to sit outside and drink my tea while the kiddos were watching a movie. Lovely. You are invited to come join me sometime! (That's why there are two chairs).

I've got Artists!

Hannah and Ivan painted for me today and then Hannah drew with her sidewalk chalk (thanks Nana!) on the stairs in the backyard. It's a self portrait of her as a mermaid.

4th of July

This year we skipped the 4th of July parade. We made it to the pancake breakfast and watched the fireworks and had a garage sale. And it rained...
Oh, we also slept in a tent in our front yard. Hannah and Ivan wanted to go to bed at about 4pm simply because we were going to sleep in the tent.
Hannah and Ivan loved the fireworks but Clayton was more interested in the glow-stick someone gave him. We got to sit on top of the firetruck behind where they were lighting them off, so it was really loud and really fun, best seats there are.
I know this picture is from today...but the tent is still up so I thought I would "illustrate" my blog.

Oh Dear...

It's been awhile and I must say that it's not complete laziness or lack of desire and it's definitely not my fault. Our Internet (that we "share" with our neighbors) has been finicky lately.
I did get to try out for "Our Town" and I'll probably get called to call-backs for the reason that there was no one else there at the same time to read with me.
In other news...Clayton pulled his feeding tube out a few days ago and we thought we'd just leave it out and see how he did. He's been eating all his food and on a few days a little more than the required 38 ounces. Yeah. As long as he keeps this up we can leave the feeding tube out.
Hannah turned 4. She proudly told Grandma on the phone that "I'm not 3 and 11/12 anymore, it's my birthday, I'm 4!" It is very strange to have a four year old; it makes me feel old and I'm not that old. When she was 3 it wasn't so bad, but 4...
I made strawberry jam and 2 strawberry pies yesterday and the kiddos were awful. Hannah and Ivan wanted to touch everything and didn't listen to me at all and Clayton screamed every time I put him down. But I still got the jam done and they shaped up later in the day.
We are headed to MOB here in a few minutes and I can't tell you how much I look forward to Wednesdays each week!

Negotiations

Erik and I have entered negotiations for a new play. I want to try out for "Our Town" and he prefers to have a wife around in the evenings. I'll let you know if I get to try out or not!

DCH

Where do I even start to blog about the last week? We went into Portland on Thursday for Clayton's pediatric dermatologist visit and then by very strong urging of the doctor had him admitted to Doernbecher Children's Hospital, where we were until late Monday afternoon. Clayton was admitted for malnutrition and eczema. At first I was feeling really condemned by Dr. Krol (the ped. derm.) even though it was a relief to finally have someone else as concerned about Clayton but I got to thinking...Dr. Krol didn't know us from anyone and we came in with a little baby boy that had lost 5 pounds in the last month-month and a half and was very edemic and showed signs of protein loss...I bet in his business sometimes it's hard to give parents the benefit of the doubt.
The plan right now is to get nutrition into Clayton and take care of any flare-up of rash with the steroid ointments, then once he's a healthy weight again we can try and determine what is causing his rash, but we are just sticking to formula right now to get the calories he needs and when his feeding tube comes out we'll start introducing food again. I think we were so afraid of causing his rash to flare-up that we were afraid to feed him some foods and he wasn't getting enough protein from the formula we were making because we had to take so many ingredients out.
We met with so many people I don't even remember all their names, seems everyone has a specialty and you have to meet them all. But we made it through, Erik did not go stir crazy at the hospital because World Cup Soccer was on most of the time and we also got the history channel and watched a lot on WW2.
Clayton is doing better, he has a feeding tube down his nose but he is doing better.
The feeding tube will stay in until we can get him to drink all that he needs through his bottle. It really does my heart good to see Clayton laughing and smiling again, the last few weeks he has been really listless and grumpy.
It is so nice to be home.

Amy Grant, Part Two

In sixth grade my friend Sheilah Rodgers and I lip-synced to "Every Heartbeat". As you can faintly see, I crossed the photo out in my yearbook...humiliating memories are perfect for blogging.

Amy Grant - Every Heartbeat (1991)

I am a huge Amy Grant fan. Okay, so maybe my ardor has waned a little in the last few years but I grew up listening to her and I love her early music; I don't think I've listened to enough of her newer stuff to form an opinion of it but I love her voice. All this to say I've spent an enjoyable time watching Amy Grant music videos online and for all my single friends (and sisters) I found some great advice...
"Don't you know - true love only comes to those that don't own a washing machine."
The music video to "Every Heartbeat" explains it all.

Bread

I just have to say that it is so very nice to make bread (and eat it too!).

Psalm 104:14-15(emphasis mine)
He makes the grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate-
bringing forth food from the earth:
wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.

Fence 'em In

If Ivan knew he was helping dig the holes for the fence to keep him and Hannah in the backyard I don't think he'd be quite so thrilled to help. Any time I put the shovel down he picks it up and starts to dig. (It took a little convincing to get him to take dirt out of the holes instead of put it back in.)

Strep

Turns out Clayton not only has thrush, but strep throat as well. So we decided to treat him with anti-biotics to kill it all quickly and then give him pro-biotics to build up the "good stuff" in his body 'cause he needs to eat and with his mouth and throat being so sore he hasn't wanted to eat. We started him on the meds yesterday and he's already doing a little better. At least he's sleeping and eating better (and when that's mostly what you do...). He actually slept 10-11 hours straight last night! This is the first time...ever?

Oh Clayton my Clayton...

We tried a new doctor (actually a nurse practitioner) Wednesday night. We went to Barbara Herdman in Tillamook because Clayton was kind of listless and really grumpy. He's been slowly getting over his pink eye, his eyes are still goopy though and he hasn't had much appetite. He was also really pale. I think he was partially dehydrated. It was nice to have someone listen to his lungs and heart and look in his ears (the ND doesn't even touch him...) and tell us that that all sounded and looked good. But we got sidetracked and she forgot to look in his throat. She had some good advice on how to keep his skin moisturized and told us to get creative and get liquids in him somehow, whatever he'll take. We mixed some apple juice and water with a little pedilyte and he drank some but was up all night screaming until I put some clove oil in his mouth. I was thinking allergic reaction to something he drank...but then when he woke up later I noticed that his mouth was covered in white...yep...thrush. Explains why he doesn't want to drink anything and I'm sure the sugar in the apple juice only made it worse. So I've been treating him for thrush now. We finally decided to try a little 1/2 percent cortizone cream to give him some relief (cause he's still itching) and this morning his legs are the softest they've been since this whole thing started. You could almost call it smooth soft baby skin again. He's still miserable though with other things and his skin is blotchier but not itchy.
We would appreciate prayers offered up on his behalf and ours as we still struggle with this. We're not sure what to do next or where to go from here. Erik thinks we should check out Dorhmbecker Children's Hospital and see a Pediatric Dermatologist...it sounds like a good idea but I'm still not sure. I'm not sure if I'm more scared of all the tests they might have to run or the medicines they might try to prescribe or if I'm more scared that not taking care of this will do more damage or that we're missing something serious that is causing all this. Thank you to those that are praying. God bless you.

Marked For Life

So it's done. It's only about 3 hours old in this picture, so it's very shiny and red but I was too excited to wait any longer. The pain was not to bad and it didn't take that long.
Psalm 104:33 "I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."

Here I Go

I'm going to get my tattoo today. My wonderful sister in law, Michelle is watching all the kiddos so I can go. I'll post a picture when I get back.

Theme From...

I wish my music writing capabilities were on par or exceeded my playing abilities. I've started "writing" a piano piece...maybe someday it will have words... but because it's not chords I'm not sure exactly how to write it. Well, to be honest, I want an easy way to write it; I don't want to have to work at it but since all I have right now is my memory I think I'll try really hard. Or I might try and find our digital camera (we lost it already) and check out the video quality.
Maybe I'll find handwriting it strangely fulfilling but I'm not holding out to much hope for that end.

Literary Discussions

"I hoped that we might go on discussing art and literature like this..." (Cold Comfort Farm)
Today Hannah asked me to read "The Secret Garden". I started to read and we made it through the first chapter and then Hannah started asking questions like, "Why did you say 'glad'? Why did you say 'believe'? Why did he hate?" And many other "why" questions till finally I stopped trying to read and asked, "Do you want me to keep reading?"
"No," she said, "I just want to talk about Mary Lennox."
"Oh," said I, "you just want to talk about Mary Lennox?"
"Yes." She replied, "About whether Mary Lennox had a bunk bed. I had a bunk bed but it changed. I don't know if Mary Lennox had a bunk bed."

Sunny Side Up

I got a new Reader's Digest Collection of music. Found this song, written in 1929.

Keep your sunny side up, up! Hide the side that gets blue. If you have nine sons in a row, Baseball teams make money, you know! Keep your funny side up, up! Let your laughter come through, do! Stand up on your legs; Be like two fried eggs; Keep your sunny side up!


Love it. Or as my sister would say...."lurve it!"

Pink Eye

Erik is gone this weekend helping his grandparents move and so it seemed like the perfect time for the kiddos to get pink eye. Ivan has had a cold and very snotty nose and then his eyes started getting goopy so I started treating him for pink eye and then started treating Hannah and then Clayton but I wasn't soon enough. Ivan is looking a little better, Hannah didn't get it all that bad but she did have a fever and complained of her ears aching yesterday but Clayton, oh my littlest boy...his eyes are almost swollen shut this morning, he's pretty miserable and with his allergies I'm not sure exactly how to combat this. Lots of prayer and holding and loving. And hopefully Erik will be home soon.

Real Film

I love real film, the problem is I always forget to get it developed, it just collects on my shelf but Thursday I remembered to take it in to Rite Aid (all 7 rolls!) and these are a few of the gems I found. I also really like black and white film. These were all taken with my Nikon on manual focus (the auto-focus is broken) so I'm especially proud of them.