His Name is Noah?

Where to begin...Tage's first grade teacher is on maternity leave and has been since Christmas. She was due to have her baby last week so I have been asking Tage every day if Mrs. Rose has had her baby yet. I need to fill you all in on the fact that Tage has named this baby Noah even though Mrs. Rose and her husband plan to name him Josiah. Today I asked the standard question and here was my answer/dialog with Tage my 1st grader:

Mom: Did Mrs. Rose have her baby?
Tage: Yes, the day after yesterday
Mom: Did she have a boy?
Tage: YES...NOAH
Mom: Are you sure his name isn't Josiah?
Tage with a swift turn of the head: Ummm...Josiah?...Actually there are a lot of Noahs around...maybe we could name him Josiah...

There you have it Mrs. Rose, it would be OK with Tage if you named YOUR baby Josiah...there may be to many Noahs already!

THEN I addressed the "day after yesterday issue."

Mom: So Tage do you realize that the day after yesterday is today? Did Mrs. Rose have her baby today?
Tage: Uuuh..No it was the day before yesterday!
Mom: So she had the baby on Tuesday.
Tage: No actually she had the baby on Monday!

Alright does anyone know if Mrs. Rose has had her baby! Clearly we are very confused as to if he has been born, what his name is and what day he came. Boys I tell ya, they are not as observant and love to tell stories!

Puppy Love

Vi and Carmel snuggle ON Vi's bed..ON the old quilt Aunt Frannie made..ooops :)

Most days I hate this dog. Most days I vow to figure out a way to free myself of this burden. Most days I wonder why God gave me a dog and a puppy to train and care for as if 4 kids in 5 years isn't enough...When I'm about to the puppy breaking point and I think I can't take it any longer, when I think there is no way for me to love another breathing thing I stumble upon the picture above...I KNOW...ADORABLE...Isn't that one of the most loveable things you've ever seen. Carmel is a member of the family for better or for worse and will see our kiddos through their childhood. When they think back to their lazy summer days, and weekends at home Carmel will always be a part of their memories.

Fathers

Brant spending floor time with our kiddos and some friends!

Our pastor is doing a sermon series on fathers and preached specifically yesterday on "Father Hunger." For anyone who feels (or doesn't feel for that matter) like they need encouraged in this area please go here to listen to his teachings! Yesterday's sermon was quite moving and I have been pondering it ever since...in fact Brant and I listed to one of the previous weeks sermons last night to give us more to think and pray about. Here are some interesting points from yesterday's outline that I found astonishing!

We are suffering today from a severe case of "Father Hunger"

• In 1816 only one in a hundred marriages ended in divorce. Today it's almost half.


• A recent presidential report: Today around 60% of our nation's children will spend a significant portion of their childhood without a father.


• In the USA, 30-60% of children will grow up without a father physically present.


• Abortion, 1.3 million in our country will be abandoned in the womb.

While he started with these major national statistics we were also reminded that even just "being around," is not enough. Fathers need to love, instruct, discipline, spend floor time and affirm our children daily. Abusiveness is far more than physical..there is emotional and spiritual as well. Spiritual abuse was defined as being legalistic, hypocritical, having standards without grace and having standards with out explanation....things I think are sometimes easy to fall into when in the thick/heat of child training...
Like always Pastor Gene did a beautiful job of remedying the "Father Hunger" problem. I am going to copy his words right off the outline...REMEMBER to truly understand these points you should click on the link and listen to the "Father Hunger" sermon.

• Understand, acknowledge and begin to pray against the devastating effects of "Father Hunger."


• Craft and Preserve a Masculine Liturgy in the Lord's Service. "Our Father, who art in heaven..." "I believe in God the Father..." Preaching that reveals the true fatherhood of God, e.g. "The Prodigal Father." Preaching that declares rather than suggests, and unashamedly adopts not only the message but also the method of holy scripture. Psalms and masculine hymns. Men leading in worship. Men serving at the Lord's Table.


• You Fathers, bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Be physically present, spiritually and emotionally engaged (including discipline), helping, healing and encouraging. Giving our children a living, albeit imperfect picture of their Heavenly Father. Remembering what God requires...
  

Frat Boys

Post precursor...This is something we are not proud of, but got little chuckles non-the-less...Here is your warning to STOP reading this post if you are overly sensitive to potty noises or gestures!!

Brant was changing Ben's diaper last night, and when he lifted Ben's legs to wipe him, Ben let out quite a loud unmistakable fart, which caused a furry of laughter because my boys think potty talk and noises are just too funny!!

Tage brought home a book about a little boy named "Bart"...I'm sure you can imagine the effect "Bart" had on Tage. Every time he said the name while he was reading he would fall over in uncontrollable laughter. I was no help because I was in stitches myself over his absolute lack of reason over the potential to rhyme "Bart" with "Fart"! Oh brother...Boys are a hoot and while most days I am irritated by potty talk and am trying to teach them that it is not edifying to speak this way....sometimes we just have to laugh...and document such silliness for future amusement!

Happy Birthday Jen!

Last night we had a little ladies birthday get together for my good friend Jen. I think she may have been slightly uncomfortable being the CENTER of attention but hey...it's good for ya every now and then!

Imagine The Possibilities!

As I was reading the news this morning regarding Obama's plan to end the ban on federal funds for international groups that promote or perform abortions, my good friend Khriee directed me to this commercial posted by catholicvote.org. It seems fitting and appropriate for today...

Happy 50th Grandma and Grandpa T

After the New Year we celebrated my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary! The party took place at this nifty little 50's diner called "My Gal," which was filled to the brim with old cars, lots of 50's memorabilia, games, neon lights and a stage and dance floor for singing and dancing and of course HULA HOOP contests!

Such a lovely couple~!
First Dance...Had most of us in tears!

Little people hula hoop contest....here are the back sides of Simon and Violet.

Brant workin it...he never really did "Master" the hula hoop...Maybe it's the sweater vest :)~!

Couch Time

As we are going through the Growing Kids God's Way class we are instituting new principles around our home. One of the new principles is the ever so famous "Couch Time." The principle behind this is for the children in our home to have a visual sense of our togetherness. We are supposed to sit together for about 15 min talking, gazing into each others eyes, and generally having that all important uninterrupted mommy and daddy time. How is it going? Pretty good...so far... Purely by accident we ended up doing our couch time in the down stairs living room, away from the temptations of the kitchen, phone and computer which helped keep the kids grounded and interested in their toys and books. We talked to Tage and Simon about including Ben (our 2yr old who gets great joy out of demolition) in the construction of the Lego City prior to starting our time together which helped keep the older two boys interested in helping Ben rather than them spending the entire time trying to keep him away. He was so delighted to be included in their play he was quite a little gem for them! Violet sat on the opposite couch across from us and read a stack of books not budging from her concentration. We talked about our plans for the week, Brant's job, our budget plans, meal plans etc....we actually covered a lot of ground in that 15 min! We were at it again tonight, even after a long day of school and evening choirs we managed to fit it in. I like this little activity and love that we have an excuse to spend 15 min together, at home, while the kids are awake, uninterrupted!

Run Like A Girl!

This past fall when I went to SF for the Nike Womens Marathon, I was uncertain how I felt about their motto, which was "Run Like A Girl." Since then I have thought, contemplated and pondered this statement and have come up with nothing. Nothing offensive, nothing motivating, it's just a statement...A statement for Nike to use to motivate women who like the idea of getting behind anything GIRL, anything pink, and anything that they can shop for without thinking through their purchase. THEN last night as I was wearing my "Run Like A Girl" shirt that I purchased from NIKE Town direct I started thinking about the statement all over again and I may have hit a little mental breakthrough. Here are some of my answers to what it might mean to "Run Like A Girl"

Run when you can...all you mommies of small children...even if it is only 15 min...it is a HUGE accomplishment!

Run even if your hormones are getting the best of you...you WILL feel better...

Run with friends..kill 2 birds with one stone by exercising and chatting it up for 45min...kill 3 birds by having your run end at you favorite local coffee shop!

Run to get that excess baby weight off...

Run for your health, your family is depending on you...

Punctuation, Spelling Errors, and Typos...A Little Cheerful Bantor!

I have been fretting over punctuation, spelling errors and typos for the last few posts. Then yesterday after my LOVELY sister-in-law pointed out a little spelling error I decided to sift through my old posts and find this post that I wrote early on in my blogging career :)!
"Ok, so this is my life...As I was typing the title of this post Ben came over and punched a bunch of buttons on the keyboard. Before I new it a few screens flashed before my eyes and a message came up saying this message had been posted...Aggg I have not even wrote anything yet!!! So then I had to figure out where to go to edit a posted message. My point you ask? If things look half-finished or a little unorganized/frazzled, just remember I have 4 children 6 and under. They are often sitting on my lap while I check email or I guess writing on my Blog."Oct 07

Unfortunately I am still unable to sit in total quiet and type without several interruptions. In fact often I start a post, save it and come back to it a few times before it is posted. My original thought is either lost or sometimes forgotten, so I edit, and cut until I make something out of what I started...probably takes more time that way. All that to say...extra grace on the editing malfunctions...unless you want to be a FREElance editor at All Peoples Clap Your Hands For Joy! Nuff Said!

LOOK!

What I found at Target in the dollar section!

Look what came in the mail! My mother-in-law knows how to make me smile...Thank you Gram Pam! Scarlett Fiestaware, one of my favorites! Oh do I ever need platters!

Pretending It's Summer!

On the menu for dinner yesterday was hamburgers...the inside winter kind cooked on the stove. I had found a delicious sounding recipe for inside burgers, with a brown mushroom sauce and was happy to go ahead with "my plan." Brant came home and saw the burger out and said..."Lets BBQ!" I figured he was thinking gas grill, you know quick to start and quick to cook! The next thing I knew he was standing in the kitchen, arms plum full of lighter fluid and charcoal briquettes fishing through my drawers looking for my candle lighter! I got a sudden thrill up my spine, started fishing myself for any sign of fruit and fresh veggies and VIOLA (thanks Sig for pointing out my spelling errors! ;)) I made a fruit salad and even had fresh lettuce and tomato for the burgers! I baked some oven fries, which were really the only thing the kids ate since they are all feeling crummy, but hey...we have LOTS of left-overs! It may not be summer but we sure had fun pretending! One other bonus...having the oven on to cook those oven fries turned out to be a huge blessing, since Brant was back and forth out onto the deck. The oven kept us toasty warm!

Brotherly Love

1 John 4 20-21
"If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen.?

And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also."

A TRUE Day of Rest

Acknowledging that Sunday is the Sabbath and honored with rest and relaxation is always something I look forward to starting Monday morning! Tomorrow however we will all be RESTING in honor of our Lords Day at home as a means to get over this NASTY, GOOPY, STICKY,ACHY crud that seems to have settled into everyones' chest and sinuses! Lord willing one more day and one more night will have us on the mend and ready to start looking forward to next weeks sabbath! Happy Resting!

Why Do I Have A Beaver?

Last night around 10:30 Vi was restless and coughing quite a bit, so Brant and I told her we were going to take her temp to see if she had a fever. We put the thermometer under her tong and sure enough she was hot...

Mom: Well Vi, it looks like you have a fever, I'll be right back with some Motrin..
Dad: Why don't you just snuggle up right here on my lap...
Vi: Daddy...why do I have to have a beaver...

That's it! I'm Using It!

I can't resist it anymore! This beautiful quilt has been sitting in my closet collecting oodles of dust, rather than looking beautiful on Violet's bed like it should be! This quilt was made by my husband's Great-Aunt-Frannie (love the name!) out of various shirts, eons ago! There was some concern that is was too old for use, had never been washed, may fade and all those concerns us folks have about old linens, that may need to be preserved. I have been festering over this for about a year and decided today that it needs to be used for its intended purpose, to look absolutely gorgeous on some little persons bed! I mean really...I am not doing anything special to preserve it. This quilt, in all its cheerful glory sits in a closet where it collects all the days unsettled dust...not the life intended for such a fine looking quilt! I feel much better now!

Another Reason To Brag About My Man!

FLOWERS IN JANUARY!

I sent him to the store for dried beans and carrots in the midst of a SERIOUS winter wind storm and he returned home with all the necessities and then some! My man knows how to brighten up a dreary January!

Amoretti Debut Sale!

Click HERE and take a look at Amoretti's adorable, fun, beautiful, and lovely line of girls clothing! Bekah, the owner/designer/master-mind behind this fabulous clothing line is announcing her full spring line by allowing us the opportunity to buy early at 15% off! I hope to buy Vi the "Fancy Free Dress" in the "Spotted Cherry" fabric! How absolutely adorable is that! Have fun shopping!

Out With The Old...In With The New

Happy New Year!

Out With 2008!

• Out in 08 is the feeling of newness to Wenatchee. We have been here almost 2 yrs and are defiantly feeling like we have settled into permanent residence!
• Out in 08 seems to be almost everything baby! The crib is gone we have no more infant clothing and have given away most all our baby gear. I would like to say we are done with diapers but we're still working on that! :)
• Out in 08 are 3 of Tage's baby teeth!
• Out in 08 is Brant's adjunct teaching position at Wenatchee Valley College. He was fortunate enough to teach programming every quarter for a little over a year. He loved it, but has since realized there are many doors opening for him that would have been difficult to pursue while teaching! God is good and our faith continues to grow!
• Out in 08 was our 13yr wedding anniversary
• Out in 08 is my reluctance to run on a regular basis!
• Out in 08 is all the unfinished...
• Out in 08 is much more...I can't remember, which is fine because it's long gone!

In With 2009!

• Flying by ever so quickly and changing in 2009 are the ages of my boys 7,5 and 2 and my girl age 4. They will be turning 8,6,3 and 5...ugggg...big kids are not far away!
• In with 09 is a fresh perspective on much of our life!
• In with 09 is a fresh look at our budget (we set new goals every year!)
• In with 09 is a fresh look at our child rearing as the kids seem to be entering a new season of childhood.
• In with 09 is the possibility that I may consider working towards future employment opportunities...lots of discussion...still lots of thinking and praying to do.
• In with 09 is more baseball and swimming and adding soccer and dance to the list of extra kid "to dos."
• In with 09 is a deep desire to run and exercise 3-4 days a week...also possibly train for another half-marathon!
• In with 09 is also a commitment to continuing my blog, as I have discovered this is a great way for me to document our life and share so many fun, funny,creative,delicious, and random things with my blogging community.
• In with 09 is much more that I can not even pretend to predict! Bring it on! We are ready!

Bringing In The New Year!

We kept the kids up to celebrate the New Year with NYC...9:00pm that is! Grandma and Grandpa made special hats, had sparkly beads, provided loud noise makers (as if 6 kids 8 and under isn't loud enough), and even poured each child sparkly kid campaign in REAL wine glasses. It was a huge treat. We turned the T.V. on to shout the count down in New York with Dick Clark, said cheers, made lots of noise, took lots of pictures and then tucked our kids into bed so the grown ups could plays games until mid-night! We had a nice evening and the kids MIGHT have understood bringing in the New Year! Happy New Year, and I'll post a reflection post when we get home from my parents!

Ben blowin away on his noise maker, about to knock his red sparkly over!
Simon a wee bit excited

Silly as usual