Social Butterfly

Ek is my social little thing. She would get in the car so many days asking who could play with. Tonight we went for a bike ride, aka a looking for neighbors to visit ride. At first we didn't see anyone, but then we saw our builder going to visit their grand baby. That suited Ek fine, she wanted to go see the baby. Note we- were not invited. I told her we would watch for them to come out as they usually do. So we were strolling along making up a story about a cat we saw having a tea party with a neighborhood bunny who makes an excellent sprinkle cookie with her ears, when all of the sudden we see Blake and Hunter's garage up, that little girl all of the sudden leaded over and took off peddling as fast as she could. Oh she made me laugh. I caught up and we went to jump on the new trampoline, followed by a party on the lawn complete with a menu offering, water, "prezels" and "popcicles." She went to bed wondering which friends would be at soccer camp tomorrow. I'm sure she'll want all of her friends to come straight over to our home and stay. I am so thankful she has her sweet brother and sister to play with, I hope she is too!

Like father like son

It must be said, and is commonly agreed upon that H is like his father in more ways than one. Their love of sports is at the top of the list. H's new basketball goal is a huge hit among those boys in our home. H gets me though when it is time to stop. He always says, "Mommy, I just need to shoot one more." But the translation is "Mommy, I just need to make one more shot." Since I have realized this, I know he is not disobeying, but boy is it an act of patience. He definitely gets this from J who doesn't just end with making one, but usually something like making 5 in a row. So maybe I should let J tell him to come in and cheer him on while he shoots for that last basket, oh, but wait, then I could see how that could take a while, H wants to make one more, then J wants to make 5, then H..., then J..., then H, then...

Big talker L

Picture this... Friday we were over at our neighbor's home "helping" them put up their new trampoline. The kids had on bathing suits and the sprinkler was on. Us moms were sitting and watching the kids play, Mike was in the garage getting parts out of the box. L walks over to him, with her little hands behind her back, "Mike, whacha doin?" Mike, "putting together the trampoline." L, "Oh. I'm swimmin'." What a hoot.

Yeah for summer!

Well I must say, after counting down the last days of school, it really is nice to be here. Yesterday morning after a busy few days at Ben and Milly's, they were wiped out and whiny. I was tempted to look and see when school was starting back! But after a nice nap, we packed up for our first trip to the swimming pool in summer. It was so much fun! Ek and H had a ball, we took Blake and Hunter along and they swam and swam. They mostly swam in their innertubes, but also played in the baby pool. L played in her little swim vest and was so happy too. She loved pretending she was jumping off the steps and swimming around. We ate dinner there too and headed home when the pool closed. We played in the yard for another hour at least with our sweet neighbors, the kids jumped on the trampoline, the boys (including the grown ones) played alot of basketball and Tara and I sat and held our tiny baby neighbor so her daddy could play. It was so nice to not be in a hurry, but just to play and play. And this morning they even slept in a bit. I got up for my early morning swim and managed to get a nap in after my shower before the kids got up. Ahhh, summer. I pray it is filled with laughter, smiles and closer friendships. Ek did say this morning that she wished Daddy took a summer vacation! I texted him to tell him that and his reply was 'me too, me too.'

Sleepy

I forgot to mention earlier in the week how tired Ek was from her graduation week. Sunday she was playing all afternoon while H and L slept. I had the TV on in the bedroom while I was putting laundry away. I left to go put laundry away upstairs and she came in, laid on the floor and was watching the Food Network. J went to check on her and found her sound asleep, it was just before 5:00. She later moved to the couch and I later moved her to her bed. She came down stairs at 6:15 the next morning. She said she didn't even feel like sleeping anymore. Thank goodness.

Playful L

I really love watching L play babies. She is so kind to her babies! She carries them all tucked into her arm and close to her heart. Happiest is she when she was a baby tucked, a purse on her arm, carrying a phone or bottle (baby juice) and headed for a tea party. She pours tea and serves to all around. She gives her babies a bottle, gets them in and out of their high chair and their beds. She doesn't have a favorite baby really, just loves them all. She is a joy to watch, especially by herself, when you can hear her good and no one disturbs her babies.

Taking care of teeth

The kids were really quite excited about getting their teeth cleaning. It helps tremendously that their awesome uncle is their dentist, but there were ready for it. They sat so bravely and didn't whine or flinch at the cleaning, I was so glad. Unfortunately they will be back soon. H has 5 cavities, Ben kept saying they were very little, I guess that was supposed to comfort me, sigh, but we will go back to Greenville and let one of his friends fix them later in the summer. Ek has 2 little ones also. And I had 2 fillings that were leaking causing cavities under them so Ben took care of me. This was also H's first shot of the dental world as a self proclaimed future dentist, Ben let him look in and wear his glasses. It was wonderful to be with Ben and see his office staff. I'm so glad we made the trip. And I'm so glad to know H has these soft teeth, we upped our dental hygiene 300%. Maybe we will be able to keep his permanent teeth a bit stronger, hopefully.

More to come

Today I got a glimpse of the future, we drove all the way to Greenville and it wasn't crazy or painful. Ben and Milly didn't seem so far away! Hooray! The kids did pretty well in the car, very busy, and there were screams (from L, not me), but we made it. And we had a great day watching the cousins play. They had a water morning, water balloons, baby pool and sprinklers; after nap it was out to pizza and playing in the yard. The kids really got along quite well, there were far fewer time-outs than in the past. So-- enjoying today, looking forward to the tomorrow and the rest of summer and the future. I just believe the kids will be a great blessing to each other all their lives just as Ben has always been to me. Drew and L topped off the day, I walked into Drew's room and they were sitting in his big chair reading books, I ran to get my camera and managed to get a picture of them mid-kiss. Love them through each other, Lord!

Graduating

Ek had a very sweet graduation. Kindergarten graduation is something new to me and I had to learn to make a big deal of it. I guess it is a bit of a big deal, it is like accomplishing toddler hood and moving on to being a school girl. I am so joyful over the little girl Ek is becoming, not perfect, but kind, helpful, hard working, joyful, funny, creative, confident and beautiful. She is really a joy to be around. Graduation was full of what I would want her to be focuses on, they recited the 3 pledges, played "America" on the hand bells, recited Genesis 1:1, John 3:16-17 and Psalm 100:1-5. The sang 4 songs including one that said God created the world in 7 days but he is still working on me, and one that was counting down to his return. They were so cute getting their diplomas, they had practiced shaking hands with Mr. Johnson and then turning and smiling for a picture, hilarious. Ek had a big crowd of all her grandparents and uncle Dave. It really was a nice evening. Pictures to follow soon.

Victory!

Today we had the great pleasure of watching Aaron lead Trinity to their first ever state championship in boys soccer. It was so great! They scored with like 2 minutes to go to send the game into overtime, and then, in the rain, scored with 7 seconds to go to win the game in triple overtime! Wow! We screamed, we jumped up and down, we cheered, it was so fun. It felt as dramatic as a movie. Aaron was speechless and the boys were so excited. ahhhh. As time has moved on since that moment, I can't help to think of what Aaron will say the day he lays that trophy at Jesus's feet, thanking him for his grace and mercy to have him where he is, thanking him for the strength to do his will and thanking him for the opportunity to bless him in that moment. Wow, that will be even greater. And that makes me think of all the moments in my life that I don't receive anything for, but I kinda wish I did, that one day, I'll get to lay before his feet too, and thank him and honor him for what he did in my life. That is something I'd love to practice on here, giving him those victories and trophies and tell him, they are yours. Thank you. Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen

H's first and last

H had a great year at school too. He started out a bit rocky, having a hard time listening and obeying, but after a few time outs, he straightened out and had a great year. His teacher

even said that he was one of the good ones and a blessing. Yeah! He learned to obey much better and only occasionally had trouble resisting the boys tumbling instead of listening. He played with all the boys in his class (Tucker, Mitchell, Shrey, Matt and Jake) and had trouble finding his place with Jack and Jack for most of the year. He really enjoyed getting his treats on Thursday for being good throughout the week. I was always quite proud of how he would hop out of the car and march down the hallway to his class. He was always good at sharing details about his day like what they colored and what they sang. Ek said she mostly learned about reading and Jesus, H piped up that he learned about Jesus at his school too! I think he really enjoyed it. Now we are off to Trinity!

From first to last

From the first day of Kindergarten to the last. We are very proud of our Ek. She said the most important things that she learned were 10+10 and 8+8, they did work very hard on their addition. And she said they spent the most time learning about reading and Jesus. Sound like a great year to me. She had a ball with the friends in her class, especially Leah, Sophia and Lance, I also alot about Destiny and Ciro. She loved going to school everyday, she loved eating hot dogs for lunch, playing chase on the playground and being the line leader. She loved wearing her chapel shirt to school and loved field trips. I am so grateful. More about graduation later.

Next time, I'll eat the cookie myself

One day I think H will be amused- and I hope shocked- at how he acted today... one day I hope I will be too, for that reason, I write...
I had lunch today with Susanne and Darla with our 3 youngest children while our 4 older children were in a last day of school. I thought it would be good to have a "quiet"-er lunch before we had all children all the time. We had a great time and headed next door for cookies to share with all the kids. L ate her cookie while waiting for H. I knew if I gave H his when he popped into the car, L would want another, I wasn't in the mood for that. Soooo, H wanted to know why I didn't get him a cupcake. He really wanted a cupcake. I told him we were having cupcakes in 2 days for Ek's graduation and he was getting a special one. He didn't want it in 2 days, he wanted it now. Why didn't I get him a cupcake? Why didn't I bring it in the car? This was not a calm, quiet conversation. There was loud crying and maybe even some yelling involved, from him, not me. We are working so hard on his controlling of his emotions and I must say, he calmed down in a reasonable amount of time. I realize the goal is to not start the fit, but we are making progress. So he calms down, L goes to bed, H gets his cookie, I somehow didn't allow him to see that the cookie came from the car. The phone rings. I get out things for H's lunch. I was trying quickly to get off the phone and abruptly got off when H requested a treat. I told him the cookie was the treat. His reply is priceless, "Nooo, the cookie was my lunch, now I want a treat." Oh H, maybe in Heaven cookies will be considered lunch. He is mine. I know it. This is all from me. So the conclusion was more crying, no lunch, a long book and a nap. No, not for me, for him. sigh. I hope one day it's funny. And I hope one day we will be shocked.

operation basketball goal

H's breakup with his hacis has really taken. yipee! he still is having a bit of a hard time settling down at sleep times, but no trouble going to sleep. He has not begged for them and, more importantly, I haven't given them back! Today we went to pick out his basketball goal. He is so pleased with himself and so excited. We got an ice cream cone on the way, J was with us after all!, and although I think H may rival me on his love of sweets, when we pulled up, the cone was done with. He handed it over and could not wait to get out of the car. He had a ball playing basketball there and on all the play sets. J picked out the best one for H and we headed home. I cannot wait for it to arrive!! I think we will all be quite excited. I love to see that sweet grin on H's face and I got to see a lot of it today.

Trusting

I am gearing up tonight for Ek and H's last week's of school. Why does it seem like the busiest week of school thus far? I am going to trust God this week that he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. pause. Ok! Off to bed! I'll do my part and see Him shine.

Pricless

Today after school I thought sprinklers would be a good way to pass the afternoon. We ate a snack of apples, fruit snacks and Ritz and then the kids put on swim suits. We went outside to see dark clouds and I smelled the rain coming. Within 5 minutes God had turned his sprinklers on and the kids had a ball, well the 2 big ones that is, L declined. It was a bit cold when the sun hid behind the clouds, but fun for a few minutes!

After the rain stopped (sort of), the kids begged me to get out the pool. This will be the pool's 4th summer at the Williams' home, I'm sure glad we went for the upgrade to the $19 pool with the slide. I think we have gotten our money out of it.

Sounds like a Mastercard commercial, God's sprinkler system- 0 dollars, wading pool made from the storm at the top of the driveway- 0 dollars, 3 year old baby pool -19 dollars, an afternoon of smiles and hilarious giggles... priceless.

And yes, L only has a diaper on. You were not supposed to notice! We were just playing in the rain after all!

sweet L

two sweet L stories:

Wednesday H, L and I took a bike ride. H rode is bike so well and L rode on the back of mine. She had a great time and gave me great reason to go on many more-- while riding she kept leaning over and wrapping her little arms around my waist and hugging me! It makes me smile just to think of it.

And this morning she came in toting a baby and a purse asking "Where baby juice? Where baby juice?" What a good mommy. I found the bottle quickly to help her along. Then this afternoon we received a package that held our sweet neighbor's birthday gift, L ran to the living room and brought the baby back, facing out saying, "Baby see! Baby see!" Yep, she wanted her baby to see what was in the package. I have no further words.

Grateful for our sweet schools

I was so blessed yesterday to attend not 1 but 2 music programs to see my sweet children stand and sing and proclaim Christ in their respective schools. Ek played hand bells to "America" and sang "I am a Promise." H sang various wonderful songs and also recited a Bible verse. I am just so thankful for the freedom we have for our children to attend Christian schools where truth of God and His Word are exalted above all things. I pray this freedom will always be available for us in our country.
These pictures are terrible, the video is much better!

I am also so grateful for the support my children receive. Grandma and Papa were able to come to both, L was soo sweet sitting in their lap for most of Ek's program, mostly entertained by her baby. The Hoskins were at the morning program for Blake and also came to H's in the evening. Quite the great friend to sit through a preschool program, it was quite entertaining. We ended the day with dinner out and ice cream. Wonderful day.

Thanks for the encouragment.

The Lord gave me some encouragement today from a new book I bought the kids. It is called "Mama, do you love me?" It is a dialog between a little Eskimo girl and her mother where the little girl is testing her mother's affection through various scenarios. One goes like this, "What if I turned into a polar bear and I was the meanest bear you ever saw and I had sharp shiny teeth, and I chased you into your tent and you cried?" The mother replied, "Then I would be very surprised and very scared. But still, inside the bear, you would be you, and I would love you." The picture is of the mother lifting up the bear's claw to see her daughter's sweet face hiding underneath the bear. At first I thought, 'Yikes!' But today I felt like the Lord kept reminding me of that scenario and I thought, Oh, H. and then 'Thank you Lord.' As I said yesterday, H sometimes loses it. Sometimes he is as scary as a polar bear, when I think of what this would look like on a teenager! And then I remember, he's not, he is 3, and the Lord is going to help us raise him up to be able to make better choices. And then I think of my sweet blond-haired blue-eyed boy with crocked teeth and his big sweet smile and he's not really scary at all. He is H. My sweet little H. God will help him. God will help me. And I do really love him. God has given him to me as a gift, and I receive him everyday as one. even if at 7:30 he is screaming as he did today (because of his shorts). We made it through. God will help me through. I just need to remember some days to lift up the paw of the bear and see my sweet boy's face.

Briefly

It must be documented in H's life story that he pitches fits several times a day. It is exhausting. For as long as I can remember he has a huge emotional response to my words. I am trying desperately to help him, especially focusing on truth and knowing that the one situation that he is experiencing is not the totality of his life. For instance, hummm, today he got upset because I washed his hair before his body, like I always do and Saturday he got upset because J told him to wear his bike helmet, which he always does. sigh. And I pray. for me and for him. I'm not going to linger, just wanted to make a note of it.

Mother's Day

Ahh, mother's day. I think a lot on mothering. I don't think that anything else in my life has changed me as much as mothering. Maybe change isn't the right word because I'm not different, but I am deeper. Before I was a mom, or a 'mama' as I hear most of the time, I thought that the interpretation of the curse in Genesis 3 that says 'in pain you will bring forth children' had to do with the actual birth. Now I know much better. If only that was the only pain we mothers feel, mothering would be a piece of cake. But because I have children I feel like all of my emotions are so much deeper. I hurt much more when they make a bad choice or someone hurts them than I even felt with myself. I laugh so hard and feel so much joy because of them. And I just don't love them deeper, I love my parents and friends and family deeper because of my children. I tear up at any emotion and boy- sometimes -do I get frustrated. No, I don't think it is just childbirth that brings pain, but amazingly so much more has come too, when these 3 amazing children came to me by God's grace. And they are truly gifts. I should be celebrating them today. I did giggle at Ek today telling H that 'Daddy said we need to be kind to mommy today because it is Mother's Day.' HA! They made cards for me at church and Ek made a card for me at school. It had 2 pictures of herself, one she drew the first week of school and one last week, she is precious in both. And tonight she picked me some flowers tonight and put them in a bucket of sand. Fabulous. J planted 3 new dogwoods in the backyard, oh I hope these make it! I am grateful today to be a mother.

Good day

I love love love seeing Ben and his family. I love Milly and the boys so much I just don't even know how to say it. Family love is so deep. We had a brief but full visit with them Saturday. J, Ben and Dad tried to take the 3 older to the baseball game but I think the only hit was the concession stand. Oh well, we will keep trying. We had a great visit to the park, always good to give a big space for 5 children to play in. I am so thankful for time together and can't wait for the next visit.

It was a good try to get all 5 in a pic. Again, we will keep trying.

Just for a few days

H just informed me that he would give Thomas his hacis for a few days and get his basketball goal and then get his hacis back. HA! I told him no way, he was done. And he looked at me like he was shocked!
I guess this is how we often make changes, just for a few days. I guess sometimes we need a mother, or a strong Holy Spirit, to help enforce the new way! I'll keep on praying for my H.

I love being H's mom

Today was H's Munchies with Moms. It was so nice, always fun to have a moment with just one child and give him all my attention. H sang a beautiful song to the tune of Bingo-- I have a friend I really love and mommy is her name-o. And quoted a verse from Proverbs 31. We had a delightful lunch of chicken nuggets, fruit, cheese and a cupcake. He colored me a picture and made a hand print. I took a picture of him with is hand print because I know one day I'll never believe that was his! He is a special boy and it was a special lunch.

Big H

I am a little bit nervous as I write this. We just put the kids to bed, but one was quite different. I have been telling H that when he was 4, he was all done with haci (his pacifier). I have been asking who he was going to give them to, he was going to be a big boy and he should give them to a baby. Today Susanne and boys came over. As I was putting baby Thomas in his seat, I asked H if he was going to give his hacis to Thomas or Cat's new baby. He said he wanted to give them to Thomas today. He ran upstairs gathered hacis from his bed and his drawer and from the drawer downstairs, about 8 in all. He handed them over to Susanne with great confidence. "I'll just sleep with my puppy tonight," he said. He also gave Thomas a little puppy rattle that was his when he was a baby. He was so excited and so proud of himself. He immediately wanted to make some calls and pronouce his big choice. Of course I snagged one back from Susanne and put it away but he is confident. We told him if he gave them up before his birthday, we would get him a basketball goal so hopefully we can get that going in the next few days. The last thing he said to me when I was leaving him tonight was, "my haci didn't make me sleep." I said, "no, no, you'll sleep great!" We will see... I am quite proud of him though!

UPDATE: He did it! He made it through the night without a peep. Way to go H.

One year ago

I love looking back to see where we were a year ago. Looking back this was a big month! L was just starting to pull herself up, she was crawling everywhere and just is showing so much of her little personality. And look at that little head!- no curls! And yet something are just a newer version of the same, H wore his football jersey with updated number just several days ago. They still love to eat on the porch all close together and still love each other's hugs.

Do as I say, not as I do

Tonight J went to a parents meeting at Trinity. I stayed home with our kids and sweet neighbor kids, we had great fun. When the J and Mike and Tara got back and were recapping the meeting we got a good laugh-- Tara reported that the discipline report was there was too much gum chewing this year along with tardiness and texting. Hallelujah we all said, sounds great to us. J though said while he was listening he remembered he was chewing gum, several minutes later I texted him and just to top it all off, he was late! Love it!

Back for seconds

We had such a great time the first visit, we went back for more, and brought along some that we thought would love it too... they did. What a wonderful morning.