The ECHO Chambers

Shiloh

2009-02-27T20:37:00.001-05:00

We are currently studying West Virginia.

Official Slogan: Mountaineers are always free.

Unofficial Slogan: It's beautiful here, but it has ALWAYS been doggone hard to make a living.

At least, that's what I've gathered from all my reading, fiction and non-fiction, as I've been teaching the kids.

One of my favorite ways to teach geography is to pick a beautifully written book about it, one that captures the feel of the place, so that the atmosphere and history of the setting is firmly planted in their minds and then they can attach all the other more mundane facts to that deeply engraved sense of place. Well, that's what I'm hoping anyway.

So, we just finished reading Shiloh together. It's about an 11 year old boy who has to figure out how to keep the abused dog who adopts him. Kids and dogs, that'll get you every time.

Sure enough, as we reached the climax of the story, Mermaid Princess and Flash start yelling, "No! No!" at me when it seems a sure thing that Shiloh is going to have to go back to his lawful (and abusive) owner.

And in one of the most precious moments of my homeschooling journey so far, Flash picks up the blanket he's been snuggling under and throws it over the book, shouting, "No! If he has to give that dog back, I don't want you read any more at all!"

They were mightily relieved when our 11 year-old hero caught Judd Travers breaking the law.

Now that's a story that's going to stick! Especially since even JackJack walks around saying, "Dat's a bad guy. He's a bad guy like Judd Twaffers."

Two "Little Women"

2009-02-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

It was a frustrating experience, first grade.

I remember about the third week in, I realized that we were going to spend the first quarter learning to blend sounds ("sp", "ch", "gr"... you get the idea). I had just finished reading my first Nancy Drew novel, was enjoying reading National Geographic magazine, and was beginning to read Little Women. I suddenly understood that it was going to be a very long and boring year.

About 5 months ago, I realized that Mermaid Princess was closing in on six, the same age I was in my first devouring of Little Women. It didn't seem possible 5 months ago that she would soon be ready and willing to read this book that meant so much to me. She was still chewing on Milly Molly Mandy and The Magic School Bus and showed no inclination to move on to heavier fare.

Monday, I was rooting around in my closet and found the stack of classics I have been saving. Little Women was among them, and I sat down to read it yet again (does this make the 14th or 15th time?) I still cannot bear that Jo chooses not to marry Lawrence - honestly, what is wrong with that girl?

MP had finished her library books (pretty much in one big feast), so this Tuesday, I presented her with Little Women. Wednesday morning, as I began to prepare lunch, a stricken little face entered the kitchen with the book held out in some sort of horror in front of her.

"Mommy, is Beth going to... going to... is Beth going to die?"

At the sight of my rueful face, hers crumpled. I turned off the burners, sat on the kitchen floor, gathered my sweet girl onto my lap and held her for 15 minutes as she wrapped her mind around this devastating development, weeping her grief out on my brown nubby sweater.

Later, I asked her what character she would like to be in Little Women if she could choose one to be like. We are so similar in personality, she and I, that I was dumbfounded when she thoughtfully stated that she would like to be Beth. I consider myself a Jo, although I'm sure my sister thinks of me as Amy, and others think of me more as Meg. But no one, NO ONE, would ever think me a Beth.

"Sunshine girl! Beth dies! Why do you want to be Beth?"

"Well, Mommy, even though she had the hardest life, she was the one who everyone trusted and the one who made everyone smile. And she got to Heaven sooner."

Now, sometimes when she answers this way, it's because she wants to give the "right" answer, to say the thing she thinks I want to hear. But this time, it was said with a gentle earnestness and without so much as a glance at my face to see my reaction... she meant it.

In all these years, I have never wanted to be Beth. I suddenly think I missed Mrs. Alcott's point. And I think that, in honor of my daughter, I will read Little Women for the 15th (16th?) time and this time I will be reading with both eyes keenly focused on the impact of sweet, gentle Beth.

Spring forth

2009-02-21T20:52:00.003-05:00

I have changed the background here yet again. The bicycle was driving me crazy, and as Big E. kept pointing out, "You don't like bicycles. You really, REALLY don't like bicycles."

It's true. I have a Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes type relationship with bicycles. I've done things that could easily have resulted in death or dismemberment about 10 times in my life. Five of them involve bicycles. My sister graciously took this instrument of death away from me where she has somehow tamed it to behave under her gracious care (only not right now, I hope, because she 20-some weeks pregnant. It may recognize her more fragile condition and turn on her!)

Anyway, I mostly changed it because I am desperate for spring. DESPERATE for spring. In an effort to save money, we have kept the thermostat at 64 degrees this winter. My everyday 'uniform' involves at least three shirts and a fleece jacket, often with a scarf around my neck. That's for INSIDE. I don't prefer to venture outside for fear that I might not warm up for the rest of the day.

I need spring to be here. I need it to arrive over night. But in the meantime, I'm surrounding myself with green and yellow and thinking "Buds and blossoms and bees, oh my!"

What movie are you?

2009-02-14T21:08:00.003-05:00

Have I mentioned before that Mermaid Princess is not much for movies? I should re-phrase that by saying she's not much for watching movies if she has to be in the same room as the TV. If she can watch from down the hall and around the corner, she's all for it. Today, she ran out of the room as I read about Joe Hardy* nearly escaping from an alligator.

Needless to say, we have yet to waste $8 taking this child to a movie theater, knowing that we would spend the hour in the lobby, trying to answer the question, "What do you think is happening now?" (In all fairness, my sister and I did precisely this to my own parents when they took us to see The Jungle Book. Given the recent news about giant prehistoric snakes, I think I was right to be alarmed about Ka.)

We, therefore, are huge fans of N*tflix. We got that Wall-E video as soon as we could. And promptly watched it at least - at LEAST - 22 times. It is interesting the questions that pop up about a movie after the 22nd viewing.

"If Wall-E got his power from the sun, how did EVE get hers?"
"If the people on the Axiom didn't know each others names, where did the babies come from?"
"How did they still have food on the Axiom after 700 years?"

My own shocking surprise came around viewing number 6, as Eve blew up the cargo ship ("But why did she want to blow up the ship?" "She didn't, honey, she was just frustrated." "But did the ship do anything to make her mad?" "No, honey, it was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." "Mommy, I think EVE needs to work on her attitude.") I was trying to explain that EVE was generally a sweet robot, but one who really had a job to do and when she couldn't figure out how to get her job done, it really made her .... hey wait, oh, hey, she's a lot like, oh dear, she's a lot like, well, like me.

Which would make Big E. our very own Wall-E. And the more I thought about it, the more chagrined I got. I was baffled in the movie at Wall-E's attraction to a wildly impulsive, shoot first-ask later, easily frustrated and quite imperious (but definitely lovely) little robot.

Ah, heh, ahem, yup.

See, I would characterize my husband as endlessly curious, interested in everyone and everything, loving to the unlovely, with perseverance beyond measure, a fierce commitment to his principles, and 100% dedicated to his girl.

Just like Wall-E.

I do not come off better in this comparison except for the fact that I, evidently, can fly.

Do you have a movie that best captures your marriage?

Happy Valentine's Day!

* From the inestimable The Hardy Boys and the Jungle Pyramid. By inestimable, I really do mean I wouldn't want to admit the level of esteem I have for The Hardy Boys books. Let's just say that when Jack Jack found the shelf of Hardy Boys books at the library, I hustled him over to the Mo Willems section before he could announce the location to his brother.

Play postponed

2009-02-12T23:59:00.002-05:00

Ah... the traumas of being the author/director/star of the show - but NOT the producer!

We ran into a hitch the morning of our performance. As we all prepared to begin rehearsal, it was suddenly brought to our attention that several stuffed animals had joined our cast. At first, I admit, I thought this was an ingenious idea and went over to shake the paws of my new castmates.

Then it occurred to me to ask just why we needed an expanded cast.

And so the script re-write came to my attention. Apparently, no one goes out to see simple "boy rescues girl from bad guy" story anymore. We needed something new, something thrilling, something to grip our audiences heart and imagination...

We needed a mystery (complete with 12 clues and an entire extras cast of bears, rabbits, raccoons, and hedgehogs).

I asked for the new plot to be explained to me; it wasn't a good sign when the playwright got herself turned around more than once with all the ins and outs of our new storyline. If I couldn't follow it and she couldn't follow it, I didn't think Jack Jack and Dad had much of a chance at all.

Mermaid Princess was horrified when her sweet, elderly character actor suddenly morphed into her erstwhile producer and refused to fund this new Total Recall version of our little play. I found myself equally shocked to hear myself saying my husband's oft-repeated line:

"Perhaps, since this is our first time attempting this, we should start small and learn from the experience?"

Oh, the moments come fast and furious these days, when I see me so clearly in her. Neither of us have a bent towards the small and undistinguished; we crave big, loud, dramatic change: "Well, if painting the hall is a good idea, then painting it with a faux finish and adding wainscoting and crown moulding must be an even better idea! In fact, such a good idea, I won't start on any of it until I have all the supplies and time set up to do all of it at once."

Start small and let's see how it goes... that's a refrain I've hardly ever used in my life. Until now. Perhaps the hallway would look nice in an eggshell ecru?

Central Casting

2009-02-04T21:38:00.003-05:00

There are a few milestones I have eagerly awaited in my mothering journey...

For Mermaid Princess to hopefully love to do crafts so we could do them together (this has begun).

For each child to fall in love with reading (one down, two to go).

For that first great family game of soccer (should be soon).

But today was a HUGE one:

"Mommy, let's put on a play!"

Mermaid Princess has written the play, about how a princess is stolen from her family on her wedding day by an evil dragon and has to be rescued by her brave knight.

The play is written and the parts cast. I did plead to be the dragon, but was rejected on the grounds that I was needed to be the queen. Jack Jack is to be the dragon, only he doesn't want to be a dragon, he wants to be a ghost, so the play has been re-written to accommodate this contractual clause.

Today, we went to work on sets. Tomorrow, we'll get costumes and rehearse. And then our opening night performance for our very own knight-in-shining armor: Daddy.

I do have opening night jitters, for I fear that this director will be tougher on me than any I ever had in New York.

Thoughts on a change of season

2009-01-28T21:51:00.004-05:00

Jack Jack's potty training changed everything for me, mentally.

Suddenly, I don't have a toddler in the house anywhere. I have had toddlers underfoot for 6 years without pause. I heard everyone saying that this was a season that would pass, and while I smiled and nodded, I think I just didn't really believe I would ever have a spare ten minutes to myself again. Or at least, until I was too old to do anything with it.

That three kids in less than three years was a doozy of a choice.

Now, I would like to say, for all those people who told me, "This time will go by quickly. Cherish it", to those people I say, "It's over! It's over! Someone throw a party! It's over!"

I know those of you who just dote on babies are appalled. But I'm not a baby person. And here's a list of reasons why I currently LOVE my life:

We all do puzzles together and no on eats a piece or tries to put a piece into the DVD player.
We all sit in big chairs. We all set the table together and clear it together. In fact, for three nights now, the dishes have been done and the family room cleaned up before the kids have gone to bed.
We all read the same book and later I hear them all re-enacting the book (with embellishments) together.
We can all go on walks together and getting to the end of the driveway takes ten minutes instead of the hour it used to take.

And so on... I'm pretty sure that I have hit my sweet spot in mothering. Truly. I LOVE homeschooling them - I wouldn't want to lose a single minute of this precious time. Thank you, my darling husband, for making it possible at great personal expense.

Mermaid Princess has grown up SO much this past year. Her questions are profound; her wounds are starting to be deeper and take longer to heal. She needs to be challenged or she gets feisty. There is no toddlerhood left in her anywhere it all - in fact, it is far easier to see the lady she is becoming than the toddler she once was. That makes me count the days so dearly - I am daily becoming more keenly aware that the time she has been allotted to me is finite. She is not MINE; I am raising her on behalf of her heavenly Father and must be prepared to release her to His custody in the years to come.

Flash is becoming ALL boy - daily he asks me, "I'm strong, amn't I?" or "I was the fastest, wasn't I?" I can count on being leapt on from points varied and various at least three times a day. He's learning to read and the immense delight I feel each time he makes another connection in how words go together makes me want to hoot, cry and do a jig at the same time. I'm sure he would enjoy it if I did.

JackJack... oh my sweet, charming, tenacious boy. My close companion and great curmudgeon. The one I have to get up early for because I have to be on my game before he is all the way conscious or the day is an upstream battle. He misses nothing and has already learned to find (or make) loopholes where none existed. Where the other two love easily and with abandon, he is more selective in his choice of people to love, but far more intense and loyal to his chosen few. If I had just one word to describe him, today I would say, "Intense."

It would be fine with me if we paused here, in this sweet season, for a while, in this place where I am still mostly right and things can be fixed with a kiss and a cookie. Where we are intrigued equally by the world at our fingertips and the world in our imaginations. In which love does not yet associate with pain, and storms go hand in hand with rainbows.

It is sweet indeed.

Of course, we had a good day today. That helps.

Alive! Alive! Alive, Hallelujah! Alive, praise and glory...

2009-01-15T22:35:00.003-05:00

Oh goodness... well, we're still alive. In fact, I think we are all better than ever. And I've stored up a treasure trove of funny stories to post on here. I'm scared I'll forget them if I don't get them in here soon.

I'm not sure why I took this long break. I think I needed to clarify for myself why I'm blogging, what it means to me, and when that was clear, I could then decide how much time and dedication to allot to it.

For instance, if this spot is just meant to be a humorous little place to record the goings-on of life, well, that has it's place, but I'm certainly not going to stay up past my (new) bedtime to get it done.

But after much reflecting and spending the last week pouring over blogs, mostly blogs dealing with homeschooling, I think I've realized the purpose of the blog in my life. It forces me to meditate a little bit more about what is taking place in our family, like a journal. In fact, I think, in place of a journal.

And so, be prepared, for I think this blog is about to take on a new feel. I still want to capture the precious moments so that they are preserved for my dotage... but this will also be a place where I ruminate and wrangle.

In blunt terms, this blog is no longer being written for anyone but me. I hope you continue to enjoy it, I certainly do, and I hope that what I'm working on in my life helps someone in theirs. However, this is now my place to capture my "Aha" moments because in these past few months of no blogging (or journaling for that matter), I've noticed that the 'Ahas' slip away into the land of missing puzzle pieces if they don't get recorded.

Aha!

Wishing you all peace beyond measure and grace beyond understanding in the new year...

Take your pick!

2008-10-03T01:56:00.003-04:00

I think I've tried out a new recipe every day this week. That is either a miracle or a record - I'm not sure which.

Tonight was turkey breast (and it was delicious). JackJack devoured his, but suddenly was fussing with his teeth. I tried to see what was going on, but couldn't figure out the issue.
He looked at me and said firmly, "I need a pickle."

Me: A pickle?

JackJack (tone ascending): I need a pickle!

Me (bewildered): Why do you want a pickle?

JackJack: To quean my teef.

Me: To clean your teeth?

JackJack: Yes.

Me (in a burst of understanding): Do you mean a toothpick?

JackJack nods. Mommy hoots in laughter.

Daddy: I feel a blogpost coming on.

A Decade in Review

2008-10-02T14:00:00.001-04:00

A Marriage Chronology:

Year One: Within two weeks of getting married, I fell headlong into depression... the "don't let her drive" kind of depression. Lasted a while. This is somewhat of a damper on those newlywed days.

Year Two: I was diagnosed with a melanoma the size of a quarter on my back. Emergency surgery. Patch of skin the size of a football taken out of my back. Melanoma caught .15 mm before it would have entered the blood stream. Moles continued to be removed, 10 or so a year, for the next 6 years.

Year Three: Big E. got the flu... and just never got better. Most nights, he would come home from work, curl up on the living room floor for an hour or so, trying not to moan too loudly. He would then attempt to eat and head to bed. Not the entertaining/event-attending/outdoorsy kind of deal I had prepared for. Rounds and rounds of doctors and bizarre medical tests ensued. Zero answers.

Year Four: I got pregnant. Internet bubble burst. Big E. lost his job, not once, not twice, but three times. He's still sick.

Year Five: Big E. got his 4th job in 8 months. Then Big E. got his appendix out. When the surgeon calls you in to review the path report, you know the news isn't good. And it wasn't. He had carcinoid tumors on his colon. A third of it had to come out as soon as possible.

His stay in the hospital for that surgery is another entire story, but let it suffice to say that I booked in every male relative and friend to stay with him round the clock after one particular "8th circle of hell" night that included pulling the emergency line. Twice.

I worked HIS job while he recovered... until my 20 week sonogram showed a potential tear in the placenta that put me on immediate bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. Big E. limped in and out of work, still ill with flu-like symptoms as he recovered from major abdominal surgery.

Mermaid Princess was born, totally healthy. She screamed like an opera singer, with pressurized lungs. Unbelievably loud. And generally at 2 a.m.

Of course she's sleeping. It's broad daylight outside.

Year Six: Big E. was diagnosed as a celiac (hallelujah!). We got pregnant (okay, I was the official pregnant one, but Big E. had to handle all the hormones). Steady income. Sweet little townhouse. Six may be my new favorite number.

Year Seven: Flash arrived 16 months after Mermaid Princess, in April. Her hair finally grew in. We got better and better at the celiac thing. Another vintage year.

Year Eight: Pregnant again! So, with the new responsibility of three little lives, we made a series of sound decisions: We started a business. Bought a new house 2 hours from all parents and entire support network. Abandoned any pretense of income while we tried to get our business up and running.

JackJack arrived in December, two weeks before Mermaid Princess turned 3. We officially moved 4 days after he was born. I had an emergency appendectomy 3 days after that in a new town where we knew no one.

Year Nine: This is the most horrible and miraculous year of all. JackJack was so sick (see this post for details). I was barely making it through each day. Thank heavens Big E. was working from home... But the business news just got worse and worse at every turn.

But it was also this year that I understood for the first time that God wasn't a distant entity working out some complicated endgame in which I was a pawn, but that He is RIGHT HERE with me all the time. Eager to listen. And with stuff to tell me. That He never has and never will expect me to do it on my own, but rather that He loves nothing more than to be my hero and my all in all, my knight in shining armor... that He is very present, very real, and very personally active in everything to do with me. What a gift - and worth every moment of the price.

Year Ten: Business news didn't get better, but JackJack did. And through God's mercy and grace, I learned a little bit about having "joy in all circumstances." I also finally learned to be head over heels in love with being a wife and a mommy! Somewhere along the line, all the things I used to think of as "got-to's" suddenly became "get-to's"... even cooking. (I told you God has gotten really active in my life!)

The thing I most want to say: Honey, you have made these ten years a blast. That's a testament to your character and devotion as I read over the record of this decade. And I admit that I have never for one moment been bored.

I love it when you come home. I love to see you delight in the kids but never abandon your responsibility to discipline them. I love my children, but I am so thankful that you are the man I will spend my life with, for as much time as we've been granted. You make me laugh. You make me think. You honor my sacrifices. You thank me for my efforts. I KNOW you're not going anywhere. You know I'm not budging either.

It has been a delightful release this year to realize that life is not going to get easier, and we should stop waiting for a peaceful stretch. It's not a matter of life being stable or secure; it's a matter of how well-armed (and armored) we choose to be each and every day. And since I now know that life is a battle (but my team wins!), can I just say that there is no other warrior I would rather fight alongside than you?

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart! It's been a whirlwind decade and I wouldn't trade a year of it. No matter what the next decade brings, there's no one I'd rather face it with than you.

Sleeping Habits

2008-09-21T21:36:00.008-04:00

Mermaid Princess has two identical duck lovies that she sleeps with. They are getting very velveteen rabbit-ed; the fleece is gone from their hats and their beaks are starting to fray. She has the oddest habit of stroking them and clicking her tongue to fall asleep. Woe be unto us the day they are lost or frayed beyond repair. She, of the three, is the most attached to her Duck-Ducks; she will run for them at the least sign of trouble and holds them near during the scary part of whatever books she's reading.

Flash has three identical frogs. Well, sort of. They are meant to be identical, but two have been chewed and shredded so that major surgery has been required to keep them in a semblance of the genus/species. The other, for some reason unfathomable to his father and me, has emerged completely unscathed. To fall asleep, Flash chews on the webbed foot of a frog and hums to himself. Loudly. So loudly that MP used to wear a noise-blocking headset to fall asleep when they shared a room. He really has no need of the frogs during the day and less and less at night these days. Hopefully, the humming stops too. I would hate to have to draw a serious girlfriend aside and give her fair warning.

"Daddy Nouille" (short for Grenouille)

MP in her Flash Headset Protection

Flash has another odd habit. He has the coolest handmade race car bed I have ever seen, given to us by friends. He has another sweet air mattress/sleeping bag sports bed on the floor. And where is he sleeping tonight? On the floor in the corner of this room. I just pray it's not some sort of training for eventually becoming a S.E.A.L. or Ranger.

JackJack has two identical bear lovies. I noticed a few months ago that the satin on on the paws was falling off, and attributed it to poor quality. Foolish mother! The other night, I went in to check on the kids, and found my youngest half awake, half asleep, and stroking only the satiny paw of his bear. No wonder they've been slowly disintegrating.

I'm blessed - not a pacifer-craver in the bunch. And we somehow avoided thumb-sucking too. Still, I do wonder if and when these habits will be outgrown... I know I had a bear that I took with me to college (the first year, anyway).

What was your childhood soother and when did you give it up?

Play 'n play

2008-09-16T11:11:00.004-04:00

Today's title is JackJack's word for clay, as in "Mommy, can we do play 'n play today?" For my own record, I would like to note that he never says "play and play" without also doing the sign language for 'game'. Which now has me confused between the sign for game and play - which are really nothing alike.

Army tank, complete with crayon barrel

Thanks to my sweet friend, Heather P., who clued me into recovering my mealtime sanity. She introduced me to the 5pm art project... setting the kids up to do some sort of artistic creation while I finish up dinner. Kids are close by, occupied, and content. I'm not interfering in their creations as I have an infuriating tendency to do ("But what would happen if you put the boat here on the water instead of in the middle of all those cows?"). And boy, do they scramble to clean up the family room as a precursor to getting on their smocks.

Daddy and MP sitting under a palm tree

MP with her creation

For my part, once I'm in kitchen clean up mode, adding a couple of paintbrushes or some cookies cutters to the dishes ain't no big deal.

JackJack with his turtle. Good thing he told me what it is.

Kids having a blast, Mommy enjoying them as they show her each new brushstroke, and general joy in the kitchen at 5:30pm. Who'd've known? (Okay, besides Heather...)

Scrubby clean!

2008-09-16T11:04:00.003-04:00

When Mermaid Princess turned 5, one of her new "big girl" rules was that she could no longer shower with Flash. At least two times a week, they STILL ask if they can shower together. And I say no. And they ask why. And after 100 queries, I STILL don't have a good answer; well, a good answer that I can tell them.

Cute when they're grubby; cute when they're clean. It's a good deal all around!

Halt... or I'll say halt again.

2008-09-16T10:46:00.003-04:00

Rainy last week, so I rearranged the family room furniture so we could wrestle, play a little nerf b-ball and generally have space to get the wiggles out.

The sofas ended up becoming bunkers. Daddy had one; the big kids took the other. Wearing snorkel masks and using the snorkels as rifles, a raging battle ensued.

My favorite exchange:

Flash (jumping out from behind the sofa): Put your hands up!

Daddy, with great reluctance, raises arms all the way up.

Flash eyes him for a second.
Flash (takes aim, makes sound of 'gunshot'): Tszchoo!

Daddy: Hey! You can't do that! I put my arms up. I put myself in your protection. Start over.

Flash chews on his lip while processing this new bit of information and returns to his bunker.

Daddy (head popping up from behind sofa with an evil laugh): Aahh haaa haa haaa!

Flash (jumps out from behind the sofa): PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN!!!!

Perhaps not quite the right attitude for going into law enforcement.

"I've never loved you more"

2008-09-04T18:03:00.002-04:00

Music to a girl's ears when they come from her best beau.

What can I say? I cancelled tonight's weekly planning session (logistics, finances, weekend action plan)...

At one point I remembered it was the start of the NFL season. Separately, I remembered that this is the wrap-up of the Republican Convention. For either of those, I would have made sure it was brief and let the man get to his remote.

But both the man's obsessions highlighted in a single evening???

No, no. We can reschedule.

We won't be watching any commercials tonight!

Words to the wise

2008-09-01T19:44:00.003-04:00

Words that our children got wrong and we delight in so much, we've never had the heart or will to correct them:

Commercional (commercial)

Kamote (remote)

Black minnow (Black widow - as in spider, and that's a whole story by itself)

On this same theme, Flash is currently appearing at my side at random moments with a stuffed animal in hand, generally his lizard, and informing me of some heroic deed his lizard just completed.
Flash: Mommy, Lizard just jumped from the brown sofa to the orange sofa and rescued JackJack from the sharks.

Mommy (as I pick up Lizard and hold him up to my face in serious discussion): Lizard, I am so proud of you. First, for being brave. And secondly, for taking care of a Chambers Champion! Good job, Lizard.

Flash (reaching up to pet Lizard): Yea good job, Lizard! He's a brave lizard, isn't he, Mom?
Mommy: Yes, he is, honey. A brave lizard who wants to give you a kiss.

Flash (with implied eye roll): Noooo, Mommy. Mommy, Lizard is just pe-tend.

Mommy: Yup. Okay then.

Egg-cellent

2008-08-30T23:12:00.002-04:00

In my childhood home, once every couple of weeks, we had Humpty Dumpty night. Mom would softboil some eggs, put them in eggcups and set us loose with the crayons to draw melted wax faces onto hot eggs. We would draw lovely ladies and brave young egg-men and then encourage them to have conversations ("Oh Monsieur, you look so very handsome this evening).

Once the egg people had taken their farewells, my mother would brandish her dinner knife guillotine as we all recited:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...

At which point, my lovely, gentle-spirited mother would chop off the top quarter of the egg in one smooth, decisive gesture, we would finish the rhyme -- complete with toast soldiers -- and we would dunk the strips of toast into the yolks for dinner.

And so the tradition continues. In a gluten-free version, of course.

The Blue Period

2008-08-29T16:20:00.003-04:00

This is "Blue" by Any Warhol, one in a series of 25 cats of various colors.

This is our version of this painting:

Here is the artist alongside his handiwork:

When I was first pregnant, I read about a woman whose 4 year old colored the ENTIRE face of her two year old with black permanent marker the day before their Christmas pictures were supposed to be taken. That has helped to me to keep all instances of child-as-canvas art in perspective... this was washable marker (and pretty cute!).

D-A-D

2008-08-28T13:57:00.008-04:00

I remember desperately wanting loads of black and white photos at our wedding, and one photographer I interviewed told me that if that was what I wanted, he wasn't the right photographer for the job... he couldn't bear to have a red-headed, blue-eyed bride shot all in black and white.

He didn't get the job, but I now know what he meant... I often sample the photos I take of the kids in black and white, but in the end, I can never enjoy them that way. God delivered three red-heads into our family, and all three have such unique eyes, so that I feel like they aren't even really my kids when they are in black and white.

These are the photos I took and will be presenting to Big E. for his birthday... I'm running a little late, but wait until I scan in the photos the kids did for him on their own! Totally makes up for my deliquency...

35 reasons I love you (not an exhaustive list)

2008-08-26T14:12:00.006-04:00

To my sweet husband:

Happy birthday! I don't think I could ever thank God enough for giving me such a gift... but today, on your 35th birthday, I thought I'd tell you my top favorite 35 things about you. If I can't think of 35, then it will be 3.5 which isn't quite so catchy but I would make sure they were really GOOD 3 and half things...

1. You are my favorite playmate (note: that's a lowercase 'p').

2. You delight in all children, but especially in ours.

3. Your enthrallment with God's creation never ceases.

4. You just love people... all of them, in any walk of life. And not from a distance. Never have I known someone equally as compassionate for the wealthy as for the poor.

5. You are endlessly curious - about people, politics, sports, nature, science, technology. What a blessing for me and our family!

6. God comes first. And because of that, I never have to worry that your love for me will sway you to make a bad decision - even when I'm at my most persuasive.

7. Love for us comes next. Always has, and I know it always will. These last two years have been proof positive.

8. You are fierce in your convictions. More fierce than anyone but you and I really know.

9. You are loyal. Your deep friendships are few, but they are for life. What a wonderful example you have been to me, and are to our kids.

10. You have a heart for service balanced by your season of life. You long to serve in so many ways, but always carefully balance it against the needs of your family.

11. Although fully capable of playing "the game" of business, you choose unadorned integrity - refusing to manipulate people or back them into corners. You have chosen to operate in good faith, as a living testimony, every time. I take such comfort in that.

12. You have the coolest hazel/green eyes. Thanks for passing them on, too.

13. You love sports, but are not consumed with our kids being sports phenoms.

14. You love your parents. (I do too.)

15. And yet you understand that we are cleaved together.

16. You love my parents. Even on the days when you don't agree over much.

17. I am so thankful at the energy you put in to relating to each of the kids in their temperaments, instead of insisting that the kids figure out how to relate to you. It takes a lot of energy - and since you get one of them effortlessly, it makes it all the more amazing that you work so hard with the others.

18. You don't have a manipulative bone in your body. You say what you mean and are baffled with the concept of sub-text.

19. The Bible is endlessly interesting to you - and you love to hear what I've discovered too.

20. You love music. And will even put up with my affection for pop music.

21. I still am amazed at how cleverly God put us together - me with my plain old "in the box" systems and you with the ability to make anything work on the fly with only "out of the box" parts.

22. You put such effort into serving me even though speaking love through chores is completely foreign to you.

23. You can laugh at yourself better than anyone I know. So endlessly charming...

24. You can cook. Man, you can cook!

25. You work so hard to keep your physical challenges from affecting the kids... I probably know the most about it, and I think you keep a good part of it hidden even from me. It is a HUGE sacrifice and I am deeply appreciative.

26. You are going to heaven too! That would be a burden on my heart and instead it is such a delight.

27. Your feet are ticklish. The necessary equalizer in a wrestling match.

28. You are so NOT a border collie - but you don't fault me for being one. In fact, you try to provide me with as much working dog time as you can...

29. Mermaid Princess: that he works hard everyday so that we can be here doing fun things like school and crafts and painting.

30. Flash: that he does cool things with me like making catapults and rockets.

31. JackJack: riding on the tractor!

32. I love it that we like to read the same stuff. Well, except for Watership Down. And In The Neighborhood.

33. I love it that you have a wet sense of humor... working dogs blow right past dry senses of humor - we need a good splash of water with our humor to slow us down.

34. That you are committed to growing in your Christian walk... I know we will always grow closer together if we are both drawing nearer to God.

35. That after a decade of marriage and a lifetime of knowing each other, you are absolutely the one person I long for time with, love to share my thoughts with, and seek out in most every circumstance. I am so thankful for the years we've been given together and pray for many, many, many more.

Happy Birthday, sweetheart! I love you.

Victoire!

2008-08-26T13:34:00.004-04:00

After a full morning of pictures for Daddy, reading, phonics and other sundry school items, we had a well deserved break and then met up again at the kitchen table to look at some math.

Mermaid Princess takes after her mother - she utterly refused help as she struggled to count out all the fingers for 7 + 2, then threw her pencil down in frustration when informed that the answer was not actually 11.

Finally, she allowed me to dig out a jar of pennies (which I had mentioned earlier, but had been firmly refused) and used them to count out her sets. Before she knew it, she had finished her worksheet, found the path through the maze, saved the day... and promply burst into tears because I wouldn't let her do another worksheet since lunch was ready.

Victorious at last
.

Why, oh why, do we hate asking for help, she and I? Why is rage so much better a feeling than dependence? Why is it so much easier to say "I can't do this" than to say "I think I need some help"?

Cary once said, "Why do we work so hard to teach our children independence? Independence isn't hard... the whole of human existence is a striving for independence. Choosing dependence, gracefully accepting dependence, even embracing dependence... now that's hard."

True for me, anyway.

First day

2008-08-25T21:38:00.002-04:00

Wow!

Although we homeschooled last year, it was preschool homeschool and pretty low-key. We did a lot of reading, a lot of crafts and I threw in some language lessons during lunch.

This year, we are *serious* homeschoolers. Mermaid Princess is reading up a storm (a 224 page book in two days). Flash is hungry to read and even hungrier to figure out the decimal system. JackJack just wants to be in the mix.

Some highlights from today, our first day of the year:
Flash drawing a dinosaur shark. Mermaid Princess drawing a fairy out of the word "girl" (it's very cool). JackJack drawing a green puppy that only a mother could see the artistic genius in.

Flash picking up his reading right where we left off in May. Mermaid Princess reading her entire language arts book on the first day. JackJack snuggled on my lap for all of our reading time.

My favorite time was at lunch, when we listened to the soundtrack from The Little Mermaid while we ate. This was JackJack's request; JackJack is like his daddy and would have an iPod at age 2 if he knew what one was.

If perhaps your memory is vague, much of the music in Little Mermaid is, well, it's ominous. Like something nasty is swimming in the deep, dark ocean below (appropriate, of course)... After 3 minutes of orchestral music, I could see that everyone was getting a little nervy. So I asked them to tell me the instruments they could hear. (Flash rattled off 5 in 30 seconds. Mermaid Princess launched into a detailed story of what SHE thought the music meant).

No good. In another minute, JackJack started shaking in his chair, then looked at me with tears overflowing. "This is too scary. Mommy, I need SNUGGLE!!!!," his voice escalating.

He leapt from his chair to my lap and buried his face in my shoulder, foregoing the potato chips on his plate (this was fear, indeed!).

What is this curse that Big E. has married into? I react to ominous music the same way, as does my sister, my mother, my daughter... and now, his son. I pray that Flash retains some of his immunity, so that they may enjoy movies together for a lifetime.

How bad can it be, you think. Well, I wanted to show them a VeggieTales video today because it tied into our lesson on lighthouses. MP utterly refused, making elaborate plans to escape to her room instead of watching something so terrifying. I told her we would pass on Junior Asparagus if she could memorize a quatrain for me instead - she had that thing down in 2 minutes flat.

(My sister used to run behind the sofa when Cookie Monster came on during Sesame Street... it is somehow comforting to know that it's genetic, not just a failure of character. Big E. just about had to strap me down when we saw Monsters, Inc. in the theater - needless to say, movie-going is not an oft-chosen date night activity).

At any rate, today was a huge success. I had fairly low expectations - it is going to be a work in progress, figuring out scheduling and lesson plans and the balance between mommy-ing and teacher-ing. But we had a great time together and got back in the groove. Tomorrow we start our French lessons. Bonsoir, mes amis! A demain...

Cary and Clay - final update

2008-08-18T23:29:00.002-04:00

It is with a heavy heart that I post today that Cary and Clay's baby has gone on to his forever home. The Cauthen family has gone out of town to mourn their loss privately. Please pray for all of them.

Summer days, drifting away

2008-08-18T22:59:00.006-04:00

As summer draws to a close, we've been spending more time at home, just us. I didn't want the start of our school year to coincide with a sudden disappearance of all the friends we've played with all summer. This would not go over well (especially with Mermaid Princess).

Example of our summer social time with friends. These are the minnows preparing to get past yours truly, aka "The Shark."

This is one of those childhood games that seems like it should make sense, but somehow never executes. They were warned that the bungee cord 'parade' might not turn out quite as envisioned. We escaped without any scrapes or bruises, but just barely.

Tent day. This was a great success until the ants decided that this looked good to them too.

A friend made a conscious decision not to enroll her friends in much this summer, hoping to see creativity stimulated by boredom. I followed suit, more because of gas prices than any good parenting philosophy, but I have to admit, it worked. Our best days were the ones that they came up with outlandish ideas (let's create a luau for Daddy to come home to!) that we then set about trying to make happen.

Lesson noted.

I don't want to say lesson learned because I'm sure this one is going to need to smack me a couple more times before I truly get it.

Some random cuteness

2008-08-14T21:19:00.003-04:00

Just realized today that Flash has been calling it "sunscream" all summer.

JackJack saying, "I nunno," "I told ya," and "Come ON, Mommy!" in the most charming, happy-go-lucky voice.

Watching Mermaid Princess really, really read. We've blown through books with pictures and are now into early readers. And writing to the authors when we finish.

A friend gave JackJack a blue pawprint magnet. As any parent of a two year old will know, this means that JackJack is now an official Blues Clues executive producer. He has taken to carrying around a little notebook with a pencil all the time so he can draw his clues.

JackJack's colleague over at Blues Clues HQ.

August 6?? What the...

2008-08-07T22:37:00.002-04:00

Wow, three weeks since the last post. Astute friends (ahem, Katie A.) always email me when I haven't posted for a while because it usually means something's up.

And indeed, so it has been.

It's no wonder Jesus only gathered 12 people around him; if you're going to give your friends your heart, twelve is about all it's possible to keep up with. And Jesus, of course, was perfect, so I'm giving myself, maybe, 8. Maybe not even.

Major surgeries, major diagnoses, major decisions, major moves, major turmoil. And all of it affecting kids.

I have fallen on the sofa each night after getting my own little guys to bed, thinking, "I really need to blog." But I just didn't know where the words were going to come from. Or the energy. (Or the photos, since I left my camera out in the rain.)

I think I'm back in the saddle now. I've almost emptied my email inbox. The house is getting reassembled. The yard is looking decent. I'm getting to bed at a good time (usually) and actually sleeping. And the camera miraculously healed itself (crazy, huh?). AND it kept all my old photos, so I can catch you up-to-date with the kids' antics.

For those who checked in - thank you. For those who have need the checking in on, I'll be calling tomorrow.

A Day

2008-07-17T20:11:00.003-04:00

It's been a day. Every mommy knows these kinds of day...

All three kids needed naps. They knew they needed naps. They headed happily up to their beds. And yet, it became very apparent after 45 minutes that no one was actually going to sleep. Up we got. Bickering began immediately.

So, while I went out to water the tomato plant...

JackJack slipped upstairs and by the time I found him, he had pulled a stool up and gotten down 2 different bottles of shampoo which were rapidly sluiced across the floor, the stool, and JackJack's hair.

So then...

After getting him showered off and into pajamas, I started dinner. This time, he slipped out the back door without me noticing. I was only aware of his disappearance when Mermaid Princess came running in to tell me that JackJack had dismantled the only healthy tomato on our plant... the one plant I have truly tended to all summer.

So then...
I started working on tomorrow night's menu only to realize we really are short on just about everything and are going to have to do a grocery run whether we want to or not...

But none of this topped being at the dollar store after Vacation Bible School early this afternoon with three exhausted, hungry kids, one of whom was determined to make a plea for every bag of candy, one of whom was determined the race the cart through the narrow aisles (end caps be darned!), and one who wanted to try out every single thing that looked remotely like it could be a cell phone. Within 10 minutes, my patience was wearing VERY thin. Still, I wondered at the strange looks I was getting, as my mommy voice grew increasing tense and tight.

It wasn't that I got home that I realized I was still wearing my Bible School shirt. It's flame orange and very clearly not the kind of t-shirt that could be mistaken for something from Old Navy. Part of me wanted to laugh and part of me was ready to burst into tears.

I'm settling for going to bed very, very early. G'night.

Joy of an Evening

2008-07-14T22:48:00.005-04:00

So, one of the things I've really learned in these, my thirties, is that the brief times of pure joy we're given are to be cherished, not taken for granted.

Pure joy moments with kids are truly brief - they shine incandescently bright and then come to abrupt end when the sticky fingers are rubbed on your just washed hair, or someone knocks over the cup of juice, or a ball comes flying out of nowhere and clocks the baby in the noggin. They are, of course, the shining moments that make it ALL worth it, but they are generally quite short. (Hence the blog, where at least a few of them can live forever.)

But whole evenings of joy? Oh, so rare.

Melissa, Heather, Heather, Becky, Cary, me, Cindy

A group of friends surprised me with a dinner out for my birthday. I thought I was going to dinner with two friends and just about fell over (and burst into tears) when it turned out to be a whole table of friends, with more dropping in, and even more who couldn't be there and sent cards.

We stayed up late (very late)... even as we headed out to the parking lot, we lingered. Who knows when such joy will strike again?

Thank you to Melissa and Becky who organized it, to Cary, Heather, Cindy, Heather, and Andy for coming. Thank you to Chad, who had the restaurant staff take perfect care of us (at Wild Wing Cafe if anyone is looking for a wonderful night out!).

I feel wealthy beyond imagining. Traveling through this world can make for rough passage, but how comforting that the journey doesn't have to be a solo effort.

Band of... okay, Duet of Brothers

2008-07-14T22:31:00.004-04:00

Why can't we all just get along?

After months of praying that the boys would start to become friends... just perhaps more than tolerate each other in the same room... we've had an about face.

Today, after our first day of Vacation Bible School:

Mommy: Flash, who should we go get first? Mermaid Princess or JackJack?

Flash: JackJack.

Mommy (a little confused): No, who should we go get first?

Flash: Mommy, let's get JackJack.

(We go get JackJack, with great grins and giggles).

Mommy: Okay, JackJack, let's go get Mermaid Princess.

JackJack: Don't want M'maid Pincess.

Mommy: Sweetheart, we need to go get our girl.

JackJack: (in rapidly escalating pitch): Don't WANT M'maid Pincess.

on a happier day

What in the world??? And I know everyone says the middle kid always has to put up with the most, but from my vantage point, it seems like he has it made. He ALWAYS has a playmate, while the other two each have to wait turns for his attention. Ironically, he is also the one who would probably be happiest by himself.

Cary and Clay: Update 1

2008-07-13T03:45:00.002-04:00

Cary and Clay had another ultrasound this week. Not much news to report - the baby has grown bigger and the tumor has too -- in proportion. The "wait and see" continues.

The geneticist proposed that they head to Children's Hospital in D.C. for a fetal MRI to gather more information, both on the tumor they know is there and to see if any other tumors may be forming on other organs that the ultrasound just can't see. The MRI is scheduled for July 25th.

In the meantime, this incredible family has decided that given the choice to dwell on the disease or the baby, they are going to choose to focus on the baby. That means thinking about names, planning the nursery, and smiling instead of flinching when strangers ask about the pregnancy.

I stand amazed. I was with Cary tonight and saw her graciously accept queries and compliments about the little boy she's carrying without the least shadow of fear or despair traveling across her face. This is faith in action - to trust that the Lord knows what He's up to when none of it makes sense from our perspective.

For those who are wondering how to pray, here are the potential outcomes for this tumor:
1. It may be the kind of tumor that will simply disappear sometime in the baby's first two years of life.

2. It may be a tumor that will continue to grow and at some point interfere with the functioning of the heart, at which point surgery will be needed.

3. It may be the first in a series of tumors from Tuberous Sclerosis.

4. The whole thing could go away in a modern day miracle... or maybe just a good old-fashioned one.

Pray for peace and strength as they walk through each day with this dark cloud trying to take over their thoughts. Pray for increasing delight in the pregnancy and in the life growing there. And pray for healing, as only God can do.

Today I have learned that it IS possible, no matter how trying the circumstances, how great the obstacles, how dire the straits, to refuse to wallow in the ugliness. If I can keep my focus on my blessings, no matter how much those around me are yelling about my difficulties, I can be content. I have seen it done; I pray I strive to do no less.

Kids and Creeks

2008-07-06T13:36:00.005-04:00

What is it about creeks? Why are they so charming?
Why does icy cold water seem purer than any other kind?

Big E. and I both had a creek (the same one, actually) near us growing up. When we first looked at our current home, Big E. suddenly tore off into the woods as we toured the back yard. It was ten minutes before he re-emerged with the triumphant shout, "There's a creek back there!"

At that moment, I knew we were putting a bid in on this house.

These shots are not from our creek. Our town has loads of them, so we were exploring a new spot on this day.

It was so cold, so very cold in the water. JackJack would not be deterred from throwing rocks and fishing with sticks. I think he wallowed in the deepest spot for 20 minutes or more.

Flash's sharp eyes also found this caterpillar:

JackJack was petting our new friend rather vigorously. It is perhaps not a surprise that our 'pillar was nowhere to be seen on our return hike.

The Fast Right Hook

2008-07-03T15:26:00.007-04:00

My friend, Lauren, looks at me sometimes and says, "Life is just rude." (Lauren knows whereof she speaks: check out her blog to see what I mean.) She is so right. We are going along our merry way, thinking we have some semblance of control over what the days will hold, when suddenly, a fast right hook catches us unawares and knocks "life as we know it" right out the window.

Meet Cary. Cary and I went to college together and then ran into each other "by chance" when we both joined the local MOPS group a decade later.

The little girl is her daughter, Mary Brooks. Isn't she cute?

Somehow, they seem like an old married couple here.

She is so determined to keep up with the big kids.

This is her son. Harrison is 4, and he and Flash just get each other.

It was a little foolish of us to expect two 4 year old boys
to respect the stillness of nature.

Geronimo!

As you might be able to see from the first picture, Cary is pregnant. 14 days ago, during the routine ultrasound, she and her husband, Clay, received terrifying news. Little Baby Boy (LBB) has a tumor on his heart. It is not obstructing blood flow in any way, but let us agree that this is not the news a mother is expecting when she went in to find out whether the nursery should be pink or blue.

The news did not improve. Clay and Cary were sat down to have it gently explained to them that there is a good chance that this tumor is indicative of a disease called Tuberous Sclerosis. This is a genetic disease in which hard, encapsulated tumors grow all the body, both inside and out - on the brain, lungs, heart, kidneys, and especially on the eyes and skin. As you can imagine (but wouldn't want to), those tumors then cause a host of other developmental issues, potentially including mental retardation, autism, seizures, etc. There is no known cure -- each tumor is handled as an individual case.

I am posting all of this because - well, because Cary and Clay could use our prayers. Because life is rude and sharing the brunt of the rudeness can make the load a little easier to carry. Because it's so easy to get caught up in the silly daily bickering and fussing at one another and to forget that tomorrow is not promised. Because Cary flows between waves of grief and complete peace and because it has been a privilege to see her life marked by God's grace in the midst of this living nightmare.

I will be posting the news of their journey with Little Baby Boy as it unfolds. Pray for healing. Pray for mercy. Pray for peace. Pray for strength. Pray for grace. And don't let small things fool you into thinking they are big things. A fast right hook might be in the near future.

The Play's the Thing

2008-06-26T21:09:00.002-04:00

The day has at long last arrived. Despite Big E.'s confidence that the day was coming, I will honestly tell you that I didn't believe to be possible.

I remember the first day it happened with Mermaid Princess and Flash. She had just turned three; he was a 21 months old. It was a Saturday morning. I had grabbed an old washcloth and some cleaning solution to see how many cabinets I could wipe down before the calls for me to settle a hair-pulling offense echoed from upstairs. As I wiped down the last cabinet, my eyes welled with tears as I suddenly realized, "They are playing together... happily, joyfully playing together. They might actually grow up to LIKE one another."

In the fort we built today, companionably reading.

Yesterday is the day JackJack joined the Chambers Playtime Club. All three kids played together for ONE HOUR yesterday morning without needing mommy to settle the issue of who gets the blue block.

Honestly, I thought it was fluke. Perhaps caused by sunspots or the timing of the moon. But no, such joy was repeated today, replete with reams of giggles.

And of course, I was so stunned, I failed to get a picture of the three of them. Forgive me for my surprise - it has taken us a long time to get over JackJack's celiac-inspired temper, and no one more so than Flash. I am so proud of him for choosing to forgive his little brother and decide to take the guy under his wing instead.

I will give an immense amount of credit for their general pleasure in each other's company to the book Siblings Without Rivalry, the parenting book that has most contributed to our children getting along. The info in it is not intuitive whatsoever. I just about fell over the first time I tried one of their techniques and it worked.

T-Rex-iffic

2008-06-24T22:32:00.004-04:00

Love languages are one of my favorite relationship tools. Someday, perhaps I'll post on how reading The Five Love Languages rescued our courtship and moved this very wary girl towards marrying her Prince Charming.

It has been equally useful as a parenting tool... it's too early to know just yet which language fills JackJack's little heart, but Flash is almost entirely Physical Touch. Without his 10 minute snuggle to start the day (with one or two more snuggles throughout the day), he changes from a tender-hearted soul into the most ornery, whiny rascal in the house.

Flash getting his snuggle quotient filled by Daddy.

Mermaid Princess takes after her Granny - she is Quality Time through and through. Doesn't much matter what we do together as long as she has me all to herself. Planting pumpkins, playing monopoly, coloring pictures, or just going for a walk - she just needs me all to herself for a while. That's a tall order with three kids born back to back, but it is totally worth it.

I've taken to spending one on one time with each of the big kids on alternating days while JackJack naps. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. My first day of one on one time with Flash saw us finally tackling his birthday project:

Flash couldn't come up with a name.

So, I put a flower in her ear and named her Tyra.

Tyra lasted until Daddy started using her parts for an archeological hunt in the back yard. It seemed like a fair demise for a dinosaur that started out as bones. I just hope we recover all her pieces. It doesn't befit a woman of her dignity to have her leg left out under the azaleas.

The MF of the MP

2008-06-23T17:24:00.003-04:00

Or: the Many Faces of the Mermaid Princess. Here are two of my recent favorites:

Here you can just see her freckles starting to emerge.
Sorry kiddo - I've kept you sunscreened as much as I can, but I'm afraid genetics are going to win on this one!

I'm not sure exactly what she's dressed for here, but clearly every evidence of authority will be needed: samurai sword, rapier, headlamp and lifeguard's whistle.
And a trusty sidekick.

Popular Popsicles

2008-06-18T15:08:00.003-04:00

Doesn't this just say "summer" all over?

Fare thee well

2008-06-16T14:36:00.005-04:00

This post is way overdue.

Partly, I think, because I'm still in denial that Amy has really moved away. Double denial since she moved to a home around the corner from my brother-in-law. Somehow, this seems unfair to me - that my in-laws should be so close and not even care, while I am now far and care tremendously.

The morning of our surprise trip to Kings Dominion
Amy is third from the left.

I have had many friends in my life (and been one) that helped me justify whatever course of action I have taken or wanted to take. There is a time and place for that, but in my case, the kind of friends I really need are the ones who say, "Hmmm... I think you have the wrong perspective on that." (I get my perspective out of whack quite a lot.)

Final photo from that very long, very fun day

Amy has been this kind of friend. She wants what's truly best for me, even when it isn't what I want for me. She is a great mom, a great wife, and a very real person. I love being with Amy because she gets that I'm a work-in-progress and it's good with her, because she's a work-in-progress too.

(On a side note, we got our husbands' together just 10 days before they moved. And Big E. must have said 10 times in the next 3 days, "Man, that stinks that they're moving. I really like that guy.")

Amy, I'm trusting God that He will provide the means and the motivation to keep us connected. Thank you for your prayers over our family and know that we have you covered too!

Overwhelmed... the good way

2008-06-11T07:49:00.006-04:00

Thank you. Whoever you are, thank you. What you provided for us made all the difference between scrambling over every decision and actually having a weekend away with my sweet husband.

No, we didn't get a puppy. Those in the know will know.

Our family has been the recipients of so many gracious gifts in the past year. Aargh! Even as I type this, my eyes are welling up again as I think of all the generosity that has been lavished on us.

My friend who suddenly pieced together that I hadn't bought clothes for myself for a year and ran out to get me a few pieces to get me through the season.

The friend who so lovingly handed down bags and bags of beautiful clothes for my boys (Flash and JackJack have the best collection of pajamas ever collected in the free world, I'm convinced).

My sister and her husband who have lovingly provided the little gifts that restore the spirit when the going gets tough.

Our church family who has provided the resources for us to educate our children (the big kids are both reading, by the way! JackJack insists he can too, but his comprehension skills are not quite there.)

The friend who booked me a spot at the salon with her fabulous hairdresser to provide a restoration of the body AND the spirit. I promise I'll go soon!

To my MOPS family who spoiled my children incredibly at Christmas and made a Christmas tree possible.

The owner of Wild Wings who has stopped by and dropped off dinner to us on occasion, just to help out.

And my parents and in-laws who have been supportive in every imaginable way.

I have said to Big E. over and over again - I should write a book about being the wife of an entrepreneur, so that every family who has made this choice can be prepared and know that they are not the only ones who have traveled this path. And so that they too can be open to being blessed.

I've realized that we all want to be part of a village - but I have learned this past year that villages only truly come together when someone needs help and the rest of the village can rally to their side.

To each and every family, woman, and prayer partner who has rallied to our side... thank you. You have made a kingdom difference in our lives. The joy is: we are not indebted to you.

But boy, we are so grateful for your love.

Bouquet Display

2008-06-02T22:23:00.003-04:00

I am not much of a cut-flower person. I'm terrible about remembering to change their water, and I really don't like watching them slowly die -- perhaps my failure to change the water is an attempt to bring on a sudden demise instead of a lingering decay?

Anyway, Big E. learned long ago that bringing me flowers wasn't going to make me swoon the same way that a cup of Starbucks or a new book can and he quickly and wisely changed tactics.

I can tell you that today, I received the first bouquet I have ever swooned over:

Flash and Mermaid Princess put it together themselves. It didn't cost them a penny, but it cost me my heart all over again. It won't last until morning; I am seriously considering getting beautiful prints made to frame so I will always remember the joy of this gift.

Dandelions have never been so beautiful.

On guard, blackguard!

2008-05-31T21:28:00.006-04:00

An evil knight invaded our house - dressed in a dollar store helmet and sword. His goal was to steal the princess, who was immediately defended by her two knights in shining armor.

Well, one knight in shining armor and one knight with a straw hat and billyclub...

The battle was fierce!

But justice and fairness and goodness and red-headedness prevailed...

Our evil knight does not look overwhelmingly repentant of his ill-advised deeds.

Never fear, Pancho Sanchez is ever-ready to battle evil, defend gentle maidens, and protect his fair complexion from the sun!

Godbyes

2008-05-23T22:30:00.006-04:00

I'm thinking of never saying "goodbye" again, but changing it to "Godbye". I won't, because I won't remember that at the right moment, and anyway, it sounds a little awkward... but it's more how I feel about goodbyes these days. First of all, I'm trying to be thankful for the time God has provided me with each friend who leaves (even though I stamp my foot like a toddler in a temper each time I get the news someone's moving.) And secondly, He can and will orchestrate reunions for us... some here and some in heaven, but I can count on the fact that these women will be part of my eternal life.

Although some of them will be mortified, as they move away I want to honor each one. I live in a pretty transient town (although nowhere near as transient as where I came from before this), so these will be spread out, starting now and going through July.

Tomorrow morning, Bridget leaves. As long as I've known Bridget, I've known the day would be coming when she and her family (husband and two ADORABLE boys) would be moving on... med school does that to a family. But as she sat through two bible study cycles with me, served with me on steering for MOPS, and kept her even temper in the most trying/exhausting/ draining of circumstances, I grew to love her despite trying to protect my heart.

Bridget on the right - an intent listener, as usual.

So Bridget, please know that everytime I think of you, the word faithful will dance through my head along with my favorite images of you (topped by your charade of "cocktail dress"). Faithful to your family in all circumstances; faithful to your friends when they need you most; and eagerly growing everyday in your faithfulness to our Father. I pray a lavishness of blessings on you and Bob, and a legacy of faith for your boys.

Bridget and BFF Lauren. Flash still gets them confused.

Bridget drawing a flat tire - with her eyes closed! Lauren guessed it.

'Captured' moments

2008-05-19T22:23:00.004-04:00

Favorite things my guys are saying right now:

JackJack: Every bug espied is followed by "Catch it! Mommy, catch it!" And butterflies are apparently the most terrifying creatures of the insect world.

Flash: He now sings his morning grace over the food as loud as he can. When asked why, he says, "I think God would like to wake up to my singing."

Mermaid Princess: Tonight at dinner, after I recounted to Daddy all the wonderful things she did to be a blessing to her brothers and others, she looked at me and said, "Mommy, thank you for all the work you do for our family. I'm so thankful that I think I might wake up in the middle of the night just to come tell you again."

Now, in case you think my children are angels in human form, it bears mentioning that the older two attempted to lock the youngest in the bathroom with the lights off and a blanket under the door to block all vestiges of light. I came upon them as they were hooking a chair under the doorknob to seal him in. All survived the incident, but it was hit or miss with the older two for a few minutes there.

Fort-e

2008-05-19T22:14:00.002-04:00

Actually, building forts is not my forte, although I did and do love to build them. I'm fine with a bedspread and some sofas, but Lord help me if I ever have to construct one from pine branches and a fallen tree.

Still, I think this one has potential:

Roomy enough for 3!

With three 'twin' beds!
May I admit that I look at these photos with chagrin? This fort was built during a crunch time in both MOPS and our business, and I built the fort and then abandoned them to play in it so I could get in a few minutes of work. Needless to say, they played in it for about 8 minutes.

With a delightfully long summer ahead of us, I know this one is going to get a do-over!

Mommy-time

2008-05-12T14:21:00.003-04:00

So... I'm in the grocery store on Sunday (stopping in to get milk on the way home from church) and I count about 20 people in various lines holding what appear to be the very last chrysanthamums in the florist section. And this sums up what I do NOT like about Mother's Day. I don't like it when it feels forced upon us, another obligation grudgingly met, Hallmark card and token flower.

Why? Because I'm just truly beginning to grasp the sacred trust that is motherhood. God entrusted ME with the lives of three of His most precious children. There is nothing more important that I can be doing. There is no obligation more important - let me be late to every appointment from now until I die rather than let my children feel that they are anything but my highest priority (now that's a tough statement for a border collie!).

I want Mother's Day to mean something - not for me, my children are already gift enough - but so that my children get a glimmer of the importance, the essential nature and sacrifice that is motherhood. If they see us put a high value on it - stop our regular lives to celebrate the gift of motherhood - the day will come when they too will put a high value on the worth of a mother in a world that seems to have forgotten how important a job it really is.

My favorite part of Mother's Day this year? Every time the kids wished me a Happy Mother's Day, I answered, "And who are the three amazing kids that made me into a mother?"

Beth Moore writes an incredible piece on motherhood in her blog today. For her thoughts, particularly about siblings, click here.

Happy Mother's Day!

Guys and their girls

2008-05-10T15:02:00.009-04:00

We have had an interesting development here at Strong Echoes Central. Mermaid Princess has developed a passion for reading. At the moment, she is just about impossible to extract from Big E.'s old Calvin and Hobbes books. For a couple of days, Flash was stumped at the sudden disappearance of his best bud.

Upon glancing around our abode for a solution, he suddenly realized that the pesky two year old who arrived some months ago and still hasn't been sent back might be good fun after all. And just like that, a friendship has formed.

It did give me a glimpse at a potential down the road conflict - the kind that happens when two brothers are 19 months apart... We had a friend from JackJack's class at church over here on Monday. Initially, she and JackJack were thick as thieves...
Then Flash joined the fun (MP having disappeared into C&H again.)

Mommy pulls out the popsicles to lure MP from her comic strip induced haze (using sugar to break a reading habit... hmmmm.... I think I may need to reconsider that policy.)

Everyone went for a romp on the trampoline (with the sprinkler on underneath - I could see their goosebumps from across the yard.)

And then Flash drove off with JackJack's girl!

By the time we took our friend home, Flash had claimed her for his own, making sure she was buckled into her carseat correctly, getting her snack ready, and then holding her hand on the ride. Fortunately, JackJack seemed fine with this turn of events. Either brotherly love triumphed or he was so ready for his nap, he just didn't notice. I will, however, have to put my foot down if I see this friend-poaching habit continue!

Recent artwork

2008-05-08T14:18:00.006-04:00

We were hanging a picture yesterday. It took a little longer than normal. Here's why:

"To low. To low. To Hi. Just rit."

That's right... the "up down left right" directions had to be written before they could be shared. My arm is a little sore.

And then, Mermaid Princess and Flash came home from church the other day with these:

Definitely keepers.

My 'artwork', on the other hand, has not fared as well. As usual, each spring, I go buy a few packets of seeds, have the kids help me plant them, water them devotedly for a few days while babying them on the back deck and then, inevitably and inadvertently, kill them. This year, they were drown.

Given the choice between being roasted to death (last year)
or drown, which would you choose?

The rosemary plants in the back came with some trees I ordered this year. So far they have survived my gruesome mauve thumb.

With a name like "Amazement Square"...

2008-05-06T23:06:00.005-04:00

it has to be good. We went with some friends to Amazement Square in Lynchburg for Flash's fourth birthday. Mermaid Princess made a video, Big E. had a blast playing virtual reality games, and we all had a great time watching the kids try out everything in very rapid succession. In fact, most of the pictures we got were from the one time they all actually sat still for a little while...

while a few of them got their groove on.

We were never quite sure which tunnel tube they were going to pop out of next.

The birthday boy!

I didn't get a great shot of his Spiderman cake, but he loved it!

And one little guy got so tuckered out, he slept through half of dinner.

"Come On, Get Happy"

2008-05-05T00:11:00.003-04:00

Oma and PopPop gave Flash a set of musical instruments for his birthday. I'm eager to take banjo lessons (seriously) and Big E. can take up keyboard, and then the Chambers Family Band can get rolling.

A little percussion to keep the beat.

Some good soul mixed in.

I'm curious to see if the triangle really proves to be centrally important to our sound...

So, should we go for more of a Partridge Family sound or maybe more Barbara Mandrell (with her sisters)?

Getting a little C & C

2008-05-02T16:12:00.005-04:00

Two exchanges with Mermaid Princess in the last couple of days that have kept me on my toes...

MP: Mommy, it was raining on DuckDuck and icy rain and she got cold and then she slipped and fell and she got hurt!

Me: Goodness! Where were you when she slipped and fell?

MP: I was doing chores. And we need to talk about that.

Photo by Kim Swales. Thank you, Kim!

MP: I was just having a nice dream that I was the mommy and you were the kid.

Me: That does sound like a nice dream. Are you a nice mommy?

MP: Well............. you wouldn't get what you want. You would only get choices and consequences.

I'm not sure what to make of those, but I'm sure of one thing... we are on the edge of another big cognitive development leap. Lord, make me wise as the questions and situations arise!

Flashiest Flashbacks

2008-05-01T22:41:00.005-04:00

This is my last day of reminiscing! Then we'll get caught up with current goings-ons...

Turning 3: the family birthday celebration.

Turning 3: his first real themed birthday party.

Licking the beater for Mommy's b-day cake.

Cowabunga, dude!

Obviously, I missed a couple of spots with the sunscreen.
There is nothing in a boy's life quite like his daddy.

One of my very favorite photos, and it brings us up to where the blog got started last fall.

I'm so glad I did this. Thank you for indulging me!

Flashier Flashbacks

2008-04-30T19:55:00.000-04:00

Flash's third year in review:This was such a sweet moment. We were staying at a rental home. Flash woke up in an unfamiliar bed and started screaming and wouldn't calm down until his best friend was brought to his side. Once she grabbed his hand, they both broke into these huge grins.

Pool courtesy of Granny & Grandpa. Amphibious car courtesy of Flash.

Prepping for a daring tricycle ride.

Two boys chilling in the hammock.

Busy at his single favorite activity - building stuff.

Sitting in the pilot's seat!

All Christmas-y and cute.

Starting to leave those toddler days behind.

'Flash' backs

2008-04-28T04:41:00.012-04:00

The photos below are of year two in our sweet boy's life. It has been good for me to go back through these photos and revel in how wonderful it is to have him in our lives.

Waiter! Another warm milk, please.

Babies with books in a basket.

Now that's a face worth a million kisses.

Started climbing here... haven't stopped since.

Learning the chords.

19 months old and already a big brother.

Flash with his very best friend (in their frog hats.)

Flash turns four

2008-04-27T14:51:00.010-04:00

I've never been good at birthdays. I don't really enjoy my own birthday. Big E. isn't big on birthdays. So, I've struggled with the celebration of my kids' birthdays. It seemed like a funnish obligation, but not a tidal fount of joy.

Thanks to a book I've been reading with the incredible women who have journeyed with me in bible study, I've turned a 180.

Now I get that this is a chance to celebrate the unbelievable gift of their lives, the treasure Big E. and I have been sent to steward for as much time as God has allotted them to us. I pray these children will be with me for my lifetime, but I'm keenly aware that the number of their days and the course of their journey is determined by Him, no matter how much control over that I'd like to have. Each day is a gift (though that can be hard to remember at 5:15pm). And each birthday is a chance to give thanks for our multitude of blessings, to remember that moment when I first saw each child, and a tidal fount of joy for how far we've come together already.

That said, over the next few days, I'll be posting photos of the journey we've had with Flash.

My best description of him?
A tender heart, a steady temperament and spirit that flashes at injustice.

Here's the first year.

What? No accessories?

2008-04-23T22:20:00.003-04:00

This is what you get when you let the two year-old get dressed by himself.

I personally love the white socks with the blacks Tevas.

Signage

2008-04-22T22:47:00.003-04:00

These might not be as cute to friends and family as they are to me, but I truly don't want these precious memories to get away from us.

One of the serendipitous things of the year has been putting three small wooden chairs in our family room. They have been turned into everything - rockets, trains, caves, trapeze platforms...
and in this instance, "Nate's house".

This is from the day the chairs were turned into race cars. Mermaid Princess' car was not complete without pedals. Note to self: evidently, there's a good chance she's left-footed.

Hmph... tried to fix this in my photo editor, but in case you can't read it, this is from the day MP made a clubhouse (out of the chairs) and then posted this sign on it.
"Bosys Welcum"

Is it just me, or does that seem straight out of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh?

But not the rest of the week

2008-04-20T23:37:00.004-04:00

Flash tickled my funny bone this morning with his own special rendition of a church classic...

I've got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus down in my heart,
Down in my heart, down in my heart.
I've got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus down in my heart,
Down in my heart Tuesday.

(Photo by Melissa at www.blessedwithtwoboys.blogspot.com You'll see on her site - she takes the best pictures!)

It's one of the tougher parts of parenthood to wildly clap and applaud and be generally encouraging when what you WANT to do is laugh until tears squeeze out the corners of your eyes. Thank goodness Flash repeated it to his father so we could enjoy the joke together.

And - for the official record - I am NOT one to talk. Big E. now pauses when I start to sing a song just to catch the strange rewording I will do - if it's not a song I've committed to memory, you can guarantee it will have a new meaning by the time I'm done with it. I have never yet gotten the words to a song right if I have not practiced it at least 60 times.

(And THAT takes us back to that border collie thing. A song that catches my fancy will be played over, verse by verse, well, let's just say, often enough to drive any normal person close to the edge of madness. I tend to save this for solo drives to the grocery store.)

Signs of spring

2008-04-20T23:10:00.004-04:00

Well, we received the Chambers family "Official Declaration of Spring" this week.

That's right, it's the first sunburn of the season. (I'm not sure what the inside out shirt is all about, but since we were planting trees, it seemed just as well.)

So, for our freckle-faced, red-headed family, we now begin the official weather check (over 70 and sunny= sunscreen). I've learned that if I don't do this as part of our getting dressed routine, some one inevitably sneaks out before I can get to them.

Poor kids - they've inherited rough genes. I've had several allergic reactions to sunburns in my life as well as probably about 40 moles removed for being pre-cancerous... so even though I STILL find it hard to believe that sun rays are that dangerous, I certainly don't want any of them to share that fate.

SPF 50, anyone?

On men and dogs, Correction

2008-04-19T23:40:00.004-04:00

So Big E. said to me, "Okay, I read that article you linked to and I don't get it. What did that have to do with me?"

A faint sweat broke on my brow and I sprinted to my computer and checked the link.

Wrong link.

I've fixed the link. Five minutes ago, Big E. read the properly intended article. And laughed so hard his head hit the keyboard.

Here's the link, now triple-checked. Enjoy!
(It's fixed down below, as well.)

Horrid virus hits cruise ship... all survive.

2008-04-19T22:31:00.004-04:00

It all started one morning when I took a quick call from a friend instead of starting our homeschool lessons like I should have. I got off the phone to find that my crew had constructed a "boat" in the hallway.

Quite a nice rig, where everyone has their own stateroom. But does she have "yar"?*

Not a good sign, when the captain (and super hero) on the boat comes down with a sudden illness, rendering him unable to eat anything but carrots spiced with uncooked beans.

Even the generally sea-worthy first mate, Duck Duck, had to take to her quarters.

Fortunately, there was a doctor on board.

Further inspection gave us a good indication of just where the tummy ailments were originating from.

But when the chef is this cute, I say order room service with personal delivery and risk the consequences!

* Yar is from the play, The Philadelphia Story. Nope, I'm not telling you what it means. Rent the movie version made with Katherine Hepburn and have the exquisite pleasure of finding out for yourself.
(Or just google it. All of the knowledge, none of the deliciousness.)
(Is that a word, 'deliciousness?' Well if 'google' counts, I'm going with it.)

On men and dogs.... sort of

2008-04-18T14:14:00.006-04:00

I don't have time to post on my own family, but this article does a great job explaining some things about my husband that I've always wondered. My favorite kind of article - funny(!!!), informative, personal and true.

And just for gratuitous fun, there are some pictures of our good friends' new dog below. For the record, if we ever get a dog, it will be a Golden Retriever, particularly since it shares Big E.'s personality. If it was dependent on my personality, we'd be getting a border collie or a malamute or some other work-obsessed dog, and one of us is enough for this family.

Some other day, I'll post on how finding out my dog personality changed my life. Here are some of the quotes from the two dogs whose personalities are most like mine:

Border Collie: If not given work to do, the Border Collie will become badly behaved.
They are the leaders and motivators of the dog world.

Malamute: The malamute is built to work well within a team, and its friendliness makes it unsuitable for a watchdog, but brave enough to pull 110% of the load.

I'm not so sure about the 110% of the load comment, but the bad behavior and unsuitable watchdog stuff is dead on! Want to see your dog personality? Click here . (You do NOT have to sign up with the website to take the test!) And please let me know what you are in the comments below!

Presenting: Lucy, Duchess of Heffalump. Adorable.

Just plain cute.

2008-04-14T07:57:00.003-04:00

Mermaid Princess as a Space Shuttle commander. Note the microphone on the headset - her idea, her execution. Now if only Flash would agree to be the pilot!

Flash on his "pirate ship".

Great shot of the kids with some of their favorite friends.

This is the reason I feel my cup is running over every morning (okay - MOST mornings).
Who wouldn't want to wake up to these cute faces?

It's a very, VERY busy week here at the Chambers house so posts will be minimal if at all. The camera will still be snapping shots, however, so don't stay away for long!

The Redheaded League*

2008-04-12T00:25:00.006-04:00

The big kids got traced by their teachers at church and I loved the tracings so much, I put them up in our Supper Club. Mermaid Princess and Flash insisted that the drawings be holding hands.

I forget who it was that saw the tracings and asked me what had happened to MP's ears... they aren't ears, she was wearing pigtails that day and this was her translation. Still, she would be a cute elephant.

I love that the most noticeable trait in Flash's figure is the shock of red hair. Growing up, my hair was blonde, and it has help in its current shade of red (yours might too if people constantly asked where your kids' red hair came from).

So, my identity is in no way connected to being a redhead - I don't think that my temper is related to my hair color, or my energy, or my stubbornness. But Flash clearly knows that being a redhead is part of who he is - and rightly so, as that's how God made him.

Today, a red-headed gentleman stopped to let our family cross a busy street. He rolled down his window and yelled, "I never could resist redheads." MP and Flash grinned ear to ear and waved to him. I think they are beginning to realize it's like a kind of club...
one that they were born into while I had to be adopted.

*The Redheaded League is a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Not Sir Conan Doyle's best effort, but still worth the read.

Mermaid Princess, author

2008-04-09T01:17:00.007-04:00

A carrot was lain (laying) on the ground.

A carrot was "lain" on the ground.

A rabbit jumped up out of his hole and "cot" the carrot.

The rabbit was "cot" in a trap by Princess and JackJack and Flash and Mommy and Daddy.

The carrot was used to make carrot cake for dessert after they ate the rabbit.

The End.

This doesn't hold a candle to her morning retelling of her dreams the previous night (which roughly coincide with her favorite show, Fetch), butI am enjoying watching her develop the ability to tell a complete story and her excitement at writing her stories down. Or generally, she draws and then dictates the story to me.

She is a joy to be around and I still can't believe my good fortune that God chose me to be her mother.

Easter

2008-04-09T00:07:00.002-04:00

I seriously adore Easter. More than any day of the year, it signals hope and second chances and fresh starts to me. We even turn off the lights on Friday at 3, not to be restored until Easter morning (it helps that daylight savings has been moved back).

This year, we draped our mantel with a black sheet and I covered a hula hoop in brown fabric to represent the stone in front of Jesus' tomb. We hid the Easter baskets in there as well as some strips of linen and some gifts for each child, each representing a new start or a second chance.

I would have loved every moment of this except... well, here, see for yourself:
Can you guess? That's right. I had the flu. Freezing cold, can't get warm, achy, nauseated, roiling tummy, headache, cough, sore throat, scared-to-eat flu. Recovery eluded me for TEN days. In our married life, I cannot remember being this sick ever (except for the end of JackJack's pregnancy, but that is a different kind of story.)

Big E. babied me for two days, but then business truly demanded his attention... the kids have never watched so much TV in their lives. But I survived, they survived and while we are all a little worse for wear, soon this will be distant memory.

I was desperate to avoid having to get an IV for dehydration and so pulled out a trick my first pediatrician taught me - when a kid gets dehydrated during a flu, give them an eye dropper full of Pedialyte every ten minutes. As the hours ticked by without me keeping anything down, I had visions of arriving at the hospital for an IV with 3 kids in tow, and so I self-applied. Kids were baffled ("Why are you taking so much medicine, Mom?"), but it worked.

Phew! I'm all better, kids are great, Big E is thriving (despite the all-nighter he's looking at tonight), I'm caught back up, and looking ahead. Below are some additional Easter photos. Check in tomorrow for a look at Mermaid Princess' first literary effort!

Aunt Tam Tam

2008-04-08T09:45:00.000-04:00

Is this not the coolest aunt you have ever seen?

Not only does she sea kayak, coach swimming and diving, answer any obscure question you might have about fractals or medical injectors... she is willing to do whatever it takes to entertain her niece and nephews.

I only wish she lived closer - it is a sign of our opposite personalities that we chose opposite coasts to live on. She tries to lure me with lack of humidity and I try to lure her with a full complement of seasons. So far, no one is budging.

She is officially a mid-thirty something today! Happy birthday, Aunt Tam Tam! We love you.

Her wedding day - now 5 years ago.
(we love you too, Uncle Dac)

March 16!

2008-04-07T19:26:00.004-04:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted. How did it get to be April 7th already?

First, I was an obsessed woman over making Easter gifts for all the moms in my MOPS group. Easter is my favorite day of the year, and I just couldn't let it go by without some sort of gift.

My friend, Clare, is an incredible stamp artist. Before this year, I always thought that handmade cards were created just to add more guilt to the busy mom. But having been the recipient of so many beautiful cards this year (mostly from ladies under Clare's tutelage), I have really come to cherish receiving these little pieces of art filled with personal thought (both in the art and the note).

A few if the cards I've received this year (on the shelf in Supper Club)

Here's a few more. I just LOVE them, particularly for the sweet messages in them.

So I tried my hand at making magnets that celebrate Easter for my MOPS group. After many false starts, I came up with something close to the image I had in my head. There were a few different versions, but this is the general idea:

Scripture is from Matthew,
the "He Is Risen" is mounted on foam
and the rock adds a cool 3D touch that's highly appropriate for the message.

Anyway, I'm sure God would have preferred for me to spend a little less time on this and a little more time with Him in the days leading up to Easter, but I had become a girl on a mission. Fortunately, even now when I see mine on my fridge, I grin at the joy of figuring this out and being able to make a gift of love for each of those precious women.

Tomorrow, I'll share what happened on Easter that kept me from posting for the next week (plus). Stay tuned!

Sunny Days. Speaking the clouds away.

2008-03-16T00:19:00.005-04:00

We requested the old Sesame Street episodes from NetFl*x (we don't have cable so NetFl*x is our solution). The one we got included Episode #1.

It opens with a little animated guy telling us that this is for nostalgia purposes only and is perhaps not appropriate viewing for today's preschoolers.

Huh? What could possibly have been in Sesame Street in 1968 that would be inappropriate? Well, besides the orange and gold clothes?

Opening scene: Gordon (the Same Gordon) walks a "new girl" around Sesame Street. No mention of her parents is made for the entire hour.

Next scene: two kids build a very rickety bridge with 2 boards and 2 saw horses and proceed to walk across it (and almost fall) about 8 times.

It was alarming and refreshing all at once.

Until Oscar popped out of his trash can and was... ORANGE. It took some time to explain that grouches are orange until around age 8 when they begin to turn green.

On a side note... Gordon and Maria have aged very gracefully. Bob? Not so much.

An Uphill Walk Down Memory Lane

2008-03-12T13:13:00.009-04:00

JackJack has had an on-again, off-again bug for the last 8 days or so. He is NOT one of those sweet, snuggly kids when he is sick - he is a misery. He screams and fusses, demands to be held and then scratches once he's up. He whines. He pouts. He kicks. He screams. And screams. And screams.

JackJack on a happier day.

This is not enjoyable, but in its own odd way, it makes me so thankful. Because this ugliness was the way he lived for the first 15 MONTHS of his life... it was like round-the-clock colic garnished with a side of pure meanness and the only person he wanted was Mommy. By the time he was 8 months old, I found myself sobbing on the bathroom floor, gasping for breath between the sobs, sure I couldn't handle another day - another hour - in this horrendous situation, let alone figure out how to ease the havoc it was wreaking on my other children. I prayed that all this bad temper during the day would at least make him a good sleeper...

You can see that, even in sleep, he was unhappy and needed Mommy. He was a terrible sleeper - arching and tossing and turning all night long.

At 15 months, after a consultation with a holistic pediatrician (at the recommendation of my friend Kim), we finally found a pediatrician who agreed that there were two major signs that something was definitively wrong with JackJack and we started taking action.

Why it took me 15 months to figure out that JackJack might be a celiac -- considering his father is one -- is beyond me and I still feel guilt over taking so long to put the pieces together. Looking back, I think these were my mistakes:

1. I accepted too easily that this was my new life, that this kid just had a rough personality and it was my burden to bear. I needed to be ready to fight sooner (I will never, NEVER accept a metaphorical pat on the head from a doctor again.)

2. In all my reading after Big E.'s diagnosis, the earliest case I read of celiac presenting was 2 years old. I never read a case where it presented at birth. I wasn't prepared for that possibility.

3. Because he behaved in the church nursery (where they snuggled him for the full 2 hours he was with them), I thought it has something to do with me and my parenting. The self-doubt almost drowned me.

I wish I could show you pictures of how orange he got from malnutrition or how skinny, but about 4 months ago, I went through all his baby pictures and deleted all the ones that reminded me of how awful it was. I also deleted the one from his first birthday in which he's eating a big old wheat-filled cupcake. My heart seizes when I think about it.

In the past 8 days, he has almost driven me to distraction. Which has made me:

Thankful for the joy of a little boy he is now;
Grateful that we did survive those 15 months (I was a moon-eyed idiot at his second birthday, just couldn't keep my eyes off of the sweet thing he's become);
Humbled over how severely I lacked compassion;
Relieved for Big E's celiac because without his diagnosis, we wouldn't have had a clue what JackJack was facing. We would be struggling with him even now.

For all mothers out there who have children with chronic disease or disabilities, my prayers are with you this week. I know you are facing things the rest of us can't begin to imagine - logistically, physically, emotionally, spiritually. May the rest of us hear your unspoken needs in our hearts and rise to help you.

Brownies and a Movie (Trailer)

2008-03-10T12:08:00.006-04:00

Sundays are our day for baking a special treat. We made brownies after dinner and then let the kids watch movie trailers on Daddy's laptop while they wolfed down their little half brownies before bed. I think this was while they were watching one of the 5 trailers for Nemo that Big E. found somewhere on the "intertubes".

They clearly are going to take after Daddy's love of movies.
I took three photos of this and Mermaid Princess' jaw was dropped in all three.

Spring Gardening

2008-03-07T23:05:00.005-05:00

I was at Michaels buying some things for our MOPS group, and I had to stop and look in the dollar bins. When you live on a budget, the dollar bins are a girl's best friend. Truly, I can get enough of a shopping buzz off of $5 from the dollar bins to tide me through the month. And one of the things I bought this month is a little picture/plaque in spring time colors. I need to doctor it up a little to make it fit our decor just right, but it was a great deal for a dollar.

So I put it in our dining room (known as 'supper club' at our house because we aren't Formal Dining Room kind of people) in a temporary location. Over dinner, Mermaid Princess and Flash had lots of questions about our new acquisition.

Flash: What does it say, Mommy?

Mermaid Princess (with effort): "Love... booms where kindness is... panted."

Mommy: Close, honey. Love blooms where kindness is planted.

Flash: What does that mean?

Mommy: Well, it means that when we are nice and thoughtful to other people, that makes more love in the world for all of us.

Flash: So if I'm kind, then love will grow and grow in my heart until it's biggest thing there?

Mommy (trying to get my breath): Yes. Yes, I think that you're right... I think that's what it means.

It is embarrassing, magical, extraordinary and chilling all at once to have your three year old teach you a life lesson as you are serving him green beans. Please, let me never forget that kindness doesn't simply grow love into 'the world' - it grows love specifically in my heart and helps choke out all the weeds that are doing their level best to take over that garden.

The first of many lessons I will learn at the feet of my children...

Hat Trick

2008-03-04T21:20:00.004-05:00

There is just something about kids in hats... what is it that?

JackJack in his favorite hat from his friend, Brayden.

Flash in borrowed coat and hat from Chandler (Brayden's brother).
They were green - Flash couldn't resist.

This isn't a great "hat" picture - but I couldn't resist.
She's playing "the harp."
Her friend, Morgan, made this hat for her and she wears it pretty much daily.
And always with a reminder that Morgan made it for her, special.

Marjorie Daw

2008-03-03T07:39:00.005-05:00

We bought this not-very-big-house on a good-sized lot because we were more interested in the kids playing outside than being inside.

Note: I am lousy at making this happen when the weather turns cold.
(I do not like hands cold as clams. I do not like them, Sam I am).

Limited finances + lots of space + three kids sick of being inside =
great outdoor inventiveness when the temp goes up.

This weekend, we fashioned a seesaw out of our busted water tank thing and a piece of wood. We got it workable enough for me to see that, with a little effort, we could turn it into a more stable and enduring fixture in our backyard. I know they aren't consumer-approved these days, but I just love a good seesaw.

Seems like a good homeschooling project for fair weather days!

Yee Haw!

Wow.

Got a few bugs to work out...

Her Hair is Fair

2008-03-01T23:40:00.003-05:00

In school this week, Mermaid Princess and Flash had to choose a nursery rhyme to re-write with new rhyming words.

Mermaid Princess picked the poem, I was the scribe and Flash offered up the rhyming words which Mermaid Princess then used to construct the new nursery rhyme. I am HIGHLY biased, but I do believe I prefer the modern version to the classic. But then, I'll also take contemporary praise and worship music over hymns, so no surprise there.

Little Miss Muffet sat on a chair
Eating her apple and pear.
Along came a bear,
And gave her a scare,
She sat up and yelled, "Beware!"

"Digital Age"

2008-03-01T13:41:00.006-05:00

Everytime I'm inclined to purchase some new gadgety toy (which we don't have the money for), Mermaid Princess and Flash come up with something that makes me laugh with delight.

In case you are wondering what they are doing, they are working on their "laptops." Mermaid Princess is "writing a story." Flash is "drawing a birdhouse." JackJack is, well, no one's really sure, but he insisted that he have a chair and a desk.

Note they all have mice. And you can't see it in the photos, but their laptops have cords.

I must admit, I am SO thankful to live in the age of the laptop. And I'm curious to see how the computer age progresses alongside our children. One rule Big E. and I have already agreed on: No Computers in Bedrooms.

Of course, by the time they are teenagers, their computers will probably be inside their phones. Will I be willing to ban their phones from their rooms? Whew... not sure about that one.

What about you?

Malaprops

2008-02-29T23:26:00.003-05:00

Here are my current favorite words from my trusty trio.

JackJack: Pepperpony (pepperoni)

Flash: Blessoscope (stethoscope)

Mermaid Princess: 46 20 3 and a half (anytime I ask her how much she thinks we could charge for her artwork)

Big E.: To this day, he will call a quiet person a "shirking violet". How awful to be simply an introverted personality and get accused of a lack of work ethic! He does say it with that pained look of knowing he's wrong but helpless to fix it...

As for me, well, those of you who are around me a lot, post your favorite curly redhead blooper for all to enjoy. (E., Sis and Bro, you are limited to one each!)

Fort-itude

2008-02-28T23:33:00.005-05:00

Within 10 minutes of being up and at 'em, these three

had done this:

to my tidy family room.

Realizing that it was clearly a lost cause today
to keep a semblance of order,
I gave in and we played train:
and then completely rearranged the family room so we could build this:
(complete with kitchen and bookshelves, thanks to Flash)

I've wondered when the fort-building passion was going to kick in -
today was its official arrival at the Chambers house.

Couldn't let THAT pass without a blog mention!

Crafts gone bad

2008-02-27T15:47:00.004-05:00

I had promised the kids a cake. So Sunday afternoon, Big E. played with the kids while I whipped up a gluten-free sour cream cake. The kids were inspired to make masks - I pointed Daddy in the direction of paper plates and other craft materials.

The cake turned out moist and delicious.

The masks turned out... well, here, see for yourself:

FRANKENPUPPY

EVIL MISS KITTY

Seriously, click on the pictures to see up close just how disturbing they were.
Notice the past tense.

Vanilla with Rainbow Sprinkles

2008-02-22T14:13:00.007-05:00

As you will see from this post, a love of reading is on the very short list of legacies we are working to pass onto our children.

(Looking at that list now, I would add two more things:
an inclination for music and enjoying physical activity.)

So when Mermaid Princess finished her first big girl book (no pictures - complex language structure - somewhere around 40 pages), she received:

her very first certificate of accomplishment,

a date with her Daddy,

and an Ice Cream Cone
(a huge treat in a home with dairy allergies).

I'll let you guess what flavor she chose.

It was a hallmark day for all of us, and I can't think of a better reward than some special time with Daddy over a delectable treat. My turn next!

Swing time

2008-02-20T18:35:00.003-05:00

Swing, Swing, Swing, Swing...

Everybody start to swing!

La-dee-la........whoa-ho-ho, now you're swinging while you sing!
(Frank Sinatra)

Big E and I did a swing dance as our first dance (the wedding was in the morning, then we had a barbecue with a live band at night.... so our first dance was 9 hours after the ceremony). Dancing ain't Big E's thing - so that was the most significant wedding gift he could have ever given me.

Looks like two of our own are following in our footsteps:

This little guy will always have a soft spot in his heart for his "Bean".

2008-02-19T22:49:00.003-05:00

Big E loves a snuggle from his littlest boy, and he does get them.... until Mommy walks into the room. It is ironic to me beyond measure that my older two kids, who spent their early years pretty much with me while Daddy worked, still will choose Daddy above all. While JackJack, who has always had Daddy here in the house, really only wants Mommy. Oma and Granny and Daddy will do satisfactorily unless Mommy is somewhere nearby.

I flip-flop between finding this to be his most endearing quality and hiding in closets to get a few minutes to myself.

Here are some photos of my JackJack Einsteins::

A Giant Kangaroo has invaded our house!

Quick, call the fireman to get it out of here!

Phew! What a boy needs after a kangaroo evacuation is a good meal.

Delightful or delusional?

2008-02-18T20:41:00.004-05:00

Optimist or spin-doctor-in-the-making, that's the question we are here to answer.

The following exchange occurred during a model clay sculpting session with the big kids. I stepped out of the kitchen for a moment to see if Big E needed a snack. Upon my return:

Mermaid Princess: Mommy, I have some good news and some bad news.

Mommy: Okay... I'd like the good news first, please.

MP: Well, the good news is that I broke your sculpture and now you get to make a brand new one!

Mommy: Uh-huh. And what's the bad news?

MP (considering for a moment): Oh! I guess there isn't any.

I'm still trying to decide if this newly developed approach to life is an asset or a liability... thoughts?

Nippers, Clippers and Chainsaws

2008-02-17T21:44:00.004-05:00

I know. I haven't really posted in a month or so. And this post won't have photos in it, so it doesn't count. I've looked at all the photos of this past month, relished the sweetness of my blessings, but couldn't find the spirit in me to draft the conversation that goes with those photos.

This post is my effort to dump the muck and mire that has clogged my writer's flow. I am a Christian and so it deals with God. If that's not interesting to you, please skip it.

It's been an interesting year. Never have I been more intimate with God. Spent more time with Him. Heard Him more clearly. Fallen more and more deeply in love with His word. And never have I been so privileged to see Him working in so many lives.

And never has He pruned me so severely.

Bruce Wilkinson, in Secrets of the Vine, talks about how drastically vinedressers have to prune back the branches in their vineyards in order to create vines dripping with the exquisite, abundant grapes.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self Control. That's the fruit God promises us, and I crave every part of it. Somehow, I thought that I could get there just by living in the fullness of His Holy Spirit. I am learning that, to bear that fruit, I am also going to have to be pruned. Which hurts. And I am having a hard time keeping my eyes focused on the promise of an abundant crop as branch after branch comes off. I really was quite attached to some of the branches He seems to think are unnecessary.

Poetic, eh? Sweet words. Lovely metaphor. So Christian - such a positive spin on the hard things of life...

Will you walk with me here for a moment?
Think of your very favorite thing to do. Is it reading? Exercise? TV? Crafts? Decorating? He has taken my top three favorite things to do and turned them so that pursuing them leaves me with the sense of ashes in my mouth and mud in my hair.

Think of your favorite ways to serve others. Phone calls? Food? Notes? Gifts? Entertaining? Those ways that I most love to serve Him have been removed for an undetermined amount of time -- perhaps forever. I know Him well enough to know that He will turn my heart towards whatever He would have me do next, but for the moment, that branch was a biggie and it's been chain-sawed off.

Who are your favorite people to hang out with, those who restore your spirit and who just know you? I have lost two of those this year, and God has just told me to close the door to a great group of women that I was hoping to get to know a lot better. My darling husband, fortunately for me, is cleaved to me and cannot be removed unless God takes him to his eternal home. Sometimes however, a girl just needs a girlfriend. I have no idea what God is working out here, and oh, does it hurt. But I trust Him to know that whatever it is, it will be indescribable.

There are deeper cuts than this (!!), and many, many more clipper nips all over my vine. It is far easier for me to count the days in the last year that I have not felt the clippers than the days I have. I have stopped thinking that the day will come when this pruning ceases - it is my new way of life.

I would love to end here on some great upbeat note about the harvest to come and that He has plans for me, plans to prosper me, plans for a hope and a future. About how those that sow in tears shall reap in joy. About how the ashes will be turned to beauty and praise exchanged for this spirit of heaviness.

All true. In fact, some days, these are the truths that make it possible for me to smile and sing as I hear the clippers coming near again. But the pruning hurts. And to deny the pain is to rob God of the glory on the other side.

As I stop and consider, I realize that I have deep peace as this pruning continues. There is grief with the removal of each branch, and yet such deep contentment simply being in the presence of the Vinedresser. He is my Father, my Lord, my Counselor, my Knight, and my Best Friend. And at the end of the day (no matter how many branches came off), I trust Him. He has proved Himself worthy of such trust -- in my life and in the life of His Son.

Better be one strong stork!

2008-01-27T14:15:00.000-05:00

Mermaid Princess: When I grow up, I'm going to be a singing nurse.

Flash: When I grow up, I'm going to be a builder!

Mommy: Someday, when I want one, will you build me a new house?

Flash: No, Mommy. Don't be silly. You're going to live in this house forever.

MP: Unless you pray really hard for another baby. You should do that. Then maybe God will send you another baby and a new house.

Let's just say this isn't a prayer I'll be sending up in the next couple of weeks.

Glider going gangbusters

2008-01-25T22:55:00.000-05:00

We did get the glider operational on the swingset and it is now a Chambers family favorite. A huge, huge thanks to my sister, her husband, Grandpa, Grandma, Oma, PopPop, Jake and Max, and of course, Big E, who made this possible!

Doesn't that look like fun? I want a turn!

Woodland rhapsody

2008-01-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

Flash and Mermaid Princess are often inseparable - they get each other's games, feed each other plot points in their imaginative dramas, they create elaborate situations in which only they - Dash and Violet - can rescue the world (or their stuffed animals).

This is a common picture:

This often leaves JackJack on the outside. All in all, I don't think he minds. He's delighted when they include him, but he knows that when the big kids are off doing their own thing, that leaves Mommy available for a good game of chase.

Or just some meandering on the road less taken.

Movie Star, redux

2008-01-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

First, Blair Witch. Now, Gloria Swanson.

Her name, should you care to ask, is Luau Girl.

I have no idea where the idea for being a luau girl came from, but I must admit, she put it together quite nicely.

When you give a kid a camera...

2008-01-14T15:31:00.000-05:00

expect some crazy photos. About once a week, I let the kids borrow the camera for 5 minutes each. Out of the 100 photos they take, 95 are black, out of focus, or are perfectly in focus photos of my bum and get deleted for the sake of posterior, er umm, posterity.

Most of the shots are something like this:

But then, I found these. Not sure what to do with this budding talent just yet, but as I have not taken the time to figure out how to take a decent picture, I'm praying that it's intuitive for her!

To her, a comment on growing up and leaving girlish things behind. To me, a note to do a better job teaching them to leave their boots in the garage.

A commentary on the medieval conditions for children in other parts of the world? Or a family room that appears to have been hit by a tornado?

Stating an affection for the French? or a reminder that I need to mend this guy?

Trifecta

2008-01-14T15:10:00.000-05:00

I had a mommy hat trick yesterday. Read on...

1. Flash came running into the family room to inform me that he had dropped an important piece to a game and it had slid under the oven. I checked with a flashlight. I found a long handled spoon to fish under the oven. I pulled the oven out (which I hate doing because then I feel compelled to clean under there.) No game piece.

I looked at him, and asked if it could have gone anywhere else. He very solemnly looked at me and told me it had gone under the oven. I wrinkled my nose and prepared to check under other pieces of furniture in the kitchen.

Then I stopped, looked at Big E and said, "If this were Mermaid Princess, I'd give up, but this is the kind of thing Flash knows. I'm looking again." And sure enough, a thorough search turned up a little green game piece tucked halfway into the foot of of the oven.

Hey, I think I'm momentarily getting the hang of knowing my kids!

2. Less proud of this one... Brand new ivory damask tablecloth from Big E's mom. We don't have much in cash reserves right now, so little gifts like this mean a lot to me. It was sitting out in the family room, waiting to be put away. I sat down to read Milly-Molly-Mandy to Mermaid Princess and Flash when my mommy sense kicked in and I looked up to see JackJack drawing lovely orange lines with a NON-Crayola washable marker (which means I have severe doubts about whether it will actually wash out).

Now JackJack is highly aware that markers are allowed only in the kitchen and only for drawing on paper. This was done because he was peeved that he did not have my full attention. I swept up the marker and the tablecloth and went into the laundry room to count to ten. I was HOT.
In the meantime, Big E had slid over to JackJack. I emerged from the laundry room to hear Big E telling JackJack to walk over to me and say he was sorry. I sat on the step into the family room, and here came my littlest boy, looking truly repentant.

He looks up at me sorrowfully, and says, "I'n torry, Mommy. Hug me?"

I went from steamed to melted in 1.2 seconds. There wasn't even the littlest bit of frustration, anger, or irritation left. In fact, I loved him more, if that's possible.

I have to wonder, is this how God forgives us?

3. Finally, as I was putting Flash to bed last night, we played the "I Love You" game where each of us says I love you and tries to get a kiss in before the other does. Suddenly, he stops, pulls back and says to me, "But you really love Daddy."

"Well, honey, I do love Daddy as my husband and best friend. And I love you because you are the sweet boy that God specially picked for our family."

Flash looked grieved, not the reaction I was expecting.

"Mommy, don't be sad 'bout this, but I love Mermaid Princess most of all."

Is this not cause to head to the family room for the mommy merengue?

I know that someday, this conversation will be about his wife-to-be and it will be a little more bittersweet, but today, it completes a mommy trifecta.

And now I have it recorded for those days when I am resisting the urge to jump in the car for a mad dash to Starbucks before anyone notices I'm missing...

Movie star?

2008-01-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

Seriously, doesn't she remind you of the girl in The Blair Witch Project?
(she took this picture herself, by the way)

Ideology

2008-01-08T23:20:00.000-05:00

At the end of lunch today, Flash asked to be excused and went to wash his hands. After he came out of the bathroom and was clearly trying to decide what he wanted to do next, we had the following exchange...

Mommy (talking as if to herself, tapping her lower lip): "Hmmmm.... I'm thinking it's time for sneaking up on Flash. And the best part is, he'll have no idea what's coming..."

Flash: (with a screech and a mad dash to the family room): "I have ideas! I have ideas!"

For the rest of the day, anytime he thought I might be plotting something, he's jumped up and down, calling out, "I have ideas! I have ideas!" You sure do, kid.

Now is the winter...

2008-01-05T21:55:00.000-05:00

of our discontent. Well, it started out being Mermaid Princess' discontent, but rapidly became a lesson in just how easily I succumb to that wintery vice.

In the post below, you'll read about our new swingset. Eight people came to help us clear the site, assemble the set and move it to its new home in the back corner of our yard.

I cannot begin to count the man hours involved, including my father's prep time, and Big E.'s trip to purchase the lumber 48 hours after Christmas when no lumber trucks were making runs that week. A huge investment of time and effort from so many.

My father actually modified the design of the swingset so that we could add a two-seat swing onto one end. Not original to the design, it ended up that we were going to have to do some revamping of the set up to make that work, and it wouldn't be ready on the day of the swingset raising.

Mermaid Princess was devastated. Nevermind that we had three perfectly good swings where none had existed just 8 hours previously. Nevermind that we promised to have the glider operational within 3 days. Nope - she sobbed and sulked about the one part of the entire set up that wasn't perfect.

And I will admit that, in the moment, I got mad. Anger flooding up my spine mad. Now, I knew she hadn't had her nap, and I knew that she was overstimulated from Christmas and parties and visitors and everything else that December had held. And still, as I sat and talked with her, her repeated choice to focus on the one piece that would have to wait instead of the tremendous gift she had just received really, really got under my skin.

We went inside to each write lists of three things that we were each thankful for when it hit me... my little princess wasn't doing anything here that I haven't done to God a thousand times (at least). He has given me gifts too outrageous to even list, grace when least deserved, mercy when completely unwarranted, sweet children, a lovely home, and a husband whom I think many women would consider killing me for. And yet, how often do I spend a part of my day disgruntled and ornery over the one thing that I think is keeping me separated from 'happiness' or maybe 'fulfillment' (generally the unfinished laundry)?

Ugh. For a moment there, I truly contemplated how many days a month, okay, days a week, that probably is and I am now sick to my stomach.

Thank goodness, THANK GOODNESS, I know from Phillippians 4 that contentment is a learned trait, because if it were merely doled out, I would know I didn't get any and give up. But if it can be learned, then I will be stubborn about learning it until I too can state that I have learned "in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

I think I'll start with being thankful for being a parent, for the unending joys it brings, the character it develops (can I get an amen?), and the illumination it casts on my relationship with my Father in heaven.

And on Monday morning, when the laundry needs to be done and the bathrooms mopped and the kids are squabbling and I am trying to get our homeschool lessons underway... well, Lord, what a good time for me to head back to Your school and re-learn some lessons of my own.

"Barn" Raising

2008-01-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

I have always wanted to be part of a barn raising. There is something so cool to me about a whole community coming together to do something BIG - the hard work followed by a huge celebration. Unity of spirit, unity of action, and the gratification of seeing your hands actually produce something...

We had our own ECHO Chambers version... a swingset raising! My parents', with overwhelming generosity, gave their grandchildren a swingset for Christmas. So on Dec. 29th, my parents, my sister and her husband, Dan's parents and Dan's nephews all arrived to assemble and raise the swingset.

Mermaid Princess raked the site for over an hour in true barn raising spirit!

PopPop (engineer) and Grandpa (homebuilder) assembled the structure. And thank goodness, because I heard the following phrase more than once:
"Hmmm... this doesn't seem like the most structurally sound way to do this. (out come pencils and paper). Let's try reconfiguring it this way..."

There aren't any pictures of the swingset being hauled from the driveway to its new home because we were all too busy carrying to man the camera. But here it is, fully raised.

First pic of all three kids on the swings.

The swinging went on and on and on. JackJack would happily stay in the swing all night if someone just came out to push him a couple of times every 30 minutes.

We are SO blessed by this gift of time, of swings, and of priceless memories. How 'bout you? Gotta favorite "pull together" moment in your life this past year?

A few of my favorite things

2008-01-02T14:49:00.000-05:00

Well, the Christmas bubble is over. And it always surprises me just what turns out to be their favorite Christmas presents.

JackJack loves his bowling set, the cards from our Dora game, and his set of wood blocks. After each block gets placed, he puts his hands in the air and shouts, "I did it!" Then he looks at me and says, "Kew-l?"

Flash wears his firefighter gas mask all the time, even though it is clearly uncomfortable for him. And we have read his new Dash book to him about 40 times.

Mermaid Princess loves her new tutu. She also loves her new puzzles and books galore. We've been doing a lot of blanket snuggle reading - a mommy's dream.

This is my favorite photo from this Christmas, taken at my parents' house.

Below is a collage of photos of the boys throughout Christmas.

The Wii is my brother-in-law's, not ours. The best memory of Christmas by far was when my brother and brother-in-law held the shooting control while the kids held the driving control and they tried to fend off tank attackers. I don't think the kids are going to be allowed to get their licenses until they are 30!

Angels we have heard...

2007-12-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

on high. And if we aren't listening, this particular angel will TAKE US OUT!!!

Since the Christmas pageant at church a week before Christmas, Mermaid Princess has taken to putting on her converted-from- fairy-to-angel wings, putting my embroidery hoop on her head, and making "pronouncements."

But by far, this has been my favorite exchange of this holiday season:

Mermaid Princess (floating in from the family room): "I have good tightings."
Flash doesn't look up from his coloring.
Mermaid Princess: I SAID, "I have good tightings!"
Flash determinedly does not look up.
MP (hands and wand on hips): Excuse me. You're the shepherd.
Flash: No, I'm not.
MP (stepping aggressively toward her shepherd): Yes, you are! And I'm the angel!
Flash (throwing his hands over his ears and trying to run for it): I'm not listening!
MP (full shepherd body tackle in the hallway): THE BABY JESUS IS HERE!
Flash (crawling out from under the angel): I'm not listening! I'm not listening!
MP (clinging to her shepherd's shirt): I'M THE ANGEL! I'M THE ANGEL WITH GOOD TIGHTINGS!
Mommy: Honey, I think you have a reluctant shepherd.
MP (getting up, helping her shepherd): Well, at least he fell to the ground when I showed up.

Somehow, I don't think this is quite the image Matthew and Luke were trying to convey.

Happy New Year - we hope you have a year full of "good tightings" - keep us posted!

JackJack turns the big 0-2

2007-12-22T23:27:00.000-05:00

If you are here to check out our Christmas wishes, they are the next post down. And for those eager to see Christmas photos, I just have to get JackJack's birthday on here first...

JackJack has a fixation with The Little Einsteins,
and particularly with Rocket.
Our routine in the morning includes me reciting all the main characters in Little Einsteins and including him in the list. Here's Rocket, cleverly disguised as a birthday cake:

I did the rough construction here and Big E did the fine detail work. Not bad, eh?

JackJack blew out the candle, getting by with a little help from his friends.

He intently watched the distribution of the cake.

Oma secured him his very own piece.

"Yummy (gluten-free) rocket cake is so good, I need two forks!"

Happy Birthday, sweet JackJack!
We love you and we KNOW you were handpicked just for us.

We wish you a

2007-12-19T22:42:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

This has been a crazy year. We evidently threw our concern for security and stability out the window sometime in January, and have lived like the Flying Walenzas ever since.
In truth, I have had days where I have frantically dug in the mulch outside of said proverbial window in a desperate attempt to locate said security. I'm sure Big E. has too, although blessedly, never on the same days.

In the end, as these experiences always seem to do (amazing, isn't it?), I can't remember when I've grown so much in a single year. Last January seems like another lifetime and perhaps another person ago. And these three are growing so quickly, it only adds to the sense of just how fast life is moving...

Top 5 blessings of 2007:

1. Discovering JackJack's food allergies and getting them under control.
2. Having Daddy working from home so he can run out when the snow only falls for 30 minutes.
3. Beginning to homeschool. I love my kids. And now, I really know my kids.
4. New friends. We (me especially) are blessed with so many new friends. Unbelievable.
5. Learning just how much God really does love me.

Current catchphrases:
Daddy: "Who wants to jump on the trampoline?"

Mermaid Princess: "I'm a great artist, amn't I? And dancer. And speller. And singer."

Flash: "Mermaid Princess!!! Let's go be superheroes!"

JackJack: "I JackJack Einsteins. I cute. My turhn!"

Mommy: "Can you pick that up?" or wait, maybe it's "what should we have for dinner?" or no, maybe it's, "Let's make a list..."
I should go ask the kids.

We hope this Christmas finds you full of
peace, joy, contentment and love.
We are praying for a year full of His presence for each of you.

Much love,
The Curly Redhead and family

Mermaid Princess

2007-12-19T22:27:00.001-05:00

While her birthday isn't until just before Christmas, Mommy has learned that the focus cannot be switched TO Jesus' birthday until Mermaid Princess' birthday has been celebrated. So, somewhat early in the month, we had (and I'm sure you'll be shocked) a Princess Party for her 5th birthday.

All her friends brought princess dresses - we ended up with about 18 to choose from. I kid you not when I say that some of the princesses waltzed in and out in 5 or 6 outfits before the party was over...

Here she is on her throne.

The cake:

and one very happy birthday girl!

Jack strikes again... and again...

2007-12-19T22:15:00.001-05:00

Someone has gotten tall enough to pull things off the counter. And so my very favorite form of discipline kicked in: natural consequences.

The hot chocolate was no longer hot, but it was sticky and JackJack does NOT like his clothes to be wet.

And so, our brief foray into the countertop reach, grasp and pull, has ended. If, perchance, it does happen again, I am strongly considering dumping a glass of water over his head just to reinforce the lesson.

Ah, but what's on his foot, you ask?

Yes, I stripped off his hot chocolate soaked clothes to find this:

Sing with me now! "I love Crayola! I love Crayola!" Because, my lab assistants experiments show that only Crayola's "washable markers" actually wash off.

And by the way, I think all three lab assistants were involved in this little experiment.

Peep peep

2007-12-19T21:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this craft will have to be repeated nearer to Easter. See, we were reading about chicks in our Animals Animals book by Eric Carle and it seemed appropriate to make little chicks of our own (and I had all the materials in-house already!)

On a side note, we saw Eric Carle on Mr. Rogers this week reading Brown Bear and the kids were amazed to see that he was a real person. Mermaid Princess promptly wrote him a letter.

Anyway, the photo above is of our new duckling, just hatched in the nest...

And here is our baby swan...

Should it worry me that, given the entire set of markers, Flash will always choose to color things in black?

Flowers, ponies, kittens, rainbows, dragons...
All black.

But his favorite color is green.

(Also, as I look at these photos, I am realizing that we started this project to make baby chicks, and neither child ended up with one. This philosophy -- "rules are only guidelines"-- is from their father. I, myself, am a recovering rule follower.)

One moment in time

2007-12-19T21:49:00.000-05:00

when mommy-ing is all that it's cracked up to be...

Does the bravery of holding a "snake" cancel out the sparkly pink crown?