Sympathy nesting....

Dee and Keila and Becky are pregnant--and I seem to be nesting right along with them. We 've started work on making a bedroom for Andrew in the basement. Here's Andrew helping to cut through the concrete foundation....

And...


My playroom finally has a fresh coat of paint and pretty border applied. A room that has long been nothing more than storage for toys is finally becoming part of the house. Living space, not just storage space. Applying the border was a bit of a fiasco....when I bought it I was guessing at how much I'd need. You'd think the wife of a builder would be more attentive to the need to measure-but I wasn't. I had already put border on one whole wall when I discovered I was not going to have enough to do the whole room! And now there was wallpaper paste all over my freshly painted wall, and when I wiped it off I was getting paint on the paper towel--apparently I had not let the paint "cure" long enough...so there were streaks all over the walls and border that had been glued and unstuck and we're trying to glue it again...I almost gave it up-and then Ken saved the day. We moved the border down a bit-so the windows would take up space to allow the few feet more we needed to go around the room. He graciously helped me finish the job. And the walls dried and look ok. A little touch up of paint will be necessary-but what could have been a disater turned out to look pretty nice. Here's the before and after picture:

Before.....

and after....

Ahhh...that's better. Now I need to get some curtains on the windows and voila! A family room.

They're home!

Ken's parents, that is. After many months in their home in NM, they have returned to not-so-sunny NY. We did our best to make it a pleasant transition...Ken made fires in the woodstoves, hot chicken soup to fill the tummy. The children have been excited for days, but none were as excited as Emma, who was anxious to go to bed last night so it could be tomorrow-the day she could see Oma. She's been awake since 6:30 am, and would have run right down had I not explained to her that in NM time it's only 4:30 am and Oma and Grandpa would still be sleeping! So for 3 hours now I've been pulled into the clock watching--

"What time is it, Mom?"

"7:30," I reply.

"Can I go see Oma now?"

"Not yet."

"What time is it, now, Mom?"

"7:45."

"Can I go see Oma now?"

"Not yet."

Repeat every 15 minutes for the last two hours. I did tell her that 10:00 is the magic time-but that means very little to a 6 year old. We are blessed to liveright down the road-a safe walk all contained on our own property to see our precious Oma and Grandpa. We will enjoy the closeness for the next 4 months or so, until it's time for them to head back to The Land of Enchantment.

Let's go fly a kite...

Remember the song? The one from Mary Poppins?
Daniel received a kite for his birthday. We saved it for a sunny day, or at least one that was not rainy. Yesterday I couldn't hold him off any more. He was determined to see it fly. We took it out of the package, assembled the pieces, tied the string on, and with barely contained excitement we headed outside. It was pretty gusty, and I started to think it might be too windy for the fragile kite, but there was no going back at that point. With 2 little ones watching intently, I held the kite high and let the wind take it. With a huge woosh the wind ripped it from my hands so violently that it tore the string right through the plastic! Broken before it ever had a chance to fly. Many tears and 6 strips of duct tape later, we were back out to try it again. Apparently the duct tape was causing a problem with the aero dynamics, because all it would do then was loop de loops! Which, while being a bit embarassing to me (I have never been a good kite flier!) was quite entertaining for the little ones.

The appraisal

Ken and I have wanted to refinance our house to get out of an adjustable rate and change over to a 15 yr from a 30 yr mortgage. But there were things we needed to do before the inevitable appraisal...like put in a heat system!! Ken finished that this winter so we started looking at rates and who offered what and so on. We settled on a local bank, filled out the loan application, and the appraiser called to set up an appointment. And the last minute flurry of touch-ups began. I now have trim around my doors and bathroom windows (thanks, Tom!) and some doorways have been painted, the posts on the porch as well. The house got a thorough cleaning and looks great. We were feeling really good about how things looked for the appraisal scheduled for yesterday afternoon. She arrived on time-the appraiser, that is- and as she got out of the car and looked at the gang of children over by the swing-set (who were banished from my clean house until after the appraisal) she said, "I see you run a day care!" Yes, she was serious! I laughed and said, "No, I have 5 children and 3 extra nieces and nephew visiting today!" A few pictures and short tour through the house later she was back in her car and driving down the driveway. It took all of 5 minutes! Surely all of our labor deserved more attention than this! Regardless, we are enjoying the fruit of our labor (and Tom's, too!). We are encouraged to continue finishing those last details that seem to have been forgotten over the years, a bit chagrined that it has taken so long, and relieved that the appraisal is now behind us. I'm praying for big numbers...why not?
And now I will get back to my real job as day care provider.... :>)

The love of a friend

While doing some clutter-busting the other day, I happened upon a couple of boxes of old photos. It was fun going through and reminiscing a bit while I categorized the pics as "to keep" and "not to keep". I found a picture that someone took of me while I was receiving an award in high school. I vaguely remember that day and was almost about to put the pic in the "not to keep" pile, when I noticed the real focus of the picture, my dearest friend who stood behind me and just to the left. She was watching me receive my award and she was beaming. The love that radiated through her smile was so strong I could feel it though I was only looking at a picture. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm so thankful that God blessed me with her friendship and such a beautiful example of 1 Corinthians 13, 4-8.
Needless to say, the picture is a keeper, and so is Dee.....thank you for many years of love and friendship, my dear friend!

A little fresh air...

I was a bit of a slug this morning. I was doing things...but nothing was really getting done. Was supposed to go to my Spanish class...but couldn't get it together. Overwhelmed by piles of laundry, testing, a cranky toddler and a preschooler who needed a playmate, I was muddling through til dinnertime. After cranky toddler ate his dinner, he wanted to go outside, so I forced myself out of the house and away from the work. And I became energized. A little weeding, some yard clean-up, older son weed whacking, children industriously working alongside and my head became clearer. Were the piles of laundry, testing, cranky toddler and preschooler still there when I came inside? Yes. But I was in a better place mentally, and spiritually. Getting outside the circumstances, rather than under them helped out alot. A little fresh air....I needed it more than I knew.

"Boy"

That's Daniel's nickname. He's almost 4. I can't believe it. This year has been full of huge leaps in communication, toileting, and physical abilities.

He can talk!
He writes his name!
He's mostly independent in the bathroom!
He does flips on the trampoline!

And.....

Last night, as he came to a skidding stop in front of me, breathless and with face flushed with the thrill of the ride, he told me he had flames shooting from the back of his bike because he was going so fast! He said he's a "speed rider" like the big boys! He's right- Andrew learned at 3, Jon learned at 3, and now my Daniel. He's walking a bit taller these last few days. He's got good reason to feel proud!

You know you're a mom of young children when...

...there's a toddler sitting on your lap every time you sit down--even in the bathroom!
...you make a phone call during a quiet moment and chaos breaks out just as the other party answers the phone.
...you can quiet said chaos using only facial expressions!
...you spend more time reading Dr. Seuss than the newspaper.
...you spend more time watching Disney than the news.
... every shirt you own has a stain from cereal or chocolate ice cream or cheese doodles-none of which you've actually eaten!
...you're in the car, halfway to where you are going, and realize you have no idea what your hair looks like.
...the contents of a diaper are an interesting topic of conversation, not to mention a source of obsession at times!
... you have jars full of dandelions on your counter.
...you hear "I'm hungry" about 50 times a day and spend 1/2 your day in the kitchen.

:>)

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I believe children are a blessing, and I'm grateful to God for sending us 5 beautiful, healthy miracles. These days don't last forever, so I'm told. So I'll take the advice of those who've made it through and enjoy it while I can. They grow so fast.