Fridays are for...

Friends

playing football

and princesses

playing with princesses

and such

at Mermaid's house

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

In a moment of despair in November of 1993, God promised He would send me a son. And in January of 1994, I discovered He had kept that promise. The joy I felt during those days is indescribable. 16 years ago, today, Andrew entered the world...beautiful, strong. And he has been nothing but blessing ever since. From his earliest days he wanted to work. "Trucks, tractors, rocks and dirt" was his motto. He was mowing the lawn at 6 years old. Helping to pour concrete at 8. He's one of the guys now on Ken's jobs. He is gentle with the younger ones, ever helpful, always willing to hold baby, read to Matt, throw the football with Jon.

And he is artistic....

with an eye for capturing the beauty of nature and people that I will never have. The drums have been an outlet for the rhythm he was born with and does it surprise anyone that the toddler who sat on Pastor Dan's lap and held onto drum sticks would grow to be doing the same with his younger brothers today? We could not be more proud of this young man and his commitment to follow God and serve Him. It's been an absolute privilege to watch him grow to be the man he is today.

Thank you, God.

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

What's working, what's not...

If I've learned one thing in his season of parenting young children, it is that what worked last year, last month, last week or yesterday will not necessarily be what works today. And so I find myself in a constant state of evaluating what works and what does not. Thankfully, as I get older and wiser, I am quicker to do away with what is not working once I figure out what may better work in its place.

Going to bed late, and getting up with baby during the night, and trying to get up early to exercise was not working for me. So, I'm trying to go to bed earlier, and rethinking how to get in the exercise time with the least amount of damage to the routine of my day. Still working on that one...

I have, however, changed the function of two rooms in the house, after considerable thought to traffic and bottle neck areas and such. This is the result..and it's definitely working.

Above is where our dining table used to be. Now it's a nice sitting area...sunny, open, right next to the cooking area. It's already a favorite spot for napping, reading and quiet play.

Grandpa refurbished this old rocking chair. Isn't it beautiful? Daniel

and Sarah love to sit in it! It's the perfect addition to our new sitting area.

And this is our new dining room. We still have the computer in there, and all of our school books are within arm's reach of the table. Very convenient and cozy. And I think it is less steps to the table in there than it was to have the table in the other room! Yes, this definitely is working!

Enjoying dinner with Grandpa every night this summer definitely worked for all of us. Time spent with him made even more precious as I remember how, a year ago, I said goodbye and kissed Oma's cheek for the last time, ever. There are no guarantees... each moment is a gift. I missed Oma terribly this summer, which wasn't working too well for me. But there are somethings that cannot be made better by creative solutions.....

I started the year thinking I would have an older child read history to a younger child. Worked nicely in theory, not so much in real life. That idea got canned. So I'm enjoying reading with the younger one myself. School, in general, is working as I try to tune into the natural rhythms of the little learners in the house. I always start out the school year with a half hour by half hour schedule all made out, and wind up with more of a routine that responds to mood and need, with the schedule there to help me through rough patches if I lose my way. Like when two little boys just keep fighting and I've not given thought to how to keep them busy and I need "someone" to just tell me how to keep them from brawling--I look at the schedule and remind myself, "Ah, yes...they probably could benefit from a rest time right about now." That too, often works more nicely in theory, but it's a work in progress! Andrew has much freedom this year to get done what he feels should get done in a day, and week. And that is working very well.

No garden this year. Just couldn't work it into my days, which wasn't working too well for satisfying our craving for garden ripe tomatoes. But God is using some very generous people with over-productive produce to keep us in corn and tomatoes and such. Our freezer and tummies have been filled, and that is working.

Some resources I use that have withstood the test of time and children's tastes:

Leading Little Ones to God by Marian M. Schoolland

Ergermeier's Bible Story Book

First Language Lessons by Wise and Bauer

Explode the Code phonics series

Sonlight Curriculum

These things work for me.

Whiny preschoolers who didn't get enough sleep don't work for me too well. So I end here to implement some creative solution to that problem. A nap would most definitely work for me just fine.

:>)