welcome

We made this poster yesterday to welcome Adam home after he had been away for two weeks to participate in a corporate training program in Columbus, Ohio.

The kids each picked out a piece of poster board to make their daddy a welcome home poster. Katie picked out the red, but when it came time to create, she fizzled out after the little orange scribble at the bottom of the board, so I helped her finish. Don't you love how the tracing of my right foot highlights my beautiful bunion? Ick.

Joey picked out yellow and on one side drew a picture of a huge ocean liner, and on the other he inscribed a lovely message to tape to the front door to greet Adam when he arrived home.




Obviously there was a slight lack of forethought as he began the greeting, but Adam had no doubt that he was indeed welcome. And Adam was certain that the poster was truly intended for him because Joey was sure to write Dad M. It really is best to include a last name initial when welcoming your dad into his own home, just in case another dad would come to the door and see the poster and be confused.


So, welcome home Dad M. Our family just isn't complete without you.

pool in a cooler

What perfectly normal, not weird activities do your children find to do on a beautiful summer evening?

Catch fireflies?
Ride bikes up and down dusky sidewalks?
Relax on a blanket and watch the stars come out?


My children fill up a cooler with the dirty water that has been in the kiddie pool for far too long




jump in with their clothes on

and enjoy!

Which is why I ask what normal and not weird things your children do, because very rarely do my children do the normal thing, and very often they are weird. I'm pretty weird too, so we make great company. (I don't jump in coolers full of dirty pool water though.)

i love her face

on the cob

It is summer. Corn on the cob is certainly a yummy summer treat. Corn straight from the farm (or from the bin sitting in the produce section at your local Giant supermarket.) Either way, yum.

And because photos of my children eating corn are much more cute than pictures of me eating corn, I give you these:

Kate started on the cob

but quickly decided the grab and shove method was much more efficient.

Joey was actually telling an animated story in the first shot, but that was basically how excited he was to eat the corn.

After we were done dinner, I cut the corn off five more cobs. Any creamed corn, corn casserole, corn-y favorite recipes I should make with it? Please tell me all about it.

change

So I said I would let you know about the big change in our family, and a week later I am finally getting around to it.

The big change is......................................we are getting a new health insurance provider!

(Ok, not such a big change, but there's more)


And.......................Adam ordered new business cards! And...........Adam's work hours have changed from all sorts of long nights to now 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. And Adam's commute only takes five minutes now instead of twenty-five. And I am sure by now you have guessed that Adam got a new job!!!!!!!!

That might not seem like such a big change, but for our family it is. But more than a big change, it is a big answer to prayer, and a big display of God's grace and blessing on our family.

Adam had worked at his previous job for seven years, and for seven years it provided for our family's needs, provided health care, put us in a place to build our current home, and for most of that time, was where we believed God wanted Adam to be. Adam used his position as much as possible to be a witness and testimony for Christ. The hours, however, were long. Every Monday and Wednesday Adam wasn't home until nine o'clock, and most Fridays he was also home between eight and nine. Saturday he was scheduled until six, but would often have to stay later. It was a schedule we were accustomed to and had made work for our family, but as the kids got bigger, it was more difficult to be satisfied with three days a week of very little time for the kids to see their daddy, and little time for Adam to be with his kids.

We were always happy to have our family day on Thursday, Adam's day off, but after he became manager, we started to not have that on the last week of every month. In addition to the work environment becoming more crazy and stressful, and the opportunity for advancement coming to an end, the time away from family prompted Adam to begin to look for other opportunities that would provide a position with room for advancement, more hours at home in the long run, as well as a job that would allow him to still be a witness and have a sphere of influence.

To make a long story short, Adam had his first interview in February, and through much prayer, help and guidance from some wise friends and family, lots of hard work and study, and most certainly with the grace and mercy of God, Adam started his new job last week! We both give all the praise and glory to the Lord.

Last week he was home just a few minutes after five every night! That might not seem like it deserves an exclamation point, but in my life it does :) And he had off on Friday because Saturday was a holiday, something that would have never happened at his old job. It has been so wonderful! Our time in the evening as a family is relaxed and unrushed. Adam has been able to help me out with some tasks he had never had time for before. The kids love having their daddy around more, especially Joey, who loves his dad more than anything.



I have just read over this post and it really doesn't do a great job of conveying how thankful I am for this blessing of God, and what an exciting time this is for us. It is wonderful, it really, really is, and if I were a better writer, you would have a better grasp of how I am feeling, but I am not a better writer, so I hope my mediocre explanation gives you just enough to know that this is a change, it is big (to us), and we are happy.

The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Psalm 126:3

crafting excellence

Katie's discovery of the joy of glue has produced beauties such as this:

What?

You're underwhelmed?

You don't consider a popsicle stick, four cotton balls, some torn-up pieces of a Klondike bar wrapper, and two water ice wooden spoons glued to an almost whole piece of construction paper crafting greatness?

Well, you are entitled to your own opinion.

Just don't tell Katie. I told her it was beautiful, and she believed me.

a new week

Today I am digging out from under the layer of mess that is spread over just about every room of my house. Last week was vacation for our family, a vacation at home with lots of family fun, and I didn't cook all week - yay! There is a big change in our family right now, and I will (hopefully, probably) tell you all about it soon, but not today because I must remove much filth, and I promised Joey we would start doing "school" again and he is not letting me forget it. I hope you have a terrific Monday with this beautiful summer weather.

Ta-ta!

flip

As a little girl, my mom always made a point of getting us excited when Daddy would come home. Soon, we were excited without any encouragement from mom. The sound of Daddy's car pulling in the driveway was the signal for a daily ritual that continued for years. If I heard him soon enough, I would bolt out the front door, run to the driveway and leap into his arms. He would then flip me around backwards while holding my hands, and I would sail to the ground, landing on my feet in what I believed to be true gymnast fashion. Then I would spring up to a standing position, and throw my hands in the air with a "Ta-da!"

If Daddy made it inside the house before I heard him coming, this same run, jump, and flip would take place in the living room. I loved our daily flip, my chance to be the gymnast I was sure I really was. But mostly, I just loved that Dad was home. When I think of my childhood, one of the strongest emotional impressions left on my mind is how much I loved my dad. He nurtured that love and made it grow.

I can remember him being proud of me, enjoying the girl that I was. During field day in the third grade, I jumped over six feet in the standing broad jump, and that just thrilled my dad. I won the blue ribbon for the girls in my grade, jumping even farther than most of the boys, and he got the biggest kick out it. He loved that I was this powerhouse of a nine-year-old girl, and I was so pleased that he was there to celebrate with me.

What is neat though, is that 22 years later, I see him get that same pleasure out of my children. He delights in who they are. Dad has always been thoroughly entertained by Joey's zest and excitement. He has always said Joey has "no lack of enthusiasm." And as he watches Katie go about in her rough and tumble way, her adventurous spirit brings him all sorts of smiles and laughs. Watching my children love my dad, and seeing my dad love my children, has grown a whole new aspect of love in my heart for my dad.

And how sweet is it to see Katie run over to him, wrap her arms around his legs, and ask for a flip. He picks her up, and together they perform the same acrobatic display of love, that I shared with Dad so many years ago. She doesn't always stick the landing, but she has a great "Ta-da!"

I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day!

a princess and a toad

Katie may love being my beautiful princess, but timid and dainty she is not. On Monday, when Joey, Kate and I were finally getting the last of the vegetable seeds in the garden, Katie enjoyed finding all the worms wriggling around in the dirt. She then walked around with a bunch of worms in both hands -- big, fat-from-living-in-a-compost-pile worms. She was undaunted.

She also didn't mind picking up and carrying around those crunchy, brown centipede-ish bugs (the ones the curl up into a coil when they die), although I did mind just a tiny bit when she brought them into the house to show them to me. I don't really like touching those things, but my sweet girl, was intrigued and pleased to handle all the creepy crawlies.



Today, when I found a toad in the lot next door, I thought she would be interested to check it out, but I soon discovered she was more than interested. She was in love.

(I do believe that is what a toad looks like when he is fearing for his life)

She was in tears when it was Joey's turn to hold the poor little guy. And when it was her turn to have a chance to make the toad's life flash before his eyes, she loved every second. He survived all the extreme girl-handling and the occasional squeeze-and-drop.

But he got a few kisses out of it, so I think it was worth it.

Even if he didn't turn into a prince.

a picnic dinner

a day off and other stuff from inside my brain

My mom is taking care of Joey and Katie today, so I have the day off. I had a doctor appointment this morning which presented the opportunity to see the new baby again. Yay! There was one view where I could see all five of the little fingers on the right hand. I love seeing the fingers and toes. I think they are the best part of an ultrasound. The baby is so tiny, it is amazing how tiny those little toes and fingers are!

It was my first appointment with my new doctor, and I liked him, so that was a blessing. He was very friendly and able to joke with me (especially when I told him he can't yell at me when I get big and fat because I always lose the weight after I have the babies).

After that, I took myself shopping, in search of a brown shirt to go with a skirt I got at Ross a couple weeks ago. I found the perfect shirt at Ann Taylor Loft, but it was $39, and well, I just don't pay $39 for a shirt, so I will have to keep searching. I would like a shirt with buttons, in a cute, feminine style, with short sleeves of any sort, so if anybody sees anything like that let me know. (You see, I really don't like the hunt, so I will take any assistance I can get.)

Then I took myself out to lunch at the Pita Pit. I enjoyed a club pita stuffed with all sorts of yummy goodness, a raspberry iced tea, and some Sun Chips. I finished up my shopping trip by purchasing Katie a swimsuit on sale at The Children's Place, and two pairs of flip flops at Old Navy, which is how most of my shopping trips go - I think I will buy myself something, but instead come home with something for the kids or the house. But if I must come home with something for the kids, you can't really get higher on the cute scale than little girls' swim suits and flip flops.

I had to go to Weis for a few things I needed, and somehow a box of Drake's coffee cakes wound up in my cart, and some how when I was having my afternoon coffee, a pack opened up and I had to eat them. And it may be possible that a second pack opened up and was eaten, but I am not ready to confirm that information at this time. I did manage to check the ingredients, and they contain no partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, so that allows the guilt level to remain pretty low.

While I was drinking my coffee, I was reading the Psalms and was blessed by the message of Psalm 40:5. Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

There is never any excuse to not have something to praise or thank the LORD for. Ever. There are so many wonderful works that my mouth should be filled with them. Just last night, Adam took us out to eat and while our waitress was waiting on another table, he pointed out that her shirt was stenciled on the back in very big letters "PROUD ARMY WIFE". Later during our meal I asked her if her husband was on active duty, and she told me he was stationed in Iraq. She has a calendar at home counting down the eighty-five days until he comes home to her. Her face was bright with pride as she spoke of him.

I thought how every night, my husband comes home. He might come home late, he might come home weary from a day of work, but he comes home. He is safe and he is here and I do not have to worry that he might be killed, and I do not have to cross off the days on a calendar until I see him again, because he comes home.

Today I praise the Lord for my husband and the gift from God that he is to me and that he is to our children. I thank the Lord for a husband who is my best friend, and loves me like crazy, and is patient when the kitchen gets really, really dirty when I am feeling icky-pregnant. I thank the Lord that I do not fear for my husband's safety, and that when I kiss him good-bye in the morning, I know he can't wait to get back to me that evening. I thank you, God, for Adam.




Well, you might not be in the middle of a day off, and maybe you are even having a bad day, but I hope you have many wonderful works of the Lord to think about today. Share one with me if you want to. I would love to hear it.

escape

Katie has figured out how to climb out of her crib by herself. So now when there is a thunderstorm at four o'clock in the morning she can get out and come in to my room when the thunder awakes her. Or if she is not feeling particularly sleepy at nap time, she will get out and come downstairs and see if I will reconsider. Or when she wakes up in the morning, I can rise to the sounds of her calling my name downstairs while I am still upstairs in my bed.

"Helloooo, Mommy! Where are you?"

If you ask Katie what she does when she wakes up she will say, "Outta crib. Open door. Go outside." Thankfully only the first two statements are accurate. She has not gone outside after letting herself out of her bedroom. Yet.