Another day

Ok- so once you've been to the Children's museum- you really don't need to take pictures AGAIN.

But I do.

And did.

Owen's first germ-infested experience! How exciting.

February is National take-care-of-your-teeth-or-else month. They had a fun (altho somewhat creepy) dentist thing going on.

Just passing time

January is a long month.

Full of long days.

Long.

So we decided to make the most of our time and make some soft pretzels today. Okay-when I get a new recipe- I usually will fudge it for several reasons. 1. I don't have all the ingredients so I improvise or 2. I just don't want to take the time to do all the steps involved b/c I'm just too ADD for that.

But today- we did all the steps and (shocking) they turned out really well. Alright- so not very PRETTY- but awfully yummy! I added some of our popcorn seasoning to some of them and the boys added Cinnamon Sugar to the others. Yum!

Now- what to do the REST of the day!! =)

yup

The life and times

I decided to post a bunch of random pictures of life -

The "Brad in the kitchen" pic is the Kenya room at Maranatha Bible Camp where we had our annual retreat. Funny how we get away from home to a place that looks an awful lot like home! ;)

The girls on the chair is Rebekah Joy Wright and the newest Wright member- Mary Michelle Elizabeth. I was able to catch up with 1/2 the Wright family (they are the missionary family that I was a nanny for in Quebec before Brad and I were married BTW ;) when Richelle was here in MI to deliver Wright baby number 8! Rebekah was our flower girl! What a beautiful young lady she is. I'm looking forward to spending time with the rest of the Wrights this summer when they come back to MI from Niger for a year.

Democracy, Design and Digestion

Yesterday was an educational experience at our house.

On Tuesday Jaedon brought home a flyer from school that was all about President Obama. The different "cool" things about being a president and about Mr. Obama himself. Apparently, one of Jaedon's friends asked him during recess if he had voted for Barak (I guess their on a first name basis). Jaedon, not realizing he did not actually vote, stated very proudly that Yes, indeed, Barak had earned him vote. So he asked me if I had voted for Barak Obama. I told him no. He asked the ever popular "WHY?".
"Well, Jaedon, he believes in things that I don't think are very pleasing to Jesus."
"Oh, okay. Well, why didn't the person YOU voted for win?" because, moms rule donchya know?! ;)
So we proceeded to have a discussion about democracy and how voting works using a scenario of picking out a movie with the majority rules concept.
"Huh. So if more people voted for John McCain then he would've won and he pleases Jesus?"
Well....

Later that evening we were talking about how Brad and I are going away for this weekend. We call it our "marriage maintaince weekend"- time we set aside to talk (interruption free) about everything from finances to parenting to vacation ideas. I mentioned that we feel it's important to talk about our marriage and make sure we are pleasing Jesus with the choices we make in our marriage. I have NO IDEA how but this led to the first marriage and how God designed marriage to be between a man and a woman.... Oh yes, this is an actual quote...
"Jaedon, some people think it's ok for men to marry men and women to marry women but is that what the Bible says God created them for?"
"No- Boys have to marry Girls like you, Mom."
Ok so this may have been a bit much but he took it in stride (thank goodness). I need to learn when to quit already!!! =O

AND... to top off the night- I'll spare you the incredible details other than to say Jaedon's coughing fit led to a displaced meal.
"Wow- Mom, Look! I can see my applesauce."

'Nuff said.

Mom and Dad-

Mom- after talking with you I heard this song and was encouraged. I hope you are too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZfuff0S_OQ

A quote from Jaedon:

"Mom, you know how much I just love Star Wars?"
"uh-huh"
"Well, as much as I love that, and I whilly do love it a LOT, I think I love God more."

*whew*

Mr. Nobody

We found a poem the other day that really tickled Jaedon's funny bone so I thought I'd share it with you.

I know a funny little man,

as quiet as a mouse,

Who does the mischief that is done

In everybody's house!

There's no one ever sees his face,

and yet we all agree

That every plate we break was cracked

by Mr. Nobody!

'Tis he who always tears our books,

who leaves teh door ajar,

He pulls the buttons from our shirts,

and scatters pins afar;

That squeaking door will always squeak,

For, prithee, don't you see,

We leave the oiling to be done

by Mr. Nobody.

The fingermarks upon the door

By none of us are made;

we never leave the blinds unclosed.

to let the curtains fade.

The ink we never spill; the boots

that lying round you see

Are not our boots-they all belong

to Mr. Nobody!

New Friends

Jaedon has made some new friends in K-garten this year (naturally =) Two of them are his "Carpool" buddies- and today they were able to come over and play for a few hours. They had a lot of fun together. This "superhero" picture cracks me up.

Rocks in my washer

I'm finding great joy (not just happiness altho that too) but deep seeded contentment with my season of life right now. I hear it all the time- "they grow up so fast" and while I can totally echo that- I am striving to embrace each day as best I can so that I can say "yes, they do grow up fast- but wasn't it a fun ride?"

In the meantime-I smile as I find rocks in my washer because I have little boys who like to collect things in their pockets. (and by the way- I absolutely LOVE that I have THREE boys!!)I'm (trying) to remember to voice my appreciation and admiration to my husband regularly. And I've so enjoyed my (to steal the phrase, J) 'morning coffee with the King' time lately-

I lead a very mundane life.

How blessed I am!!

My Apple Math

1 1/2 bushel of apples +

7 pots and pans +

2 spatulas +

1 LARGE whisk and ladle +

1 food mill +

6 (ish) hours of work

(and another 2 for cleanup ;)

equals 3

VERY happy little boys who LOVE applesauce.

Wow did I confuse spellchecker with this post!

Jaedon is pretty much a typical firstborn in many ways. One SHINING trait is his bossy-ness (or is it bossiness?) anyway, he likes to tell Seth what to do. Typically, he isn't mean when he does this, it's just he tells Seth what to do and Seth (typically) will comply. So other than the fact that he needs to learn that he DOESn'T control the universe, it's not too hard to listen to around here b/c it doesn't really bother Seth.
Seth, however, is stubborn and independent and if he does NOT want to do what Jaedon is adamantly suggesting, he simply won't do it- no matter how much sweet talking Jaedon tries.
This is a sample dialogue of what I hear through-out the day in our house:
"Seth, let's go get our light sabers!"
"Yay. Sabers. Yeah!"
"Ok, now, Seth, when you get your lightsaber you'll have to pretend that it's a green blade because you're Yoda and Yoda has a green blade."
"yea- I Ohda, yea."
"Ok, Seth, my light saber is NOT going to be green but my light saber is blue because I'm Anakin, right?"
"Yea- you Amakin, Yaden. You haff a geen saber. Me haff a boo saber. Whats mama haff?"

And on it goes. I get SUCh a kick out of listening to their little dialogues.
For those of you who share DNA with these kids (and therefore actually CARE about this post ;) here are a few of my favorite Sethisms:
1. I booperMAn, mama...you booperyadie. (I'm Superman, Mama is superlady.)
2. mama, you haff doze gooks? you yeed me peas? (Mama, do you have those books? Can you read to me please?)
3. Naw, Eyes not Seffy, I Ohdah. (NO! I'm not Seth-y. I'm Yoda!!)
4. Whose doze guys? (who are those guys ;)
5. Where my beerah and daffee? (said at night when we're tucking him in...where is my bear and coffee - which is what he calls his water cup ;)
6. I yah you too! (I love you too)

V-day

Monday marked 40 days until Valentines Day-

what you didn't KNOW that?!!? ;-)

Okay, I didn't either-

I am an avid Family Life Today listener and they were the ones who informed me of this momentous date. They decided to challenge their listeners to take the Love Dare challenge (based on the movie Fireproof- which I have yet to see). Basically, it is 40 days of purposefully doing something loving towards your spouse.

So being the bandwagon jumper I am lately (see next post), I jumped aboard. Why not right? We have our annual marriage maintenance weekend in a few weeks so this might just be something fun to do in the meantime. We'll see!!

So- here's to the next 38 days. I think I'll keep the "days dare" on my sideboard... if I can figure out how...

Jumping on The Shack bandwagon

Unless you live under a rock (which I apparently DO since we don't watch TV), you've heard of the book- The Shack. Our Sunday School teacher decided that it would make a good discussion and asked us all to read it. Honestly, considering how much "fun reading" time I (DON'T) have- I probably would not have picked up this book without some prompting. However, I am about 30 pages from finishing it and have really enjoyed it. So ok, I know I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but other than a few "hmm...really?" things (and I mean very few in my mind) I found the book to be a really eye-opening view of what it means to be in a relationship with God- what it looks like when you talk to God like he's your friend (with utmost reverance of course) instead of following the rules of a religion.

So what's the hype about? What, in my little grey matter, am I missing that has people up in arms over this book? I can see the danger of people who are not IN relationship with God that they may take this book as theology - or that they assume this book is exactly what God is like- and it's not...it's fiction. But I really have enjoyed the very untradtional view it paints of God.

What about you?

Toast and Sardines

We're sick.
No, really. We've been sick since before we left for PA- took the bug right along with us, thought it best to share, then drug it on home again. So basically we have not gone anywhere or done much else than stay inside for almost 2 weeks.

Our original New Years eve plans were to spend some quality time with some friends. However, we (wisely) decided that we've shared quite enough of our germies so we (once again) found ourselves within our own four walls.

We had a blast.

We started off the evening with a candlelight, ceramic plate, glass goblet meal of the ever popular spaghetti. No IKEA plasticwear for this meal!(okay except for Seth's salad bowl) We introduced the boys to the concept of giving "a toast" as we each said one thing we were thankful for in 2008 and one thing we wanted to do in 2009. Seth was thankful for God (his standard ;) and Jaedon wants to learn to tie his shoes. They had fun clinking the glasses while the white grape juice sloshed around ;)

Earlier in the day Jaedon came up with the idea of having a New Years Eve parade. Not sure where that came from but he made everyone their music sheets, put our names on it and planned out our marching route. So after the candles were blown out (which was the topic of much dinner time discussion), we took 10 minutes to bundle everyone up, and walked around our house one time (in -40 degrees) singing Away in a Manger and Joy to the World. We were a sight with our flashlights blinking and a bike horn honking.

We then spent the next 2 hours playing games. Jenga was a hit- literally- for about 7 minutes ;) After "regular" hide and seek, we showed the boys the opposite version that (I call) "squished as Sardines". (one person hides and when you find them you join them in their hiding spot until the last person finds you.)

We spent New Year day with the Howells' gang and had SO much fun relaxing, playing LOTS of games and being together.

What a perfect way to bring in a new year!