Happy Birthday Heidi!

Can it really have been five years ago that you made me a momma?
This time with you flies by much too fast.
I want to grasp each moment.
Hold it.
Cherish it.
Savor.
I blink, it's gone.
Instead of clinging to what I cannot keep, may I pour out.
Pour in.
To you.
To Hannah.
To Levi.
Show you True Life
That we might have an eternity in which to worship Him.
Together.

Mothers Day, 2011

My Mothers' Day this year seemed like absolute perfection. Why? Because I got to spend it with my children and my wonderful man. Karl hasn't always been able to be around on those "special" days, and I've learned not to take it for granted. Around here we consider any day he can spend at home a Special day.
Karl thrilled me by having the girls help him make a coat rack to place at a little person hanging level. In a climate where it seems you need a light jacket six months of the year, and a parka the other six, I think he realized it might be handy for a Momma to not be the only one capable of hanging up said outerwear. Or maybe he just got tired of stepping over coats in the entrance and decided it would be easier to take it up with the kids instead of the Momma. Either way, it makes me happy!
He allowed the girls to choose the paint color... which explains why I now have a red and yellow board in my green entrance. Neither one was going to budge on the chance to have her favorite color displayed. Every time I see it I smile, it's just so "them"!
In the afternoon we went on a walk through "The Hundred Acre Woods" as Heidi calls the bush on our property. With much hilarity and splashing about in puddles they caught a frog and proudly displayed "her" for the camera before releasing her again.
While we had a wonderful walk, the trails are still rather... wet. How thankful I am for a stroller that can handle them!
Thank you Karl, Heidi, Hannah and Levi for loving me and making me feel special! It's the most incredible privilege in the world to be your wife and Momma!

Playing In The Blizzard

I just sent my children out to play in a blizzard.
Was it wise? I don't know.
But I do know that I needed some quiet and they needed to run and get rid of some energy.
So I did it, and you know what? They haven't come back yet. They seem to be enjoying it in fact.
It's really not so bad here in the woods, surrounded by trees so the wind doesn't blow as hard. The snow is coming down sideways,however, and I'm thinking Heidi will sufficiently release cabin-fever-itis by trying to shovel a path to the door. The one that's covered by a large overhang yet had snow come rushing in when I opened it.
Yes,I just sent my children out to play in a blizzard, something my California self thought I'd never say.

Sometimes I Shouldn't Ask

Actual conversation I just had with my four year old:


Me: "Please come Heidi."
Heidi: "Um... I can't right now"
Me: "Why not?"
Heidi: "I just stepped in the toilet"
Me: "WHY did you step in the toilet???"
Heidi: "Um...well... because I didn't know where I was walking."

In Which Momma Has To Hide Her Amusement

You know your children are being raised with a slightly different vocabulary than their peers when the first instance of name calling occurs in your house and what you hear when little sister annoys big sister is,


"Hannah you, you... SCOUNDREL!"

Why children after the second don't have as many pictures of them as infants as the first two

Ah, my adorable little man.

Does anyone else have the problem

where you begin to take pictures

and the more you take,

the more difficult it is to find your subject matter?

Whose little face was I trying to capture again?

Little Helpers

I have been blessed by my children lately.
There are days when I feel overwhelmed by the amount of "help" they want to give me, but I am thankful God has reminded me to encourage them in that in spite of how much extra work it can make for me. I had no idea that I would be reaping the rewards so soon, however. Last week Heidi disappeared while I was cleaning upstairs and I had a moment of panic when I realized she had been in my room and quiet and was now asking me to "Come see the surprise I have for you, Momma!" I was bracing myself to not react in anger no matter what she had gotten into and opened the door to discover she had made the bed for me! She's done it every day since. Why did I doubt? My Hannah has surprised me as well with her initiative to help. Lately she starts setting the table as soon as she sees me preparing a meal. It amazes me that she picks up on what I'm doing so quickly and will drop whatever she's doing to come put all we need on the table. Thank you, Lord, for providing me with extra hands!

Mother's Day

I know it's been awhile, but it was a fun day and I want to be sure to remember. This is the first year since we have had children where Karl has not had to work on Mother's Day and was able to spend it with us. Thus, it was the first year where I felt a bit pampered on Mother's Day instead of it being just another day of mommyhood which often involves lots of work.
To celebrate we went to visit Karl's grandma, and mom, and got four generations together for a picture. AND, we remembered to get a picture of me with the girls as well.

After visiting for awhile we took the girls to a playground (a rare occurrence because they're all so far away when you live in the country) and simply enjoyed them enjoying themselves.

I am so thankful to have been blessed with my three little ones!

I've Missed Posting

But don't worry, we're still our normal, silly selves around here.

A couple of weeks ago my Heidi was jumping all about as usual and I asked her where she got all her energy from.

"From God, Momma," was her logical reply,"you have lots of energy too!"

"I do?" I questioned, "Where is it hiding? I'd like to find it and put it to use."

"Silly Momma, it is hiding," She laughed, "it's hiding in your tummy!"

I wonder if she has any idea how right she is.

It seems that any energy or creativity I have at this point in my life is going straight to this little one God is creating within me. He's the One doing the work,and yet it seems to take all I've got! Add to that all the various illnesses going on around here (viruses, bladder infections, ear infections, Heidi's rash that was an allergic reaction to her virus {?! - how thankful I was to discover it was NOT poison ivy as I had originally feared}) and the fact that my blood clot is now several blood clots, and I simply have not felt much creativity was left for simple tasks such as blogging. Such is life and I'm thankful for all God is teaching me through it. I hope to get back to posting soon as I have lots of fun pictures to share and I'm sure far away family is ready to see more of my darling girls again.

How Helpful

I couldn't stand the grime on my windows anymore yesterday. Laying on the couch looking out them all day made me very aware of their sorry state. I got up and quickly had Heidi help me wash the three most visible ones. Just as I was finishing, I turned to see Heidi running her hand over a freshly washed pane. I had known it would happen, but laughingly said, "Can't they stay clean for at least five minutes?"
"Oh, okay, Momma," came the reply in her sweetest, most compliant voice, "You tell me when it has been five minutes and then I will touch the windows."

Naps Were Precious To Me

Not mine (I rarely am able to nap), my children's. Having both girls go down for a nap every day meant I had a little bit of "me" time. Time when I could clean, sew or have a chance to read the Bible without interruption. A few weeks ago that all changed. I had been fighting Heidi for two or three hours every night at bed time.

You must realize this is a child who has NEVER needed much sleep. While pregnant with her I wondered if all babies moved as much or as constantly (I found out with Hannah they don't) and used to asked Karl if our baby would ever sleep. When she was born I found out she didn't - at least not much. Therefore, until around a year ago, her bed time was anywhere between 12:00 and 1:30 am. There were a few times when I would give in to peer pressure - all those other parents looking down their noses at us, saying, "surely that can't be good for her" - and put her down at a "normal" bedtime of, say, 8:00 or so. Right on schedule, six or seven hours later, she would be up, not crying, but RUNNING back and forth in her crib and giggling. I like my sleep. I would switch back to putting her to bed at midnight and getting up at 7:00 instead of 2:00 or 3:00.

All that to say that when I couldn't get her to go to sleep at bed time I started to realize a change was needed. She knew she was to stay in bed (except to use the bathroom which she would do twenty times an hour in an effort to see what I was doing -usually trying to go to bed myself), but she would come up with incredible excuses to call me back to the bedroom. Often I would hear tears (she's a great actor folks) and go to check on her. She would be sad , "because my friend died". "That is sad", I would respond, "which one." To which she would emotionally choke out "Toma" or some other such name she had made up on the spot. She was "scared" of all the scary lions and bad wolves in her room, but once I realized I had authority over them, I would tell them all to leave the room before she even though to call me back to do so. I thought I had that licked until one night when she called me to inform me, "Momma, there's a HIPPOPOTAMUS in my room". Hmmm.
All this and I still didn't want to give up naps. When I realized how much I (not just her) was dreading bedtime every night and that it often was reducing me to tears, I finally surrendered. Heidi no longer takes naps, and she is a happy girl. She goes to bed within a couple minutes of being tucked in every night with no complaints and no excuses. It's wonderful. Except that I no longer have any alone time during the day. I try to enforce a quiet time with her, but Heidi is a chatterbox and very social. If there's someone in the same room she has to talk. When I finally get through to her that Momma needs a bit of time where I don't have to answer questions or listen to prattle, she'll start talking to herself. Not much help. So, without naps now, when do I sew? When do I clean and organize? When do I pay bills? When do I blog? When do I fit in a quiet time? I know I'll find a way sooner or later, but for now I feel a bit disjointed. I'm sure you other mothers out there have experienced this. Any advice you have to offer would be appreciated. Or, maybe I should just forget about getting anything accomplished and hire a maid. At least I can go to bed when I want to now.

Heidi's First Haircut

I finally broke down and did it. Heidi's hair was looking pretty stringy and straggly, I've known for awhile it's needed a trim, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I love long hair and my girls have little enough hair as it is. How could I cut it?

This afternoon I trimmed off about 4 inches of that hard earned hair. It does look much better - but shorter too. I'm sure I'll adjust in time. Actually, if I would have trimmed it all even I would have had to cut it to her chin. I really couldn't bring myself to do that so I just went to the first place I thought would make a difference. She still has a lot of varying lengths, especially in the front.

I know it's better to cut hair when it's damp, but my Heidi's hair curls into beautiful ringlets when wet. As it dries it straightens until you would never guess it had any curl at all. I thought I might have more success if I cut it when dry and straight than trying to pull those curls straight while it was damp.

And Heidi? She loved it. She felt very big and important to be getting a hair cut. I'm just hoping all my reminders that only Momma cuts hair sank in.

Quail Tops Are In

It's not the greatest picture, but I had to share. Not only is Hannah's hair finally long enough to put a hair bow in, she actually left it in through most of church! Does this mean my little girl might start being recognized as feminine by those who haven't met her before? I'm sure hoping so!
I've discovered it doesn't matter if I dress her in overalls or a pink frilly dress, I still get the "boy" questions. It's all about the hair. If I can stick a flower or a bow in it she's instantly feminized and there's no awkward "Her name is Hannah". But she hasn't much hair, and she's not fond of having things in it, but I'm hoping, oh I'm hoping, that we might be at the beginning of a new phase - one where she looks like the little girl she is.

Sisterly Love

I've been noticing something lately. When Hannah's sad or hurt she no longer instinctively runs to me. More and more often I see her running to Heidi for a hug and comfort. Part of me mourns the fact that I am no longer her sole comforter while another part rejoices. Isn't this what I've prayed for, sisters who love one another and are close friends? What a joy to see it in action!
I put on a movie for my girls last night and left the room to get some cleaning done. Imagine what it did for my heart to return to find them watching it like this:

It Figures

Four matching purple princess dresses (along with scepters, tiaras and purses). That's what I made for Christmas for my daughters and nieces. Of course, the whole time I was doing so, I was reminded that purple really wasn't the best color, and heard persistent polite requests for a "sparkly orange wedding dress and veil". I promised said dress, in spite of my own aversion to the color choice, after our trip to California. While in California, I therefore made a trip to the fabric store specifically for suitable orange material, bought it, packed it, and brought it home. I showed it to Heidi while unpacking and instead of the cries of delight I had anticipated, what greeted my ears was a rather disappointed,
"Oh, but I don't want an orange dress, Momma, I want a sparkly RED one."
"But Heidi," I countered, "you've been asking and asking for an orange one!"
"I know, Momma, but now I want a red one, not an orange one."
"But I already bought the fabric"
The reply was swift and given in the lilting tones of a spectacularly good idea, "I Know! You could make purses for all the other children out of it!"


Hmmm... not quite sure I'm up to making purses for "all the other children", but I'm guessing she may become a little more partial to the dress once it's fully made.

I don't know how it is at your house...

but at mine, the ornaments are always jumping off the tree and congregating elsewhere while my back is turned.

Karl Said Thank You

My husband said "thank you" to me today. He says it often, but today he went out of his way to let me know he appreciates "all" I do to keep our home going. I often let those words of gratitude slide, knowing I'm not deserving of them all, but today, today they went deep. Today they came on the heels of five weeks of illness for me with a new bout of sore throat and fever coming on last night. Today they came on the heels of two months of trying to clean and de-mousify (If I can use that as a word) our house and realizing just how little I can accomplish in a day and how woefully inadequate I am for the tasks of wife, mother, homemaker. Today he choose to look past my failings and thank me for trying. It went deep. It rejuvenated me. It reminded me why I do the endless laundry and dishes and cleaning and diaper changes and bed changes when there's an accident in the middle of the night. I do it because I love him, and he loves me, and we love our girls, and we all love our Lord, and as we work together through the mundane tasks of life, we can glorify Him. As we do things as unto Him, the mundane becomes glorious and our inadequacies cease to matter. It also made me ponder, how often do I thank Karl? If one thank you from him can bring about such a renewal of purpose in me, why do I so often neglect to show the appreciation I feel for all Karl does for us? I think I'll try to express my gratitude more often.

Heidi's been dressing herself lately

She insists upon both choosing and putting on her outfits all by herself. Most of the time this means I have a princess running about the house, complete with gown, crown, and dress up shoes... or yellow rubber boots. When we go for walks, however, I insist upon pants and a long sleeved shirt to ward off chills. This is where it gets interesting. Imagine with me if you will. Pants of bright orange, red, cream and turquoise in stripes of varying size paired with a (backwards of course) shirt of striped rainbow pastels. Add to this a black sweater with brightly colored polka dots, and top it all off with a large-striped hat in yet another set of hues, oh, and striped mitts. Whew! I don't claim to be overly fashion conscious myself, but even I could tell there was something amiss there! Then tonight, backwards shirt, and backwards, inside out overalls. We were going out and I gently pointed out that they were on a bit wrong and she may want to change. She looked herself over, gave me a crooked grin and said, "It okay, Momma, I like 'em like that." And so, I let her go. And smiled all night at the pockets flopping behind her as she ran. I think I'll miss this stage when it's gone.

"Heidi's Room" is now "Heidi and Hannah's"

Last night was the big night. And I have no pictures to share. The long awaited move out of our bedroom and into Heidi's room took place for Hannah last night. Heidi was ecstatic, she's been looking forward to this day since she found out she had a sister. Hannah herself seemed non-impressed, simply went along with it as if it were where she had always been. Karl enjoyed talking to me without fear of waking Baby in the bedroom. And I? I was a little emotional. I didn't realize it would be hard on me at all, so it took me by surprise a bit when it was. I love that my little ones are growing and becoming who God created them to be, but this time of them being little is, oh, so precious, and much too fleeting in my opinion. Seeing my little girl move into her big girl bedroom was new evidence of that, and a reminder to use every moment to share with them the wonders of the God who made them.

Cleaning Bug

I have been planning on cleaning and organizing Heidi's room for awhile, but apparently I needed a bit of a jump start. I discovered we had a mouse infestation and her room seemed hardest hit. This week has seen me thoroughly cleaning while dealing with the third week of the second round of nasty flu bug this fall. I've decided that 4-5 loads of laundry and the same number of dish drainers full of toys every day for a week really feels like enough.
During all this cleaning, I decided it was time to let Heidi discover her "secret passage way/play area". What a thrilling discovery that was! Thank you Papa Root!

I gave them a snack and allowed them to eat it there. What happy girls! How much I could suddenly get done without interference! Some may call this bribery, I prefer to think of it as creative problem solving.

When all but the furniture had been removed from the room, I let them help me mop the floor. That was not such creative problem solving on my part.

Heidi was actually a great help, and scrubbed with diligence.

Hannah, on the other hand, enjoyed dipping her cloth in the water, did not enjoy wringing it out, and really only swiped at the floor as a means to going back to the bucket to dip the rag in again. Needless to say we had many puddles and some wet girls by the time we were done.

If you'd like to come see Heidi's room, now is the time to do so, I don't think it's ever been this clean!