from the bottom of my heart.



Gorgeous photo:  Urban Fig Photography
Perfect for the picture card design: Sister Made
So thankful to you both!

Bowling :)

Just had a super fun night bowling with the kids and two other families! 
Points of interest:

• Cara & Cody were on my team and I'm sure we made quite the picture bums up trying to get the ball down the lane.
• For the second game we put Cara, Cody & Cam on the gutter-less lane and that was much more relaxing...especially after Cara & Cody had had enough and Cam bowled all three players ball after ball.
• Sam and Leah BOTH beat me by a bunch of points.  And they were playing with gutters.  I STINK!
• My combined scored from both games was still less than the lowest score from any other adult there.  At least I think so.  I didn't actually do the math but there's no doubt about it.  I STINK!
• I might stink but it was a HOOT.
• Every time Cody sent the ball down the lane he was pumping both fists at though he was about to get a strike.  Didn't matter if it was heading straight for the gutter. :)
• If you want to go bowling and look good.  Invite me along.  :)
• Thanks to the Koopman's and Langbroek's.  What great fun!!

put the names in an envelope and Sam pulled out


GRETA :)

I tried to take a picture but the camera wasn't working...

Thanks for sharing ladies!

A Give Away :)

I'm standing in my kitchen working on another batch of stroopwaffles and thinking about all the people I wish I could give some to.  No matter how much I would love to go down the list and give everybody a package, it's just not going to work.

So, if you want a dozen fresh stroopwaffles leave a comment telling us of your favorite "Christmas" memory.  Seeing as they're being made this morning this is going to be a short process...tomorrow morning I'll take all/any hopefuls and pick one person and get them delivered.  (that being said, you're going to have to live in my vicinity to participate...unfortunately I'm not mailing or anything fancy!)

I'll start... maybe my favorite memory is the year I was in grade 5 and my mom and dad decided that was it, we were no longer getting Christmas presents.  Instead they took us to Leavenworth.  We were tent trailer campers so already the prospect of staying in the motel was pretty cool.  I remember toboganing down the hill, getting hot chocolate from one of the cozy little shops and the best part........ a sleigh ride through the dark woods.  I can still hear the horses' bells tinkling merrily in the cold.

How about you?

A Wonderful Day

 2 "snowmen" and 2 cute little people...(thanks to LaFarge for the cap...Cody was very proud of that detail)

 

 and a batch of stroopwaffles too.  (I suppose I could have left the misfits in the background and the beauties up front!! - but never fear, broken cookies with syrup taste just as yummy as "perfect" ones)

Ps.  Why is it that the snow is a ton of fun till everybody is wet and cold...and then it's almost made out to be Mama's fault for that most distressing turn of events?!  On a more cheerful note.  If I can encourage anyone with little children at all....I noticed a marked difference between the snow get-up, dress-up scenario from this year and last.  Some required no help, 1 required little help and 2 required the most help but it was bearable.  There were a few snow years that I wondered if I had the gumption to survive the battle that is dressing up five littles to go play in the snow see here (see paragraph 2) and here(and again, second paragraph- I still can remember it well).  Take heart you dear moms who are sighing under the cries of "help me", "I want my mittens UNDER", "I want my pants OVER," "it doesn't feel good" and "I have to PEE!"  

Before I knew it the bulk of the work disappeared with the arrival independence!

 

Next thing you know I'll be crying again that they're getting so big so fast ;)

When Gramma goes wild :)

 


Sam was at Gramma's and asked for a haircut.  When Sam asked for a mohawk Gramma said sure....thinking she would give her daughter a bit of a surprise :)

Surprise was on Gramma when I left it that way for the next few days.  I cut it a bit shorter before church on Sunday morning because it was really tall and frankly I think the look is actually kind of ugly.  Personal opinion....

Anyway, Sam asked for and got a haircut before school on Monday. :)  Only so much extra attention this boy can handle.

Tonight doing some Sunday School Christmas recitation with Cody and Cara and Cody really wanted to say something.  My ignoring him wasn't cutting it.

"Mama, can you pause that a second?!!"

When Student Becomes Teacher

Cam was so excited to teach his mom, brother and sister how to make firefighter ladders.

And not just any stick the marshmellows on the toothpicks method!

Obviously he listened carefully when the instructions were given.  :)  So special to see the older brother so excited to share.

Help Around the House!

And you can believe I praised her up and down and called it good!  No way I'm redoing for extra sparkle.  (You want to borrow her Krista, haha!)

When supper becomes a family affair...  This is surely a situation where I gave some instuction and then turned around.  I think the saying goes something like, ignorance is bliss!

These guys used bread knives, took them a long time to get through them but they persevered and asked to do carrots after :)  Best part.  Check out the patoto at Cara's eye level...sometimes they went flying!

Birthday Girl

Who was quite excited about her mama and baby horse cake.  Steve even cut them out of a second cake and put them on the top all 3D like.

But to keep it honest?  I was relieved when a bunch of girls asked for seconds.  Why?  Because this was the first and third cake mixes!!!  First one got burnt...was going to use it anyway.  Second I made into two square pans because I wanted to make a small cake for our family.  They both got undercooked when I panicked about the first and so they didn't come out of the pans nicely.  Third cake I made because I was feeling so bad about the burnt first one.  But, all three rose beautifully and then fell when they cooled!!  AGGHH!  Anyone else have that with Betty Crocker cakes mixes?

Long story short the third cake was the bottom layer, the first the source for the two horses, the second - still sitting in the fridge and they'll probably mold before I get to them.....  Sigh!

Leah still had a hoot with the girls from her class in the church gym.

And they did ask for seconds.  A very encouraging thing indeed.

In Support of Having an Even Number of Children

Reason # 23

Cara:  Cody, Cam isn't going to marry anyone.
Cody:  Yes he is!
Cara:  No, Leah will marry Sam, I will marry you and Daddy and Mommy already are married to them.....  So, Cam will always not marry.

= when conversations are heartlifting to eavesdrop on :)

the blog has a bit of a hiccup... apparently I have exceeded my photo storage limit.

Any helpful hints out there to save me some investigation time?

Thanks!

November 11

It might be mid November but I picked this off Cam's strawberry plant yesterday afternoon.  Cam declared it delicious!

The Kids Play when Daddy's Away

Steve was away overnight and so I was trying to think up something special to do with the kids. 

1 tealight + 2 colored toothpicks taped together to extend the length + a pile of mini marshmellows =

 

a TON of marshmellow roasting fun and a house fire waiting to happen.

We Did our Civic Duty

No, not vote, we don't live in that country.  While out for a bike ride this morning the leaves looked so amazing that the kids begged for a chance to go back to the park with our rakes to make a pile.  We headed home, grabbed the rakes and the camera and came straight back.  So glad we did.

 

One big bare tree, one carpet of leaves, three four eager people and four rakes.

 Get to work, of course, they all want to make their own pile until they realize mom's pile is accumulating much quicker :)

 Totally skewed for the sake of photo taking but we had a pretty large pile!

So they jumped and jumped and then started to throw them up in the air.

 And at some point this beautiful daughter of mine realized she had a hat.

 Which of course had to be imitated.... but his eyes are crossed....HILARIOUS!! The kids giggled and giggled when we looked through the pictures together.

 He's Stinky.  Just ask Gramma...because he's "stinkin' cute!" 

I'm not sure if Public Works is going to be happy or sad at the mess we made but we did have fun.

Then we came home and I told them if it was fun at the park it was fun at home.  Boy did they work hard.  Used a snow shovel to fill the wheelbarrow.  They worked and worked until I howled when Cam thought I meant for him to dump the almost full wheelbarrow on the driveway when I asked him to bring it over to the road where I had made a little pile.  The howl was loud enough to make him jump and the neighbor dog bark.  And then they decided Mom was better off doing it her way and they went on the trampoline. 

Now it's pouring rain and cold again.  So glad we could have so much fun this morning.

Ever seen the quote on pinterest that says, "no matter how slow you're going you're still going faster than the person on the couch"?  Well, it's meant to motivate runners, I think, but just to keep it real, for some reason that came to mind this morning and is the only thing that motivated me to go for the bike ride in the first place. 

As Moms we're always thankful to do these extra special things with our kids and we look back and say, "that was SO much fun" but lets be honest, sometimes it's hard to just get started.

That's why I snuck in the brownie baking while they were all occupied with the John Deere video this afternoon.  Our kitchen seems crowded enough without 3 extra little people helping crack the eggs.  At least, that was true for today.  Maybe next week I'll have patience for that :)

Lego is Neat!

Like so many kids, ours like lego.  I thought this was a fun piece of work.  Police station complete with garage, sleeping quarters, living room, jail and robbers.  Two beds with an extra lego to make a pillow...

 And windows in the living room wall so one can keep eye on the robbers while relaxing in a comfy chair.  Plus, there are alarm lights on that wall to make keeping track of the bad guys that much easier :)

And you know, there is something pretty precious in the innocence shown when the "worst" of your bad guys' crimes is robbery. After watching a documentary on Guatemala and seeing little ones who only know a life of poverty and crime...especially the crime that comes from trying to survive or find "family" within the security of belonging to a gang...well there is an incredible amount that's usually taken for granted.

Something to read...

For every other mom out there who has had those days when the never endingness of being a Mommy has threatened to overwhelm and consume.  For any woman who has had moments of feeling consumed by and stuck in daily demands.

This came in my inbox this morning and so aptly titled, "I want to Run Away".

"It's the rhythm of life. The ebb and flow of struggles and victories."

Maybe there is something in it that can encourage you this morning?  Encourage you and me to hold fast...not to the things that keep us stuck but to God;  El Shaddai - God Almighty, Yahweh - I AM, Jehovah Jireh - the LORD will provide.

The only source of strength and comfort.

Preschool :)

Ever since their birthday Cody has been insisting that "4 is for preshool."

I'm not against it.  It just seems tough to fit in with everything else.  But with Steve having done some tidying on Saturday and with most of the wash caught up I thought this morning was a good morning to have some preschool fun.  For some reason this was one craft that stood out to me from Leah's preschool days.  (She's the only one who went to actual preschool - luck of the firstborn pre-tution days ;))

When we brought home a book about chameleons from the public library I told myself we would do this craft and talk about the amazing creation that is color changing chameleons someday.

finger paints + sponges + a lesson in mixing colors equals the start of a good preschool morning :)  Blue in the front, yellow in the back and green in the middle.

Then I pulled out the work books I had bought but they were, of course, for einstein preschoolers and started out with printing letters.  Thankfully I found one book that had concepts like biggest and smallest and a book of preschool mazes and they did like all twins learn to do early on...shared.  One circle for you, one circle for me and back and forth the book went.

And so did the pencil...you think I could find 2 pencils around here that wouldn't keep breaking!!???

To Quote Cody...

"is that a SCHOOL day?"

He was still sleeping when they left so this was his first hint of the color chaos!

Clash day, so much fun.  The boys are always a bit tougher but they were all having fun with it...even though they do look quite sad.

 

ps. one might almost think it was 5:00 it was still so dark out there!

 

 And for the two remaining at home... so special to have a best friend, 24/7 playmate.  Today they're out dinosaur hunting.  Quite a serious business.  Although Cody would have loved to come stop by your toy boxes, Sue.  "Don't we have ANY guns anymore?!"  Thankfully it doesn't take too much effort to have his hockey stick transformed. :)  Of course everyone should know that dinosaurs are particularly fond of eyeballs.  What a wise son to protect his delectable morsels.

A Great Daddy

is one who can convince a tired and frustrated 4 year old that the hamburger pattie that keeps trying to slip out of the bun is actually...

a robber.

And that his fingers have to be the police men to keep him locked up in the jail.

And if the robber tries to escape out the back door just quickly turn him around and bite him in the bum.

Problem solved.

Boy is no longer freaking out that his hamburger is falling apart but is instead, eating it faster than he's ever eaten any hamburger before.

Sometimes I wish for quick thinking like that during my days!

ps.  and yes, daddy had everyone around the table laughing.

Field Trip

Not too often I'll go on a field trip with 2 of my siblings and their kids!

We'll have to make sure we all go along for gr. 3...Brian, I'm looking forward to seeing your pioneer costume ;)

'Cause to Keep it Real...

I have to stick the highs right along side the lows.

Sweater - I like it
Apron - pretty - my sis-in-law made it
Capri length sweats - well they replaced a pretty skirt in order to get some work done and they were comfortable but I'll admit they're the same pants that left me feeling so shabby in town the other day.
Black ankle socks - great for the boots I was wearing with the pretty skirt hours earlier
Orange crocs - so comfy to wear around the house

All of that together - yup awfully tacky.  :)

A real Tuesday moment.

Last one

Another one that is just so our family.  Steve started doing this to Leah when she was just a little thing.  She would stand on the top bleacher at the sports field near our house, hurl herself into his outstretched arms only to head straight back up towards the sky.  No wonder she doesn't mind it way up there on the horse!  She still got her turn doing this but she's a little heavy to get much height now.  Cam on the other hand?  He got a little air! 

 Huge thanks to Jete from Urban Fig Photography for taking these beautiful keeper photos!

Steve and I...he looked really fine.  :)

 ahh yes, after you give the kids permission to be silly there's pretty much no going back.

5 little rug rats/blessings....depends on the hour. :)

bits and pieces

I have tried and tried all day to get photos up here.  I'm going for a couple of posts just to share these with you.  Just wanting my secret friend to realize how special a gift it was/is/will be.  Looking at this sunshine + beloved ones is going to be my rainy weather antidote this winter!

Give the kids permission to be silly...

I specifically asked for this photo.  I carried these two for 4 years and 9 months now.  Obviously it doesn't happen as often as it used to (full time while expecting is a little hard to beat :) )  but occasionally they still both need their mama at the same time.  Sometimes I might get strange looks but I carried our singleton 4 year olds that needed the love and attention and so I also do the twins.  It really is my normal and it's a privilege I treasure!  I think this is the only picture I have of me carrying them both besides a few of me holding them on my lap as really little ones.  For all the times I carried two car seats and two babies and looked strange doing it, I don't have a picture to see the outsiders perspective.  Now I do. :)  

 

Annabelle's Fiddle

We got a CD from the library "Pumkids" and discovered this delightful song.  Hope you can hear the words on the video as the words are fantastic! Obviously the artist was writing from experience! :)

For anyone who has ever learned violin, had a child learning it or attempted to teach someone to make this beautiful instrument to sing!  It's almost always worth the initial pain :)

Annabelle's Fiddle

This is a small part of a devotional emailed to me this morning.  What a vivid picture!  How many times have I kept tipping the jug, hoping to fit 1 1/2 cups into a 1 cup measuring cup day!

 

A One-Cup Life

By Glynnis Whitwer

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:  Ecclesiastes 3:1

"So when the recipe called for 1-1/2 cups of milk, I directed one girl to get the two-cup measuring cup from the cabinet. She made it to the right cabinet, but picked out the one-cup measuring cup instead.
Instead of correcting, I showed my daughters how to make that size work. But I also wanted them to learn why we had to make the change. I wanted them to learn that you can't put 1-1/2 cups of liquid into a 1-cup container.

As I thought about this principle of measurement, I realized it doesn't work with milk and it doesn't work in life. Yet so many of us try to cram 12 hours of work into 8 hours of our day. We have more books than can fit in the bookcase and more clothes than closet.

For years I tried to put too much into my schedule. "Yes" slipped off my tongue with little thought and no prayer. I'd collapse at night, exhausted and annoyed.

My life had to be simplified, which meant reducing the demands on my time. A year of cutting commitments resulted in a manageable, more focused and more productive life. It took making hard decisions, but it was worth the peace I gained.

That year I learned I have exactly enough time to do what God wants me to do"

I edited this a bit as when I read the part I posted it seemed to end pretty abruptly.  Not an indepth solution by any means.  Just something to think over.

 

Seeing how I'm on a Roll...

The love of a brother is a precious thing...

 especially when Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a little scarier than one expected!

I love this man and I love these kids!!

Moving Along to October

These two turned 4 on Saturday and I decided I would like to try and make it an annual thing to get this picture.  Those little Cody fingers inside Cara's shirt = something so loving and sweet.

 What they're really actually like... ask Jete who took our family pictures today!

 They're not helping me out for the picture I wanted to get but this is them, even willing to share a soggy, sucked on balloon.

Speaks for itself :)

 These two are also precious, also much loved.   And we also thank God for the blessings He's given us in them.

First...Going Back to September

Today was a busy day and already this morning's Thanksgiving Day church service seems a far way off.  The sermon, from Phillipians 4, is one I would like to go back and listen to again, there was so much rich truth I know I missed.  But one thought that stuck and went round and round my brain... "God gives us what we ask for, except when He gives us something better"  Now this has nothing to do with gain of health or wealth etc.  This statement of truth is directly tied to this verse...Hebrews 12:6

⁶ For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

Can we truly wrap our minds around the fact that our trials, the chastening of the LORD, is better for us than what we prayed for?  Maybe only those going through trials with Christ at their side.

 

I'm quite behind on recording family moments here.  Way back in September Sam had his 7th birthday.  This tender-hearted son of ours is a dear boy and huge blessing!

Cam was so excited to give a present he had found.  He handed it over and then said over and over, "isn't it a great present, Sam?!"  They squeezed eachother so tight.  As for the gift...it's one of those ones that looks great in the box but actually doesn't last that long when all is said and done.

 

When all the kids were done with their spoiling we packed the school kids onto the bus and started hussling.  Sam was having nature day and he had picked the corn maze for his barrels of fun.

This is honestly what we as parents did with our small group.  We ran and chased after these kids trying to make sure we didn't get lost and left behind in the maze :)  The two phases together were estimated to take about 1 hour to explore.  We finished in just under 35 min.  The two boys kept us all moving!

 And a hay wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch.

 where they were allowed to pick out one to take home.

And naturally, a pumpkin looks kind of basketball-ish so it was tossed up and down a few times.

 These two buddies sure have cute grins and they sure had fun together!

 What a naughty grin!!!

 Then, with Gramma's help, we packed the boys from Sam's class from school over to the church gym for a whole lot of sports, with some cake and supper thrown in for good measure.

Leah had this cool idea that she wanted to make Sam a sports version of pin the tail on the donkey.  She drew up this cool poster....

 And all the kids had fun trying to set the puck in front of the stick.  It was fine until their sweaty heads made the blindfold wet and stinky.  The last couple of kids had my utmost sympathy!  not that it stopped them from trying it out.

This year Steve had just outlined a soccor field for a cake.  To be honest, I think Sam was a little disappointed it wasn't more exciting but I told myself next year I would be way more organized and hopefully that would help in the cake department too!

He's a precious son, this Sam and we love him and thank God for him!