Zeke

Christmas came early at our house this year... (Well, the PRESENT did.) Here's our new puppy! After a long, complicated week of trips to Iowa and conversations with vets and breeders we finally have our new puppy home with us. We are loving having him and everyone seems to be adjusting really well. We were needing a little baby excitement around here... :) He's a sweetie. I was mused by the fact that the kids actually had opinions about which pup to pick and which name to choose... Isaiah had quite an aversion to the curly pups of the litter... And when going through the list of possible names all 3 of the kids had definite "Yes" and "No" to each one.. (Actually, even Micah would chime in and say, "Yeah!" or "No!") The name that all 4 of them liked best was Ezekiel... or "Zeke." So, there you have it... :) Oh, yes... and the 3rd picture is of a picture that Caleb drew and hung on the side of the crate for Zeke to look at... It's a picture of one of his brothers so that he isn't lonely...

Opening Day at Talbott's...

So, the day after Thanksgiving we headed out to Talbott's Tree Farm with our friends, the Deutsch family. It was a great day for it. We had a great time riding the tractor trailer, hiking through rows and rows of trees and drinking hot apple cider. (in between picking thorns out of our daughters hand, wiping snotty noses with an extra mitten, losing a glove, losing and then finding wandering Micah, picking Micah up every time he tripped over a tree stump, arguing with a whiney son who "couldn't walk ANY longer..." calming another son who was somehow severely injured, heading back to the car to retrieve the stroller to place very tired Micah in so that we could continue our search, getting that same double stroller on and off the tractor trailer, saying goodbye to the Deutschs after they decided to bail on us indecisive slackers, and pitching the idea of a family pic amidst it all. (I included a very cute pic of the Deutschs however...) At BSF last night a newly married friend of mine mentioned that she and her husband got their tree at Menards.. She said that they were going to wait until they had kids to go cut down their own tree... "It'll be easier then." She said. heh heh heh... Not so much EASIER... But definitely more memorable!!

Money-Saving Tips for a Beautiful Wedding...

We had a wedding at our house one night last week... It was 8pm... You know - the time when you are supposed to be getting kids in their jammies and tucking them in?? Don't ask... I just went with it... It was too cute... They were too excited and had so many plans... We were in the car on the way home when it came up... I overheard the discussion after they were deep into planning, so I have no idea how it came about... As soon as we got home they all raced in, up to their closets.. By the time I got my slow It's-8 pm- and-I'm-done body up the stairs the boys were already in their suits and in Abigails room helping her find a suitable "fancy dress." She had her tutu on under her dress (to add poofiness, I guess..) and her recently acquired (thank you Baffa girls) pink mesh veil. Isaiah slipped outside at some point and managed to find a lone flower in our frosted garden.. I got MY jammies on and by the time I was back DOWN stairs they had the coffee table moved, the carpet rolled up and a crate (pulpit) situated carefully in front of the fireplace. I grabbed my camera and my "baby" (loud, distracting Micah) and we sat down to attend the ceremony... They had each step planned out... Pastor Caleb welcomed everyone and prayed... He read some scripture.. ("Psst... Isaiah.. I don't know what to read..." Isaiah whispers, "Just say John 3:16 or something...") As Caleb flips through his Bible, "OK.... Chapter 8..... For God so loved the world..." and then, just for a little extra, he added.."Ephesians 6:1, Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right... " heh heh.. And then the Pastor's teaching - "Ok, here we go..." clears throat "You should always serve your mommy first... Serve her her food first, open the door for her first... love her." Hmmm.... Maybe he was confused? Maybe he meant "wife" when he said "Mommy"??? I PROMISE you I have not been training my kids to serve me before everyone!!!! Anyway, then there was to be a party "where we eat food and dance." So, we moved into the dining room and had yogurt and nilla wafers by candlelight... Followed by some beautiful piano playing by multi-talented Pastor Caleb and lovely dancing by the new couple... (including many "lifts" by the strong, able husband!!) Then, Isaiah informed us all that he would like to read to his wife... So, back to the couch and he read the cutest book (that SO reminds me of the two of them) about a big brother who tells his little (red-headed) sister all the things that he is going to do for her when he grows up... For example, "I'll capture a wild black horse and tame him for you to ride. I'll climb a mountain and bring you a stone from the top. I'll swim across oceans and bring you coral from the bottom of the sea. I'll build you a bridge that is bigger than any bridge in the world..." Too cute.... And that was it! The wedding was over. It was all quite a production... I think I may pass on the yogurt and nilla idea to Mia and Steve... That could save them some money, don't you think?!

Cardiac Rehab at its Finest...

So, since Grandpa's heart attack and surgery he has been going to Cardiac Rehab three times a week... Apparently it's helping... The pics were taken with my cell phone, so the quality is pretty poor, but yes... This is Grandpa, (at 85) on his living room floor, flipping Abigail over his body... Over and over (and over) again! Micah and Isaiah had a few goes too... Guess it got Grandma all inspired and ambitious... She kept talking about how she thought she could probably still do a handstand!!... TOO stinkin' funny!! These people are CRAZY!! You gotta love them.

Bloggers, brains and ponderings...

I've been asked by a few of you recently why I haven't been blogging lately... And after some pondering about it I think I have figured out at least part of it... Number one, I am stinking busy and blogging or emailing or surfing is just not top priority (at least not in my husband's thinking! :) ) No, honestly, school and herding (not hurting) the children has been keeping me busy.. But, number two, I think I have fallen once again into the I-am-so-unintelligent-and-perhaps-a-little-air-headed hole of thinking...
I decided to create a blog after several of my friends had emailed me the link to their "blogspots." And since then, I have continued to check up on theirs from time to time.. Well, as most of you know, in internet-land, one blog leads to another blog which leads to yet another blog... I have discovered and perused many a blog since my start... And in doing so, I've come to feel quite inferior and non-intellectual. Some of these blogs (and I know some of you are reading this right now!) are so... I don't even know how to say it, because I am so simple minded... so... smart!! I'm amazed at the depth and knowledge these people pour into their writings... Philisophical, spiritual, political, moral, topics and dissertations!! It's very interesting but very much over my head often times... And that leaves me feeling.. well... dumb. :) Like, why don't I think about those things?? So, I go back to my blog and look over my ramblings and chatter about larva and Dollar General Store gifts and I suddenly feel embarassed!
Well... I've decided that I pretty much just need to get over that... Because, well, because... That's just who I am! I am a little in awe of smart people, to be honest... I somehow tend to find myself surrounded by them most of the time... And it's when I get that, "Wow... you are sooo smart... What if I was that smart?" thinking that I begin to feel like I must be this air-headed, naive, clueless person!! Not in everything, mind you... Please don't take this as an "I'm so pathetic.." type of blog post... I am actually quite happy with myself and my brain most of the time... Maybe because I don't realize how much I don't know!! But it's when I listen to or read the words and thinkings of some of these people that I realize that most other people know A LOT more than me!! Maybe I need to be more philosophically, politically, current event -minded.. Maybe I need to learn some new big words or work on my grammar and writing skills... Or, maybe I just need to love my husband more, take care of my 4 kids better and learn some more of GOD'S big words and writings... Maybe it just wasn't God's plan for me to be smart... But, I think I'm ok with that... I love you smart people... I think you are very cool and very interesting and I love that you help me to understand things... I am glad that God created you the way that He did and gifted you in those specific ways.... But, I just can't compare myself to you anymore. :) So, I won't apologize for my ramblings... You're smart.. You can choose to read elsewhere if it's not what you're looking for! heh heh.

Building houses...

I think I have mentioned before the boys' fascination with house-building and their elaborate plan to build one together some day... Caleb in the designing and architecture, Isaiah on the pipes, wires and ductwork, Micah on the carpentry, ("because he is so strong.") and Abigail on the decorating. ("I'm going to make curtains!") They talk, play, and dream about all of these things quite frequently. One of the boys found a log cabin magazine at Gma and Gpas and they spend much of their time while we're there hunched over it, inspecting each page... They ask me questions and comment on different designs, materials used and the ways the pipes will have to go when we're in the van. (which I of course have a great deal of knowledge about..) So, Grandma and Grandpa have this pile in their backyard... of a lot of very useful things, I'm sure... This picture gives no justice to what it actually looks like and doesn't show the other very useful things that the kids have dragged across the yard and added to the top of it. They spend hours out there, no matter the temperature or time of night, lifting, hauling, balancing, slamming, jumping on, breaking... well, you get the picture. It is their "house" and they are very proud of it. Abigail can usually be found in the "kitchen," sitting at her "table" or cooking the "dinner," (which I find especially funny being that I can usually NOT be found anywhere near the kitchen or cooking.. Maybe they figure she better learn and learn quick..) The big boys are either constructing, renovating, demolishing or zooming up and down the hill on the side of the house on their "cars" (big wheels) as they travel to and from "work" or "Menards." Micah is either throwing some object that he has decided is a ball or zooming DOWN the hill on the out of control big wheel... (Which usually lands him upside down, somewhere in between the grape vine and the neighbor's chain link fence...) I love it! And I've been informed that Scott and I are first on the list for a newly built house!

Tractor Extravaganza...

It finally happened... The kids had been waiting for that day for 3 months... And it was quite the show. The entrance to the corn field happens to be directly across the street from our house, so we always get to see the comings and goings... I'm sure the farmers got a good laugh at the four kids - one being half naked - shooting out the front door and jumping up and down on our porch each time it came by on it's trip up and down the rows...

"Bear"

For those of you who have been around Micah for any amount of time at any stage of his life thus far, I don't have to introduce you to "Bear." I tried with all the other kids to get them to have a favorite stuffed animal, but they never really caught on to the whole "attached" thing.... Until Micah. So, after realizing early on that "Bear" was very much liked, I - the very responsible and "plan ahead" kind of Mom that I am - purchased two MORE "Bears." (One the same size and a larger version, just in case "Bear" needed to grow with Micah...) Apparently "Bear" had already developed some sort of scent or feel. Although he would smile and reach out for the new Bear, as soon as Micah went to hug it he would pull it away, look very confused at it, and make some sort of moose grunting sound that clearly meant, "Look, lady, I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I'm not amused... Hand over the real Bear and no one gets hurt." So, though I continued to put New Bear in his bed and would still every so often try to give opportunities for "New Bear bonding," we came to accept "Bear" as a one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable friend of Micah's. So... approximately 4,783 laundry baths and dryer tumbles later, (plus a few heavy duty hand scrubbings in the utility sink) here he is. Funny, though... Just in the past two weeks Micah has started toting around BOTH bears with him. As cute as it is and as glad as I am that he is welcoming in and accepting new "friends" I refuse to bring both of them with us when we get out of the van at any destination... I say, "Nope, Micah.. You gotta leave one here..." And I'm sure you can guess which one he is quick to toss back into his car seat...

Colorado..

Grandpa's 85th...

Grandpa turned 85 on the 29th and we had a big surprise party for him. Some relatives came all the way from Florida! I love seeing Grandpa and his two brothers together. They have been best friends for their whole life. They were in an orphanage for 6 years, World War I, (they were each in a different service) and many deaths and illnesses in their loved ones and themselves... They each work a trade and have lived in the same area their whole married lives... It's a cool story.. They are great men.

Hanging with Livy...

Went to Champaign to hang out with Aunt Nenny and Dr. Uncle D... We spent the day at a pumpkin patch in Arthur. It was stinking hot but we all had a great time.

Caleb's Box...

So, Caleb got this box from Kobi... She brought some stuff in it when she came to visit and instead of throwing it away, she gave it to Caleb... Well, you would have thought she gave him the moon... When she asked him if he wanted it his eyes lit up and he looked at me like, "Mom? Can I really have it?!" He got right to work (for about 2 hours) coloring the inside of it and coloring pictures to tape to the outside of it... (I think he went through all the ink in our markers to get it done...) Anyway, as soon as it was done he climbed behind the couch in a little space they use as a hide out and curled up in a little ball and covered himself with it... He proceeded to do that every so often for the rest of the morning declaring that he was taking his naps... So REAL nap time came and he, of course, wanted to sleep in it... So, after my initial "No" I decided it wasn't going to do any harm, but he had to at least have it on his bed... That night Scott had the kids at bedtime. When I came home he asked, "Has Caleb been sleeping in that box??" Apparently he had convinced his Dad to let him sleep in it too... So, there it reamains, on his top bunk, night after night... It never comes down... If he's not sleeping in it, he's got his stuffed animals in it, is sitting under it up there pretending to be a turtle, or is using it as a barricade in front of the ladder.... He loves it... He gets all happy and smiley when he sees it or we even talk about it... Kinda weird... But even so, it's pretty cute!

Sin, Unconditional Love, and Fashion Drama....

One of Abigail's jobs is straightening the shoes by the back door and in the front closet. (The stinky closet I refered to in a previous post.) The other day she was taking a little longer than usual... Turns out she was sampling the available outerwear fashion for the upcoming winter. This fashion sampling is not exclusive to outerwear.... Abigail has started this "I-must-change-my-clothes-30-times-a-day-with-every-mood-shift-I-experience." So, a couple of days ago I -once again- failed miserably as a mother and yelled - a lot - at my kids.... I sent them all to nap so that I could breath, count to... 1,000 and get with God... I had a really good (though gut wrenching) time with God and in the Word and was eager to confess and apologize to my kids when they woke up. So, as each kid woke up I was able to talk with them about how what I did was wrong, etc. It was really good and - once again - they all forgave me. After my talk with Abigail she disappeared into her bedroom. A few minutes later she came back in a new outfit... Her "My Mom is a Rock Star" shirt and some pants... She presented herself to me and I smiled and asked why she changed... She said, "Because you were really mad but then you said you were sorry and now it's good." Thank you, God, for giving me a husband and 4 children that can somehow cause me to see so much more clearly my sin and need for you... And for giving me a husband and 4 children so that I could see and understand so much more clearly your unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness of me even when I am rotten... I love you.

Micah Balboa...

"Yo Adrianne..."

Lazarus

Maybe it was the milkweed deprivation... Lazarus emerged last and he seemed to be ok. But after observing him more closely we noticed a small hole in one of his wings... I'm guessing that's not real good for aerodynamics... We let him go in our front yard and he seemed to be ok... The next morning as the kids and I were headed out the front door I noticed him laying on the rocks under the bush... After loading the kids I picked him up, put him in a plastic ziploc bag and stuck him in the fridge.... I think we're supposed to make a bug collection board at some point in school this year... Figured he'd come in handy...

"Peter and John"

Peter and John didn't do quite as well as Mommy. When we found Peter he was in a crumpled heap on the base of the jar.... Which could very well be normal just after the butterfly emerges... We let him out, but he wasn't stiffening and drying out as quickly as we thought he was supposed to... We let him go in Grandma's garden hoping he would dry out and fly off... We never did see him again... Hopefully he's half way to Mexico by now feasting on some milkweed and tequila... John didn't make it out of the chrysalis... Somewhere between larva and butterfly he died and when we finally went to take the chrysalis out of the jar, it kind of fell open. The last picture shows what he looked like. He was literally "half-metamorphasized." Kinda cool and creepy and sad all at the same time...

"Mommy"

Well, "Mommy" was the first butterfly to emerge. We were in Champaign when it happened (yes, I transported a jar of chrysalises on a road trip...) so now she is enjoying Grandma's garden. We missed it actually happening, but she was still quite wet when we found her, so it must have just happened.