prayers please

We pray to the Lord, Lord hear our prayers..

I am supposed to be downstairs sanitizing the basement AGAIN because last night's torrential downpour flooded us one end to the other. Literally utility room to garage door.

I am grateful for the minor miracle that I did not start the pump before heading up to bed, because the floor drain was clogged, and no water that seeped in the utility room last night went down, but at least the water from the crawl space wasn't piled up on top of it.

My laundry room and bathroom wood floors are RUINED. When you step in there it goes squish splash squish splash, and the wood is black from underneath.

It makes me cry a little.
I am trying to remember that these are just things, this is just a house.. that these are not the Eternal Things for which I should labor, but it is hard to hold that thought amongst this muck.

I was just celebrating one year of being able to walk upright... an anniversary that I am glad comes at this time of Easter and Passover. Praising God at how that infirmity taught me so much about how to trust people, and let them love me.  And now of course I am wondering what exactly He has in mind with this little test that is going to stretch me again.. (um well beyond my current limits I think).

What I want to be doing finishing Easter dresses. Wouldn't it be nice if one year I finished them not on Easter morning? Of course each dress has 6 button holes. So, that won't be stressful or anything.

What I am doing is whining and complaining and procrastinating, and considering buying lottery tickets.

prayers please.

Oh no she didn't..

I am recording this here for posterity and hilarity.

I take the kids swimming at the Y on Fridays, because I'm just a real go getter...

Following the swim I shower all the kids at the Y, and I irresponsibly let them stay in there as long as they want, while searing hot water and gallons of soap run down the drain. Then while I shower I let them dress themselves and blow dry their own hair, which they seem to think is FABULOUS.. even Little Daddy loves this luxuriousness. Oh yes, I let them brush their teeth there too.

Anyways.. it was admidst all this mayhem fun, that my vanity was once again bruised..

I rush out of the shower and am trying to slide into my bra and panties while still remaining coccooned in my towel a la middle school, when AAACKK my towel untwists itself and falls around my damp ankles.

"Uh Mom you're nudey" says Miss H with an undertone of disdain disapproval.
"Yeah, I'm trying to get dressed hurry quick" I answer kinda huffy because the YMCA locker room does give me mild flashbacks to middle school.

"Okay, I'm just going to try not to laugh."

What?!! Aren't I still supposed to be the most beautiful woman they've ever seen? I thought I had at least five more years before I would be cowering in shame at the state of my body.
and let me just take a minute to remind you little missy, that I didn't always look like this!!!

Seriously, I did proceed to ask her exactly what she would laugh about (I know playing with fire.. not a good idea right?)

"Oh well mom, it's just that sometimes when I see uhhh" (Big pause here and also some blushing) whispers.. "boobies...  I laugh."

Well, I don't know if that made me feel better or worse. (Where exactly is she seeing boobies? Where did she hear the word boobies? Why does she think breasts are funny?)

Here Comes the SUN!

Finally!!

I feel slightly crunchy from it, but there was no way I was blocking any of the sun's rays today. This has been an endless winter.

I'm thinking spring is just around the corner!

The Luck O the Irish

So I saw months ago on Fly Through Our Window the cutest little stamped onesies, and since I am not so secretly dying to own a YuDu I thought I would give it a go for St. Patty's day.. In typical Summer style... I bought all the craft supplies, but stalled out at buying shirts because the cheapest places to get them are Wal-mart.. which I almost never go to, or Target.. which I totally avoid like the plague because I am a complete sucker for all their marketing ploys. .

Anyways.. at 11:00 pm last night, I crept into the kids closets while they slept to find some shirt to make ST. P's because there was no way I was traipsing out to Wally World at that hour.

I used these awesome clear acrylic stamps that I found for $1 a set at AC Moore, and just double stick taped them to some building blocks because I don't have any of their fancy acrylic blocks. I quick ironed the freezer paper on the inside of the shirts to keep the paint from going through.

I used a sponge brush to paint the So Soft fabric paint on the stamp and stamped away. I was in bed before midnight! So this totally beats the buns off Valentine's Day with it's buttonhole drama in the easy department.

I think they are pretty durn cute.. but it probably helps that I think the kids are cute to start with!

Pizza Palace

Gotta love having those aprons! They are getting quite a workout!

We made our own pizza, dough and all (The Mr. made the dough late Friday night since the meet got cancelled) and it got really fun when he demonstrated how to toss it like a professional!!

All the kids tried it.

I wouldn't recommend letting Lil Bit toss yours, because while she tosses quite well, she can't catch at all.

Served them up with Creamsicle floats...

YUM!

On a side note... Blogger says Bad Request everytime I try to upload pics.(Hence the few number of pics!) Frustrating!!

projects

So I was let in on a decorating secret by Katherine about Leisure Fabrics and was finally able to go. I got a ton of fabric and did a little makeover on our living room. Did I ever tell you we've been living here for five years with no curtains? So we took some advice from a couple of friends and their mothers and came up with this.

I love love love having a cushion along the whole hearth! We were tempted to make a cushion behind it (inside the fireplace) so the kids could use it as a reading nook, but we decided letting them play in the fireplace was a little weird. We do plan to get a screen to go in front that will mount on the brick, but haven't found anything big enough yet. It does feel a little bit more "homey". Now of course the dining room and office need more work.

Superman Prayer

We have been rolling our blessing block faithfully, and I have been delighted with the prayers the children have come up with.

Today at lunch, in superman style..

Thank you God For giving us Love (Mommy)

Thank you God for giving us Creation (Cubby)

Thank you God for giving us Family (Miss H)

Thank you God for giving us Food (Little Daddy)

Thank you God for giving us Friends (Mommy)

Thank you God for giving us Fun (Cubby)

Thank you God for giving us Christ (Miss H)

Thank you God for giving us Food (Little Daddy)

In Jesus' name..

Amen

One Year Ago

It has come, and like so many other sadly anticipated days it snuck up.

Has it really been a year?

There have been whispers over this year, her breath on my heart, her gurgling laugh in my ear, a sudden golden butterfly alighting in my sight. Purple crocus emerging after a never ending winter. Reminders of a love that wanted happiness and comfort for those around her.

I was guilty at her birthday of crying quietly, still wracked with guilt that Lil Bit would celebrate a birthday three days prior, never having held the hand that had so frequently held mine as a child.

I am guilty still of having a heavy heart when I plait up Miss H's long blonde hair, wondering how many perfect plaits does it take for this act to become a celebration of Gramma's love, and no longer a twang of guilt for me to remember I wasn't there at the end.

It has been a year of firsts for Little Bit, but also a sad division of life between having her and not.

Gramma was formidable, stern, but also fiercely protective and loving of her family. She had a quirky sense of humor, an unmistakable laugh and a hope, always a hope.

I still call it Gramma's house, it's been a year and I have not been back to California, and somewhere in my heart I know that when I do I will feel this loss anew.

We grieve differently as christians, having the hope of resurrection, but still we grieve, for the undone, unsaid, unremembered, unshared, unsavored. The unending conviction that not enough was done with what was given.

Like most of my childhood I recall mostly the times I fell short. I remember Gramma rebuking me as I climbed into the back seat of her car to be whisked away for a weekend rescue, "Summer, you really could do more to help your mother." I was 11. The disappointment, and quiet, not angry tone, brought me to silent tears, if she saw me in the rearview, she didn't comment.

I remember one summer trip we took to Gramma's house, I was supposed to sleep with her in her bed, and I chickened out at the door and crept to the very outside edge of my aunt's bed. I still can't tell you (I couldn't have been more than 5!) what it was that was so intimidating.

I don't want to bother you she would say at the beginning of our phone calls, since our visits had become so few with all of america between us...

It's no bother Gramma, I was just going to call you! (Literally, my hand had been on the phone)

"Kiss the babies" for me she would say at the end.

I will Gramma.

I will Gramma, I promise.

He changed his mind..

We went to Costco like we do every Sunday after church. and he just dropped it into the cart. I couldn't even believe it. Let's just get it he said, I am tired of walking past it every week.

Cubby was ecstatic....

I was elated (and a little guilty, because we all know the waterproofing is now up to $18,000)

I wonder if the tipping point was learning the sewing machine I dream of is $4500

Sometimes The Mr. is a little lax with the budget.. but I think this time.. I'm not going to argue.

Last Night

Last night, we all put on our aprons that the kids stitched up using this tutorial and made a spaghetti feast.

You can see here that Little Daddy was insistent that The Mr.'s apron match his. (so insistent that I had to return to the store!!)

Here is little bit being very "helpful"

It was fun, it was delicious, it was just another little night of family fun. Next Saturday.. Pizza!!

Tooth Fairy

She didn't want to give the tooth to the Tooth Fairy immediately which I thought was odd. She wanted a "proper" tooth fairy pillow, so we did some research. Which means she sat on my lap while I imaged searched "tooth fairy pillow". She fell in love with this one here. So cute, and so easy easy easy. Of course when we went to get the little door hanger plaque to make one similar, ACMoore had a million other cute things to turn into tooth holders. She opted for the little box, which we decoupaged, and she sewed a cushion to fit inside. I also found some adorable little baskets to hang on the doors that I hope I can convince the boys to use (should their teeth ever fall out). Right before bed she went to write a note (which you can see in the picture). She said to The Mr. "Dad, where are the scissors, I need to write a teeny tiny note." Of course he asked why the note needed to be teeny tiny, to which she responded, "Because the tooth fairy is teeny tiny".

You probably can't make out the note.. because it is so teeny tiny. "Hi Tooth fairy cAn yuo give me a box of gum" . So of course the Tooth Fairy's husband rushed right out and got some, because even though there was no punctuation, and a missspelled sight word... the message was pretty clear.

I don't know if you were aware that there are a whole host of tooth fairies and that they are assigned to different families. The kids were pretty worried we might get a stingy one, or one who left nothing at all. Well, our tooth fairy leaves special coins, gum, and golden glitter footprints. I thought maybe the tooth fairy would leave a little note about taking good care of your teeth and not knocking them into trees and train tables, but The Mr. said, "No probably not."

So I was wondering, if I went to the dentist to get my erupting (and painful) wisdom teeth pulled and left them, would I get the dslr camera I've been dreaming of? The Mr. said, "Probably not."

amazing feats

The boys doorway now has a Chin-up Bar affixed, (which I have only smacked my head on once) and all the kids, even Little Bit have been working on their upper body strength. Here's Little Daddy...

(Well maybe not really, But Miss H knocked out two in a row! Amazing!!)

Can you believe this??

This is Cubby signing the AVP (Audio/Visual Policy) For Kindergarten. We have tossed our hats into the ring so to speak... we find out what our school assignment is in a few weeks.

Amazing feat here as well... Miss H helped me on Sunday afternoon to cook dinner, and while we were chopping stuff for the stir-fry that night we managed to prepare dinner and side dishes and a few lunches for the entire week. That's right!! In under two hours we made dinners for a whole week.

Also did you notice something missing?

Yep... it's gone. Unfortunately there is no new tooth on it's way just yet. She just might be the cutests little snaggletooth I ever saw.

Do you see this sunday hair? Yes, I know!! Amazing!!!

Finally, look at this picture of both subjects looking at camera!! AMAZING!!

oh wait.. I meant here..

(Well close enough!)

Miss H and Lil Bit are sporting new looks that Mimi Viv and Auntie Winter sent through the mail, now if someone could send a box containing things for the boys perhaps I would have an amazing feat about lack of whining!

We have also started soccer and Field Hockey, and the older kids have a performance coming up in church. Woo hoo. It is an amazing life.