Hunters...

"We're gonna twap dat wascally wabbit if it's the wast thing we do!"

Birthday boy...

This Spring is all about SPORTS - soccer and baseball to be exact. 

We're not sure which one he likes better. 

Soccer is all about running.  And baseball...well, right now it's about patience.  ;)  There is a lot of waiting, especially in the outfield, but getting a hit & making it home makes the game worth it.

Can this boy really be NINE?  He was pretty excited about the coupon for a night go-carting with Dad.  Good thing he's gotten taller so he could drive!

Show Choir Stars!

So proud of these two performers! They did a great job & it was fun to see the results of all their hard work.

"The Banker" and "The Snob"

...or was it "The Villain" and "The Casanova"?

...which mustache are YOU in the mood for?

Pit stop...

It's a beautiful day outside. Just 81 degrees. Twenty degrees cooler than it was two days ago. The oppressive heat has moved on for the time being, and we are enjoying the relief. The windows are open, the breeze moves through, and it's fun to hear the kids chattering outside. They are playing "pit stop"

Two "drive" around on scooters or skates, then stop in for gas, a tire change, or a chance to sit down.


There is no pit crew. Just a one-man-machine. And he takes his job very seriously. He gets frustrated if they take off again too soon. "I didn't even get to change that tire!"

I love that even though they're growing up so fast...they still take time to play, to pretend.

This weekend has been a "pit stop" for me. A chance to stop. To take a moment and get my "tank" refilled. To let these tired feet slow down. To give my mind a chance to rest.

Saturday was spent making the most out of 24 hours loving on my nephew & being blessed by my sister-friend. I left filled up. And not just with yummy monster cookies & delicious Southwest chicken! Filled with conversation, connection, encouragement...emotionally & spiritually.

Today is a day for resting. For reading. For reflecting. For enjoying this little "pit stop" from God.

Pausing...

Summer is a busy time.

Little bodies are active and little brains are chock full of creative ideas - like fort building, weapon making, dress designing, molding, drawing, cutting, gluing...

It's often hard to appreciate the creativity when all I can see is the mess that's left behind... But today. Today I choose to pause. Today I choose to revel in the creativity, and ignore the mess. Today I thank God for these little minds.

And if I'm completely honest...

Today I'm glad that these precious children are learning responsibility and are old enough to clean up their own "creative chaos"...

So that this momma can put her feet up & pause just a little longer...

And finally...

What I learned - by Noah Voth

Mrs. Streck. I have learned that Math is hard but I stick up with it. Language is esey but slopey. I try my hardest. I am sorey that I talk. You are the best teacher.

Summer vacation...

Yay for summer vacation & simple motivators to get the kids helping around the house.

And thank you, Netflix, for instant streaming of Phineas & Ferb! ;)

Yes, I use TV as a reward & motivator. Why do you ask?

Thanksgiving...

Dear God -

Thank you for this day.
Thank you for everything.
I love you.
You have the coolest powers.

Love, Noah

Imaginative...

I'm not sure if it's that 7 is a fun age, or if reading has opened new worlds, or if my son is just naturally hilarious, but for whatever reason, I love to read anything he thinks up to write.

At any rate, he keeps me laughing...

The Monkey Attack

One day I went to the zoo. It had monkeys. They were crazy. I gave a banana to the monkey. It bit me! Ouch! It was attacking me! That is why I love monkeys.

Blue

Blue reminds me of the blue sky. It reminds me of my tooth paste and tooth brush. It reminds me of water. It reminds me of the April rain.

(Since we both have bad dental histories, we've gone a little overboard in our attempts at instilling and training our children to have good dental hygiene habits. I couldn't stop laughing to realize that the first "blue" thing our son thought of was toothpaste & his tooth brush! I'm afraid we might be warping our meticulous son and transforming him into an obsessive tooth-brusher.)

Kudos to Saxon...

When asked how many kids are in his class, Noah replied, "There's eleven kids in my class...counting me. There's TEN kids in my class NOT counting me."

So glad to see him using his math skills.

Sacrifice?

Our pastor has been preaching a series of messages on Lent, encouraging his congregation to consider sacrificing something that is meaningful to them, in order to focus on what Christ sacrificed for us.

This afternoon after fighting with his sister, Noah declared to Grammie,

"I'm giving up my sisters for Lent!"

Antiquated...

I beginning to wonder if "playing pretend" is a thing of the past. These days kids watch movies that are imaginative and "pretend", but they don't often have opportunities to use their imaginations. When the girls were little they played "Mommy" and "teacher" and "ballerina". I love eavesdropping on my boys as they play "cowboys" or "pirates" or "builders". The conversations are often hilarious and the moments, priceless. But it's not often that I'm willing to go out of my comfort zone to be silly with them...

Several years ago, my Mom started a fun tradition. She dressed up in a miss-matched outfit and came for tea. She changed her name to Noni & spent an hour playing pretend with her granddaughters. And she didn't just do it once & call it "good". She's done it many times & it has become a tradition my daughters look forward to...even though they're 12 & 9!

This visit was no different. It was a little longer for Abbie to let loose, but after some nervous giggles and eye-rolling, she plunged into her "character".


They set the table & pulled out the best china. They discuss their lives and their children. And they practice their manners. Well, they try... ;)

I hope someday my girls won't be too grown up & mature to be "childish" and play pretend...

Locks of Love...

Today we decided it was time.

Time to cut off these beautiful locks of long, lucious hair.

Time for a little change and a gift of love.

I'm proud of my sweet girl for sacrificing her precious hair for a child who has none.

If you ever wonder...

...what my children have swirling 'round those sweet, silly heads, just check out their creative writing assignments.

By Grace

If the ostrich could fly it would shrink itself and fly super fast. Not anything, I mean not anything, could keep up with it. If you ever wanted to see a second of it you would have to be in an airplane going a thousand miles per hour. When it would stop running it would get big again and start running.

By Noah

I have a friend named Sam. I like my friend. He's cool. I like his Geico commercials. He's funny. Sam kind of likes to walk fast. When I feel his skin, it feels awesome. Sam likes the Wii. Sam smells like deo (deodorant). I like my friend a lot!

By Abbie

(An excerpt of the original, which is 6 pages long! Once she started, she could not be stopped.)

Suddenly, through the midst of their tears, they both saw a bright ball of light that was getting brighter and brighter every second. The girls’ tears ceased as they watched the bright ball of light in awe. Poof! All at once the ball of light was gone! In its place was a skunk! But this was no ordinary skunk. Instead of being black with a white stripe, this skunk was white with a black stripe. The girls and Ralph, who were all terrified of skunks, scrunched up in the corner. “Don’t be afraid,” said the skunk, “for I am your fairy skunk mother.” “You’re our what?” asked Jenna. “Your fairy skunk mother,” repeated the skunk. “I’m here to help you get out of this mess..."

Winter Wonderland

Before our snow from last week had a chance to all melt, Phil & the kids piled up as much as they could, packed it down tight, and carved out the inside to make their own little igloo. They even had a "camp-out" last Saturday night...until Phil decided it was too tight with 3 kids & 1 daddy to sleep there the whole night.

Then their momma bear had a "freak out" & insisted her lil' cubs would NOT be sleeping in an ice structure all night long by themselves, as she envisioned cave-ins, suffocation, or midnight mayhem when one of them woke up & didn't remember where he was...


I know, I'm a fun-hater. BUT even their daddy admitted, the air was getting a little stale & he was worried about them not getting enough oxygen.

They've recently installed air holes to rectify the problem.

This will not prevent me from freaking out.

But I'll breathe deeply, pray a little, and trust their daddy to take care of them.


Before yesterday's big storm, they installed a door to keep out the snow...


...checking to make sure it's all okay in there.

"I can't open my eyes, Mom! It's too BRIGHT out here!!"

Rosita Fresita!

This is a picture of my sweet girls from 2003. Abbie was 5 & Grace was 2.
Noah saw this picture & chuckled, "Huh, Grace is a dog, and Abbie's...um...a Mexican with freckles?"

I still can't stop laughing about it.

Delusional...

Not sure if it's from being sick all week or cabin fever, but we've got the giggles going on at our house.

Abbie, Phil & I were having a "serious" conversation until she said, "...and sometimes they have the assumiation that..." We started laughing & soon she was laughing so hard she fell off the couch!

After learning that Noah's still running fever, he declared: "I feel like I'm going down hill." Phil: "So you're feeling worse?" Noah: "No...I actually feel like I'm going down a hill...like on a sled."

We had Daniel check his temp & soon he was complaining tight-lipped, "It's not beeping!" Only to discover we hadn't turned the thermometer on!

Compliment?

Recently it seems like I've had to spend a lot of time disciplining. I don't know whether it has to do with being cooped up because of the weather, or if it's a part of growing up, but the kids love to push each other's buttons, irritate, aggravate, and be down right mean to one another. I've preached plenty about love & kindness, but my words seem to fall on deaf ears. So then I have to take drastic measures & get creative.

My daughter was teasing her brothers, hiding toys from them on purpose, and delighting in their frustration. She hates to be alone, so I gave her a "time out" in a room all by herself & quoted Proverbs 21:9 - that it is better to live alone in an attic than with a quarrelsome woman - and reminded her that she would soon be playing alone because her siblings will not want to play with someone who irritates "just because". Those 10 minutes were misery for her, but she came back to apologize to her brothers & came in tears to tell me...

"Sometimes I think you're the meanest mom ever! But I know it's because you love me & you want me to learn a lesson."

God is with me...

I love reading through the papers the kids bring home from school, especially the creative writing ones. Here is one Grace did in Bible class. The words in bold were given to her & she filled in the rest.

God is with me when I am...

Outside on the playground
Making supper
Not doing what I am suppose to do
In my house
Playing outside
Reading American Diary's
Eating soup
Sitting on my bed
Early to do my chores
Next to my sister
Taking out my cat's litter

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

On a side note, she was a little too excited to find a book at the library named Ten Ways to Make My Sister Disappear. She cries when her sister is gone and she has to sleep alone, but she loves to find ways to push her buttons when she's around! ;) Go figure...