Tuesday, August 31, 2010

summer days... part 1

You've heard of drinking from a fire hose.  Well, this is blogging from a fire hose.  Or something like that.  

I really enjoy keeping track of our daily and weekly goings-on through this blog.  It's something I keep that I hope to be able to show our kids one day.  So that, when I look back at these days as one big blur of child rearing,  I'll have the pictures and the stories of those little things.  Little things that will hopefully remind me that these times were so much more than just a blur.  So much more.

But in the blurriness that sometimes is, there are just not enough hours in the day to capture these thoughts and pictures.  So, sometimes I have to do it all at once.  When the kids are sleeping and the wee hours allow.  So here goes... a start to our summer in review.

After a long roadtrip and lots of help from my father-in-law, we got here in June.  It was hot and has remained that way for most of the summer.  I know I should have expected this, but I think I've been in the north for too long.  I've grown rather fond on mild summers and this beautiful concept know as seasons.  But, none-the-less, we are in the south now. And in case we didn't realize it, there was a nice welcome sign to remind us.

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I think I should have donned bare feet for this one.  But the baby on the hip should suffice, don't you think?

And another sign to make us aware of our proximity to the good ol' Mason-Dixon.

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You just don't see signs like that in New England, folks.  You just don't.

Anyway, since we've been here.  We've been enjoying all the great things about Southern living... being close to home, good food, Southern accents, pick up trucks, awesome Walmarts, etc.

We've checked out the area and kept ourselves entertained this summer. 

We watched butterflies emerge from their chrysalis'. 

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The kids named them Wisteria, Petunia and Spotty.  
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Since we've freed them, the kids are sure that they can see them (and identify them by name) everytime we see a butterfly.
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Filling the need to nurture, the girls have also collected a variety of other bugs.  But none of these were cuddly enough so....
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We got Alfie.  Meet the newest member of our family... a grey tabby kitten we adopted from the local animal shelter.  Bless him, he is a patient cat.  He has been loved, toted, pushed in wagons and carried in every manner imaginable by lots of loving little hands.  Though we thought we would prefer a dog, we have discovered that a cat is just what our family needed right now.  Low on maintenance, high on love.
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And speaking of love... Ken built the kids a great swing set for the backyard.

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And he had lots of little hands to help.

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Very little hands.

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But mostly, everyone just enjoyed being outside with Daddy.  The smell of bug spray in the air.  Cheering him on, playing games.
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Just enjoying summertime .....

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and awaiting the completion of the new swingset.

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Thanks, Daddy.  It's awesome.

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Now that the weather is finally cooling off a bit, we've been able to spend more time enjoying the outdoors.  Playing basketball, riding bikes, the parks.
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With summer ending, we're focusing on a whole new batch of new things coming up in the Fall.  God has been good to us as we've transitioned here. We've seen Him answer alot of prayers and are continuing to pray.  So much learning and changing.  So much more to catch up on.  But that will have to wait for another time.

More to come....

Monday, August 23, 2010

smiling...

Still here.

Just very busy.

No time to blog.

Lots going on.

New swing set. New friends. New haircuts.

Got a cat.  Getting braces.  Starting school.

Waiting. Deciding. Praying.

Enjoying the last few days of summer.

Still smiling.

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Be back soon.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

our big 9 year old

Today Hannah turned 9.  It just seems so much older than 8 to me, somehow.  We had a fun family day together.  Of course it started with our traditional birthday breakfast, followed by presents.

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We all hung out together for the morning.  Dad took the older kids rollerblading, one of Hannah's favorite things.  For lunch, Hannah and I had a mom-daughter date to a Japanese Steakhouse.  It was the first time she'd seen a hibachi grill.   She loved the food and it was fun a fun experience.
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After that we came home and picked up the other girls and hit the movies for an afternoon showing of "The Return of Nanny McPhee".  All of the girls were giddy with excitement since we average about one movie per year, if that.
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We came home and grilled out hotdogs for dinner, had birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to my sweet oldest girl.  It was such a fun day for everyone... but it was markedly different than her other birthdays.  For one, there were no toys.  This year, she wanted books and a journal and other "grown-up" gifts.  There was no theme to the party... just her favorite colors....pink and orange.
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She wanted to help make the cake and spend quality time together.  She wanted to make the day great for the little ones and not make it only about her.  

She really is growing up right before our eyes and it not so much a little girl anymore, but rather a big girl, well on her way to becoming a young lady.  She's tall and she's able and in two weeks she gets braces.  She's my helper and she's responsible and still so much fun... just in a more grown up way.
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And tonight, when I put her to bed, she wasn't sitting in the middle of the floor playing with her new toys like I can so clearly remember her doing on every birthday past.   Tonight she was lying in her bed, after tidying her room, writing in her journal about her 9th birthday.  As it should be.  Because she is 9 now, after all.
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I love you, Hannah and am so thankful that God gave us you.  What a joy it is to see you growing up right before our eyes.  Happy Birthday, baby!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Marriage enrichment....for only $4.99

We are not technical geniuses at our house.  As a general rule, we slowly drag our feet into the next technological advancement of our times.  iPod, Twitter, Facebook?  If we choose to go there at all, we are generally at the end of the line.

That being said, just a couple of weeks ago, we started texting.  I know.  We may be the last people on the planet to have added this feature to our cell plan. Why text? I have have always wondered.  If you're already holding the phone, isn't it just as easy to call?

As it turns out... no, it isn't!  Texting is a wonderful thing. I am stating the obvious for most of you, but this fact was revolutionary for me.

Ken "had" to be able to text for work, so we added this handy dandy feature to our phone.  We had no idea the benefits that this would have in store for our marriage.  Really.

Now, several times a day, while Ken's at work...we text. Not just passing info and such, but sweet little notes that keep "us" in the forefront our minds. Since we usually can't talk uninterrupted during the day.... him because he's working, me because I'm working....this little trick has been just the thing.    How sweet it is to be in the heat of battle with some household issue and hear that glorious little chirp from my phone to let me know that my hubby is thinking about me and offering a few words of encouragement.

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Love note, encouragement, morale booster... for only $4.99 a month.

So worth it.