What's for dinner at our house...

~Sunday~

Slow cooker pork roast with barbecue sauce.

Buns

Steamed fresh zucchini, squash, and carrots

Fresh corn on the cob

~Monday~

Stuffed shells

Garlic bread

Tossed salad

~Tuesday~

Chicken enchiladas

Tortilla chips

Cottage cheese

Green beans

~Wednesday~

Leftovers

~Thursday~

{Breakfast for supper}

French toast with blueberries

Hash browns

Scrambled eggs with cheese

~Friday~

{Camping}

Camp fire roasted hot dogs

Baked beans

Chips with dip

Apple slices

S'mores (of course)

~Saturday~

Potluck

{Family reunion at the beach}

What's for dinner at your house this week?? I love getting new ideas!

Conversational blogging - just try to keep up

I'm getting hooked to vanilla wafers - and they must be Nabisco. No substitutes for this newest of delights. With ice cold milk? Yes please.

Next week is going to be constant. Maybe even a touch of insanity?  Yes - even more than usual.

Dave has softball tournaments Monday and Tuesday.

K has surgery (ear tubes...again) Tuesday morning. I think I may be losing count of his surgeries now. His ENT is concerned about what appears to be some fairly serious hearing loss in his left ear. Could be serious - or it could just be alot of wax build up. Okay, thankyouverymuch for making a mama crazy.

Wednesday I am taking K to his annual eye exam. We have been taking him to the best of the best pediatric eye clinic in several states (or so I've heard). It's an hour drive and usually about a 2 hour wait - totally worth it. Our insurance no longer covers them. We will be paying out of pocket this one last time and will definitely miss them!

Thursday is K's speech therapy.

Friday/Saturday is possibly camping and family reunion 2 hours away.

I love summer. Seriously - it is busy, but it is pretty packed with enchantments that one can not come by in the winter time.

We have new baby kittens and they are fluff balls of sweetness. The boys are in love.

K is still having "episodes" that are very seizure like, but have been formally diagnosed as migraines. His doctors can throw whatever diagnosis at him that they want to, but until they are cradling him in their lap trying to tell him everything is going to be okay and calming his trembling they can not understand. My gut feeling is telling me that we are missing something. Something isn't right. It just isn't.

I am consistently getting about 7 hours of consecutive sleep now. (Can I hear a hallelujah??)

Last night, while introducing myself to a group of ladies, I said I had five boys. I haven't done that in a long time. I then said "I mean I have four boys." And then I felt a little bit sad. I haven't felt that way in a long time. I know that I have five boys. I know that. But for practical purposes, I tend to tell acquaintances that I have four. It makes it a little easier. Less awkward. Less time consuming. And sometimes I feel like I am betraying him.

When Joshua died we were given a memorial plant. Something to put roots down. Something that will bloom every year and remind us of him. It's a Rose of Sharon plant and it is in full bloom right now. It is the most gorgeous and low maintenance plant I have ever seen. 

I'm utterly and irrevocably in love with my husband. He's very patient. He's incredibly forgiving.

I washed his phone a couple of weeks ago. I killed it. He was sad. He told me it was okay.

I missed a bill that was due last week. It almost doubled in overage charges. He called and told them we've never missed a bill before... we were on vacation... we were sorry... They removed the charges.

He lined up a babysitter for tonight. He asked me out. Like - on a real date. :) I'm a little giddy. Like a teenager. Only, I'm not a teenage and, in fact, am very rapidly approaching the end to my twenties. Some days I feel 19 still. I know, I know - very odd, but it is true. In February I will be 30.

My oldest sister is like a Betty Crocker. She has always been pretty domestic and creative. I keep thinking about the made-from-scratch blueberry pie and peach cobbler she made when we were in Iowa last month.

Yesterday I was not a good mama. I lost my patience alot. Too much. I really wished for a do-over day. I am so glad that we have new days for new beginnings and that His mercies are NEW every morning. Great is HIS faithfulness. I don't deserve it. It is great.

I recently finished a Bible study on Ruth. It was an in depth study of the kinsmen redeemer. It opened my eyes so much to things I had only thought I previously understood. I grew up in little Baptist churches where mostly hymns were sung. I would sing alot about being "Redeemed" - but it didn't mean a whole lot to me. Just another one of "those words". You know - Christianese. Through this study I was brought to tears as I realized what a big deal it is to be redeemed. And it is changing the way I live my life. Back in the culture of the Bible times a slave could be bought back from slavery by his closest relative. This freedom sometimes came at a great price. - How do you think that relative would feel if the slave would say "Thanks for paying that enormous price to make me free and all - but I'm pretty sure I want to live in slavery still. See ya, bye." No, not acceptable at all.

I don't think I lived worthy of the price yesterday.

Glad today is a new day.

Peace out.

Wordless Wednesday (aka Eat your heart out Jillian Michaels)

Sometimes I play with dirt and worms

Check it out. I fish.

 

And hey - did you know it is alot of work to take 4 kids, age 7 and under, camping for the weekend?

Priceless memories.... lots of work. Worth it...but lots of work.

That's about my limit of coherent sentences for the moment. 

Kai decided that sleeping in a camper was not for him. So last night he didn't.

Still worth it.

I think this is my favorite photo from our weekend.

Little boys + camping + fishing - it is a sweet thing to see. They had a blast!

Wordless Wednesday

My life is not glamorous - but my weekend was rather fascinating

I generally do not do "guess what I did this weekend?!" posts. Because let's face it, your life likely trumps mine in the noteworthy moments category.

If I wrote each day of the events that unfolded in my life you would very quickly get tired of the words: laundry, diapers, food, vacuuming, food, diapers, nursing, laundry, food, dishes, and cuddles. And the next day you could just read the previous days post - because that's our life right now.

However...

I thought I would stick a weekend events post in here - because this weekend had a few moments that were not quite so every day.

Besides all of the regular duties (you know, laundry, diapers, nursing, making food, cleaning up food, making food again... you get the picture...). I worked at a benefit garage sale for the Center For Women, planned some fun re-purposing projects here at home, AND...

I rode an elephant.

I ate the most amazing, greasy, salty, tasty french fries (my complexion thanks me).

I watched some little boys - who pretty much mean the world to me - experience pure delight.

I saw vibrant colors that made me smile.

I ate more oh-so-good yet oh-so-not-good-for-me food. I don't do it every day folks - but sometimes you just splurge a little. ;) I'm working out today. I really am.

I watched a really good  husband and daddy loving on his family. Be still my heart.

 

I saw a pink John Deere...

I watched some world war 2 planes not crash. Which was good.

I saw lots of priceless smiles.

I watched the moon rise high in the sky.

I watched about 15 hot air balloons, tethered to the ground, light up the night sky. And it was really beautiful!

And THEN (did you think I was done... oh not, not yet!)

I came home very tired, very ready for bed, with five very tired very ready for bed boys and...

was greeted by three raccoons in our porch.

IN our porch people. This was not good. This was not good at all.

And no, this little tid bit of my weekend does not have corresponding pictures...

Did I try? - Indeed. But, when I suggested that we should shoot the coons with my camera, Dave just looked at me. His look said it all, "honey, I am trying to be patient with you right now, but I am busy with the task at hand and it involves a shooting of another kind".

Soooo... I took the boys to a room in the house that was as far away from the kitchen window that leads into our porch as possible.

The rest would make you want to throw up. I will tell you that while I got the boys ready for bed Dave had a big clean up job ahead of him - which he kindly completed.

And now we make sure that our old screen door, which doesn't latch easily, is always latched. Always.

We ended up with a 5 year old in our bed for a portion of the night. He was the first to walk into the porch and see the rascals in there and had a wee bit o trauma to overcome...

It my not be glamorous, but hey - it is eventful, no?

Letting out the kite string so that it can soar above the clouds

Dear boys,

Last night sleep was rather elusive as I listened to the youngest of you all expressing anger that I would not get up and nurse him. How quickly you revert back to things which we have together overcome; sleeping through the night being one of them.

I laid in my bed and thought about each one of you. I pondered what I thought I wanted for you and then what I know I want for you.

See, it has taken me a while to realize that as your mommy it is not my job to make your life comfortable and flawless. I want to. I want to go before you and take all roadblocks out of your path before you come to them. So much. I want to protect you and make everyone love you, using force if necessary. I want to make things easy for you. I want to leave the light on in the hallway. I want to fill your days with things that make you jump up and down and squeal in excitement. I want to do the things for you that you say are too hard. I want to hold you so tightly next to me and never let you go.

But would a kite be so pretty if I just held it in my hand?

This is what I know. .."It is better to build a child than repair an adult" and if I did all that I "want" to do for you I would have alot of repair work to do when repair work is at its hardest and habits have been nearly set in stone.


I wish for you to know pain. Because through pain you will intimately know the one who comforts. Through pain you will see the sweetness of healing. Through pain you will empathize with those who deeply need your love. And it is only through the measuring stick of pain that you will be able to truly quantify the purest of joy and beauty.

I wish for you to know what it feels like to have much and what it feels like to go with out. - To find that elusive contentment and valuable wisdom in each of those scenarios. "May you discover that your overflow is someone else's necessity". I want you to see the true value of simple things. I want you to search for the treasure in relationships rather than things. I wish for you the wonder of giving away what you have to gain something priceless.

I can close my mommy eyes and see your little boy eyes dancing with excitement and awe of new discoveries and favorite things. I want you to keep that. Hold tight to it when cynicism enters your world. Don't let any one tell you that the rain falling like confetti on your face isn't magical and that the first snow of winter isn't the ultimate in delight.

I want you to know the significance of hard work and a good work ethic. You don't have to look far to see that modeled. Watch him. Look to your daddy. He is looking to his Heavenly Father and this is as it should be.

I want you to know grace in a big way. I don't want mistakes to scare you I want them to teach you.


You will be angry. Don't let your anger control you.


You will be tempted. Arm yourself. And when you give in, come running back.


You will be sad and lonely and hurt. Do not let it harden you. Let these things manifest with in you a sensitivity that loves deeply.


Always remember that His divine power has given you everything you need for life and Godliness.


Everything you need.


And to my youngest - please sleep.


Amen and goodnight.

Iowa vacation highlights part 2 - where my grandma calls my child frisky and my husband lovely

I have mentioned my grandma on the blog before. I have shared how disheartening it is to watch some one you love and remember as being sharp, spunky,  and independent begin to fail in memory as well as physical and overall mental capacities.

My grandma lives in Iowa. I only see her a couple of times each year.

And I have to admit something.

I almost didn't go to see her.

I almost let my uncertainty of what to say and how to deal with the certainty of not being recognized by her convince me that it didn't matter. She wouldn't know me any way - so it wouldn't matter.

But my heart, of course, was screaming at me that it mattered in ways I couldn't even comprehend.

So we went.

I asked my mom and aunt to go with me. I knew they visited more often and there was a chance she would know them. I tried to set my expectations realistically.

She was in her wheelchair in the garden area of the nursing facility that is now her home.

Her words didn't make alot of sense at first, but her eyes brightened noticeably. She tried to choose the words she wanted and it was obvious that she couldn't find them. Sometimes I grasped what she meant, sometimes I could not.

The boys were running around, talking, and playing - unbridled energy.

She made many hand motions and I understood her words to indicate that there were so MANY boys!

Yes, I know!! :)

And then she looked me in the eye and the words came out perfectly: 

"And is it true that you had to give one back?" 

Her sympathy could not be missed - but her meaning was at first.

I laughed and thought - well here we go again , words are just failing her, but that's okay.

Then I saw something in the way she was looking at me and I did a double take.

I did have to give one back.

I think she knows. 

And then she turned to K and smiled at him. Once again her words came more clearly than the other times she spoke. "And look at you. I used to feel sorry for you, but now you are just as frisky as your brothers!"

Frisky - she said frisky and I loved it!

I think she knew us and I think there are days when alot more goes on in her mind than I thought.

I also think that we would have missed out on a whole lot if I had allowed my hesitancy to rule my heart.

I don't know how many visits with her are left. 

-But I won't forget this one.

Oh - and another favorite moment with Grandma - 

We were getting ready to leave and she again was making motions and trying to indicate that there were alot of boys.

Mmm-hmm...

And she looked up at me and said "Oh honey - do you have help? -Does anyone come in to help you with all of this" - frantic  hand motion toward the plethora of boys running circles around us.

Loved it. I just smiled and motioned towards Dave. "He does. He's my help." :)

She looked at him and stared for a while and then said "Ohhh, what a lovely man!"

I think she is quite bright really.

Just a few Iowa highlights -part 1 (yes, that does mean that there will likely be several, kind of like when you were little and your grandparents would make you sit through a slide show of their vacation)

We are home from Iowa and grinning over the wonderful memories we made over the past nine days. While I get re-acclimated with some semblance of a schedule I am going to leave you with a picture story. I will interpret for you.

 On vacation day seven Kai meets a sweet little girl and the mamas talk of an arranged marriage and how cute their full-heads-of-curly-haired kids will be.

Kai realizes that in two short days he will be 500 miles away from this adorable miss Lucy.

He breaks down into tears.

"But mom - she is so cute. She is so girly. She has a pink bow. She is surrounded by boys here and I don't stand a chance once we get back to Michigan. I think I love her. Mom, she has a pink bow. We don't have stuff like that around here. sob. sob "

There's just nothing like...

...Being "home" for a summery vacation.

Small town 4th of July parades.

Smore's with grandparents and cousins who we have missed so and never see often enough.

Loving and being loved - a whole lot.

What plan? Did I have a plan?

Things rarely go as planned. And there is nothing like motherhood to highlight that fact of life.

At 10:30 last night I was sitting in the back of my mini van, in a booster seat no less, talking to my 3 year old about water parks, kitty cats, and french fries when it really began to sink in. There is no way you can survive motherhood with out an insane amount of flexibility and adaptability. Rolling with the punches isn't just a good idea. It's necessity.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Iowa. We will be gone for 9 days. This needs to be the only thing going on right now. There is no room in our budget or schedule or mental psyche for anything else to go on.

Do you think if I type that a few times it would make a difference?

Okay, never mind.

The hot water heater leaking, and ultimately dying on us, last week was not in the plan. Adapting our budget to buy a brand new one - you guessed it - really not in the plan. The ear infection plaguing my one day post surgical K this week was not in the plan. The referral to an ENT - and talk of planning the next surgery - not my plan. I didn't think much of Noe almost losing his voice a couple of days ago, but the constant runny nose started to make me wonder. Not in the plan. As I was getting him ready for bed last night, and looking very forward to my own, I observed that every time he talked, he cried. He said his throat felt funny.

I helped him into his jammies and found his crocs. Because of our impending trip I knew I had to get him in to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible. The after hours clinic employees likely know us by name. I decided to nurse Kai one last time and get him settled in his bed. I went to change his diaper and lo and behold 3/4 of his body was covered in a rash.

Plan? What plan? Did some one have a plan?

So this is how I found myself in a booster seat in my mini van in the McDonald's parking lot soothing a sore throat with a strawberry shake and willing the minutes away until the pharmacy would have the two prescriptions ready. Strep and the beginning stages of bronchitis for Noe and strep, showing up as a rash (scarlet fever), for sweet baby Kai


From the time of drop off until our prescriptions were ready we waited exactly 1 hour. Noe and I giggled about silly songs on the radio and looked at all of the pretty lights in the city. Super over tired baby played peak-a-boo with us from his seat in front of us.

And plan B was frustrating, and really tiring, but ended up being surprisingly sweet in the midst of all of that.