Life of the Hime Kids

I started this post about 4 weeks ago, but then blogger wouldn't let me post it since I was out of 'free' space.  I have spent probably too much time today finishing it up-who knows what the kids have done creatively to their rooms, but is has warmed my heart, brought tears to my eyes and I have relieved some fun fun memories.  I wish I would have intermingled photos and text, but alas I not going to spend more time. :) Thankful my kids played together this morning so that I could post this!
And there are so many days that I have wanted to write this post.  I want to record what our kids are doing and what we are up to in words.  I know the photos are great and that is more my cup of tea, but putting it all together is so neat.  I am very thankful that we will have this to look back upon.  So without further ado...
*this is a looooong post.

 Katie-

*What a creative young lady you are becoming!
*You are five and learning so much each day that you are now teaching or trying to teach us all that you know.
*For school, though you are not in formal school, we still do learning to read in 20 lessons and some math each day.  It has taken along time for you to grasp reading, but in the past few weeks things are clicking in your brain.  You have begun to write us notes and to sound out words you see.  It has been frustrating and fun to see you understand letters/reading.  Beyond 'subjects' you are doing a lot of art, outside playing, play dates, learning to cook and doing chores around the house.
*Your best friend is Owen followed by Catie Beth Muse then Laney Carson-your ping pong (pin pal)
*If you could, you would have me continue reading for hours on end the Little House on the Prairie series.  In your pretend play you are either the mom to Magnolia and Lily or you live on the Prairie like Laura, Mary, Carrie and Grace.
*If we are outside playing you love riding your bike, creating a garden with Owen, drawling chalk or playing tag.
*Your sleeping is great.  You normally go to be at 8 and sleep until 7. We still can't figure out a way for you not to wake up to go the bathroom...but we will take you being hydrated.  :) And your sleeping stuffy is Bunny.
*You love to go on dates with Daddy or myself.  The Tea Room is one of your favorites or breakfast at Whole Foods.
*It is still a struggle for you to follow through with your chores without losing focus and ending up on a different task then what I assigned.  But that is a struggle of mine and I understand!  As long as you have a companion or have recruited someone to help you, you can accomplish anything. Daddy has said you have a recruiter personality and that is so true!  You want people to come join you in your struggles and joy!  One more heart struggle is to trust-to relinquish control over your way and accept our authority. You do not have ultimate control and we are praying you understand this quickly.
*You can make meals now-you like to do sandwiches and chips/crackers with a few veggies put on the plates. Todays lunch was yummy-thank you!
*Chores that you do around the house are, emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming, putting away your clothes and helping to set the table.
*If you could, you would dance the whole day in the kitchen listening to a variety of songs.
*You are definitely a affectionate bug.  This wasn't the case when you were little.  You were always wanting to get down and do your own thing.  But you love getting and giving hugs, sitting closely to us while we read or play games, physical affection is one way you show love...
*You love to play uno and do puzzles.
*You can talk and talk and talk and talk.  I don't think you ever run out of words!
*You have just started to think your own made up jokes are funny.
*We have listened to the Chronicles of Narnia a handful of times and you do not grow weary of listening to good stories.
*There are moments as I have watched you grow up that I wonder where the time went...you are getting so big.
*You have lost two bottom teeth.
*A favorite thing to do while playing is to drag everything out of your rooms to make some sort of house or vacation spot with pillows, books, dolls, animals.  Everything will be out in the living room in order to create this space.
*You love watching Angelina the Ballerina, Super Why, Curious George, some Veggie Tales, Bob the Builder (with Owen) and other movies.
*A few favorite foods-almost anything!  But pepperoni pizza, chocolate milk, pistachios, Lara Bars, apples, carrots and hummus, breakfast foods-scrambled eggs, noodles and sauce, hotdogs, cinnamon rolls...
*You love to read and read and read..every night we read the Bible and you amaze us with all the details that are stored away in your mind.  We pray those truths invade your heart!  You have sung many times and said this song/verse is about you...2 Corthinians 5:17, it is sung by the Rizers.  We are trusting God to make you a new creation-you have said you are in Christ!  We are SO excited about that...as we walk along side you we want you to know what that means and how that changes everything we do in life.

Birth to now

 

Owen-

*You are a piece of work.

*You are three and loving getting bigger.

*Every morning you do five push ups with Daddy.

*You won't allow us to call you our little boy any more-you are now a big boy.

*Your favorite friend is definitely Katie, followed by Noah Beaver or Evy Muse :).

*You'll play anything that Katie recruits you to play (dolls, fort, house).  But if given the opportunity to choose, you will play with puzzles, Muck (dump truck), Scoop, Moe (monkey), Clifford, Bean (bear) and Dog Dog.

*You love to wear your rain boots and work clothes-mostly overalls for working.

*When outside you are digging in the back garden, watering a leaf, riding your bike or cutting down trees.

*Your favorite foods right now is pizza, cereal, yogurt, noodles and sauce, hotdogs, bread and apples, though you pretty much will eat anything.

*You are working on your numbers and shapes right now for school.

*Almost every book you want to read has to do with a construction machine including street cleaners. And you can sit and read (flip pages) for quite a long time.

*You are taking swim lessons and can now swim to your coach for 3 seconds without help.

*Your sleeping is so much better then a year ago.  You sleep with Dog Dog and Bean. You go to bed around 8 and get up around 7. Lately, we have heard your feet tapping the floor in the middle of the night to come and snuggle next to me for 'two minutes'.  Then I put you back in your bed all happy and back asleep. And for naps you still take about an 1.5 hr nap around 1:00pm.  Oh, but Daddy also puts you back in bed at night to 'help' you stay in bed for sleeping.  

*You still suck your two middle fingers,  but we are going to help you stop probably after Christmas.  You are very content with your fingers and love to sit and cuddle.

*You are also a great encourager!

*You have just begun to sing your own made up songs.  You love to sing, "Rejoice, Rejoice Rejoice"  Or Old McDonald Had A Farm..."with a dog there, and a dog there, and a dog there, and a dog there, dogs were everywhere."  Though you say, there more like, "d'ere". 

*If you could grow up to be just like Daddy I am sure you would do in a New York minute!  You love helping him outside in the yard and you have the same spike in your hair since you two share the same cowlicks-something you love being twins with Daddy

*You love to watch Curious George, Super Why (I love that you answer the questions out loud the movie ask you :), Bob the Builder, Angelina the Ballerina with Katie and a few Veggie tales.

*You are a great helper in the house too.  You really have a servants heart.  You will help me cook in the kitchen.  Clean up any room in the house.  Take the folded clothes back to the correct room in Muck and wash the windows when I ask.  Right now you don't have any specific chores, but you do help with unloading the dishwasher with Katie and set the silverware at dinner.

*You are slowly growing in self control.  There have been less meltdowns and fits thrown as we and you have begun to pray for this fruit of the Spirit.  You are learning to ask people to reconsider if you don't agree with the answers to your questions.  A heart struggle of yours in complaining/falling apart in tears and we are praying that God will give you grace in this as well as strength to understand this life.

*We are praying that you will be courageous and humble.  That you would always find joy in serving and that your sweet smile would be a permeant fixture on your handsome face.

Birth to now

Sweet Kiddos, may you always be the best of friends!

Interesting Combo

Our little five year old, who is dressed up as "Laura Ingles Wilder" is walking around the house singing, "party rocker in the house tonight, come on we will have a good time."

(Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO)

Interesting combo... :)

Ever Fought with a Pomegranate?

These fruits are full of wonderful, filled with nutrients, but I have always had the hardest time deseeding them.  I have tried multiple methods since we taught The Odyssey in my classroom and Persephone eats a pomegranate.  We recently bought one and I was putting off deseeding it.  But here is a super way to beat those seeds out!  Here's how to win the battle!  Click here for the link.

Now go and buy one-we add ours to our smoothie.  :)

I Am Out of Space on Blogger

hence the lack of photos/posts...will update soon!

:)

Journaling-Saying that are shaping me...

"I signed up for this."
-My friend, Ruth, has said this numerous time when I mention how super busy she is with her four kids.  She always replies, I signed up for this.  She understood that life would be full with a husband/four kids/friends/family/house...and she is okay with that.  This short saying has helped me, a gentle reminder, that we chose to have kids.  Even if we though it would be dreamy (dressing up two cute kids, toting them to a holiday festivals, them smiling and not arguing, us with our coffee cups in hand having long conversations with family/friends while they play nicely), there are always two kids to the coin. :) Many days have come and gone that have been delightful and a huge blessing!  And also many days have come and gone that were difficult.   But I find myself repeating this saying and realizing in my heart that yes, I signed up for two kids, a house full of chores to be done, a husband that needs to be loved, relationships that need to be built, a fight for quietness and stillness before my King, serving those that need encouragement and it is okay. I can be thankful for what I have since I signed up for this life.

"Sometimes the days are long, but the years are short."
-An older lady stopped Justin and I in a store when Katie was about six weeks old.  I am sure she noticed how weary we were...She mentioned that Katie was a beautiful baby and then this saying.  It has definitely shaped how I view time with my kids.  To understand that some days are simply long and hard-and thats okay, but then when I look back already at Katie being five and Owen three...whew, it is true, the years are short.

"We are discipling our kids, which is an every minute on going process.  It's not about arriving; it is about being faithful."
-Justin and I were talking about this and it just never occurred to me to view raising our kids as discipleship.  Yes, we are discipling our kids. I used to have a saying on my mirror in High School that said, "there are little eyes upon you, watching what you do and say...", but for some odd reason this never translated into the raising of kids.  I subconsciously know this...but placing the term discipleship and training kids in the same sentence has put things into prospective.

"We live in a round a world."
-Justin told me this a few years ago.  I kept thinking as soon as we did "_____" things would change,  or things would settle down...life would be like I thought it would be.  But the truth is there is always another decision to be made and we don't turn corners we just keep going around.  Hopefully as we climb the mountain of life (going around and around and up the hill) we do continue to make decisions more quickly and with more wisdom.  So I am now more prone to be at rest in the current season of life and not look to turn a corner in order to enjoy more of the road God has us on.

"You will never feel the age you are.  You may be and look 89, but will feel decades younger.  You never feel like you thought you would feel at a specific age."
-My grandmother told me this and it has taught me much.  I remember her saying when she looks in the mirror she can tell she is old-all the wrinkles, her walker, her gray hair...But in her heart/mind she still wants to race the man next door because she feels she can beat him in a walker race.  :)  She says your memories take you to all different stages in your life and you can go back there with a simple thought. And for me I don't feel right now how I thought 34 would feel. I know I am getting older (I look in the mirror with my gray hairs and smile lines), but I still think of myself as a recent college grad though that was over 11 yrs ago.  I am thankful to know ahead of time that growing older needs to be filled with laughter, grace and acceptance in God's plan.  I don't want to grow into bitterness, but grace. We can't stop the days from winding down, but we can chose how to live those days.

"Be Faithful"
-To God, to your husband, to your kids, to your work, to your friends...

"You can't complain and be thankful at the same time."

"You narcissistic zero."
-ahhhh, thank you pastor Matt Chandler.  It is true, I think of myself way to often and way to highly... And it isn't about me.

"Be generous. God loved so much He gave."
-this includes: time, talent, treasure and relationships.

"In order to be a good cook, you need time and a delicious recipe."
-Make time and cooking will be enjoyable.  I have found that if the meal table is to be remembered as a wonderful family time, it is up to me to have that disposition.  And often times if I give cooking the time needed my heart is much calmer and it is more enjoyable for everyone.  The reality is I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  When I realized this truth it helped.  Helped me to slow down and want to bring yummy food to my family's bellies.

What saying are shaping you?  Please leave a comment and let me know!

A Fall Favorite

To me there is nothing better in the fall then picking apples.  We've made it a tradition every year for the past four to head west to Sky Top Orchards! This year we veered a little bit on our way home from Atlanta to stop and enjoy all the fall festivities.  

At first, we were bummed.  As we drove up the mountain (since it is 1 mile up) it began to sprinkle and the clouds/fog were thick.  But that didn't last long!  And though it was never entirely clear it was dry enough to go pick.  And again we hit it just right to pick Pink Lady apples.  Wahooooo!

I highly recommend this orchard to anyone wanting to pick or buy apples.  They also have apple desserts, cider-delicious, homemade donuts, jams, pumpkins, playgrounds, tractor rides...people come from all over the close states to have a family fun time.  

The Joys of Boys-Wordless Wednesday

Oh Hello, Katie-Laura-Ma Ingalls--Wordless Wednesday

A first

It's official!  Katie can now ride her bike.  I write that with a bit of sadness but also joy that God is growing her up! We went to the park on a gorgous Saturday and within 30 seconds she was peddling on her own.  

I loved that she said, "I am a Daddy's girl, since Daddy and I both learned to ride a bike on the first try!" 

And Owen was a super encouragement to her.  Cheering her on to ride and peddle.  I think this guy might have the gift of encouragement! :)

Owen also had his own practice on his balance bike and enjoyed every minute.

It truly was a family moment.  One that I want to remember and tuck back into my mind that the time flies so quickly.  And I also want to pray that we can share their joy as they learn new and exciting things! We want to be their biggest cheerleaders-allowing them to be safe to make mistakes with us, and yet cheering them on until they succeed. 

May you two always have learners hearts and a desire to try and learn new things!

Way to go Katie Grace!

GA Aquarium

Do you think we were excited to go to the aquarium???

Yep, we rode MARTA to downtown Atlanta and toured the HUGE aquarium on the Saturday after the NCF conference.  

I didn't take my camera since we were traveling light, but Justin's phone captured our fun time.  We went at a great time from 2:30-6pm.  By the late afternoon the crowds had really slimmed down.  Plus we were able to catch a live dolphin show for free, which was pretty neat!

 There were some awesome sights!  Whale Sharks, Beluga whales, tons and tons of tropical fish, otters, HUGE groupers, frogs and on and on I could go...

We loved riding through the tunnel of fish!

 This 2 story wall of glass (which was over 2 feet thick) was A mazing! I think we could have stayed and watched everything swim for a few hours.  

In this tank there were 6.3 million gallons of water!  It was as large as a football field without the endzones.  Incredible!

 There were pools where the kids could try to touch a ray or crab etc...we never quite touched one.

 Do you see Katie behind me?  She was SOOOO intent on waiting for the show to begin. She sat still like that for the whole 25 minutes before it began.  She loved everything about the performance!

 What a fun family outing!