Greek Feasts and Flower Beds :)

Almost two weeks....that's how long it's been since I've posted on here. We're finishing up our last two weeks of school, and I've been fully occupied doing end-of -the year organizing, etc. I looked on my camera tonight and saw that I had a bit of catching up to do. But first, before I bombard you with the happenings in our life, a word from the cutest one year old walking the face of the planet:

 See? Isn't he cute? Those blue eyes get me every time! (By the way, he has a bit of a cold, and someone asked me if he could be teething---haha! He already has at least 16 teeth, so I certainly hope he's not getting any more at the moment!)


So I mentioned we're finishing up our school year. We ended our ancient world studies last week with a 'Greek Feast'. Zeus and Athena joined us.......

Appetizers of dates, almonds and olives.......

He really did like them, he was just thoughtfully contemplating everything :)

1st course of eggs and melons....

Main course was fish and toast with tomato/oregano/feta spread. Dessert was Galatopita, a Greek-style  custard, but I forgot to get a picture of it.

Today, the kids and I decided to tackle the flower bed behind our house:

Okay, so it looked more like a weed bed. I hadn't done anything with it since before Reagan was born, so the weeds and rocks kind of over took it.

We pulled weeds, dug out rocks and dug in the dirt for two full hours. Cosette and Eli worked like champs! I like when we can work together and conquer something like this! It's so satisfying to look back at it later and know you got the job done :)

Finally, the fun part---planting the flowers!

We were quite proud of our finished product :)

Five Things I want my daughter to know

Tomorrow I will celebrate Mother's Day. Cosette Elise, YOU are the one who first made me a mother. I knew I always wanted to be a mother, and when they placed you in my arms, I felt SO blessed to have that desire answered. There are many women still waiting to become mothers, and the fact that I get to be yours makes my heart sing with gratefulness.

This year, you will turn nine. NINE. One year away from double digits. You are not a baby anymore....not even a little kid.....you are turning into a beautiful young lady. And as you get older, there are so many important things that I want to make sure you are aware of. This world can be a cruel place, and if you are prepared with a few simple truths, you will sail through it so much easier. So......

1. Value the love of your Heavenly Father above all else. Value that love above achievements, above schooling, above intellect, above career or income, even above the desire to be a wife or mother. Seek His love each and every day. Fall on your knees and seek HIS advice before you head to google, politics, friends, or the latest fashion magazine. A true women of God has beauty radiating from her that no make-up or hairstyle can ever copy. Look to the wonderful women God has placed in your life already and copy their habits--daily Bible reading, prayer, worship, etc. 
                                                                                                                   






2. 'Modesty is the best policy'---but you already know that. I see you making wise choices even now. Rejecting a skirt that's a bit too short---layering that tank top under a shirt---I'm so proud of the decisions you are making. You see, when people look at you, you want your life to radiate Christ. But it's hard for them to see 'Christ in you' when all they can see is....well....you! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that fashion is bad, or that you should ignore how you look. God made you a woman, and you are beautiful. God loves beautiful things. Take care of yourself, care about how you look, take care of the body He has given you. Choose clothes that are beautiful and bring honor and glory to God, and dress in  a way that reflects your love for Him.


3. Be confidant in who you are and how you look. And I do not mean 'proud'. I do not mean for you to be caught up in your looks, in your appearance, until it becomes all-consuming and like an 'idol'. The Bible tells us that God looks at the heart. True beauty comes from within. What I AM saying is this---The world will try to criticize everything about you---either you are too tall or too short, too skinny or too fat, your hair is too thick or too thin, your skin too tanned or too light. Let me tell you this now, my daughter---the world doesn't know what it is talking about! You are made just right, JUST like you are! Whether you are 4' 11'' or 6' 3'', God made you exactly as He intended to. I know this all for a fact! For years, I hated my thick, coarse hair. I was sure that God had 'messed up' when he 'blessed' me with this hair. Your Grandma Karen would always tell me " Jaime, your hair is beautiful! Some girls would love to have your hair''. But still, I looked at the popular, flat-ironed hair of the day and was sure that mine was just awful. But do you know what Daddy tells me now? That my thick hair is one of the things he's always loved about me. Imagine that----what I THOUGHT was my worst quality was actually something that Daddy loved. So be happy with who you are, Cosette.

4.  Be content with where you are. The Bible tells us that God will never leave us or forsake us. No matter where you are or what you are doing in life, God will be with you. The grass will always look greener on the other side of the fence. It will be easy to think things like "Oh, if I only had more money like so and so, THEN I could be happy", or " When I finally finish school, THEN I will be happy", or "If I were only married, THEN I could be happy". The truth is, all of life is a journey, and if you are constantly waiting for the 'next' thing to happen, you will miss the journey on the way. Rejoice that you are where you are today, with a Heavenly Father Who loves you enough to send His Son for YOU. And then, LIVE LIFE!!


5.  And finally, continue to cultivate that compassionate, caring spirit I am so delighted to see taking shape in you. When you visit our older neighbors down the street and take them flowers or cookies, it makes my heart sing. When you say that you want to care for orphans and older people when you grow up, this reflects the love of Christ in your life. It proves to me that you are growing beyond just caring for yourself---you are becoming open and compassionate towards the needs of others, and the Bible tells us that THIS is 'true religion'. You are showing the love of Christ in your life, Cosette, and continue to let that light shine!


Cosette, you are my sweet daughter. There is nothing else that would make me more joyful than to see you grow up to be a beautiful woman of God. Thank you for making my first Mother's Day possible all those years ago,  and thank you for the sweet young lady you are becoming!

                                                                   Love,
                                                                     Mom

Each of them unique

I'm sitting here today, reflecting on the differences in my children. Each one has their own personality quirks, strengths and weaknesses, and defining characteristics. Some of these things are important for Joel and I to be aware of. For instance, if a child's weakness is lying, we need to be on top of things, training that child in the value of truth, and praying consistently for them to mature in this area.

   However, there are other things that are just plain cute, things that make me smile, things that make me glad that each child is their 'own person'. These little quirks provide me with so much amusement that I thought I'd share some of them with you here.

1. Whenever I vacuum, Leanna RUNS from the vacuum----Reagan chases it :)

2. Leanna flushes the potty consistently each and every time---I think my boys will be 52 before they remember to flush the potty! (Sorry, future wives, I'm trying!!)

3. Cosette can not STAND even the sight of asparagus----Eli regularly asks for it as a special treat.

4. Noah hates getting water in his face---Leanna dumps as many buckets of water on her head as she can during bath time.

5.  Noah was walking by the time he was nine months old---Reagan is over 13 months and is only starting to show interest in taking a step here or there.

6.  Eli trys to find more and more things to dump hot sauce on---Cosette prefers her food as mild as possible.

7. When playing trucks with Daddy recently, Noah was making great trucks sounds and crashing them all over the place----Leanna declared that this truck was 'Daddy' and this truck was 'Mommy' :)

8. Cosette is my fast eater, wasting no time in finishing her plate. Noah sometimes labors over each and every bite, chewing slowly, and well, shall we say 'thoughtfully'.

9. Cosette is often shedding sweaters and socks, declaring that it's 'so hot' in here---Leanna consistently walks around with goose bumps on her arms, going 'Brrr! brrr!!'

10. In school, both of my older kids work hard and do great in all their subjects, but Cosette definitely excels in math, and Eli is a top-notch speller.

11. Cosette is a very light sleeper and has, on occasion, been found walking around her room still half asleep. In fact, I've had conversations with her before that she doesn't even remember the next morning. Eli, however, sleeps like a log---it is impossible to wake him up!

12.  Three of my kids have blue eyes (never saw that one coming!!), one has dark brown eyes that are almost black (Noah!) and one (Eli), has my hazel colored eyes. Eli is also the only child that doesn't have his Daddy's blood type. (I remember weird things that this about my kids. Do all you parents also have your kids blood types memorized? Hey, these are important things to know! :)


And there you have it. Each one of my children, unique and special.  I do have to say though, out of that list above, my favorite moment was when Reagan chased the vacuum ;)

Just a couple  'end of the week, making me smile' snapshots :) 

His smile is SO contagious! 

This girl really loves her popsicles!

Cosette and I really enjoy having flowers in the house--we've

both been trying to do better about keeping fresh arrangments

on the table and other prominent places. There's just something

so uplifting about some pretty flowers!

Cute little heads sticking up from under cozy quilts--need 

I say more??

It's rare I get them all in one photo, so here you are---as imperfect

of a shot as it is, I managed to capture all five of my beautiful

 blessings :)

'Pupple' Gum

Purple gum. Leanna is obsessed with it! Or, as she would call it, "Pupple Gum" I'm not sure what got her going on it----I'm not even sure if she had even had it before. I usually buy the plain, boring, sugar-free white peppermint kind.  All I  know is that one day, I asked her what she would like to do for her birthday that's coming up next month, and she replied "Eat Pupple Gum" Hmmm...well, that's an easy request to fulfill!

Now, almost every answer that she gives is 'Pupple Gum', even when it doesn't make sense. Here are a few sample conversations:

Me: Leanna, do you want a snack?
Leanna: Yep, Pupple Gum!

Me: Leanna, what do you like best about Sunday School?
Leanna: Pupple Gum! (see what I mean about it not making sense sometimes??)

Me: Leanna, what would you like to do now?
Leanna: Eat Pupple Gum!


She's even been making up little ditty's about purple gum. The other day, I heard her singing something that went like this: "Pupple gum, pupple gum, I want pupple gum. Geen gum, 'ellow' gum, Pupple, Pupple Gum" ( I guess she had to add a little variety there for any chances at a best-seller ;)

So there we were, standing in the check-out lane at WalMart, innocently waiting our turn, when suddenly, my daughter turns her head to look at the candy display and sees............PUPPLE GUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How, how, HOW could I say no??

A date with Cosette

She stood in line, proudly holding her purchases. Two head bands, one container of lip gloss and a pack of bubble gum. All purchased with her hard-earned allowance. And let me tell you, this girl can work---both given chores AND voluntary 'helping out'. It's not unusual to see her setting the table, sweeping up a pile of crumbs, or entertaining her baby brother.

I smiled to myself, thinking how grown up and mature she is getting. We had decided to take this impromptu mommy/daughter date this evening when we realized that all the little people were asleep in bed, and Daddy was still working on his sermon. Perfect time for me and her to steal away for an hour. I'd been wanting to spend some time just with her, but life sometimes gets in the way. But tonight finally found us out together for a little while. Her requests? Dollar General to spend some allowance money, and then a quick stop at Pilot for some hot chocolate.

And now here she stood, patiently waiting her turn in line to pay. She looked up at me and grinned, slipping her hand into mine. I smiled to myself, glad that at 81/2, she's still willing to hold my hand.

As I paid for our hot chocolates later in Pilot, she said in the most sincere voice ''Mama, thank you SO much for tonight!" The sincere love and appreciation in her voice caught me a little off guard, and I had one of those 'Mama moments', when your heart just fills to over-flowing with love for one of your little ones.

I remembered back to when she was a tiny new-born, and the nurse laid her in my arms for the very first time....and she promptly pooped all over me, haha :) Aahhh....what an introduction to motherhood! And it's had it's 'up' moments and it's 'down' moments ever since then, but I wouldn't trade it in for anything.

As we drove home, we discussed lots of the happenings in her life---from soccer practice to homeschool group to how funny Leanna can be sometimes.

The time away= about an hour
The cost of the date=about 6.00
The gift of spending time talking to my daughter= Priceless :)

How about YOU. Do you go on 'dates' with your kids? Something to think about :)

Spring!

From the first hug and 'mornin', mama' from Leanna in the morning, to the final sweet slobbery kiss from Regan in the evenings, this life as 'Mama' is a blessing.....

Today, we kind of combined art and science......baking soda plus colored vinegar= a whole lot of fun and a bit of a mess ;)

Noah made a snowman out of his to start with.

Leanna went 'ooh, ahh!' every time her vinegar and baking soda fizzled. It was pretty cute!

Cosette ended up with a nice, neat, tidy art project. (Loved Cosette's hair in this bun today---she looked exceptionally pretty and grown-up!)

Noah's was....not so tidy...but he loved it! :)

Eli enjoyed mixing the colors to see what he could come up with.

After nap-time, the rain had stopped and we all wanted to head outside.

Tulips are blooming!!!!!!!

Loved how the wind was blowing her hair every time she swung back. 

This next series of pictures shows how hard it is to get a 'final' picture with a two year old. A friend gave us matching dresses for the girls, and I wanted to get their picture in them. Leanna refused to cooperate. The first picture is just Cosette......

Then, leanna finally decided to join, but she wouldn't look at the camera, so Cosette was trying to get her to cooperate.

Now she's making a totally goofy face....

Ahhh....well, this one will do :)