Life At The Circus

Lately some friends from church have been having babies and it is quite humorous to observe all the face book stalking that takes place now a days when one is in labor.  Even just 3 yrs ago when I had my youngest, it wasn’t like this.  Now when your in labor you update your status before heading to the hospital and then the whole world is checking your page and your close friends page looking for updates.  So much productivity for all your friends and relatives is lost as people keep checking profiles hoping for status updates.   3 years ago we would call a few close friends on our cell phone and let them pass the word along via phone chains… so old fashioned… now all 258 of your friends (some whom you haven’t seen in 10 yrs) can know at the same time with a simple status update on your laptop or phone.  As I watch (and read about) my friends having their babies and with my due date just about a month away, I can’t help but think back on my previous three...

In the past week I’ve had some humorous discussions about my ever growing belly.  I had forgotten the funny things kids will do and say to a women with a big belly.  I was teaching 3 rd grade when I was pregnant with my son and my students were a never ending source of comical observations on my pregnant belly. But, my own children are quite used to pregnancy.  They get it more than most.  I realized the other day that for my son I have been pregnant 27 months of his life… that means that for over 2 of his 6 yrs he’s lived with a pregnant momma.  (poor guy I know)! Last week I was one of the parent volunteers at my son’s tutorial.  An adorable 4 yr old girl asked me why by belly was so big.  I told her it was because I had a baby in there.  She then asked, “Did you eat the baby?” The girls in the kindergarten class seemed unable to keep their hands off of my belly.  Every time they saw me, they’d come over and rub it and say, “Your baby...

We took a lot of pictures of my son’s first baseball game of the season, but without a doubt, this one is my favorite. His look truly says it all.   Is that the face of a happy ball player or what? This is what little league is all about…the pure love of the game.  May he never outgrow it. Visit here or here for more picture fun.

Last week my son was reading a list of words in one of his readers.  One of the words was “keg.”  He asked what a keg was.   I was trying to figure out the best way to describe it and so I said it was like a a big container with a spout that you could get a drink from.  “Oh,” he said with a look of recognition.  “I know what your talking about, like what we get lemonade from at church.”    That’s what I get for trying to be vague instead of just going out and saying it was for beer. Whoever put the word keg in a kindergartner reader is the one I will hold responsible when my child shows up at church asking for a keg.  For more innocent childhood blunders, visit Tiny Talk Tuesday .

If you were interested in the book and didn’t win, you can always order it here .  (by clicking through my site you will help support refugees in Sudan )       Now for the winners… (thanks to random number generator) Random Integer Generator Here are your random numbers: 14 18 6 19 Timestamp: 2010-04-27 00:31:20 UTC #6- Nicola #14- Happy #18- Heather #19- Your Mom Congratulations!!  Use this to contact  me  and send me your mailing address so I can get your copy of the book out to you soon!

As the kids and I frolicked around the local farm park with friends the other day, I couldn’t help but smirk at my youngest in her “farm girl” attire. As she eagerly peeked in on the baby piglets in with her dazzling shades and hot pink purse… She wrinkled her nose and said, “Mommy, something is stinky!” I couldn’t help but think of Za Za Gabor in Green Acres. Anyone else notice the resemblance?

Today I’d like to give a shout out to my maternal grandmother, whom I have lovingly called, “Mema” for as long as I can remember.  I have this vivid picture in my mind of me in high school showing her and my Pap how to work our computer.  I recall her being completely baffled by it and saying something to the effect of, “You’ll never catch me on that thing!”  I remembered there being a picture of the event and when my parents were visiting last week I asked my mom if she knew where it was.  Funny how my memory of the event didn’t include my ginormously puffy bangs… hello early nineties… The thing is Mema was wrong… completely wrong.  Not only have I caught her on that thing… but she owns her own (and a laptop too).  And not only does she own her own laptop but she e-mails her grandchildren on it, she faithfully checks and comments on my blog, and she even has her own face book account.  I love the fact that she didn’t let technology overwhelm...

In the interest of keeping it real, I’m going to tell you that I have not really been much for the whole green fad that has swept my generation.  While we do recycle, that’s about the extent of it.  Then a few years ago my pastor gave a sermon during a series on stewardship that hit home for me.  He talked about the fact that while God did make the world for us to enjoy and inhabit, it didn’t mean he made it for us to squander and trash.  He talked about stewardship in terms of taking care of God’s creation.  I realized that I had been treating this would with a sense of entitlement and with little care to how I effected the environment or creation.  Recently, I read the book Green Mama… the guilt free Guide to Helping you and your Kids save the planet by Tracey Bianchi.  I really like this book b/c it is real and down to earth.  Tracey isn’t preachy and doesn’t make you feel like scum if you aren’t using cloth diapers or organic sheets....

10 years ago we came…spread a blanket out on the sandy shore to watch the sunset.  Today we came, with sandwiches and Doritos.  This time there was a picnic table where we had spread our blanket.  And we watched the sunset mirrored in the faces of our three children.   10 years ago it was quiet… we held hands and sat close on the blanket. Tonight there was sand in our shoes and children squirming…. 10 years ago we sat up all  night and talked and dreamed of our future together. Tonight we held our future in our arms (and my belly).  1o years ago we spent the day in Washington D.C., then topped it off by watching the sunset at our park.  Scott got down on one knee and declared his love for me before asking me to be his wife.  And tonight we celebrated that anniversary with a picnic dinner at sunset. Thank you Scott for asking me to be your wife 10 years ago today and thanks for making all my dreams come true....

My daughter really is a very patient teacher’s assistant.  She will sit quietly without ever saying a word and listen to her big brother as he sounds out the words to read the Bible story each night.  It is quite precious. And the other day I discovered that having her quiz him on flashcards is the perfect way to let her be involved in school.  She happily sits and holds the cards up for him and will praise him when he gets the answers correct. Leaving me free to fold laundry or eat bon-bons…whatever the case may be! More picture fun can be found here or here on Wednesday!

As I’ve already made well aware , I am not exactly a fashion guru.  You won’t find me flipping through the pages of Cosmopolitan in my free time.  My nails are rarely done and my idea of styling my hair involves taking the time to blow dry rather than air dry. I wanted to look cute when Scott and I went on a date a few weeks ago.   I was so excited because my friend had just lent me some adorable maternity clothes so I didn’t really give my thought to my wardrobe till about 30 min before we were going to leave when I began to change.  Only to discover that those cute dresses were not going to fit over my very pregnant belly. No problem, I’ll just wear that cute jean skirt she threw in there with a maternity top.  Only that cute small jean skirt wasn’t looking so cute on my not so small hips.  With 4 outfits discarded on the bed and Scott due to arrive home in 15 minutes, panic was starting to set in.   After all, I didn’t want to wear...

You know warm days are once again upon us, when you stumble across your bathroom sink looking like this. Probably had something to do with the hours my kids spent digging in the dirt in our backyard this afternoon. While they didn’t quite make it to China, they were thrilled to dig down to clay.  I love spring… even with the rings round my tub and the dirt deposits left in my sinks.

6 years ago, I was also carrying a baby in my belly.   (In fact, this picture was taken exactly 6 yrs ago to the date).  The nursery was prepped, the hospital bag had long been packed.   I was basically sitting around waiting to have a baby. I do not recommend going with that strategy… what a long week of waiting that was.  Now I try to plan things right up to and past the due date, so I am not in that hurry up and wait mode.        I had no idea how my world was going to change in the next week.  You think you know, you think your ready, but until that moment arrives and you’re holding that precious new life in your arms, you just don’t know.  Even though my son slept like a log that first night, I barely slept at all.  You know how babies hit that deep sleep, and you can’t wake them for anything, shortly after being born?  I know wisdom would have had me sleeping while he slept, but I just kept st...

This weekend my daughter had her second soccer game and I am happy to report it went MUCH better than her first .  No tears or pouting and lots of smiles and cute waves to Mom and Dad on the sidelines.  She enthusiastically went after the ball and always cheerfully raised her hand to kick off or make the corner kick when they asked for volunteers.   Like I said, a drastic improvement over game one .  What a joy it was to watch her smiling face as she ran after the ball on Sunday. I think it is kinda funny to watch the kids in the background of this shot.  I cropped them out for the above picture so you could see her action shot without distraction.  But, I can’t help but show you the bigger picture as well, b/c it makes me chuckle. The kid from the yellow team looks totally dejected as she runs past with the ball (that’s my girl) and I love how her team mate appears to be summoning his super powers to propel her up the field. More picture fu...

A few years ago a woman from my church passed out these prayer cards written by Bob Hostetler to the ladies in our MOPS group.  Each card had 31 Biblical Virtues to pray for your children, with verses included.  I thought this was a great idea and instantly tucked it away inside my Bible. Only to forget about it and lose track of it with all the other papers stuffed in there. While doing some cleaning recently I stumbled across the card again and decided to put it up on my fridge instead.  Because the kitchen is pretty much the center of my home and where I spend the majority of my time it seems.  With the card up on my fridge, I see it throughout the day and am prompted to pray for that days virtue for my children.  I am so excited to pray more specifically for my kids.  Not only does the card help me with that, but it also has helped me to focus in on the traits that I want to be instilling in my children.  It serves as a great reminder to m...

I went in to wake my daughter from nap time today and found her like this. I’m not sure if she fell asleep while playing or if she was just doing all she could to keep herself from falling asleep.  Either way, looks rather uncomfortable to me. Then there’s her sister. We looked down during a soccer game a few weeks ago and found her like this. Yes, that would be my youngest asleep ON the soccer field, during a game. And, yes, I took a picture of her sleeping on the field, before I removed her. Seems, if they are tired enough, my girls will sleep in the most unusual positions. 

Dear Sweet Baby of Mine, Every time I sit down or lay down I can feel you move around inside of me.  You are more active than any of your sisters or brother were in the womb.  Perhaps you are trying to tell us already that you are eager to jump in and join in the chaos and fun that is our family.    The feeling of you turning over or kicking and punching my sides…it’s almost as if you are saying, “Hey Mom!  I’m here!”  Since I am fairly certain you are the last baby I will carry in my womb, I treasure each of these movements.  I wonder if I will miss feeling you inside of me, once you are here. I want you to know dear one that while none of us have yet laid eyes on you, nor held you in our arms, you are already deeply and profoundly loved and cherished and a very real part of our family. Your oldest sister is always quick to point out that we have 4 kids in our family and if ever I have to leave your brother or sisters behind to go somewhere...

This weekend was full of family fun and excitement!  Saturday morning the kids went to the neighborhood egg hunt with both sets of grandparents, while Scott and I went to a wedding reception. The kids had a blast finding eggs and getting their faces painted.  (some enjoyed the face paint more than others) That evening (after my son and I got back from a trip to the the after hours clinic where he was diagnosed with pneumonia), we gathered the grands again to dye Easter eggs with us! Since last year we were in Texas for Easter , this was the first time my youngest got to participate in egg dying.  Can you tell she loved it? Don’t you love the intensity in his face?  Check out that tongue! And my oldest daughter really got into it this year as well.  She was quite pleased with her art work. Then on Sunday, we had everyone together again for an Easter lunch after worshipping together at church. After lunch, everyone went home and the circu...

Since before each of my children were born, my hearts deepest desire has been for them to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.   My son has demonstrated to us numerous times through various conversations that he recognizes he is a sinner and Christ died on the cross to forgive his sins.  My girls have not come to that point yet, but this Easter season we got one step closer.  We did the Resurrection Eggs with the kids this year and the way we did it was to start 12 days prior to Easter and open one egg each day leading up to Easter Sunday, opening the 12th egg, Easter night.  We would spend time review the previously discussed eggs each night, with the hopes of truly solidifying the Easter story in their hearts and minds and helping them to grasp the significance of the events leading up to our Lord’s death and resurrection.  One night we were discussing the cross and my husband asked my oldest daughter some questions.  “Who died on the cros...

When it comes to books and movies, one favorite category of mine is crime drama.  If the back cover mentions CIA, FBI, or any other government agency, you can bet I’d give it a try.  I was quite excited when I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Lis Wiehl’s book Hand of Fate and review it on my blog.  The book centers on 3 friends, (one a crime reporter, one a federal prosecutor, and the other an FBI agent) as they work together to solve the death of radio talk show personality, Jim Fate.  His death prompted panic in the city of Portland, OR, as terrorism was suspected.   This type of book is right up my alley.  The book was a quick read.  I easily read it in two evenings.  It wasn’t overly captivating, and I must confess I did not find myself staying awake all night to finish it, like I have with some other crime dramas.  Though I will say that I didn’t  expect the ending.  I love when books have a surprise ...