love note

LOVE love notes from my man ~ on a scratch note, in an email, in a card ~ whatever. 

This was a fun realization for us this week: 

I'm the man you’ve lived with for 12.5 years now.  

Hey, we’re ¼ of the way to our 50^th anniversary!!!  

Happy 1/4^th 50^th, baby.

my 3 handsome men!

Sept!

Well, we've been a little busy since we landed from TX.. I would love to post all my favorites of the trip, but for now... just a few! 

Baby Shower Breakfast!  ~with sweet friends and a bonus mom! ~  

Lakeside, MT  Saturday 9/19

lots of great harvest from our garden ~ trying to keep up with the zucchini, especially!  The chickens are giving us a dozen eggs/day, and when its time for dinner I can ask Adrian to bring in potatoes, onion, or broccoli.  He has done a marvelous job with it this summer!  We also credit our chickens for eating bugs that haven't hurt the garden, and a barking dog who has kept the deer out!

I guess I took this photo because I like to see all my kids working on something.  Oh yes, I remember: this was the day I left Ella in charge, went to an appointment, and when I came home I was SO pleased to see them all sitting, in their right minds, being productive.  Love my kids!!

Our Little Cowboys

Our trip to Texas was grand!!

 Labor Day marked our return home.  I took out the camera to take one last photo of the kids before we boarded the plane in Dallas.  Adrian had gone to find drinking water, and unbeknownst to me, had come up behind me and was pretending to pour the water on my head-- thus the smiles.  :)

 Sneak peek: Favorites from my brother's Texas wedding!

baby T!

Whew, only about 5 weeks until we meet the newest member of our family!  I know this time is going to speed by...and we are so excited to discover the little one God has planned for us!

I'm pretty sure choosing a baby name is the only thing I enjoy about pregnancy.  Adrian and I have chosen not to share our baby name ideas in advance because we don't really want opinions, input or feedback before the baby is born.  We want to choose the name, and then let everybody else get used to it!

...and get used to it, you have!  My poor grandmother called J "Jackie", "Jockey" and "Jassy" before she finally got it right.  When we named O, we had NO IDEA there was a different pronunciation of his name depending on what part of the country you're from!  Thankfully babies grow into their names, and pretty soon Jaci and Orion don't seem so foreign anymore. 

So this time around, we are ready with a boy name* and a girl name.  Either way, let me introduce you to baby "T"!  If baby is of the girl variety, this name we've agreed upon & held onto for several years now.  Paired with the middle name, she will have the same syllable rhythm as each of her sisters.  If baby is a boy, his first name will end like all the other males in our family, and his middle name would echo the Spanish flavor of his brothers' middle names.  

*subject to change.  I called our 5th baby "Micah" through the entire pregnancy.  We discussed at length and officially named him at 3 days old.  

Got a guess?  Post a comment!  ;)

Satisfied.

I so regret not bringing my camera to this place, so I’ll have to describe the scene with words.  July 2- Ashley Lake, beautiful NW Montana, 90 degrees and an occasional cloud that makes the breeze pleasant.

From my sun faded, 10 season worn fold up camp chair, I am people watching…. this is truly a favorite pastime.  I could do it all day and feel entertained, educated, and called to prayer.  Satisfied.

One man next to us is so intriguing.  He has a story I can’t imagine.  He pulls up in his older but well maintained Dodge van.  It would be a 15 passenger if it had seats, but it has been converted to a camper of sorts.  The van’s frame is old – 80’sI think, but it has good tires and spotless leather seats up front.  He pulls the van up next to our little day spot next to the boat ramp.  There, he idles for about 40 minutes while he unloads his Zodiak raft from the roof of the van.  He has the system down, complete with carpeted 2x8’s that attach to the raft rack with a door hinge.  This man is an inventor, and he knows what he needs to get the job done.  Well, no big one man project is without a hitch, and he once he lets a foul word slip as he walked around the edge of the van.  Seeing me, he immediately follows with “Sorry, ma’am”.  I heard but had my head turned toward the children, and didn’t had time to acknowledge. 

Once the raft is in the water, the man opens 2 side doors of the van to reveal a disorganized combination of bare necessities:  Jack Daniels BBQ sauce, a bottle of syrup, a futon style chair.  He disappears into the van for a while and emerges wrestling a shiny blue boat motor: not what I would have guessed to be in the limited space. He is an older man, grey hair and frail voice showing his age.  His shirtless skin explains he has been outdoors much of this summer.  I wonder if his Carhartt cutoffs have been around longer than I’ve recognized the Carhartt brand?  His bowed legs remind me of a cowboy; his belly shape tells me he enjoys his drinks ~ the American way.  On my way back from a trek to our own van, I see the stranger has Oregon license plates, so I’m curious where he lives, but not the type to ask.

The other 6 people I am watching are my favorites.  We have happened upon a little cove where a stream quietly runs into Ashley Lake.  All around the stream are lush green grass, bushy trees, and wildflowers.  The lake is a stunning aqua color.  Adrian is the first to walk right in; Jaci and Aaron go wading with him.  Ella and Tessa begin playing in the cooler stream, and their idea to create a fountain results in all the kids moving handfuls of rocky beach and asking Adrian to lift heavier rocks into place.  Orion, sitting in a mini camp chair beside me, spots a seagull on the water and tells me it cannot fly.  I assure him I saw it fly before landing on the water, so together we watch for it to take flight. 

The sun makes the water glitter, and I feel so satisfied.  Today my kids are civil engineers: designing a dam, a bridge, a waterfall.  They are biologists: observing tadpoles, minnows, crawdads, leeches, and the butterfly that rested on Tessa’s hand.  They are true scientists as they experience the water and theorize about the critters. They are budding geologists picking out the unique stone to keep.  They are soaking up sun, spending time as a family, and they don’t even realize they are learning!

Satisfied.

4th of July

our perch for the parade!

"Can we ride with Daddy?"

ummmm, come to think of it, I guess we have never told him that you shouldn't have 3 at a time!

 

always fun to get out the 4th of July bin, to dress up!  

 

Ella's Patriotic party

May photos!

the girls' choir concert ~ Ella in turquoise; Tessa with a blue scarf!

free helmets from the hospital!
I have offered a reward to whomever has the shiniest helmet by the end of summer.

our little Timmy ~ not afraid to get his paws wet to go after those crawdads!

his sister Tika is a bit more skeptical...

planting the garden!

kid-isms

My kids have been cracking me up lately ~ so want to share it as a journal here.  I think I will never forget.. but I do!

May Track Meet!

So a week or so ago, Cubby was singing this nonsense rhyme that the older kids have taught him while jumping on the trampoline or clapping a pattern.  He was chanting, "My name is pom pom poodle, willy, willy, whiskers, my name is Fred, Fred, Fred, Freeze!"  Upon hearing him be able to say all of that in his tiny little voice, I said, "Orion, I wish you were learning useful things, like 2, 4, 6, 8, 10..."  He immediately replied, "Noooo!  Sat is maf!"  (translation, if needed: No!  That is math!)  I guess it was so cute to me that he knows numbers are math-- one of the zillions of things I have never told my kids, but they just absorb!  Today while I was making lunch for the kids, he set 5 bowls on the table without being asked ~ yet another quantity I didn't know his little mind could fathom!  Well, of course he can count, but how many  3 year olds know how many kids there are in their family?

it's cool to have sisters who do your hair...

Happy 3rd Birthday to a really awesome little guy
(but don't let him hear you call him little!)

*favorite*

With a little interest and a little diligence, Aaron has taken off with his own reading and math skills!  I am so excited for him, and glad that he has been gifted with (from what I can tell) a photographic memory, which will serve him well.  He was also hard wired with a very strong will, which we pray the Lord will use for His glory.  So as intelligent as he is, he is not an easy child for me to teach!  I have to change all the methods I've used for the past 7 years to be effective with him.  His ploys this week have included disrespect/defiance, answering my questions with silence, and purposely giving me goofy answers instead of correct ones.  Reflecting on this, I am glad the Lord reminded me to DO what works, and DITCH what doesn't!!  It doesn't work for this little boy to sit in a desk, look me in the eye, and answer canned questions.  He thrives on competition in a group setting.  He learns by having his hands move, so he will be allowed to color, build legos and crash cars while I recite.  I love the way the Lord keeps us on our knees!  

reading lesson

DIY bird costume

swimming lessons

Today Jaci's math lesson consisted of making a graph of a range of years that 20 pennies were minted.  It very quickly came to my attention that she had never heard of the 1900's.  Wow, I guess when you were born in 2008, that would be a foreign concept!

mmmm, tea party!

queen of the chickies

 

hurdles!

Ella and Tessa are cruising through their first introduction to our new classical curriculum!  We began in March in order "catch them up" before we join the Classical Conversations community in September!!  They are memorizing amazing amounts of information from Bible, History, Math, Science, English and Latin Grammar!  The Lord so clearly and plainly led us to this when we asked in prayer; we are all so excited for what is ahead!

I am proud of Ella because she is self motivated, helpful, and a beautiful person inside and out.  She recently completed a 14 hour Safe Sitter course, so we have begun allowing her to babysit her siblings for short stints.  She is very responsible, and now knows more about CPR than I do!

nature girl!

Ella planned, prepared and hosted a tea party all on her own!

high jump!

javelin! 

relay!

Tessa is the girl who loves to check off lists.  When I compose a list of chores and school work for her, she would happily go about working on it and come tell me when it is done!  Now, if I could just get such a list made every day... Since I don't, she is usually the one badgering me with the question, "Mom, can I be released from school now?"  What a kid!!!  She is mastering multiplication, and is a great help around the kitchen!

Tessa's 1st place long jump

hurdles!

yes!  She runs for those ribbons!

So, no summer off school for us ... obviously a decision I would have never made on my own, but I've been inspired by the Holy Spirit to do!  I'm so thankful for an uber-supportive husband, who is sitting down to drill our History Timeline (including 161 events and people from Creation to Present) in the evenings!  And answering math questions in a more professional way than I can!  He is sold, as I am, on the classical model; his support keeps me going!  He has also given me a few breaks by taking the kids to a nearby lake to catch snails, minnows and crawdads.  When they bring them home and put them in the kiddie pool to observe, I say-- best science lesson ever!

best dad ever

He has carried 5 so far...

We are having fun with an in depth study of the United States, including names of each President in chronological order and identifying each state by its shape and location (and I have to admit, I didn't know which were Rhode Island, Delaware, or Connecticut until now).  As another parent put it, "we are redeeming our education along with them!"  So fun to be in it together!

So, as a matter of coincidence, while we were pouring time into studying the amazing United States, Skirt Fixation offered this beautiful embroidered pillow, and so I commissioned one!!  This is one of my favorite blogs.  If you like skirts, sewing, or unique childrens' clothing, you should check out their website!
 

Today I saw the little sign that I hung above the school room door peeling off the paint.  It reads, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"  Seeing it half hanging there struck me as real irony ~ right about now, I can only do about 1/2 of things, through Christ who strengthens me!  A pregnant lady gets asked hundreds of times, "How are you feeling?"  My standard reply has become: "I will feel better in October".

we all love hikes!  With Grandpa Dave.

best P.E. class ever

one last afternoon to enjoy Violet Lane!