Family Photos Taken in Oklahoma

While we were in Oklahoma, my mother-in-law/love booked a photographer to come take photos of the family while we were all in town.  I do not like to be photographed, and I especially do not like to be photographed while standing beside all my gorgeous in-laws, many of whom have professional modeling experience.  During the craziness of the move over Christmas, I had really let myself go physically, so I did not have a good attitude initially about these photos.  Yet, the clothing colors my MIL selected would match our new house perfectly, and we really did need new family photos for the new house.  So what I initially dreaded turned out to be a tremendous blessing!  (Gift #477)  Yes, I wish the kids had been in better moods and had not looked so much like they were in tremendous pain or agony, but as my kids like to repeat back to me after hearing me say it repeatedly during the whiny years, "You get what you get, and you don't fuss a bit." The majority of our photos from that photo shoot on Grandma and Grandma's land in Oklahoma right after the ice melted a few days after Christmas are posted below.

Random thoughts and quips since we moved in late December

I am still trying to play blog catch-up since the move.  We're still overwhelmed by all the unpacking and home improvement projects in process around us, but we're in!  We are finally in!  We took the following photo when we left for church that first Sunday after the move.  Our habit had always been to drop by this place after church to check on construction progress, but on this day, we left from this place to go to church, and several different sets of friends dropped by to check on our progress unpacking instead.  What a gift to finally be here! (Gift #466)

Children are a gift from the Lord.  There is no doubt about that, but some days I feel guilty for not enjoying this parenting journey like the country song (scroll down for the lyrics) says I should.  I must slow down and cherish the blessings along the way because when I get in a hurry or in a tizzy over all the work they create for me, I miss the gift and lose the joy.  So, I thought I would share a few recent quotes and antidotes of the kids to remind myself that they still regularly amuse and entertain in the midst of the inevitable trials that come with raising children.

My son started attending our daughter's school in January.  I agonized over having him go to such a strict, scary place and knew I would be so lonely without him. I worried that we should not have made him repeat a grade (he skipped a grade at his previous school) so he could go through the rest of his school years with kids his own age.  But regardless of grade, he certainly got the right teacher, so that is a blessing indeed.  She is so dedicated, loves her students, and has told me that she draws much encouragement from our son's sweet smile and steady focus during her presentations. (Gift #467)

First day at the new school

I have also lamented over how we would afford tuition for two kids at this school which is twice as expensive as the last one they attended before our move. I have interviewed for several part-time jobs but cannot make peace about investing that much time away from home.  I am also lamenting the low pay rates available for part-time work for someone who has been out of the workforce to stay home with the kids for the past nine years compared to what I made ten years ago.  It was a sacrifice I do not regret, but it does make coming up with enough money to offset tuition more time consuming than homeschooling them myself could ever be.  But alas, that option no longer works for our family, at least not at this time.

I am continuing my tutoring business and have added a new student.  I was overjoyed beyond measure to see him raise his failing grades to high As and high Bs after only two sessions.  It is amazing to watch God work such miracles, for I did nothing but offer my time.  God works miracle apart from anything mere mortals could ever do in a way that assures that only He gets the glory.  (Gift #468) 

Now back to the kids' shenanigans:

When my daughter won all those medals at her first gymnastics meet (Gift #469), my husband had the following conversation with the kids:

Dad:  Where should we eat for our celebration dinner?

Kids (in unison):   Zaxby's

Dad:   When have you ever eaten there?

Daughter:     Mom took us there when I was 3 and she was temporarily not into health so much. Those were the golden days!

Speaking of food, my 7-year-old recently had the following things to say about food: 

"I feel really sorry for my new friend at school because he ate two hotdogs for lunch today which means he just cut his lifespan by 14 years."

(So I guess my lecture on nitrites, nitrates and leftover pig parts was a little too much for him a few years ago.)

When I asked him if he wanted steak or pork for dinner one night, he said, "I want pork because eating steak is against Chick-fil-A laws."

 I also recently over heard my son tell his neighborhood friend, "You really should start eating breakfast. Don't you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it's the only meal that doesn't involve vegetables."

I guess I need to start serving vegetable omelets, zucchini pancakes, and sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes for breakfast.

Should potty antics come after food comments?  While my kids are using the restroom, I have heard them singing praise songs, history facts, Latin declensions, math tables, and attempts at opera. There they have read books, studied science, written papers, and built Lego boats. Recently I heard squawks from the tin whistle blasting from the girl's jungle themed bathroom. Is the bathroom simply that inspiring or do kids retreat to the bathroom to avoid chores in the same way moms of small children retreat to the bathroom for a brief moment of solitude?  Whatever the case, I'm thankful whenever my kids feel intellectually inspired, even if the inspiration happens in the bathroom. (Gift #470)

Now that we have just moved to the other side of our new town, I have been using GPS often as I run errands.  When I got into the car the other day with the kids to do some shopping, I turned on the GPS unit, and the route guidance immediately started directing me to Disney World!  My sneaky kid struck again and made me laugh. (Gift #471) 

While I have thoroughly enjoyed tutoring high school math, I have been at a loss as to how to help my daughter improve in penmanship since her teacher's standards are so high that I would likely fail penmanship were I her student. Then my little gymnast decided to pretend the lines on her notebook paper were parallel bars and the letters were various positions of a competitive gymnastics routine. Straight body lines and perfect arches are key to scoring a perfect 10, so now the subject she once hated has become a fun gymnastics routine she loves.  I love the way that girl thinks, and am always thankful for an educational breakthrough. (Gift #472)

The kids bring love, joy, and laughter, but nothing compares to nuggets of truth gleaned from God's word.  Here are a few inspirational thoughts that have held me recently:

Perhaps the reason our culture's perspectives of beauty and freedom are so skewed is because we have lost respect for true holiness and He who possess all holiness and bestows it through the work of His Son. See Psalm 27:4, 1 Chronicles 16:29, and 1 Tim. 2:9-11.

 "Holiness is at the core of beauty and freedom, for these are the result when evil is absent or has been cut away....Consider, for an earthly example, a sparkling mountain stream fed by melting snow. This picture stands in sharp contrast to the ugliness of a stagnant, murky pond filled with smelly waste." (Myrna Alexander) 

I keep a similar reminder up on the wall of our exercise room.  Pursue holiness which is only given through the blood of Christ above all else.

This post, "Lover or Prostitute: The Question that Changed My Life" has had me thinking about my personal relationship with the Lord and how I can help my children enter into a more intimate relationship with Him out of love, not just want...the want for what He gives instead of who He is.  I am so thankful for the way that post has me seeking Him deeper.  (Gift #473)

I recently wrote a set of devotionals for our women's ministry at church about our journey from the old house that would not sell to the apartment and then to this house and how God gave me a vision for what He wants us to do here.  He painted a clear picture of what our community would be like in terms of diversity of worldviews, and it has turned out to match that vision perfectly.  I am so grateful that He chose to give me a forewarning so that I could prepare myself to engage lovingly cross culturally (Gift #474).  The  prospect excited me as I have always loved meeting people from all over the world, but I do better when I have time to pray and ponder over what lies ahead.

I did specifically ask for one like minded family to join us in this community, and I only asked for one.  That prayer has been answered, and I am so glad the Lord revealed one family to me as soon as they moved in.  Specific answers to prayer are such a gift as they strengthen our faith.  (Gift #475)

Part of the vision, which I believe came from God,  I had for our new home was that it should be a gathering place, retreat, or safe house for the neighborhood, community, or anyone passing through from the uttermost parts of the world.  Recognizing what a gift this home is, I am to share it willingly. I desire God's will, and we built this house with that vision in mind, but I am also fallen and entirely selfish.  I do not like to share what I work so hard to build and keep clean, but joy comes in giving, so share I must.

I had no idea how this vision would unfold or how others would begin coming to our home, but like the famous movie line says, I had to believe that "if you build it, they will come".  My faith was tested when little things occurred outside of my control which I feared would scare all the neighbors away.  Within a few days, despite my concerns, that vision has come to fruition without even having to extend an invitation.  People just keep coming, so I guess God is sending them. I've never cooked so much or hosted so many people in such a short time frame as I have in this home even in the midst of all the chaos of home projects underway everywhere.  The DIY construction mess is driving me crazy, but I am learning that a house doesn't have to be in perfect order to be a home or a respite for visitors.  Thank you, Lord, for clearly giving me the opportunity to learn to love my neighbor as myself.  (Gift #476)  Please use our home, our family, our time, and our resources (which are not really ours anyway but yours) for your greater good and for our spiritual refinement.   

You're Gonna Miss This Lyrics

She was starin' out the window of their SUV
Complainin', sayin', I can't wait to turn eighteen
She said, I'll make my own money and I'll make my own rules
Momma, put the car in park out there in front of the school
And she kissed her head, and said, I was just like you

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In her one bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by
He tells her it's a nice place, she says, It'll do for now
Starts talkin' about babies and buyin' a house
Daddy shakes his head and says, Baby, just slow down

Cuz' you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber
Workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin' and one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'

He says, They don't bother me
I've got two babies of my own
One's thirty-six, one's twenty-three
Huh, it's hard to believe

But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

You're gonna miss this
Yeah, you're gonna miss this

Songwriters
GORLEY, ASHLEY / MILLER, LEE THOMAS

Published by
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., EMI Music Publishing, WINDSWEPT HOLDINGS LLC

Snow Days in January 2014

We've had the coldest winter on record for our area.  We moved into a house almost 4x larger than our previous apartment right before the cold spell hit, so our utility bills will not be kind to us this month.  I do not like cold weather.  I would not be disappointed if I never saw sleet or snow again.  Give me warm weather any day.

We had a dusting of snow on Jan 22.

Then on January 29, the weather forecast called for up to 8 inches of snow beginning in the afternoon, but the first snowflake did not appear until around 6:30 pm.  The kids were wild with excitement all day when they could have just gone to school and been productive there instead of being destructive here.  

My Ode to Snow

I'm not all that excited about snow.
Waited all day for the first flake to show

Cold air bites our toes.
Frost bite nips each nose.

Excited kids emit ear piercing cries.
Forecasted timing of snowfall belies.

Walls shaking
Stuff breaking

Cracking skin
Patience thin

Bring on summer!

(But I did settle for a cozy fire with my family!)

We eventually got about one to two inches of powdery snow with schools closed for three days this week for that small dusting.   It was enough to sled in until noon.  I took pictures from the front and back doors but did not brave the cold temperatures very long.  I remember the excitement I had at my kids' ages in the snow, so I dutifully bundled them and made snow cream.  Of course, I also remember Mrs. Hildebran (the mother at the neighborhood safe/gathering house) trying to thaw me in a tub of cold water as I screamed my head off with each incremental addition of warmer water.  Cold weather bites. My doctor told me the only cure for my skin problems is to move somewhere tropical, and that's the best medical prescription I've ever received!

But who am I to be the party pooper for my kids, so I admired the pretty white fluff while it lasted...albeit from inside a heated home in front of the fire and beside my additional portable electric heater.


Schools ended up being cancelled for four days for this light dusting of one to two inches of powdery snow.  The first cancelled snow day was a bust, and the fourth was a joke since the snow had mostly melted by then.  On the fourth cancelled snow day, temperatures reached the 50s, so the kids donned short sleeved t-shirts and capris jeans while building snowmen which meant the snowmen could not possibly last very long.

Cody's 1st Birthday

Our bunny is a rotten stinker.  He loves to chew on things he should not.  Recently, he has chewed all the rumbles off my costly rumble roller which is critical to my physical therapy.  He also chewed the cord for our home phones in half.  And with all the DIY home improvement projects going on around here, he decided he needed a project of his own. He's trying to remove our 5" baseboards.  Rotten bunny.

 

He absolutely loves to have his head scratched.  I told my parents this secret when they kept him for us during our Christmas travels, and my dad would rock him and scratch his head for hours while watching ball games on TV.  Now, he expects to have his head scratched all the time.  When I'm doing any type of floor exercise in our exercise room, he will hop underneath me, so with each repetition of a push-up or plank or what have you, some part of me moves across his head.  He presses his chin into the floor to let you know he wants his head scratched.  I need a more energetic, less self-absorbed workout partner.

Pleez scratch my head!

Despite his shenanigans, Cody is deeply loved in our family.  He celebrated his first birthday on January 28, so the kids through him a party to rival their own big first birthday bashes.

First Gymnastics Meet

While my mini-me may look like me and be like me in some ways, she processes information and responds to information in a completely different way from me, and it totally boggles my mind.   I'm a pragmatist. As an engineer, I learned to always do a Failure Modes Effects Analysis before undertaking any project so as to design out any possibility of failure.  Next time you cross a bridge, be thankful for all the FMEA's involved in it's design.

My daughter, on the other hand, sees no obstacles and blows off any warnings provided.  She is a dreamer.  Case in point would be the following example from last year at this time.  It was cold and sleeting outside just as it is cold right now with high chances of inclement weather.  She built a rocket with her brother and before launching it outside in horrible weather conditions for rocketing, she wrote detailed instructions on how to return it when the rocket landed in JAPAN!  The note was almost as big as the rocket.  No one could ever convince this girl who had studied friction on more than one occasion that it might cause some drag.  Needless to say, the rocket did not fly higher than her face, much less make it to Japan.

This same girl watched Gabby Douglas win the gold for all around at the 2012 Olympics and then said to me without any hesitation and in a matter-of-fact, unquestioning tone, "I'm going to do that some day." 

Pragmatic, logical, realist me said something totally inappropriate to her such as, "Well...you should have set that goal long before now because you are probably too old to start now, and besides, you inherited my inflexibility and will have to work hours a day to ever learn to do a split", but hopefully I did not use such harsh, crushing words or tone.

Still, we signed her up for beginner gymnastics lessons until she was ready to move onto something else, but I asked the coach to advance her to the next level as soon as she seemed ready since she had already had gymnastics, skating, dance, etc. in spurts over the years. By May of that year, they still had not advanced her, and she was still doing things she learned as a tot at Little Gym.  I insisted they advance her but experienced negativity from the gym owner.  So we started sending her to Christian gym in a different county with an amazingly loving, supportive environment.  We moved in July, so that commute became 30-60 minutes each way (over an hour during rush hour when anything falls from the sky) several times a week with me sitting there for two hours each trip.  Thankfully, her brother can take an intermediate class during a portion of those two hours, so he only waits one hour each time.  I've continued taking her since we started there in June.   They wanted my son to join a team a well, but that would mean five days a week of driving back and forth at 4 hours of waiting each time since their lessons would be back-to-back instead of at the same time.

She has done well in gymnastics, but has to work extra hard on increasing flexibility and had a huge fear of the beam, completely unable to even get on it some days.  So I assumed it would get hard and she would want to give up as she did with piano but hopefully with fewer tantrums along the way.

Her coach put her on the introductory competitive team as soon as she started (whereas the previous gym owner kept making me pay for beginner classes), and she advanced quickly.  Her first gymnastics meet ever took place on January 19.  During her first event, the bars, she scored a 9.25 and my tears started flowing...and did not stop until after the entire meet was over 3 hours later.  The next event was the dreaded beam (Note: Strength and speed, which she inherited from me, often work against balance and flexibility, so the beam is exceedingly hard for her as it was for me).  She nailed her turns, jumps, and even her splits.  But her dismount...oh my! She thought about changing from the twist off to a tuck jump because she felt shaky but could not decide mid air and ended up doing a crazy combo of both in her indecision, so her beam score was less than stellar, and her face expressed a crushed spirit.

So, if this were piano, she would be throwing her books, yelling at us, and storming upstairs to have another fit because if she can't reach perfection during her first try, then she will not usually persist. 
Her teammates prayed with her and encouraged her with scripture and bang, my girl was back.  She rocked the floor routine and seriously blew me away on the vault.  For her first meet, she took home first place medals in every event except the beam and even won first place all around for her level.  She learned that one mistake or one disappointment does not mean defeat.  How we respond to that mistake makes all the difference, and we can still be champions even if we aren't perfect here and there.  What a great day of learning to persevere she had that day.  I am still in shock, but mostly just excited to see her persevere.

 

Christmas 2013 (Part 4)

We did not wrap up our Christmas celebrations until January 4.  More family came to see us and our new house on January 4.  The kids were elated to receive more thoughtful gifts.  And when it comes to remote controlled Corvettes or stuffed animals, their mantra seems to be, "Go big or go home!"

This gift was for our son, my husband enjoys it too!

We are truly blessed to have so many families loving on our children.

Kids' Educational Museum

While we were in Oklahoma we visited a unique kids' museum.  An old dilapidated building in a less desirable part of downtown had been converted into an educational science museum with a special emphasis on media production, particularly animation. 

The largest feature in the museum was a gigantic series of tunnels with a gigantic slide at the end.  The entire tunnel and slide was built with rolls and rolls of packing tape.  Seeing all those empty rolls which once held packing tape brought back vivid images in my mind of all our moving this year, from the house to the apartment, 2 PODs and a storage unit and then into the house. We used packing tape to box up truckloads of donations to charities and to the dump as well.  I hope a single roll of duct tape will last me for the next few years.

At the museum, the kids made their mini action films and designed and produced basic animated films. We all laid on a bed of "nails", learned about the Coriolis effect, made shadow figures, donned 80's hair while learning about air pressure, designed circuits, recorded an action animation, figured out who had the coldest extremities by standing in front of the heat camera, and so much more.

Speaking of the heat camera, my husband and also learned that we have enough heat to never need mistletoe at Christmas.

Here is a little action video they made by photographing themselves in various poses and then putting all the photos together in rapid succession.