Just Stuff

* Josiah has some new accomplishments. He can now push himself to a sitting position. And he's getting up on his hands and knees and rocking. Yesterday he was making little crawling motions. So, he might be crawling pretty soon. He's eight months old today. Wow, where did the time go?? In the last week and a half or so, he's decided that food is good stuff. He now eats quite a lot of baby food for each meal. It's so much fun to shovel it into his open mouth! :-) The bottle is still not his favorite thing, but he's gradually getting better. I think he's still struggling with the concept of filling up his tummy when he's awake. He still likes to snack. So, I keep urging him gently in the direction of not snacking all the time.

* We're slowly getting into the school routine. I'm struggling with being happy about the time commitment it requires of me. I do like the Sonlight stuff that we're doing. I guess I'm just struggling with contentment with where I'm at in life and the job that God has called me to.

* The Grabers are coming, the Grabers are coming! Neal, Sandra, Heather, Meriah, and Shania are arriving here tomorrow afternoon. Yay! So, I'm expecting the next week and a half to be mostly partying. :-) We might even go camping on Sunday night. I was really looking forward to that, but the weather is a lot cooler already, and Josiah is sometimes fussy, and I'm starting to feel wimpy about it. We'll see...

* I just have to say that I love my kids so much! God has graciously been teaching me patience and love and how to value them more. Don't think I'm perfect though! Caleb has taken to asking me, "Mom, are you getting mad?"!! That makes me stop and examine my heart and my words!!

* And then there's my dear hubby. God is doing a great work in his heart! I'm so thankful that he is seeking God and saying yes to Jesus! And I have such a struggle to TRUST God in the process. I'll just confess here that two of my besetting sins are fear and control (a form of pride). I get so worked up about stuff that I think Keith should do or shouldn't do, etc. Then when I give it to Jesus and confess my fear and control and just pray for him, God does something in his heart. Of course, duh! (To quote a certain young niece of mine.)

* That's all for now. My two big boys are at Grandma Graber's for the day and I have computer and internet work to do. I'm closing in on buying a digital camera! Yay!

* One more thing... Keith and I are going back and forth on whether or not we should go to Winnipeg for Kim's wedding. Sept. and Oct. are so busy already, it would cost quite a bit, to make it "worthwhile" we should really go out on Thurs. and take the boys to the zoo or something on Fri. - which would all cost more money. We could just go Sat. and come back Sun. and leave the boys here. But we said we wouldn't do that again after the trip to Dad's wedding. I really want to see Twila and the others who will be there and OF COURSE, see Matthew and Rhonda, and I'd love to see those three adorable little flowergirls. And of course, it would be great to see Little Kimmy get married to her handsome man and share in their joy. Oh dear, what should we do?? AARRGGG!

* Okay, that really is all for this time. (This was gonna be a quick little post!)

Yes, I'm Still Here!

I’m not feeling very inspired, but I’ll try to update a bit here on our week… Church camp-out was, um, stressful. I decided that camping with a large group of people when you have little kids (including a baby), plus you’re in charge of the weekend, is, well, stressful! I didn’t feel like I relaxed much at all and I was really glad to get home. Usually I want to stay another night. :-) But there were some bright spots…
-the gorgeous sunset on Friday night
-playing games on Sat. morning with nearly everyone getting involved. Mary Leschied and Esther Mast even ran the three-legged race!
-Ryan, Melissa, and Emma stopped in on their way back to MN. It was nice to chat with Melissa!
-We ate frogmore stew with the Hartmans Sat. afternoon. Delicious!
-Tammy and Menno and family were there for the weekend! It was so nice to see them again!
-Shelley McKenzie and her daughter Courtney were baptized Sunday after the worship service.
-There were virtually NO mosquitoes!! But lots of bees. :-(

On Monday, Keith picked up our Sonlight order which had come over the weekend. Yay!! It was a lot of fun to look through everything. I told Caleb we might be ready to start next week. I have just a little more reading to do so that I’m familiar with what we’re doing. I ordered Math and Language Arts from Abeka and that’s not here yet, but I’m in no hurry for it…

This past week was more laid back than the last month or so. No blueberries to pick. Not as many beans to pick. No big deadlines looming. Mary-Jane was staying here until tonight. She’s going to stay at Kendra’s for the rest of her time here. We watched a Nicole Johnson DVD on Monday morning. Good stuff!

This morning we all went garage-saleing. We found some great stuff. I now have a punch-bowl and Little Scotty has a life-jacket. My family is having a “garage-sale”, Christmas gift exchange in October when Matthews and Rachel are here. And the Grabers are having a “garage-sale” birthday party for everyone when everyone is home next week or the week after. We got almost everything we need. Yippee! So, tonight after supper we had fun wrapping stuff in newspaper. I hope you all like what we got you! :-)

Tonight we had a first for our family – a shabbat meal! I’m sure it was pretty far from an actual Jewish Shabbat, but we tried to do some of it. The purpose of it wasn’t to "be Jewish", but to hopefully benefit from some of the aspects like just having a special meal together, speaking blessings to one another, reflecting on the past and what God has done, etc. Hopefully it will become a family tradition. Time will tell.

Okay, it’s time to sample my dessert for tomorrow (chocolate chip blondies) and then head for bed soon!!!

An Ethical Question

Let’s just say, hypothetically speaking, that you had a little son about, say, four years old. And let’s just say that he walked into the bathroom one day, announcing that he had to pee, but at the same time, he had a doll stuck under his shirt and was “nursing” it (hypothetically speaking). So, of course, you said, “Put the baby down while you pee!”, and he said, “No, I can do it.” And, hypothetically, he did it – peed standing up while “nursing” a doll. If this happened, hypothetically, how would you feel, and, more importantly, would it be ethical to write a blog about it?

It's Working!

Well, we're just about ready to head out for church camp-out, but I thought I'd better write a little note here in case anyone is worried about me or my baby. :-) Yesterday I found a bottle nipple he likes and things have been going much better since then! He now takes the bottle with very little fussing. Just need to burp him frequently sometimes, but at least he's not fighting it and only taking an ounce or two at a time... I'm so thankful to Jesus for helping us! And thanks for your prayers! And now we're off to Pakwash to go camping...

Just a Sheep Needing a Shepherd

Thanks everyone for your support. You can keep praying as you think about it... Yesterday went okay as far as not too much crying. But there wasn't too much eating either. He took a few oz. at a time during the day and then finally at bedtime he drank 7 oz in about a 45 min. period. He still wasn't too happy about it. I'm having a fear now that he will be "content" to be hungry. I realize that with the way he mostly nursed as he was going to sleep, he's not really used to filling up at all when he's awake. :-( So, you can pray that God will push his re-set button. This isn't just learning to take a bottle for him, it's learning a whole new pattern of eating.
The other strange thing is, that even when I know he’s hungry (like yesterday) he has little or no interest in solids. And he’s 7.5 month old. How weird is that?!? Please pray for wisdom for me to know how to tempt his tastebuds. And I am a little concerned because when I weighed him yesterday, he had gained only.5 oz. or less in the last two weeks. That’s not enough! So, here’s a promise for all of us Moms: “He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.” Isaiah 40:11

I Need Your Prayers

Today is the day that I wean my little Joey. :-( And I'm dreading it. He had his last nursing at 6:00 this morning, had a little nap, and now he just started crying - probably because he's hungry. So, here we go... I'm finally ready to give up. The medication I take so I will have enough milk gives me headaches and I'm just done with that! So, please pray that he will be willing to take a bottle without too much struggle and that I will be strong emotionally. I've cried my tears about having to quit. I love nursing my little guy and I wish we could keep on for a long time. But, God hasn't answered my prayer that way, so we'll move on. Sigh!

A Little Exercise

One of the speakers at the Summit said that everyone should make a list of what drains you emotionally and what fills you up, or rests you emotionally. He said that husbands and wives should each make a list and then pray over each other’s lists. Keith wanted me to do this so I thought I’d share it with you. It’s interesting to think about!

What Drains Me

-Fighting and/or disobedient boys
-Carrying the burdens of life alone
-Not being connecting with my hubby
-Fear, bitterness, trying to control
-Unresolved conflict
-“Wild” kids (too much noise and confusion at once)
-Childish foolishness

What Rests Me

-A nap!
-A snuggle/talk on the couch with my hubby
-Watching a movie
-Playing a game with adults
-Talking with friends/family
-Blogging and reading my friends’ blogs
-Scrap-booking with friends – or alone
-Doing just about any craft
-Organizing and getting rid of stuff
-Talking and praying through issues with my dear husband
-Laying on the couch and reading a book – I think. I haven’t tried if for so long that I’m not sure.

So, how about you? What drains your tank and fills it up again??

Miscellaneous...

Keith just got back last night from the Leadership Summit in Winnipeg. Whew! We survived three days without him! We went blueberry picking one day (and Logan stayed with Grandma Graber), had a hot dog roast with Dad and Dru one night, and bought supper at Chips and More one night and took it over to Rita's house to eat with her (that was after our long day of picking berries). Then yesterday morning as I was thinking about my garden produce that needed to be put in the freezer, and the filthy, messy state of my house, I had a blinding revelation: I could hire help!! So I found two young girls (Erin and Elena for those of you who know them) who were having a lazy Saturday and asked them to come over. They were here for almost 3 hours. Elena played witht the boys and helped them clean up their room and the basement. Erin and I got the zuchini in the freezer and cleaned like crazy. Wow, did we ever get a lot done! It feels so good to have a more organized and cleaner house!

Tomorrow is Logan's birthday. I have this little obsessive compulsive thing I do where Logan has the same kind of cake that Caleb had on that birthday. I'm starting to see that it's a bad idea, because Caleb always gets to pick his cake and then Logan just has to take what I give him. Up until now it hasn't been a problem. But when Caleb turned four, he knew his numbers - and even some addition. So, when he saw pictures of his cousins' cakes that were shaped like a 7 and a 9, he thought that was neat. So he had a "4" cake for his birthday. Now Logan comes along and he doesn't know a 4 from a 2 from a z! :-) So, I had to do some convincing and explaining to get him to agree to a "4". He did agree. Then this morning after church I saw him talking to Mary Lescheid. Later she came and told me that Logan invited her to his birthday party. He told her, "It's okay, we'll have enough. We're having four cakes!" He just doesn't get it! Hopefully we'll have a fun birthday party anyway.

Hey, Rachel, I Did Have Time!

The Alphabet...My Way!

Accent: I don’t have one – everyone else does. Seriously, I don’t know. Probably somewhere in between American and Canadian.Bible Book that I like: Psalms – they’re so “real” and sometimes I feel like something was written just for me.

Chore I don't care for: Lots of them. Can I tell you what I do like? Organizing and putting stuff away, laundry. The rest I do because I have to and I try not to complain. :-)

Dog or Cat: Neither, thanks, but I’d be less opposed to a dog, IF he doesn’t dig up my flowerbeds and if my boys were old enough to take care of it!

Essential Electronics: Computer and – hopefully soon – a digital cameraFavorite Movie: Apollo 13, The Hunt for Red October, Princess Bride, An Affair to RememberGold or Silver: Gold, please, and lots of it. :-) Just kidding

Handbag I Carry Most Often: This cute little brown thing I bought at Kohl’s on a little outing with my sister and her roommate. It was so cute I had to get it, but it really is too small. Almost more exciting was the smashing red wallet I got at the same time. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make me happy!

Insomnia: Only in the first trimester of every pregnancy – ugh! And after the occasional caffeine overdose. But I’m pretty careful about that (the caffeine, that is) since I hate the effects of it!

Job Title: Hoo-boy! Full time nanny, law-enforcement officer, teacher, nurturer, cook, maid, psychologist, helper/supporter… I could go on…

Kids: Three rambunctious, full-of-energy, precious boys! Ages 6, 4 (tomorrow), and 7.5 months.

Living Arrangements: Yellow house with a big yard. Four bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, basement rec room and shop. And we’re so thankful for it!!

Most Memorable Moment: Hmm, probably that one where he said “Will you marry me?”! Or else that second just before the 50 (?) foot freefall on the “Demon Drop” at Cedar Point or King’s Island. Remember that, Brenda and Karla? :-)

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: I try to forget…

Overnight Hospital Stays: Just three times with my little baby boys. Two nights with Caleb and one night with Logan and Josiah.

Phobias: Nothing so strong that I’d call it a phobia.

Quote: This wiill have to be a paraphrase and I don’t remember the author. But I know I read it in Reader’s Digest. :-) “With kids, the days are long and the years are short.”

Religion: Follower of Jesus Christ and a daughter of the King!!

Siblings: One awesome, cool, really great, very funny, kindred spirit sister, and five great brothers (who also have a decent share of coolness and funniness – and sometimes just plain weirdness!)

Time I Wake Up: It seems like I consistently wake up between 5:00 and 5:30 – from months of feeding Josiah, I guess. But I go back to sleep and (try to) get up around 6:00.

Unusual Talent: Nothing springs to mind. Maybe someone will have to remind me…

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: I don’t totally refuse, but I mostly avoid tomatoes, raw onions, and probably asparagus. And there are numerous others that I just don’t cook with, like eggplant. I need to be more adventurous, I guess.

Worst Habit: Getting excited about projects and then over-committing myself.

X-rays: My hip once, and my wrist when I smashed it in the big mixer at the bakery. Wasn’t that a lot of fun!!

Yummy Stuff I Cook: I’m tempted to say breakfast, lunch, and supper, but I know it’s not all yummy. Let’s see: homemade whole-wheat bread, various mexican dishes, muffins, desserts, moose roast and the fixin’s, pizza… Hey, I’m hungry! Who wants to come over for peanut-butter popcorn??

Zoo Animal I Like Most: Probably monkeys, elephants, and giraffes.

There, I did it! Now I tag Derek and Elise. Have fun!

True Confessions

True Confessions

*I bought three shower curtains in Kenora because I didn’t know which one I wanted. Now my dear hubby gets to return two in Winnipeg this weekend.

*Some of my flowers died from neglect – mostly lack of sufficient moisture. :-(

*Last week’s and this week’s laundry were all folded at the same time - this morning. Things are getting a little out of hand with the housework!

Okay, I want to hear some true confessions from all of you! No excuses! And that means you people who lurk out there and never comment, too. Lisa, Betty, Kathrina, Sheldon, Elise, Derek, Brenda, Karla, I know you’re out there!

Poor Little Guy

On Thursday morning, Rachel and I were getting ready to go to Kenora to get Josiah's picture taken. Wouldn't you know it, Josiah had a close encounter with a hair straightener! He got quite a shiner. Bummer! So, we went anyway and got some really cute pictures of him. We put some make-up on it, but you could still see the bruise. Oh well, I guess since he's the third boy he thought he had to do something to be different than the others!

If...

If your child ever decides to sharpen a whole pile of crayons..

And if he makes a big mess of crayon shavings on the table and floor…

And if you’re having a busy, somewhat frustrating morning…

And if you think to yourself, “Oh, he’s having fun and I’ll just clean it up when he’s done"…

Give your head a smack and find some other fun activity for him!

And if you choose to ignore this advice, then you’ll need a vacuum cleaner, a thumbnail, a good cleaning rag (preferrably microfibre), and lots of patience.

You can take it from me. I know.

Oh Blissful Day!

Last night Logan wore underwear to bed and (drum roll, please) STAYED DRY!!! How, you ask, did this finally happen at almost 4 years of age? Well, this is how… About 2 weeks ago Logan and I were having a little conversation about his night-time “bathroom” habits. Somehow (Divine inspiration?) I thought to ask him if he knows when he goes pee in his pull-up. And he said yes! I wasn’t sure if I should believe him, but I told him I’d talk to Daddy about it and maybe we’d have to start spanking him if he just peed in his diaper because he didn’t feel like getting up. Keith wasn’t quite ready to do that yet, but talked to Logan about it that night. Wouldn’t you know, the next morning at 6:00 I heard Logan in the bathroom! And he was dry when he got up later! Yippee!!!! Since then he’s had only a few accidents, so last night we thought we’d try it with just underwear. He’s pretty proud of himself and I’m quite happy!! And I’m wondering why we didn’t think of this months ago! :-) Anyone need some leftover pull-ups??

Living Off The Land

Today is a holiday in Canada. Just because there is no other holiday in August! Don’t you Americans wish you lived here? So today we all went blueberry picking. The boys did really well – even Josiah We took the pad from the play-pen and sat him on it in the middle of the bush. He seemed to like it! Then he took a nice long nap in the play-pen in the shad of the van. I didn’t know he’d do that1 The blueberries are better than last year (that’s not difficult) but not stupendous. Together we picked over 4 gallons. So, that’s a good dent in what I want for this year. And now I have lots of blueberries to clean tomorrow! :-)

When we got home, I picked two bucket of beans. I had gotten some moose steak out of the freezer for supper and the rest of our supper came out of the garden. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before and it was really fun. We had beets, beans, grilled zuchini, cucumbers, and three itty bitty carrots. And of course, blueberries for dessert. Unfortunately, we didn’t raise the milk and yogurt we had with them! It was all quite delicious! And it gave me a good reminder of God’s goodness and abundance!!
By the way, picking blueberries is hard work and I sorta feel like an old woman tonight!

Yeah, I'm still here...

Yes, my friends, I know it's been awhile since I've updated! You know what that means? I still haven't learned how to slow down and these past seven days have been packed full. Packed full of what you say?
-Wendy helped me get started on staining the kids play structure (it was looking terrible!) and then I finished it.
-Rachel came! Yay!!!
-We made almost 24 dozen donuts on Sat. morning and sold them at Ned and Marcella's garage sale. I won't tell you how many I ate!
-There were people we know from IA in church on Sunday, (Loren and Lisa Helmuth. He lived here many years ago.) so we had them over for supper. Rhonda, Loren asked about Matthew.
-We picked two buckets of green beans in our own little garden, and last but not least...
-Blueberries! I went with Sue and Wendy yesterday. We didn't find very good ones, but I got a few. Then, later I heard of a better spot. So, hopefully we can get some more!

So that's what's going on around here. And today Rachel, Josiah and I are going to Kenora. Rachel's looking into some jobs and I'm shopping (!) and getting Little Joey's picture taken.

Newsflash! At the ripe old age of 7 months, Josiah is now sitting up (with supervision because he's still tippy.) Yay!