Analogies

Lately at Nathan's baseball games, Adrianna brings her book and reads. She started out a slow and very reluctant reader at the age of 6 but my fears were put to rest this last year as books changed from something to avoid to her favorite way to spend her time. Whew. She has taken to reading The Boxcar Children lately and can read 2 books a day. These are small print, over 100 pages each. So this last game, she was engrosed in her latest saga and I was commenting to Franchesca that #1, a tiny little guy but one who can really run, was up to bat and we really needed a hit. Adrianna entered back into reality and said "He's just like jackknives, she smaller they are, the sharper".

Future Engineer

Solomon is following in his big brother's footsteps and really enjoys building, although his deepest dream for when he "grows up" is to ride a dirt bike all day (and get paid). Yesterday he had been very busy with his Legos and when I asked what he was working on he replied: " I am designing a Super Duper, Jet Propulsion, Shocked Vehicle right now". Nicely put.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Baseball Season has arrived!

It never fails, my sister once told me, that you will always have snow once during baseball season. Don't put the winter coats away!

Being the warm weather hound that I am, and also a bit naive, I took the clues from last week that it was definitely time to pack away the down and get out the Teva's. This was working well for us until Saturday morning when Little League officially kicked off the 2008 season. We were fortunate enough to have a noon game and by then it had warmed up to 45 degrees but with the stiff, biting north wind it felt as though it would snow any minute. The children and I watched from the van while Doug kept stats while protected from the elements by his down surround and fleece hat. Older sisters are usually right.

The side show was watching the boys chase their baseball caps around the field as each gust of wind passed, the umps stopping the game each time until each blue cap was righted. We were down by 3 but came back in the last inning to tie it up. It was an exciting game.

Goose Poop

Every year during the spring we have geese that land here, probably due to the pond. Lately there has been a duo that have been landing up on our roof then will make their way to the pond. The first time they were sighted on the roof, Solomon really wanted to go check it out and joined his brother outside. As I was pulling velcro rollers from my hair, he marched up and announced loudly "MAMA, I PHINK I HAVE GOOSE POOP ON ME". Sure enough, I stripped him down and prodded him into the shower. Living in the country is such a rich experience for children, don't you agree?

Exploring The Eastern Hemisphere

We have been learing about different cultures, right now we are spending 4 weeks on China. A friend whose husband has traveled there has graciously loaned us bags filled with goods brought back, lots of which are made from bamboo, even super soft beautiful blankets. The kids were eager to give the chopsticks a try and now eat every meal with them. I tried preparing several stir-frys in different sauces and with both rice and couscous but to no avail- they still "can't" eat Chineese food.

Everyone decided AJ should compete as she is quite proficient though her form is lacking. I suggested that she race Doug using ice cream, woudn't that be fun?

Franchesca was baffled...she can do amazing things with crochet and knitting needles but...

As for me, I prefer Solomon's technique.

40 (and Beyond)

Boy that birthday took it out of me! It's taken me 2 weeks to get back to the blog (smile).

Actually I'm feeling younger than ever thanks to some new clothes, new makeup and the Springtime assurance that the sun will shine, temps will climb and that we will handle what comes our way.

Here's my amazing family on my Big Day. I had Key Lime pie but tradition has established that no birthday go celebrated without the Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake.

Guess who picked out the frosting color?!

(Solomon did his own hair for the special occasion.)

April 2, 1968

On this, the eve of my 40th Birthday,
I have this to say:

"You are as young as your faith,
as old as your doubt;
as young as your self confidence,
as old as your fear;
as young as your hope,
as old as your despair."
Gen. Douglas MacArthur

I Want My Babies Back!!!

This Baby Blues cartoon I saw recently comes to mind, it read:

The Days are Long-

The Years are Short

American Girlies

Adrianna is now included in the ranks of millions of young ladies who own American Girl dolls. Here she is opening Elizabeth (sometimes called Emily). She looks a lot like AJ.


If only she came with a blue dress!

Sleep-overs just got a little more crowded

Spring Birthdays

Today, we just pick up as though we never left off...


Lots of people we know and/or are related to have spring birthdays, including Adrianna. You'll never guess what color cake she decided upon

Or what color she wore that day....

She really ate this entire plate full of cake and Blue Moon ice cream too!

Overgrown Tadpole

Part of the fun at Great Wolf Lodge is a separate area for frogs, or people with great balance, who enjoy leaping from one giant lilly pad to another without falling in the water. The lilly pads are anchored to the bottom of the pool but are still able to float around, based on the movement of the frog upon it. For tadpoles or anyone new to the game, there is also a rope ladder hung up above to grab onto if one should lose their balance or need to regain composure after leaping.

Doug, who is always couragous in the face of a something new and dangerous, took the challenge and stepped into the line of kids under the age of 12 and all under 5' tall. Upon studying the video, his greatest disadvantage was his height as he had to hunch over enought to avoid getting tangled in the rope ladder thus throwing off his weight distribution to such a degree that by the 3rd lilly pad, he was upside down or sideways and quickly underwater. So desperate was he for success that he spent much time observing and interviewing all the smallish tadpoles who would hop flawlessly across the pond in virtual seconds. Unfortunately, all the advise in the world couldn't offset his God given physical virtues. He held up well under the scrutiny of casual observers and even began to feel like somewhat of a celebrity when the lifeguards spent most of their time watching him trying to master the impossible. (Aren't they supposed to be watching for drowning kids?)

I so long for pictures of the event to post but I was always laughing so hard that I couldn't focus.

Here's a few of my frogs at rest.

Great Wolf Lodge

We finally managed to make our Christmas trip to Traverse. We stopped for lunch at Pietro's where Franchesca and I stayed in the van due to nausea and we had moment's of thinking we would again have to cancel. Motion sickness runs in our family and after sitting still, not reading and finally entering the restaurant, she began to feel better.

The ride felt long, even with the portable dvd player. Do you think that had anything to do with me driving while my husband slept with the mp3 player on, never hearing any of those questions from the children i.e. "When ARE we going to be there? I'm thirsty, I have to go to the bathroom, I'm hungry, are we driving all the way to Florida?"



Waiting until February to go was a wonderful idea. Most children must have been in school because it was not busy at all. This is a place that can make even the sanest person feel dizzy but with so few people, the the kids are at an age now that they can go off by themselves (with a buddy) and meet up with us. Doug was of course, in hot demand as the chilren are all able to go down the slides and were trying to throw him off the tube.

Solomon was so young last time we were there that he really couldn't understand or picture in his mind where we were going and the magnitude of fun that was awaiting him. He slept very well each night!

The staff at the lodge was well prepared for the grown-ups too. The Super Bowl was right there, with the big screen attached right where the kiddy pool was in view. With the Aveda spa, Starbucks and lots of goodies in the store, a person could stay for years (according to Solomon). The water was even "blue" for Adrianna. We had a relaxing 2-1/2 days but were all ready to sleep in our own beds by Tuesday night. After a "real" lunch in town at the Dish cafe, we began our long trek homeward.

"Are we there yet"?

BLOGGING: Burden or Blessing?

Finding time to blog has felt (lately) like one more thing that I just can't fit into the daily whirwind. Life with 4 kids at home is full! Something has to give. When I simplify the day into what HAS to be done it looks something like A. Keep them fed (in more ways than one), keep them alive and keep the environment somewhat peaceful (this is totally for me). Then we have "discretionary" time to spend which encompasses everything from education, laundry, recreation, dishes, thinking ahead, exercise, looking back, playing games, reading, serving others and watching the world go round; wondering where the next stop is. Outside activities include lessons, outings, escort services for all the library books not to mention the highlight of the week: getting groceries.

Where does the time for blogging come from I ask?

My options are: A. get up early B. Stay up late C. Hand the blogging over to the kids. I'm seriously considering option C. I've offered it to them as a bonus-a reward for some great feat they handled well lately. Much to my disappointment, they quickly declined. Blogging should be on any student's list of accomplishments, I'm sure of it:)

Part of my hesitation to begin blogging was my fear of being unable to keep up (with who or what I'm not sure). I know how I enjoy clicking on my favorite blogs and see that new title (slowly) pop up, alerting me of the news and photos to come, allowing me to share a small part of anothers time and space.

I've noticed myself in the past few weeks stating "I just can't do it all". Is it just me or does everyone feel this way?

Natural Talent

So the holidays are over and with birthdays being in short supply, Franchesca was struggling to find recipients for her Hand Made Goods from Saugatuck. She turned to her faithful, always available and ever so appretiative American Girl Dolls.

I don't know how she makes these, honestly. I taught her a basic stitch when she was 6 but after that it becomes a mystery, literally because she always hides away in her fortress of a bed, canopy pulled closed with her MP3 on.

These are for Adrianna's baby doll. Snowpants and hat (the bracelet she threw in no extra charge. One must have accessories, even outdoors) for sledding.

Back to Health, Blogging and Birthdays

It seems that we've endured the through Influenza 2008. Other than some coughs we're back to ourselves. Good health is something we all SO take for granted.



January 19, 1996 was one of the most exciting, emotional days of our married life. Nathan was born in the late evening at Zeeland Hospital. The day was much like today, very snowy and bitterly cold with some peeks of sunshine. Every year that goes by feels more like a week or even a day. This is Nathan's last year of NOT being a teenager; (that is until he turns 20). This may sound a little much but it is how my brain thinks of things much of the time. It seems like maybe 5 years ago he was devouring an 8 oz. bottle of formula on his first day home from the hospital-now he has moved on to triple pbj's, full (giant) bowls of popcorn and 3 pieces of cheesecake at a time. His shoes are big on me now, he can (almost) beat me in a footrace and I can stand looking straight ahead to talk with him. He has used his early childhood skills of banging on my pots and pans with spoons singing "Geezus yuvs me iss I Know", to become a nicely progressing level 3 piano player. He has honed his engineering and construction skills that we saw at the age of 2 and uses them in a variety of venues from Lego Robotics (and any building toy ever made) to his wooded fortress including intricately built bridges, fences, catapults, igloos and luge runs for sleds. His character continues to develop and brings joy to all who know him.



He had a friend over to sled behind the tractor for his birthday. He chose DQ ice cream cake over dirt cake this year! (I think Doug helped him make the decision). Here he is eating just like the sweet boy I remember from 12 years ago...

Blogging From Bed

At the time of my last blog, I really thought I was on the fringe (end) of the same illness that plagued Franchesca for a week but I think it plateaued last night. This is one of those nasty germs that can only survive in Michigan, and survive it does. I've heard it is hanging on longer this year too, only to take all hope from it's victim. Hope of ever getting better, ever wanting to cook again; much less eat. Hope of getting dressed and leaving the driveway, seeing the sun again...? Hope that indeed good health and good times are just around the corner.

High Tech Heaven?

THIS MORNING...

Setting: Me lying in bed, trying to wake up early in the morning.

Solomon: (stomping loudly, voice firm and stern) "Mama, (pause) Mama!"

Me: unable to speak yet, head raised.

Solomon: (Very angry expression on face) "Mama, guess what Franchesca told me...she said there will be phones in Heaven. Will there Mama, will there be phones in Heaven?"

Me: (Brows furrowed, trying but unable to find my voice and an answer)

Solomon stomps loudly off to his room and finds something to play with.

"Remember When This Happened Last Year?"

Our spring-like temps lately brought to mind our meltdown last March, when we experienced 70 degrees one afternoon, while there was still snow on the ground! We simply couldn't resist the longing to shed a few clothes (and shoes). We were not able to do that yesterday as the illness going around has not yet loosened it's grip.

Why does this always happen?

Our Christmas trip to the Flodge was scheduled for this Sunday...Yesterday after hours of saying she "just didn't feel right" Franchesca developed a 102 degree fever. We had to cancel the reservation right away as we would forfeit the entire amount if cancelling inside 72 hours. Nice policy for a place that primarily caters to children! We will be going as soon as she is well. Here are a few photos of her from her birthday in September.

Edit

I was just waiting for my page to update and noticed an error in the blog showing Franchesca TYING Nathan's scarf on. Unfortunately, I wrote "TYPING Nathan's scarf on"...I'm sure anyone reading it would understand the meaning but I must admit that I'm feeling a bit insecure in this electronic world under the possible scrutiny of Rachel's eye for pictures and my genius of a niece (6 years my junior, in age only) who sports the title Ph.D (did I spell that right? ) in front of her name (English, Am. Lit?). Oh, the pressure.