Watching my children grow

Just a little catching up......

2010-11-29T13:02:00.005-05:00

I wrote this months ago, intending to come back, write more and than post, however time got away from me.

Where do I start after so many months? Life is a whirlwind. I am just taking care of my children, trying to keep up and not get so overwhelmed with all that is asked of me. However, I am so thankful for these four children and would not want life any other way. The afternoons are filled with getting homework done with two kids, piano lessons, bible homework, providing snacks, making and serving supper at a designated time, before moods start to deteriorate. :) After supper is baths, more reading and a timely bedtime. Then two nights a week after this routine, I take off to work.

vacation memories

2010-07-15T18:09:00.002-04:00

Our family just returned from our first time at the beach. Lately, when I have tried to blog, I have been unable to upload photos, so this time it worked, I am so excited!
We arrived at Nags Head safely and hurried down to the ocean. The kids were so excited to see the Atlantic for the first time. We had lots of discussions about ocean life, salt water, and the strong waves. This picture was taken at their first time with salt water. It ended with kids soaking wet in their clothes, but that was ok, because we were at the beach!!!! It was funny to see their reaction to the salty taste in their mouth. They were quite dramatic about this, but by the end of our time, there were no more complaints of the horrible taste.
We visited the Wright Brothers museum and learned some history, I took the older three putt putting for their first time, and then Ben joined us for a couple of days. That was wonderful, because he didn't plan on coming at all. I'm thinking he missed us? Maybe the house was too quiet??? :)

With Ben with us we went to the aquarium. This was exciting to see sharks, sea horses, eels, otters, beautiful fish, etc... It was a beautiful day and so much fun. Also at the beach, we went on walks, did some shopping, ate a seafood meal (oh what fun!) played lots of games (dutch blitz, uno, battleship) walked to get ice cream, and many more memories. The kids want to live there now! I on the other hand, am glad to be home again. The constant battle of sand in everything would drive me crazy I believe. It doesn't just rinse off, you have to WASH it off!!

This is what happens when I am at the computer. See why I don't get to blog very much? But, I have happy kids!

Ummm, summer

2010-06-22T16:51:00.004-04:00

We are loving summer!! I love having the kids home with me. I love the relaxed schedule. The kids love catching fireflies in the late evening, watching the primrose open, sleeping in, and having some good, relaxing family fun. The children seem to really enjoy being together and playing with each other. It is fun to watch them interact together. Of course, we had about two days of adjusting after school was over. Adjusting to being together so much, and not being stimulated constantly. But they have done really well. We have spent a lot of time outside. While the children play in the sandbox, water or just using their imagination, I have time to work in the garden.

In May, Ashley lost her first tooth! She was so proud and happy! I also was very happy for her. The teacher made a big deal over losing teeth, and Ashley was worried she wouldn't get her name on the bullentin board. Whew, we barely made it!

The kids have also done very good at helping out around the house and doing some chores. It's hard for me to get them to do their chores, that is one area I need to improve on. But, they are very capable to helping out.

And little Violet, she is growing so fast! She nods her head yes and no, loves her mommy VERY much, runs and climbs all over the place. Still not a lot of words, but there is a lot going on around here and she will learn.

Just a little update, I need to do better at blogging. But my little children have been keeping me busy, and I love it!!! Baseball is now over, swimming lessons are over, we have visited the library several times, we are reading, we are playing, and we are eating good, and summer needs to last FOREVER!

Reflecting on a Monday, Is it Monday?

2010-05-10T20:25:00.003-04:00

No pictures today, I am sorry. I know it has been awhile, and I am not sure I have even taken any pictures recently. (isn't that awful!!!!) Since it has been so long, I thought I better give an update on everyone.

Jacob, baseball is keeping us very busy! Between practice and games it takes three evenings a week. This means keeping him focused on coming home from school, snack, homework, completing chores, eating supper and then going wherever. A big change from our normal routine!! Jacob earned his first game ball this evening. He is pretty proud and is well deserving of this accomplishment. I missed the game tonight, since I have sick girls at home. He loves baseball! He seems to really like sports at this stage in his life.

Ashley, ballet is wrapping up for her. Her performance is the next weekend. So, next week means rehearsal every evening! She is on stage for just a short time, so rehearsal time for her is short as well (thank goodness). Kindergarten is flying by. She is reading really well and does really well in school. I am just so proud of her! We are going on a field trip tomorrow and I am looking forward to spending some time with her. Tomorrow evening the younger classes from her school are putting on their spring performance.

Rachel, she is conversing so well for her age. We have some pretty deep conversations and I sometimes feel like I am talking with someone much older than her 3 little years. She is such a young lady, so considerate of others and such a wonderful help in the kitchen! She loves baking cookies ( we did today) and will "help" wash dishes, anything to work beside me. She is full of personality which is emerging more and more everyday.

Violet, oh my sweet "little one". She is fairly quiet, has yet to find her voice. Her new talents are, waving bye, bye, making the shhhh sign, dada, mama (constantly), sound like HI, and my favorite is the kiss. Friday, I got my first kiss from Violet. She leaned her head to my cheek, with open mouth and made the sound mmmmawww. The sound I make when I give her kisses. Oh so precious!!! her teeth are just ripping her gums! She has 4 new teeth breaking thru! I do believe it is making her miserable. She is no longer sleeping thru the night, and prefers to be held all night while yanking my hair out of my head! I am trying very hard to be patient. This will not last forever! (right????)

In regards to our health, we have dealt with ear infections, strep throat, stomach bugs, viruses causes fevers, flu, ear infections again, strep throat again, more viruses, etc..... it seems never ending. Violet is clear of her ear infections now. Rachel now is the second to start running a fever again. Ashley is coughing and complaining of a sore throat. (I am hoping/praying no strep throat) Rachel was checked today and was negative for her strep throat(thank God!) I guess with four children this is to be expected, but really? Must it last this long? I have tried bleaching and have changed toothbrushes so frequently, but lets get real! Anyway, I don't want to dwell on this too long. I just don't have time during the day to get to my computer. My kids when not feeling well, seem to need a lot of hands on attention. Which they are certainly getting! :)

Next time, more pictures............

Bikes, Smiles, and Baseball

2010-04-19T14:06:00.004-04:00

Jacob has a new bike!! Well, new to us anyway. We found this wonderful used yellow bike, that Jacob just loves! His old bike was getting smaller and smaller every year. We have been looking for a used bike for him for a little while, and this Hummer of a bike is just perfect for Jacob and he loves it. It has a very sturdy frame and even has shocks in the front of the bike. (Jacob told me this would be great for bike jumping at a church campground where we go camping!*cringe*)

Jacob is playing baseball this year! He is so excited and is learning so much. Jacob has asked for the last two years to play and this year, I said yes. So, here Jacob is, happy and playing baseball. I take everyone to practice. The girls get time to play together on the playground at the school, and I follow Violet around as she walks everywhere. As long as the weather is nice, it is a wonderful time to spend outdoors. With the cooler weather, it's a little harder, but still fun.

Sand, dear, dear sand.....

2010-04-08T09:40:00.003-04:00

Dear Sand, I chose to welcome you into my house this summer. I really do not want you IN my house, but since it doesn't look like I have too much choice, welcome.

The kids love to play in the sandbox! I put a bucket of water next to the sandbox, so they go back and forth from the water to the sand. Sand gets everywhere and in everything. I have little girls with sand caked in their hair. Hair gets in their face, they brush the hair away with wet hands and then again with sand covered hands. They have been having so much fun, it's hard to stop them, and I don't. The sandbox is like a magnet! Violet goes towards the sandbox as soon as she is outside. Speaking of Violet, that little girl can climb a six foot stepladder up into the playhouse and then immediately heads to the slide to go down head first! After one major heart attack, I now pay super close attention to her. This is hard since three other children are vying for my attention, but I talk to them with eyes on Violet. I am afraid to leave one child to watch Violet because if anything happened I don't want the child in charge to deal with that responsibility. Sometimes I have to pull Violet away to help someone else, which causes her to throw a huge fit! I thought the other day, I'll take her clothes off to save sand caked clothing and that will help laundry. Found out that Violet can take her diaper off very easily and will fuss when it is put back on. Hmmm, that idea didn't work. So, back to an increasing laundry pile.

So sand, I will deal with you this summer. I may not always be happy about it, but I will get you in my house and you will be swept away!

Easter

2010-04-04T17:37:00.003-04:00

Just a couple of pictures of our weekend. We've been busy, but having a lot of fun. The warm weather is absolutely wonderful! Ben's Uncle and Aunt spent Friday eve, and Saturday morning with us. We've had ballet and baseball practice as well to keep our weekend busy.

The girls have been asking to have matching dresses, so this Easter, I bought new dresses for the girls. They love dressing a like. I find this very funny, because when I was little, I did not want to dress like my little sister at all! (much to my mother's dismay!) I will try to get some more pictures another day.

The Easter Egg hunt, outside.

It's been a quiet family day. We visited a church, ate a wonderful meal, played dutch blitz and blink, played some baseball, now we're just laying around. Everyone is a little tired and is resting. What a wonderful Easter Sunday. I have missed being with family, and have thought about all of you throughout the day, and hope everyone had a wonderful, restful day.

Hot Cross Buns! Absolutely delicious! The only problem? I made 6 dozen! We've been munching them down pretty fast, so hurry on over to get some! It's hard to eat just one. As I slowly enjoy one, I tell myself, I just make them once a year, so the calories we will just try to ignore!!!!

Girls with many talents....

2010-03-30T12:48:00.003-04:00

Our girls have so many different talents. Don't make any assumptions about our personalities, because we will be sure to surprise you. Plus, our girls are talented at surprising us with glimpses into their constantly expanding personalities. Just when I think I am beginning to understand, it changes. What fun it is to watch these girls and have fun with them. Violet having fun with her daddy, getting all dirty and LOVING it. Dirt doesn't matter, it's fun! When mommy is sleeping (because she worked all night long) girls get to do extra special things, like: getting dirty, and what? hammering!? Yep, you got it. Rachel is one good worker. Her hourly rate is beyond your budget though.

And cooking......... When I am working in the kitchen, girls (and boy) come running. Some to help, some to lick, some to taste test, and others to just cling on to my legs.

There is always time to be cute. So cute and growing so fast.

Oh yes, we mustn't forget, there is always time to play in the make-up! She believes she is so beautiful (she is of course, but doesn't need make-up to be beautiful!). This is, of course, special to her and she is so proud!!!

Girls, Girls, Girls.............

Muddy Mondays

2010-03-24T13:57:00.006-04:00

These beautiful Spring days! Words cannot begin to describe the depth of my thankfulness for sunny days and warmer weather. Watching the flowers blossom, trees blooming, grass turning green, and spending long days outside. This past weekend Ben worked the garden up for me and I was able to plant the early spring things such as: potatoes, peas, onions, radishes, lettuce, and broccoli. Monday after school, the traditional mud hole was created. I wish I had time to go back and scan a mud hole picture from every year this has happened, to the present. The kids have so much fun........

I did manage to keep Violet out of the mud. She was very attracted to it, but I just wasn't quite ready for that. This was a school night after all! (which means homework, and a bedtime.)

Violet loves the sandbox. She has managed to swallow a rather large handful of sand that we than washed down with a drink of milk. I wasn't quite sure how to get her mouth cleaned after I did a quick finger sweep to get the majority of sand out. Hopefully she will survive being the youngest, because I am often distracted by the other three kids!

Our Day.....

2010-03-17T21:16:00.005-04:00

Some days just don't need words........................................
We had a beautiful, wonderful day outside. We put daily chores, laundry, and cleaning on hold for the day, and spent a day outdoors. (although I did manage to make a batch of bread, and now have 5 beautiful loaves of bread sitting on the counter.)

After playing outside, the girls enjoyed a lunch together as they usually do.

Funny how children love to go UP the slide. It must be instinct?

It looks as if they are conspiring a scheme. I wonder what they are planning?

After lunch, Rachel disappeared. I went looking for her and found her in bed!! She said she wanted alone time! My Rachel! She doesn't Take Naps, she is Too Big! I quick got Violet to bed, both fell asleep very fast and I had 1 1/2 hours to myself, well almost. I did feed Ben and his employee lunch and then cleaned up after them. The rest of the time, I organized my photos on the computer. I willed myself not to look away from the screen so I would not see a disorganized house, laundry piles, etc....... that I should have been doing!

After school, on such a beautiful day, I had a spontaneous thought. Lets play with soap and water. The kids really enjoyed washing windows, using the garden hose to clean screens, and washing the front porch and front door. We had discussions as we worked, everyone was so happy! And the best part, for after school snack, we ate one whole loaf of bread (with Ben's help) the kids were so impressed by this!

Pretty impressive huh? Needless to say, I am exhausted. Kneading bread and washing windows, running races outside with the kids, our after supper walk in the dusk of evening......Tomorrow holds Muffins with Mom at the school book fair, and then another beautiful day that we are going to spend outdoors. Laundry is going to have to get done "afterhours". I am loving this spring weather!

Turning Three

2010-03-03T12:33:00.002-05:00

Unbelievable! Rachel is now 3! Time flies in the Bast household. I still have (somewhat) vivid memories of this beautiful little baby girl. This perfect little baby with a lot of black hair! A wonderful baby that just fit right in. Really no adjustments to having her at home. Such a good baby!
Now at three years old, Rachel is one busy little girl! She keeps us on our toes, she makes us laugh, she is my little mother, and full of drama. She likes to boss, likes to stay in charge, likes to take care of everyone. If someone is sick(we've had a lot of opportunity this year to observe this behavior), Rachel wants to take their temperature, give them a drink, dampen their washcloth across their forehead, hand out medicine. She carries around her baby, "nurses" her baby, burps, dresses, and baths her baby. In regards to Violet, my little Rachel has carried her around since she was a newborn. She has totally ignored my instructions to leave the baby and not to carry her around. Even as Violet has grown, she is still trying to carry her! Rachel has loved Elmo, and has been requesting an Elmo cake since our birthday season has begun. So of course, I make an Elmo cake. It is so absolutely wonderful to see her happiness when looking at her cake. March 1st is Rachel's birthday, but this year, Ben had bible study Monday night and I had to work, so we celebrated on Tues evening.

One happy princess! Evidently a little girl cannot have too many necklaces, tiaras, rings or any bling!! Ben even tried on her jewelry, however, I was instructed NOT to post these pictures on my blog! He really is a good father to our girls! (and to his son as well)

Violet turns one on the 13th, so we will have another birthday soon. We are planning on combining the girls birthdays and having our extended families over for a birthday party then.

I have been thinking of posting ideas, but my days fly by without getting the blogging done. We have dealt with a lot of sicknesses, two funerals already in 2010, so hopefully life will *settle* down. (is this possible, I doubt it-not sure I even want it too) More another time! I need to put Violet to bed, start laundry, pick up the kids from school, homework chaos, supper on the table, baths, bedtime................Time to get busy!

2010-02-23T16:42:00.002-05:00

ANDREW GINGERICH

OCTOBER 29, 1911-FEBRUARY 21-2010

Born to farmers in Ontario, Canada. At the age of twelve moved to the United States to Crogan, NY to continue farming. He was told at a young age to stop attending school so that he could help out on the farm.

May 12, 1944, marries a young lady by the name of Esther Zimmerman from Lancaster, PA.

Andrew's parents Jacob and Lydia Gingerich

Andrew was chosen by lot to be a minister, which he took as a life calling from God, ordained as a Bishop. Andrew preformed many marriage ceremonies (including my own), preached many Biblical based sermons, all while farming and raising 4 children. Years later he now has many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Grandpa reading to two great grandchildren.

Andrew is Ben's maternal grandpa. Many of Ben's childhood memories include his grandparents. They lived close by and Ben spent a lot of time at his grandparents house. Grandpa's birthday was 2 days later than Ben's, so the birthday parties were combined. As we gather together, I would like to gather more details and record them here for memories sake. I remember Grandpa's stories, but forget many of the important details so I will add them on after this weekend.

Enjoying snow once more!

2010-02-07T15:30:00.003-05:00

The children are once more getting a chance to enjoy the beautiful snow. However, it is taking a bit more encouraging to get them out there! Jacob and Rachel have been my snow children this time. Ashley has been dealing with high fevers and not feeling well. So, Jacob is enjoying this new sled!

Rachel, outside, smiling and enjoying herself.

So cute! I was able to go outside and took some beautiful snow pictures.

Ashley has been so brave and strong as she struggles to feel better. I just wish I could take the sickness myself instead of seeing her struggle and be so fatigued, and still able to smile as a camera is aimed at her. I have made a bed on the couch to keep her close to me during the day and night. Often I am on the other couch at night to help her as needed. Today, she is feeling a little more like herself, although she still has a low grade temp.

And little Violet, asleep in her crib, as I wander around with my camera. It was so nice to get outside for a bit while she slept. Oh, I needed some fresh air!! I smile as I notice one sock on and one sock off. A Violet trait!

Saturday our electricity was off from 8:15 to 4:30pm. Now, I thought for sure we were going to be out for days!! Which I believe made the whole experience a little worse for me. I learned how many things we take for granted. The wood stove provided us with warm heat, and we read books, and played in the basement. I did not realize how much I am used to praise music playing in the background, how many times I glance at the electrical clocks, and the joy of running water. I would say I missed the running water the most. Washing our hands, flushing toilets, even cleaning the house! It pretty much put a stop to most things. Even the coffee maker!!!!!! We were melting buckets of snow so we could flush toilets! The kids thought it was a wonderful adventure and after electricity was restored, the kids were playing a game called No Electricity! I was walking around thanking God for the electricity we had. Even woke up this morning expressing my thankfulness for the electricity.

More Snow!

2010-01-31T10:51:00.002-05:00

January is nearing an end already! Where did this month go? As I think back about the month I think of snow days, getting rid of a pacifier, Jacob's birthday, dealing with a cold, stress, and I can't think of any more. Sometimes the days merge into each other. With this snow fall, the children haven't been too excited to go outside. I guess the thrill of snow is over. So we have been playing games, cleaning, reading books, playing in the basement, and I think they have been having fun. Rachel is running around with a bit of a blackened eye due to an encounter with a light saber. And really, she didn't even cry that much, so I was surprised this morning to see how dark her eye looks! Church was cancelled this morning so we have an enjoyed a laid back, relaxed morning. Hopefully the day will continue on that relaxation note. At 11:00 in the morning I still have a child to get dressed and hair to do. Very unusual for me to be such a procrastinator.

Milestones

2010-01-23T21:18:00.003-05:00

We're moving on to another stage in our lives. This morning Rachel was walking around with her pacifier in her mouth. Ben told her to go put it away. Rachel came back running saying she threw her pacey in the trashcan. Ben said "no way, show me" They went to the trashcan and with a flashlight saw the pacey way down in the trash can. Rachel went running to Ashley "come see my pacey!" Ashley and Jacob both looked into the trash can and saw the pacey. Then Rachel started saying "I'm ready for my birthday!" (we have been telling her that when she turns 3, no more pacey.) We were so proud of her, I told her I would take her to the store and buy her something to go to sleep with tonight. And we did. We took a trip and bought a new baby doll. Of course, then tonight there were quite a few tears and she no longer wanted that baby doll, her pacey instead. She did settle down in Ashley's room, with her doll, after I did a lot of talking and convincing. But the pacey is GONE!!!!!

I walked around this evening capturing the events of the evening. What a beautiful smile, showing off 6 teeth!!!

Playing Battleship

Rachel and her new doll.

Ashley playing with her Christmas gift from Grandma Bast, and a new tiara that Ashley spent her own money on.

A sight I often see, followed by mass destruction. Emptying out a basket seems to be quite a lot fun!!!

One other story about Rachel. Rachel was put in time out (for some reason). Time out means you sit on the steps, you are quiet and you are to think about what you have done, and what was the right thing you should have done. (something like that, I'm not sure exactly how I say it) So, Rachel is sitting on the steps, whimpering a little and talking. Ben tells her to be quiet and Rachel replies, "I'm talking to Jesus"! Well, that made us pause and go hmm.... what do we say to that? Yes, she's breaking the rules, but we don't want to tell her not to do that! Boy is she smart. Got out of that one. Sometimes, it is really hard to discipline, not to deviate from the rules and to keep a straight face!! So many times I feel like cracking up and laughing in the middle of enforcing manners, rules, etc..... So, I guess my new outlet is blogging. Hope you enjoy it and are able to smile.

The Case of the Missing.......

2010-01-21T12:51:00.004-05:00

1. The missing baby. Where has she gone? Just a couple of pictures to prove that my little baby is growing so fast! So adorable! How I love those leg hugs and those smiles that just light up the room. How I love when I hug her she pats my back and is beginning to say mama and dada to the appropriate people. So happy to see me after a wonderful nap!

2. The missing cookie sheets. I try to keep homemade foods around for desserts and after school snacks. Yesterday, as I was preparing to make every ones favorite chocolate chip cookies, I only had ONE cookie sheet. Where in the world? I wondered as I started to roam around the house. Found one cookie sheet holding a volcano that erupts red lava (dormant now, since the master is in school), one cookie sheet holding a magic crystal rock growing in a glass tank-precious now especially since a two year old stirred and destroyed the first growing stage on Sunday morning as we were walking out the door. (yes, we were late to church that morning-due to disciplining issues-couldn't let it wait until after church!--plus we had a crying 8 yr old to calm) And another cookie sheet high up on a shelf holding all kinds of teeny tiny little Star Wars legos. High enough to protect from a 10month old's little hands and mouth, and the destroying habits of the two year old. Oh, there are the missing wonderful cookie sheets, my favorite ones......Well, since they all had such an important function in their new roles, I just couldn't bear to make any changes. So on to making cookies with only ONE cookie sheet. Now one must know, I can whip out a batch of cookies really fast, baking 2 sheets at a time and 2 working ovens. But, it does take 4 cookie sheets to do this. Well, back to the old fashioned way.... one sheet at a time. Took a little longer, but they were delicious. With a family of 6 (yes, we let Violet have one-little bites at a time) these cookies were disappearing as fast as I could take them out of the oven!

Celebrating

2010-01-13T13:16:00.002-05:00

On Jan 8th, we celebrated Jacob's 8th birthday! I am a little late posting this event due to, well that's just the way life is right now. But anyway, Friday morning we woke with a dusting of snow on the ground and school was cancelled. So the children all enjoyed being home and playing together. They do such a good job! Jacob was very happy not to go to school! Usually our families from out of town come and we have a party together, but this year it was just us. Jacob chose our supper of mini meatloaves, mashed potatoes, lettuce (and only lettuce, nothing added to it)and applesauce. Then our birthday cake, which this year was a star wars light saber. Star wars figures are standing guard at the side of the cake. I enjoy seeing their faces when they see their cake, and this year Jacob was so excited. He wanted a star wars cake soooo bad!

Jokingly Jacob had been telling his sisters he just wanted rocks and dirt for his birthday, so the girls were all excited to gather a special rock from the driveway and wrap up their rock to really surprise him back. (mud was absolutely not allowed!) Ashley and Rachel worked on this together and there was a lot of giggling and whispering going on. Of course Jacob was all excited about his presents and this was his expression when he saw his rocks. You can tell the girls also had some fun with this.

Star Wars Legos!!!! Jacob's facial expression says it all!

It was a little hard on Rachel, she is ready for her birthday and presents as well. March is coming fast, honey!!!! Violet, well she was ready to tear into the wrapping paper, what a sweetie.
We ended the evening with a family movie night and staying up late. So much fun!! Jacob's birthday continues on Saturday when a couple boys from his class are coming over to play with him. So in a way, I am still in birthday mode for Jacob!! Happy birthday son!

In Remembrance Of....

2009-12-31T08:09:00.004-05:00

This is in remembrance of Sylvanus M. Moyer, Jan 3. 1916-Dec 28, 2009. A little background on Grandpa as I remember, he was born in Souderton, PA and during the depression things were very hard. News was heard that in Newport News, VA things were better. Land was available, so S.M.'s family bought 700 acres and sold some off to others and kept 300 acres for themselves and built a farm. At the age of twelve Grandpa moved to Newport News, as years passed he met Grandma, married and continued to farm on this land.

Grandpa and Grandma's wedding photo.

Grandpa and Grandma have been married for 68 years! A wonderful example set for the rest of the family.

One of my many memories, is fishing with Grandpa. Their farm was located on the banks of the Warwick River where a pier extended out and Grandpa always had crab cages down in the water which he would pull out and show us these crabs that were moving around opening and closing their pinchers. He'd reach in, grab a hold of one, pull it out, crack it open and use the meat as bait. I remember many lessons on fishing from Grandpa. He showed us how to crack open the crabs and how to extract the meat for bait, and yes I did try and was successful. I remember he even showed me how to tell a male from a female! He had a little john boat (I believe) that I remember rowing out into the marshes with Grandpa and exploring a little- or it felt like we were exploring. I remember gazing down into the water watching the many jellyfish moving around and being somewhat afraid of them. I didn't do much swimming there-not really liking the salt water and those jellyfish! Most of my childhood memories of Grandpa include this pier and his love of fishing. My memories are old and somewhat faded. If I could go back I believe I would try to remember a little harder and appreciate more. As children we live our days in the present not realizing that someday these are going to be treasured memories.

But Grandpa left us with his legacy and our family. This picture was taken several years ago and there have been many additions to our family since then. The wonderful thing is that we are Christians, we gather together to socialize, to sing harmony and to have a good time. Families are still together and keep connected. Grandma remains here on earth to spend some extra time with her family, while Grandpa is rejoicing in heaven, may we all be united one day.

Christmas Vacation

2009-12-21T15:50:00.002-05:00

I am so glad for Christmas Vacation! I have enjoyed having my kids all home at the same time, and believe it or not, I feel like I have a little more time to do some extra things around the house! When the older two are at school, I need to play and entertain Rachel, when they are home, the three play together and I have some time to "catch up". This Christmas Vacation we have had an abundance of snow to occupy Jacob and Ashley. I just need to help with the bundling up and the unbundling over and over, but that's okay! I am also so glad we have a basement where they ride their scooters and bikes and release some energy.

This was a Sunday morning we were all dressed ready to go to church, when at the last minute we did not go due to ice, so I had time to take a couple of pictures. My girls like to dress alike. Every Sunday morning we deal with the issue of matching dresses. I do not have matching dresses for my girls, since we rely on hand me downs, but this year, I tried to find new Christmas dresses to match. Ashley is in the big girl section of clothing, so I did find a red dress to match, although it is not identical. On this particular morning all girls were happy since they "matched".

I did manage to get the kids together for a quick picture. Rachel does not like to be out in the snow since it is so deep and hard for her to walk, plus she does not like being bundled up so much. This was Violet's first time outside as well. I had her bundled up good as you can see. We are all dealing with colds and coughs, so the little ones weren't out long. I do enjoy watching Jacob and Ashley play in the snow, and did get out a little to throw some snowballs at them. I feel torn, wanting to play outside with them, but yet needing to be inside with the little ones.

The cookie making is in full swing. I have not made as many different kinds of candies and cookies this year. I just can't seem to get it done. But I do have a lot of willing helpers. I let them help and am thankful for kitchen space for them to all work at the same time. It's also interesting to see who hangs in there and works until completion and who just works a little and then they're done.

I sit Violet in her chair while I work in the kitchen. She loves cheerios, banana pieces, crackers, and throwing her sippy cup on the floor! Notice her missing sock? That seems to be her little trademark. Wow, is she growing so fast!

We are currently reading Little House in the Woods, as our reading project, and hopefully will finish this book soon and move on to the next. Well, it seems as if I have used up my time, the kids are getting restless, with all the interruptions it's hard for me to concentrate and keep my train of thought going, so until next time........

Ashley's Birthday

2009-12-07T12:42:00.003-05:00

My dear little girl is turning 6! Wednesday is Ashley's 6th birthday, so our family gathered on Sunday to celebrate her birthday and also to dedicate Violet to God. My children's birthday affect me so much differently than my own. My birthday is another year, a different age, not really that big of a deal. On my children's birthday I reminisce. I reflect back on the birth, holding that new little baby, those feelings of happiness, the adrenaline (where did that go?), and ultimately end up thinking- how does time fly so fast? Now Ashley is turning 6- so how did that happen? Ashley wanted a tinkerbell cake-so here is Tink sitting on her tree stump. I enjoy making these cakes for her, it is fun to plan and to think about these cakes and I enjoy watching their anticipation as they watch these cakes being made.

And of course there are gifts to be opened. This one is of a wall hanging that is currently up on the wall by her bed, given by her Grandma.

Sunday morning, we dedicated Violet to God. Violet wore a beautiful gown sewn by her Grandma. This is very special as all three of my girls have worn this gown on their dedication. The details to the dress are just amazing. And, Violet did wonderful. She was presented to the congregation by an awesome friend. Violet did not cry as I thought she would, and she just did great! What a wonderful day we had! Full of so many memories I don't want to forget!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T08:17:00.002-05:00

Unbelievable how quickly time is marching on. Children are growing, seasons are changing, and we are in the midst of the holiday season. We are trying to remember to be thankful for all things we take for granted and to keep Jesus as the center of our holiday busyness. Meanwhile, I am adjusting to looking over at Violet and seeing her in an upright position. I never know where I am going to find her and at times, I need to run for the camera to catch those funny moments. Violet holding on the banister made me laugh, simply because she was there laughing all by herself, I suppose she was pretty proud she accomplished this feat. The laughter is what drew my attention to her and then of course I said, "don't move, let me get my camera!" This caught my sentimental self, when I saw Jacob reading to Ashley. How kind he is to read a book to Ashley at her level of reading. Jacob is into reading chapter books that don't always have a lot of pictures, so it is nice to see him pleasing his sister.

We started out Thanksgiving with a Thanksgiving feast at Ashley's school, which I was able to go in and be a helper. I love helping at the school, and wish I could do more, but..... Ashley dressed as an Indian with a beautiful costume. Then the class had a wonderful feast of popcorn, grapes, apples, trail mix, and a turkey cookie. I believe they all had a wonderful time.

We have begun to pull out the Christmas decorations and all the beautiful Nativity scenes which I love the most. It was really neat to talk about the birth of Jesus with the children and to hear Rachel say "I want to hear more about Jesus" Rachel, I hope we do continue to keep this as a center of our conversation, and yes, I do think we will be talking more about Jesus.

It"s two o'clock.......

2009-11-23T14:04:00.002-05:00

It's two o'clock, and the pressure is on. I have the Violet and Rachel sleeping, which hopefully will occur more frequently. Now, I have an hour to race around the house and get some things done, and here I am at the computer. However, the apple pie is in the oven and the main dish is made for supper, so I feel like I can splurge and spend a couple minutes on the computer. This past week was busy with Ben visiting family in NY, and leaving me parenting by myself. We did good and Jacob really helped me a lot. He was the man of the house and he would do what I ask him willingly and without fuss. Ashley also did not fuss in the mornings prior to school, and just did so good! I was so proud of them. Friday eve we spent with our small group from church making gingerbread houses. We had a lot of fun, and it helped the evening go by so fast. I feel so blessed to be a part of a great church with people my age, and in my stage of life. I am surrounded by young families and my children have other children to play with and to feel safe. So for this past week of thankfulness, I am so thankful for my friends. Those who listen, who share, who call me, who support me, who love, those friends who are just so special to me. I am so thankful for you! Your friendship means so much to me. Our gingerbread house.

My four children, whom I am so very thankful for.

Party time

2009-11-14T14:00:00.003-05:00

All week I have been thinking about my Thankful Thursday theme. The kids and I have discussed being thankful for my car which we rely on to carry us to all different places, thankful for our beds that feel so good when we fall into them, thankful for the food that we can afford to buy and then eat, and thankful for the jobs that we have to help meet our needs. I decided on Thursday to focus on being thankful for our health. So many people around us have health struggles and different viruses are causing young people to be ill. Thru all of this, our family has been relatively healthy. Yes, we have minor complaints typical of the season, but overall we have maintained our healthful condition, and I am so truly thankful for that. Focusing on being thankful is such a healthy exercise for our minds. It has helped my children in directing their thoughts. I really should do this throughout the year and not just one month.

Friday night was the great, anticipated party night in Ashley's room. Ashley prepared by making a list of activities and collecting craft items for her planned events(food was not permitted). Jacob pitched the tent in her room, sleeping bags were arranged, and the door was closed to adults. They had one hour to "party" and then we settled them down and this is what they looked like. It was so fun to hear them giggling and having a good time, feeling so grown up without adults! Before we went to bed, we peeked in, and of course had to capture the moment.

What fun they had, and now they are planning the next party!

Thankful on a Friday

2009-11-06T10:21:00.002-05:00

I wanted so much to do a Thursday Thankfulness, and I spent all day thinking of all the many things I am so thankful for. Thursday sped by and I did not get my blog written. However, I had a wonderful thankful day thinking of the many wonderful aspects of my life. I am so thankful and so blessed with my family. My children and my husband fill my heart with happiness. Laughter, tears, chaos, noise, all emotions from all extremes fill my house, but I am so thankful for each and every one. I can't imagine my life being any different, and God has truly blessed me. An update on Violet, here is her new skill. The stairs are like a magnet to her. I put her down and she will change her direction to head for the stairs. Yesterday on my thankful Thursday she bumped down the stairs not once, but two times. And yes, I was thankful she did not get hurt too bad.

Oh, she is so proud, look at her laughing!!

Oh look, here is a new discovery. What fun it is to unroll the toilet paper, what a mess she can create. She has even started emptying the bookshelf with our many books--didn't take a picture of that one, it was way to messy to forever remember.

We have been listening to children's worship music and yesterday while I was focusing my thoughts towards thankfulness, this song started playing and I thought how appropriate. Remember this song? Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One, Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son....And now let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich, because of what the Lord has done for us......Give thanks.

Oct 31st

2009-11-04T13:45:00.003-05:00

Yes, I am a couple days late here. Someday, I plan on catching up with my life and having everything under control. Back to reality, some days I feel like life is spinning wildly out of control, and I am grasping to catch a hold and keep up. Oh it's not as bad as it sounds. However, I am posting this blog several days late.
We look forward to Halloween so much. We anticipate dressing up in our outfits and visiting my paternal grandma. I just love going to visit her and sadly we just don't visit enough. Halloween is a must. She loves seeing the children all dressed up and watch their enthusiasm as they talk about their costume. All the other elderly folks love to talk and visit with them as well. We just love visiting her. This Halloween we spent all day at our soccer tournament. I was so thankful Ben spent the day with me and helped me with the children all day. Usually I am going to soccer games by myself with all four children, so this was a wonderful treat and a great day as a family. Here is a picture of the kids at their Great Grandma's.

(Rachel is going through a stage of sticking her tongue out when getting her picture taken, I hope this passes soon!)

After visiting Grandma, we head on to the church to have supper and planned activities for the children. When all the events are over, we head home happy and tired, dreaming of next year.

Birthday Bash

2009-11-02T13:50:00.005-05:00

On Oct. 27th, we celebrated Ben's birthday together as a family. Birthdays are so very special. We make a big deal out of birthdays! Ashley was a little disappointed that she did not get to go shopping to get daddy a special gift, so I suggested she make something for him, like a picture or a painting. Ashley said she wanted to make choc chip cookies, so after school, she made a batch of cookies. I enjoy working in the kitchen with her, she is such an eager learner. Here we are with Ben's special request: a pumpkin pie made with real pumpkin. (I baked 4 pumpkins earlier in the day for pies)

And opening presents. It is so fun to watch the kids give daddy their gift. They are tearing off the paper before he gets his hands on it. (he doesn't mind, of course)

Later Ben pulled out his trombone that he had when he was younger. This was a special request of Jacob's and they all took turns trying to make some sound with it. We had such a good time together. I realized that this is the 15th birthday I have celebrated with Ben, wow, does time fly. 15 sounds like a long time. Our we that old???

We've had some fun in the leaves, I'm sure we will get out there again for more fall fun. This was our first leaf pile of the year.

I caught this picture of Ben and Jacob playing ball together. It is fun to have some beautiful fall days and being outside together. We have so many things to be thankful for. Some of these memories I hope to treasure forever and capture some on camera. I do believe as crazy, at times stressful, this season is the best one of all. I love my kids, my little family, and I am sooo thankful for each and every one of them. I can't imagine my family being any different.

Changes

2009-10-15T10:09:00.002-04:00

We've had some changes in our house. They are for the good of course. Little Violet has been out growing her little cradle that she has been sleeping in, and I have been really wanting to get her in the crib. However, Rachel has been sleeping on the crib mattress on the floor, so, we needed to get Rachel a twin mattress set and do some changes. Here is a picture of Violet's crib corner in Rachel's room. It is so nice to be able to put her in the crib, awake, and let her fall asleep without fear of her falling out and onto a hard wood floor, like in the cradle.
And dear little Rachel got a new bed!! She is so very proud of her big girl bed and has been sleeping in her bed now at night!

Violet enjoys sitting in the highchair watching the supper table chaos while getting used to a sippy cup. Our supper table goals include 1. toning the voices down 2. taking turns talking 3. sitting on the chairs properly. It seems like our meal times are just chaotic. Everyone wants to talk, voices get louder to be heard, and Ben and I are trying to correct proper table etiquette, etc..... Ben and I are very outnumbered here and I think it helps to have a better adult to child ratio. But we do the best we can, we sure aren't perfect, and we do make a lot of mistakes!

Violet continues to crawl everywhere. I really have to watch her. She disappears so quickly and I am often saying "where is Violet?" and "what does she have in her mouth?" She has already fallen down the stairs from the playroom into the garage (4 steps).

Violet has begun to pull herself to a standing position. One reason why I really wanted her out of the cradle. I went in to get her out of the cradle and she was holding on to the side of the cradle standing up!!! So of course I feared her going head first to the floor!! She stands flat footed and locks her legs, and doesn't want to sit back down. Where has my baby gone????

Days fly by, I really don't know where they go or what I do. But children are cared for, played with, read to, and loved. Meals are prepared, snacks are given and diapers are changed. Laundry is never done, house is never cleaned, but every day I am so thankful for where I am and what I am doing. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to love these kids. I ran across a cute poem that is fun to read

A Mother's Prayer

Father in heaven, make me wise,

So that my gaze may never meet

A question in my children's eyes.

God keep me always kind and sweet,

And patient, too, before their need;

Let each vexation know its place,

Let gentleness be all my creed,

Let laughter live upon my face!

A mother's day is very long,

There are so many things to do!

But never let me lose my song

Before the hardest day is through.

by Margaret E. Sangster

Its Monday

2009-10-05T14:09:00.002-04:00

It has been 2 weeks since I have been to the grocery store. Supplies are running low, so this was our errand for today, a nice long grocery list and getting Violet's 6 month pictures taken. We got the pictures taken, smiles were in abundance, everyone is happy. Then while grocery shopping, still everyone happy, Rachel is sitting in the basket and Violet in the baby carrier in front. I am shopping away, when all of a sudden Rachel throws out the Ragu container. It burst all over the floor. Ragu is everywhere. I am standing there with my mouth hanging open wondering "did this just happen, and where did this come from?" There were several people in the aisle, and I am so thankful no one got splattered. I however, wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. My kids are not even fussing! Where did this behavior come from??? Rachel was very silent and very still. We had to find a little clean-up man to help us and then needless to say we checked out what we had and went home. On the drive home we had a little discussion about throwing things. Hopefully this will not happen anymore. It's a Monday, the beginning of the week and I hope it improves!! I have no flour or sugar, I guess we will need to make another grocery trip sometime this week, what a bummer. But for now I am still recovering from this grocery experience.

Soccer Game

2009-10-01T20:09:00.003-04:00

We had our first soccer game this afternoon! It was so much fun to see the kids enjoying themselves. They are on the same team, and it is fun to see them together. When Ashley was running after the ball she had a constant smile on her face. This picture of her is while playing defense. They have an excellent coach who lets the kids play all different positions. Every one has an opportunity to "run after the ball". Jacob didn't want to play defense, but he did good.

Jacob did come very close to scoring his first goal, maybe next time.

Rachel, Violet and I sat on the sidelines cheering them on. They did wonderful, and even won the game. And tonight, they are very, very tired. We are looking forward to a fun, busy weekend!

It's been awhile

2009-09-30T12:49:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest news: Violet is crawling! She is on the go, and is venturing outside her safety zone of "the rug" It is fun to watch her crawl around and every day she is mastering the skill better and better. At times while in the "crawl" position she will straighten her legs and stick her behind way up. It is so funny, I wonder why she does this? My concern is what is she going after and what is she going to put in her mouth? It is a bit of a challenge to keep the older children's small toys away from a mobile Violet. Violet went for her 6 month check up today, she weighs 15lbs and 1 oz. She is in the 90th percentile for height, although I can't remember her measurement. After her dr's appt I was planning a big grocery stop, but in the store, Rachel fell apart (unusual for her). I do believe she is tired after getting up so early. So, no groceries later, I am home trying to think up a plan for supper.
This is a picture of Jacob, yes, he is running on the treadmill. He likes being the fastest runner in his class, and this year another boy runs around the track faster than Jacob. So we told him he just needed to keep running and after some practice, he would run even faster. Jacob came up with this idea that over the weekend he needed to run on the treadmill to practice. He ran one mile on Sat and again on Sun afternoon. Come Monday at school, his legs were tired and he still couldn't pass this one boy. So we encouraged him to take it a little easier. He is playing soccer and is running there!

It really warms my heart to see my children playing together. When every one is getting along and having fun, I feel like we are doing something right. Just a dirt pile entertains them for a long time.

I caught Ben reading the girls books before bedtime. This doesn't always happen like this, our evening routine varies. Sometimes I am rushing off to work at 6:00pm, soccer practice cuts our evening short, and homework changes things. Plus, we are pretty good about the 8:00 bedtime, but it makes our evenings just fly by!

Ben's parents were here from Wed to Monday morning, and it was so nice to have extra hands and open arms for the children. We all enjoy having them with us. Thanks dad and mom Bast for all the help you give to us! We love having you here.

I have started working an 11pm-7am shift at work. It touched my heart when I came home, and Jacob poured a cup of coffee for me. He seems to really help out when I am gone. I am trying to do this without a babysitter. Fatigue and I are already close companions and so far, I am managing. My laundry pile is getting huge, and the dust is collecting, but oh well. I am Just thankful I can work as little as I do.

After school fun

2009-09-19T16:28:00.003-04:00

This week has flown by, and I am trying to get used to having the days slip away. Some days I getmething done, and other days I think I am going to get something done. We have spent some time outside enjoying this beautiful weather. Here Rachel is in her dress (the outfit for the moment) playing in the dirt. One bonus to living in a constant construction zone is the piles and piles of dirt we have. The kids don't know what it is like to live without dirt! Ben cut down some trees, and left this pine tree for the kids to play on and let me tell you we have walked all over this tree. It is very long/tall, and we have played follow the leader, and practiced balancing on this tree. Ashley loves walking on this tree and even Rachel can walk on this fallen tree.

We also got the baby swing up again, with the rope fixed, so Violet has enjoyed swinging. I also was able to get the garden somewhat ready for fall while she sat in the swing and watched.

Jacob is enjoying 2nd grade. His group of friends have discovered the sport of kickball, so when I ask about school, I hear about the eventful kickball game during recess and who ran the fastest, etc... I guess that's what is important. One afternoon after school I was able to get a quick picture of his afternoon activity of playing cowboy. Hmmmm, once again, I am thankful for dirt.

And of course, I have to include a picture of this beautiful baby of mine, who is just growing so fast and is just amazing. She is near crawling. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth and then ends up on her belly. She wants to crawl, but hasn't quite gotten there yet. When I went to work the other night I left specific instructions that Violet was not allowed to crawl. I didn't want to miss her milestone. So the kids were excited to tell me the next morning that every time she got up on her hands and knees, they made her get on her belly again. It also helped that Ben put her in a bag sleeper to make it more difficult.

Now this evening I need to get supper ready. I have been in a slump recently regarding supper plans and ideas. Hopefully I will pull out of it soon. I just feel like I fix the same ole things over and over again. No one here is complaining, it's just my thoughts and we do seem to end up with a balanced complete meal. Just a tired cook dreading the clean up process after bedtime. UGGGH! Oh for a cook, housekeeper and laundry assistant, then I could sleep and play, what fun that would be!!!

Doesn't time fly?

2009-09-14T13:22:00.003-04:00

Oh my, how long has it been since I have made an entry here? Let me explain, the best time for me to update is during the daytime, evenings are a little busy with homework, supper, and bedtime. After the kids are in bed I clean up the house, pack bookbags, nurse a baby, and catch up with my husband ( I try, but often fall asleep). So here we are early afternoon, I have 3 loads of laundry that needs to be folded and maybe 2 more that need to be washed. I try to make, or at least have started, supper prep before the kids come home, and at present time, I have a baby here on my lap reaching and grasping things. So I guess that is my excuse for not keeping everyone updated more often. Oh these kids of mine, they are just so cute, I have to take pictures. My problem is getting all 4 in a photo together. Somehow, there is always someone missing, or one child in movement, or one not wanting their picture taken.

Rachel just absolutely loves babies. I have to keep a close eye on her for the safety of Violet. Violet doesn't mind being lifted, rolled or squished by Rachel. Rachel carries her baby around as I do with Violet. Her "baby" is very special and not to be forgotten about. As I care for Violet's needs, Rachel tends to her baby in the same way. The picture below is Rachel crawling into Violet's bed in the morning. How sweet it is to watch her kiss and coo to Violet and see Violet's reaction to Rachel. What a wonderful way to start a day!!

Oh yes, we did go roller skating. What a fun time. It was fun to watch the kids learn how to roller skate and how they coped with the frequent falling and learning to skate. Jacob- he was very confident he knew how to skate and wasn't going to fall. Got on the rink, fell, became very frustrated and after some time, was stomping around wanting to go home. He didn't want help to learn to skate, so I chose to keep on skating myself and before long, there was Jacob skating around the rink. His speed- fast. Ashley, oh she kept falling and falling. She would get up and keep trying. Never complained and I saw tears one time, with a hug and some encouraging words and she was back at it. She did so good! She was skating, loving it, even though she had some sore spots. I enjoyed holding her hand and skating.

Yes, Ben even skated, and he enjoyed it! And dear Rachel, she did get out there, but the music was a little loud, but she preferred to watch with her ears plugged. But she was smiling!! And Violet, did I mention how it's hard to take pictures of the 4 kids? She didn't get her picture taken (oops) but she was there. Watching. I was proud of my kids. They hung in there and in their own way, learned how to roller skate.

What a fun time. Our life is so busy, and the days fly by. I wish I could cling on to them a little longer and savor these moments. This is one season, I don't want to see pass. I love my kids little! I love the stages they are in, but I do enjoy watching them grow, and hope and pray we guide them to be mature, independant, christian adults.

a quick update

2009-09-08T00:44:00.002-04:00

Time slips by so quickly, days fly by, weeks disappear and now look at this baby of ours. I smile every time I look over her way and catch her watching me with those big eyes. She is growing so quickly, I am sad how fast time flies and feel like I am not appreciating these moments. I catch myself thinking and saying, this is the last time I get to have an infant, etc.... I even hear Ben saying things like, this is the last baby I get to toss around. He enjoys playing with her and hearing her laugh as he tosses her around.

Rachel and I had some fun with our babies here. I did not include the picture of her baby, but her baby has acquired new clothing. Violet, at times, needs some clothing changes, so of course Rachel's baby doll must also, and I do not have baby doll clothing. We were in the middle of a crisis, when I had this brillant idea of those baby clothes Violet can not wear anymore and sure enough, they fit, so now I can enjoy seeing those infant clothing on a baby doll!! Who would have thought!

Rachel is talking more and more. It is fun to spend time with her! This weekend we had a fun time camping with our church group. Late nights, campfire talks with our friends and even later nights for us adults. There were so many girls that were so willing to help me keep up with my kids. It is so nice to be in a place where other people know my children and if they did forget where I was, people around knew who they were and could get them to me. It is getting really late. I'm not even sure if I'm making any sense. I think it is time to go to bed. Sweet dreams to every one.

A Wonderful Weekend

2009-08-31T13:44:00.003-04:00

It was so nice to have the kids home again, all together. I think they all enjoyed playing together. Here Rachel is playing baby with Violet. Violet has mastered sitting, now onto crawling! And to explain Rachel's outfit, she really wants to dress herself and chose her own clothing. So she can, until we need to go out in public, than we have some negotiating to do. I caught a really funny expression on Violet's face here. She's so funny, always smiling.

On Saturday, we went to a local park where they have a little train that we rode on. The kids loved it!!

Now starting a new week, we will see what kind of adventures this week will bring.

Coffee Anyone?

2009-08-28T10:08:00.002-04:00

Oh Rachel is so funny! Coffee is a staple here at our house. This morning I am really dragging, so maybe I need another cup! Yesterday while getting my noon cup of coffee, Rachel asked for a cup. So like I have done with my other children, I fixed her a cup of coffee. A little coffee, mostly milk, and a dab of sugar. The older two children did not like it and it satisfied their curiosity of what mom and dad are always drinking. Rachel on the other hand absolutely loved it and drank it down. I was a little mortified, thinking "oh dear, there goes her afternoon nap". Anyway, some time passed, and I was stranded on the couch feeding Violet when Rachel started messing around in the kitchen. I listened, trying to figure out what she was doing. When I was available, I went into the kitchen and here Rachel had gotten herself a coffee mug, poured herself some cold coffee from the pot, and then put flour into the coffee. How did I figure this out? The remains were in my kitchen sink. I had to scoop out the unsuccessful cup of coffee, I was afraid if it got down into the drain it might clog my drain! So we had a little talk about how coffee is good, but maybe we should wait until she was a little older to really start drinking it.
Yesterday, nothing was accomplished around here. I was swimming trying to keep my head above water. Oh lets review what my nights are like: An infant who loves to be held and nurse constantly (possibly using me as a pacifier). A 2 yr old who loves to crawl in my bed and at times follow me around as I prowl the hallways. One child who frequently needs a bed linen change, and now a child who in the middle of the night is afraid our smoke detectors aren't working, and wondering if the stove is turned off? (can you imagine?) Needless to say I believe it's another day of "not sweating the small stuff" and just taking care of the essentials.
Time is up, its getting hard holding the baby, soothing a screaming 2 yr old, because mommy will be right there!!

So, what about Violet

2009-08-26T08:28:00.003-04:00

In all this talk about Ashley starting kindergarten, Jacob starting second grade and Rachel adjusting to the kids being in school, what about Violet? Violet is such a good little baby. She rarely cries, only when hungry or ready to take a power nap. Here we are playing baby. Violet is my baby and Rachel has her baby. Violet doesn't seem to mind and always smiles!

Violet enjoys sitting up so she especially enjoys her walker.

To have some down time, I lay her on her mat. The problem is she doesn't stay there. She rolls all around and I have to re-situate her after awhile, because she travels such a distance.

Yes, she does wear out and needs an occasional power nap. Why do I keep refering to a power nap? Because this little one, whom I love very much, only sleeps maybe an hour at a time. So, in that time, I fly around the house trying to catch up on some things, plus do something special with Rachel.

Now that we're awake and fed, Violet loves the johnny jumper. Here is constant movement. I am surprised the picture is not blurry!

We have so much fun. I love my kids! Even the crazy times when things seem stressful, I just am so thankful for all that I have and that God has given me these special blessings.

The first day of school

2009-08-19T12:57:00.005-04:00

Where do I start? In thinking back over yesterday I remember so many different emotions. Sadness that Ashley was in school, happiness for her because I know she will love school and will love making friends and everyone will love her. She is such an enjoyable, lovable person. She will be a wonderful helper in the classroom, so I knew she was having fun. When I picked up the kids from school, the first words were from Rachel. She said, "I missed you Ashley" Little Rachel had a rough morning, crying constantly. I was excited to spend some one on one time with her while Violet slept, but she cried and cried and I could not distract her nor cheer her up. Finally she said she missed Ashley and then I understood. So, Rachel also is adjusting to this new schedule. In hindsight, I should have spent time with her explaining all the new changes. I was so focused on talking with Ashley about the new experiences she would encounter, that dear little Rachel also needed some talk regarding what was happening. Back to when the kids got into the car, the chaos began. Each wanted to talk at the same time about their day. I wanted to hear both so they had to take turns. Then I heard how one got a longer time talking then the other. I do try, you know to listen to both. I also had to work that evening, so I also was trying to glean every experience from both of them. Jacob had a wonderful day. I enjoyed hearing about his teacher and the kids in the class and who he misses from last year. He is growing up so fast. He was so excited about school, but said his day was "okay" Ashley had a wonderful day as well. She said her day went by really fast. She made a new friend, this girl was beside her and Ashley said, "will you be my friend?" and the girl said "yes", so there we go, a new friend. When I asked her what this girl's name was , Ashley couldn't remember. Maybe she'll learn that tomorrow. (that's pretty much how that conversation went) Her highlights were, she got to walk around the hallways in a line, went to the library and learned library rules, her seat is in front of the teachers desk, her mat to take quiet time is right in front of the teachers desk. She loves her teacher and her teacher likes to take pictures with her camera and Ashley got her picture taken. She got to make a puppet, and her special day to talk about herself is tomorrow, Wednesday. So we put some special items in a bag which included: a picture of her siblings, a little girl doll (Ashley likes to play with her dolls), her ballet shoes (Ashley loves ballet) and she was going to include a my little pony, but then changed her mind and said that was enough. The afternoon was a whirlwind. I had a relatively quiet afternoon with Rachel napping and Violet awake, so the noise was a welcome change. This morning getting ready for school still went well. Both kids were looking forward to going. I am wondering when the newness will wear off. For now, I am enjoying the kids enthusiasm and I can't wait for them to come home.

First Day of School

2009-08-18T09:24:00.004-04:00

The alarm clock rang this morning reminding me that school is starting and a schedule must be followed. I was actually awake already feeding the baby. I just can't believe this day has come so fast. Ashley has been excited and brave through all the preparation, so I haven't been worried about her adjustment at all. After breakfast, we had picture time, loaded up the car and off we go. At the school, Jacob looked at me and said, "I'm not ready to go back to school" but he got out of the car to wait on Ashley. For the first time, Ashley sat in her seat and said, "I am so scared" We talked a little bit and then she was able to get out of the car. Jacob walked her into the school. I have felt confident about Ashley going to school, comfortable with her teacher, the school, and all the preparations, but at that moment I could have cried my heart out. It was comforting to see Jacob and Ashley walking in to school together. After coming home, Rachel started her crying routine, but this time she was howling for Ashley. She is going to have a big adjustment I am afraid. After taking care of the baby. I got her distracted by working in the kitchen with me. She is a wonderful helper and I am going to enjoy spending time with her.

Sitting for a short time

2009-08-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

A new stage is beginning and it is hard to see it start. Violet does not like to lay down, she strains to raise herself up. When sitting on my lap she is leaning forward watching the other children play. Constantly moving her arms and legs she becomes very excited with the other children. She has just started to sit by herself for short periods of time. She falls over because she gets excited and her jerky movements cause her to lose her balance. It is so much fun to see the other children interact with her and see her reaction to them. I use her little play mat on the floor a lot, and now Violet is rolling all around. Where I put her, she does not stay. Yesterday Violet was on the mat and Rachel and I left the room, when I returned after just a little bit, Violet was face down and not moving. Violet not moving is a very rare event, and being face down scares me a lot! I raced over to her and she was just resting; hearing my voice, she started squealing and moving again. I guess I caught her taking a break, but it caused my heart to race and prayers were soaring upward. How thankful I am for my healthy children and how fortunate and blessed I am having these children. Watching them grow is an amazing event, watching their personalities develop and helping them to grow is an awesome experience. What a responsibility and a challenge.
Jacob and Ashley returned yesterday afternoon from a couple of days at their grandparents. Today they are tired and easily become impatient. Keeping them entertained and happy is posing to be a challenge.

A new experience

2009-08-09T14:19:00.000-04:00

I am going to try this blog as a way to record my memories and to share these memories with family and friends. Hopefully this will provide a glimpse into my life with my four beautiful children. Chaos is present, along with some fun filled, hilarious experiences. We laugh a lot, cry some, and love lots. Have patience with me as I learn my computer and all it can do, as well as keep up with my daily responsibilities. I am anticipating this to be fun and an adventure and my children are looking forward to doing this with me.

2009-08-09T11:40:00.000-04:00