Where Have I Been?

...And why has my blog been silent for sooo long?



Need I say more?

Catching Up

We've been out of blog-land for far too long, but lots has been happening in our neck of the woods. Here are a few highlights...

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Our house is finally on the market. If you know of anyone who would like to relocate to lovely Camano Island, we know just the spot...

The view from the 'hood is awesome...kids not included...

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We are proud to announce our most recent diaper graduate. And when you have such cool underwear, why not wear three pair at a time? I always love an excuse for more laundry...

Three down and some pennies in our pocket...

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Lydie-Bitty has started on solids... ...And popped her two bottom teeth. No pictures of those yet, but believe me, they're there...

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My sister-in-love, Ruth, niece Rachel and nephew Matt came to visit from Florida so Steve and I could attend a homeschool conference (that's true love and dedication). We visited the Space Needle...

And Pike Place Market... Rode the iconic monorail...
And had a fun afternoon at beautiful Deception Pass...

White sand is nowhere to be found on Washington's beaches, but we have killer rocks and driftwood...

Even a see-saw...

Can you tell which side of the family Lydia's ice blue eyes come from?

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We think spring is finally here. Last year for his birthday, Grandpa and Grandma gave AJ this...

Fortunately, it rained most of the summer, so he never actually used it. Last week it was sunny and warm. Grandpa broke out his Hog and AJ broke in his helmet. Well, actually, Grandma's helmet has a cool headset in it for two-way communication, so he used that instead...

And they were off (if this makes you shudder, just be glad I didn't include a sound clip)...

Of course, then everyone wanted a turn...
But after it was all said and done, my children were still alive and AJ wrote this with sidewalk chalk:

Yep, that says 'I (heart) U Mom' and the pink cake-looking thing on top is a queen. This, of course, made the fifteen minute breath-hold totally worth it...

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And finally, for a number of reasons, we're moving our blog next week. If you'd like to follow us to our new address, please send me an email (housefullofgrace@gmail.com). We'd love to have you join us, and will tell you more about why we've moved when we get off the ground!

We Did It! Wednesday

Becky at Holiday in the Sun is the fabulous host of "We Did It! Wednesday." "We Did It! Wednesday" is all about quality one-on-one time with our children and grandchildren, and sharing ideas of fun things to do together!! You can click on over to Becky and see what others are doing to pick up a few ideas.

A friend of mine recently took her children to their local Children's Museum, which sparked a memory that we hadn't visited ours in a very long time. It moved to it's new, larger location last fall, so everything old seemed new again.

AJ explains the law of gravity to his younger siblings...

And masters the climbing wall in no time flat...

Avery is the creative genius of the family and was in her element with the arts and crafts...

Aiden loved painting too...

Sigourney just ran from one station to the next, to the next, overwhelmed by all the fun activities!

"Is there gluten in any of these items I've selected? Mommy will make me put them back if there is!..."

And who lets their daughter out in public with this much eye make-up anyway?

Washington State beaches are wonderful for driftwood and skipping rocks, but nice sand is a rarity. This is a real treat...

Even Lydia got in on the action (wearing her new favorite outfit from a little girl we love who lives very far away).

"Look at all this cool stuff for babies just learning to sit up...and can you tell I'm still working on those bottom teeth?"

I'm not great with inviting messes into the house, so this was a wonderful opportunity for painting and crafting especially. Their ideas, their supplies, their mess, it's a beautiful thing! And because we homeschool, we were able to go on a weekday morning and practically had the place to ourselves.

Yearly memberships are a bargain for families the size of ours -- it's almost as reasonable to go for a year as it is to go once when you calculate the per visit cost per-person. We upgraded to an annual pass so we can go back again and again. The kids gleefully shared the details of their morning with Daddy when he got home from work and said, "Dad, we can go anytime we want because now it's free!"

Next lesson: economics.

We Did It! Wednesday

Becky at Holiday in the Sun is the fabulous host of "We Did It! Wednesday." "We Did It! Wednesday" is all about quality one-on-one time with our children and grandchildren, and sharing ideas of fun things to do together!! You can click on over to Becky and see what others are doing and pick up a few ideas.

If you've read my recent posts, you know we have been in desperate need of crazy fun at our house, so when the kids asked if they could build a fort last Friday afternoon, I thought yep! that's exactly what we'll do. And we did it!

Personal insight: this goes completely contrary to my "need for control" nature. Our house is residence to five kids under the age of seven, and extra chaos is not usually something I am open to having more of. During the day we co-exist with pillow trampoline piles, block towers, arts and crafts centers, Lego super-structures, baby doll hospitals and car parades in seemingly every corner of the house. Having a picked up living room in the evening helps preserve my sanity.

A Friday night fort was a big step...but I closed my eyes and took the plunge. Did I mention that was last Friday?!?! Each morning the kids begged for one more day. After all, what good is a fort if you can't play in it? And play they have. For five days and nights this lovely fort has been the focal point in our house. It has been made and remade many, many times and we're pretty sure we now have the perfect model.

Even the stuffed animals were considered...

The most amazing part to me is that the kids have actually slept. Really well. Maybe we're on to something. Except for the aforementioned sanity factor, bedrooms could be highly overrated! (Note: Aiden's "Davy Crockett" hat because every fort needs a real pioneer).

As with most excitement in life, all good things must come to an end, so our fort is being disassembled this morning. But you know what? It's been really fun. It was just what we needed. And I haven't gone crazy!

Tag!

My friend Sue tagged me yesterday. I had to go into my picture files to find the 6th picture in the 6th folder. I cringed for a moment, but then voila...relief...it's one of the kids!

AJ and Avery set up a "lemonade" stand at the end of our driveway during our garage sale last summer, although they didn't actually sell lemonade. They made gingersnaps and snickerdoodles and bundled fresh lavender from our backyard. They sold their little goodies for a dollar each.

We have a nurse friend who does medical missions trips. She has spoken often in church about where her organization, Agape in Action, is going next. A month or so before our annual garage sale she had mentioned an upcoming trip to a Rwandan orphanage.

This piqued AJ and Avery's interest and they wanted to help. Avery, who has an extremely generous heart, had already emptied her piggy bank a few months prior to give to our pastor who was going to Africa. It was one of those times when my child taught me about a spirit of giving. I realized it was more important to let her do what God was speaking to her little heart than it was to explain to her how much money she had saved and that she really didn't need to give ALL of it.

The kids wanted to give some money to help the orphans in Rwanda, but Avery was sad that she didn't have much to share. I reminded them of the upcoming garage sale and suggested they could sell cookies as they had the year before and give some of the money they raised. They thought this was a splendid idea, and I assumed it was all settled.

Well, it wasn't. They had apparently formulated their own plan in the backseat of the car on the way home from church that day. After we pulled into the driveway, AJ and Avery practically jumped out of the car and headed for the playroom, although I didn't give it much thought at the time.

They came out awhile later and asked to show me something. I walked in and found a pile of toys in the middle of the floor. Of course, I immediately wanted to know what the mess was about, but was quickly chagrined.

"Mom, we're going to sell this stuff and give the money to the kids."

They asked how much money I thought they could get and I suggested they pray about it. They decided they wanted to raise $100; an astronomical amount to a five and six year old. Considering the pile I was looking at, it also seemed like an awful lot to me, but I realized it was probably better not to argue. And pray they did.

A few weeks later as sale day dawned, they proudly displayed their treasures (and it was many of their treasures) and set up their "lemonade" stand. They kept their own money box and were responsible for selling their own things. I'm sure it helped when they cornered our browsers and said they were raising money for "kids without moms and dads!"

At the end of the two-day event, we poured all the money out of their box and began to count. Lots of nickels, dimes, and quarters and some green bills. I was overcome with emotion as we came to the last few coins. "Mommy, what's wrong?" they asked.

"Oh, nothing's wrong. But God answered your prayer and honored your efforts."

Their grand total? $100.26. You tell me that was coincidence.

My kids were not the least bit surprised. Of course they would have $100. But my faith was bolstered that day. God cares so much about the details and goes to such great lengths to show us that nothing is out of His control. Even at a garage sale.

It was with great joy that they handed their heavy envelope to Kristi at church the following Sunday. The looks on their faces were priceless as I shared their story of sacrifice. I wish I had a picture of that in folder six.

Be Careful Who Your Friends Are

Sorry friends. I'm having a tough time wrapping my brain around new material this week. So I'll resort to sharing another kid comment, although (shockingly!) this one doesn't come from Aiden.

Food seems to be an issue at our house these days. At lunch recently I learned that something my kids have always liked, they no longer like. This is probably due to the fact that I lack creativity and am not really a "food person," something I obviously need to work on if I'm going to keep my Tribe fed.

Anyway, our conversation went something like this:

"C'mon in for lunch, guys." To which I was first met by eager faces as four little bodies scrambled into their chairs. Their faces instantly fell. "What's wrong?" I asked.

I then heard three different versions, plus some Sigourney babble (she loves to join in on the action), about what was wrong with the food on their plates.

So I pulled out the big gun.

"You know, I have a friend who takes her children's plates away and gives them only water to drink when they complain about the food they're served." This revelation horrified them and they began to eat, albeit ever so slowly.

A few moments later the leader of the pack, six year old AJ, piped up in his most respectful manner: "Mom, I don't think you should be friends with that mom anymore. She's a bad influence and teaches you how to be mean to your children."

Hmmm...wonder where he learned that?

We're Learning!

In the last few weeks, AJ has taken off with his reading. He is picking out his own books and just sitting down to read them. He even offered to read to his brother and sisters the other night (see picture...and yes, I did notice that Aiden's book is upside down, but we're working on it!). He is so proud of himself and just wants to read, read, read!

I have several Mennonite early readers that he's working with, so not only is he reading, he's reading about God and creation, not Dick and Jane. He's learning Biblical truth, our values are being reinforced, and ultimately he'll be able to read the most important book of all -- the Bible!

This is especially encouraging and significant to me because Steve and I are the ones teaching him. For me, one of the scariest things about homeschooling is the fear that our children will not learn what they need to learn and it will be all our fault! We don't have anyone else to blame. I don't mean to step on toes, but for me it was much easier just to send them to school and have them come home "learned."

He struggled last year in kindergarten with his reading. It just wasn't clicking for him. No matter how hard he tried or how much he practiced. I know he was discouraged and it was especially difficult when he compared himself to other kids in his class who were ahead of him.

Having him home has been so healthy. He doesn't have anyone to compare himself to and when he gets it, he really gets it. He's able to learn at his own pace without feeling like he's not smart enough. And then, at times like these, when all the dots connect, he pushes forward and wants to do more, more, more. And he can, because it's our thing and there's no one else to consider.

One of the greatest rewards of teaching our children at home has been to watch their learning process and its progression. When we start a new concept I can actually see it take shape in their minds and when they conquer it, we get to celebrate! I get to see AJ go from sounding out 'te-he-eh-em', to putting the 'th' together in a blend, to learning it as a sight word and just sailing through and reading "them." Last year when he and Avery were at school, they'd come home understanding and talking about new things, but I had no idea how they got there. Now I do and it's exciting!

God is giving me the strength and vision I never thought I would have to teach my kids at home. I'd be lying if I said it was easy. I have a lot of life to juggle around here, but it's worth it. And in the process, I'm working myself out of a job, because I have a new bedtime-story-reader in the house!

New Years on the Lanes

New Years' Day was low-key for us. Actually, there's no such thing as "low-key" at our house, but you get the idea. We ventured to the local bowling alley and took on the lanes...

This would be a "spare" pose (there were two more to follow)...

AJ takes bowling, as most things in life, very seriously...

Avery, not so much...for her, it's all about the shoes...

And besides, just what is a spare anyway?...

We love ramps and bumpers...

And Aiden is such a little sport...

Even Sigourney got in on the action...hmmm...which ball will I chose?...

Yep, this one's good...

Where's it going?...

The thumb definitely helps...

Did I do that?...

But it's Dad who shows us how it's really done...

Of course, we brought our own cheering squad...

Happy New Year!