Overheard

The language comprehension of a two year old always amazes me. This morning, Isaiah was complaining because I shut the garage door, the access to his stroller and our bikes. He wanted to go and scowled at me and said, "I wanna go bye-bike," as in, I want to go bye-bye on a bike ride. Ha!

Isaiah the Frog

Bike Ride with Grandpa

Grandpa and Grandma spend lots of time outdoors. They had the children last week overnight so that Jeremy and I could go out and celebrate our anniversary (thanks to all of you for your kind words). I came the next day to pick them up and Grandpa was just getting them ready to ride their bikes/walk down to the Sinclair station for a snack. I went with them.The thought of going on a walk with three children on bikes terrified me. I was so sure that they'd rush out into the street and get hit by a car. I was sure that they'd find a way to get hurt while riding so close to or in the street. On the contrary, they're very good about riding to the corner, waiting, riding to the next corner, waiting, and obeying the adults. I think that we'll make a lot of time for bike rides this summer. Encouraged by this experience, the other evening, I put Isaiah in the stroller, put bright vests on the children, and they biked/I walked down to Walgreens to run an errand. It was so great and they slept well. I think that we'll make a lot of time for bike rides this summer.

Time at the Lake

Thursday we visited a nearby park with a lake. My dad and his wife Sue joined us and we had a picnic lunch after the kids finished playing on the beach. The kids were so excited ... Grandpa and Grandma are here! It was very windy but that made the heat even more tolerable. We enjoyed this morning. Thanks for making time for us, Dad and Sue! Isaiah scared this Mallard and its mate away.

Chores Are Fun For City Folk!

A family whom we know is out of town for a week. They recruited friends to help take care of their acreage while they are away. We were glad to live vicariously through them (so to speak) and head out to the "farm" to do chores. Here are Madeleine, Morgan, Isaiah, and Noah ... combing his hair with a chicken feather. Morgan loved gathering the eggs. Here, the children are feeding the chickens. We were able to pick a few strawberries from part of their garden. We were also instructed to take lettuce, which made a great salad! Isaiah didn't bother to collect the strawberries. He put them in his mouth as he picked them.
When the sky began to look like this, we headed home. The thunderstorm which resulted from this front was great! A 45 minute visit to this family's acreage reminds me of how much I love being in the country. The peace, quiet, and space would make almost anyone willing to drive the extra 40 minutes round trip per day.

Overheard

The children were climbing a tree in the park. Morgan came over to the picnic table and asked, "Mom, is that a Dogwood?" I replied, "Maybe ... I don't think so. I'm not sure." Morgan then said, very seriously, "Well, it's got bark."

Visit the Firehouse!

We are lucky enough to have a friend who works for the Fire Department in our city. He told me that fire stations welcome visitors. We visit about twice a year, sometimes more often. Every time we've stopped, we've been offered a tour and each firefighter who hosted was patient, kind, gentle, and generous with their time and answers to the children's 928 questions.
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Firefighters like treats! I'd suggest calling ahead--especially for a large group--although I was unable to find the phone number--not 911--for our fire stations. Levi allowed the three older children to sit in the fire truck and he answered their questions tirelessly for at least a half hour if not more! Thanks, Levi!

Siblings ...

... are the best gift that you can give to your children! Back row: Leighton, Jacob

Front row: Our mom, me, Valley, and Brianna

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We were invited to Brianna's new apartment for a "house warming" of sorts. She made fresh pineapple juice and had chips and dip and there were volley balls and other activities. Thanks for a good time, Brie! Nice new place!

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The best thing about being one of nine siblings is that even when four people can't make it, five people still can!

The Simple Woman's Daybook Volume 21

June 15, 2009

It's Our 8th Anniversary!
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Outside my window ... it is cloudy and chilly and it rained last night. It is 65 degrees outside right now with a high of 71 expected today. This is Nebraska and it is June. I expect the highs to be in the 80s, so this cool weather is a treat! But the cool snap will end; we're expected to be back into the mid and high 80s starting tomorrow. :(
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I am thinking ... that summer is already passing too quickly!

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Learning at home ... I intend to begin school exercises and continue on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays throughout the summer. I want to practice and improve the girls' reading skills, their math skills, and I want to prepare Noah for Pre-K by helping him with letters, numbers, and his name. He can write his name but the N is still backward (an endearing mistake) and I want to help him correct that and to become confident in his ability to do it. He's frustrated when he does write it, saying, "it's messy!"
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I am thankful for ... my wonderful husband, my beautiful children, and all of the family with which God has blessed me.

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From the kitchen ... Grilling chicken this week, maybe some of Rachael Ray's chicken strips with chipotle dipping sauce and fried onion rings. My mother-in-law sent lettuce home with us tonight from an aunt's garden and we'll be feasting on fresh greens! I'll be attempting a strudel, as my husband wants only that for Father's Day and I've been putting it off for seven years now. Yeesh. Any ideas on that?

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I am wearing ... shorts and a 1993 World Youth Day (Denver) T-shirt.
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I am reading ... The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce by Wallerstein, Lewis, and Blakeslee.

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I am eagerly anticipating ... the birth of my youngest cousin! My aunt is due to deliver her little girl around July 4th.

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I am listening to ... Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King by Dave Matthews Band. What else!? We'll be sitting in the SECOND ROW at a Dave Matthews Band concert in September. I couldn't be more excited!

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I am hoping ... that our government DOES NOT attempt to nationalize health care. What a nightmare! The thought of this truly frightens me! I think that it is the worst idea that a nation could try to follow through with. Clearly the U.S. government cannot support its current programs with the money it already has coming in. America is so far in debt! This has GOT to be a wake up call for our Congress. Put the brakes on! Stop the train! I do NOT want to be a citizen of a socialist nation!
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I am creating ... vegetables and clean laundry.

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I am remembering ... the day that Jeremy and I were married. We were married in the Catholic church in which we were both baptized, St. Mary's. In fact, Jeremy received all of his sacraments there. We were married on a Friday evening. I practically pulled my father down the aisle. I remember him asking me to slow down. What a great day. I was so happy to be married to my sweetheart. The last eight years have been wonderful. They've flown by! I hope that we are given sixty or seventy more!

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Here is a picture thought that I am sharing.

Water Brings Out the Best in My Kids!

The best thing about water is that it makes my kids clean. But this is not about baths because the video I have of Isaiah singing to himself in the bath is 15 seconds too long to upload. The kids just finished up their very first round of swimming lessons. They were lucky enough to register for a nearby class with several of their friends. Or maybe I should say that my friends and I monopolized that particular class with eight of our children....On the last day of swimming lessons, the children were given a half hour to show us what they had learned.All of the children jumped off of the diving board. This is Madeleine. We are lucky enough to have a hot tub on our deck. The previous owners installed it; it came with the house. It's 12 years old and not very big but it's big enough for a seven year old, a six year old, a four year old, and a two year old to show off their moves!This day, the three older kids would bring their diving sticks to Isaiah one by one. He would throw them and say, "Get it, dolphin!" They would bring them back like little puppies dolphins, and he would throw them again.

Noah loves to splash.

Morgan loves for me to take pictures of her holding her breath under water. Madeleine was too busy being a dolphin to allow me to snap a picture of her. What fun!

Our Wonderful Teachers

School was out over a week ago. Morgan finished first grade and Madeleine finished kindergarten. We belong to a tight-knit parish which boasts an amazing elementary school. On the last day of school, I took pictures of the girls with their teachers. Morgan had Mrs. S for first grade.

Madeleine had Mrs H for kindergarten. See that little girl behind them? That's actually Mrs H's daughter who was in Madeleine's kindergarten class!

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I thank God for such wonderful teachers!

Memorial Day BBQ

We were invited by my Uncle Russ and Aunt Betty to their acreage for a Memorial Day BBQ. Russ has a large smoker (maybe two) in which he cooked the meat. It was delicious! For dessert, I want back for more meat, which is a very high compliment from me! Russ and Mom

Madeleine

Noah

Isaiah

These are my five favorite people!

Aunt Sophie holds Khalil while his cousins Morgan and Madeleine carry around their kittens.

Morgan

Isaiah chased a smart cat.

Madeleine

Madeleine and Morgan

This is for those of you who miss Nebraska sunsets.

There Once Was A Boy

The little boy who covered himself in mud from head to toe, crossed his eyes, and let his mother take a picture ...

...is the same little boy who joined his friends William, Ruth, and Sophie for a birthday tea party. The surprises never end!

Who are you?

Those following named Sammie and s_rabito need to identify themselves or remove themselves from the followers list. I've got the creeps, especially with recent junkmail begging for money. Who are you?

A Peek at the Blurb Book

If you were wondering what on earth I was talking about every time I mentioned a Blurb book, here's a peek at a finished book! I will never again print 4x6 pictures for photo albums. The Blurb program is easy to use and the upload is simple. Ordering is simple, and the finished product is AMAZING!

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This book is 120 pages of pictures from my week in Seattle and the Family Cruise I took on the USS Abraham Lincoln. I chose premium paper and it made a positive difference in the quality of the book (I'd strongly recommend this option). There are several options for the book's cover and the price depends on the selection. I chose a hard cover image wrap. This means that the cover IS pictures. There are several different layouts to choose from. A customer could also choose paperback or hard cover with a dust jacket. This layout is an example of a full bleed. Both pages are entirely pictures. There are hundreds of different layout options to choose from. This book is a horizontal 8x10. There are many sizes of book to choose from.It occured to me as I was taking pictures of this book that Regina only asked me not to post the picture that Trudy took of Regina and me when we met. She never said anything about a picture of a picture! The back cover is a picture of the Abe Lincoln that I took as it came through Puget Sound. Well done, Blurb!

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If any of you are wondering about this and have questions, please leave them and I'll be happy to answer!