shadow

Please excuse any typo's that may occur on this post. Christian is sitting on my lap trying to drive matchbox cars on the keyboard. Speaking of Christian, yesterday I took Isaac and Christian for a bike ride/walk. As Isaac was peddling his fat little legs as fast as he could around the neighborhood (so cute) Christian was running behind trying to catch up with him. In doing this he rediscovered something he discovered the last time we took a walk, his shadow. He started clapping, laughing and waving at it. A few seconds later I noticed him laying down on the pavement...then I heard "smoochy" sounds. He was trying to kiss his shadow. I love my little boys!

As I was thinking of shadows it reminded me of James.....okay, I'm back. I'm sure none of you noticed, but Christian successfully shut the computer down in the middle of this post. Sometimes I wonder how I get anything done. James 1:17 says "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." That is a comforting thought. God is so consistent, so perfect, so merciful. I am so thankful for His grace towards me, because I certainly need it. I know I say that often, but it is the truth. We all need God's grace, because even if we think we are doing everything right, but still doing one tiny thing wrong, we are guilty of all.

Happy Birthday Isaac!

Today is my little Isaac's 4th Birthday, and I just can't believe how the time has gone by. I remember the day we brought him home from the hospital. It was a beautiful day, clear blue sky, not too hot or cold, not too humid...just perfect. I remember sitting in the rocking chair in the living room with my sweet little boy, so cuddly. He was wearing a Clifford sleeper that the kids picked out for him. I hugged and cuddled his baby body and held him close to me the whole day. He is so precious.

Now he's growing into a wonderful little boy. He has the sweetest heart, truly compassionate. He tells me he loves me more times a day than I can count. He understands right from wrong, and in his heart, he wants to do the right thing. He's loving to his brothers and sister, he always wants to thank God for the things in his life. We can't begin eating without Isaac saying a prayer. He's very industrious and creative. I love to hear him using his imagination. It's quite vivid, and he comes up with the most clever ways to play with toys. He builds excellent block cities, houseboats, castles, etc... He loves to sing and has the cutest voice. I love to hear him sing. God has blessed me with a wonderful little boy. I can't wait to see what the Lord will do in Isaac's life. I thank God for him, he has added a dimension to my life that I hold so dear.

The Voyage

We had an excellent time at Holiday World, just in case any of you are bursting at the seams wondering how our trip went. I convinced Elijah to ride the Voyage with me, which by the way is one of the tallest and fastest wooden roller coasters in the world...with the most "free fall" time. (do I sound like a commercial?) He was absolutely petrified as the chain slowly creaked and churned us to the top of that giant mount. He was literally green, and I feared his heart would beat out of his chest (mostly I feared being puked on; bad mom.) Alas, the chain released and we went flying down the hill. He eventually stopped screaming in fear and agony, and by the end of it, he seemed to be enjoying himself. After we got off the ride he immediately went to the gift shop next door to purchase a photo of himself on the ride to prove that he had ridden it, later he bought a pin, because you can't purchase a Voyage pin unless you have successfully ridden it, right? Eventually Josh felt compelled to ride the Voyage...I guess he couldn't let a 9 year old be more brave (reckless) than him.

Elijah the brave rode the Voyage today
He's becoming quite a big boy
But I'll always remember my sweet faced baby
Mommy, do you want to play toys?
Legos were always a favorite...
come to think of it
they still
are

yes, I know my poetry skills are just magnificent. :)

Another recital today; we've had quite a busy month! Abigail and Elijah had their piano recitals. They both did such a nice job...truly gifted little musicians. Elijah even played a song that he composed himself. He loves music, especially classical. Isaac and Christian were both good little boys throughout the entire recital (over an hour) They sat quietly and listened with few interruptions. I was very proud of them. The Lord has truly blessed me.

Aside from that, nothing exciting going on around here. We plan to go down to Holiday World on Friday. I'm trying to convince Elijah to go on the Voyage with me, or at least the Pilgrims Plunge. Josh refuses to go on either one...especially not the Pilgrims Plunge since it is brand new and hasn't proven that it won't kill you if you ride it. I'm sure his fears are rational, but come on, how many people per year really die on amusement park rides? I guess it would be an interesting statistic to investigate.

My little girl turned into a big girl today. It was a joyous occasion, yet a bit of a letting go that I can't quite comprehend.

Today was Abigail's first dance recital, and one may question how this qualifies going from "little" girl status to "big" girl status, but to me it qualifies. As I watched her twirling around on the stage, smiling, free-spirited, yet reserved, I became acutely aware of the fact that she is gaining her independence and identity.

Among the crowd of all of the older girls, it was evident that she was, in fact, still little. But there was something different about her, this experience was somehow shaping her into a more complex her. For the first time facing the crowd, facing a fear...and I wasn't up on the stage holding her hand.

a silly poem

A plastic giraffe sits on my floor
Beside a purple felt box
What's behind my closet door
Perhaps a pair of dirty socks

Tiny toy trucks and cars
Miniature pink doll pants
Echos of an earlier war
Between my children and some red ants

Sippy cups up to the ceiling
But all is quiet now
It's a solemn kind of feeling
Some may wonder how

kittens

"DAD!!!! Mary (the little orange stray kitty that we "adopted") is laying on my bed and there is blood on her and a little cat is half way out of her butt!" My husband rushed downstairs to Elijah's bedroom to discover that she had in fact given birth to her first kitten on my son's bed. Mary is a very small cat, so we figured there were maybe 3 kittens in there. So far, she has delivered five sweet little kittens....and there may be even more coming. I've given birth 4 times (obviously) but witnessing it first hand is really neat! She had such an easy labor...too bad human labor can't be so gentle. They are all SO CUTE! If anyone is interested in a kitten, let me know!