I got this from someone else, but I thought it was neat.
"If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love, I am a housekeeper not a homemaker.
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn cleanliness not godliness.
If I scream at my children for every infraction, and fault them for every mess they make, but have not love, my children become people-pleasers not obedient children.
Love leaves the dust in search of a child’s laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.
Love accepts the fact that I am the ever-present “mommy,” the taxi-driver to every childhood event, the counselor when my children fail or are hurt.
Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, and runs with the child, then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.
Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection. Now I glory in God’s perfection of my child. All the projections I had for my house and my children have faded away into insignificance, and what remain are the memories of my kids.
Now there abides in my home scratches on most of the furniture, dishes with missing place settings, and bedroom walls full of stickers, posters and markings,
But the greatest of all is the Love that permeates my relationships with my children."
Corinthians 13 Paraphrased For Mothers
Adapted by Jim Fowler
Monday, May 28, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Crazy Cousin Day
Isaiah and Nehemiah are in town (with Auntie Angie of course) so Tuesday we went up to Grammy and Pop's house, while they were all at work, and had a day of mass cousin play. 6 kids, 5 and under. It was crazy, but it was fun. And really for that many kids, it wasn't that crazy!
Jumping on the bed, sorry Grammy. Oh wait, Grammy doesn't say no, so they were probably fine. My kids jump on their beds, so it doesn't even cross their mind that they maybe shouldn't.
This is a picture of all the boy chaos that was happening in this room. Isaiah was flipping the lights off and on, Alexander is playing with a swinging fan, pushing th buttons to make it beep over and over again, and Nehemiah is opening and closing the doors on the TV.
Then Angie and I were done in, so we got them all to sit still and watch Full House, my girls favorite show!
Jumping on the bed, sorry Grammy. Oh wait, Grammy doesn't say no, so they were probably fine. My kids jump on their beds, so it doesn't even cross their mind that they maybe shouldn't.
This is a picture of all the boy chaos that was happening in this room. Isaiah was flipping the lights off and on, Alexander is playing with a swinging fan, pushing th buttons to make it beep over and over again, and Nehemiah is opening and closing the doors on the TV.
Then Angie and I were done in, so we got them all to sit still and watch Full House, my girls favorite show!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
more pictures
These are some pictures I took when we went to a musical party in the woods this weekend. Some friends of my parents have this party every year and this was the first time we got to go. It was pretty fun, pretty much everyone is a musician and there are groups of people playing music at all times. We got to walk around in the woods on their property and listen to music and just be outside, which usually I am against, but it was a nice cool day, so ticks aside it was all fine.
Kris had a harp there and Isabella WANTS a harp! I'm not positive why, but I think it is from seeing them in the orchestra when we go to the KC Ballet for the Nutcracker every Christmas. Whatever the reason, she likes them and she has been asking for a harp for probably a year. So Kris was so very nice to her and brought her harp down to where we were sitting and gave us a concert, and then she let the girls play too.
At first Isabella was too shy to play, she kept saying that she didn't want to. So Sophia played first and I took this picture of Isabella looking on, though still denying that she wanted to play.
Eventually she did play!
Down by the pond
Kris had a harp there and Isabella WANTS a harp! I'm not positive why, but I think it is from seeing them in the orchestra when we go to the KC Ballet for the Nutcracker every Christmas. Whatever the reason, she likes them and she has been asking for a harp for probably a year. So Kris was so very nice to her and brought her harp down to where we were sitting and gave us a concert, and then she let the girls play too.
At first Isabella was too shy to play, she kept saying that she didn't want to. So Sophia played first and I took this picture of Isabella looking on, though still denying that she wanted to play.
Eventually she did play!
Down by the pond
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Playing with my camera
I was playing with my camera today trying to get some good shots for my last photography class next week. I got a couple that I really like.
Sophia is the statue of liberty :)
Sophia is the statue of liberty :)
The things they say
I wish I had a way to record everything that the kids say. This morning Isabella was crackin me up with her story, but now, 20 minutes later I can't remember all the details, but I'll do my best.
We were just sitting down to breakfast and Isabella got out her cereal bar that she wanted to eat. I said, "Is that what you are going to have?" and she got on her performance face and turned to face me straight on with her hands folded in her lap and said, "yes, but first, let me tell you about something that my son did that we need to pray about."
I tried to keep my most serious and concerned face as she relayed this tragedy to me.
"He is already married" she says, "and he has a daughter who is about 4. She wanted to cut something, so she got out the scissors and was cutting and she cut off this part of her finger (Pointing to her finger tip). It bled and the doctors don't know what to do for her yet, so we need to pray about that in case she dies."
I made some concerned comment, only to be interrupted by Sophia saying
"My daughter..."
Isabella interrupts with, "oh yes,her daughter, we need to pray about that too, I was there when that happened" (all said in her most serious, pious, church-lady-at-a-prayer-meeting voice)
Sophia continues with some story about her daughter that does not end tragically, nor does it really contain a prayer need, so Isabella prompts,
"Isn't there something that we need to pray for your daughter about?"
And thus begins 15 minutes of tragic stories that require prayer, most of them involve multiple people being gravely injured. I told them both that they had led very tragic lives and they nodded with hands folded and lips pursed.
In other funny kid story news, yesterday the kids were eating their lunch and I was in another room. From the kitchen I hear the sound of paper tearing, so I ask them what they are tearing. Isabella hesitates for a minute, "um, well, we are just taking the paper off all the peanut butter and salsa." I say, "ok, well, don't". Isabella quickly responds, "but they are kids and they all want to go swimming, so they have to be naked". How can you argue with that kind of logic? So when I went into the kitchen I saw this
and they planed with those kids for about half an hour. Then they cleaned it all up!
The night before that I went into their room looking for a pile of shoes that had been sorted out to be put away. The pile was no longer there, so I asked them to find me the shoes. There were some here and there spread all over their room, so I asked why they were all over the place.
Isabella said, "they were fried chicken".
We were just sitting down to breakfast and Isabella got out her cereal bar that she wanted to eat. I said, "Is that what you are going to have?" and she got on her performance face and turned to face me straight on with her hands folded in her lap and said, "yes, but first, let me tell you about something that my son did that we need to pray about."
I tried to keep my most serious and concerned face as she relayed this tragedy to me.
"He is already married" she says, "and he has a daughter who is about 4. She wanted to cut something, so she got out the scissors and was cutting and she cut off this part of her finger (Pointing to her finger tip). It bled and the doctors don't know what to do for her yet, so we need to pray about that in case she dies."
I made some concerned comment, only to be interrupted by Sophia saying
"My daughter..."
Isabella interrupts with, "oh yes,her daughter, we need to pray about that too, I was there when that happened" (all said in her most serious, pious, church-lady-at-a-prayer-meeting voice)
Sophia continues with some story about her daughter that does not end tragically, nor does it really contain a prayer need, so Isabella prompts,
"Isn't there something that we need to pray for your daughter about?"
And thus begins 15 minutes of tragic stories that require prayer, most of them involve multiple people being gravely injured. I told them both that they had led very tragic lives and they nodded with hands folded and lips pursed.
In other funny kid story news, yesterday the kids were eating their lunch and I was in another room. From the kitchen I hear the sound of paper tearing, so I ask them what they are tearing. Isabella hesitates for a minute, "um, well, we are just taking the paper off all the peanut butter and salsa." I say, "ok, well, don't". Isabella quickly responds, "but they are kids and they all want to go swimming, so they have to be naked". How can you argue with that kind of logic? So when I went into the kitchen I saw this
and they planed with those kids for about half an hour. Then they cleaned it all up!
The night before that I went into their room looking for a pile of shoes that had been sorted out to be put away. The pile was no longer there, so I asked them to find me the shoes. There were some here and there spread all over their room, so I asked why they were all over the place.
Isabella said, "they were fried chicken".
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Mother's Day
Hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day. We Celebrated with Grandma on Saturday. We took them out to the Japaneese steak house. It was pretty fun and the kids really enjoyed it. Then we played at a park before heading off for ice cream.
Then it was on to Grammy for a BBQ and lounging around outside.
This is one of the faces Sophia made while I was trying to take her picture, I have about 10 in a row of her making goofy faces, but this is my favorite one.
Then it was on to Grammy for a BBQ and lounging around outside.
This is one of the faces Sophia made while I was trying to take her picture, I have about 10 in a row of her making goofy faces, but this is my favorite one.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Star Trek Marathon
Vera and I have been doing a Star Trek Marathon at night. It has been fun to unwind with the "old" series. I have memories of watching it with my parents when I was a kid and she never saw it. I have been trying not jump up and down when I know something is about to happen and spoil it for her.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Hair and climbing
Arianna's hair is very crazy today. Tuesday night she had a shower, then Papa was getting her dressed and he brushed her hair
It was so funny, we just kept looking at it and petting it and it would bounce right back. Today, two days later, it is still sticking up, even after yesterday when I wet it down twice and brushed it forward! It kind of flips up on the ends, makes me wonder if it is going to curl.
Yesterday she got a hat put on, for the first time. I wonder how she made it this long without this happening before. I have a million pictures of Alexander as a tiny tiny baby with many different hats on...
straight back with his fingers, just to see what it would do. Well, this is what it did.
Alexander learned how to crawl out of his crib, I am amazed that it has taken him this long to discover it. With all the climbing he does I have thought for months that he was going to crawl out, but he didn't. Now the party's over. Yesterday he came out 4 times before finally laying down for a nap.
This morning I woke up to Alexander crawling into my bed, with a cereal bar in his hand that he wanted me to open!
It was so funny, we just kept looking at it and petting it and it would bounce right back. Today, two days later, it is still sticking up, even after yesterday when I wet it down twice and brushed it forward! It kind of flips up on the ends, makes me wonder if it is going to curl.
Yesterday she got a hat put on, for the first time. I wonder how she made it this long without this happening before. I have a million pictures of Alexander as a tiny tiny baby with many different hats on...
straight back with his fingers, just to see what it would do. Well, this is what it did.
Alexander learned how to crawl out of his crib, I am amazed that it has taken him this long to discover it. With all the climbing he does I have thought for months that he was going to crawl out, but he didn't. Now the party's over. Yesterday he came out 4 times before finally laying down for a nap.
This morning I woke up to Alexander crawling into my bed, with a cereal bar in his hand that he wanted me to open!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Poppies
Since the girls are studying plant growth right now, we have been watching our poppies bloom, and I just love these pictures, so I am sharing...
Sunday, May 06, 2007
smiles
Just some cute pictures of Arianna and Faron playing. Arianna's personality really comes out strong at night, after the other kids are in bed. So she was laying with Faron on the bed talking and laughing with Papa.
Ari's new skill is growling. It is so cute and funny! She just makes these cute growling noises. I put her to bed the other night and she just layed in her bed for 20 minutes growling away!
Ari's new skill is growling. It is so cute and funny! She just makes these cute growling noises. I put her to bed the other night and she just layed in her bed for 20 minutes growling away!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
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