I am talking about my kids here.  I was just up at Gail’s house (that’s my older sister).  She is having a birthday party this weekend for her son, Bobby, who is turning three.  Anyway, Paul begs to go to Bobby’s house.  In a minute you’ll understand why.

At our house, if the grass is wet, we don’t go outside because I don’t want Hannah soaked from crawling in wet grass, then I’d have to change her clothes.  So, we wait until the grass is dry or practically dry.  If it is muddy, I tell Paul not to go in the garden.  I don’t want him to be a little mud ball, and then I’d have to hose him off and rush him straight to the tub when he got tired of playing in the garden after 1/2 an hour.  On top of all that, he never wants to be outside for more than 1/2 an hour at a time, and usually Hannah won’t be outside unless I am out there with her.  She usually just wants me to push her in the swing.  But if I come inside, she cries and cries and crawls to the door and tries to come in.

At Bobby’s house, woo-hoo, it’s the world at his reach!  We got there, it’s wet, it’s muddy, and it soon starts to rain.  Guess what?  Paul and Bobby just tear around outside waving scrub brushes, finding the kittens, sitting on the little Kubota tractor, and running all around.  They were laughing and having the times of their lives.  Hannah wanted to go outside too, so Gail let her out, and she just crawled around, played in the water coming out of the downspout, and then was trying to “walk” on her knees across the gravel parking lot to get to Paul & Bobby.  After a few feet she was fussing and I went out and brought her in.  At one point, Gail went outside to hose off a muddy tricycle thingy that Bobby wanted to bring into the basement.  Paul and Bobby had fun running under the water that shot past the tricycle.  Paul especially got completely soaked.  Gail brought them both in and just changed Paul’s clothes because he was cold.

So, which is right?  I know Paul had a blast at Bobby’s house, and Bobby might think he was in a prison if he spent too much time here.  But, the dirt!!  Here I am running the vacuum a few times a day most days to keep the floors clean.  If I let Paul wallow in water a mud all day long, lawsy mercy!  We’d live in a whole different house.  We have fun at our house, it’s just a different kind of fun.  We also don’t have the acres to roam that Bobby has, nor the exciting outdoor equipment and sheds to explore.  And, I guess the bottom line is that I am much more dirt-conscious than Gail is.  I am sure of one thing, though, my kids will always be begging me to go play at Bobby’s house!  And, I had better take them up there in their old, dingy clothes!

And with the kids!  Wait ’til you see the pictures.  The party was held at Julia and Linden’s, and they had 19 little baby goats.  I took Paul and Hannah out to see the goats no less than three times in the course of the evening when we were there.

Anyway, a little more background.  We siblings try to get together once in the summer for a sibling party.  It wasn’t quite true for this year, since Laura is in the Philippines on a missions trip right now, so she couldn’t be with us.  But, if we had it when Laura was going to be in the area, Lucy would not be, since she would be back in Wyoming.  So, we had the party this past Thursday evening at Julia’s house.  The problem also arose that two of Julia & Linden’s hired folks didn’t show up that day, so Julia was hardly seen at all.  She was helping with the hay-making.  I felt badly for her.  But, we enjoyed the time anyway, despite missing a few people.

Miriam and I were the first to arrive, and we just made ourselves at home in Julia’s house.  Boy, it was different to cook in someone else’s kitchen!  I was making the rolls, and Miriam was making a French silk pie.  We had to dig and hunt for measuring cups and bowls and stuff.  I forgot my recipe, and I remembered it all except how much oil to put in.  Fortuneately, my sister Miriam’s middle name is organization, and she had along her big fat recipe ring binder.  We just looked up the recipe in there, and I made the rolls in fine style.  The only thing was that I forgot to bring dry milk powder, so we just made them without that.  And they turned out fine.

Lucy was marinating these roasts in a “secret” recipe of sauce that she had eaten out in Wyoming.  Rachel had chopped up all the veggies for oven-roasted vegetables, and Gail brought everything for a tossed salad.  As everything was about ready for supper, some of my siblings hauled out the kitchen table and chairs, and we got the outdoor table and chairs from the porch and put them on the grass.  The grass was long, so before they hauled out the tables, Lucy cranked up the lawn mower and puttered around mowing some grass (it was a riding lawn mower).  That made things really nice.

Andrew surprised me and showed up at supper time!  That was a real treat for me.  After supper, we went out to see the baby goats one more time, and then we loaded up and brought our little children home.  Andrew graciously offered to take the kids home and let me party later, but I was feeling like coming on home anyway.

Here are some of the pictures we got that day.

Aunt Lucy & Paul

Aunt Lucy & Paul

Hannah & Aunt Miriam

Paul & Hannah in Aunt Julia’s wagon.

Hannah & Sally

Hannah & Sally

Bobby, Uncle Glen, Paul, & Hannah

Paul & Bobby in the wagon, Uncle Glen

sitting in the yard.

L. to R., Gail, Miriam, Sally, Katie

Clockwise from lower left: Katie, Gail, Rachel, Luke

Miriam, Sally

Paul & Bobby on the lawn mower (it’s not turned on,

of course!).

I was going to post this on Monday morning, but my picture uploader was on the fritz.  It was still on the fritz when I tried later.  But, this evening, evidently time has healed it!

On Sunday morning, at the breakfast table, Paul was wearing a bowl and Andrew snapped a picture.  No, it is not plastic, and no it didn’t fall and break!  It’s genuine Corelle, and I guess Paul has some sense of balance or something.  I guess it would be more difficult if he head was flat or square, but since it is nicely rounded, the bowl stayed put for a few moments.  Yay for round heads!

After the evening service, we stopped at Wal-Mart for some milk and sun block, and Andrew got a couple bananas.  When we got home, it was late-supper/heavy-snack time.  Here is Paul enjoying one of those bananas.  Isn’t he just the “bananas” and a little monkey?

Our breakfast of waffles and one pancake.  (They were from the freezer,

I assure you.  I don’t make waffles on a Sunday morning these days.)

Here is Paul eating jello for part of his dessert after lunch.

I think he put a lot in his mouth!

Paul going down for a nap in the afternoon.  He wanted to

take this doll baby along (Paul refers to him with masculine

pronouns, so it’s a boy baby doll), and he even put his cover

over him.

Andrew letting Paul and Hannah listen to Paul’s recorded

singing (which is in a recent previous post) after supper.

(We didn’t have our usual church service this evening.)

Our little Hannah has a (bad) habit of running her hands through her hair.  She doesn’t even mind doing it when she is eating.  Recently, she did it as she was eating jello, with her hands, of course, and it resulted in quite some stylish, crispy, curls.  She looked like she had been to the beauty parlor and had styling gel applied.  She didn’t even need to wear a barrette to keep her hair out of her face, it was glued out of the way with jello!

Here are some clean curls after her bath.

For your listening pleasure, you can click on each of these titles and hear one of the main male vocalists in our house.  Listen closely, and you might even hear a young, budding female “vocalist” in the background occasionally.  Note:  the words to the Family Song were created by Paul and his daddy.

Standing on the Promises

Old MacDonald

O Christmas Tree

Jesus Loves Me

Amazing Grace

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Family Song

B-I-B-L-E

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

The Driver on the Bus

Last Thursday and Friday, my sister Gail and I took our munchkins down south, all the way to Miriam’s (another of my sisters) house.  She told us it would take 2 hours to get there.  Well, we left here just a little after 6:00 p.m., and we got there a little after 9:00 p.m.  I don’t think she figured on stopping for Paul to use the bathroom three times on the way there.  Something.  Or else we just didn’t drive as keenly as she does.

Bobby, Paul, & Hannah loaded for the trip

to Aunt Miriam’s & Uncle Daniel’s.

Nobody slept on the way, even though Paul and Hannah usually go to bed between 8:00 and 8:30.  The first order of business once we got there was to get the Pak ‘n’ Play set up and get Hannah to bed.  I did that, setting it up in her guest bedroom,  and put Hannah to bed.  Then, I got Paul into his pajamas and put him on the mattress on the floor in her guest room (Miriam was so accomodating–putting the mattress on the floor just like he’s used to–or else they hadn’t got the guest bed all put together yet, not sure which.).  Then, Miriam was making bread!  We stood around yakking and admiring all the remodeling work they have done on their house until the bread was done baking.  Then, using one of their wonderful Cutco knives, we cut that hot bread and ate some fresh-from-the-oven, can’t-get-any-better bread.  Mmmm-mm, it was good.  Then the rest of us went to bed.  Bobby (Gail’s little boy) slept on the couch, and Gail and I shared an air mattress on the living room floor.

After breakfast the next morning, the kids played outside.  Paul and Bobby played in a pile of sand, and Hannah just hung out with whoever else was outside.  We all took turns being the supervisor outside.  It was a beautiful day, but it was humid and eventually we turned on the AC inside.

Hannah with her Aunt Mini (Miriam)

Gail plays with Paul & Bobby in the sand.

Gail reads stories to Paul & Bobby,

Miriam holding Hannah.

After lunch, Gail read some stories to the kids, and Miriam and I got the Pak ‘n’ Play squeezed into the laundry room.  Then we put Hannah in it, and Paul down the mattress.  Gail and Bobby shared the couch, and I used Miriam & Daniel’s bed for a nap.  We had some good naps that afternoon.  Paul and Hannah slept until nearly 5:00, I think.

Aunt Gail makes the toys more fun!

We ate supper, having delicious Ball Park hotdogs (thanks so much Miriam!) and home made hotdog buns.  It was a little after 7:00 p.m. until we were packed and ready to head home.  That means it was after 10:00 p.m. until we got to our house.  Once more, no one slept on the way home.  For the last 45 min. or an hour of the trip home, Paul and Hannah were so tired and wanting to cry, so I just held their hands in their car seats.  That helped them to feel better.  When we got home, it was pouring down rain.  Paul and Hannah were just crying and had fallen apart, it was so late.  I didn’t even bring stuff in from the car.  I put Hannah to bed, and then, even though he had sand on him and in his hair, I put Paul to bed.  Gail had unloaded the car in that time, in the pouring rain no less.

It was a nice visit, and the trip was fine, but it is hard to get it done with the right timing for the kids’ naps and meals.  Plus, we wanted the kids to have some wake time at Aunt Mini’s house, so that’s why we didn’t travel there one morning and come back the next morning.  Paul had a great time playing in the sand.

Thanks for hosting us, Miriam & Daniel!  I hope we can return the favor sometime.

On Tuesday evening, Paul and Hannah took me to IHOP for supper for a Mother’s Day present.  Of course, their dad was very much involved, and even paid the bill for them!  We had a good time and made a whole trip to town out of it.  We first went to the mattress store and picked up the new mattress I had ordered two weeks ago when I took down Hannah’s crib.  (Now, I thought I was getting a mattress the same day I took down the crib, but it turned out they had sold the last one of the kind that I wanted an hour before I got to the store.  Hence, Hannah got Paul’s mattress, and Paul was sleeping on a folded up comforter on the floor in his room.  I felt sorry for Paul, but not enough to put the crib back together again.)  Next we went to IHOP.  Andrew ordered a Colorado omelette, and I ordered grilled fish.  Then, we each ate half of our plates and traded.  That was we each got some of both.  It was delicious!  Paul and Hannah ate stuff off the kid’s menu since on Tuesdays kids eat free.

After IHOP, we went over to Wal-Mart to do our weekly shopping, which hadn’t been done in several weeks.  I was running very low on staples like flour and sugar.  It was late when we got home, late such as in 9:00.  An hour past their bedtime.  I put Hannah to bed immediately, and Andrew put the new mattress in Paul’s room.  I put the waterproof mattress pad and a sheet on it, and then put him to bed.  I was happy he was finally on a mattress again.

So, there is the complete honoring of Mother’s Day for this year.  It was really special.  If it wasn’t for Paul and Hannah, I wouldn’t be a mother.

That is something I was striving to do this week.  I worked at not looking at the work, not looking at the tasks undone, not looking at the fussing and complaining, but instead looking at my beautiful children and what I enjoy about them–their smiles, their easy laughter, and the way they can be content and have fun playing.  I have some pictures of all that to share.

Hannah & Paul sharing my kneading stool when

I got it out while making bread this week.

Two days when the weather was nice and the

ground was dry enough, Paul and Hannah

enjoyed playing in the garden dirt.  Of course,

I sacrificed some corn and red beets, but they

had a lot of fun, and I actually got a few things

done in the house while they were out there.

While I was at a church ladies’ meeting last night,

Andrew was in charge.  He fed them ice cream cones with

an M & M on top to bootafter supper!  I think

their daddy likes to make them happy.

I have recently figured out that raising children is not a project.  It’s not something you do, and then you get done and you are finished.  Rather, it is a lifestyle.  For us, a lifestyle that we chose.  The nearest thing I can compare it to is becoming a Christian–you just live life differently ever after, and you don’t go back to your old ways.

Recently, I was ready to be done with the project of raising kids.  I wanted to be finished.  I wanted to wake up one morning and find that I was 20 years down the road and all the nose-blowing, feeding, diapering, pottying, homeschooling, etc. was all over and I could start to live my life again.  There are times I want to eat my food while it is still hot, to start a project and work on it until I am finished, to zip out to the washline and hang out a load of wash when the grass is still wet (instead of waiting until it is dry, then hauling the kids out there, the toys out there, then the wash, and the whole thing can take 10-15 minutes–just to get set up to hang the wash!), to skip meals if I am too busy to fix them, to sleep in if I feel lazy, to work on noisy projects during the afternoon, and so on and so forth.

I got to thinking about this.  I realized having children was a lifestyle change, not a project.  I will always be a mommy, always and forever.  I won’t be going back to how things were before.  Even after the diapers and nose-blowing are over, there will be homeschooling (that seems like it will last forever).  Even after the homeschooling (I cannot even see that far into the distance), there will be times to go help my grown children–pick them up when their car breaks down, fix them soup when they are sick, help them move, and help out with grandchildren someday (and by then, I’m sure Andrew and I will be changing our parents’ diapers. sigh.).  Having children isn’t just giving up a few years of your life.  It lasts forever, I think.  The sacrificing, the refining of the soul (not to be so selfish), does not end.  Maybe it’s not intended to end.

I’ve read this and that, blaming things on our current society, being so self-focused and what-not.  That may be some people’s problem, but I know my own problem is not the result of our society or culture–it’s the selfishness in my own heart.  That’s what it is.  At times I get tired of sacrificing.  At times I get tired of the work.  At times I just want to have things my way.

So, what’s the solution?  Pray, pray, pray, and read, read, read the Word.  Humbly begging God for help, and going just one day at a time.  Not looking too far down the road, but living today, and doing what needs done today.  I know that I want to be one who enjoys my children, who loves being a mother more than anything else.  By God’s grace, I will become a better mother.  I see other moms, I read the blogs of mommies, and I want to be more like them–more content and loving.  I also get great encouragement from other moms (thanks, all you bloggie mommas, for taking the time to blog).

So, now, in the morning, as I set my little ones on their potties, I will enjoy the hugs of their little arms around me.  And, at some point, I will ask Paul for a kiss, and he will plant one of those sweet, slobbery kisses on my cheek, and maybe even kiss the other one too.  And I will love him even more, and store that up to remember when the lunch is a little late and they are out of patience and fussing and crying while I fix the sandwiches.

Here are my most recent anchor verses:

Ps. 46:1  “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Phil. 4:4  “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Phil. 2:14-15  “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure.”

What I am asking God for more of:

Eccl. 3:13  “That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil–this is the gift of God.”

Eccl. 5:19  “Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work–this is a gift of God.”