Happy Birth Month, Rebekah!!

My oldest daughter is TEN YEARS-OLD now!!  Excuse me while I have a moment.  It definitely feels like she has been around that long, but at the same time, it sounds so old when I write it or talk about it.  Someone was so kind to point out that we are over half-way through her time with us (as parents - not that she will ever not be our child, but the main influential part where she has to live and home and mostly do what we say) and that really gave me pause to think.  In any case, it is what it is.  And every time I think about my dear Rebekah, it only makes me love and appreciate her all the more.

*Rebekah LOVES to read.  This past year she had trouble completing her school work because she would spend all day reading books, everything from her brothers' literature books to the dictionary.  If it looked interesting I would find her nose in it.

*She is very into nature.  She loves to collect leaves, twigs, dirt, etc and put them together in artsy creations (or just fill the house with them to drive her mother nuts. . .I think).  She also gets personally upset when I mow the lawn (as she likes the grass and weeds tall) and refuses to help by sweeping up loose grass or moving toys off the lawn.

*Rebekah enjoys walking with me and doing other restorative exercise stuff - like stretches, etc.  She also is encouraging of me doing crazy things like lowering our table, sitting on the floor, and putting rings in the living room.

*Although she will wear a dress to Mass, she is EAGER to get on her "play clothes" and get dirty every day - a true tomboy in many ways.

*One of Rebekah's FAVORITE pastimes is to climb trees.  She is often sad when I ask her not to (as when it might damage the landscaping or set a bad example for her siblings).

Here she is up a tree with her sister Miriam (in front) and our neighbor (back left).

*I realize now, as some of my friends have several children, so I have a group to compare to, that God gave us an absolute treasure in making Rebekah our oldest child.  She is kind, patient, and willing to take time to care for siblings (even if I have to ask - she does not balk, she is obedient).  She also has a good sense of authority with them (they listen to her) and is quite responsible, with a good moral compass, as well.  She is at true gift to have as an oldest child.

Side Note:  The other day Rebekah was "watching" the kids while I was working out in the garage to prepare for a party and I asked her if she had any trouble (as I had just put the little kids to bed).  She said Miriam and Paul were unsettled so she read them another book and tucked them back in.  Then she told me Jacob "sneaked" upstairs, but she told him, "It is a disgrace to use sneaking to disobey your parents."  ---See what I'm saying??  She is such a blessing!

Dear God, thank you for the gift of our amazing daughter, Rebekah!  Please walk with her always and draw her ever closer to you, growing more virtuous and charitable all her days.  - Amen

7 Quick Takes Follow-up to last week

1) I ran the race I mentioned in my last post.

I came in 2nd for my age group and 9th overall.  Anyhow, the long version goes like this. . . I started out right in front because being competitive and all I did not just want to run the three miles, I wanted to be FIRST of course!  Now, I knew I would not be absolute first, but by golly, if I'm going to run, I'm going to run to win!  So I plunged off the starting line with all the gusto I had and quickly fell into pace with another gal (who ended up being the top finisher for the women) - it was a bit grueling, but I was able to manage it.  Then she fell back some, but I kept chugging along thinking the more ground I covered now the further along I would be the faster and that had to be good.  Then I hit about the half-way mark and was starting to feel QUITE warm and out of breath and my body was telling me I would be lucky to FINISH, let along beat anyone.  The women's leader had passed me a little ways back and the distance between us grew.  A few more men passed me and then a younger girl (about 14) and her mom.  I struggled to not pass out and told myself I could rest all I wanted when I was done.  One foot in front of the other, struggling to get breath as I trudged through the grass down by the dyke and up the hill.  I kept reminding myself once I got back on the street it would be downhill (a little) and then flat - easier than this part on the grass!  I struggled on and I don't think anyone else passed me after that, but at one point I was fumbling with my mp3 player and slowed some so another guy caught up with me, but as he pulled even I realized I had slowed, so I kicked it in again. (Only thinking the sooner I finished the sooner I could stop running!!)  My pride would not let me stop and walk - not this little race in my hometown where everyone knew me - not on my FIRST RACE EVER - not when I had called it a "measly" 5K - oh no, my pride ruled me and I pumped on to finish with a time of 27:37.  I walked some to recover and then decided sitting would be a better choice.  I sat for a bit and and was going to get up and ask my time (which I had missed as I ran by) but I was too light-headed.  The last mile had been HORRIBLE - I played the labor card out in my head (telling myself I survived labor six times and each time had a point where I think I would have rather died by did not - so if I could do that, I could do this).  Fortunately my daughter Rebekah (the only one of my family I had brought to support me) was engrossed in a book (had barely looked up as I sat down) so I recovered slowly with no need to explain why my hands were shaking.  It was a gratifying and humbling day all rolled into one.

2) Since I have more to say and I've already said a lot, I'm making this another point.

The take-away. . . I was thinking that this race would clarify if I was going to keep running (and maybe try for a bigger race - like a half marathon - or even a full marathon!) or if I should just run for exercise and pleasure as I have been doing and not worry about the rest.  Unfortunately, it did not really do that for me.  I have never run competitively before and I did not train for this race, so it really just showed me that I "could" run at a decent clip for three miles, but it was a lot tougher than I realized!  But I don't think I WANT to run competitively - not the same way I play basketball or other sports.  In those sports I LOVE to push and get caught up in the challenge and the responses of others, but I think running needs to be more personal for me.  I wonder if I need to think of it as me getting from point A to point B - and maybe I need to find some running buddies to make it a little more fun.  Then I don't have to run like my pants are on fire and create five new blisters on each toe by the time I'm done.  Then maybe I can just chill and enjoy the day. . . maybe.  My competitive nature is tough to squelch, but I might have to give it a shot. . . if/when I try a longer race.

3) I told you we were done with school. . .

And since having posted it I have been confronted twice about that and had to clarify that Rebekah technically has a few more lessons.  It is complicated.  She only needs to finish 85% of her coursework in Science and History.  She is over 92% in History, and right at 85% in Science.  But she also WANTS to finish some more of the lessons because they are interesting!!  Crazy, I know.  So I guess I should have said something more like "SAMUEL and I are DONE with schoolwork."  (Because Task-Master-Momma is no longer breathing down Rebekah's neck, urging her to finish up already!)  And I actually called the office to close Samuel's coursework so they could order his books for next year and was planning to call for Rebekah this week.  So. . . now you know the whole story.  And most likely, by the time you read this, I will have called and closed Rebekah's lessons and then we really will be done!!  Yes, really!

4) I am tired of allergies.

I had a nasty ear infection a couple weeks ago and now I still have trouble with fluid in that ear off and on.  Although I am not a fan of the bi-annual stomach bug, at least it comes and goes quickly.  This ear/head/sinus stuff is just a lingering annoyance.

5) I knew the day would come when Zipporah helped herself to all the food on the table. . . and it has.

I left her sitting near the table (having finished feeding her) and went downstairs to get something.  Coming back up a few minutes later I found her a few feet away, having scavenged Miriam's unattended pizza.  And she was quite proud of herself.

Well, I was still hungry, and it was just sitting right there. . . 

6) I have concluded I need a retreat.

With all the craziness of the past several weeks (as my hubby has spent hours off preparing for the musical) I have been going a little crazy myself and I feel the need to recharge.  My favorite way to recharge is a silent retreat.  I did one in Wichita at the Spiritual Life Center and it was AWESOME.  Unfortunately Wichita is a bit far to drive and I have yet to find any similar retreats offered around here.  If nothing else I plan to take an afternoon to go to adoration, sit in the church for a bit,  and go for a nice walk maybe or find something else peaceful and calming to do for a while.

7) This post is only about four days after my last post.

I think this means I am not getting enough "adult conversation" in.  What do you think?  :)

7 Quick Takes for a summer afternoon

1) I had a great nutritional win yesterday.

For breakfast I had my used-to-be-favorite-meal-of-all-time-but-especially-for-breakfast meal.  That would be two pieces of homemade bread, toasted with natural peanut butter, jam, and two fried eggs on top.  However, since I've been eating this Whole 30 diet long enough, I was sadly disappointed with my meal and went in search of the veggies I was craving afterward.  Did you hear that?  I said I went LOOKING FOR VEGETABLES!!  This is huge people - the fact that I've gone from muscling down veggies (often the same ones - frozen peas, green beans, or corn) to CRAVING them! And craving not just those I listed, but craving the highly nutritious veggies like sweet potatoes, avocados, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, peppers, etc.  (Now, I did not DISLIKE any of these before, but since I've been eating them more and more I just want more and more of them!)

2) Zipporah is finally almost crawling.

On two separate occassions for numerous witnesses she got in the proper postition and moved her arms correctly at least two times.  She is not crawling around the room yet, but we are anticipating it soon.  The sad part: I think I am going to miss her physical therapist - she has been great!  But I certainly will NOT miss the stress of trying to get Zipporah to want to move - silly little lady.  In any case, I'm glad she has decided to join the ranks of those who are able to locomote in some fashion.  She is also cruising some, so perhaps walking is not far behind.

3) Miriam has taken to "reading" her favorite books.

I remember doing this as a child - having a favorite book and having it read to me repeatedly until I could tell the story from memory while turning the pages.  I don't remember what the story I first memorized was, but I do recall that the book was pink and the story was about Care Bears.  This book is called "Brave Dragon" and Miriam got it for her birthday from her Uncle Luke and Aunt Kristy.  Click here if you want to hear Miriam "read" it to you.

4) I am 95% sure I broke my toe the other night.

It was doing better and then I bumped it just right and about collapsed in pain.  But after more ice and some rest it is feeling a bit better again (if I can just be careful to leave it alone and ram it AGAIN).

5) I am planning to run in my first race ever on Saturday.

This is huge and you probably would not get why, so I will tell you in a really really long story. . . back in high school when I played basketball I still remember my coach telling the team (as I was standing beside him), "Mary is going to do a lot of great things for us, but she is not going to set any land-speed records."  Now, he was telling me that I should not be running all over the court, but sprinting back and forth from the paint (aka the lane - the painted box under the basketball hoop) on one end of the court, directly to the paint on the other end and not messing around in-between.  And that is good advice and served me well in my years of basketball in high school and college.  

But. . . for some reason that quote has stuck with me, perhaps because I often feel inadequate and people are always telling me what I cannot do (not as in they will not let me, but as in I am not ABLE to do this) and that just pricks my nerves.  In this case, it took a while to brew, but in college, I started running because I was too chicken to go to the gym there (as a freshman at a college 17 hours from my home) and I could run outside, on my own.  First I just tried to run for 15 minutes and not stop.  I prayed the rosary to keep myself focused.  Then, as my stamina increased I would run further and maybe faster (although I never timed myself to check my speed - I would just run for a set amount of time, usually 45 minutes or an hour).  

Then something amazing happened while I was playing college basketball with Franciscan University.  It was our first practice back after Christmas Break.  We warmed up, stretched, and started doing some suicides (or winners, or zippers, or zombies, or whatever you want to call them).  In any case, for the first time in my life, I WAS THE FASTEST ONE IN THE GYM!!!  I had run over the break and apparently no one else had.  So here I was RUNNING FASTER than the point guard and everyone else.  It was a great moment for me.

I got married shortly after graduating college and kept running, but then I started having babies and could only run off and on in-between being very pregnant and recovering from having babies.  I still love the feeling of running, but now it is a lot harder on my body, so I do not do it as often.  In any case, I have a friend who runs marathons and I have been wondering if I might like to try that some day.  This measly little 5K (as I usually do five or six miles when I run) is the first step into my potential race-running hobby.  I'm curious to see how it goes and if I will "get bit by the racing bug" as some of my friends call it or just figure I ran my race, so now I can cross that off the list.

6) We finally finished up the "official" school work.

I put official in quotes because let's be honest, my kids are reading and learning ALL THE TIME.  But it is nice to know that they supposedly know everything they are supposed to know for their respective grades now.  And in about four weeks we get to start again - haha.

7) I miss my husband.

He is in the upcoming musical, "Legally Blonde" put on by the local community theater.  I'm sure he is going to be great, but it is rough to see him only a few minutes in the morning before work, maybe a few minutes after work (sometimes not at all if he runs errands before practice) and then maybe a few minutes in the evening (assuming he gets home before I fall sleep).  But I'm sure the musical will be great and worth the sacrifice.

P.S. Feel free to come support him and the rest of the cast.  Showtimes are July 23, 24, and 25th at 7pm at TMP here in Hays.

7 Quick Takes - I try to do things as complicated as possible :)

1) I made a new chore chart.

It looked really simple and easy.  But once I got all the kids on it (I cannot make each kid their own and hang it on the doorknob to their bedroom because they all sleep in the same bedroom! - ok, two bedrooms for the lot, but still.) it got really "busy" and is not as cool as I had hoped.  I might need to "break it down more" but I am REALLY TRYING here as I know learning to pick up and do chores is important.

Each kid gets their own color on the end - some chores are every other day for the same chore (they rotate, one one day and one the next) so that has two colors.  Psychotically complicated, but the kids would forget their own names before they would forget to do the calendar.

2) I made a new rewards chart. 

The kids are constantly asking what they "get" for doing their chores.  And although in the past I may have tried the answer "you GET to be a member of the family, blah, blah, blah," let's be honest.  That does NOT motivate the kids to do what they are supposed to do!  So, I made this little beauty and figure after 10 days of doing their chores I will "reward them" in some way.  Right now I am sitting on a well-stocked "prize bucket" from encouraging Jacob to read this past year, so there is that, or I figure I will barter with them - staying up late, special dessert, getting to pick a movie, or what we have for dinner.  I will just "spoil them" a little is what I figure.  I am CONSTANTLY trying to "toughen them up" (especially in the summer when they seem so lazy) so this is an opportunity to for "Mom to be nice" I figure (which is what I REALLY WANT to do all the time, but I DON'T DO because I really love them MORE and want WHAT IS BEST - which I know won't come from being nice all the time).

There are 10 beads to move - doing all your chores by the end of dinner (as cleaning up after dinner is part of chores) will allow a bead to be moved.  Once all move, the "reward" is negotiable.

3) I just signed my kids up for Lego Club Magazine.

I figure this one does not need much explanation.  Funny it took me so long.

4) The end of our school work is definitely in sight.

Rebekah put forth a VALIANT effort to finish her school work by her birthday.  In any case, she should be done by the end of this week - or next if she drags it out and her brother, too (as he has all of one assignment left - a presentation - he is half-ready to give - but my heart is not in helping him at the moment as he is in 2nd grade!! - A presentation, REALLY?!?! - once I find his notecards again we will finish it up, really. . . )  Either way, I am grateful to finally have it not hanging over our heads and to be able to be bums or do some of the fun "extra curricular" stuff I had "planned" to do over the summer.  

5) Marriage is the topic lately.

In the Catholic circles especially the topic of marriage, what it really means, etc, is on fire right now and I just had a talk with my daughter about it today.  We did a "walk and talk" - where we go for a short walk and chat - and I decided I needed to bring it up.  We discussed the true definition of marriage and I explained what was going on legally and what we felt about it as Catholics.  I felt it was important for my daughter to know so she would not be caught off-guard.  She took it well.  She is still so form-able - even at age 10 - but it makes me happy to hear her answer back exactly what I told her with pride.  She heard me, let's pray it sinks in and sticks for when she really needs it.

6) Since you are so nosy, here is mostly what I said to her. . . 

*Marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.  (Which she knew - I asked her who could get married - after a bit of defining what I was looking for, she got it.)

*The Sacrament of Marriage is conferred jointly - as each spouse confers it on the other - it is witnessed, usually by a priest, and often during the Mass.  (I felt it was important for her to understand this sacrament is administered by the laity.  And I wanted to emphasize that OUR marriage is religious - but people can be married and not be religious, it is the same "marriage" - we get grace from God through our sacrament, basically because we ask for it - others who are not sacramentally married do not receive that grace, namely because God will not force himself upon anyone.)

*I borrowed Trent Horn's definition of marriage as the comprehensive union (mind/body) of one man and one woman.  And went on to point out that there is no other relationship like it.  The man and the woman are incomplete on their own and they complete each other and work together toward a common good - having children.

*That is why marriage is recognized by the State because it is in the State's best interest for future citizens to be created and protected.

*Then I told her our government has made it "legal" for people of the same gender to marry, but she immediately caught on and said, "but it is not REALLY a marriage."  (Smart girl.)  And we discussed why.

*I explained I just wanted her to be prepared for what was out there and to be able to understand why we believe what we believe.

*Finally I cautioned her in addressing the matter directly with those behaving openly in a fashion we do not uphold as although we are called to speak the truth in love, we should do so with a tender grace and mercy, with true compassion and understanding - never in fear, anger, or just to be mean.  And even if she did not intend such things, this is an emotionally charged issue that could easily offend others or be misunderstood.

***I probably did a bang-up job of explaining all this, but this was the first of many talks we will most likely have on this topic and many others.  And I will explain it to the rest of the kids, too - but I started with Rebekah because it helps that she already knows many details about what Christopher West calls "the one flesh union."

7) Rebekah requested fruit pizza for her birthday last week.

It was DELICIOUS :)

Happy Birthday (last month) to Zipporah!

Zipporah has now earned the status of "one-year-old" which is excellent because I imagine she is quite tired of her siblings telling people she is "zero-years-old" even though it was technically accurate.  Anyhow, read on for a fun list of "Zipporah facts."

Mom baked this cake - it is the famous Nutri-Cake.  Daddy decorated the cake. . . he is such a character.

*Zipporah LOVES to sleep.  She has been sleeping through the night for quite some time. (I think as early as month or two - but it was so long ago it is difficult for me to remember.)  Even now she still takes a great nap in the afternoon.

*Her current favorite food is banana.  (This might be because it is such a handy food for a baby to eat!  It is mushy enough to not have to worry so much about choking, but still able to be eaten without making too much of a mess, and can be held in baby's hand.  A win all around in my opinion.)

*Zipporah LOVES her siblings - especially Miriam.  In the morning sometimes Miriam will come in as I am getting Zipporah dressed and Zipporah will absolutely light up at the sound of Miriam's voice and the sight of Miriam's smile and warm greeting.

*She still is not "crawling" or "walking" but she wiggles around quite a bit.  She can push herself with her feet, while on her back, and scoot across the floor.  She also can reach and wiggle while sitting up to get toys and other things near her.

*Zipporah is most interested in details.  Her fine-motor-control is awesome.  She turns pages in books, picks up tiny particles of food with dainty precision, and will not stop playing with this "busy board" that her godparents made for her.

*She has several teeth (four and another one or two working their way in) and eats (or tries to eat) almost everything the big kids consume.

Zipporah eating Grandma out of house and home.

*Zipporah really enjoyed the nutri-cake I made for her first birthday party.

*Other foods she prefers are my homemade taco meat (with lots of beans) and my homemade chili, as well as my lasagna and spaghetti.

Grandma made this cake - a "poke cake" which is basically a box cake with holes poked by fingers (this time all my other kiddos helped Grandma with that) and jello poured in, with whipped topping to cover.  Zipporah liked it, too - she is not a cake snob in any sense.

***We were a bit concerned as Zipporah was not gaining weight well for several of her check-ups and was down to the third percentile for a bit!!  But the specs from her year check in are:

Weight: 19lbs & 9oz (20%)
Height: 29 & 1/4 (50%)
Head: 45cm (45%)

So she is doing fine now - pfew!  She did have some raised platelets at her blood draw, so the doc wants to follow up with another draw in a month, but we are hopeful that is simply a fluke (as there are many things that could cause it) and not an indication of something serious.  I am grateful that our doctor is so thorough, though.

I have started making these little picture collages for facebook and I think I will start posting them on birthday posts so they will be in my "scrapbook" (aka the book I print of my blog at the end of the year).