Summer Birthdays

This happens every year. The end of summer rolls around and I've missed blogging about our summer birthdays, so here they are.

Zipporah - June - 4 yrs

* Zipporah is figuring things out. She loves to comment on EVERYTHING. I can almost see the wheels in her brain spinning.

* She has a sensitive side. She can be shy when we go places she has not been or meets new people. And she absolutely despises strange restrooms and automatic flush toilets.

* Zipporah is very "girly." She likes to wear skirts and dresses. She pays a lot of attention to clothing and shoes.

* She is probably one of my least picky eaters. She still asks for peppers, onions, and tomatoes from my plate (a taste her older siblings seem to have outgrown).

* Zipporah can be incredibly strong willed. And in a battle of stubbornness, you will not beat her. But she can also be kind and compassionate. I never quite know when she will switch from defiant to sweet, but it can happen.

* She loves to color and draw. Her writing skills (pencil grasp and such) are phenomenal.

Dear God, thank you for our spunky Zipporah. Please keep her heart on fire for your will to be done in all things. I ask this in Jesus' name. -Amen.

Rebekah - July - 13 yrs

* Rebekah likes to craft and sew. She is always up for making creative gifts from scratch.

* She is a bookworm and reads books faster than some people breathe. Her favorite series right now is Ranger's Apprentice. And she'd like to travel to Australia and meet the author. But she better hurry, I believe he's in his 70's now!

* Rebekah told she is interested in learning how to fix cars and write code (just like her daddy).

* She loves to collect things, like shells or pretty rocks -- really almost anything. She is currently building a small shed to keep her "pretties" in.

* Rebekah is dependable, loyal, and trustworthy. She always gets the job done. And she is an amazing blessing to our family. 

May God continue to bless you, dear Rebekah, as you grow into a young lady of wisdom and grace. -- Amen.

Jacob - August - 10 yrs

* Jacob is a gentle giant. He does not like conflict, though he does like to be playful. Unfortunately with his size, play often turns rough. But he has a heart of gold.

* He is almost taller than his almost two year older brother (Samuel) and his feet have been bigger than Samuel's for a couple years now.

* Jacob also loves to read. He is content to sit with his books for hours. Which is most entertaining because back when he was learning to read, he told us he didn't want to learn. We told him he would love it once he knew how. He said, fine, he would learn, just to prove us wrong. He actually took back his words about proving us wrong and thanked us for teaching him to read! (Yes, we love to tell this story, you've probably heard it before.)

* He is smart, but not motivated. Mom often has to bribe, bargain, threaten, or take away toys/privileges to get him to complete his schoolwork in a timely manner.

* Jacob still has a thing for turtles. Not sure where that started, but they are an animal he loves, be it stuffed, real, or artwork. Turtles are his jam.

Dear God, thank you for Jacob and his gentle but immense presence in our lives. Please keep him ever close to your heart. -- Amen

Zipporah is now TWO!!

Happy Birthday, Zipporah!!  

(Only about a month late - oops!! - but no less sincere.)

*One of Zipporah's favorite pastimes is playing dress-up with her sister, Miriam.

*She is a little slow-to-warm-up and often prefers to take in new situations from Mom's arms, with her thumb in her mouth.

*Once Zipporah is comfortable, she turns into one of the most joyful children I have ever seen.  Her smile and dimples really light up the room.

*She loves to eat and will often take food from my plate - food none of the other children will touch, such as tomatoes and sauteed onions.

*She loves to climb - even if is just on Mom's lap or legs.  Sitting still is not in her repertoire anymore (which is funny because up to this point she has been my most cuddly and snuggly baby).

*Zipporah has an outraged cry that sounds much like a goose honk.  She gives it more and more often these days, as two-year-olds are easily offended, you know.

May God bless you, dear Zipporah Marie and help you grow in virtue and love of God, all your days.
- Amen
And this year, we actually remembered to celebrate her Baptism Anniversary!!

We had Rice Crispy Treats (with peanut butter and chocolate because that is how we do things in this house) and since Zipporah does not talk much, and was not really able to understand what was going on, the children and I all renewed our baptismal promises so we could be strengthened to share the faith with her.

You were claimed for Christ at your baptism, Zipporah!  May He always remain as Lord of your heart.

7 Quick Takes

1) Peter is six-weeks-old today!!

He is getting better at transitioning to sleep but he still grunts and groans like an old man.  He loves to be talked to - will quiet down and look you in the face.  I think we are going to keep him :)

2) Laundry

Doing the laundry is probably my favorite chore.  We have a high efficiency washer and dryer that work well and I even enjoy their elaborate end-of-cycle chimes.  When we were selecting this set, about eight years ago, my dear husband was pushing for the larger capacity set, but I wanted to be able to stack them (and honestly, this set was more in our budget anyhow).  I'm glad we go this set, though, and now, eight years and seven children later we have just crossed the point of every two or three days of washing to doing a load a day.  Funny how one little baby can tip the scales, but he has.  In any case, one load a day is really not a big deal and can be helpful when someone wants their favorite piece of clothing two days in a row!!

3) Food

I am slowly but surely coming into my own as far as cooking goes.  I am not a giant fan of cooking.  I like to eat.  And I like to eat food I cook (rather than eating out) but the actual taking raw foods and turning them into meals has always been a bit of a challenge.  I find it especially entertaining since providing food for nine people has now become my calling in life for the next twenty years or so at least.  God certainly has a sense of humor.  Anyhow, I am beginning to realize that simple can be good.  One of my family's favorite meals is my rendition of "hash."  Apparently "hash" is a meal Gordie's dad used to make for him, which included ground beef, potatoes, and various spices.  My interpretation of this dish has evolved into browned hamburger and fried cubed hash browns.  Mix them together, add a little ketchup, and viola! a delicious local crowd-pleaser, often with no left-overs.  Simple, but delicious.  That is definitely my new motto.

4) Paul's latest trick.

Lately Paul has been finding my water jar (I like to drink out of a mason jar), filling it up, and bringing it to me - without my asking.  It is really adorable.  He can certainly be thoughtful.

5) I am reading this book right now and it is AWESOME.

I stumbled up on it at the suggestion of someone in a facebook group - and the suggestion was not even for me!  They were talking about how beautiful it was and I guess the Holy Spirit gave me a push because I ordered it and I have been LOVING it.  It really speaks to my soul as the author uses his experiences in Russia to touch basic spiritual matters that everyone has to work through.  I highly recommend it.

6) A recent funny:

A few days ago the following conversation ensued:

Rebekah: Mom, can we get a pet snake?

Me: No.

Rebekah: Mom, can we get a pet at all?

Me: No.

Rebekah (to Samuel): I think we asked her at a bad time.

7) We have a new AC!!

I am pretty sure that we have been living the last ten years, using the air conditioner that was original to this house - built a really long time ago.  It was still running, but just could not keep up on those really hot (one-hundred-plus temps) days, so we have finally decided to upgrade.  As of right this minute, the old one is gone and the ducting and such is all changed up for the new one that is sitting (still in its box) in our yard.  Tomorrow morning they are planning to finish up the install and we can hardly wait!!

And if you have read this far, you get to enjoy these pictures of Zipporah. . . 

Yes??

Can't be bothered.

7 Quick Takes - Things to Remember

1) Rebekah has been saying the word "tarnation" when she is frustrated or forgets something, etc.  I find it odd but entertaining and I have no idea where she picked it up from.

Rebekah LOVES to hold Peter.  She often snuggles him in her lap and enjoys reading or coloring.

2) Peter is a unique baby - compared to his siblings.  He prefers to sleep nestled in someone's arms and will rarely sleep more than a half hour left on his own.  When he is awake though, he will look all around and likes to wiggle.  He is not a sit-and-cuddle type of baby, unless he happens to be asleep, of course.

Here is Peter all snuggled up on Mom.  He does not mind being "worn" this way and it allows Mom to get a few things done!

3) Zipporah is quite possibly the happiest almost-two-year-old I have ever met.  She spends most of her day dancing, giggling, and smiling so hard it must make her cheeks hurt.  She definitely finds all day every day in this family to be one big party.

Zipporah, enjoying pizza.  Yes, that is red marker all over her arms.

4) Miriam is in love with Peter.  When I ask Rebekah to hold him, she always wants to hold him, too.  Likewise, she is almost constantly asking if she can "pet Peter."

Miriam, holding Peter.

5) We came into an excess of cameras.  I had one I was not overly fond of but still works, bought another, and then my parents gave me theirs because they just use their cell phones now.  (Yes, I am the only person left on the planet that does not own a cell phone that takes pictures.)  Anyhow, Rebekah asked if she could "have" one of the cameras.  I told her yes, but did not realize just what that would mean.  Now she takes pictures of EVERYTHING.  She always has that camera.  I find it entertaining, but the hubby gets a little annoyed sometimes.  Oh well.  It is not hurting anything and thankfully digital pictures can just be erased at the click of a button.  No harm, no foul.

I'm not sure if you can see it, but the cord around her neck is the strap for her camera.

6) Now that the novelty of a newborn is wearing off, I'm waiting for my super-powers to show up.  Thankfully, God has blessed me with some amazing and helpful kids so they are definitely helping out as Peter keeps me from getting much sleep these days.  But I'm hopeful that soon I'm just going to turn into "pure awesome" and be able to do everything like I have in the past.

Here is Rebekah, putting Peter to sleep for me (accidentally, but I will take it :)

7) Peter is one-month-old today.  And although his brothers, Samuel, Jacob, and Paul are quite amiable toward him, I am pretty-sure they are going to find him loads more entertaining once he can do more than wiggle and cry.

7 Quick Takes - catching up

1) We took a family hike at the local lake a while back on a nice day.

We have every intention of being a "naturey" family - we want to be a rough and tumble, play outside, hike around, survive in the wild-kind-of-family.  But as much as we try to live and encourage that, it is a tough "way" to learn, especially for littles (and perhaps we do not "teach" as well or as often as we could/should).  Thus, when we chose a three-mile-hike for our "family adventure" we did not expect it to be quite so grueling.  I mean, seriously, we live in Kansas.  If the land slopes at all we consider it a hill and we have NO CONCEPT of serious climbing or underbrush or anything that makes a "trail" really a challenge.  How hard can a little three-mile-trek be?  Well, the older kids (Rebekah, Samuel, Jacob, and Paul) did totally fine - carried their packs, kept up, enjoyed the "nature," and generally were helpful and pleasant.  Other than wanting to stop for water and snacks all too often (but in their defense we did not eat lunch - just brought hefty snacks - and we began our hike at about 1pm).  Even Miriam hiked pretty-much the whole thing (Gordie only carried her in a pack for a few minutes in the beginning) and had no trouble.  

Zipporah on the other hand managed to make everyone's lives a bit "less fun."  In her defense, it was naptime, and it was windy - not cold, but rather windy.  I had Rebekah carrying her in a soft backpack carrier to begin with because being in my third-trimester of this pregnancy I was not sure how I would do carrying both babies.  Gordie was wearing Miriam in the framed backpack carrier at this time.  Soon Zipporah grew tired of Rebekah and after trying her on Gordie, I tried to wear her.  She continued to fuss in every possible combination - hard carrier, soft carrier, mom or dad, etc.  Finally I figured I would just carry her in my arms if that would make her stop crying!!  But alas, even in my arms, she was frustrated and I had forgotten a blanket, so the wind kept stirring her and keeping her from dozing off.  We ended up skipping a bit of trail and cutting over to make it a touch shorter.  Zipporah cried for at least half of the hike and refused to be satiated.  Then, as we were SURE she would just crash out in the car, she showed us by staying awake the whole fifty-minute drive home!

Miriam and Paul trucking right along.  ---Yes, this is what "hiking" looks like in Kansas - not quite as fun as those areas in other states with trees, rivers, hills, mountains, etc., but it is our home and we do the best we can.

What an adventure.  But we did have fun and maybe when we try it again, not during "naptime" we will have more pleasant results.

2) Rebekah made a special gift for Grandma's birthday.

Whenever the kids visit Grandma (Gordie's mom), she has a few "rules" that go something like: "No whining, no crying, no shouting, no pouting."  She is often repeating those while the kids are there.  So Rebekah decided to make some signs for Grandma with those rules.

"No Shouting, No Pouting Zone.  Proceed with CAUTION."  I helped her outline the letters so you could see them better, but she did all the painting, including the background, by herself.

"No whining, no crying zone."  This one was done, in entirety, by Rebekah.

3) Paul "officially" finished all of his school work on Tuesday.

I should note, he finished everything but a few science lessons (which I have to read to him) about three weeks ago.  But now, he has every possible lesson and activity complete - and he was not even required to do it all - 95% in his major courses and 85% in his Science would be considered "mastery" (as they simply do more of a pass-fail-thing for our virtual school = either you master it our you do it again until you do).  Anyhow, as much as you might think "way to go Paul!!" I am not really celebrating and actually asked his teacher if she could find some more work for him!  This is because a bored Paul is a distracting Paul and one that begs for computer games all day.  While the games are educational, they can still be distracting to his siblings, plus all that screen time.  It is a battle now with him.  Although I have more "busy work" worksheets, handwriting, etc - Paul is smart and can get into his "lessons" on the school website, so he KNOWS he does not have any left and anything I tell him to do is not "official" - thus he does not have to.  Who ever thought something like finishing school early would have any detriment?  Only with Paul. . . 

3) The other kids are doing pretty-well on school work.

Not to make you think Paul is the only one working around here.  Jacob should be done with his lessons in about two weeks (just before the baby comes if we can stay on track) and Rebekah had her spelling and vocabulary for the year done by Christmas.  Samuel wrapped up his vocabulary a couple days ago and spelling is close behind.  I still anticipate doing some work into the summer, but mostly that is because I am going to be giving the kiddos a hefty break after the baby comes.  In any case, I feel like we have a much better handle on things this year, as compared to last year, and I don't think the kids will mind finishing up a few things.  Especially classes like German are really fun as they incorporate a ton of games and such, so having them open over the summer will probably be a bonus.

4) We finally renewed our museum membership.

'We are really blessed to have an AMAZING museum here in town and the cost of membership is really affordable.  Seriously, two visits and I have gotten my money's worth from our yearly family cost.  It is great.

Miriam is on the far right, pictured with some friends here.

Zipporah checking out the spider.

Jacob and Samuel having some spider fun.

5) This might sound bad, but Zipporah has been reminding me of a puppy lately.

Seriously, she has to weasel in around my legs - especially in the kitchen, and get herself into whatever I am doing.  It is kinda cute when I'm sitting on the floor and she comes over to sit by me (well, ON me if at all possible, but with my growing belly, she has to settle for beside these days).  In the mornings she will often follow me from room to room, close on my heels to be sure I do not disappear into an alternate universe.  But. . . she is also growing up by leaps and bounds and will even play outside (in our fenced-in yard) by herself sometimes!!  So I'm sure I will miss being the center of her attention soon, but goodness right now she often wears me out by the end of the day!

6) Miriam is turning from her sweet sweet self to "a child with a bit more spunk."

I think that is the best way to put it.  In other words, she is beginning to get quite an attitude about things!  And my rough-and-tumble girl is suddenly coming to me with tears over every little thing.  I realize this is simply part of growing up, but I am already looking forward to the conclusion of this "stage" of development!

Random picture of Rebekah pulling Miriam and Zipporah in the wagon - to the corner and back.  This has become one of the girls' favorite activities!

7) We are in the process of remodeling the downstairs bathroom.

Our bathrooms are both in need of serious updating, the downstairs is going first because Daddy wanted to pull out the shower and add a tub/shower combo. . . a tub especially for tall people to enjoy.  We got one that is six-feet-long and super-deep.  It is SO NICE already!!  The only thing is that since the tub is already in "use-able" condition (aka you can fill it and the drain works), someone seems to have lost his motivation to get on with finished the rest of the bathroom!  But I'm sure he will eventually get it done - no need to keep reminding him about it every six months or anything - haha :)

And if you made it this far, enjoy another random picture. . . 

7 Quick Takes - about Zipporah

As I have not been keeping up on the blogging much lately I decided to just do a quick update on Zipporah as she is the one doing the most changing these days.  No, it is not her birthday or anything, but she is just growing up so much!

1) Zipporah is done nursing (as of about 14-months-old).

This one kinda broke my heart, but she was ready to grow up and move on - she just quit cold-turkey one day and has not looked back.

2) She is ALMOST walking.

She has been cruising on the furniture and standing unassisted for some time now.  She has her balance down, she just needs to give the walking thing a chance.  A few days ago she took two steps and then popped back down to the ground to crawl and she did it again yesterday.  I expect her to be toddling all over soon.

3) Zipporah loves to dance!

We have one of those Leap Frog farm matching toys on our fridge (well, actually we have two of them).  She LOVES to use her long fingers to make Farmer Tad play his banjo.  And as he shares his tune, she wiggles her hips and bends her knees.

4) She often will not let us rock her to sleep anymore.

Once she stopped nursing, Gordie and I both took turns rocking her to sleep.  But now she often is not in a mood for that.  She will not snuggle and be still - she will push up and play with my face.  So she gets put in her crib, but she does not object.  She just calmly lets me tuck her in and watches me leave.  I'm not complaining, just documenting.  She is such a unique child.

5) Speaking of sleep, Zipporah is oddly content in her bed.

Seriously, I usually go get her at about 9am most mornings (other than when we go to 8am Mass, of course) and she really does not complain before that.  If she wakes up, she sits and ponders the meaning of the universe (in silence) or calmly looks over the small bucket of toys I keep near the corner of her bed.  The same goes for her waking up from her naps - often she is awake long before I go in to get her, but even when I have the monitor on, often the only notice she gives to being awake is the slight rustle of her toys.  We definitely won the "baby lottery" with her.

6) She still sucks her thumb some.

Generally she does it to calm down (such as after bonking her head at church) or when she is tired, just before going to sleep.

7) Zipporah has an amazing attention span.

She will sit and play with one toy (or set of toys) for hours at a time, especially if someone is joining her.  Miriam and Zipporah have the most amazing tea parties, and pony parties, and pony tea parties!  She will sit like a little lady and daintily pick up cups or toy food, never tiring of the game.  And if Rebekah wants to play with her, then she is guaranteed to be content for the day.  She really loves her siblings and even from the first day we brought her home as a baby, showed preference to being around them, even in their most boisterous and crazy states!

Starting the School Year 2015-2016

Here the kids are after daily Mass this morning, ready to get into the school routine.

(And the kids were actually really well-behaved at church today!  Praise God!!  :)

Without further ado, here is our line-up for this year.

Miriam refused to leave Rebekah's side.  We had to bribe her out of the picture for the next shot.

Silly Miriam again!  She wanted to be in ALL the pictures :)

Pfew, getting these pictures was tough!  Big thanks to Rebekah for helping find the blocks we needed and wrangling the little ones.  Here is to a great school year of loving and learning and learning to love and loving to learn.  God bless us all!