Correction

I need to re-share Avery's "magic words", as I mistyped it before ... when using a magic wand to turn the lights on and off, she very dramatically utters the words:

"Avwa Fedagga!"

However, this morning, when I asked her to repeat it, she actually used the correct pronunciation ... I was kind of sad, just like when "Ember Donald" became "Ember Dawn" :) Have a great day!

Not-so-Candid Moments

My sister's wedding photographer was PHENOMENAL and we all really liked her work and just plain liked her as a person as well. On Friday, I read an email from my sister letting me know about a free photo session contest Meredith was having, and I wanted to enter ... criteria: had to be someone you love, had to be a heart in the photo, I had to take the picture myself. I thought to myself, GREAT! Erin had her V-Day party at school, and we need to go through the valentines with her, so we can get some pics then. I told Erin there was a contest, and I wanted to take some pics of her with her Valentines ... well, my idea of her sitting in the middle of them wasn't good enough, and taking some candid pics during her sorting process wasn't such a hot one either, as this is what resulted:


Avery wasn't interested in participating at all, so Ember was our fall-back, and although she didn't win the contest AND had a double ear infection, she did get a smile out of me!

Trying Times

We try so many things at our house ... from new recipies (yes, I do cook sometimes, and sometimes it is something new!), new songs, new hair styles, new lipstick, ... These new things ... sometimes they are a great addition to the recipe box of life, and sometimes not, for instance, the pancake recipe I tried when mom and dad visited which included sour cream was not so much a keeper - I would have to say the "Just like IHOP" was false advertising, unless it was the crepe which I don't eat - however, my new hair style is one I like, and it's EASY, which is a must!

There are also new parenting techniques, new ways to disobey (that's mostly the girls), and new reasons to celebrate. David and I are working on some new parenting tips we are gaining from a program we haven't listened to completely yet. Erin is ever-faithful in her strong-willedness, and the "monkey see, monkey do" effect continues in Avery. We also, are, through prayer, learning to celebrate things like, "Avery didn't have any accidents for 5 days, so when she had two within 6 hours, we can celebrate how great she did for the last 5 days!" and "Erin, I know you are very upset right now, but I am really proud of you for physically stopping yourself from pounding your sister for repeating her question (that you've previously answered 7 times in the last 4 minutes) when you, through clenched teeth, told her very clearly not to ask again. God is revealing Himself to us more and more, and as we battle with the stubbornness of our children, cranky babies who have double ear infections, and the business of life, He is calling us to rejoice in new princess panties, quiet moments of reading, a 6 year old who is responsive to the Spirit, and all of those "trying" moments that make us better. So, I wanted to share some of the funny sayings of the last few days/weeks, wish you a late happy Valentine's Day, and thank you for lifting us to Father during these "times of trying."

Erin:
"I don't need your input, mother." (so this is an example of how to anger one's mother very quickly, even more quickly if the speaker puts hands on hips and taps their toes in a very impatient manner)

While enjoying the first bite of a Valentines candy "crabby patty" ... "Hey! This tastes like the air at grandma and grandpa Gerstenkorn's house! That's amazing!" (this is a way to make parents laugh for a long time)

Avery:
"Ava Cadava, turn the light off!" (pointing to the light bulb while someone works the switch is a great magic trick, even if the "abracadabra" is a little off)

Mommy:
"Avery, we never go down the stairs with our pants around our ankles, it's very dangerous!"

"It is never appropriate to throw your little sister off the bed."

"Baby, I'm so sorry Avery threw you on the floor."

"So what I hear you telling me, is that I cannot use this coupon today (Saturday) because it is not Monday, and you can only process coupons on Mondays, even though this coupon says, 'Valid any time through September 2009?'" (I got to use my coupon, and they gave it back for me to use again, after exclaiming in disbelief upon seeing the coupon that it really was real! Got my Dave Ramsey on that day!)

"Mommy needs a moment. Go away until I have one."




Erin and Daddy after a "knock down dragout".


Avery in "polly world, where it doesn't matter how much mess there is, you can just sit on top of it and play away!"


Ember in her fancy hat at the "Spring Picnic" Erin and Avery put together for our family.

Fun Phrases

"Daddy, are you eating crunola (granola)?" Avery

"Avery, you don't want to take a nap?" asked Mommy.
"Yes, I don't," Avery replied.

"Ave.. She ruined another one of my greatest masterpieces!" exclaimed Erin to herself.

"Daddy, that tickles my armpickles!" (armpits) Avery

"Dad, are you coordinating that?" (recording with the camcorder) Erin

"Mommy, I am so beau'iful!" Avery

My personal favorite ... "Mommy, let's go listen to Dave Gramsey in my woom!" (It was naptime, and when we went in and turned on the radio and Dave Ramsey's voice came on, she exclaimed with joy ...) "Oh, that's MY Dave Gramsey!" Avery

There are so many more that I need to write down somewhere, but I wanted to share these while they were on the brain, or as in the last post, as it was happening! Happy winter!

Three minutes at the Rahija's

(Lots of yelling and slapping noises coming from upstairs)
Mom: "No hitting!"
Erin: "Owwww! Please quit hitting my nose!"

Erin: "Hey, Avery, want to go downstairs and make Valentines?"
Avery: "Oh yes!"
Erin: "Ok, let's ask mom if we can. "I'll yell it to her. Hey, I'll yell it through my digerido (her new instrument that is as long as Avery)!"

(3 second laps)

Avery: "Aaaaaaa!"
Erin: "Oh, Avery, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Are you ok? I'm really sorry"
Avery: "AAAAAAAAAA"

David: "I'll bet you anything that Erin turned around with that digerido to her lips to yell for you and didn't remember how long it was, or that Avery was in the room and just clocked her with it."

Erin: "Shhh! Shhhh! Hey, I'll make you laugh to help you feel better!"

(loud spitting/farting noises from the digerido)

Avery: "Aaaaaaa"
Erin: "Hey, Avery, I'll give you a dollar if you fergive me."

(about 1 minute passes with general conversation)

Erin: "Avery, I'm really sorry I hit you in the eye with the end of my digerido."

A few minutes of play pass, Erin is trying to make Avery feel better by coddling her, so she tries to put her down for a play nap, and they end up playing "mom/daughter" I think.


"Oh, be careful baby, you're wasting all your digest-es! Oh, not them, they have fur." (who even wants to guess what's going on up there!?)


(This is a little slice of our day, probably about 3 minutes-worth.)

Wishes, Treats, and Dreams

So Santa was a little late with Ember's Christmas wish -- maybe if she would have articulated it, we would have known to include them in her wish list, but on Thursday night, her gift arrived ... I suppose the only one she really wanted ... her two )bottom) front teeth! I couldn't believe it - she's been drooly, but not really cranky, just a little clingy. I hope all the rest of the teeth are this easy to acquire!

Another first for Ember this week was her first bowl of rice cereal or "solid food". Most kids I know do not enjoy this first bowl, as they cannot figure out how their tongue is supposed to work WITH the spoon to ingest the sloppy, pasty mess in the bowl. The tongue usually works against the spoon and rice, pushing it out as quickly and with as much drool as possible. Not Ember, NO NO, my fluffy little girl took about two bites to figure out that she could get more food in her belly if she worked with the spoon and slicked that slimy stuff right down -- no spills, no crusty hair, no nothing, just a happy baby who wanted more when we finished! David, after looking at her then at me, asked just one question, "And this surprised you?" Yep, she's our little chunk!

And our last "first" of the week ... Ember, growing the way she does, pretty much reached maximum capacity of her bassinet, which both her sisters, her Aunt Desiree, her mommy, and her great Aunt Connie all used. She bravely joined the big girls in her big crib in the sleeping room, and loves it! She loves to chatter at and sing to the animals on the mobile, and mommy loves that the animals lull her to sleep! So, we can put her to bed when we go to bed and bid her sweet dreams, and we go to our own room, which is our own again! Our room is now child-free in the evenings ... at least until a leg ache, nightmare, or thirst attack hits :)

Exciting week here at Castle De La Rahija! Hope your week was fun as well!

Water Color Fire

Well, this week has been one of extreme excitement at the Rahija house. We had a pretty uneventful Monday and Tuesday, as the kids were mainly just trying to kill each other with words, toys, and screams/growls (Avery's new secret weapon). Wednesday rolled around to a mostly good day, just ending badly as Erin threw perhaps the worst tantrum of her life, with a screaming fit lasting for 24 minutes. The main phrase she kept shouting/sobbing/screaming was "But I HATE sandwiches for supper, I want FROZEN PIZZA!" Yes, it was a fun time, especially as I was in the throes of a migraine. However, as suddenly as it began, it ended, and she ate her chicken sandwich quite nicely, and bedtime was relatively smooth. I went to bed around 10, with my headache, and was getting Ember ready to sleep for the night, so changed her diaper. It was full of poop, so I was changing her, and while I was trying not to gag (smells really get me during a migraine), she peed, soaking her jammies, her blanket, my sheets, and my pajama pants. We quickly stripped her and the bed, and redressed both as fast as we could, putting us back to being ready for bed at about 10:30. I fell asleep, and we all (except David who left for his remodeling job) slept until about 9:15. I woke feeling very refreshed (a first in a long time for me!), and with a clear goal of what I wanted to get done that day, including dishes, sweeping, laundry, and unloading two boxes of "stuff" that has been collected from the floors of our cars and just sitting in the dining room for way too long. I also had a salad to make for Phat Thursday, which was time sensitive, as "let it sit for 2 hours" and "chill until set" were involved. The morning went by fairly quickly with baths for all of us and laundry, but we got Erin to school on time and when we returned, Avery went down for her nap (very easily, I might add!), and I returned to the basement to continue the laundry parade and work on a flier for a Mary Kay sale I'm having. I noticed it was nearing time to load everyone up to pick Erin up from school and headed upstairs. As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard a tapping sound, and headed into the living room to investigate. I thought it was someone tapping or throwing rocks at our window at first, but then recognized the sound to be that of dripping. To my horror, a huge puddle of water was on the floor and more was pouring from the ceiling. I ran upstairs to my room to locate the source of the mess, and saw a fleeing Avery bolt from my room and dive onto her bed. I turned the corner and first saw a splash of color on my bed (on the fresh clean flannel sheets). A quick investigation revealed the color to be the contents of my makeup bag, eye shadows, blushes, bronzing powder, and a powder foundation scraped out by tiny fingernails and ground into the sheets. A wider scope of the room divulged the source of the water, which turned out to be the humidifier, disassembled by the same tiny hands. The water had run to the edge of the carpet and down into the wall/ceiling, where it found the path of least resistance and dripped through a horribly patched hole in the ceiling of the living room. I also dripped between the storm window and regular window, creating a lovely splash pattern. Needless to say, someone was in trouble, and her name was Avery Layne. However, I tried to find the "silver lining", and as she is learning to potty in the toilet and very fascinated with all things "potty", it could have been worse, ... she could have peed on my bed, she could have put my makeup brushes in the toilet, she could have shoved the makeup into Ember's mouth (like I found her doing with the sugar a few weeks ago). There are some things to be thankful for in these moments! Also needless to say, my big plan of things to do for the day was altered greatly. I did two more loads of laundry than I intended, and had fresh sheets two nights in a row, though, and my salad did get done for Phat Thursday. David had clean socks and underwear for work this morning, as well, so it wasn't a loss, just different than I had hoped.

This morning, I woke early with Avery, and we had breakfast before anyone else was out of bed. Then, she was tired, so we went back upstairs to rest a bit more. I had a headache again, and was glad for a chance to lay down as well, and Ember was ready to eat as well. David left for work, Erin got up, and I still had the headache, so I asked her if she would like to get some breakfast by herself (she loves doing this, and feels very grown up when she's allowed to do it). She was thrilled, and Avery was hungry again, so I told them to go ahead and have cereal together. Well, on the way down to the kitchen, that idea flew out the window, and they decided toast sounded good. Now, on a good day, this would probably be fine, under adult supervision, but as I was trying to get rid of a headache, there were no adults in the kitchen. Also, because I didn't clean the kitchen yesterday, the dishes were piled pretty high from the last few days, and the toaster region of the counter was really "overgrown" with dishes. Erin tried her best to scoot things over, and started toasting. The only warning I have of this is Erin knocking on my door, and calmly saying, "Mom, I need to get the toast out of the toaster, but I can't see from the smoke in there." I bolted up from the bed and pushed her out of the way, the smoke started stinging my eyes on the way down the stairs. I hollered up for the girls to get into the playroom and shut the door, and proceeded to the kitchen, where the smoke was indeed so thick I could not see the counter. I threw open the window, turned on the exhaust fan on the oven hood, and unplugged the toaster. I gingerly removed the black squares from the slots and thanked God for protecting us, as they were literally crackling and I imagine may have burst into flame with much more time. Our house smells like "burnt". The haze has cleared, and we aren't breathing through our shirts, but I'm sure our furniture and some clothing will smell like "burnt" for a long time. I hope to borrow mom and dad's clean air machine to remove some of the smell this weekend. The silver lining here: Erin could learn a valuable, memorable lesson without our house burning to the ground! Oh, the joys of my family! How is it that after the day is done, I smell "burnt", and have a pile of clean laundry that needs to be rewashed, and I feel like screaming and pulling out my hair, that I can smile and recount these stories with a smile playing around my lips?? Grace. Plain and simple.

Well, the dryer just beeped, Ember just woke up, and I think I want to peek at Avery to make sure she is really sleeping today. It's been fun sharing with you today! Thanks for listening!

"Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King ..."

This morning has been a precious morning in the Rahija household, well, technically, I guess it was in the afternoon, but we're just getting ready for lunch, so around here, it was "morning". David just came home from his job interview and was sharing with me. Erin, who was sick yesterday, came downstairs after eating some breakfast, and asked us if we were going to church today. Being that it's Friday, I was confused as to why she asked, but then I figured it was because she was home from school yesterday, it seemed like Saturday. Well, David actually asked her if she would have wanted to go to church, and she sited that she enjoyed playing with friends and playing on the swingset and trampoline. However, in the next few moments, we were all suddenly swept up into "playing church". Daddy had his guitar out and was playing, so he was volunteered to lead the music, Erin was the pastor, and she used her Rhyming Bible to help her tell the stories of Jonah, Baby Jesus, and the Feeding of the 5000. As we worshiped together as a family, I was brought to tears as we heard about second chances, the ultimate gift, and God's provision. I wept again, as we sang "His Love Endures Forever", "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands", and "Jesus Loves Me".

Circumstances over the past month have been very "uncertain" in the eyes of the world ... David was laid off, he's had one interview, the unemployment interview was not until this past week, ... However, we have seen God's provision for us in so many ways ... a gift card to a grocery store from a drawing at a fall festival, David having two friends who paid him to help them for a few days in their businesses, our neighbor bringing a discontinued line of frozen pizzas to our door one evening, gas prices going down, our food budget lasting longer than usual, diapers showing up on our doorstep, Christmas gifts for $1 at a garage sale, ... it's just amazing, as we continue to see His hand in EVERYthing that happens. We are so thankful and as we sang praise in our basement, I felt Him in the room with us, holding us in His arms, and I was reminded yet again, how He revels in being our Big God in the midst of the little things. Thank you, Father, for being our Father, Peace, Redeemer, and Friend in the middle of chaos. It is our joy and honor to trust You.

New Face of Ember

Well, she has the same face, it's just older and rounder and full of more personality than before! A trip to Grandma Gerstenkorn's office showed us that at 9 weeks, Ember Dawn weighs a whopping 13 lb 4 oz, and is 23 3/4 inches long. That puts her in the 90th percentile for height and 85th for weight, and 55th percentile in height per weight. What a change from her big sisters! She is getting to be quite the ham these days, and gives us lots of smiles, coos, and even a few giggles here and there. We are enjoying these days (well, Avery is struggling some with the new addition to our household, but does enjoy her as well). Here are some new pictures I took this evening (finally got the batteries charged and back into the camera!). Enjoy!


holding her head up so nicely during "tummy time"


glad to get off her belly and end "tummy time"


"I love you, Mommy!"


"Yes, I know, I'm adorable, beautiful, enchanting, ... take your pick!"