Long time

Soo, it's been another long while since I've posted, and I feel I've lived 10 years in that time span! Things that have happened since the Raccheus incident:

* Avery taught Ember to climb the bunkbed.
* Ember fell off the bunkbed, fracturing her wrist in two places, incurring the need for a splint that she expertly wriggled/gnawed her way out of daily.
* I visited two doctors to figure out what was wrong with me ... one bad, one great ... the great one discovered I had suffered through parvovirus/hand, foot, and mouth disease/fifth disease/slap-face disease, which in kids is pretty common, but in grownups can be really debilitating, causing arthritic symptoms and severe fatigue. Praise God I can pick up my kids and make it through a day without a nap these days!
* We spent every Wednesday for five weeks at Growing Smiles, our awesome pediatric dentists for 5 cavities, and one crown between the three girls. They love it there, and the staff knows us all by name. Yesterday we even played "Dr Henderson" by putting wet wipes over our mouths like their masks!
* Shelby, our newest, and oldest addition to the Rahija princess crew, moved back in with us. We are honored to be her family, and the girls adore their big sister!
* Mom and Dad Rahija both had major medical procedures over the course of two weeks, and all of us were home to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Parkway Baptist Church, which has been their church for almost as long. It was fun to reconnect with folks there, and see where the church has been and dream forward with them as well!
* Erin Elizabeth Rahija and Shelby Nicole Rahija made public professions of faith and were baptized in Clinton Lake. Both of their testimonies were precious and we all got to go into the water with them. I got to help Seth, our pastor, dip each of them. As a mom, it was pretty awesome to take part in this symbol of rebirth.
* Erin has had friends over from school, Avery has had friends over and been invited on lots of play dates with her little friend crew, and Ember is like the cheese in the farmer in the dell, and always stands alone at the door and yells for them to come back.
* While Erin stayed in Kansas for field day, and Shelby stayed to help her boyfriend's family move, the rest of us headed to Oklahoma to celebrate the wedding of our dear friends, Carl Kinzer and Arlene Blackburn. We also were so lucky to stay with Krista, who was so amazing to keep the little girls for some Aunt Krista time while David and I did wedding stuff. So fun for all of us - THANK YOU Krista!!!
* Lots more has happened, but those things stick out as "big" events.

As the Summer rapidly approaches (on the calendar, not so much in the weather!), we prepare to celebrate some more, with excitement and sadness ... We have a few more weddings coming up ... and lots of our friends are taking the next steps on their journeys and are moving ... We are excited for them, and mourn their leaving, as their absence will leave some big holes in our hearts. We say "See you later" to Stormy and Katherine and their boys, our neighbors and friends for the past two years, and Jimmie and Rachel and Ella, our friends and family for the past 5 years. We are proud of their accomplishments, and will miss them ever so much!

God continues to bless us, and we thank Him so much, for friendships, new relationships, new opportunities, healthy families, and just for loving us each day. What an honor and blessing to be in His care. That's it for now, friends!

Here's a few pictures from our day at Clinton Lake - thanks Lyse for taking these pictures and Mark for catching the last of the video!

"Raccheus, you come down!"

"... for I'm comin' to your house today!"

My kids are always playing and imagining and creating and saying "the darndest things". I have missed writing down a bunch of really cute ones recently, and it makes me sad, but just now, I hear Avery humming a bit upstairs, and then shout with all her might, "Raccheus, you come down!" I had to snicker a bit to myself, and wondered if Zaccheus ever got called that by mistake as a child. Oh, the things my mind ponders throughout the day.

Voices from the Bathroom

Things heard in a 4 minute span coming from my bathroom...

"Get DOWN, Ember!"

"Ooohh, I can't push a poo poo out and it's stuck in there."

(crash of crayons falling to the floor) "Ember Dawn!!!"

"I need some toilet paper."

"No, Ember, mommy doesn't like it when we color on the floor!"
"Why?" -Ember

"Mommy, Ember dumped out all my Dora crayons, and she did that on purpose."

"Ember, mom's angry at you for doing that. Now get a job of picking up these colors, NOW!"

"Hey, I found a stick! And I found another stick!"

"Mom, can I paint?"


I think it's time to intervene, as more crashing sounds are coming from there. Don't you wish you could come play?!

Sights and Sounds

Our home is a sensual smorgasbord (not as in erotic sensuality, but as in an overload of stimuli for the five senses!) ... the aromas of bags full of Panera Bread, fresh laundry, brown sugar oatmeal from breakfast, strawberry birthday cake, the occasional dirty diaper, ... the feel of bread crumbs underfoot, warm cheeks against mine, slobbery face wiping on my shoulder, tiny pats on the back, tiny fingers touching my face, warm sun shining through the window, cool gusts of breeze as the front door bangs open and shut because kids are running in and out to play, ... the taste of toasted bagels, banana bread minus baking powder (banana clay - yes, John, another baking oops!), spaghetti, cookies, strawberry birthday cake, and other things that are not as tastY, but perhaps full of taste, like newly hydrated peat pots, sour milk from a forgotten sippy cup, or a crayon wrapper.

Then there are the sounds. As I started typing this, I heard a scraping/scooting sound and knew it was Ember, making her way across the floor, Flintstone style, on the crayon bucket. Currently, I hear lots of splashes and giggles from the bathroom, as Avery and Ember play in the bathtub. The inspiration for this entry came from the kitchen about an hour ago (and yes, it's taken me that long to get this far) as I was listening. I hear lots of sounds during the day, and over the last 7 and a half years, have learned to parse the sounds that inundate my ears each day ... I can do easy things like determine if a cry is pain, fear, anger, or sadness, hear that play is getting heated quickly and will end badly if not redirected, or spring like a cat and bolt up the stairs when someone falls out of bed and starts screaming. Then there are more intermediate skills, like picking out the faint sound of giggling or talking when little girls are supposed to be napping, listening between the words and offering a snack or a hug when the real issue is not that a sock won't go on right, it's just that a hungry tummy or hurt feelings have blinded perspective. My favorite advanced skills are the ones that allow me to hear a noise, usually generated by one toy banging on another object, and stunning observers by knowing what toy is banging against what object. It's a nice party trick. However, while these skills are necessary for survival here, they are not my favorites. Hearing the sharp intake of breath that marks a new discovery, especially when followed by an intense, but hushed "Wow!" is irreplaceable. It's even better when one of my children comes bursting into the room to show me or each other their discovery. I love hearing them learn, whether it's a physics lesson (a step stool needs to have all four legs on the ground to be a sturdy tool), the little "grunts" of working to put on their own shoes, the shouts of victory when they accomplish the shoes (even more exciting when they're on the correct foot!), the quiet prayers after a bad dream, and even the sometimes frustrating, "I can do it myself!"

The sights for any of you who have children, or any of you who have ever visited my home, know that they are pretty awe-inspiring, from walking down the stairs naked, calmly crossing the room to a box of cheese crackers that is on the love seat, and sicking an arm down in there to have a little snack (all while we have company), wild dancing at a wedding reception (just in case you were wondering, "the Egyption" is not a dance that died in the 80s), faces/hair/tummies/hands/legs/walls/carpet/new clothes covered in Sharpie marker/fingernail polish/mascara/stamp ink/strawberry jelly/yogurt/snot/silly putty are some of the more "shock value" things I can think of quickly. Then there are the sweet sights, of unsolicited baby hugs, high fives, sparkling eyes, Cheshire grins, shy smiles, triumphant leaps when they learn to kick at and actually make contact with the ball, the fear and conquering of the bicycle, and looks of hopeful acceptance accompanied by "Daddy, am I beautiful?".

These are signs of growth, and as we watch our little seedlings hatch from our peat greenhouse, they remind me of my own little seedlings. Stubborn, fragile, exploring, tentatively turning faces to the sun. They need the shelter of the greenhouse at this point, as they can't face the cold night temperatures or large piles of snow that sometimes collect in our yard at this point. We will tend them, I'm sure making the mistake of watering too much or not enough at times, (thankfully they are somewhat resilient!) until they are able to be planted outside to grow freely in the garden. They will then require more tending, guiding (you know how pumpkin vines can wander!), and protection from pests, until they are ready for harvest. I hope, that as we tend our little sprouts, that we hear more "I love you"s, more "... and he took his peanut butter sandwich and dipped it in his milk and gave it to his friends saying, 'eat this, it's for you so we can be together again someday!'", and "I'm sorry I hurt you." ... that we see more hugs, arms around the shoulder, giving spontaneously and generously, and eventually, when the slugs come swarming or the squirrels try to snag the fruit off the vine, that there will be a barrier in place to protect them and bring them to fruition.

Well, I didn't intend to make this a deep post, I guess God is teaching me today (although, after the kids get done with their bath, we are going to play school and I am to be the teacher). Thanks for listening to me, and for so many of you, helping me be a better mom and loving my kids. OK, the bathwater has been refreshed twice now, and it's getting cool, so I'm going to put this away and get two wrinkled, pruney-toed girls out of the bath for some lunch, school, and naps. Have a wonderful day!

More things I love MOST!

This week has been a better week than the last several, and I am trying to appreciate things in my life, to LOVE things (sometimes it has to be a choice, and others it simply isn't a choice, I just do, because it's so precious, how could I not?!).

Things I have loved today:

My children:
playing together ... currently, they are preparing for a full evening of "slumber party", by bringing sleeping bags in from the garage, dragging loads of toys and bedding to the basement, and I'm sure some special snacks are in order.

Today they ran in the sun, roller bladed, played hide and seek, begged me to take them to the lake to build sand castles on the beach, built sand castles in their flooded sand box when their lake plans were thwarted (yep, a mean mom moment, for sure!), shared "sharks" just because, planted seeds in our Jiffy Greenhouse, and all three of them have hugged me without prompting at least once!

Ember has two new skills: 'pinning (spinning) and jumping. Both skills require the spinner/jumper to squeal "Woo Hoooo!", which is darling!

My Husband:
instant messaged me in the middle of the day, just because, to tell me he thought I was beautiful.
kissed me upon arriving home.
told me about his day.

Me:
a hot shower this morning.
a clean day (after Ember's diaper leaked very stinky pee pee on me prior to my shower).
Dr. appointments made for myself, and dentist appointments made for the kids.


Things I learned:
When building a sand castle at the beach, it's fun to have a moat, but the water always soaks into the sand, but if the builder lines the moat area with rocks and sea shells, the water might soak away less quickly. - Erin

Green glass stones are called "WoW!" in a hushed, excited tone. -Ember

When you plant water, it doesn't grow anything. It's just water, but that's why we plant it, so it helps other things grow." -Avery

Pockets on overalls are absolutely the best discovery a 1 and a half year old can make in a day, and makes hiding big sisters' treasures just delightful!

Erin is a chives master! -Avery (kung fu master was the intended phrase, I think)

When calling to make a new appointment at a Dr. Office, you will automatically get not only one of two male physicians in a practice of six doctors, but the creepiest looking one as well. However, I am reserving judgment for next Thursday, sometime after 9:45.

Smiles

The last few weeks have been pretty rough. I am fighting some unknown, unseen "thing" that makes me very exhausted some days, my joints ache frequently, my patience level dip to dangerous lows, and motivation to do anything more than feed the children at an all-time record low. I have some ideas about what it is and have an appointment scheduled with an arthritis doctor in April, and am trying to find a good family practice doctor to do a general physical and run some labs to determine something a little more concrete. Needless to say, raising three young children is a little tricky under these circumstances, and I find myself longing for them to sleep, play outside, or watch a movie away from me, because I am so exhausted or irritated by the noise, or just hurt and can't play with them the way they want to play. This is heart-breaking, as they are my life. HOWEVER, the last week has been somewhat better. I have hurt less and had a little more oomph. The best part of all this is that I have enjoyed my children. They have made me smile, cry, love them more, and belly laugh over and over (aside from Tuesday - we just won't talk about that day!).

Today, we had our friend Ella over for the beginning part of the day. Ember helped Ella do a puzzle ... Avery flew into my arms and squeezed my neck somethin' fierce upon waking up this morning ... Erin and I spent some time together working on our garden preparations ... Ember told me she loved me and hugged me so sweetly, she gave a hug to our neighbor Andrew this afternoon when he came over to play, and called him "big boy ..., Ember spent lots of time 'pinning/twirling and a new skill, jumping with me, as well as some dancing, gleefully shouting "woo HOO!" over and over ... I watched Erin thrive in the sun with her friend Aidan as they ran and ran this afternoon ... Avery persevered on her trike this afternoon, in spite of the bumps and dips in our sidewalk ... drinking in the delighted squeals and peals of laughter as all three of our kiddos play together ... and even tonight, as Avery was stalling sleep (I think she finally conked out about 11) and I heard her whispering to Erin (who was "sleeping over" in her room for a spring break slumber party) and changing the compromised cd back to her nighttime cd of choice after Erin fell asleep, I am content, and slightly amused with them. They are beautiful, creative, loving, and passionate little stinkers, and I am so blessed by them, by their hearts, and even their stubbornness. I am so thankful for these little things, things that change my life forever. Goodnight, blog friends.

A day in the life ...

Hello! I know it's been nearly a year, and I apologize, apparently I have been "microblogging" on my facebook page for the last year, and I notice things are very out of date here. However, I am not going to write a lengthy catch up post right now ... I would like to, as our 2009 Year in Review, but not now! I just wanted to write down the timeline and share a few stories of my last two days, because, even when I share it verbally, it is still beyond my grasp of what actually happened! In the words of my mother, "When God invites you into His Reign, you have the honor of participating and bringing others into His dance." Well, friends, if that is the case, we were dancin' up a storm!!

Tuesday
7:30pm My friend calls, needing a sitter for the following day for her 4 kids from 9:30-5:30. I agree to have them over (age 2, almost three, 5 and 6).
10:47pm Our neighbor knocks loudly on our door to let us know she will be bringing something over the next day instead of right then.
11:21pm I turn out the light for bed (don't be alarmed, it was a fluke, I am still usually up until 1 or 2am).
11:45pm Ember wakes up whimpering, David goes in to settle her down.
Wednesday
12:05am David returns from settling Ember, chats with me a bit
12:15am Ember resumes crying, I go this time, find her clutching her legs and feet while crying "owwie!". I give her a dose of ibuprofen to help with her leg aches and bring her back to bed with me to warm her up, rub her legs, and relax her back to sleep.
12:45am I wake up to David taking Ember off my chest to take her to bed.
2:20am Erin wakes up, crying with a bad ear ache (aka infection). We dose her up with ibuprofen, benedryl, and two squirts of Nasonex, and she and Daddy (who was still awake) went downstairs to watch a movie so she could forget about her ear and fall back asleep.
3:23am The doorbell rings. The same neighbor from earlier is standing on my doorstep and when I open the door, utters the inspired words: "Oh! I hope it's not too late, can I talk to your husband?" I stand there staring, because I was asleep in my dark house at 3:30am, and finally gain a bit of composure, tell her to come in out of the cold, and that I will check, informing her that they were in the basement with a movie because Erin had an ear infection and needed the distraction, but that I hoped they were sleeping. I went down to check, and David who was asleep, woke up and came upstairs to where we heard yet another bit of inspiration: "I need a ride to Taco Bell and I wondered if you could take me." Again, I think I just stared at her, disbelief and awe on my face (which is what my mother assures me is probably why she always asks to talk to my husband instead of to me - it is possible, I suppose). Biting my tongue from standing up to shout "Really?!?!", I heard her explain that she had lost her job at the gas station, and was applying for a position with the night manager at Taco Bell.
3:27am David leaves, taking neighbor to Taco Bell, I go back to bed, thinking, surely, the rest of the night will be mine to sleep.
3:50am Erin crawls in bed with me (her movie is over and she woke up because it was quiet, and of course, my bed is softer, warmer, and comfier than hers).
4:05am David returns from Taco Bell (and Dillons, where the amazing man picked up some fake diet pop for me for the next day, knowing I'd be draggin'! I love this man!).
4:33am I wake up because it is VERY toasty in my soft, comfy bed, and I'm smashed between two furnaces.
5:15am Someone wakes up down the hall, crying for a moment, but soothing back to sleep - I really almost don't care at this point.
6:45am The alarm starts going off, so I can get ready for the day ... snooze pushed.
6:55am Alarm sounds ... snooze.
7:05am Reset alarm for 7:30am.
7:30am Alarm ... snooze
7:40am Alarm sounds. I drag myself to a sitting position and fumble for my phone to call the pediatric office.
8:00am Still no answer at the ped office, so I got in the shower.
8:07am Shower done. Ped office answers phone and makes appointment for 8:30.
8:09am Wake Erin, continue throwing clothes on, drag Erin out of my bed and start throwing clothes on her.
8:23am Run out the door, hop in the car and drive to peds office, miss turn into said office, so have to turn around and come back, making us 2 minutes late.
8:32am Check into appointment, wait our turn, see Dr. Kelley, our wonderful pediatrician, who also knows and enjoys our new neighbor (on the other side), is flabbergasted by our Taco Bell neighbor story (Erin shared), and diagnoses Erin with a bad ear infection.
9:13am Leave ped office, drive to Walgreens, wait for and buy prescription and a regular Dr. Pepper (didn't know David had me stocked for the day).
9:30am My friend arrives with her two youngest kiddos, and leaves them with David (I had texted her to let her know he was here and we were on the way).
9:43am Erin and I arrive home, Erin takes her amoxicilan, David and Erin load into the car and leave for school/work.

The rest of the day was just lots of busy, crazy time with four kids under age 4 until about 2, when the older three arrived from school (of course, it was early release day!). Thankfully, we have recently organized lots of our toys into labeled tubs in Avery's room/closet, so we could bring out one at a time, and be sure the others were put away before we opened a new one. It got really loud close to 6, and I was feeling the tired creeping in, and someone found the tub of instruments. I was glad to see my friend when she arrived five minutes later! One of my favorite funny moments of the day is entitled "Four with Four Under Four":

A snapshot of the day with four children, age 3 and under might be four minutes. Our scenario looked like this: One child asks for a drink ... all four need a drink, and want different beverages and for health reasons, we need different style cups, so I find four different cups, and offer two choices of drink. Each individual of course, wanted to be served first, which, I couldn't do, but tried to work fast. Each child took 1-3 sips of their drinks, and then they rushed, as a herd, toward the living room with their cups, two had sippy cups, two did not, the two sans sippy lids, collided in a rush to set their cups in the exact same spot, of course spilling milk on themselves, Erin's new ski gloves, and the stereo, not to mention the large puddle around their feet. At this moment, they all stop in their tracks, eyes huge in horror, and almost simultaneously exclaim "Oh no! 'pill! the milk 'pilled!!" Ember was the first to unfreeze from the pack, and bolted back around the corner to the bathroom, grabbed the end of the toilet paper, and came zooming back. I had gathered a few kitchen towels and had started mopping up the "'pill" with lots of comments on where I had missed and wondering if I could see the milk. I think the length of the tp strand combined with the edge of the stereo was too much, so as Ember squatted down to help, all she had was a handful of tissue, about the size of a maple leaf. She looked a bit baffled at first, but then shrugged it off and went to work with what she had, slopping the milk further and further away from the epicenter of the original event. She looked up at me with her baby blues, and just beamed as she said "I he'p! I he'p!" Inwardly cringing, I smiled back and thanked her for helping - I mean at least she was taking some action, the others were still standing there crowing about the spill! As we finished the cleanup, the herd once again moved as one, racing into the kitchen, where they suddenly decided to undress the fridge door, stripping all magnets from its front. All that in a matter of four minutes. Wanna come over and play???