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???

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!"

Milk Drunk

We've noticed something consistent with each of our children and their eating habits ... Ember is no exception. It seems, that when a young child nurses, they eat and eat until they are full, or cannot ingest any more milk into their tiny bellies. This often results in a stage we like to call "milk drunk". Symptoms of "milk drunk" can be:
* milk dribbling out of the child's mouth upon finishing eating
* lethargic state
* passed out/sleeping baby
* red cheeks that are very soft and squishy, making them extremely kissable
* long, sweet sighs followed by soft baby gurgles
* and last, but not least, the "top off spit up", which entails a burp accompanied by varying amounts of white, chunky nastiness, sometimes loudly projectile, other times sneaky oozing (all of it: stinky!)

Below are some photos of various stages of "milk drunk" exhibited by Ember. Fun times.

lethargic state


red cheeks


"top off spit up"

"Ewww!"

Some new pics

Here's a little glimpse into our life over the past month ...


Erin turned 6! We had a Saturday Sundae party, with a chocolate cake that looked like an ice cream cone (thanks Grandma G!), freeze tag, balloon sundae relay races, and of course, ice cream sundaes built by the kiddos. What fun!


Ember went through a growth spurt (putting her at 10lb 10oz at her appointment on Monday!) where she didn't like to sleep much, but eat frequently, so I snapped some pics of her on my bed to remind myself that she did do some sleeping, not just eat!


Family bonding - Avery loves snuggling her baby sister.


She also loves snuggling her daddy (who merely "endures" her snuggles, as you can tell!)!


Some candid pics of Ember ... she is starting to smile, but I haven't caught any good pics of it yet! She's also starting to coo and "talk" to us, which we love! Dr. Kelly says she is great, and "very alert for her age". She's in the 78th percentile for weight and 79th for height, which is just opposite from her two big sisters! You'll notice the round cheeks and double chin emerging :) The cheeks just beg to be kissed! Enjoy and have a great day!






(my favorite of this set ... "Ooo, was that me?!?!")

The Third Arm

I have discovered that I think life would be easier if I had more arms. Two would be good, three would be fantastic, but one would suffice ... as a mom of three kids, wouldn't it make sense that a new one would sprout and grow through the pregnancy along with the baby? This is something that I would like to explore with Father more at a later time, probably never, because I know He promised me that He would never throw anything my way that I couldn't handle with His help, but still, it's a nice thought.
On a related note, there are several things I have discovered that I can do with only one hand that have been surprising to me ...
* Typing ... emails, Mary Kay orders, facebook comments, and even chatting
* Folding laundry ... this one is tricky, and perhaps should be categorized as two hands, one arm (I can sit on the couch with my clean laundry and fold it, with the full use of one arm, while nursing Ember, and using the hand of the occupied arm)
* Cooking (many, not all things)
* Change Avery's diaper - this was impressive to me!
* Washing my Face
* Reading Bedtime Stories
* Eating - this sometimes is not the tidiest type of eating, but it gets food in my belly while Ember is putting food in hers!
* Loading the Washing Machine/Dryer

Along this same journey, came the discovery of activities that perhaps should not be performed one-handed ...
* Buckling carseat seat belts
* Brushing Erin's hair
* Grocery Shopping (children under age 4 and babies need to be contained and locked down during any shopping excursion, preventing losing them and pushing a full shopping cart while holding a screaming baby)
* Taking garlic bread out of the oven (especially not when holding a screaming baby whose blanket is flopping around and falls into the oven - thankfully the broiler, not the bottom element was on, making the experience very hot, but not flaming!)

I am sure I will add to this list as this adventure continues. I know that God did provide all necessary equipment needed to pursue this endeavor, it would just help to have some extra hands to pat backs, hold school papers, cut out paper dolls, and administer love to three kiddos at once! Have a great day!

Sweet Sibling Moments

At our house we are learning how to love each other in new ways, as an addition to our family changes the dynamics. There have been many tense moments and many tender moments. I like to forget about the tense ones, but wanted ti share some of the sweet ones ...

Ember gave her first (real, not gas-related) smile to Erin yesterday morning as Erin crooned words of love to her, telling her that she was her biggest sister and that she was so cute and that she loved her. It was truly precious.

Avery has trouble remembering Ember's full name, so she made up her own name, and she daintily squeals, "Hi Ember Donald! Did you wake up? Did you have a good nap? Good!" frequently throughout the day, usually when Ember is asleep or eating, but, we're working on that!

This morning, the big girls were coloring (I left them in perfect condition to splash through the shower and returned to find Avery with half of her face colored purple, her legs sporting a fantastic pattern in magenta and the floor boasting a new design in both of the aforementioned colors). They had a little spat after Avery jammed two markers into the middle of CDs, but I knew they were "fine" when I heard Avery say, "Hey Erin, want to be best friends?!" and Erin reply, "Sure, Avery, of course you are one of my best friends!". Life feels good on days like today!