You Are Not Going Anywhere

Says the Lord when he glares the roads with ice and after several attempts with the whole family in the back seat of the van we cannot make it out of the driveway. We enjoyed heading back in the house and staying home. We practiced the girls Christmas songs, had devotions, and played a game. Now Luke has all but Adam and Naomi (including Bruno!) on a walk. I hope they make it home by dark. Split pea soup is on. Just kind of a cloudy white day all around.

Sorry guys, you are not going anywhere. Hence the van parked on the iced lawn. We just didn't want to take any chances, if you can't get out of your driveway it is better to just stay home. The day continues to be wet and frozen. Minnesota nice right here folks!

Catching that hour...

Once I heard a Native American joke about only white man is stupid enough to think if you change your clock you get more daylight or more time or something. Naomi is still adjusting, since she wants to continue getting up about an hour earlier, she is gradually adjusting.

Which is fine if you have a baby bjorn and she is only 22 pounds and they outgrow it at 25. Why? Because the art of responsibility is slightly defected with the attachment of a mobile 22 pound child strapped to your chest. Luckily making lunches can be robotic and I could possible do it with my eyes closed. Next experiment.

With the holidays around the corner we are finally into our fall routines and doing pretty good. Adam has bowling for school, second year in a row and we were try8ing to decide if his lack of interest had any motivation, bowling should be his best sport!

So first of all he had no regard for his permission slip and never directly gave it to me. Said it was $8 and I said he might have to use his own cash, as I only had $5 cash. We are just not cash carrying people these days. So then a week goes by and he is tight lipped about it. I said that if he didn't want to go enough to spend his own money why should I spend mine. Then the teacher sent me an email. Said don't bring it up because she thought he wanted to stay back and get to hang out in her room. That is not the case though and he seemed disappointed when she shared that the kids that don't go are doing some other thing in another room.

Ironically enough, he locked his money and the key to get in the room this morning. So guess what? Adam got a check for the bowling and I am left wondering if this is p.a. /r.a.d. /a.s.d. related. Why analyze, to hold it against him? No, I just like figuring stuff out!! Unfortunately there is no big answer key. It is only by the grace of God and his new mercies every morning that any of us can share oxygen and try our best here on earth anyhow.... Good Morning to you and May God bless your heart and mind today!!

Conversations

Libby: everytime I went to get a drink she was doing flips. she was just trying to show off.
what does show off mean?
Reany: that she is trying to be pretty

Yesterday when Noah and I were leaving, I realized it was ridiculous that I would assume he was talking about guns, but it really did sound like it, and he really does love firearms.

"see here the snow is all gone," in his precious little voice... and I heard something totally different, thinking he was playing and ask,

"who is shooting a gun?"

Seven Years...Wow!

For some reason it has been years and this is the first time I remember slipping a little love letter in the kids lunch. Maybe I should be ashamed to admit that, because I know many great moms that do cute things like that all the time. While I have always thought it was cute, and said, yea- I should do that. After the storm calmed I guess I would forget about that. Infact, every one I wanted to sign my name, like a foreigner to signing mom. I want to do this more! I know that each of them will be excited to find that, so I should try and do that again...this year.

Seven years today of marital bliss. Seven years ago I was in my awesome decked out wedding dress, hanging in my closet still. Maybe for the anniversary I should get it all boxed up. I suppose it will be years yet before I hope my girls want to wear it. It was a designer gown that I stole. Wow! Seven years? Somedays it seems like yesterday, and the others like seventy years. hehe

Our seven years have been eventful, to say the least!! I am still awed of God's wedding gift of three children within a year of marriage. That wouldn't even be physically possible, well...maybe, but given their size I would venture not. hehe

We have moved, raised puppies, had three babies from birth, have had rollercoaster issues with rollercoaster kids, have deepened our foundation in Christ, have grieved kids torn from the system, and more importantly, we have even further continued to dream together and love together for what blessings we can be for others and to be committed to our marriage as we intended, not to fall prey to a world of mememe.

And it is not easy, but somehow we manage and we often thrive. We will always have our little quirks, but God chose us to be eachother spouses and he is using us to slowly refine eachother for his purpose as he intended. Like for example, I understand that Luke will be putting virtually nothing back in the place he found it, and I don't need to worry about it.

Goals are the most important thing in life and in marriage. If you have no goal, what are you doing? We are called to our creator and I am excited that Luke and I can be one! Thank you Jesus for Luke!

My Homie Naomi

I am sure you are wondering why Naomi sleeps with me. Well
I we are co-sleepers and love it (when her and I sleep good!!) I am not going to roll on her and squish her! More than anything though she is safer in my arms and in my bed than in her own, at the mercy of Noah. And I trust that darling wonderful brother to her, he is such a love and is SOOO good to her, but he is 3. Point said.

At her 10 month,
she is in the 95%
for height and the
85% for weight!
You go girl!!




She is pulling herself up on things, has 3 teeth
on top and two on the bottom. She is not as
interested in being fed anymore...gaining
more independence all the time. Must be
one of my favorite ages, loving her up!!

Four Nights in a Row

wow. I was going to post yesterday, and that never happened...yes, like all the other yesterdays. Except Reany, it is today or "not" today. Wonder if I would love that freedom or hate the confusion. Hmm. That is a good question. ANY HOW...

Four nights in a row I have brought Naomi to bed and then crashed myself. All the while, especially on the 3rd and 4th nights knowing that I really shouldn't retire so early, as all the nights were before 830pm. So I don't full fledged say goodnight to Luke and then just ZoNk out.

I was consumed by a sense of giddyness now though, as I awake to a dark quiet home at 6am. Wow! 642 and still counting! I have brewed some coffee_yum!_ , ran a load of laundry, sorted a wee bit of laundry, catching up with online friends, reviewed my Sunday school packet, opened up to Matt18, and ready for the sunrise... and I can see a faint pale blue glow coming upon us:)

Good Morning!

Change of Plans

Here is my bride, luckily Luke will not be walking her down the aisle anytime soon. She had a costume party the day before halloween, so she got all perty for the party. We got Aubrey and Lexi late because dance season started for Aubrey and she has Saturday morning practice. By the time we got them it was so much running around we didn't do the event in Annandale, so we did break out some costumes on halloween...

Posting error, this is Naomi recovering from the fears that Grandpa David created for her. Reany is Ariel, Noah a puppy, and our neighbors Elise a monkey and Ian a soldier.

Since Friday at school was wacky hair day and I didn't want to spray red hair again, Reany improvised with a boa for her hair. We toured the neighborhood together, my lovely neighbor and her cuties. Ian is a month older than Noah, Elise 4 months older than Naomi (who was a fairy, she has wings on the back.)

Here the proud brothers are showcasing their sisters.

Cutest boys in town!!
Noah was such a sport,
didn't even mind that I didn't replace the
pink sheer
bows
on the costume to make
his costume
more
masculine.

He was pretty obsessed with Ian's gun though.

Who Stole the Camera?

Bananas

I buy nine pounds of bananas when I shop.
They usually get eaten, and we run out if I only
buy 6 pounds.

I am a banana freezer though.
Any left over bananas get stashed in the freezer until
I have the ambition to make some
banana bread.

Last time I made banana bread, it had been a while.
I had 17 bananas in there.
I had to make banana bread because we were tired of having
black bananas fall out on our feet from the freezer.

In two bowls I made a triple and then a double batch.
There is still a frozen loaf in my freezer.

A little random trick for bananas... if you want to keep your bananas from browning on a fruit platter or dessert:
Boil water and with tongs place the skinned banana in the boiling water for 25 seconds and when you peel the banana it will not brown for about 20 hours. Proven, old pampered chef secret.

Gluten Free Trial Run Provides Evidence to Continue

How long should you be gluten free to know if it is helpful?

Two weeks was Libby's test. Only because Saturday she was absent mindfully given a cookie and then we decided to for go normal eating the rest of the weekend. Guess what? She again showed her moody monstrous side...and it wasn't in honor of halloween.

I decided to try the gluten free on her since I had heard that even if you don't have celiac disease some people have mental health, and or adverse affects from gluten. Gluten is a component to wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten free diets have been successful for ADHD and ASD persons.

Makes everyday U.S. diets hard to consume though, and there was some sacrifices, all that Libby was fine with. She didn't get any birthday cake or special treats a couple times in just those 2 weeks. She recognized the need to try this out though too, as even she does not like the way she feels when she is so easily distraught and tantruming. She was a good sport and at one point I think she was enjoying the special considerations. But the core fact was that her diet was changed drastically.

So for two weeks, we did not see the meltdowns. At her weakest moment she sat on the floor and cried- not about food, just some normal 7 year old concern. With gluten in her system, I am sure it would have escalated to an all out furry with not only her blood pressure maxing out.

Back on, today in her lunch she didn't get bread, but her turkey and cheese deli style...which she isn't crazy about ( I think the meat is too wet, so I wrapped it in a paper towel?) It will take some getting used to; however, I am sure that Libby feels better and has a better grip on her emotions when the gluten is not in her little body. So, for whatever reason it may be, we will minimize and or eliminate gluten from her. I am curious what everyone would be like on the gluten free. Not ready to make that commitment though, hard enough for just one. Maybe it would be easier if it was a household thing.