Happy Birthday Charlie!

Unfortunately, Charlie's birthday wasn't off the charts stellar. But, we sure tired our hardest to make it fun, despite crappy circumstances with family, no real party, and a 102+ fever.

Started the day off right with a birthday doughnut:

Then the next several hours looked like this. Everyone tried to make him happy, but absolutely not. He felt miserable and it showed:

My parents came over for supper. It was lovely. She brought flowers for all of us, because she's awesome like that, and a balloon for the birthday boy.
The other thing she brought: Scratch cupcakes. Hallelujah!
Doesn't he look like he is loving his "Oh Happy Day" cupcake:

Balls and a tractor thing from the wonderful Papa & Nana.
Cause every little boy needs these things:

And my sweet as can be 1-year-old. My goodness, how I love him so much:

Happy Birthday, Charlton! We love you!

One Year Ago...

One year ago, today, I looked like this:

That afternoon, I met my precious son.
There never are words to express the instant love you feel:

He turned us into a family of five.
We were now out-numbered by children.
Our arms were overflowing with blessings.
Our hearts were overflowing with love.
Not going to lie, we all look a little overwhelmed...
But, the gift of each other is wonderful:

We adore our Charlie-boy.

Even Yet, God is Good.

This morning, my Bible reading was:

2 Corinthians 4:7-10
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

Psalm 43:4-5
There I will go to the altar of God, to God - the source of all my joy,
I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!
Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again -
my Savior and my God!

Rewind to January...
Rod has surgery to reconstruct the rotator cuff in his shoulder.
Grandpa Ralph finds out he has cancer, and passes away one week later.
Bonnie is diagnosed with breast cancer, has surgery, and begins yucky treatments.
Rod is diagnosed with diabetes.
Then Saturday...

...Rod was working on a fertilizer tank (wagon looking thing). It was up on a forklift, with Rod underneath/to the side on his knees, when the tank began to slip and fell onto Rod, crushing him down and forward.

We knew right away he could feel and move his legs. There were so many ways the Lord protected him. Still, we all immediate felt fear of what could come of this, as well as the discouragement of "another kick in the pants."

You do what you got to do, so we dealt with children, waited for phone calls, then spent time together at the hospital. It's such a helpless feeling just staring at someone in an incredible amount of pain. The support of being there was all we could offer.

A compressed vertebrae (as in, 50% of what it used to be) and cracked vertebrae will have him laid up for a good while. The pain he felt, as he would yell out and grab his hospital bed, was horrible to see. Watching my husband's face, as he watched his father crying out, broke my heart. But seeing Dallas care for his dad, help him try to sit up, put his back brace on, sitting beside him helping him relax during spasms, etc.? That makes a wife proud.

Yesterday Bonnie was due for a treatment. The logistics of him at the hospital, her going to the cancer center, and the care for the two in the days to come, were a worry. Saturday night, Dallas and I decided that this is our season of life right now. They cared for my husband for 18 years. How could I be anywhere but with them now. In one year, this will all be a memory. A bone will heal and chemo will kill the cancer. We still have our parents, our children still have our grandchildren, and life is not to be taken granted of. In the meantime, we have the privilege of sitting with Bonnie during chemo, helping Rod walk, and offering our support and help over the next several months.

I worry about the added stress Dallas will feel. I worry about the protection and peace of my children, as this is the first day I have been with them since Saturday morning. I feel exhausted. Then I open my Bible, and read God's promises. Like this morning, He knows just what I need to hear.

What I have learned:
1. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be home. It allows me the freedom and flexibility to help where help is needed.
2. If this were my parents, I would not leave their side. It's not my parents, but it is the love of my life's. Seeing the tears in Dallas's eyes Saturday morning as he worried about his dad showed me how much he loves him. I will do my part to be Dallas's partner however best I can. Right now, it's caring for his mom and dad.
3. People are so generous and gracious. The help I've had with the kids, meals, offers, prayers, encouragement. It all means so much.
4. Life is but a vapor. This is earth. I yearn for the perfect heavenly world. Sitting in the cancer center with Bonnie for 3+ hours yesterday was a good reminder of how good our bad really is.
5. God is good, all the time. Even if cancer takes Bonnie's life and even if Rod's accident would have killed him, God would still be good. There are sure to be weak moments. But through it all, God remains faithful.

Would you please pray for them? Even send them a card of encouragement if you think of it? The next two weeks are going to be really rough for Bonnie, and Rod has some long days ahead of him. Still, their attitudes are amazing. Rod said Saturday night, "There's good in everything. You just have to find it." They could be feeling pretty lousy for themselves, but they're not. Please pray that this keeps up in the coming months. And pray for complete healing for both of them. We are certain that months from now, we are going to be celebrating good health. And what a celebration that will be!

Ready!!

Can I just say: We are more than ready for all our activities to start up!

We have had nothing, really, on the calendar last week, this week, and next week. The pools have closed. We have loved being outside with the beautiful weather, but ready for a little routine in our life!

What we have going this fall: MOPS, the Grove, AWANA, Maleah's dance class, Kindermusik, and story hour. And it all begins the same week! So, remember this post about me complaining of boredom, because I'm sure come the middle of September I'll be overwhelmed with busyness! :)

We're off to the Arboreteum today for the second time this week. And we're probably going tomorrow night too. It's my new found treasure, and the only place Charlie stays in one place for hours.

Cabin fever = fighting, annoyed with each other, children.
Oh happy day!

Fabulous Weekend.

This weekend was absolutely lovely.

Saturday morning we went to the Parkersburg parade. It was very impressive for such a small town! The kids loved it, and the loot they brought home is just in sane:

(Um, did you really think I would sit down to watch this thing?)

(Mommy & Daddy enjoying themselves too...)

We lolligagged around the P'burg Days festivities for a bit, then went home so everyone (yes, everyone) could nap. Everyone woke up just in time for our dear babysitter, Karly, to come one last time before she goes off to college. Sad day for us. But exciting day for her:

Dallas and I left at 4:00 and got home at 11:30! It was so wonderful! We shopped and went out to eat with friends at Black's Steakhouse. Crazy thing: they closed this week! Given our horrible service, we went surprised. Some Village Inn pie to end the night, and a wonderful time had by all!

The kids were up bright and early Sunday morning, so anxious to tell us all about their night with Karly. A great church service, relaxation, playing outside, popcorn for supper, and early bedtimes. A wonderful weekend indeed.

Mr. Sweet Tooth.

Isn't it funny how your first kid experiences birthday cake at their first birthday, and thus is the beginning of letting them have an occassional sweet? This is so not the case when the third rolls around.

Charlie thought he was pretty awesome last night, with his very own ice cream cone. At first he looked at us like, really? It didn't take him long to accept the wonderful treat, and voila, one happy boy!

Thoughts.

Disclaimer #1: I hate reading blogs where everything is perfect all the time. You know, when the child is naughty and a brat, but still everything in the world is perfect? Whatever. Or, when I get envious and discontent by seeing all the things we don't have or don't do. Never do I want this blog to come across like we got it all together. This is real life.
Disclaimer #2: Again, I never want to come across like I'm looking to pick a fight. The choices we make in our family are not for everyone. I refuse to be the annoying judge, lingering in your life (who can stand those people anyway?). If you are different than me, your thoughts far from mine, no worries. But, this is my blog. So it will be my thoughts.

Seeing all these pictures of kids going back to school has conjured up so many thoughts. Every single person I've spoken to in the last couple days has said, "It goes so quickly." No doubt.

Many people have asked if Maleah is doing preschool. The answer is no. If time already goes so quickly, I'm in no hurry to speed it up. Once they start school, they are in school for the next 15+ years. Preschool used to start at age 5 but now starts at age 3. I just can't fathom Maleah starting her whole school life as a toddler. I just want to keep their innocence as children.

Like one of my favorite moms says, "I homeschooled my children until kindergarten." I feel the same way. While I don't consider myself a homeschool mom this coming year for preschool (it's mostly play, not much academics), I do feel as though every day has given us teachable moments, and we are constantly learning and growing together. I've been busy the last couple days getting a meal & snack schedule, school supplies, and activities for the girls. We have plans and an agenda for this year. I look forward to showing you along the way!

Beings I am with my children 24 hours a day, I do get tired of them. But, I didn't really have children to not spend my days with them. I love being their teacher and role model, choosing who they "socialize" with, and being there for every moment, making so many memories to put in my back pocket so that when they're out of this house I can be confident that noone knows them like I do. All the sacrifices we have made to make this all financially possible have been so worth it. I have the rest of my life to make money and have things. Children are here and gone. Their firsts are one-time-deals.

Having said all this, my children are not the most important thing in my life. First, is my relationship with Christ. He was, long before them; is, through this all; and will be for all eternity. Secondly, my husband. I refuse to be so wrapped up in my children's lives that when they leave for college I look at Dallas and say, "who are you?" This is why I have no problem getting a babysitter, putting the kids to bed early, or telling them they have to be quiet for a short five minutes so I can talk to Daddy. With our season of life, the kids are demanding so much time. We love it and it is no problem. But Dallas will always be priority over them. Always.

I can't wait for the day my children leave the home and we see all that we have worked for. I can't wait to watch them grow and blossom into beautiful mommies and hard-working men. Going to school is exciting. Leaving the home is exciting. It's all wonderful!

But for now? I have little children. And they are only little for so long.

What We Do...

...is climb, feed babies, & write, repeat...

This turkey shnitzel climbed out of his highchair and stood on the tray numerous times during supper last night. I thought for sure he would forget about his capabilities overnight. Not so. This morning I put him in with a few lucky charms. He ate the marshmallows (do you think I'm joking?) and stood right on up. Gone are the days of putting him in the highchair and running to do the laundry. This child is a monkey!

This little pumpkin takes care of babies all day long. She totes them around in the stroller, and sits down frequently to feed them. Layla makes our days fun. She can drive me absolutely, positively, crazy, but no doubt she makes life around here interesting.

Then there's this. I went outside this morning, and found this written on the cement. It says: Charlie. My heart got all warm and fuzzy and I had a proud mama moment. Maleah loves to write and write and write. Sometimes I get so annoyed of showing her how to write letters and spelling things out for her. But when I saw this, it made me realize that she does understand. The things I am teaching her are sticking.

It's strange to have a child getting older, starting to do these neat things. How can we be to the point already? Dallas and I were talking that this is just the beginning of those "yay" parenting moments. It's so rewarding.

This week seemed to take longer than most. We've all been battling coughs, ear aches, and colds. The kids have been crabbier than normal and sleeping more than normal. That doesn't seem to go hand in hand.

Thankfully, this morning was delightful, as we spent it with friends and neighbors we don't see nearly enough. We also spent some time at Grandma's this week, which is always a treat. And the best part of the week comes tomorrow when we pack up to go visit the Scheve ladies. We can not wait!

Happy Weekend!

Photos That Crack Me Up.

I've been going through photos this morning and these make me laugh:

Poor Layla, petrified:

Layla, feeding her baby. She still does this:

Say no to crack, girl:

The look on Layla's face, pure mischief:

Layla picked out her own clothes this day, the middle of summer:

More to come...

randomness.

...we went swimming yesterday, on the coolest day of summer. really wasn't such a horrible idea as there was hardly anyone there...

...layla told someone in the store the other day, "my brother poops all the time." what in the world do you do about those things...

...charlie gets crazy excited when i turn music on. it completely warms my heart...

...i'm running a 5k tomorrow morning. i just decided yesterday, but why not? not expecting some stellar time, just going for a little run for a good cause...

...charlie is walking his grocery cart all over the place. i am so.not.ready for this...

...we were awoken probably 5-6 times last night. layla was crying of her ear hurting (but now she's perfectly fine?), maleah came down, layla cried again, you get the picture. such is the life of parenthood...

...maleah reminds me daily that she's four-years-old now. now she can pour her own syrup and do other fancy things. she's digging it...

...sometimes i'm glad i don't understand/know what dallas all does (for work and play). like the other day they pulled a semi behind a pick-up for 45 miles. he sat in the semi and steered (while being pulled, get the picture?). maybe that's not a big deal? can't say i really liked it...

...we have another fun weekend planned. sometimes it feels like there's nothing to do. other times it feels like life is a big ol' party. lately, it's been FUN! i'm so glad...

Happy Weekend, Friends!

i love my job.

I'm not going to lie. There are days when I think about picking up the paper and finding a job; any job will do. Days can get long, lonely, frustrating. Sometimes I feel like baby talk is the only language I hear or speak. A shower can be more rare than routine. My cute clothes are shoved to the back of my closet.

Then there are days like today. We woke up when we wanted and mozied around, went to the arboretum (wonderful place!), went out for lunch together, got together with friends, then swam for 3.5 hours. We left at 9am and got home at 6pm.

On the way home I was thinking about how incredibly blessed I am. I enjoyed the entire day with the gifts God gave me. We had nowhere to be but where we wanted to be. It was so wonderful.

Hear me: I'm not looking to pick a fight, or judge those who do work. Those are not my intentions at all.

But I want to remember these fun days, because they aren't all peachy. I want to remember that I am molding hearts and shaping lives, even when I feel them pushing back on all my efforts. I want to remember that these children have no other mom than me, even when they favor grandparents, friends, cousins.

We do everything together, my little gems and I. I love my job.

Swimming Lessons

Maleah passed swimming lessons with flying colors!
She gained a lot of confidence swimming and is now considered a little fishy.

We celebrated a job well done at the ice cream shop.
She was one proud little girl!

Vacation 2001

1115 miles out was the extent of our vacation this summer. We tried to pack light, but with three young children, one being a baby, you can imagine the stack in the back of our van. 2 overnights was enough to make us all thoroughly exhausted. 115 miles was far enough.

But the fun, oh the fun. While we understand our children probably won't remember all the fun things we are doing with them, we don't wait to sit around and wait until they are to the age where they do. We are creating sweet memories, even in these young years, and doing what we can. It's not Disneyworld yet, but it's something. It's a break, a retreat, and it was fun!!

Friday we took our second trip to Adventureland, this time with my family. In the kids' eyes, this place practically is Disneyworld! It was a wonderful time, PERFECT weather, and the kids were in their happy place all day. My sisters and I went on the scariest ride I've ever been on. We couldn't decide if we were supposed to scream, laugh, or cry. We did decide we never have to do it again. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead (who does that on vacation!!), but my sisters got some photos and they about made me wet my pants they were so funny. Good times. After riding and swimming, we whisked our kiddies away, traveled to Pella, and went to the GoFish concert. They absolutely loved it.

Dallas's great uncle and aunt were kind enough to let us bunk at their place. We had the entire basement and it worked perfectly. They bought the kids' favorite breakfast foods, left the door open so we could come and go as we pleased, and were more than generous to us. We enjoyed chatting with them late into the night.

Saturday we visited dear friends. First stop was Wayne & Dee, our old neighbors. We love seeing them and catching up. They get a kick out of watching our family circus. They never judge, just laugh.

After naps by all (that is vacation, folks!), we grabbed some other friends and ventured to Indianola for the balloon festival. They sent off numerous hot air balloons. It was neat! and HOT. We were going to leave about 7ish due to heat, but got chatting and before we knew it the clock said 10:30. After fireworks and a hunt all over kingdom come for Dallas's cell phone, we sadly said goodbye to our friends we miss so much. It was a great day.

The biggest bummer of the weekend: Maleah had a fever of 102.5 Friday night and Saturday. She was such a trooper. She slept the entire time we were at our home base, otherwise trudged along wherever we went. We weren't able to see one family due to her being sick (sad).

So there ya have it. No pictures to prove it, but we had a great weekend. I'm so glad for a husband willing to go on adventures with our family even though it's not easy right now, thankful for the chance to visit old, sweet, friends, and felt so much joy watching our children laugh and have a blast. It was a great weekend indeed.