Thursday, April 28, 2011

random cuteness

Recent cuteness clumped together randomly:

My sleepy girl at the end of a day full of t-ball and a birthday party.
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Her stash of extra bonz candy. Kept in the fridge overnight so it won't go bad.
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Miles cuddled in a hooded puppy dog towel. So cute.
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What happens if I choose to take a nap while Jonathan is away from the house: tractors run through baking soda. all. over. the. kitchen. Notsocute. {But one day, a long, long time from now, I might miss this kind of thing. Maybe.}
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Easter Monday {on Tuesday}

Yes, it's Tuesday because, well, Monday was busy. Today is busy, too, but in an effort to fend off some type of break down {seriously, I feel it coming on...}, I am sitting, writing, being thankful. The cause of the almost-break down? My house. The house that is so full of stuff and junk and I want to just tip it on it's side and empty it out. A thorough clean and purge is needed, is coming, but how to find the time with four littles {the middle two always adding to the mess}, second grade to wrap up, a baby to feed? On to the gifts list before the breaking down begins here and now:

  • {28} the {last} first Easter.
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  • {29} making the dresses myself, however imperfect, made lovely by the little girls in them.
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  • {30} boys that still like to wear matching clothes.
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  • {31} a risen Savior!
  • {32} the hope of His rising.
  • {33} the grave is overwhelmed.
  • {34} the joy of Easter Sunday, the peace of Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday... {and on and on}.
  • {35} knowing that it will only get better after this - SO much better.

Read Ann's lovely words about an Easter Monday faith, find other lists...

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I'm pretty certain...

I'm his #1 fan.

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I love watching him play. Such a little man.

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Maybe I'm tied with his dad for #1 fan. Maybe.

Monday, April 18, 2011

{once again}

it has been a long Monday here. Why are Mondays that way sometimes? Honestly, I've had a {quite} yucky attitude. I feel stressed, worried, frustrated, tired. And I remember oh, yes...time to continue listing my graciously given {though not always graciously received} gifts. Let's see if we {make that He} can turn my frown upside down:

  • {20} Marker-drawn beards on little faces, even her's.
  • {21} Little baby with a toe in her mouth.
  • {22} Oldest coming in just to say he loves me, then hug baby sister.
  • {23} Sweet smelling jasmine blooming.
  • {24} The littlest figuring out how to eat {and enjoy} a cracker, smiling with pride.
  • {25} Unexpectedly coming across a card Dad gave me years and years ago signed, 

  • {26} Knowing I'll see him again One Day.
  • {27} The cup wasn't taken away and He has overcome! 
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”  {Matthew 26:39}
Now I'm smiling. See what others are smiling about.

Friday, April 15, 2011

milla jean at 8 months

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Hey, can I tell you something exciting?


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I am 8 months old!


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It's going by so quickly. {As least momma says so.}


As promised, I'm {pretty much}on time with this post. My baby girl is eight months old as of yesterday. How the hands of the clock spin faster and faster I'll never know. I do know that Milla is no longer a little baby, although as if to spare me from too much {it's going too fast!} sadness, this girl is doing things on a bit of a slower time-line. Fine with me, baby girl. Actually, all of my littles have been late to walk: Elijah and Ella were both 14 months while Miles was a true late walker at 16 months. {Finally! I was 6 months pregnant with Ella by then.} I suppose Mil could surprise me and get to walking sooner, but she might need to start crawling and pulling up first. For now, she's just pleased as punch to be sitting up on her own!

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and watching leafy shadows in sunlight


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and dancing to musical toys


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and having eyes on that cat


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and playing some more


and eating and enjoying both yellow and green veggies equally, but the nose is turning orangey. 
And using some consonants in her babble, mainly m and d, with her favorite combination being ma! That's my girl. {We both love you, daddy!}

 I'm pretty pleased with how things are going right now. Momma is too.

Before you go, look how far I've come in 8 months:
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See you next month, and between now and then if you're lucky I'm sure!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

counting gifts

I'm slowly getting better at remembering to notice the gifts that He gives, all around me, every single day. It's so easy to get caught up in the way the world would have you view life; counting up all that you want but don't have instead of all that you do have, all that has been graciously given. So, continuing the list: {#s 13-19}

How all three big ones were giddy over Miles' discovery of Elijah's long-lost DS. Want to know where he       found it? Where it's been since Christmas? Deep in the sofa cushion.
Mils in these cute things called baby legs.
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Streams of morning sun weaving in through the slats of the blinds, bringing light to the darkness.
A question answered in the perfect timing of my Father.
Waiting that leads to stronger faith.
A lunch date with my first born.
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How he looks like his Poppa.


See Ann's blog and other gifts in lists.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

just because

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{big girl sitting up!}
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{photographed by Ella}

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{Miles eyes make me swoon. Just lovely. But don't tell him I said that.}

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

i'm late, so what's new?

People, the magnitude of my self-diagnosed ADD is at an all-time high here lately. If the medication for it wasn't horribly and ridiculously expensive, I'd find a way to sign myself up for some.

This very moment, I am supposed to be sewing. I need to be sewing most moments between now and Easter, but what am I doing? Blogging. And why am I blogging? Because for three weeks {3!} I've been meaning to post Mil's 7 month pictures. So, let's make this quick so I can get to that... or should I do the dishes next? The next loud of laundry? See what I mean?

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{those eyes}

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Miss Lou,

I hope you can forgive me for being very late on your 7 month post. As I hope you know, I'm doing the best I can. I'll make it up to you very soon when you turn 8 months.

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{maybe a sweet bath photo will make you feel better.}

By 7 months you were able to get yourself somewhere by a combination of rolls. Very efficiently, but thankfully not {too} far! That will come soon enough. Your nose was also becoming a nice shade of orange by that point, although you do enjoy a fair amount of peas and some green mixes. Hopefully we can curb the orange glow before too long when we add some meat and finger foods to your menu.

Loving you even more,

momma

Sunday, April 3, 2011

The one about the mosquito hawk incident

Yes. You read it right. A mosquito hawk incident. It happens, evidently, and Saturday morning it happened to me. Well, not actually to me, more of a behind me kind of deal.

The morning had already been a little difficult. Miles had a t-ball game at 11:00 just after team pictures at 10:00 and, sadly, the yummy monkey bread I was baking was not done in time for us to leave. So, I dropped Miles and Jonathan off at the ball field and Elijah, Ella, and baby sissy and I headed to Hardee's drive-thru. {Great, now I want a steak biscuit.}

So, I had just finished telling them I needed the van quiet so I could place the order, and as the first words of my order left my mouth I heard the sound of terror coming from Elijah. He tried to keep it in check {for all of 3 seconds maybe} until he couldn't hold back and started screaming. And I don't just mean sort of screaming, I mean like being chased by your worst nightmare screaming. I heard him say something about a mosquito, so I thought "seems like an overreaction, but they do bite..." Before I'm even halfway through my order Ella had joined in the cacophony. {cacophony: n., pl. -nies.
  1. Jarring, discordant sound; dissonance: heard a cacophony of horns during the traffic jam.
  2. The use of harsh or discordant sounds in literary composition, as for poetic effect.}
It was a jarring and discordant sound alright. And no poetic effect took place. Mercy, me. By this time, Elijah had thrown in the name "mosquito hawk" a few times, in between violent screams, was nearing the point of hyperventilation, Ella's panic was rising. Milla joined in, obviously not terrified by the mosquito hawk, but by her hysterical siblings. And I don't use the word hysterical lightly.

I imagine you know what a mosquito hawk is, but just in case, and to prove my point, here's a little blurb about them {from the riveting www.a-mosquito.com website}:
 
There are many myths concerning "mosquito hawks". This is interesting when you discover that there are two insects that are commonly called this name. Both dragonflies and crane flies are commonly known as mosquito hawks, and yet both have very different interactions with mosquitoes. Dragonflies were not named due to their looks but due to their large powerful jaws, which they use to consume prey, including mosquitoes. Crane flies come by the name mosquito hawk due to their great resemblance to mosquitoes. To the untrained eye, the only way to tell the difference is size, as crane flies are usually more than twice the size of the average mosquito. 

Now, this was not a typical mosquito or a dragon fly, so I can only deduce that it was a crane fly because it looked like this:

Also commonly referred to as mosquito hawks, crane flies resemble very large mosquitoes. Although it is rumored that mosquito hawks eat mosquitoes, that is not the case with crane flies. Crane flies do not bite people either, but prefer to feed on the roots of a variety of grasses.
Now, I know these guys are big massive, and they flop and lope and fly around without any consideration for nearby people {maybe because they DO NOT bite people?}, brushing by too closely maybe, but seriously? Hysteria and panic-inducing? My kids see these things in my mom's garage all of the time. They know they don't bite, that they are large and creepy but harmless. I mean, I at least thought they ate mosquitos. But apparently they can't even claim that. The poor things are big, loping, rather unfortunate looking, herbivores.

How did this end, you ask? When one {very} frustrated and embarrassed momma "saved the children" {in Ella's words} from the menacing plant eater. After juggling five drinks and a bag of biscuits, interacting with the very nice Hardee's guy {who did an awesome job of pretending not to notice the pandemic occurring in my vehicle}, actually laughing to myself {despite the embarrassment} when Elijah screamed "It's coming!!!! It's coming!!!!" And after he ended up standing next to me, Ella was screaming to get out of her seat, Milla was screaming because the brother and sister she thought she could trust have lost their ever loving minds, and her momma was yelling for everyone to calm down. {Have you noticed how well that works by the way? Yelling in an effort to bring calmness?} Alas, I finally did "save the children", wounded the crane fly, who had finally {after waiting his entire life I'm sure} intimidated some kids. He flew out the door with one less leg. Hopefully he was pleased with his moment in the spotlight, and maybe if I didn't wound him internally, he's got a grand story to tell of the hysteria he caused. A famous crane fly, he'll be.

And then we drove back to the ball park, because that was just the beginning of the day...