VBS

This is VBS week, which means absolutely nothing else gets done. :) We are at church each day from 8:15 to 1:00 or so, and when we get home I'm ready to crash. But the kids are having a blast!

So this is what it would be like to have a part-time manny

Greg is here, and the kids are in heaven. All-day wrestling, playing, and fun. Greg got in yesterday at 2:00 and, by the end of the day, had already taken the kids outside to play on four separate occasions. (It was great for me--I got a sewing project finished and made dinner!)

Today we went to swim lessons (after a stop at A's Burgers, of course) and had lunch at the park. Everyone is napping now while Greg hangs out with Ryan Clark.

Today

Today has been a bad mothering day... yelling and unwise words in response to Lucy's awful behavior. So I'm remembering this from yesterday:



Apparently, it's me. I asked Lucy why I look so sad in the picture, and she said, "You're crying because it's your birthday!" I thought, at first, she had some deep understanding of how adults don't want to get older. But then she said, "Remember, you cried on your birthday?" She was remembering my surprise party when I cried at seeing Daddy, Mama, Greg, and Lucy here. Love it.

GFCFSF waffles

We often have breakfast for dinner on Saturdays. I like that it's a simple, fun family tradition that is easy to maintain. Up until Lucy went on the GFCF diet, we made regular waffles on our wafflemaker for Lucy, Jon, and me, and Nate and Levi had their regular pancakes I always make (in addition to bacon or sausage, etc.). Then Lucy went on the diet and found out she doesn't really like the boys' pancakes (I don't blame her). I went on a search for a good GFCF(SF) waffle recipe. A few weeks ago I tried one, and it was just OK. Last night I tried this one. Instead of the butter I used 6T coconut oil and 6T Earth Balance soy-free natural buttery spread. These turned out soft and delicious! Even the boys liked them (they didn't like the last try)! Success!

Cute words this week

Lucy thinks that using the mouse on the computer to scroll down on the screen is calling "squirreling." As in, "Daddy, squirrel over to that part right there."

I was chewing gum the other day, and Levi, following his sister's very-curious-about-having-gum lead, asked if I had "buggle gum." I tried to get him to say it again for a video yesterday, but by that time he was saying it correctly. (Aw what the hey... I'll upload the video anyway. Here it is:)

Hopscotch & a hawk

I just want to eat Levi up.





I keep watching 0:04-0:07 over and over in that first video. Cracks me up.

Second tooth

The note reads, "Dear tooth Fairy put the dollars in this bag."

Pictures

Lucy in a new favorite dress, and Levi being himself.

Tanaka Farms

On Saturday, we took a trip to Tanaka Farms for a CSA-member-appreciation tour of the farm. It was so fun and delicious! We ate celery, yellow beans (don't know the exact name--wax beans?), carrots, green onions, sugar snap peas, and of course strawberries--all straight out of the ground (and quickly dipped in a bucket of cold water to get off the dirt). At the end of the tour, you get out of the wagon/trailer and pick and eat as many strawberries as you want. We all had a great time.

Swim lessons

Nate and Lucy started swim lessons this week. I decided to take them to the same place Lucy went last year. Though it costs more, the kids get so much more one-on-one attention and make much more progress than in the kind of class Nate took last year (six or seven kids with one instructor; one-size-fits-all mentality). After yesterday's lesson (their second), I can already see tons of progress from Nate. Lucy still looks a bit like she's riding a bicycle under water (vertical; legs peddling instead of kicking), but she's much more comfortable in the water than she used to be.






(That's our friend Elijah, who was with us yesterday.)

Here are some videos too...

Nate:



Lucy:

Laptop bag

Every once in a while, I take our laptop with me to a coffee shop or Panera to do some computer work or blogging (either on a weekend when Jon is home or on a day like this past Tuesday, when my friend Suzanne watched the kids for 3 hours). I always feel a little silly and awkward carrying the laptop in my arms (as opposed to a bag, like everyone else has). So I whipped up this bag for the next time! It's lined in white and has some batting for a tiny bit of padding, and I put a pocket on the front to hold the wireless mouse. The main fabric is one I've had on hand for a while and couldn't decide how to use. I love it and can't wait to use the bag!

Conversations today

1. We got home from the park today, and it smelled funny in the house. I said, "It smells fishy in here!" Lucy responded, "Yes, it does. I think maybe a fish came in here while we were gone."

2. Later, Lucy brought up gymnastics. "I can do gymnastics," she said. "But you can't, Mama. You're too big and you would make the house rumble."

3. I was lying down with Levi to help him go down for nap, but he was wiggling around too much. I said, "Levi, you're being too squirmy!" He asked, "Huh? I squir you?"

Nate's first sewing lesson

To kick off our summer (yes, Nate is done with school! Woo hoo!) and our unofficial entry into the world of homeschooling, Nate and I completed his first sewing project today: a cover for his homeschooling binder. He picked the fabric last week, and today we made a paper pattern for how we wanted the cover to end up, measured the pattern, and then added for seam allowance to get our measurements for cutting the fabric.




This was a perfect first project, since it involved just one piece of fabric cut into a rectangle. First I had Nate sit with me and help guide the fabric while I ran the machine. Then it was his turn.




Here he is in action:



Not bad! ;)

Becoming a big boy

Until yesterday, of the three "transition from baby to kid" events most kids go through (going from crib to bed, giving up the pacifier, and potty training), Levi had only completed one. But yesterday, when the kids were at Ray and Colleen's house while I was at work, he took a nap without his pacifier (because I hadn't brought it). I figured yesterday was as good a time as any to lose the pacis for good... much to Levi's chagrin. He loves his pacis and takes really good, long naps when he has them. But alas, they really mess up kids' teeth. So last night I stayed in the bed with him while he whimpered himself to sleep (so pathetic!), but he slept fine. This morning, I surprised the kids with a small "big boy celebration"--chocolate pancakes.




I found this chocolate hazelnut butter (similar to Nutella) the kids can have, so I spread it on their pancakes (and on Lucy's GFCFSF waffle) for a special treat.

Levi is still not impressed with the change and would much rather keep the "baby" moniker along with his pacifiers. (He also has the same attitude about potty training vs. diapers, by the way.) But if he's like the other kids, the disappointment will pass pretty quickly. :)

Two anniversaries

Jon and I celebrated 9 years married yesterday! He took me to Trabuco Oaks, a steakhouse with tons of unpretentious atmosphere and really good food. They are famous for "no ties allowed." Jon wore an old tie so he could add it to the thousands of ties adorning the walls and ceiling.




We ate a great dinner and enjoyed some time just the two of us.

Here's the only pic of both of us (taken with Jon's phone):



This is also another cool anniversary of sorts: my 1,000th blog post. One thousand--whoa! I think it's appropriate that my 1,000th post would be about Jon and me, not about the children, not about school or homeschooling or some semi-temporary stage in our lives. Because our marriage is the common thread that has run through everything, the foundation for our family life (based on Christ). I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, who loves me, understands me, and provides balance for me. I love you, Jon!