A Thinking Love

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

The House of Christmas

by Gilbert Keith Chesterton

There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.

For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.
Here we have battle and blazing eyes,
And chance and honor and high surprise,
But our homes are under miraculous skies
Where the yule tale was begun.

A Child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam,
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost - how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky's dome.

This world is wild as an old wives' tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.

To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

(thanks Catherine for sharing this one with me)

When the mice are away ...

2011-11-22T18:48:00.001-08:00

Grandma took the kids on Sunday and I have had a delightful time crafting!! Here are some of the fruits of my labors:

The star is made from square dowels. Instructions can be found on Lowe' websites but I think I like a 5 pointed star better than the one they made.

The "Joy to the world" is made from a sheet of foam paper but I'm thinking of re-doing it in wool felt.

I've also had time recently to make a hex nut bracelet. Thanks for the idea pinterest! (Incedentally, being my own hand model totally reminds me of "The Hand" from Zoolander.)

What else ... oh yeah. I've finally had some time to make some earings just for the heck of it. I'm still playing with ideas. Too bad my camera phone can't capture the lovely warm peuter color of the leather on this earing. What do you think? What crafts are you making this holiday season?

Second rate Mama

2011-11-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Of all the things I aspire to be, my biggest goal is to be second rate.

I know that I'm broken, sinful, selfish, lazy ... and I want my kids to know it too.

It won't take them long to figure out that I will hurt, disapoint and fail in my attempt to love them as a parent.

And I have to.

I am a mother. I am human. I want my kids to see me as only the faintest picture of the great I AM who tell us:
      "I am the better Father,
            the better lover,
            the better food,
            the better drink,
            the better rest,
in short, -- everything that you need - I AM"

So if you are caught in the trap that says "I've got to be the perfect parent" dial it back a bit. Show your kids as much as you humanly can, and when it isn't enough - point them to I AM.

Church Campout Lake San Antonio

2011-10-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Catching up ...

2011-09-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've been saving up for a camera for quite some time now. Obviously haven't gotten one yet. Too bad for Charissa, she won't have very many baby pictures. My mom just happened to leave her camera out when Zak gave her her first strawberry. She loved it!!

And the diagnosis is ...

2011-08-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hodkin lymphoma stage 1 or 2. Caught in the early stages like this my nephew Ryan's prognosis is good as this kind of cancer has a high survivability rate. He will start chemo tomorrow. The next few months are going to be hell for him and his family. Please pray for them when you think about it.

Please Pray

2011-08-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

And speaking of praying ... Please pray for my nephew Ryan. He was admitted to Loma Linda last night to get a lump biopsied. All preliminary testing is pointing to lymphoma. His family has been through a lot lately. This summer their house caught on fire in the middle of the night and it is only by God's grace that they woke up and made it out. I don't even know how to pray at this point except for God's healing and that God would bless them with the comfort of His Holy Spirit to surround them with His love and peace.

Consumable vs. all Consuming

2011-08-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think I approach God as a consumer.

I'm hungry - I eat.
I'm thirsty - I drink.
I need something magical - I pray.

But God isn't a consumable item. Hebrew 12:29 tells us that He is a consuming fire. And if I am to live the way He wants me to, my petty, worldly, silly wishes will be replaced by a longing for His kingdom and glory.

What were you expecting of me?
     A cripple? A devil?
A fat man in a red hat?
    Don't talk to me like that.

And just what did you want to hear?
And what did you want to see
because whatever you wanted, -
   it obviously wasn't me.

If you had asked for me
I would have given myself
but you asked for a god-shaped box
   to put on your Sunday shelf.

You asked for a good luck charm.
You asked for a santa clause
You asked expecting easy
   from a God without any claws.

You wanted love but no justice.
You wanted gifts and grace only.
"Come Lord Jesus" you whispered in bed
    but only because you were lonely.

You completely forgot about glory
You completely forgot about sin
your god - an impotent puppet
why don't you go call upon him.

                             -jm

Heraclitus by William Johnson Cory

2011-07-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

Heraclitus

They told me, Heraclitus, they told me you were dead,
They brought me bitter news to hear and bitter tears to shed.
I wept, as I remembered, how often you and I
Had tired the sun with talking and sent him down the sky.

And now that thou art lying, my dear old Carian guest,
A handful of grey ashes, long long ago at rest,
Still are thy pleasant voices, thy nightingales, awake;
For Death, he taketh all away, but them he cannot take.

Occasionaly I find a poem that is so perfect and beautiful and inspiring I just have to share it. Time to include William Johnson Cory to my list of must read poets.

And speaking of amazing poetry. I'm in awe of Robert Browning's "Pippa Passes". It is the most incredible play I've ever read. I had never heard of it. Have you? If you've read it I'll take you out to coffee to discuss it. Seriously! anybody out there read poetry anymore?

WWW Hair Edition 5

2011-06-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

"The Un-pony" I kind of wanted to spice up my boring side ponytail so I just grabbed two sections of hair and rubber banded them topsy tail style to channel my hair off to the side. Perfect for at the pool today with only one more day of swim lessons left!

WWW Hair Edition 4

2011-06-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

Down at Palm Springs with the in-laws last week and the wind was crazy so I did two french braids and looked like a hick. So then I took out the french braids and did the same thing but twisting my hair instead. - Still looked like a hick but I was tired of messing with my hair so I pinned up the ends. Princess Leia. Great.

WWW Hair Edition 3

2011-06-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

I'm still photographing some of my favorite hairstyles. I can't get a good picture of the back of my head but this is two loose buns with a headband. No fancy title. Easy as pie to do. High ponytail, split into two sections, coiled loosely and pinned into place. 3min total (but only because I couldn't find my headband.)

Summer passport

2011-06-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day of school. We already have a posterboard full of fun ideas for entertainment, education and project completion.

Normally summers go by too fast and I regret the time I spent on silly things so this summer I'm scheduling and being purposeful with my time. Here are a few ideas I've had

1. Reserve good, educational books for Zak and Eliot without their knowledge so that each time we go to the library they will have a surprise waiting for them.

2. Finish another 10 hikes from our 101 hikes of San Luis Obispo County book. It may take a few years but I am determined to get through it. We've had a great time discovering little pockets of our county we otherwise would have never come across.

3. I'm going to get some guide books from the library and find something I've never heard of or go some place I've never been. We've lived here 10 years and I'm always suprised by how little we know of all the great things this county offers. It's time to become a tourist!

4. I need to get to know the parents of all my kids' school friends better so we are planning a few "Family Playdates".

5. Go on a few weekend trips to places I've been meaning to take the kids for awhile like Monteray Bay Aquarium, The Getty Museum, The Huntington Library , and others.

I'd love a few more suggestions or ideas of great things to do this summer to add to our list. Have a good recommendation? Please share!!!!

Vaccination Debate

2011-06-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie. All of my kids are up to date on all their vaccinations (except for the baby). None of them have had an adverse reaction. None of them are autistic. No harm no foul ... right?

But forgive me for over thinking this but I'm wondering why? What is the point of vaccines? Is it to prevent children from diseases they would most likely come in contact with and die from or expirience complications from? I think we all think so. Here is the list of the top 5 vaccinations, risks of contracting the disease and risk of death from these diseases.

1. Pertussis: 2010 saw the largest outbreak of pertussis in 65 years in California. There were a total of 9,477 cases and 10 infant deaths (if you read the case studies on this it looks as if at least one of the infants had recieved the vaccine)

so ... with the population of California at 37253956, total cases in California = 9,477 do the math. The chance of getting pertussis in California in an outbreak year is .00254%. The chance of dying from pertussis is so incredibly small it is irrelevant, also, 90% of the cases were in individuals that are Hispanic. I think I can safely say that this risk is low. (Numbers come from the CDC the analysis comes from me so if the math is wrong it is my fault)

2. Diptheria:

"Recent Outbreaks
Locally, in the United States, there is an average of only 0 – 5 cases per year now with a 5-10% fatality rate.According to PAHO (Pandemic American Health Organization), the only recent epidemic of this disease occurred in Haiti beginning on August 3 2009 in which 33 cases were reported with 15 fatalities resulting (2-3). In 2007, 4190 cases were reported world-wide to the WHO (World Health Organization). According to the WHO, Armenia, Estonia, Lithuania and Uzbekistan currently have a rate of infection of .5 to 1 in 100,000 people with a fatality rate of 6-10% while Russia and Tajikistan have a rate of infection of 27 – 32 in a 100,000 people with a fatality rate of 2 – 3%."

Risk factors = living outside the US. Here the risks are so amazingly tiny I won't bother with the math.

3. Tetnus: According to the CDC website

The average annual number of tetanus cases during 1998--2000 was 43 --- 45 cases in 1998, 42 in 1999, and 43 in 2000. The lowest average annual number of cases for a 3-year period in the United States since tetanus became reportable in 1947 was 41 cases per year during 1995--1997 (1). The average annual incidence rate during 1998--2000 was 0.16 cases per million population, approximately the same as the average annual rate during 1995--1997 (0.15 cases per million population). The incidence rate during 1998--2000 was a 96% decrease from 3.9 cases per million population reported in 1947

I could not find data for the last 10 years. Risk for getting tetnus seems amazingly low.

4. Rotavirus:

"Vaccinated and unvaccinated children may develop rotavirus disease more than once because there are many different types of rotavirus and because neither vaccine nor natural infection provides full immunity (protection) from future infections. Usually a person’s first infection with rotavirus causes the most severe symptoms." According to the CDC, the vaccine isn't super effective and according to this website the need for a vaccine for this is pretty shaky. The author of the article got most of their info off the CDC's webpage.

5. H. influenzae type b (Hib)
In 2009 there were a whopping 79 cases in California reported. That gives us a risk of .000212% I'm shaking in my boots. The fear is getting to be overwhelming. Better go out and vaccinate my baby.

I understand the need to "vaccinate the herd" and I will eventually bring Charissa's vaccinations up to date to be a good sheep but I'm more comfortable with my decision to delay it for now. I feel like I need to be armed with facts and figures after the tongue lashing I got last time I refused the silver needle. I just want to protect her as long as I can.

The Finger: phone pics

2011-05-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

The bummer about nursing is that I simply can't get anything done in the evenings. This means I spend most nights like this

or like this.

TV on. Rotting my brain. Snuggling my honnys.

Happy Mother's day

2011-05-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

Funny story about this picture. It was supposed to be a picture of JUST the kids but Isaac wasn't going to sit still for anyone so I had to slap on some lipgloss and hope that no one noticed that I don't really color coordinate with the kiddoes. Oh well. As it turns out it makes a perfect mother's day photo.

And speaking of mothers day

You know you are the mother of an infant when you dream of cereal all night and wake up smelling like milk.

You know you are are mother of more than 2 when you can't keep anyone's name straight. "Come here Za, uh, Eli, uh , Is , uh, you'de better get right over here ... YOU."

You know you are the mother of more than 3 when you finally decide sleeping in your clothes is an efficient way of using your time and the easiest way of getting ready in the morning.

You know you are the mother of more than 4 when you constantly count your children .. just to make sure they are all there.

You know you are the mother of 5 when you have to ask yourself "Did I eat lunch, wait, did I even eat breakfast?" and "When was the last time I took a shower?" and "How many days have I worn these jeans anyway"

You know you are the mother of 6 when ... wait ... NOT GOING TO GO THERE!!!

And finally you know that you are a mom when you spend all evening gazing at the little cutie sleeping in your arms and nothing could tear your attention away.

So raise a cup of luke-warm re-heated 3 times (sadly) decaf coffee and let's toast to motherhood. The world's most wonderful, noble, amazing, and beautiful profession.

(Did someone say toast?)

What I wore Wednesday

2011-05-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

Some of the ladies at my church have been doing a post on Wednesday for awhile to just show the world what they wear .. for fun! While I'm not up for displaying my post-prego transitional "wardrobe" I've been feeling like taking pictures of some of my favorite hair before I hack it all off. Today: messy side braid bun

Good Friday

2011-04-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

The sun died a little that day
the earth stood gasping in the dark
the light source gone
till shuddering, it flicked back on

The temple rent it's Vail

while scattered whispers
questioned, "Did He fail?"

and thundering silence
blanketed the dawn.

Weekend Plans

2011-03-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

If you don't have any plans this weekend and want to see a fun family movie, check out the sneak preview of "The Lost Medallion" at the new Atascadero movie theater (corner of highway 41 and El Camino Real) as part of the San Luis Film Festival. Some of the actors are driving up from L.A. and I've heard the handsome, talented and amazing (post production) Producer and visual effects Wizard will be there too.

Happy New Year!

2011-02-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late on my New Year's resolutions but that is merely due to my thoroughly ~~delayed~~ evaluated thought process. This New Year I want to know Love.

Last Summer was glorious. All 6 of us had just moved into 3 three bedroom house and almost couldn't believe our good fortune! We were finally going to have enough room. The week after we moved in I found out I was pregnant, a month later my sister moved in, a month after that my niece and my parents joined them. With the birth of Charissa we are now a family of 11 ... in a 3 bedroom house.

Through all this I asked God to teach me how to love and serve my family. I still haven't figured it out (and honestly, I'm not really even trying sometimes) but the series we've been going through at church has really challenged me. I guess I had no idea what love is -- at all and I have been doing a very poor job. (I cannot begin to summarize this series, you have to listen to the podcasts yourself.)

Somewhere in the chaos that is my life right now I've realized that the good times will come and go, life will always be harder than I wish it and relationships will always take more effort than I want to give but ...

... to live a life that goes beyond bearable and that is full of the deepest satisfaction and overwhelming joy you must know God because to know God is to love God and to love God is to love others and in doing that -- we are doing what delights and pleases Him and us the most. God tells us that He is love and in order to be more like Him I have to lift up my crippled little heart and let Him fill me with His crazy love.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” - C. S. Lewis

A little grace

2011-02-13T17:42:00.000-08:00

So, just to clarify, the child's name is Charissa - rhymes with Melissa but starts with a K sound. It means Grace. Her middle name is Janelle which means God is gracious and in case you think we are being redundant we thought that by the time you get to baby number 5 you need extra grace.

Charissa Janelle Moses

2011-01-27T01:45:00.000-08:00

Born: 01.25.11 at 8pm
Weight: 8.03
Length: 21in
mother and baby are at home and doing fine

details and pictures to come ...

Perspective

2011-01-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

My wishes each process before your throne.
Behind them all a motive
    known to you alone.

You see right through them and address my need
     while I look on.

It seems you take no heed
    to my wants, my will -
         and yet
I trust you still.

Grace

2010-12-28T22:36:00.000-08:00

I held out a little grace
             and said,
"It's not for you.
You give to me instead. "

The hand that held the grace
           that I withdrew
Returned empty
     and I knew

There is no grace for me
where there is none for you.

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

I John 4:19

Off topic

2010-12-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

This year I've been reading runner up classics, you know, books written by authors of classical/popular literature that never made the classics list. Here are some examples

Rudjard Kipling: Captain Courageous
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Lost World
C.S. Lewis: Til we have faces, The Pilgrim's Regress
Ernest Hemmingway: Farewell to Arms

... among others. It was pretty fun to explore books that I hadn't even heard of (in some cases) written by author's whose style I already love. Some of my favorite books are just off the main concensus. See if you can guess the authors

Villette
Absent in the spring
Titus Andronicus
Samson Agonistes

Sometimes reading the next best thing is better than reading the work an author is famous for because you can go into it without any huge expectations.

How about you? Do you have a favorite book by a popular/classical author that didn't quite make the best seller list?

It came upon a Midnight Clear

2010-11-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

Our family doesn't have ~~any~~ many Christmas traditions which is good and bad. Bad because we don't have a specific set of activities and expectations to achieve, good because we do different things each year to make the season special. This Sunday I pulled out my trusty book of hymn stories and read about the history of It came upon a Midnight Clear (and you can too here.)

For some reason it really spoke to my heart since it seems as if my life is noisy, chaotic and a wee bit wearisome these days. This verse, which wasn't in either of my hymnals, was especially sweet:

Yet with the woes of sin and strife the world hath suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man hears not the love song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife and hear the angels sing.

This Christmas I'm hoping to find a way to be still and listen.

Beauty

2010-10-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Pretty is pleasant but Beauty is inspiring

True beauty changes us. It inspires, provokes, challenges but I don't think we even realize it because it is a joyful and glorious experience. Where is the beauty in your life and how does it affect you?

Note: This isn't a random question, it's a thought I've been pondering lately and I really want to know, so please share! (lurkers: this means YOU)

Fail

2010-10-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling like a bit of a failure lately. Good thing I'm in the best of company. Last night Phillip and I were browsing failblog.org and a couple of time I had to hold my eyelids open with my fingers my face was so wrinkled up in laughter and I couldn't see the next post. This one was my favorite.

see more funny videos

Ghosted

2010-10-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

We came home from a friend's house tonight and found that we had been ghosted. I'd never heard of this game before and I'm looking forward to playing. Does anyone else out there play this game in your neighborhood? What a great way to build community! You can read more about game rules and resources here

It's a .. a .. a..

2010-09-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

Now that I've got your attention I just have to say that it is always an amazing and breath taking thing to see your unborn child on the Rorschach monitor. Phillip and I took Eliannah to the appointment as she was the most interested party involved.

Once the doctor declared the baby healthy he started asking Eliannah why she wanted a sister. Eliannah then had to tell him that she was the only girl in a family of three boys. The doctor didn't think it was very fair either. "Good thing you are having a sister this time," he said. Just like that. No fanfair, no fireworks, no rosepetals dropping from the sky. It might not have been a big deal to him. But it means the WORLD to us.

(p.s. don't expect me to post some blurry little Skeletor baby picture. I think ultra sound photos look creepy.)

Hymn and Her

2010-09-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well. I've simply dropped the ball. In the last month for our family devotions we've reinstated singing time and I'm just amazed by what my children don't know and/or can't remember. Phillip and I can sing the first line to just about anything and then one of us will start singing the second half of verse 2 while still on verse 1 or some other amalgam of verses, sometimes including words from other hymns in a strange medley that in no way resemble the original beauty intended by the hymn writer. It's time to change that. This week I'm putting together a family hymnal and I think 2 weeks per hymn would be sufficient. Now I just have to decide what ones make the top 10. Any suggestions?

Another thing we're doing is filling our house with music (via the ipod dock) to let the kids listen to hymns and worship recordings. Some favorites are Baby Loves Hymns, Seeds family worship and anything put out by Cedarmont kids. I'm downloading "Songs Jesus Said" right now and if you want to order it too you can use the coupon code Moses47253 for the next two weeks for 10% off!! This coupon can be used multiple times by multiple peoples. What do your kids listen to?

Of Course!

2010-08-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

A poem by Longfellow for his friend Agassiz (Louis Agassiz,?) on his 50th birthday.

It was fifty years ago
In the pleasant month of May,
In the beautiful Pays de Vaud,
A child in its cradle lay.

And Nature, the old nurse, took
The child upon her knee,
Saying: "Here is a story-book
Thy Father has written for thee.

"Come, wander with me," she said,
"Into regions yet untrod;
And read what is still unread
In the manuscripts of God."

And he wandered away and away
With Nature, the dear old nurse,
Who sang to him night and day
The rhymes of the universe.

And whenever the way seemed long,
Or his heart began to fail,
She would sing a more wonderful song,
Or tell a more marvelous tale.

So she keeps him still a child,
And will not let him go,
Though at times his heart beats wild
For the beautiful Pays de Vaud.

I've been really struck by how much time I waste on the internet lately, surrounding myself with the surreal. The thing I keep coming back to is that if I'm not careful I get lost in a dream world with where nothing is authentic, nothing is true. This poem is the last piece of the puzzle. Of course I should immerse myself in nature, love the outdoors and make a point of interacting with my Father's world as much as possible. The Bible says:

Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
       the skies proclaim the work of his hands. ² Day after day they pour forth speech;
       night after night they display knowledge.
³ There is no speech or language
       where their voice is not heard. ^[a]
⁴ Their voice ^[b] goes out into all the earth,
       their words to the ends of the world.
       In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
⁵ which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
       like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
       and makes its circuit to the other;
       nothing is hidden from its heat.

(Ps 19 goes on to praise God's revealed will as written in his law too. You can read the rest of it here)

I've been trying to focus on Ps. 101:3 "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes". and Phillipians 4:8 ^"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

I gotta admit, it's been hard but as I turn off the t.v. and close the computer I've found myself loving the reality around me, embracing it and finding that there is no substitute for real living.

(p.s. but don't be surprised to find me on here, on facebook and elsewhere online. I'm attempting to be cautious about how must time I ~~waste~~ spend but I'm not going off the grid completely)

God writes poetry

2010-06-28T23:48:00.000-07:00

Do you roll your eyes when I start to get enthusiastic about poetry? Do you think you don't understand poetry or maybe even find it vague, long winded and pointless (If you fall under that last category you have to read Lewis Carrol's poem about poetry, it's hilarious).

Well, you are not alone, but I think that (good) poetry is amazing. It is beauty, it is raw emotion, it is instructive, it is funny, it is satirical, sarcastic, eye opening, rich and deep. How can you not agree with me? Well, if you still don't I have a few questions for you.

Q: How many books of poetry are in the Old Testament?

A: Officially there are 5 (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon), however, most of the book of prophecy are written largely in verse so a better question would be:

Q: What percentage of the O.T. is poetry?

A: 1/3 or 33%. There are only 7 o.t. books that contain no poetry (Leviticus, Ruth, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, and Malachi)

Does that shock you?

O.k., let's move onto the New Testament.

Q: How much of the New Testament is strictly poetry?

A: I have no idea. This one is harder to quantify as there are songs, hymns, benedictions and beautifully lyric passages throughout so let's just look at one of the most amazing events in human history: the birth of Christ. We know that it was foretold in O.T. poetry but in Luke we find that the events leading up to His birth are heralded by some of the loveliest songs ever written (The Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55; The Benedictus Luke 1:68-79; Gloria in Excelsis Luke 2:14; and Nunc Dimitis Luke 2:29-32) and that's just for starters! The rest of the N.T. is full of hymns, prayers, benediction, ect -- and don't tell me that the Beatitudes don't have a special flow and beauty to them! But let's get back to our questions

Q: How much of the o.t. is quoted in the N.T.?

A: There are 283 direct quotations

Q: What is the most quoted book in the New Testament?

A: Psalms, a book of poetry, quoted 116 times

Q: What is the second most quoted book?

A: Isaiah, another book of poetry quoted 66 times which means that (and please please please correct my faulty math, it's almost midnight) 35% of all the O.T. quotations found in the N.T. are poetry

So I ask you, are you reading Leviticus, Ruth, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, and Malachi exclusively in order to avoid poetry? Or, are you reading some of the most beautiful literature known to man and not fully appreciating it for what it is - pure poetry.

5

2010-06-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Is a nice number if you are talking about pairs of hot pink shoes or truffles or birthday cards. Five is a huge number if you are talking cars or houses. Five is an overwhelming number if you are talking children. At least I think so. In any case I'm about to find out in January.

If you think about it please pray for our baby. Phillip and I have incompatible blood types and Isaac came out Coombs positive. Since we don't know Phillip's blood type, we don't know if he is RH + (I'm negative) which can lead to problems with the baby; or if he is A, B, or AB (I'm O) which could lead to a milder reaction.

(The funny thing is that all my kids had jaundice - except Isaac and he was the one most at risk for it.)

I've also had a history of miscarriage which is why we normally keep this kind of news a secret but Phillip kind of let the cat out of the bag (I've never seen the man so excited) and since we haven't had a chance to tell eveyone that we should have told first we didn't want anyone to find out from a friend of a friend and get their feelings hurt.

So, here it is. Crazy, huh?

Status Report

2010-04-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Isaac turned one a couple of weeks ago. Here are a list of his accomplishments

He can say:
"Num Num" (food)
Mommy and Mama
Daddy and Dada
Za (Zak)
Uh Oh
No No
A Da (all done)

His favorite thing to do is race up the stairs any time we have forgotten to put up the gate. He is very very quick. Everytime he gets up the stairs he has a choice of three doors to go through. Without fail he chooses the door to the kids room and goes straight for the toy cabinet. It is so cute!

He also loves to empty boxes and sit in them. He REALLY loves to sit in the dishwasher but that's a "No no". I don't think he believes us on that one since we always smile and giggle when he gets in there.

He loves swimming too. As soon as we get to the pool he crawls right over to the edge, turns around and starts climbing onto the first step.

He has progressed from being the perfect baby into being the perfect 1 year old. He has 12 teeth (4 of them molars) and never drooled! He hates drool. If I am feeding him and he feels food on his chin he wipes it off with his hand.

His only bad habit is that of sneaking into the bathroom and splashing in the toilet. It makes me want to barf when I think about it. We do our best to keep that door shut.

I just love the picture on the Left. It really shows what goes on in our house. Isaac is the center of attention and we all just love him to pieces. (Also he just started giving hugs, I just can't stand it. He is too cute!)

On Psalm 73

2010-04-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

My faith
like the ocean
tiptoes up and down the beach

Your love
like the sand
remaining always within reach

My eye
sees your empty hand
- a hand that's full of grace

My hand
reaches, groping, blind
and feels not your embrace

Futilely I wander on
begging for a penny
instead you give me wealth in gold
and say "I haven't any".

Lambent sunlight
on my face
eclipsed by Your immeasurable grace
- a waterfall that cuts through a drought -

Lord, you have blessed me from within
and blessed me with without.

-jm

Whom have I in heaven but you?
       And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
       but God is the strength of my heart
       and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25-26

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

2010-04-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

I read this tonight and it really seemed to fit in with my last post

^{I Thessalonians 4:1-8}
¹Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. ²For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
³It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴that each of you should learn to control his own body^[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; ⁶and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. ⁷For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. ⁸Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Trust Challenge

2010-04-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Do you trust your kids? I do. Perhaps too much? One never knows until it is too late. My kids pack their own school lunches (Eliannah packs a lunch on Ladies Bible Study day but I "suppliment" her choices).

At first I checked their lunches, then I went through a verbal check list. Now I trust them to pack a fruit, two snacks, some sort of protein and a drink.

Can I say this out loud? I also leave lighters and matches where the kids could - if they chose - access them. Why would I do that? Am I some terrible mom?

I sat them down recently and talked to them about trust. About knowing that these things are out there and not using them. You can see where I am going with this.

We talk about 'choosing not to look' when we are in line at the grocery store, or when we are at the beach. I'm trying to teach my daughter to love being covered up and modest. (and here's a good reason why she wears board shorts over her swimsuit)

In this sex saturated culture where porn is only a click away (you HAVE to read this article if you have boys) I don't know how to raise gentlemen. Some of the websites Phillip and I use to watch tv shows have distasteful pop up. We know how to avoid them but children are so curious I'm working on teaching them to manage their curiosity and trust us that some things are best left alone for right now (and some stuff so ugly, so destructive, so mind altering that they are best left un-experienced)

How are you teaching your kids to be trustworthy? How are you "porn proofing" your kids?

Jolly Green Giant

2010-03-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

Recently, as a consequence of my inerrest in moral philosophy and applied ethics my family has decided to go locavore organic. We watched Food inc. we did some research, watched some TED (more about TED later) we'd been wondering for some time ... but now we are in for the big experiment. Can a family of 6 eat organic without going broke? What is this lifestyle going to cost?

In the Fall we had to cut out most fast food eating due to our wheat allergies. We also had to give up 99% of convenience food and adjust our family menu. It's been a lot of work and needs even more work (Hooray for Crock Pot blogs!) but it is a priority.

Maybe I'm turning into a Hippie, I am growing my hair out after all! If you see me in birkenstocks and a jumper ... just shoot me.

Anyway, back to TED, after you watch this and this, you'll see that mankind can work with nature in a way that is ethical, responsible and, maybe even redemptive? We don't have to destroy the earth in order to feed it. To quote Dan Barber, "We don't have a supply problem, we have a distribution problem."

It's time for my family to look at things differently. What about yours?

Nature Hikes

2010-03-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

Lately our family has been trying to go on at least one nature hike a week, usually on Saturdays. I have a book that helps identify local flowers and another book that helps us find local hikes.

A couple of weeks ago we went to Pirates Cove. Yes. I know it is a nude beach but it is the most beautiful hike I've been on and we figured that winter was the time to go. (At least the guy in "khaki shorts" was laying on his tummy and Phillip was the only one that saw him.)

next hike I will be on the look out for wildflowers to identify. All I can remember from this hike was : poison oak, marsh grass (on the top of the hill, I only remember it because I was so surprised to see it there) and perennial mustard - which is everywhere this time of year.

Squinting at the Son

2010-03-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

Black words on a white field.
Punctuation rain.
Speeding past the dew drops.
Hastening down the lane.

A patch of beauty grows there.
In mud fresh for your toes there.
Join me for a minute
in it.

Look at a field of flowers
for hours

Will you lose time in that glance?

by counting rock and bud
by listening to the creek in flood?

If you've lost a day
you've lost your soul.

but if after you have come

you lay aside both time and pride
and find that once begun
you could spend a lifetime there
squinting at the Son.

Do you read your Bible? if so, how often do you study it? I know that I am embarrassed by my own response to the question. One of my Bible professors wrote something that really challenged me to rethink my fruitless faith and faithless study habits. Starting today I am planning on reading whole books instead of disconnected chunks. Here are a list of books with 10 or less chapters to start off with:

O.T.
Ruth
Ezra
Esther
Song of Songs
Lamentations
Joel
Amos
Obediah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephania
Haggai
Malachi

For the N.T.: Start in Galatians and every book (except Hebrews and Revelations) has 10 or less chapters.

Why not alternate O.T. one month, N.T. the next? Read an entire book each day for a month. Write down your thoughts and interesting questions. Be amazed. Be excited. Answer your own questions. Be challenged. If you can't manage to do this, ask yourself: Why not? (p.s. I'm starting with Jude)

VES awards

2010-03-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

If you don't know, Phillip was nominated for a VES award for supporting visual effects on "The Road" (didn't see the movie? neither did I!). He didn't win but it was very fun to go to a Hollywood award ceremony, especially with this particular group.

When I found out that we were going to this thing I asked Phillip about 100 times what kind of dress I should wear - he said a cocktail dress. I bought (and returned) 5 dresses and tried on about 30 dresses all the while looking for the perfect cocktail dress.

On Saturday, Phillip and I went out shopping again and he selected what he wanted me to wear and even helped pick out the right acessories (I told him what I wanted and he helped me find it). It was a lot of fun and I was happy that we wouldn't look like country bumpkins.

On Sunday morning when I woke up Phillip informed me that he took a closer look at his invitation and realized that this was going to be a black tie event that he would need to rent a tux for -- on a Sunday!! Good thing we were down in L.A. and he could find a tux shop that was open. I was sick to death of shopping for a dress so I decided my classic LBD would just have to do as I wasn't going to the mall again.

The evening was amazing! VE people are so down to earth. They know that they are nerds but they are also dreamers and delight in the beauty they create as well as delighting in the beauty that their industry creates. James Cameron was getting a Life Time Achievement award that night and hearing him speak was amazing. He quoted Jules Vern in his acceptance speach: "Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real." ... And that pretty much encapsulates what the VE industry does.

So many stories, so much fun. Such a great time. Almost made up for the fact that he didn't win. Almost. (sorry for the bad pic, we didn't take any at the event and outdoor pics = squinting in the sun)

Looking at the backs of our heads.

2010-02-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

"And the mother's beauty is a ministering motherhood, and in the old woman there is a great remembering." Rainer Maria Rilke

I was really blessed the other day by an old (and I mean OLD) women from church. She said that she sits a few rows behind us on Sundays and loves watching our family. I guess she sees all the hugs, pats on the head, whispers and snuggles. We kind of enjoy the time with the boys and usually permit them to draw pictures but Zak has to fill in the blanks of the sermon outline in his bulitin in between drawing the latest installment of "Diaper Boy" ( Isaac as a super hero). Sure they wiggle and we often have to shush them. Eliot still doesn't quite know how to whisper quietly. Sometimes, even though we took them right before the service, we have to take them to the bathroom again but to an old observer, it's all a blessing. I guess in the messyiness that is parenting I forget that children are a blessing to more than just me and Phillip. I guess I forget that the Bible often speaks of the gospel in the context of families and that trying, failing, forgiving and loving are all a part of living that gospel. I guess I forget that love is always a blessing, even accidentally, even to an observer three rows right behind my back.

A break in the clouds ...

2010-02-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Highjacked by a wide blue sky
kidnapped by an arching sea
waylaid by an eagle cry
captivated by captivity

slow the rescue till I see the moon
if I escape before nightfall
it will be too soon.

math = poetry?

2010-01-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

... that certainly doesn't make any sense. Math is a solid unmovable force of real concrete thinking - or is it?

For a long time now I have been very frustrated with the home school math program I have been using. I don't know how to communicate these ideas to Zak in a way that he will understand. His teacher says that he is doing well but I know that he is able to perform the functions asked of him without really getting it.

I don't blame him. I hate math. I am the "anti- math". I'm a free spirit, I like creative expression, imagination ... etc. math is .. well.. you know ... math.

But what if math wasn't the dull dry lump of grey cement that I imagine it to be? What if it is in fact a very beautiful if not well understood form of art?

I am reading the most fascinating and challenging book right now that is really changing the way I want to do math. It is called A Mathmetician's Lament.
Here is the captivating quote on the inside cover that caused me to purchase the book on a whim:

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

- Antoine de Saint Exupery

Anyone know of any good resources to help me on my way?

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

2010-01-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard,
One glance most kind
That fell like sunshine where it went—
Then you may count that day well spent.
But if, through all the livelong day,
You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay—
If, through it all
You’ve nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face—
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost—
Then count that day as worse than lost.

O.k. I needed this poem today, and any day that ends in little housework, little homeschooling and (seemingly) little else. Today is a good day to read good books together and have a picnic under the table.

Merry Yesmas!

2009-12-30T22:06:00.000-08:00

As I was trying to explain the big deal surrounding New Years Eve I realized that I had never celebrated it with the kids! Since I don't want to keep them up all night we will instead be celebrating "Yesmas".

The Rules: Tomorrow I must say yes.

Can we have donuts for breakfast? Yes
Can we do play dough? Yes?
Can you fix my bunny, my pillow, my broken ornament?
Can you read me a book, play with me etc? Yes , yes, yes, ... and so forth

The only parameters are that I won't buy them anything, it must be within reason and be able to be started and finished in one day. I've been thinking of keeping a list of all the things I constantly say 'no' to somewhere and bringing it out once a month for "Yes" day but it all depends on how tomorrow goes.

Oh, and to start it off I will be going to a "Noon Years Eve" party at the Children's Museum at 10 in SLO if you want to join me!

Christmas' Eve

2009-12-23T22:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas' Eve

"It is good"
- a completed beginning
Earth* and Hayya**, the mother of all living
took unbreathed breaths from an atmosphere
still shivering
with 6 long days of labor and delivering.

1,000 year old child? newborn teen?
a year or two in between?
As the sun dried the hair
all ribboned with dew
it polished the glistening fruit tree too.

An arm length away was too close on that day.
Paradise lost for a snack.
-- but grace and mercy answered back.

A breadth of love, with an unknown depth of love
until:
Somewhere, someday, in a tree, on a hill
a Gardener lay still.

Without her we would have never know
Without Him, we never will.

Hayya or in English, Eve; means living, or mother of all living
Adam means earth in Hebrew

JM 12-23-2009

A VERY good book

2009-12-17T23:38:00.000-08:00

I was 8 or 9, in a hotel with my family waiting for bed, and decided that "tonight is the night I start reading my Bible". I picked up the Gideon Bible from the nightstand and chose the book of Habakuk from the table of contents because I didn't know anything about it and it was pretty short. None of it made any kind of sense to me until I came to 3:17-19. It knocked my socks off.

There were so many wonderful things to be discovered back then. There were so many treasures, so many crazy stories (Jael? six fingers and six toes? a honeycomb in a lion's carcass?). I remember the month that I read Phillipeans every day. I remember reading through the entire Bible each year through highschool and college, trying to memorize Psalm 119, giggling through Song of Solomon.

I don't want my Bible to be a habit (and a very poorly cultivated one at that). I want it to be the place were I discover God again and again in deeper and more meaningful ways. In one hour I will turn 31 but tonight I'm going to finish being 30 and I'm going to sit down with a good book.

¹¹For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (emphasis mine)

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for calling out to me and gently leading me by the hand since childhood. You have been so very faithful. I am overwhelmed by your great goodness and mercy .. for they are from of old. You have guarded and guided me my whole life. This is the path you chose for me. You are my Lord, apart from you I have no good thing. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (psalm 16) Amen

(p.s. if you are a lurker, I'd love to hear from you - it being my birthday and all ...)

Sunset

2009-12-16T09:01:00.001-08:00

Did you see that Sunset last night? AMAZING!!

The blushing clouds shrank back
from the winking sun
the sea as well looked crimson
The five minute masterpiece
like wax
once lit, dissolved.
It's form relaxed.
The paintbrush soaked in disappearing ink
was rinsed once more in God's gigantic sink.

Merry Mythmas

2009-12-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

I think every year I post something about the myths of Christmas. When I read the Christmas story I see no donkey, no inn and now ... no star.

Heresy? I don't know but it is very interesting how the birth of our Savior is celebrated by inflatable nativities, fat red guys, trees and twinkly lights. How this encourages a heart of worship or causes us to stand in awe I do not know but when we stand before a holy God we will not fall to our knees, we will fall on our faces. If I can communicate one thing to my children this Christmas it will be that God is great and worthy of our praise.

I dreamed a dream in times gone by ...

2009-12-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

Eliannah: I can't wait to grow up and get to wear a beautiful dress and meet my prince.

Me: Do you know who my prince is?

Eliannah: Of course I do. His name is Daddy you know.

Me: But what happens after you get married?

(Eliannah looks stumped and doesn't answer)

I gaze around at the loads of laundry, dozens of dishes and mobs of dust bunnies silently proliferating on every flat surface of my house. I thought about all I had hoped for, all I had dreamed of when I was a child and looking at the faces around the table, I answered my own question.

I pointed to each and every one of them and smiled. "This is what happens after you get married. This is my Happily Ever After. "

Phillosophy of Benefaction

2009-12-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

Gift giving this year is going to look a bit different and I want each present I give to my children to reflect my parenting goals for them.

Goal #1: I want my children to be captivated by the person and work of Jesus Christ, to be amazed at the love and goodness of their Heavenly Father and to fully depend on the perfect and continuing work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Goal #2: I want my children to grow up in an environment that teaches them to prize, cultivate and express their personal creativity.

Goal #3: I want my kids to enjoy learning about nature and exploring the great outdoors. I want them to experience the freedom to physically exhaust themselves as they learn to use and master their physical strengths and weaknesses.

Goal #4: to give them a gift that encourages them in and rewards them for an area in their life in which they are especially gifted or are making great progress.

.... because I don't just want to give them more stuff. What is your philosophy of benefaction?

$easons Greetings

2009-12-03T15:58:00.000-08:00

Just a few more lights
and a box of clatter
(we always buy
the ones that won't shatter).

The perfect tree swapped with little regret
for the Jackson five
archive in our wallet

layers of happy wrap
in a ribbon vice
holds on to those sweaters
that will be gifted twice

The 30 day sparkle
and 15 minute goodwill
take a one way trip -
Destination? Landfill.

-jm

No, I'm not a grinch. I love Christmas. I love presents. I love Christmas decorations, songs, etc. This poem was born of a conversation with someone who was so fed up with the commercialization of Christmas that their family boycotted it for several years.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

It was supposed to be a dollar
and then
by the time it left my hand
it was a ten

the cigarette halo
the filth stained hands
saved me from a day
full of impotent plans

on my list: to say thanks
on my heart : not to mean it
on my mind: a Heavenly Father who'd seen it.

Thank you Lord for reminding me that what I have is always enough when I have you.

My right hand man ...

2009-11-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

... has been working 14-30 hour days (I know, the math doesn't work on that one). And as much as I would like to be a super mom, it just not possible I'm afraid. The house is a mess, the kids are a mess, I'm a mess ... this verse was shared at Bible Study yesterday. I needed it.

Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

9

2009-11-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

"A careful reading of Plato makes it clear that love ... always has an object. Although we may love a person, according to Plato, it is the essence of beauty that draws us to the person." (Psychology of Love, Bernard Murstein)

Murstein goes on to say that while physical beauty may draw us to a person, we continue to love and grow in our love as we learn to appriciate their moral and intelectual beauty.

I've also heard that our love of a person enhances their beauty in our eyes, both physically and otherwise. That, at least to us the object of our love is more beautiful, more wonderful, more amazing than any other.

Does love leave us blind and deluded? I don't think so. Everybody knows that their beloved has faults. We may even choose to overlook them completely or pretend they don't exist, but deep down - we know, ... we know.

While this is turning into a less than flattering anniversary post I've been thinking a lot about the last 9 years of my life and man, we've been through some tough times but Phillip, despite your infinite idiosyncracies and shortcomings - you are more beautiful, more wonderful, more amazing to me now than ever before and I love you. Happy Anniversary!

Happy tears

2009-11-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

My two sweet boys have been talking about it for weeks. Eliot has mentioned a certain pocket knife several times. There has been talk of rock monsters and transformers. You guessed it. Tonight was the Awana Store.

After Sparks got out tonight Zak just couldn't hide his disapointment.

"Mom, everything cost $100 dollars and there were no sales or discounts or anything!"

I felt terrible for him and then he handed me this.

I think it is beautiful.

Moral Obligation:

2009-10-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

"We don't have a moral obligation to everyone in the world, that would be impossible. But we do have a moral obligation to everyone we come up against, those in our "moral space" so to speak."

Andrew McCall Smith

Have we in America lost our sense of moral obligation to each other? As the generations pass are we growing more and more selfish? Have we come to consider each other as less valuable and more trivial in our strive for personal independence? Are we coming to lose sight of the fact that we must both give and take, need and be needed by those around us to fully express our own humanity? Anything less than that is a hypocritical assumption that our lives could be lived most perfectly when we manage to avoid giving or asking anything from anyone.

Jesus fielded a similar question, you can read about it here

Haiku

2009-10-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

I remember learning about Haiku in grade school and disliking it. Now I get to teach it to Eliot. He was supposed to write his own but I "helped"

Wind
scrubbing my face red
moving leaves with one sneeze
cold harsh autumn wind

The only Haiku I have ever liked is the following:

Haikus are easy
but sometimes they don't make any sense
refridgerator

- anonymous

Extravagance

2009-10-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

I don't respond well to extravagance. I don't think I deserve it, I don't think I need it. It is too much. I can be happy with less. Do I have a right to refuse to accept a gift that is "too much"? Do I have the right to rob the giver of that joy? The giver knows I don't deserve it, knows it is more than I could ever have thought of or ever considered desiring but he wants to give it anyway. It takes a huge dose of humility and submission to accept. No, I'm not talking about salvation and I won't divulge what the gift or the giver is I'm just trying to work out why I have such a problem with it. I think it boils down to pride. I'd rather earn something. I'd rather deserve it, but then it wouldn't be a gift. It would be a payment.

Romans 4:2-4

²If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. ³What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. ⁵However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."

You can read the rest of the chapter here

I might have to try this

2009-10-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

a single serving of home made pie! Yup! I'll have to let you know if it tastes good. I'm sooooo going to be giving this as gifts this Christmas, maybe ... when I find that hour or two of spare time ...

Rolly Polly Ollie

2009-10-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

That's Isaac! This week he cut his first tooth, learned to roll from front to back and from back to front. He is also getting up on his hands and knees.

In other news ...

My dad is getting back from Africa after being there for business for the last 7 weeks. Also, scientists have discovered a ring around Saturn and my house is a mess again/still. In case anyone was wondering ...

5

2009-09-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

soft tiny
your hand
face giggling in smile

below belly dance
leg can can kick style

grunt chuckle squeak
splarch
mouth full of cornstarch

lint velcro neck
V eyebrow arch

five months too fast
fast months to five
tummy time tango
jumping jack jive

(with apologies to e.e. cummings)

my maddonari

2009-09-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have never gone to see "I maddonari" it is amazing. Basically it is a time when local businesses sponsor an artist to create a chalk drawing. The quality and diversity is great and when do you ever really sit down and talk to your children about Picasso's Cubism, Degas impressionism and the weird swamp monster picture that Trader Joe's sponsored. The kids were inspired.

"SiCee"

2009-09-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Dirt burnished face,
   tarnished with love.
Tucked in the palm
   of a bachelor glove

Unraveled expression -
   yarn coif in tatters
My baby loves this baby
   and that's all that matters.

Home school mission statement: revised

2009-09-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

"I love my children. I love their little personalities. I am aware of their flaws and weaknesses. I want to give them the best possibly education I can afford and I believe that I am best able to do this by partnering with the professional teachers and staff at SLOCA where they can grow as individuals alongside other children whose parents have similar goals. I want their education to involve an investment in their character, work ethic, and spiritual growth. I want them to know that I would do anything for them, sacrifice everything I have for them, and learn for them in order to teach them better. I want them to know that I do all this so that hopefully at the end of their home school experience they can look back as well rounded individuals ready to contribute to a greater community and see that the journey we started together was immensely worth it for our entire family."

This year is going to be tough. We positively cannot afford tuition but we are going to do our very best to make this thing work. We believe it in THAT much.

September

2009-09-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

SEPTEMBER

by: Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)

The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusty pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest,
In every meadow nook;
And asters by the brook-side
Make asters in the brook.

From dewy lanes at morning
The grapes' sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.

But none of all this beauty
Which floods the earth and air
Is unto me the secret
Which makes September fair.

'Tis a thing which I remember;
To name it thrills me yet:
One day of one September
I never can forget.

First week of school ...

2009-09-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

I was challenged at the beginning of this school year. I was challenged to actually enjoy home schooling. All summer long I looked around my messy house full of dirty diapers, dirty laundry and dirty dishes and thought to myself "How in the world am I going to homeschool two children when I can't even keep our 900 square feet of domicile clean?" (also, how can I home school two children when I keep typing "homeschool" instead of "home school" and learning from spell check that I am incorrect.)

This year our school administrator invited us to find something satisfying, fulfilling and meaningful that we get out of home schooling and to delight in it. Don't get me wrong, I love the meaningful moments with my kids, I love reading them stories, seeing their progress and assuming I've had something to do with it, but the whole idea of giving up hobbies, interests, time, personal space and 5 hours of quiet a day to educate my children is rather daunting.

I want to write and arraign music. I want to practice the piano and sing for hours. I want to read and write poetry. I want to do a little sewing. I want to grow as an individual and give to my family wholeheartedly instead of begrudgingly. I like peace and quiet, I like order. I hate having a map of the world cover one dining room wall and a white board cover the other BUT

I love my children. I want them to get the best possibly education I can afford. I want them to grow as individuals alongside other children whose parents have similar goals. I want to invest in their character, work ethic and spiritual growth. I want them to know that I would do anything for them, sacrifice everything I have for them, and learn for them in order to teach them better. I want them to know that I do all this so that hopefully at the end of their home school experience they can look back as well rounded individuals and see that the journey we started together was immensely worth it for our entire family.

*** Wish me luck***

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

Tell me a story!

2009-09-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

You want to see something cute?

2009-08-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

He's getting big and his hair is starting to look red. He just loves grabbing his toes, his hands, my hair, my necklace. He can get so distracted by my jewelry that he doesn't nurse! The other kids just love that he can hang on to a toy they are giving him and Zak and Eliot have convinced themselves that they are making him "violent" as he has started batting at his toys. There have been a few hurt feelings before the kids realized he wasn't intentionally punching them. We just don't deserve such a sweet baby!

Sunday's breasts

2009-08-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, thought provoking article .. to say the least. I know I've been guilty of been naive as a teenager, unconcerned as a 20 something - but now that I'm 30 it has finally sunk in and is important to me. Is it important to you?

A week without ... noise

2009-08-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Pretty much impossible right? Well, after much contemplation I decided that it is time to pull the plug on all the noise not generated by my own sweet family. So starting today - no Facebook, no TV, no radio (classical station on Pandora excepted) and less computer time.

"All the vain things that charm me most .. I sacrifice them to his blood"
Charles Wesley

Home made bread - wrap up

2009-08-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

To end my week of home made bread I made up a double batch of dough (Wednesday) but used 1/3 whole wheat. Yesterday I made baguettes, the results were very satisfying! I think I'll stick with this thing a little while longer but this next week I'm doing a week without (so much) media. More on that later...

Recipes

2009-08-19T11:23:00.001-07:00

I purchased the book "Artisan Bread in 5 min. a day" and used the recipes from there. I don't think I can post them on the blog because of copyrights but you can check out this link by the authors of that book and see if they have it up on their website.

For the zucchini bread I used Paula Deen's recipe (although I decreased the nutmeg, sugar and oil and added 1/3 cup ground flax seed) and for the pasta I made up my own recipe

4 cloves of garlic bruised and then put through my garlic press
enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan
3 cups diced zucchini and/or whatever other summer squash you may have
Parmesan regiano
dried thyme
sea salt and pepper to taste
sausage

Cook the garlic over med-low heat with the olive oil until you stink up your whole kitchen. (Since the zucchini will soak up any extra olive oil don't use too much). Add the zucchini and resist the urge to stir it too much since you want it to be browned one side but not scorched. Once it starts to get brown add the thyme and throw it in the oven at 350 while you put the pasta water on to boil. Cook up the sausage at the same time in a different pan (casing removed if yours has a casing, I used a package of breakfast sausage because I'm not a food snob and that is all I had on hand but I bet sweet Italian sausage would be better.) Once it is nice and brown toss it in with the zucchini so that the salt from the meat can permeate. Wait for the water to boil. And wait. and wait. Better throw a lid on it so it boils faster. Once the pasta is cooked (I used whole wheat rigatoni) drain it, toss it with the veggies, taste it to see if it needs additional salt and pepper and serve with some grated Parmesan. Enjoy! (for the record my children did not enjoy ... so make it at your own risk)

Home Made bread day 4: Zucchini bread

2009-08-19T08:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I made up the last of the Boule bread dough I had mixed up on Thursday. Another great result! I also made zucchini bread with the enourmous zucchini that someone anonymously left on our doorstep.

This ONE zucchini was enough for 4 batches (two loaves each- but I put some of it in the freezer to make up later) of zucchini bread with plently left over to grill up and add to our pasta dinner last night. I don't think I have ever seen such a huge zucchini in my life. The kids are loving the zucchini bread and as I made several small loaves I have about 3 friends that are going to (hopefully) enjoy some too. Thank you to who ever gave it to us!

Home made bread : day 3

2009-08-17T11:16:00.001-07:00

In case you are counting, I skipped the weekend. (I did cook on the weekend but I cheated on the peach tart tatin that I made- I used store bought puff pastry.) So today - my first real free form loaf.

I'm just going to have to get used to being plump. I was afraid that the dough didn't rise enough but with a crispy crust and a soft interior I couldn't ask for more. Time to make some home- made jam! I've had three slices (quality control :) and I know what I'll do better next time but I'm really enjoying the whole process and feel like I could really do this!

Home made bread day 2

2009-08-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm eating home- made cinnamon rolls right now and they are FANTABULOUS!! For the record real butter and Saigon Cinnamon make all the difference. I think I'm going to have to make a lifestyle change to be able to sustain this for more than a week though. Not including yesterday's prep time (made the dough yesterday) it took an hour and 15 min this morning (rising time and cooking time).

But SO worth it.

Home made bread day 1

2009-08-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

No proofing, no worrying, no kneading .. Hey! I can do this!!

A week ... without

2009-08-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

I am gripped by inspiration!! I came across a blog recently where the author was going to go a whole week without processed food. My family doesn't eat much processed food simply because in a family of 6 it doesn't make much sense (we would have to buy 4 boxes, cans, jars, etc. of whatever to feed this hungry crew ...) but one thing I have refused to give up is store-bread.

Ever since I got married and realized what actually goes into running a household my respect for my mother's cooking has gone through the roof. She made pickles and jam (I didn't know you could buy jam at the store), we canned fruit and veggies to eat in the winter, we grew food in our garden, made our own granola etc. I was taken aback when I first went to the store to buy food and found all these little packages of things that were already fixed!! how nice!

As it turns out - not so nice. Everything has HFCS in it and not only do I hate the taste of HFCS, it makes me hungrier. Everything also has a ton of salt and if I can't pronounce more than three ingredients on the list I won't buy it so now I'm almost back to making everything -- except bread.

My mom has always made her own whole wheat bread (did I mention she grinds the wheat - talk about from scratch!!) but once I was introduced to whole wheat store bread I've always liked it better. Not only that I seem to have a knack for killing yeast. I can't even make decent bread with a bread machine!! But tomorrow I'm going to try again. Tomorrow starts my week without store bread. Hopefully I can manage to make yummy, appetizing bread. (Unlike this bread)

Toothless twosome

2009-07-31T18:16:00.001-07:00

A Tale of Two Teeth

2009-07-31T16:06:00.001-07:00

What a champ! Wednesday was the big day for Eliannah's oral procedure. We had many errands to run before going to the dentist and she kept asking, "Are we going to the doctor now?" (O.K. so she was a little confused) She woke up early and got dressed hours and hours before it was time for her appointment. She was really excited, and how could she not be? The people at the dentists office made such a huge fuss over her and she figured out pretty quick that she would get a toy after every visit (she even got to pick a toy out for Zak and Eliot). I dreaded what was to come, she couldn't wait.

Once we finally got there the dentist explained to me that they were going to try the procedure with only a general anesthetic. It was hard to watch them do about 20 (not kidding) numbing injections around the site but mercifully the dentist blocked my view when he actually did the procedure. Eliannah didn't complain, didn't cry, did fuss. The only way I knew she was uncomfortable was because I could see her little chest rise and fall faster and faster and then ... out it came and she was chomping down on some gauze delighted to be picking out yet another toy. I was so proud of her!! Praise the Lord it went so well!!

Once the boys heard about her bravery (they were at my mom's down south) they were very impressed and as Zak had a loose tooth he asked me to extract it once I got there. Normally he has a panic attack and whines and moans about it but this time he patiently allowed me to yank that little sucker out and went off to bed with little more than a tissue for the blood. Guess he couldn't be shown up by little sis.

Eliannah and the Dentist

2009-07-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Phillip took the boys down south to spend the week at my mom's. This means Eliannah had time for some important things like ... a long bubble bath and a mani-pedi. She loved picking out her favorite pink nail polish and watching me paint each fingernail. So much fun!

This morning Eliannah went in for a dental cleaning before her tooth gets pulled tomorrow. The Dentist just wanted to make sure that she responded well to having hands in her mouth and she did great. The oral Hygienist was so sweet. She let Eliannah pick out her favorite tooth polish (bubble gum) and explained everything along the way about how she was going to make Eliannah's teeth nice and pretty for the dentist. When she was finished she handed Eliannah a mirror and asked her, "Now don't your teeth look pretty?"

"No" Eliannah replied.

The Hygienist looked at her and then me confused. Eliannah looked upset.

It took me a couple of seconds to find out why Eliannah was so disappointed. Coming on the heals of her recent manicure she thought that she was picking a color of tooth polish and that she was going to wind up with pink teeth!! Poor girl!!

Kisses

2009-07-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

Mommy's kiss is short and sweet
slipped in between her chores
She brings me right along with her
both in and out of doors.
So when she sees my eyes half closed
she carries me to bed.
And just before I go to sleep
- a kiss right on my head!

But daddy's kisses
come when he gets home
late at night when I should be asleep.
I get 5 -or -6 all in a rush
- - though it's kind of like being kissed by a brush
I think I like best his technique.

Poor Eliannah!

2009-07-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to see the Dentist about her gum boil today. He referred me to another dentist and is recommending a root canal of her two front teeth which are infected due to an injury to her front teeth that happened when she was 1. She will have to be put out to get it taken care of. She has no idea what is coming but I feel awful.

Once

2009-07-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Once
There was ever only one silence
that cracked the sky
There was ever only one so wretched cry
one cosmic shout
with no reply

Why forsaken?
Why alone?

God turned his back that day
the echoing dark in his wake
- as The Light slipped away.

To anyone who has ever asked "Why me?", "Where are you Lord?" Know this - God turned away from his own Son so that he wouldn't ever have to turn his back on you.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
John 3:16 - 21

Read the rest of the story here

2009-07-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this was us last year ... celebrating the 4th in Philadelphia ... watching the parade down Benjamin Franklin Parkway ... how time flies! This year - no Mummers (the crazy people in the picture are Mummers and apparently they show up for any parade, not just the New Years parade)- no parade, just a quiet 4th with a church picnic, friends, fireworks and a deeper understanding of what July 4, 1776 really meant.

Oh, and about that : after studying early American history this year it seems to me that the Declaration of Independence was written after numerous attempts by the general public to get the attention of politicians that thought they could pile on taxes and laws without listening to the will of the people ... hmmm. What would our grievances be today were we to list them?

I think it is worth reviewing at least the first part of the D of I. It emphasized a few things that made me really think about this whole idea of convening a constitutional convention in California to re-write the state's Constitution.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. ...
you can read the rest of it here and learn more about a Californian Consitutional Convention here and here. *update* and the cost to the signers of the Declaration was significant. You can read about it here.

On my mind today ...

2009-07-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

Days are filled with sorrow and care,
Hearts are lonely and drear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.

Chorus
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Calvary, Calvary,
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.

Cast your care on Jesus today,
Leave your worry and fear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.

Chorus
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Calvary, Calvary,
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.

Troubled soul, the Saviour can see,
Ev'ry heartache and tear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary
Jesus is very near.

Chorus
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Calvary, Calvary,
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.

How wonderful is it to be able fall upon God's grace. He has lifted my burden! A blog I follow reminded me of this verse that is totally applying to me today:

"A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy, and wrath are like rottenness of the bones." Proverbs 14:30 (Amplified Bible)

Praise God that we can have peace because of Calvary!

TGIF ..

2009-06-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

This little guy hasn't stopped smiling since he was 4 days old! I thought his first grins were just a fluke but then they kept on coming. His brothers and sis have an ongoing competition for who can get the most smiles out of him and chide him when he "wastes" his smiles on the toys they dangle at him or put in his bed. I know I know, he's not supposed to sleep with toys but I have to admit that it's pretty cute when I see him fast asleep next to one of Eliannah's dollies or with Bumblebee in his pack n play (who needs a guardian angel when you can have an autobot?)

The Gospel According to Eliot

2009-06-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong to listen with pride when Eliot shares the Gospel with Isaac by comparing and contrasting the differences between the death of Christ for our sins with various scenes from Star Wars? I was pleased to hear how accuratly he understands the Gospel but ...

Mommy and Daddy time

2009-06-17T22:40:00.001-07:00

So my fan club has been asking me if I dropped off the face of the blogosphere (thanks mom). No, just been up to my eyeballs in all things baby. You know it's time to use your brain for something else when you notice a 6 email string to your husband titled "Why is the word 'potty' funny?" (best use of the word is as a synonym for 'crazy'). This weekend Phillip and I left the kids at Grandma's house and went to the Resolved Conference at the Palm Springs Convention Center with speakers Rick Holland, John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, Steve Lawson and John MacArther.

It was amazing to sit and learn and get recentered. Phillip and I both have felt a little overwhelmed recently and it was great to realize that we are sitting atop the Sovereign hand of God. My favorite message was by John Macarther about the role of a shepherd. I know that he was talking about pastors but parents have to be shepherds too and I was way convicted about being more purposefull with my kids (more to come on that point hopefully).

Really I'm not just bragging about this wonderful conference, I found out that all the conference sessions are available. Some are for purchase, some are free. Check them out!

Oh, and how did Grandma do with the three grandchildren plus two other friends? She is amazing!!! She kept them entertained, fed, and happy. Eliannah was in heaven with a little girl friend her age to play with. They lived in a world of princesses, mermaids, baby dolls and dress ups to their hearts content (and of course every princess needs a crown braid!)

Birth Story

2009-05-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

The main reason I never posted a birth story is because I believe that the whole process is rather gory and indelicate. But .. for those of you that want to know here is the PG version.

Thursday April 16th at around 7:00 I marched into the L&D at French Hospital ready to be induced. I felt like a bit of a fraud as I passed a woman in the hall that was in the middle of labor and must have been walking around to speed things up but I had had so many contractions in the last 3 weeks I was just miserable and wanted to be done.

After settling me in a room (the same room I had with Eliannah!) and getting everything set up the nurse proceeded to perform an antiquated bloodletting ceremony to help with the birth. I'm kind of not even kidding. When the nurse tried to put an I.V. in she must have done something wrong because I heard the sound of running water and realize that pool of blood on the floor came from my arm!! Yuck!

The next thing on the agenda was to insert the cervidil and wait. Apparently the normal procedure for induction is to let the cervidil do it's work overnight and administer pitocin in the morning but in this case (just like it was when I had Eliot) the cervidil itself threw me into labor by around 11ish. By midnight things were pretty uncomfortable, by 1 they were unbearable and by 2 they were over. I kind of feel like the contractions were stronger with this birth than with an uninduced birth but maybe I had forgotten (this article seems to confirm my suspicions, I guess I didn't have enough beta endorphins). By the time the contractions were strong enough to convince me I was truly in labor and it wasn't another false alarm it was too late for an epidural. Good thing I had pretty much decided not to anyway for fear of another spinal headache

Curiously, this is the only labor where my waters broke of their own accord. And when I say broke, I mean exploded across the room thoroughly disgusting my husband ... In the last few minutes of labor the baby's heart rate dropped and the doctor told me to push as hard as I could to get the baby out as fast as possible. I clearly remember one of the nurses telling me later that that was because the cord was wrapped around his neck and that he was in distress but Phillip disagrees and since he was the one with his eyes open *shrug* who knows. In any case poor Isaac was bluish for a couple of days due to bruising.

I'm still amazed at how disgusting childbirth is vs. how wonderful having and holding a newborn is. I stayed awake all night looking at him, nursing him (a good nurser from the start!) and holding him. We had to wait 12 hours after birth for Isaac to get his blood screened before we could leave the hospital. This was important since I am a carrier for cystic fibrosis and we found out that he was coombs positive and thus at risk for jaundice. Since all of my babies had mild jaundice I wasn't really worried and I made a mental note to feed him every 2 hours or so just to make sure. Fortunately, he was my only baby that didn't get jaundice and he's been pretty easy to care for. I do think that he broke his collar bone during labor but neither the midwife nor the pediatrician mentioned it and I didn't notice the lump until a few days after he was born. He's totally fine now and apart from being careful when strapping him into his carseat there's nothing to do for it and he didn't seem like he was uncomfortable as a result.

Well, that's the story minus some personal details and descriptions. I'm astounded at how easy it is to forget the discomfort of pregnancy and labor less than two months after it happened but maybe that's a good thing!

Isaac at 5 weeks

Family photo

2009-05-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

Recently got these back from JC Penny. We went and got pictures when Isaac was 2 weeks and this is the best shot - thought I'd share. (Aunt B., you and grandma are getting yours in the mail.)

Note to self

2009-05-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

I never finished my "book of the month" for April so I decided to go easy on myself for May and pick a classic novel. Unfortunately I picked "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner. So far it is possibly one of the most difficult story lines to follow due to shifting narrators (one of the narrators is mentally retarded) and jumps in timeline. I kind of cheated and read a plot synopsis which helped a little. Anyone else read it? According to Wikipedia it recently, was selected by the Modern Library as the sixth greatest English-language novel of the twentieth century so it must be worth taking the time to wade through it.

how not to bathe a baby

2009-05-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just don't have space for one more baby thing so we are trying to make do without a baby bathtub. We've washed Isaac in the bathroom sink, the kitchen sink, the bathtub and for some reason I thought my stock pot would be big enough. The kids thought it was the funniest thing and loved helping me wash him.

(Isaac didn't seem to care either way.)

Three kids in one room = fun

2009-04-29T23:01:00.001-07:00

Maybe having the three kids in one room isn't so bad after all. My main problem with it is that they keep each other from falling asleep. Take tonight for example. When I went in the kids' bedroom to see what all the giggling was about the boys blamed it on "Bob" and "Toodie". Apparently Eliannah likes to do a puppet show with her feet and those are their stage names ...

(and no, they don't all share a bed, this is just the only pic I have of them in pajamas and it's from last summer when we were in a hotel in Boston)

... they called him Laughter

2009-04-21T15:14:00.001-07:00

With a smile like that at 4 days old ... we just had to call him Isaac (it means "He will laugh")

"It boy"

2009-04-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

SWM: William Isaac Moses

DOB: 04 -17-2009

Height: 20 1/4 inches

Weight: 8lb 1.5 oz

Likes: Moonlit walks on the beach, curling up with a good book .... naps.

Dislikes: loud noises.

It took 9 months to find a name for this little guy and now we still have to decide what we are going to call him. Will he go by his middle name like his brothers? I had assumed that if we named him William we would call him Liam so that is what I called him all day yesterday until I got home from the hospital. Apparently this is going to be open for debate and until then he is going by "it".

(Mother and baby are doing fine ...)

Let the mahem begin!

2009-04-16T23:40:00.000-07:00

At my Dr. appointment I wore black. I didn't wear blush. I know I looked tired. I know I sighed a lot so now I am at the hospital being induced. Eliot has made his final decision on what to name the baby and hopefully "Isaac Kimchee Moses" will be born soon!

Horn sectional today!

2009-04-15T09:44:00.001-07:00

kleenex choir

sitting on the couch

cough, sniff, wheeze hack

grouch, grouch, grouch

Cough syrup cocktail

Please pass the juice

nose like dam

with an opened sluice

sneezing and itching and fevers too

spring break symphony

What's a mom to do?

T.V., DVD

chicken noodle soup

spring break activity

going down the poop.