Bathroom Redo

We haven't finished the job but I thought I'd post a little taste of the new color scheme in the main bathroom.  I am excited, it is so fresh!!

I Wanna Be Rich

This verse caught my eye.  It was on the bottom of an email from the librarian at HCOS.

"Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built,

and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],

And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

Proverbs 24:3-4

I am in no way considering myself skillful, but I desire to be!

I am experiencing this more and more as I try my hardest to be intentional about how I spend each moment, to lay my desires down and seek God's purpose in the big picture and the tiny details, and as I dig deeper with my kids. 

 Peeling through the layers of daily tasks, whining, tantrums and attitudes, I am finding so many "precious and pleasant riches" in each of the kids, in the time we spend together, in the joy it brings me to slow down and just allow "us" {home all day in our jammies} to be enough.

The hair bow business is being completely ignored and my social life is pretty much obsolete but  I am feeling like this is where I need to be right now.  

For today anyways.  

Everyone was happy today {for the most part}.  

There were no uprisings against the teacher. 

No AWOL students.

No crazy screaming lady Dr Jekyl/Mr. Hyde type display from me.

We got a lot of fun things accomplished.  

It is easy to feel like I am in the right place when all is going well.  I am working on feeling this way when the days are not so perfect!

I thought this verse summed up what we desire for our home, where we are trying to head, and where I am certain my Father has purposed us to be.

From time to time one of the kids will come up and ask " are we rich?" 
How does one answer that? 

Of course we aren't.  {when stacked up against the people in this affluent town we live in}
Of course we are.  {when we see how others are living around the world}


But by God's standards, by what makes our lives thick with blessing and full of joy, we are so rich and there is unmeasurable potential for more wealth!!  

Post this verse up where you can see it.

Let God's riches fill your home!

The Garden Is Growing!

Apparently our thumbs are a little bit green.  Our garden is looking great.  I am really happy with the outcome as this is the first time we have attempted any gardening.  Here is Mailee harvesting some Romaine lettuce.  The red cabbage leaves have lots of holes.  we are open to suggestions about that:)

These are our peas.  Next year I will plant them in a row with a better structure for them to grow up.  Again, taking suggestions!!

We were all so thrilled when the lettuce grew back after we harvested the first batch.  So incredible!!

Maddie likes to water the garden:)

Mike and Mikayla with the bountiful harvest...free salad is a great thing!!

Tiny Tea

 

 All fancied up for her first tea party!

 

My girls had some friends over and they decided to have a tea party.  I grabbed the box labeled "tea party" out of the garage and we unpacked everything.  Then they all disappeared to get "dressed up".

 

Caleb jumped at the chance to be involved in the tea party.  

He even asked me to get out his "ring bearer suit". 

  

But the girls took so long to get ready he had finished his tea and changed into another "dress up" before any of them made it to the table!

 

Maddie and Teghan looked like perfect little ladies!

 

Mikayla and Makenna went with a little different look.

  

"no photos please"

This was all Mailee would give me.

 

And now: a series of photos of my small dolly at her first tea party...

 

Eating a little something and standing up in her high chair!

 

Cait's new trick...if she is not buckled, she likes to stand up and turn around in her chair to see what's going on behind her.

**Don't worry people, we buckle her most of the time and there is a "baby monitor" on duty when she's not buckled:)

Just Hanging Out

 

 Here is Caleb counting his Rescue Heroes.

I'd better set the scene:

It is 6pm on Saturday night.

Mike is sitting on the couch watching the Olympics.

I am doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and making party invitations.

oh- and snapping these photos of the kidlers just hanging out...

My favorite thing about this set of photos is all the "real life" going on in the background.  

Our home is never quiet.

There is always lots of action!

 

Now Caleb is recounting the heroes because he put them in order by what kind of job they have.

"seventeen, nineteen, twenty,twenty two..."

Again: notice the background.

 

Now he is lining them up "better" because some of them were not right next to each other.

{background}

 

 Maddie is giving Cait-bear a ride in a tub.

She seemed to like it.

She has no choice in the matter really so I think she is learning to just roll with the punches:)

 

She is also learning what she can do to frustrate the kids.

Here she is coming in to destroy Caleb's hero lineup!

He looks happy about this, dontcha think?

{Notice: sock, arm hold, mischievous look }

 

And lastly, here's a photo of baby with her new front teeth!

Cait's New Playgym

Maddie and Caleb helped pick out a playgym for Caitlyn at the second hand store. They also helped her test it out!!

studying

look at those tummy exercises!

Cutie pie! I think she likes it!

Wee! So fun!!

Bum Burping

Caleb is well on his way to being potty trained- Yipee!! Every new stage that our boy comes to is familiar as we have done it all 3 times before him but it is also drastically different. It is so fun to see the world through the eyes of a little boy this time!! Potty training differences have been funny; we can't say "panties" anymore, the pee goes EVERYWHERE, he feels the need to take everything off when ever he is in the bathroom, and did I mention the pee goes EVERYWHERE?

As Caleb is becoming more aware of his body and all the cool things he can do with it, he likes to inform us. The other day he farted and I asked if he needed to go potty. He shook his head and simply replied "No, me just burpin' out me bum"

Missing Boy

The other night Mike went in to turn the kids' night lights off and this was the scene...

Missing boy...where is Caleb? We tucked him in at bedtime in his bed but he's gone!?

Found Boy! looks like he just needed a little extra comfort! He tucked himself in with his biggest sister! She does not seem to mind at all :)

.

First Shiner!

Mikayla and Mailee collided on the trampoline on Thanksgiving...I'd say Mailee took the brunt of it, what do you think?

Oops! Sorry little sister!

My little Mai Mai has the best attitude! Even with her big black eye she is Smiley Mailee!

She now holds the tiltles of "kid with the worst chicken pox" in our family AND "first kid to get a shiner". She's on a roll!!

Check out all those amazing colors!!

I got Mailee a new water bottle for her birthday but I felt so bad for her, i gave it to her early:) Tonight we "bedazzled" it!!

Maddie's First Loose Tooth

Maddie is only 4 1/2 so for the past few weeks when she was complaining that her tooth hurt, I was worried she had a cavity...it did not even cross my mind that one my baby girl's teeth could already be loose!!! Yesterday she was in a panic as she showed me her tooth. I was relieved and shocked to discover a little bottom tooth that was hanging by a thread!

Today Mike assisted Maddie with her very loose tooth...

I can not believe how much losing a first tooth makes a child's face look so much more grown up!!

Home Alone

Mike took the kids to Vancouver for the weekend to watch his brother play basketball. I stayed behind because I had a few cake orders and a wedding set up (for Stage Right). Staying behind and having the house to myself turned out to be just what I needed to reestablish some order around here! I was so productive.

Along with all the normal "housekeeping" duties I *eh hem* do regularly, I moved around the living room furniture, I scrubbed the walls and baseboards, I switched up the decor and I printed out lovely chore charts for the new school year!

Right now I am enjoying a spotless house, listening to Chris Tomlin and, best of all, anxiously awaiting the return of my precious family!

Here is my happy kitchen, cupboards free of all fingerprints, counter tops clear of any miscellaneous items...ah, so lovely!!

I am off to organize Mikayla and Mailee's room so they have a fresh start for school! Mike just called, the troops will be home in 4 hours...gotta get hoppin'!