You Don't See That Every Day

What to do when you don't want a sibling taking your sandwich - poke a hole in it. And baby looks like she will be another reader, like all of our kids are!

18 years ago today my life changed, for the better. Only I didn't know it then. Little did I know that the guy at the head of the table in the dorm dining hall would someday be at the head of my table in our family home. I didn't know that the guy I thought "liked to be the center of attention" would someday be the center of my world. We've been through years of ups and downs. And only recently he commented, "It finally feels like we are married." After 13 years and 5 kids, it finally feels real. I feel pity, sorrow, for those who don't make it through those first 10 years; those who give up because of the pain or hurts or hard work it takes to live with the same spouse day in and day out. Sure this man has peculiarities, but thankfully, so do I.

This is one sister who will have brotherly protection all her life!

It's a good thing we root for the Beavers team; baby K fits in just fine.

Who say home school has to be routine? Me: We're going to read School days with the Millers . Get to the couch. running down the hallway, Miss M says, Yay ! It's Miller time!

I ran out of food to eat. Ok, not really, but nothing looked good. I have had weeks, months, of farm carrots and cucumbers and just want a little something chewy and bread-like. So I whipped up my sister-in law's Graham Cracker recipe. And I think you should run and make it right away! You'll never want to eat those store bought ones again. Maybe. If it turns out right; which in my house is a 50-50 chance of happening. Anyway, here is the recipe (and thanks to CK for it!) 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup white flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup margarine, melted Mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the honey and margarine. Blend the honey/margarine into the flour mixture and drop onto a greased baking sheet (like a cookie pan works well). Roll it out to the corners or close to it - depends on how thick you want the end result. Bake for 1...

The big day. She turns 5 today. Once our youngest, but now a big sister, our little princess is learning to share the spotlight. And the time has gone by so fast. We brought her home looking like this: and then she grew into this: and now we have this:

My dear G ran his first 5k race today. I was so excited for him. It is the same race I have run the past 2 years, and I so wished I could have joined him this year. Maybe in 2011. He beat my time by ... a lot. The girls and I had a great time cheering for him (Boy was at football). And the rain held off until we were in the car on the way home! The latest comment from him, "Next year -- the 10k!"

In my corner of the world this past week: I read a magazine. One. Single. Magazine. That's all I had energy to read. I watched the movie "Extraordinary Measures" with my husband. Good movie! I wen t to a football game, church, my mom's, the mall, and ballet lessons; I laughed at my girls gettin' down to the music; I canned 48 quarts of pears and froze 100 cobs of corn. A big thanks to my sister who helped! I bought a birthday present for my soon to be 5 year old; I listened to the BeeGees - and did some dancing with the kids; good times! I learned I can't do it all even though I want to. I learned I have to say no to ministry even though it is hard to not say yes.

Did you know it's 'easier' to shuck corn while standing up? I didn't. And if you have a snazzy outfit, the work goes faster. (Really?)

It's that time of year! Our son had his first flag football game of the season today. Thankfully the weather was gorgeous.He had a great game, and his coach recognized him afterward as a 'leader'. Some background on that - so in the Upward League, which is what we are doing for football this year (and basketball every year), the coach hands out 'stars' after the game to acknowledge the athlete's skills during the game that week. There are like 5 stars, and each color has a unique meaning. This week he received the gold star for leadership; Now, I haven't forgotten the girls; two of them were gone at a sleepover, and the younger two stayed and watched the game quite patiently. The girls will be starting ballet again this week, and then it will be the boy's turn to sit and wait patiently.

In my corner of the world this past week: I read my Runner's World magazine (blissful sigh), and started a Katharine Hepburn biography - it's very dry though, so I might not finish it; I watched my husband make corned beef and cabbage for us to try at lunch ; I wen t to the hair salon, the State Fair, and the grocery store; I laughed at my baby girl putting her toes in her mouth - she just loves her toes there; (see above) I made tomato soup from our garden produce, and brownies from scratch; I also made my kids do schoolwork on a holiday; I bought ice cream! I listened to the soft rain on the trees outside the window; I learned that parenting is hard work - the first year is the easiest year by far!

Sometimes God teaches us in a whisper, and sometimes He gets our attention like a sledge hammer. I had just gotten done berating my daughter for something concerning schoolwork. She doesn't like math so much and finds many ways to not do it when I am busy elsewhere. I walked into the other room to feed the baby and picked up my latest book while doing so. And the first words I read: " And all of our words must be seasoned with grace-filled patience. How much havoc we unleash when our expectations four our spouses, our children ... amount to perfection! People will disappoint us. If our hearts aren't ready for this , we'll speak only with angry exasperation ...." Thanks God for that sledge hammer.

We went to the state fair this past weekend. It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for viewing pigs, cows, horses, chickens, and bunnies in close quarters. G. used to raise pigs when he was a boy. I think he liked revisiting them. We happened upon a horse drill competition when I was looking for a place to sit and feed the baby. It was amazing to see the horses weaving in and out without any mishaps or collisions. And the ladies riding were doing it all one-handed, holding a flag in their right hand, reins in the left. We also got to see a "dogs and logs" competition. The dogs would jump in a large pool of water and race, and then the loggers would chop would, an another one would scurry up a 60 foot pool and back down. The back down part was heart-stopping. It was almost like a free-fall, with a bounce or two off the pole. And they were fast! We all had a good time, and even won a free ice cream cone and a got a free book.

In my corner of the world this past week: I read Gary Thomas' book " Beautiful Fight " - just started it actually, I am into the 3rd chapter. His books are pretty 'meaty' and I need to chew through them slowly. I also read a lot of textbooks this week; I watched another disc of the Gilmore Girls, season 3's ending. I can't help it -- I am addicted to these. I realized this at 11 pm last night when I wanted more GG's and it was all over; we also watched The Blind Side again, love that movie; I wen t to church, to my mom's to can beans, to a doctor's appointment, to my in-laws, to the state fair, and football practice; I laughed at my kids. Unfortunately one of them didn't take it well and I am figuring out how to read her still; I made pastry puffs which are nearly like donuts and taste oh so much better; I bought school supplies. The day we started school I realized we needed spiral notebooks, and that I had ordered ...