how Luke helps out

Luke loves to dismantle the house. 

Books on your shelves? No problem, folks.  Luke can remove every single book, and if you're committed to re-shelving he'll be back later that day for round two.  Luke likes an empty shelf.

He also loves empty drawers.  He is not agile enough to open the girls dresser but he's smart.... and happy to lay low while the girls get out their clothes and then move in for the big "drawer empty" while they're distracted changing clothes. 

 

As for the boys' room, I try to keep their cabinets "locked" with a strong rubber band looped around the drawer pulls, but it gets left open at times and Luke is happy to remind me of my error. 

I can clean up this "mess" in about two minutes.... I'm not real committed to folded clothing, especially when we're talking about my two- and four-year old sons.  The basket system works great - John Paul's stuff in the top row, Isaac's in the bottom.  One basket for pants (or shorts in summer), one for shirts, one for the extras (pajamas, swim suits).  Socks and underwear in the drawers up top. 

And Luke, he's just learning and exploring and having a grand ole time dismantling our home. 

Lydia's new numbers

Lydia's got some new stats around here.  She's down to just 19 teeth and a two-wheeled bike.   

You can't see the tooth gap too well - but the bottom left tooth is her first one lost! 

Over the past few weeks Lydia has gone from wobbly-and-needs-help-starting to confident-and-ready-for-the-road.  So fun to see her take this step :) 

Our road dead-ends at a river (just a block past our complex) and the riverside road is closed to traffic.  Perfect for biking!   

And if you needed evidence that Matt is the head of this family.... bike tricks.  Matt's love of all things two-wheeled is definitely trickling down to the next generation. 

Isaac is raring to get rid of his training wheels too.  I'm not sure when we'll have another new rider, but hopefully soon..... and in the meantime he loves to practice standing up on the pedals, riding with no hands, resting his feet on the bike frame and all the other fun stuff he learns from his Daddy. 

 Good times this spring for Lydia, and the rest of us too. 

Luke and the party

It's rare to have a group of people like this.... our local friends who surround us with love and support and care and compassion and fun.  I honestly can't imagine not inviting them to Luke's party. 

This last year was tough.  There's just no way around it.  The tough doesn't mean I'm not head over heels in love with my littlest, the tough doesn't mean that I'd wish away any of those days, the tough doesn't mean I'm not fully convinced that each struggle of Luke's is part of a greater story God is writing in all of our lives (because I am solidly convinced).

But the tough means TOUGH.  And it means we needed help, lots of it.  And these dear friends gave and gave and gave some more.  Oh how I wish I could include all the details here, but you'll just have to trust me.  And if you ever come to visit I've got a great group of people I would love for you to meet. 

We invited them all for supper - ordered pizza and had it delivered to one guy's workplace and he brought it out to the party.... because pizza doesn't deliver out here and didn't I tell you these people serve us like crazy? 

All of my children adore these uncles and aunties.  And it's clear the feeling is mutual :)  It's just a treat to be surrounded by friends who can't get enough of my children! 

They arrived with a gift for Isaac too (not to overlook our new 4 year old) - a battery-powered ATV that he is the current object of all his affections.  Surely his little tushy is still vibrating as he sleeps tonight, after riding this toy all day long.  It's charging now, gearing up for another day. 

Back to Luke.  He was delighted to be the center of attention.  Loved the cuddles, the chaos, the noise, everything.  I guess we'll never be able to pinpoint all of his personality (nature? nurture?) but there are definitely some unique aspects of growing up as #5 in a tight line of kiddos. 

He loved the cake, the candle, the singing.

... and the eating!

He's ONE.  Still a baby, yet not really a baby.  We love you Luke Joseph!  Happy 1st Birthday!

a ONE year old and his sibs

There is no doubt who Luke's best buddies are.... he's got four of them, built in sibling-friends.  I honestly don't think he has a favorite!  He loves them all and they each interact with him in such unique ways. 

Today, on his first birthday, I tried to get some photos of Luke with each of his siblings.  (I missed Luke and John Paul, so I'll have to get those tomorrow.)

Isaac chose this light-up bouncy ball for Luke.  He was so excited to give it to him, he didn't even bother to wrap it.  The ball was in Luke's hands moments after we walked in the house. 

Good choice Isaac, he loves it (we knew he would, didn't we?)

And a little pre-dinner cuddle/wrestle fest with Lydia is always fun. 

 

Yes, Luke is wielding a plastic sword.  One of the (many) perks of having big brothers is early access to weaponry. 

Julianna is usually Luke's preference for a good cuddle.  But she's also a guaranteed friend for a game of ball. 

Luke might be our athlete.  He's definitely got the build.  And he LOVES to play ball.  One of the few times he's still is when he's rolling the ball back and forth with someone. 

We celebrated Luke with a party tonight (invited a bunch of local friends - Luke's fan club, if you will -  and the people without whom we just might not have survived this first year of Luke-life!). 

I'll post some pictures tomorrow hopefully (waiting to get a few from friends).  It was a great time - and Luke took his first step, on his first birthday, at his birthday party, surrounded by a crowd of admirers.  How's that for good timing?!?!? 

4th birthday: Isaac

Isaac celebrated well this year.  The birthday party one weekend plus birthday-day the following weekend leads to a week of celebrating any brand new four year old would envy. 


Here we are starting the morning off right with big grins from the birthday boy :)

We were head-long into a Lego building session before Matt made it home from the airport.  {The question is no longer "Will Luke eat Legos?" but rather "How many Legos will Luke eat?"}  Isaac's favorite new set might be this one.... or maybe the safari set he got at his birthday party?  Hard to say, but Isaac is well on his way to being a Lego fan.  And Lydia is still my number one builder.  The good news is that the two of them work really well together on their building projects. 

With his new sleeping bag and pillow Isaac is camp out ready and the big kids are raring to go.... hopefully sometime this spring?!?!

Matt and his oldest son... to think that we were once "parents of girls"... and now three boys! 

The plastic warriors look pretty fierce when backlit with a birthday candle (or four!).  Isaac is still loving his warrior identity and dreaming of future hunts :)

Happy 4th Birthday Isaac!!!  You are such a gift, such a gift. 

the birthday boys

Isaac and Luke.  Born exactly 3 years, 2 days and 3 hours apart. 

I'm not exactly sure what this double-birthday will look like in future years.... but this year, oh sweet Luke doesn't even know he has a birthday so he's easy to impress, and Isaac still busy remembering last weekend's warrior party, plus the beauty of anticipation: a day of presents and fun tomorrow. 

Matt is due back mid morning tomorrow (oh please don't let his flight be delayed!) and we are hoping to wait to dig into the presents until Daddy shows up.  Although Isaac's left plenty of hints that we might need to open one or two before Matt comes.  We shall see. 

In our family the birthday kid picks every meal on the big day.  Lucky me, they usually love the easy stuff :)  Isaac's picks are cinnamon roll breakfast, noodle shop lunch, mac n cheese supper.  He claims the noodle shop as his favorite restaurant - even though he always orders fried rice.  Ha! 

So my cinnamon roll dough is rising, I've been picking out old pictures of Isaac for us to look at together tomorrow, and I'm wishing Matt was here to help blow up some balloons. 

This afternoon I thought a little photo session with the birthday brothers and my phone camera might be appropriate.

I didn't get the exact brothers shot I was hoping for, but this one of my crazy-haired baby might be my newest favorite.

Let the celebrating begin :) 

a letter from Lydia

This week we are writing letters.

Today Lydia chose to write John Paul ("even though he won't be able to read it" she pointed out)

It's pretty sweet, and though I can dream that I'll hang on to this piece of paper til they both reach adulthood that probably won't happen, so I'll record it here instead. 

Dear John Paul, 

Is yor malth all beetr yet?  I love you.  Your so spasho.   I am sore you wr born with a hol in yor malth.  I hop wiurgn I wil hav tim to play with you. 

And for those of you who don't spend a lot of time deciphering kindergarten script, here's what she meant:

Is your mouth all better yet? I love you.  You're so special.  I am sorry you were born with a hole in your mouth.  I hope when you're grown I will have time to play with you.  

I'm not sure how wiurgn becomes "when your grown".... maybe she was loosing steam there at the end?!? She had to help me decipher that part.

this picture, just this

I don't really have anything to say.  Just a normal day in a stretch of normal days. 

[Yes, normal!  I realize this is WHAT I SHOULD SAY!!  My goodness, we have a normal, a sustainable normal.  There were days, weeks, months of 2012 when a sustainable normal seemed like a place we would never reach.  And here we are.  I just blurted out "a normal day in a stretch of normal days"!  woohoo!]

And then on second thought, you could make a good case that very little of what we do is normal. 

Ever read Radical (David Platt)?  I just finished it (a little later than the rest of the bandwagon, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it). 

I'm more convinced than ever that there might be something really wrong with what we (believers) think is normal.

 And Luke?  Poor guy.  His momma won't let him chew on the garden spade (true story). 

party day (he's almost four)

One more week until Isaac is a four year old.  We celebrated with a party today (and more celebrating next weekend too, but with a traveling Matt this was the best day for a party!)

We decided on a "Warrior Hunt" party, and invited Isaac's two great buddies out to spend their morning playing warrior with the birthday boy.  It. Was. SO. Cool. 

Last week we did a bit of online shopping and ended up with 3 bow & arrow sets, and a bag of 50 little plastic warrior figurines.  (50 for a dollar!  Big mistake that I only ordered one bag.)

Then one evening Matt went out to do a little reconnaissance work - plotting and planning the warrior hunt.  The storyline was this: 12 of Isaac's warriors (little plastic figures) were taken captive by the bad men and hidden in the woods near our apartment in four separate locations.  Each cache of warriors was protected by a ferocious animal (lion, shark, wolf, and one final animal I can't remember right now).  It was up to Isaac and his warrior-buddies (Brave and Zeb) to go rescue the captured good guys. 

After setting the stage we opened up the warrior weapons, did a little target practice, got decked out in warrior paint, and Matt lead the three warriors out to rescue their fellow plastic-figurine-fighters. 

target practice and hunter safety complete.... ready to launch the warriors

one of the targets, complete with ferocious animal printed off the computer :) 

more targets.... after "killing" the animal the boys scavenged the area searching for their warrior buddies

mission complete!  The blue and green guys on the rock are the rescued warriors. 

We ended the morning with a lunch party at McDonalds, joined by the families of each warrior-invitee.  And our cupcakes?  Topped with warriors, of course. 

It was a really fun party... and perfect for our boy.  So thankful for Isaac, for his friends, for their families, and for boys that we dream will grow up to be TRUE WARRIORS, who fight with strength and wisdom for the spread of God's glory throughout all nations. 

Happy Birthday Party Day Isaac.  You, my little warrior, are a Gift. 

twenty minutes

Some stretches of time around here are just intense.  It's not that anything is wrong, or out of whack.  It's not the presence of a particular stress-causer or the absence of a specific stress-reducer.  It's just the reality of a bunch of little people with a bunch of needs (real and imagined) and a limited Mommy who can only do so much with two hands and two feet at any given time.

This afternoon was one of those intense times.  The girls were working on a craft that was just a bit out of their reach (and so needed lots of support and un-knotting of thread and restringing of needles).  And John Paul who woke earlier than I was expecting and Luke who throws everything off his high chair tray (even the things he really wants.... crazy baby) and Isaac who was in tears over a pair of missing sunglasses (I knew they were in the car, which was parked just a smidge out of reach and I ended up running through the complex to go snag them anyways because I rescue train sunglasses for almost-4-year-old boys, among other things). 

One of my 'go-to' mantras at times like that is "give this situation twenty minutes of just about everything you can muster.... and we'll have turned a corner".  Call it a coping mechanism if you like, but it's true.  It's amazing how twenty minutes of hard work can get you through some tricky moments.

And twenty minutes?  Only twenty minutes?  Ha!  Twenty minutes isn't much! 

Twenty minutes (I think) later Isaac was sporting his sunglasses, the two littlest boys had finished their snack & gotten cleaned up & shoes on and were out in the courtyard, Julianna (craft completed) was on her way to join/supervise them, Lydia busy finishing up her little felt owl (and sweeping under the kitchen table .... craft + snack = time to sweep. again.)

The afternoon/evening was far from over but the intensity level was dropping.  It cranked up again before suppertime (surprise late arriving Daddy plus poor decision on my part to try making our own butter while getting dinner in the oven). 

But another twenty minutes and we were (mostly*) seated at the table, dinner on plates, (unspilled!) milk in cups and Matt (home!) in his rightful spot at the head of the table. 

Our homemade butter (pour cream into a plastic container and let your kiddos shake for about fifteen minutes) turned out great.  We salted one chunk, and doused the other with a big splash of honey.  Spread that honey butter on some homemade bread and you will. not. be. disappointed.  YUM. 

*mostly seated?  Surely you don't think I sit for dinner?!?!?!  He he he.  Just kidding.  I sit, sometimes :) 

outside houses

We're spending so much time outside these days our neighbors must think we've permanently relocated.  Our crisp dry winter is quickly becoming a warm dry spring. [I talked to a guy on Sunday who told me how much the farmers are worried about the dry weather affecting their crops and gulped... oops, I'm enjoying all this out-of-doors time with my littles but those farmers need rain.]

The big three have carved pieces out of the green space and created their own outside houses.  Kitchens, bedrooms, parking (for their bikes)... each little hillock and overhanging branch marking off some sort of boundary.  They even have sleepovers, moving from one house to another.  Its pretty awesome. 

(during a sleepover... good thing clothes are washable.  so are children, for that matter.)

In the course of a day we manage to pull every outside toy we own from our courtyard and leave them littered over a wide swath of the 'driveway' in front of our building.  

Even Luke has his own set of wheels these days... I spent about fifteen dollars on a cheap baby walker and thought he might enjoy some time out of the stroller (but restrained from crawling). 

Ohmyword, this is the best money I've spent in quite a while.  He's a good bit faster than I was anticipating, and covers more ground than I imagined, but he's just so very happy in it.  Even if he is a hundred feet down the path and quickly headed out of sight.  I can still run faster than he can move that walker :) 

Tonight Matt got home from work and took over watching the outside kids while Julianna and I headed in to cook dinner.  This semester Julianna is responsible for dinner on Tuesday nights.  Of course she still needs quite a bit of support from me, but she chooses the menu, writes down what we need to buy at the market, and works hard getting it on the table.  It won't be too many more years before she's doing it totally on her own.  I'll have to take pictures one week and write about some of the meals she's made.  She loves to work in the kitchen and it's a fun way for me to get some time alone with her. 

Matt's birthday

We're busy celebrating Matt's birthday - and beginning a birthday season here.... Matt, then Isaac, then Luke all within 19 days of each other. 

We started Matt's big day with breakfast together at a little bun shop (not sweet buns... asian buns.  very different.  very very different.)  And then dinner with pineapple upside down cake (Matt's choice, and pineapples are plentiful right now). 

asian buns (and watery rice - it's better than it sounds - in the soup bowls)

we see this face a lot.... the half-smirk, half-smile from Luke

there is a lot of little brother kissing going on in this family

If Luke could talk he'd say, "Girls, all this kissing is ridiculous"

unfortunately Isaac has a red heart sticker on his forehead.  we won't frame this one

Today we joined Matt and a bunch of co-workers & their families for a birthday lunch at his office.  And tonight is DATE NIGHT (the best part of the birthday for me... or maybe it was licking the cake batter off the spatula.  he he he.) and then tomorrow we've planned a BIRTHDAY SATURDAY, the main highlight is an afternoon spent getting our garden going for the spring.  Matt requested the garden session, by the way :)

Happy Birthday Matt.  You are so very easy to celebrate!