7 months of life with a boy

I'm tired of starting each post saying I'll surely post more frequently. Or that I can't believe it's already been a month (or three). So, I  won't. But what I will say is that my kids are incredibly fun....when I'm not letting them drive me crazy; and life is always crazy round here right now; and I'll just have fun filling people in as I get the chance because, quite honestly, when I have five minutes I want to sit and stare into space....or read. Reading is always a good option. I have 20 chapters of Jane Eyre to read by next Thursday....think I can make it? The last time I read Jane Eyre  I was in middle school. I'm stoked to read it again because I'm positive 75% of the book went over my head, who knows what treasures I might find? If I can only pick it up and begin....I love book clubs. And I hate that a chosen book suddenly transforms into homework. How does our inner psyche do that?

I need to go to bed, but before I do: Calvin turned 7 months last week.

 He started crawling last week. I was taken aback by his voracious practice habits. From 7:30am to 7:30 pm all this boy did was try to crawl. For three weeks. The last week involved much wailing and tears. He is proud as punch. And rightly so.

He also has the most joy-filled smile this mama has ever seen. I catch my breath sometimes when he unleashes one straight at me. I wish I could catch it on camera to save forever. I know in 18 months this stage will be a haze and I'm pretty sure everything will fade to a fuzzily warm clarity.

 

Abigail is proud of Calvin ( Ca-in she calls him. Or Big Man. No idea where she got that moniker, it's all her own and it's adorable) for crawling but largely unsure of this new state. He's spent 6.5 months plotting out which toys he desires...and they all happen to be hers. 

 He's a sinner. A cute one, but definitely a sinner. :o) He has perfected the "I want that" cry and Abigail is quickly becoming enured to it.

 

The day that Calvin turned 7 months, Abigail rang up 28 of them, I celebrated my 366th month, AND John and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. How's that for consolidating dates?! 

But back to Abigail. She's entering that stage where she can more completely express thoughts and handle past and future thoughts better. All of this leads to absolutely hilarious phrases coming out of her mouth. 

Tonight she told John that he was 'quishing' her hands. Or, if she has something in her hands but wants to pick up another object, she'll look up at me with wide eyes and say: "I jus only got two hands Mama. Hep me." When she is trying to wheedle her pacifier out of me her line of reasoning runs : "I cold Mama....I hot....I sweepy....Mama, I jus' need sumpin in my mouf."  

We're also going on 8 months of potty training....I know. Sometimes I just want to bang my head against the wall. 

But she is getting it. Slowly. Very slowly. Slow like molasses. At least we get the benefit of comments like

"I jus' don know when my poop coming Mama." or, no matter the condition of her underwear, as soon as you take it off and wipe her bottom she'll proudly proclaim " I cwean an dwhy!" 

Her favorite place to do her business is in our WC while John is in there sitting. No joke. And he often lets her. Which just goes to show you never can tell what kind of pull a daughter will have over her father. 

Who could resist a face like this? 

This smile is her Papa's fault. He taught her how to do a grimace and it's become her go-to expression. 

 That's how we roll around here. Signing off until next time we're footloose and fancy free ( or pants-free, depending on the day)

Much love, 

Katy

Two children show me...

     My brain has felt fried lately. And the days it doesn't feel fried, all I want to do in my 'free' time is read (certainly not compose a blog post...or balance the budget.....or finish projects.....or fold clothes. never that.) Maybe the escape of a good ( or even mediocre) story allows me, for a small space of time, to shrug off the responsibility of running a household and discipling two kiddos. A friend phrased it well the other day. She said having two children is forcefully weaning her off of a need for much alone time.....and it does feel forceful. 

My Ouma always said kids will show you exactly how selfish you are. 

With one child I recognized the truth of this maxim.

But two children have shown me that I most emphatically own it. 

This is incredibly fuzzy and makes Abigail look extra chubby. But I still love both of their expressions

I know that selfishness is something I'll be combating my whole life. But it's been a shock to my system to see how far I'll go to 'rest' a little. Like trying to manipulate the situation, even when I know he's had a long day, so John will put Abigail to bed without my having to do anything but give her a kiss. 

And my kind husband often does so, without a complaint, even though I know he can see right through my ruse. Have I mentioned that selfishness also brings out my manipulating nature?

This little girl is good at it too. But when one is almost 2 and precocious, the rest of the world doesn't mind so much. (you should see her at bedtime: she is a master of procrastination and prevarication. Calvin has his work cut out for him keeping up with her.)

 I think he'll be okay though.

 

He can disarm her with his charming smile and infectious chuckle 

 (he laughs already! It's tiny, but it's adorable). 

And then quickly make his escape before she's realized what's happened. Truthfully though, as much as I dislike seeing my own sin; I adore having both of these kids. They are and will continue to be a joy. And if I have to learn to be unselfish I couldn't ask for a sweeter way to have it happen.

The vegetable dream

If cucumbers had been my main vegetable goal, I would be over the moon right now.
In actuality, they were an afterthought; a productive one, but only an afterthought.

I seem to find at least 4 every time I go check, and I don't know that many recipes for using up cucumbers ( we will have no carrot sticks this summer, only cuke-sticks)......any suggestions would be helpful. Especially if mint is included. I have that in copious amounts too ( although I love putting mint in vases around the house.....smells delicious).
Abigail's favorite part of the cucumber overproduction is when we miss one for a couple of days and she gets to find something like this:

Although, it is nice to have lots of something edible. Last year the only thing we succeeded at growing well were rotten watermelons. Rotten because they got lost under the crabgrass that exceeded a foot in most parts of the garden. Crab grass does not count as a vegetable.

So being able to actually harvest edible produce has been fun.

 Things we have eaten/are hoping to eat:

Snap Peas: Abigail was fantastic at finding the pods. Problems arose as she would always take a bite out of the top before we could get hers inside. Then she would spit the top out after chewing on it for a bit. I think she'll have gum figured out no problem. She's good at not swallowing things.

Tomatoes: They're all green, mind you, so this is enjoying in advance and with the hope that we can save some from the birds. (any tips on encouraging good tomato growth?)

Squash: Even if we never get tons, I love seeing the yellow blossoms from the house, and the leaves are scratchy enough that Abigail isn't tempted to pick all the flowers off. Double bonus.

Bush Beans: I would have had fun growing these if the rabbits weren't topping all of them. Beans are a bit of a wash unless I get this  (the best picture by far is the 6th one).

Strawberries:  These were designated, unwillingly, as the rabbit's personal property. It was too hard to protect them. Next year maybe.

Asparagus:  Mmm, mmm I'm excited about these.

They look cool don't they? Maybe even romantic with they're wavy stems ( I now know why Asparagus Fern is so designated). 

I won't see anything edible for another year or so, but the satisfaction alone of growing a perennial  vegetable ( as in, I don't have to plant it each year) has already earned me back my money. The only thing dampening my spirits with perennials is the fact that John and my father (who only has raised beds) went in on a BCS 712 Tiller  (Italian-made btw. I can read him the directions if he needs) new price of $1900, auction price of $278....and I'm nervous about the success of transplanting everything so the "tiller-thirst" can be satisfied.  It's even designed so you have to buy........attachments.......that's what has me really worried.

Corn:  I was excited about this, and then really confused when my ears never filled out fully
(although Abigail thought they were just her size). A nice friend at church clued me in last week that I needed at least 2 rows so they could cross-pollinate. Apparently only east-west winds work for corn. So maybe I'll tear all the peas and corn out and give it another shot. We all like watching how fast they grow.

It's been fun though. As opposed to last summer when it was really just a looming chore. Abigail is big enough to entertain herself and even help some ( she's good at pulling peach seedlings out); I'm actually weeding and, when I get behind, John comes through with round-up and nukes the paths; and we're even seeing some of the 'fruit of our labors' as long as, for the moment anyway, we confine our definition of 'fruit' to 'cucumbers'. :o)

 

As in "cool as a cucumber"

much love, 

Katy

PS- maybe next year we'll be ready for this

Of Radishes and Roses

Have I mentioned lately that I'm thankful for flowers? One of my favorite parts of our yard is the three rose bushes that were already planted in the back corner. Add two more to the mix ( from my wonderful friend Becca, who gave me many other perennials, most of which I've killed) and we've got a decent rose garden. Enough, in fact, that Abigail and I go out there almost every day to pick some. Her picking consists of pulling all the petals off every rose she can reach, but she's good at it.

She's also good at eating hummus. As long as good is defined as "wiping it everywhere after we tire of eating".

You could also blame her daddy, since she was distracted watching him. I get distracted watching him as well. So I can understand the forgetful, contemplative state. 

 Speaking of lawn mowing, this is our garden.

Right there, I promise, underneath the mounds of hay.

Which I realized gives me a headache any time I spend a lot of time in it.

Live and learn. :o) There are actually beans and peas and corn and tomatoes and a couple of other vegetables growing among the hay (which was scattered to help with weeds and moisture but the debate is still raging in our household as to the actual effect).

This is the first produce picked. It was, well, radishey. 

 

I'm hoping for better things later.

So is Abigail.
Who, by the way, has discovered a passion for flower arranging.
She 'helps' to bring them in with her wagon

Then carefully pulls off all the petals

and chooses just the right spot in the bowl to place them. Three guesses about which bowl was hers. 

Then she helps clean up by wiping everything off onto the floor. It's a huge success. Every time.

Almost as much fun as washable markers. Almost.

Sneak Peak

   A couple of weeks ago John gave me my birthday present (I love extended birthdays).

Usually I do not ( definitely do not) want to know what I'm getting as a present. Please never hold something up asking if this is what I want and then buy it then and there. Surprise is my operative word for gifts...Usually.
This year though, I asked for a family photo shoot. And that's exactly what John gave me :o)

I love, love outdoor photo sessions with photographers. It's just, more fun, than going inside the Sears studio and getting everyone carefully set up in front of a lambskin backdrop.

I mean, this is good, with two such handsome guys how could it not be:

nicely done, gents.

But this is alive

from MA Family Institute

And I love things that are alive.


Sessions are often expensive, and I want digital rights, so I'd never really pursued it....until now :o)
We found a fantastic photographer (from Spain no less) with extremely reasonable prices AND she was fun to work with!!
Her website is: http://www.nateandaranchaphotography.com/  or here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nate-Arancha-Photography/59681445127?sk=wall;  she's excellent, sweet and so good at getting Abigail to smile.
Unfortunately for everyone else their family is moving to Spain next year to plant churches.

We should get the finished product today, but I wanted to show you a few of the pictures now. We took a couple of Abigail with her monkey and I'm hoping to use those for her 11 month growth-chart pics....she was awfully chilly and hungry though, so we'll see what came out :o)

 

 

Such fun. 

A Little Gossip

She turned 10months on the 19th. 

and was more interested in eating the mums than in smiling.

-We didn't take her out trick or treating this year, mostly because I forgot. There are a couple of neighbors, though, who would have loved to see her dressed up, especially since this was her costume:

 We were chicken farmers, she was the hen.....she wasn't too impressed, but everyone else loved it.

my favorite parts were the feathers and the John Deere hat. My husband is a good sport :o) 

 She's taken to whistling lately. I can't get her to whistle on command, but she gets a pretty good sound out as she purses her lips just so and blows.

It's adorable. 'nuff said.

 And, we're proud to announce: She's walking. As soon as I can catch it on video I'll send one your way. I think she got serious about it when she realized that walking gives her a much better chance of escaping outdoors. Every time I crack an outside door she runs, arms straight out, almost toppling the whole way, lunging for the stoop. Great wailing & gnashing of teeth ensue if I block her way, but that's another story.

We are also test-driving these:

mostly because we aspire to this . That sums it up.

Although I think this looks like more fun:

If I can figure out how to give John enough time, he can get this running:

then my "fun car quotient" will be filled and I can drive a van satisfied
( actually. I can drive a van satisfied anytime. But I would like a ride in the corvette....)

It's 7:24am on a Tuesday. Abigail woke up at 6, but ate and went back to sleep; one of my college roommates is here visiting (still asleep too, she's on vacation); John is returning today from a business trip; and I'm sitting on the couch, wrapped in an Airforce Academy blanket, thinking of things I'm thankful for. So I thought I'd share: 

1.) Friendships that endure absences well.
Tiff is here for a visit; we've known each other 11 years now and I have actually lived with her longer than I've lived with John...she's the sister of my heart.
Plus, we just got back from a long weekend with our friends, the Peelers, from Atlanta. It had been a year and a half since we'd seen them; two children had been added to the mix, making 5 total for the weekend; and we picked up right where we left off. More than picked up: it was refreshing, challenging, and just plain fun. A very sweet gift. Can you imagine how sweet those reunions in heaven will be?! There are so many people I'd love to sit down with again in this life, but a lot of those won't happen. Mmm mmm, it's nice to think about eternity to see them.

2.) Hot drinks and warm blankets in the morning.

3.) Extra time to myself when Abigail sleeps in. I don't need to have this extra 'first thing in the morning' time as Abigail still takes good naps, but I love it.
There is something so restful about the couch and a cup of coffee first thing. Especially when I don't have to get up at 5 to achieve it. It's my number one reason I avoid exercise before 7. I like slowness first thing, not sweat. And I'm thankful I have the opportunity to be slow regularly.

4.) Chicken costumes. It's what Abigail will be for Halloween/our Square Dance on Saturday (yes, you read that right)/maybe even Thanksgiving 'cause it's so dang cute. Tight enough she has trouble sitting up straight in it, but cute...and a wonderful circumstantial joy. I like those.

Birthday thoughts

Today I happen to be twenty-nine. Actually, it's now tonight. What with one thing and another ( mainly Abigail, but also the 20 friends that came over tonight under the cover of "Bible Study" to help us celebrate my birthday), this post has taken all day to write. But. I am definitely 29  now, and in honor of that went and dug up birthday pictures from the past, because that's fun.

Me at three. I think. Plus Callie, who's having a good time. Plus William, who is not.

This next one is just for fun, but I also see some of Abigail's expressions in these pictures (maybe because we spend a lot of time together?). My Ouma would cut out and glue old pictures to cards for almost every birthday/big occasion and I loved it. Still do. 

Today is also a big day because Abigail is 10 months:

we worked on 10 month photos today but she was not in the mood...we'll try again later

and I've been married to John for exactly three and a half years.

He's awfully good looking in a tux!

Mostly because of the last two dates I've been thinking a lot lately about this man:

and realizing that directly because of him I feel more beautiful now than I did three years ago.

I love that.

T is for Tiger, U is for Underwear down in the dryer

Bedtime For Francis. Image courtesy of Amazon

Does it ever strike you as uncanny the way Satan knows our exact fears? I'm thinking about it this morning because I was up until 1:30 last night afraid of the dark.

Quite seriously.

John was gone on business and the dishwasher was making a ton of noise and what if someone broke in and I couldn't hear them and they hurt Abigail?
I never heard any noises, but I was afraid of the possibility. I know that God works all for our good, that all  He allows is for a purpose... but I don't want that purpose to include someone breaking into my house. So I fear.
I also know that the devil likes to high-jack our thoughts, that every idea which goes through my head does not need to be taken out an analyzed because my flesh and the devil try to throw a lot of unhealthy thoughts my way.
But at 1 o'clock in the night, when John's gone, it's difficult to calm my fast heartbeat and take hold of that truth; even quoting scripture out loud (my method of corralling wild thoughts) doesn't always help.

In the light of this morning I was recalling how the dark has always been hard for me. As a kid I used to sleep very still in the very middle of the bed, feet curled up Indian-style so no monsters could chop off my legs or arms by reaching over the side of the bed.

Honestly.
 I would even set up all my stuffed animals around me as a barrier....or sleep with a bear on top of myself so if a robber stabbed me in the middle of the night the stuffed bear would slow him down.....and I was not super young, at least 10. I knew it was all in my head. But the head is such a powerful place. It took lots of practice to learn how to claim the promises of the Scripture to calm my heart.

When I was an adult, living in an apartment by myself for the first time I had to learn that lesson all over again. Noises are A LOT scarier when there's no one else in the house. Since being married I thought I was 'over' the fear that keeps one awake. But last night made me realize I'm going to have to learn this lesson in a deeper way.
Now, when I'm alone in the dark, I wonder:
"why did we put our child in a room with windows, someone could jimmy them open?!" and
"why we don't have a guard dog or at least a guard cockatoo?" or
"why didn't I leave all the lights in the house on?"  

I'm going to have to trust the Lord to hold not only me, but my children in His hands. That feels hard in the middle of the night: I've read Reader's Digest survivor stories, I know people's houses get broken into when they're there....it could (albeit ever so unlikely, that doesn't really matter at 2am) happen to us. And I have to, as strange as this may sound, be okay with that possibility. Do I really believe Psalms 27 when David says "Though an army besiege me my heart will not fear"? That's a tall order. No fear. That's what God calls me to. "Fear not, for I am with you." If He says "Fear not" that has to be possible through the Holy Spirit. He doesn't ask us for things He won't, through Christ, provide for.
And I want that; especially at 2 am.

 "There is a tiger in my room,' said Frances.
'Did he bite you?' said Father.
'No,' said Frances.
'Did he scratch you?' said Mother.
'No,' said Frances.
'Then he is a friendly tiger,' said Father. 'He will not hurt you. Go back to sleep."