Lake Lopez

My sweet husband decided that we needed to get away and relax. Well... we got away anyway. =) We went camping for a couple of nights at Lake Lopez, and we did indeed have a good time and made some great memories. I will say though, that camping with 4 kids age 6 and under, especially when one of them is potty training, is quite a bit of work. So, not much in the way of relaxing happened, but that is okay.
It was beautiful! Caleb got to go fishing with Daddy a few times (Emma went once but decided it was "boring"), and we did enjoy some not-so-normal cuisine, which can be fun as well. Here was our menu for the weekend, which is somewhat mortifying, but hey, we were camping:

Dinner: (We had other intentions, but the camp store was closed, so we couldn't get any firewood, so no fire. Instead of the 20 minute drive out to food, we just made due with snacks.)
Breadsticks dipped in fake cheese (you know, those little snack things you can buy??), tuna on crackers, and Kashi oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies.
Breakfast: Donuts and Capri-sun
Lunch: We went out to lunch at Chili's, so that I could make a run to Wal-Mart for firewood, etc., and to Trader Joe's for some food.
I had soup and salad, Ben had a shrimp and bacon quesadilla, Emma had chicken strips, Noah had a quesadilla, and Caleb had a cheeseburger. Wow.
Dinner: Hot Dogs and Cup-O-Noodles. Seriously. And smores.
Breakfast: Carrot Muffins, Applesauce, and a Nectarine. Thank you, Trader Joe's. This was quite possibly the healthiest meal of the trip.
Lunch: We were headed home and stopped at a steakhouse, which I cannot remember the name of. It was so good. I had tri-tip that was like butter, and shared my garlic mashed potatoes with Ezra. Emma had chicken, I think, and Caleb had ribs. Go figure. Oh, and Ben had a bison burger. Evidently, it is very lean protein.

There was a great playground, and we brought bikes for the kiddos. Good times.

Helping Daddy set up, Snacks for dinner at the picnic table.

Ben eating dinner, the beautiful deer (we saw wild turkeys too!!)

Emma on the log, Noah in the tent


Caleb bringing in the fishing poles, Ezra loving the swing!
We even got to see Great Grandpa Fowler, and watch him clean some fish!!

"I sure hope you are babysitting!!"

This is what the um, older lady said to me as we walked by in Target today.
"I hope those aren't all YOURS!!"

(Now, those words came at a great time, actually. I was severely distracted by trying to push the stroller with Caleb and Noah "helping", and also trying to "guide" the cart that Emma was pushing.)

Huh? What? Oh, yes, someone is speaking to me. Smile.
"Oh yes, they are all mine."

So proud of himself...

He loves to stand up in his crib, and listen as we do our schoolwork.  Oh, yeah, we moved our "school stuff" into Emma's old room, along with Ezra's crib.  Which has proved helpful in some ways (he can play and listen while we work), and challenging in others (if he wakes up to nurse at 4am, and goes back to sleep and is still asleep at 9am, I guess that means no school!!)  =)

Sad Lesson...

So, Ben brought home a SURPRISE!!! for the kids.  A co-worker was getting rid of a small fish tank, with two beta fish.   There is a divider, to keep them away from each other, but on one occasion, one of the fish had made its way over and sort of "beat up" on the other fish.  Everyone was okay, but when Ben brought the fish home, I think we both noticed that the poor fish that took the beating looked a little defeated.  But, this fish had lots of pink in color, so that was to be Emma's fish.  She named it "Rainbow."  Caleb named the other fish "Sparkle."

The kids were so excited, helping Daddy clean out the tank, waiting for the water to warm up to the same temperature as the water they had been in, etc.  Rainbow seemed to be doing okay, although not a very active fish.  Just kind of "hanging out."

Well... on Saturday morning, Rainbow just wasn't moving at all.  The color had left and there was a paleness... Rainbow had died.  This was very hard for Emma.  Even with the reassurance of another fish, she cried desperately, "But I want Rainbow!!"  When Ben was flushing Rainbow, he was telling the kids that the fish would go through the pipes and out into the ocean (or something to that effect, I missed the whole conversation).  Emma was just so sad.  I sat, rocking with her, explaining that this is not how God intended it to be.  When God made this world, His intention was for life, not death.  But, we chose sin.  And ever since that time, death is a part of this life.  Even the most beautiful parts of creation are dying.  And while it is so sad, and so overwhelming at times... it is also the framework for the beautiful picture of redemption.  Death is not the end of the story!!  Our great Hero, Jesus, has redeemed us and triumphed over this enemy of death!!  Now, what does this mean for Rainbow?  I don't know.  (I had to be honest with the kid... I just don't know.  I did tell her, that while the Bible does make mention of animals in regards to heaven, I am just not sure if that includes Rainbow.)  It did make for some very interesting conversation, however.

Anyway, at church on Sunday, they had little "Prayer Request" cards in the bulletin.  Caleb was asking about it, and I saw Ben explaining it to him at the other end of the pew.  Then, I saw Caleb writing away... When he was done, Ben showed it to me:

"Dear God, please keep Rainbow safe out in the ocean."

So sweet.  Not sure he really understood that Rainbow was DEAD out there in the "ocean", but still, very sweet.

The End of an Era...

If you don't watch friends, then the title will not be nearly as funny. But, the sentiment remains... that something important has come to a close. Emma finished her last book, and test today. We celebrated with an ice cream party. Since Caleb is only one book behind her, he will probably finish in the next couple of days (although it would not surprise me if he wanted to "power through" so he can be done too, and have ANOTHER ice cream party!!).
This is the first formal curriculum we have purchased, and it has served us quite well. I know that you can use just about anything, and what works with one won't work with others. But, I have been comforted by having something to guide us, and we have had so much fun along the way. I have so many fond memories of their journey this last year.
They went from reading "C-A-T" to "Constitution." And so, it is with a tinge of sadness that I close up our box and pack away our stuff. But, it won't be long until I can bring it back out for Mr. Noah!! And won't it be even more fun, when Emma and Caleb can rejoin me as "teachers". =)

Advance '09

The conference Ben is attending in Durham, North Carolina is called Advance '09, "a conference about the power of God's gift to His people-the church.
www.advance09.com
I imagine he is pretty tired, since he just finished a night shift, and probably only slept a couple of hours.
He is flying all night tonight, then at the conference Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning. He is flying home Saturday (to avoid another night at the hotel). We will pick him up late Saturday.
Please pray with us, that he will have a safe trip, and that God will continue the work He has begun in his heart, that he will be challenged, comforted, encouraged, and have a renewed vision and perspective.

When Daddy is Away...

Well, we made it. We all got in the car, (and fortunately Grandma was able to come with us!!), and we drove down to LAX. The kids saw many planes, although not nearly as closely as they would have liked. We dropped Daddy off at his terminal area, and I could already see the big tears forming in Emma's eyes. She was just so sad that Daddy was leaving, telling him, "I don't want you to go, I want you to stay..." But, even through her tears she kissed Daddy, and we watched him go inside to wait (for a long time!!) for his flight. We got onto the wrong road, which turned out to be a major blessing, because a potty stop was needed RIGHT AWAY!! So, Grandma stayed with Ezra while I took the other three potty. Then, all the kids were STILL HUNGRY!!, so we were able to grab smoothies at a Robek's. Which, I must say, made for a "SMOOTHER" ride home. =)

Everyone is in bed, and the only consolation I had for the kids for Daddy being away (other than my big speech on how we should be so happy and excited for Daddy, which seems to have taken a bit with Caleb but not so much with Emma) is ICE CREAM. So, we are to have a big ice cream party. It just so happens that Emma will finish her "Trophy" book either tomorrow or Friday, which will lend itself nicely to an ice cream party anyway. We also have some wonderful friends who have been mindful of us being without Daddy, and have invited us to swim and play. I am so thankful. There was a part of both Ben and I that wished I could be with him at his conference, but all today, I have had a great feeling of peace, knowing that I am here with the kids, and I think this is the right place for me. We will miss Daddy so much, and yet God is abundantly gracious to bring those around us to love on us and make the time when Daddy is away go by just a little bit quicker. Oh, and Skype will hopefully help too!!

No time for school...

Well, as I was trying to collect the kids to begin our school work for the day, this is what I found:


Emma was reading her "Little House" Chapter Book, since it had to be returned to the library today and she had not had a chance to read it yet. Caleb was reading about Joan of Arc leading the French against England in war out of the Childcraft Encyclopedia set. But, it had to be a cool story, there were pictures of knights, and armor, and war.
I decided the "work" I had planned could wait.

Out with the old...

Okay, I am pretty sure that I am going to have to fess up and admit that I am a bookshelf junkie. Or maybe I am a book junkie, and I just like bookshelves to hold all the books? I am not really sure which, or maybe I am both!! But, I have been going through, trying to get rid of lots of stuff, and making room for a new bookcase. I have had my eye on it at IKEA for awhile, but it was on sale this weekend, almost half off. So, we made a "half-day" of it, and went down and got it.



Also, we have been needing a dresser for quite a while!! We looked on craigslist, and at garage sales, but just hadn't found one. Well, when we were helping out with a garage sale at the folks' house (Ben's dad and stepmom), Ben noticed that they were getting rid of... well, it's probably more of a buffet, or a sideboard, but could definitely be used as a dresser. Ben loved it right away. I was very busy, so I didn't even really get a chance to look at it, but I trusted Ben's judgement enough that we decided we would take it home with us. We stained it "black", with a very light coat, so you can still see the wood grain. The hardware on it is beautiful as well, so we didn't want to change that. It turned out so amazingly beautiful, it is in our room, and is much more "grown-up" looking than what we had been seeing on craigslist or at garage sales. I love it so much, I feel guilty having it. Here is a pic, I didn't get a before shot, but a couple of "in the process" shots. Thank you so much Connie!!

This is getting creepy!

So, Ezra can get into a fair amount of trouble now!  He rolls around, sits up, and "commando crawls."  But the really odd thing is... guess who was my expert "commando crawler"?  Yep!  Caleb!  The similarities are sometimes uncanny, however, I think Ezra is much more tenacious.  He sees it and MUST GET IT!!  =)

Chubby, Chubby!

Noah grabbed the "extra" on my shoulder and said, "Chubby, chubby mommy!" Gotta love it.

The Least Effective Method of Potty Training...

I am pretty sure that I am using just about the least effective method EVER for potty training. I am just not ready to fully commit to the process, and life has seemed a little crazy for full-on training anyway. With three times a week to the chiropractor, and all of life's other twists and turns, I have taken a very cavalier approach, which I probably wouldn't recommend to anyone. But it is working just fine for now, and keeps me mellow. Noah is actually doing quite well, especially given my method, and so we are just moving SLOWLY toward the goal of sometime being potty trained. And, my personal belief is that potty training is quite a bit about training the MOMMA, as well as the child, so I am going easy on myself. It's been a while since I've had to be responsible for reminding and such. I have a really cute picture of Noah in his Superman underwear, but I haven't uploaded it, and I probably wouldn't post it anyway. But, he is super cute. I found some Superman undies at 99 cents only, (a three pack for 99 cents!!) and silly me, I just bought one pack.
We pretty much wake up, and I decide if I feel "up to" potty training really seriously. If I am super serious, we go with underwear. If I know I won't be able to be completely on top of it, then I put him in a pull-up. I do try to make sure he stays dry, but I am just not quite as concerned about it, knowing he'll be okay. So yeah, I wouldn't recommend this method to anyone, but it's going okay for us. =)

Not as young as we were...

I don't think I have blogged about this yet, although in keeping with the post, I may have just forgotten!! Anyhow, it's been about a month ago, that my back "went out". I am not quite sure how else to describe it. But, the kids and I were just getting ready to walk out the door. I had Ezra buckled in his infant seat, and I went to pick him up, and in that moment, I knew something was very wrong. I laid down on the floor in our living room, and asked Emma to bring me the phone. I called Ben in tears (he was at work), and asked the three "big" kids to get up on their beds for some rest time. God was so gracious to me... all three got right on their beds, and Ezra fell asleep in his car seat. After about twenty minutes of just laying there on the floor, I was able to kind of crawl down the hallway and get a movie on for the kids and get to our bed. There I stayed!! Ben was able to get off a little early, and Ezra started fussing just about five minutes before Daddy walked in the door and came to his rescue!! My mom came and brought us dinner (Taco Salad, one of my favorites!!) and we were able to see the chiropractor the next morning. I had never been to the chiropractor in my life!! But, they did x-rays, and I have been going three times a week since then. I have a pinched nerve, and a "bulging" disc. I haven't really been in pain since that first time I saw them, so I am very thankful for that. I have been more cautious, and I am not yet cleared for bike rides. I am allowed to walk, and thankfully the kids seem to enjoy their scooters just as much as their bikes right now.
Last Friday (not yesterday, the previous one), Ben had his fourth knee surgery. The third surgery was on his right knee, and they repaired a meniscal tear. He re-tore it, so this time they went in and removed the torn portion. Last time was right after I had Caleb, and he was on crutches for 6 weeks! This time, he came out of the hospital and could already bear weight on it. So, he took it easy for five days, then was able to do whatever his knee would allow... which for us, meant going back to work.
So, it's been a crazy month or so, but it just goes to show that we are, in fact, aging, whether we recognize it or not!

Daddy Date...

Emma didn't have a "birthday party", or many presents to speak of, but the special thing which she was looking forward to was her special Daddy date. Daddy took just her to California Pizza Kitchen, which is somewhere Emma has REALLY been wanting to go!! From what I hear, they had a great time.
Her dress was her "big" present, but she did also get a jump rope and a watch. I had been working with the kids on telling time, and they were doing really well, so I got her the watch so she could practice. She kept telling me the time, and I thought, "Wow, she is doing so well!!" Then she told me, "Mom, this watch has the 5-10-15-20 written on it!!" And sure enough, very tiny numbers were written for the minutes. We decided it would be good practice anyway. =) She also got to pick out some flowers that we planted the afternoon of her birthday. We did get to have cake at grandma's house with her cousins, so that was special as well!

Ezra loves food!

Ezra is six months now, and loves his baby food. So far, he has had green beans, peas, squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. He eats one jar every evening at dinner time.

Movie Night

We finished reading The Tale of Despereaux, and were all excited for the movie. It was a wonderful time together (the reading of the book, and anticipation of the movie). We popped some popcorn on the stove, and got everything ready. The kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and we had a great time together, so all in all, it was great. But in my humble opinion, the book was much better, so the movie had a little bit of a let-down factor to it. =)

A finished project and a six year old...

I finally got to bed just before 1 am, and was greeted by Ezra at 4 am, then the rest at 6 am. But, no lack of sleep could take away from what is really hitting me like a semi-truck: I have a six year old today. And I love her so much.
(This is a side note, more for me than anyone else, because I don't want to forget. I had Emma try on the dress when I was making it so I could get the hem right, etc. She asked, "Is it going to be puffy like this (referring to the bodice)?" I asked her, "Do you not like it that way?" And she responded, "Oh, it's okay... I'll like it however you can make it...")

Influencing the Future...

So, at the library, I picked up some short, little biographies for the kids to read.  Emma's was about Betsy Ross, and Caleb's was about Tony Hawk.  (he had a couple of Tony Hawk sweatshirts handed down to him, and really likes them, so I thought I would give him a little more information.)

This morning:

Caleb:  Mom, I think I know what I want to be when I grow up.

Me: What is that?

Caleb:  I want to be a Daddy who skateboards!

Overheard at breakfast:

Caleb:  Emma, Tony Hawk wears elbow pads on his knees.  And his mom's name is Nancy.

Needless to say, when I had to go down to sign the kids up for the homeschool co-op classes, and the kids stayed with Grandma, Caleb just HAD to bring his skateboard (and helmet).

So next week, I am going to look for a biography about an astrophysicist.   (just kidding.)

What a Steal

Caleb was really in need of some new shoes. We have been so fortunate to have lots of things handed down to Emma from friends, and obviously Noah and Ezra are pretty well taken care of. But, Caleb had come to the end of his shoes (he, he) and was in need of some new ones. We went and tried on some Converse (just like Daddy's), which he really liked. Then, on the clearance rack I found some Nike mid-tops and thought I would have him try them on. Once he heard me say that his cousin Levi has some sort of similar, well, that sealed the deal. Those were his favorites. I got them up to the register and they were $10!! Now, the store was having a buy one, get the second pair half off sale, which was tempting to say the least. But, after realizing that I could walk out of a shoe store for under $11, we opted to just get the one pair. Caleb says that he can run faster!! (I told Ben, it was a little sad.... this is one of the first times that our kid have really got to PICK their own shoes.)

Our New Addition

I am sure there are people around the nation who are having a heart attack right now.

Relax, people. It's a piano. I have been so excited to finally have the piano around. Hopefully it will lend itself to some fun for Emma on Fridays, but for now, I am really enjoying it. 7 years of lessons have left me with surprisingly little skill at playing, but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying tinkering around from time to time. This piano has been up at my parent's old house, where my little brother and his kids live, and he very kindly allowed me to move it to our house!! (Actually, HE very kindly moved it along with hubby).