Why I prefer they use straws

So that they don't drink their spinach smoothies like this...

And wind up looking like this...

Arrrr, matey!

Captain Jack Sparrow's got nothing on this guy.

Except maybe the ability to pronounce the letters R and L correctly.

When you pronounce them both with a W sound, pairing the pilot hat with the pirate costume makes perfect sense.

Slightly taller tiny dancer

August 2012

We kicked off another year of ballet. This year it's "Big Girl Ballet" in the Big Girl Ballet room with the real hardwood floor, wall-to-wall mirrors, and a barre. 

Abby came home from her first lesson feeling like a pretty big deal. I told her she's my favorite little ballerina.

"No, Mommy," she corrected me. "I'm a big ballerina now."

Bigger than last year, maybe. But she'll always be my little girl.

August 2011

Well coifed

It matters not how often we wash or comb it.

An hour later, his hair always looks like this.

I don't think he likes it.

It does a body good

 

Contestant number four enjoys drinking milk, gaining weight, and growing taller.

At the one month mark, Levi is two pounds heavier and two inches longer than he was at birth. He's still packing on about an ounce a day, still eating like a champ seven times a day, and only waking us up once at night. After noticing he was bursting a little at the seams in his newborn diapers, we wisely opened up our size 1 box. A combination of mushy sentimentalism and postpartum hormones made this a weepy event for me. My little guy is growing up! (I know, I know...he's only a month old. But I'm never getting that month back! Where does the time go?)

The other three still adore him, but they're getting a little bored with his lack of interaction.

Abby loves to get right in his face and wait for his eyes to roll her way. "He's looking at me!" she'll squeal with delight. Then a moment later, "Oh. Nevermind. He's asleep now."

Caleb is still determined to teach his youngest brother to talk, and doesn't seem the least bit frustrated when Levi fails to acknowledge his requests to say puppy, or milk, or Daddy. He's a persistent little three-year-old, and we're going to have to give him full credit whenever Levi finally does say his first word.

Jacob has discovered that tummy time is the perfect time to play with his little brother, since his little brother's back makes a mountain perfectly scaled to the monster trucks he wants to drive. The fact that the mountain wiggles and arches makes it that much more fun.

Happy one month birthday, little Levi!

Like mother, like daughter

Abby stayed very, very busy today. It's not easy keeping all those Bible Buddies in line during reading lessons at the School of Abby.

"They're all my kids," she told me. "And it's time for me to teach them to read this book."

Every once in a while she'd let them take a break to have a snack, or to go visit Caleb's sharks. None of her little plastic characters had shoes on, but she said that was okay, since they were doing their lesson in her room.

Some kids play teacher. My kid plays homeschool mom.

Next to godliness

We thought giving three kids baths at bedtime was hard.

But nothing compares to the logistics of trying to squeeze in a bath for the new baby. In our defense, he doesn't get nearly as filthy as the others, so we've kind of lacked a compelling reason to make regular baths a part of his routine. Aside from that bath they gave him at the hospital, and the occasional wipe down we've given him here and there during some of our calmer moments, poor Levi has gone without a real bath since birth. 

All that changed today.

Abby was puzzled by this odd interruption to our mid-morning routine. "Does he need a bath 'cause he stinks so much?" she asked matter-of-factly.

Well, yes. That, and I was starting to feel like a pretty shabby mom for not spending all that time lathering and lotioning my fourth the way I did my first.

Levi slept through the whole bath, so I'm guessing he wasn't too bothered by the total lack of privacy. Privacy's a pretty hot commodity around here. Better that he go ahead and get used to it while he's young.

Two heads are better than one

Under ordinary circumstances, I would insist they stop interrupting one another. But these were no ordinary circumstances.

This was an epic retelling of the greatest story ever told. And it was, apparently, a duet.

Abby began in the book of Genesis, singing the opening line of the Bible that she learned back when we did a preschool co-op with some friends three years ago.

"Genesis! Verse 1:1!" she sang with gusto. Then Caleb joined in as they finished the tune together: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

"And then he made sharks," Caleb added. "And all the other stuff."

"God made all things. And then he took a break, 'cause it was Sunday," Abby reminded him.

Caleb moved on to the sneaky snake in the garden, the tower of Babel and the battle of Jericho. Abby inserted the story of Noah's Ark where she felt it was appropriate, then closed out the Old Testament with the story of Jonah and the great big fish.

What captured me most was not their vivid recollection of these stories, but the way they worked together to tell them. They weren't just spouting out words. They were telling a story that they understood very well. Much of what they recited was easily recognizable from our nightly Bible readings. But where there were gaps in the story, or simply interesting tidbits that they felt needed telling, they pulled from lessons they've learned all over the place. Bits and pieces of lessons and stories from Sunday school, children's church, Community Bible Study, Vacation Bible School, and our kids' catechism CD all came to mind as they walked each other through the Bible. And it made for a captivating lesson for me as I drove around town listening to them weave their tale in the backseat.

As they continued their tale with Jesus' birth, death and resurrection, I saw first hand the fruits of the labor of all the teachers and helpers who have worked so hard over the years to give my kids a solid scriptural foundation on which to build their little world views.

"Mary had a baby, even though she wasn't married to anybody, and it was Jesus," Abby recalled. "It was a miracle."

"Jesus did lots of those," Caleb added. "With the wine, and the sandwiches and the fish for all the people. He liked food."

Abby was quick to remind him that Jesus didn't limit himself to food miracles. He healed people too, she told him.

"And Jesus died to take away our punishment, Abby." My ears perked up as Caleb went on. "'Cause we do bad things, called sins, like jumping on the bed, but Jesus said we get to be in heaven with him forever."

(And then quietly, almost to himself, he added "I'm sorry for jumping on the bed.")

They briefly broke out in a chorus of my favorite hymn, "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus," then resumed their tale.

"God is everywhere, so he always knows if we do bad things. But Jesus was perfect, Caleb," Abby chimed in. "That's why He can save us. Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, and when He's in our heart, we get to be with Him in heaven forever."

"But the cross was really heavy, Abby." Caleb was eager to tell her about one of his recent Sunday School lessons. "So one of his friends helped him carry it."

"Yeah," Abby agreed, "his name was Simon." Caleb nodded in agreement. (I have no idea how they knew this. I had to look it up to see if they were right when I got home.)

For another five minutes or so, they continued piecing together the story of the crucifixion, drawing on every little tidbit they've ever heard. Then Abby turned to her brother and, in a voice that perfectly mimicked mine, asked the question I always ask when Jesus' death comes up: "But did Jesus stay dead?"

"Nope!" answered Caleb. Then in perfect unison they shouted a familiar verse from CBS: "Jesus is alive!"

"That's good news, Mommy," Abby yelled from the back of the van.

"It sure is sweetie," I replied.

So to all of those who have poured into my children over the past few years, to the Ruth Annes and the Edies and the Rachels and all the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring my kids sound teaching, thank you. God's word does not return void, and your work with my children is taking hold in their little hearts.

I couldn't ask for more than that.

Precious moments

I love sweet moments like these.

I love watching the grandmother who once held me in her arms that very same way snuggle my son for the first time.

It totally makes up for the chaotic moments that ensue when someone has the bright idea to try to get a picture of that same grandmother with all four of my children.

Hey there, handsome.

Those eyes. Those cheeks. That grin.

My little shark lover is way too adorable for his own good.

This kid's gonna be a looker, for sure.

I've already fallen for him.