New Blog

If you are checking this blog for updates, I would like to redirect you to our new blog. Apparently blogger hates me. No matter what I delete or change I can no longer post pictures on this blog (unless I want to pay...and I don't). So, here is the link to the new blog:

http://thejoyofthislife.wordpress.com

Bookmark it!!! :)

Updates

For some reason, I cannot post pictures to my blog right now. Apparently my google account/picasa has reached its limit for pictures. I'm trying to get rid of some and free up some space, but I still can't seem to make it work. If anyone knows how to fix this, please inform me! This is really the wrong time for this to happen seeing as how this is where I post my e-Christmas cards, Luke and Ana both have birthdays coming up, Selah should be here soon, not to mention that I would like to share Christmas pictures on this blog!

Anyway, here is a brief pictureless post.

Ana got glasses. They are an indestructible kid kind. They are flexible, strap around the back of her head, and they are purple :) She looks adorable in them. I can't tell a difference in her vision, but she must be able to tell, because she likes having them on. She doesn't mess with them, and she gets very angry if Alex messes them up on her face (he sometimes likes to make her wear hats or put dress up clothes on her and it knocks her glasses off).

I am now 37 weeks pregnant. I have an induction on the books for December 20th if Selah doesn't make her appearance before then. So, no more than 19 days remaining. It is a strange feeling to have that date on the calendar. I have never been induced, so it is odd knowing I have a definite end date. I am slightly dilated and about 50% effaced, which is where I stayed with Luke for a brutal 3 weeks. I was so depressed for the last month I was pregnant with Luke. I don't feel that way this time. Yes, I am uncomfortable. Yes, I would like for my belly to not be so big that I can barely reach over my kitchen counter to turn on my garbage disposal. Yes, I would love it if I didn't wake up each night with pain shooting from my lower back all the way down to my feet. And yes, I will be very glad when I get to stop poking my fingers to check my blood sugar. But, I keep so busy throughout the days I don't have too much time to dwell on those things. (I am really just now dwelling on them and thinking I should be a lot more miserable ;) In truth, life is good. If Selah can wait until the 12th or after then we will have an extra set of hands to help, because Grandma will be here :) I know my kids will be so happy to see her, and they will be so busy having fun with her that they won't even miss me while I am in the hospital. So, there is a part of me that says, "any day now". And there is another part that says, "just hang on for another week and a half".

Everything else is pretty status quo around here. Just spending our days learning, playing, preparing for birthdays and Christmas, and making sure we are set for Selah's arrival.

Vote for Trey!

Trey got very into the elections this year. It started a few months back when he asked who we were voting for. After that he talked often about presidents and voting. And the day after the election he wanted to play "president" with me. He told me that people had to vote for us. Basically what he wanted us to do was have a debate where people could decide who they wanted to vote for. Trey's speech went something like this:

"If you vote for me I will make this world a more loving place. Everyone will love God. If anyone does not love God, we will send them to China. I will give everyone jobs."

He kept a tally of our votes on the easel. We were tied until I let my VP (Luke) speak up. Then Trey claimed that some people didn't like what Luke said, so he took some of my votes away. In the end, Trey won the election by one vote. He grabbed his map and sat down with his VP (Ana) and showed her where Washington DC was. He told her they were moving there to live in the white house.

34 weeks and counting

This picture is horrible on MANY levels, but I figure most people just want to see the size of my shamu-esq belly, and this does the job.

I think I have officially reached "that point". You know the point in pregnancy where the end is looming and you can actually feel it. I am exhausted! In fact as I type this at 8:17pm my body is screaming that I should be in bed. We have had a lot of commotion in our lives lately. We just bought a house, and we moved in 2 weeks ago. I have puffy dark circles under my eyes and I am feeling the 3rd trimester drag...only it seems a little worse this time. I recently had a conversation with my doctor that went something like this:

Me: "I just feel really yucky the last few days."
Her: "You have 4 kids, you just moved, and you are 33 weeks pregnant. How do you think you should feel?"

Oh yeah.

I should be realistic here. I keep reminding myself that I should start thinking about getting a bag packed for the hospital, sterilize my bottles, pacis, etc, and make sure I have all items on my "baby list" purchased, cleaned, and in good working order. But each night when it occurs to me to do those things I choose my bed instead.

But on a positive note, at least I can choose my bed. In a few short weeks I will have no choice but to be up in the wee hours of the night. Ah, the conundrum point: wishing this pregnancy were over (miserable with my swollen feet, aching back, and drooping eyelids. Not to mention eager to meet Selah ;) and wishing it would never end (knowing full well the sleepless nights, endless diapers, and constant feedings that await us).

Flag Football

In my life anymore there is no such thing as "all caught up". It's just the way it is, and I'm okay with it. As you read the majority of my future posts you will just have to be understanding of the fact that they are probably long overdue; like this post that should have been written and published about a month ago.

When Trey was 3, we thought it would be fun to sign him up for Sunday soccer. Boy were we wrong! Trey hated it. After that incident we decided that we would just let our kids ask us to be involved in things and we wouldn't waste our time or money pushing them into things they didn't want to do. This year Trey begged to play a sport. We laid out his choices and he decided on NFL Flag Football. His team had 7 kids on it and they played their games 5 on 5. They were originally slated to be the Green Bay Packers, but due to some NFL equipment/shipping glitch they ended up being the Redskins, and Gary was the coach.

I am so glad we waited for Trey to decide on his own to play, because he had so much more motivation  for the season. He loved all of it! For one game they even got to play in the big stadium in our city (on a real football field!). Trey's last 2 games were double headers, and it was pouring down rain. Despite the  cold, the rain, and playing for twice as long Trey never complained. In fact, he scored 2 touchdowns as the running back in the last game. He never asked to come out of a game one time. He practiced so hard during the week working on his three-step drop, running fake hand-offs with Gary, and practicing pulling flags. He became a different kid once on the football field. He always played fair, but he was also aggressive (much more so than I anticipated). We are very proud of his quiet leadership: working hard, never complaining, and continuing to be optimistic even after several losses.

Practice before a scrimmage. Trey is waiting in line to complete a drill.

"Redskins on 3"

We were treated to a special visit from the Barki family just in time for Trey's first game. Trey and Brandon were first best friends. We are so glad they could come!

Trey's turn at QB. With only 7 players, every kid got a lot of playing time and several chances at each position.

Playing around while we watch the game 

My little Maya! Back when I thought I would never have any girls I considered Maya my adopted daughter. Isn't she so adorable?!?!?!?

Soaking up the sunshine while we can

I also have several video clips from Flag Football, and if I ever get around to it I will post them one day as well (although maybe you shouldn't count on it).  I always seemed to miss getting the videos of Trey's big plays, so don't be too distraught if it never happens :)

Random things that amuse me

Trey and Luke like to pretend that some of the kids in our neighborhood are "bad guys". As the kids ride by on bikes Trey and Luke scheme to trap them or put them in jail. Of course they never actually do any of these things. It's just a fun time for my boys to utilize some of that brotherly teamwork. One day they were talking about trapping some kids. They were going to ride after them on their bikes and get them. They were planning all of this during the school day when no kids were actually around. While they waited for school to be out and some kids to come by they asked if they could wash their bikes.

Luke: "Yeah, then we will have really clean bikes to get them with. And they will say, 'you have nice bikes'".
Trey: "Yeah, and then one of us can trap them while the other one says thank you".

I laughed so hard thinking how nice it is to know that even when my boys are plotting and scheming to "trap" people at least they are still using their manners :)

***

On my birthday my sister called. Trey answered my phone and my sister asked him if there was anything special about today. "Yes. Two things," he replied. "I taught myself how to ride my bike without training wheels, and I made a solar system". Isn't it funny how in a child's mind everything revolves around them?

My mom also called to wish me happy birthday and Luke talked to her first. While on the phone with her he asked me, "is it your birthday?". I told him it was and the next two questions were, "how many presents are there," and "why aren't we eating anything?" (as in cake).

***

Trey is at the age where he reads everything! As we were brushing teeth one night he pointed at a bottle of lotion on the counter and said, "Wow, now that's something you don't see everyday". Failing to see anything interesting about the lotion I asked him what he was referring to. He pointed near the bottom of the bottle and read, "Made in the USA". 

Ok, while that may be funny. It's also sad to think that my 6 year old knows that everything is "made in China".

***

One day I yelled at Ana for doing something she was not supposed to, or maybe for something she should be doing and wasn't (at this point in time I forget the details). Trey asked me how I knew what Ana was (or was not) doing when I wasn't even looking. I told him that I had eyes in the back of my head. I explained that all moms do. He said he couldn't see them. I jokingly told him it was because my hair was covering them up. 

Fast forward a week and a half.

I am sitting in the rocking chair in the evening watching TV and Trey jumps up behind me and yells, "BOO!". The next thing he says is, "you know why I could scare you? Because your eyes are against the rocking chair, so you couldn't see me sneak up". Poor kid really thinks I have eyes in the back of my head :)

***

A sweet sister in Christ gave me some roses. Trey looked at them and instead of telling me they were pretty or asking to smell them (or some other juvenile thing ;) instead asked, "are those dicots? Because I think they are". "Well, why don't you tell me," I responded. After carefully examining the leaves Trey asserted that they were in fact dicots. And he is right. 

For those who are all confused by this don't feel bad. I would be too if I wasn't learning right along with Trey. We are currently studying angiosperms (flowering plants) in botany. We are learning to tell the difference between monocots and dicots (this refers to the seeds of a plant and whether they have one or two cotelydons) by looking at their leaves and/or petals. Pretty soon I'll be able to go on Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader :) 

The tooth fairy saga

While at the park one day swinging on the swings Trey says, "mom, I don't think the tooth fairy is real". He must have been thinking about his 3rd loose tooth.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Well, I know that cartoons aren't real, and I saw the tooth fairy on a cartoon once. Plus, I just think it has to be somebody."
"Oh. Who do you think it is?"
"I don't know, but when this tooth falls out I'm going to stay awake and find out."

***

A few weeks later Trey's tooth was barely hanging on. He was too nervous to let anyone pull it, but one night well past his bedtime he was finally convinced that maybe we could try. At first he said no and cried. Gary offered to pay him $2 if he would let us pull it (that's double the tooth fairy's going rate in our house). Trey wanted the money, but couldn't decide if it was worth it. Then Gary offered $3! Trey was still hesitating, so Gary pulled out his wallet and handed Trey the $3 to hold onto while I pulled it out. Trey relented. The tooth came out easily, and we sent him to bed $3 richer. Moments later Trey was in our room asking for his tooth. He wanted it in a baggie so he could put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy. That's my future venture capitalists! Trying to max out his earning potential.  We explained that the money we gave him was in lieu of tooth fairy money, and overtired he almost started crying. I asked why he was so upset, and he said, "I just really want to see the tooth fairy".

We sort of left things there and never really addressed the tooth fairy issue, but as tooth number 4 begins to wiggle I imagine we will have to do so soon.

What would you do?

The bounty of the land

Some of our harvest (minus the box of apples going to make applesauce and the pear cider)

I know that I posted recently about our Sauvie Island Farm U-pick adventure, and I sort of thought we were done for the season. But the land here is just so fertile that it really is a shame not to continue to take advantage of all of the wonderful fresh produce we have here while we can. My birthday is in the fall, and I have so many fond memories of spending it at the apple orchard. So, when Gary started asking me what I might want to do to celebrate I didn't hesitate to say, "go to the apple orchard and pick apples with the kids". This weekend seemed just as good as any to go picking even though most apple varieties aren't quite ready yet. We drove to Mt. Hood and spent some time at Mountain View Orchard picking apples, peaches, pears, and early prunes. We also bought a few things out of the farm store like fresh green beans, cucumbers, and pear cider...yum!

Fresh peaches!

With an apple and free reign these 2 were in heaven

"how's yours?"

piles of apples

Mmmmmmmm

He's growing up so fast!

Helping daddy with the apple picker

The view

A new school year...sort of

Homeschooling is part of the plan in our home. We are not opposed to other forms of schooling, but this is what we choose to do for many reasons that are important to our family. Because of that, "school" for us doesn't quite fit the mold that it does for most people. I find that most people are intrigued by our choice to homeschool, and many have strong feelings one way or another about it. Some people think we are depriving our children of opportunities to build certain skills (namely social skills), and others say things like, "well good for you. At least your kids will be able to say the Pledge of Allegiance". Regardless of what others think, homeschooling is the choice we have made for this point in time. I will try to discuss how this looks for us and why we made this choice regarding our children's education, because we are asked a lot of questions about it.

Technically, based on the ages of our children: Trey should be starting 1st grade, Alex in Kinder, Ana and Luke in Pre-K. Here's how it actually looks: Trey is nearly done with 1st grade (we started early and we go through the summer in order to help with retention and a smoother transition), Alex, Ana, and Luke are all working through a Pre-K curriculum. Luke is able to complete a bit more than Alex and Ana, but they all work through it together with each child working at his or her level and completing the tasks to the best or his/her ability.

TREY: We currently use Sonlight curriculum for Trey. It is very rigorous without being overwhelming.  Our studies include Bible, History/World cultures, Read-alouds, poetry, science (human body, animal studies, magnets, water experiments, etc.), math, and hand writing. We complete this curriculum using a 4-day/week schedule, and it only takes us about an hour to maybe an hour and a half. People get very confused when I say that. This is part of the benefit of teaching your child one-on-one. I know Trey. I know where he needs extra instruction and where he doesn't. I don't have to work at the pace and level of 30 other kids. I can focus on one child. Think how much faster any child can grasp a concept when they have one-on-one instruction. Trey will finish 1st grade at Christmas break time. After a short "baby break" we will jump into 2nd grade (probably Feb.).

ALEX, ANA, LUKE: We just started Pre-K for the 3 little ones. I use Hands on Homeschooling, because I think it is a good choice for this age group. It includes Bible stories and memory verses, lots of basic concepts (letters, numbers, colors, etc.), cooking, physical skills, reading readiness, etc. All of these things are presented in a hands-on way (hence the name). These 3 are currently following the school year, but as summer approaches next year we will continue to work through it, which will put us off-kilter a bit.

CO-OP: In addition to our 4 day/week schedule, we attend homeschool co-op on Thursdays. This semester Trey is taking botany/life science, US history, and world cultures. He is in these classes with other 1st-3rd graders. The three little ones are immersed in a pre-k class with lots of other kiddos ranging in age from 3-5. The way the co-op works is that each family pays a minimal yearly fee (like $25) along with any small class fees for copies, supplies etc. And parents have to agree to help out in some capacity. Many parents teach classes, some assist in classrooms, others offer up child care for moms who are teaching, and every family has to agree to stay and clean up one Thursday. Through co-op our kids gain not only the opportunity to learn with and from their peers, but they learn how to be a responsible member of a community.

FAQs:
1. WHY DO YOU HOMESCHOOL?
The number one answer for this is our faith. It is important to us that our children have a solid grasp of who they are in Christ before we send them out into the world. This is not to say that other children don't get that, but we have an opportunity to be involved in every aspect of their education and we are taking it. Along with that, many public schools are failing. We are not in a position to send our children to private school, and I do hold a Masters degree in education so I might as well put it to use ;)

2. SO YOU NEVER GET A BREAK?
I admit that on some occasions it feels that way, but the truth is that I am blessed to see all of the "lightbulb moments" my kids have. I get to watch them grow and learn in every area on a daily basis. Trey is already 1/3 of the way to adulthood, and we can't get these moments back. And no, this is not our way of trying to hold on to and baby our kids. It is our way of making sure our kids have the tools they need for the future while spending both quality time and quantity of time with them.

3. AREN'T YOU WORRIED ABOUT THEIR SOCIAL SKILLS?
My gut response to this question is to ask another question: is school the only place kids can socialize? My kids may do school at home but they still go to church, swimming lessons, play at the park, have play dates with friends, and participate in sports. In fact, when all is said and done my kids may be better off because they have more interaction with various age groups. As a kindergartner Trey had gym class with kids as old as 4th grade, and he could be seen walking through the hallways of church giving high fives to kids twice his size.  Along with social skills our kids are also learning other important life skills that can sometimes be left out of a typical classroom setting, things like flexibility. Sometimes there is a doctor's appointment in the middle of our typical school time, or maybe an emergency errand. My kids can adapt to coming back to something later, doing 2 days worth of school in one day or moving subjects around, because it is done in our home. We make every effort to maintain a normal schedule, but life is messy and kids who can adapt to changes will be better off in the end.

Our "school" space. 

Trey working diligently on his botany homework

After school is over we have lots of time for things like a silly dress-up competition :)

One year ago tomorrow (Sept. 7th) is the day that our Alex got a "new heart". Our sweet boy bravely underwent an open heart surgery where 3 holes were closed and valves were created where there were none. In the last year Alex has gained 7 lbs, stopped randomly dropping to the floor in pain, and has gone from looking sickly all the time to being a vibrant and healthy 5 year old. We are so thankful to Dr. Dabal and Dr. Law for being so positive and diligent in correcting Alex's heart and caring for him. It sounds odd to say, but as we prepared to move to Oregon I actually cried when we left Dr. Law's office for the last time. How do you show your gratitude to the people who gave your child a new chance at life? I don't know. Maybe this is my attempt. Maybe this post is just to remind me of where we've been and how far we've come. Either way, I don't want to forget.

Where we've been.

How far we've come.

Sauvie Island Farm

Over labor day weekend we went to Sauvie Island Farm, based on a tip from one of Gary's co-workers. It was a short 20 minute ride from home, and I can't wait to go back next year. It is nearing the end of u-pick season, which is why we probably won't go back again this year. Sauvie Island is a large farm with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and flowers that you can pick yourself or purchase pre-picked. The kids LOVE picking fresh fruit and veggies. The prices were comparable to grocery store prices, but who are we kidding, the flavors don't even compare! Plus, a day of fun and entertainment along with fresh produce...count me in. Like I said, u-pick season is quickly dwindling, but we were still able to get pears ($1/lb), corn ($3/dzn), peppers (assorted varieties- jalapenos, pablanos, bell peppers $1.50/lb), and blackberries ($2/lb). When we arrived, we were shown a map of the property, invited to grab a wagon, and left to wander around and find what we wanted to pick. The views were amazing and the day was gorgeous. What a great memory to have.

Corn!

Is he stinkin' cute or what?

Trey loves corn, so he worked really hard to find the big ones.

The wagon was great for getting the kids from one part of the farm to another

Holding tight to daddy. After our strawberry picking adventure we learned an important lesson...don't let Ana pick! While she might enjoy eating all she can, it ends up being unfair to her little tummy (which may have a steel lining, I'm not sure) and a setback to all of the self-control we have been working at. Instead, we pick and hand her berries to eat as we do so. This also helps keep the dirt, leaves, etc out of her mouth.

Check out that view!

Beautiful girl

Alex found some flowers on the ground and didn't want to let them go. He carried them for quite awhile.

Assessing the berries

We Survived!

As a follow up to my last post I should tell you that the kids and I made it to Michigan without much incident. So thank you all so much for your prayers! Ana struggled a little bit in the jetways on the way there. She panicked, unsure of what was at the other end. Even though she has flown before, she must have just forgotten. She set of a chain reaction with my kids though. As soon as she started screaming Luke panicked, and Alex followed suit. Once on the plane though she was fine, happy even. Our first flight was 4 hours long and I could see the dread on the faces of other passengers as they eyed my brood. By the time we landed in Chicago though I was being complimented on how well my kids did. No tears, no tantrums, no fights. All in all it was pretty uneventful.

Once we arrived in Michigan, however, the events didn't stop. We drove to Wisconsin to celebrate my grandma's 100th birthday. We spent those days at family picnics catching up with relatives. It was nice, but made for long days for the kids. We came back to Michigan and got together with Nana and Papa and all of the cousins, had another BBQ for the other side of the family, caught up with old friends, went out on Uncle Peter's boat, played with all of Grandpa's "toys", and spent some time with Aunt Melina before she had to go back to England, Uncle Garrett before he left for Kentucky, and Uncle Gavin and Aunt Rachel when they weren't working. The kids loved hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandpa introduced the boys to the old batman cartoons, Alex LOVED the 4-wheeler, and Ana enjoyed all the new experiences.

Ana with her Grandma, and 100 year-old Great-Grandma!

Meeting Papa for the 1st time. Like Ana's "cheese face"?

We tried to get a picture of Nana and Papa with all their grandkids, but Luke refused to have his picture taken. 

After everybody left the park, Luke said, "I'm ready for my picture now"! Really?!?!?!

At least he sat while we took pictures of our kids.

Trey had a blast playing soccer with his cousins!

Finally! Ana had some girls to hang out with.

Luke was insistent that everyone smell his feet all week

Learning how to do the "hokey pokey" with Aunt Melina. Really Melina was the only one hokey-pokeying. The kids just stared at her :)

Being flipped around by Great-Grandpa "Wild Bill"

In the lake taking a break from feeding the fish

Driving the boat with Gramps. He was so focused on what he was doing.