Fall Is More Fun...

...when you're walking.

5 1/4

I remember, as a kid, the importance of your answer when someone asked your age. Your age is your status; so you had to choose your wording carefully. You might say, "I'm 7 and a half." That "half" part was very important; it put you in a class above the plain old 7-year-old.

I thought of all of this after I took a portrait of Isaiah the other day. I didn't realize until I pulled the photo up on the computer that the fire hydrant he was leaning against said "5 1/4" which is his exact age.

Isaiah and I are both enjoying his kindergarten so far. We love the time together, and I enjoy the structure it brings to my morning. I'm already realizing how much unexposed sin it's going to bring out in both of our hearts which is another bonus; you can't deal with sin unless it's exposed. It is also adding to precious memories book I keep stored away in my head. Here are some quotes from the first week of school:

-His phonics book has pictures of things that have the letters we're learning in them. I pointed to an igloo and asked him what it was. "That's Oklahoma!"

-"Oh, do I have to do all of this [super easy page]! It's SO hard."

-We've been learning a Bible verse that we recite each morning. Isaiah quoted the other day as, "'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.' Problems 1:7"

Like a Pro

Adriana is walking like a pro. She is so excited not to have to get down on all fours that she spent yesterday walking laps around the house. As I made dinner, I think I watched her walk by the kitchen about ten times (each time with a different toy in hand). Last night when we took a walk, we let her get out of her stroller and walk with her brothers a little bit...


To my veteran blog readers, yes, that is my favorite bridge for photos.

Diaper Fun

Some friends of ours, whose son is only about 6 weeks old, made this video. Steven and I laughed so hard and had to pass along the humor...
Luke and Kristin, you guys crack us up; you'll have a fun ride with this parenting thing.

All Three

Candid

Trinity Rae

Here's a photo we just received of our new niece/cousin...

Dressed

Ask a mom of young kids to list the top ten biggest challenges of her day, and I bet that you'll find "getting everyone dressed" on there. "Getting dressed," you ask, "what's the big deal?" Allow me to share. Instead of giving the whole low-down, I'll just give you snap-shot from the other day. (By the way, I'm not making this up.)
On this particular morning our goal was almost in sight. I had only to dress my daughter. I had managed to pick out an outfit for her and even get her shorts on. All I had left is the shirt...

I pick up the shirt and notice a hole.
I decide it's small enough that mending it will just take a moment.
I decide that if I ignore my bladder one minute longer I will have to start imitating one of my son's "potty-dances."
I head to the bathroom.
I find a majority of the contents of the bathroom cupboard emptied.
I remember that, while I was getting dressed, one of my boys opened the bathroom door (bad news with a one-year-old in the house).
I clean up the cupboard.
I notice a smell.
I find that someone left their used night pull-up open in the trash can.
I empty the trash.
I feel the potty-dance coming on.
I head to the bathroom.
I find wet toilet paper decorating the seat and floor, continued courtesy of my one-year-old.
I wipe it all up.
I disinfect everything.
The potty-dance has arrived.
I finally get a chance to rid myself of the potty-dance.
I start to mend the shirt.
I notice a smell.
I change my one-year-old's diaper.
I finish mending the shirt.
I chase down my one-year-old.
I finally put on her shirt.

One day, I tell myself, I'm going to miss my full mornings and all the memories that come with it. For every trying moment there's twenty wonderful moments that come with it.

The First

On Sunday, Steven's brother and his wife welcomed their daughter, Trinity Rae Sieb. We're all thrilled that our kid's have their first-ever cousin, and we just wish we could snuggle with her. Having a girl in the family only about year apart from Adriana makes it extra exciting. We'll be sure to post a picture when we get one.

Kindergarten

Today we stepped into a brand new season of life. Isaiah started kindergarten, and I began my journey as a homeschooling mom. Over breakfast, Steven asked Isaiah what he wanted to learn in school. Isaiah replied, "Dad, it's pretty simple...I've got to learn how to drive cars, how to write, and how to make things."

Here my big man's first-day-of-school photos...

While beginning to teach is a bit daunting for me, I'm just glad I still have a decade before I have to get started on Isaiah's first learning goal.

Playgroup

I've posted before about the difficulties of taking a group shot involving kids. But when I took my camera to our playgroup, the group photo went incredibly well. One hand-in-mouth and one I-can't-let-go-of-my-mommy with no other problems is downright amazing. The most unbelievable part is that it took all of 2 minutes.

We've been part of this weekly playgroup for four years, and it has been such a joy. A time for my kids burn off their energy with other small people and for Momma to get interaction with adults (that can identify with it taking 20 minutes to get from the front door to the van and who have also served lunch in their pajamas) is refreshing. These encouraging ladies and array of little guys make Wednesday mornings one of favorites of the week.

Vacation Photo Finale

As I sifted through the post-vacation debris, I decided to take a break. And what better way to take a break then to blog...

I asked everyone what their favorite memories from our vacation was. Steven said his was the hot tub. I asked him for something else (something more suitable for a family blog). He said it would probably be the morning that it was raining and he and the boys went to the golf course (which the vacation house was on the edge of) and played golf in their swimsuits. Isaiah said his favorite was the beach and the sand dunes...not the going up part, but the running down. Elijah's favorite part was whatever Isaiah said. Adriana didn't give an answer, but I think her favorite part was everything but the 15 hour car ride.

So here is our vacation photo finale...

Lake Michigan pebbles:

Storytime with Daddy:

She loved sitting in the sand and cried if anyone tried to pick her up:

Cousin hugs:

My heroic grandma who, when she became too tired to walk up the sand dune, crawled up it:

On top of a dune:

At the beach:

My brother:

The sport of the week was golf:

Overlooking Lake Michigan:

The reason we went up that week was to be able to attend my cousin's wedding. To my delight, I was able to help photograph her special day. Here are a couple of the pictures...

The Reason For Our Trip

Vacation Golf

"Go Long, Cousin!"

Siblings In The Sand

Vacation Snack

Vacation Wading

Pool With Daddy

"No More Monkeys Jumpin' On The [Hotel] Bed"