Rabid Deer and Girdles

Days in the Life...

Monday morning I got to begin my week with Kate and Sofia. Kate arrived asking for "Fia" and Sofia arrived a bit later, still asleep. I fed Kate and let Sofia sleep in her seat as long as possible. I actually got to eat (all) my breakfast while she slept and Kate played.

They both decided they didn't need morning naps.

Mom and Ava went to Ava's art class, Dad and Christian went to a meeting for Dad, and Chloe did school. Meanwhile, pretty much all morning, Gabe, Mia, and Kate danced in the living room and played blocks while I watched them, drank coffee, and snuggled Sofia. It was lovely.

Gabe was so sweet with the babies. 

After 11:00 I fed everyone and got Kate and Sofia down for naps. I sort of forgot about feeding myself, though... 

I got to have my quiet time while they slept and got a few other things done. Not eating.

They both woke up about 2:00 and were ready to eat and then play more.

After Sofia left, everyone, even Mom, danced with Kate. She left a little early so I got to exercise, and take a shower, and stuff. 

Mom and Dad took Christian to his first Driver's Ed class in the evening and went on a date while he was there. 

The rest of us ate dinner and watched "Little Big Shot." 

I also wrote another piano song. I've decided I just really have no idea how to compose "light, happy sounding" music. Everything that comes out of me musically is sad and/or contemplative. 

Tuesday morning Sofia came at 7:30 and did not want to take a very good morning nap. She was fussy and just wanted to be held. 

She did take a short morning nap, or maybe Ava took her for a while...either way, I had a little time to drink coffee and have my Bible time. 

Of course, right before she needed a bottle at noon, she fell asleep. 

I woke her up to eat and then was able to get her down for a solid afternoon nap. During that time I sat down to blog and since then y'all have not had another post to read. *Covers face and bites lip* 

I exercised right before she woke up and fed her before she left. 

Gabe and Ava teamed up to play soccer against me and Mia in the afternoon. Very quickly, Ava and Gabe scored two goals and it wasn't until Christian joined my team for the last 10 minutes that my team got anywhere. I think Gabe and Ava are probably both better soccer players than I am. *Smile* 

Gabe hurt his ankle during the game so Mia and Ava nursed him the rest of the evening. (He really was fine, but they enjoyed taking care of him.) 

I made dinner and Mom and Dad spent the evening walking around in our backyard with the pool contractor who will begin work at our house very soon! 

Dad has been dreaming of putting a pool in ever since we built our house over 8 years ago. We had a pool at the house I was born in, so Chloe, Christian, and I all learned to swim at a very young age. The rest of our homes have not had a pool. We are all very excited! 

Chloe took Christian to Driver's Ed and everyone ate dinner whenever they were ready. It was a mostly quiet night.

Wednesday morning I got up to make baked oatmeal for breakfast before Sofia arrived. She was happy and went down for a three hour nap not too terribly long after getting here. That was wonderful. 

Dad had a meeting in the morning and I believe Mom took Gabe and Mia to their gymnastics class. 

Sofia was up for an hour and Ava enjoyed playing with her. Then she went down for another nap and slept for two and a half hours! 

Pretty much the whole 5 hours Sofia slept that day, I worked on catching up my journal. I think I got to where I was only two days behind. 

Sofia woke up about 2:30 and left at 4:00. After she left I got ready as fast as I could, and threw muffins in the oven, and then flew out the door with Chloe and Christian. We dropped Christian off for Driver's Ed and then meet Aron at the Ultimate Frisbee field to watch his games that night. I think that was the first college sporting event I ever attended. 

Thursday morning Sofia was back! She did not sleep much that day, but the kids helped with her and we all still got stuff done. 

She did fall asleep in my arms again, though, once.

Mom left before noon to go pick up our Maui friend, Aly, at the airport so that the two of them could attend the Homeschool Book Fair that weekend. 

Chloe and I left at 2:30 to go to the Speech and Debate end of the year celebration. We ate a potluck picnic outside, saw a slideshow from the year, prayed over each of the graduating seniors, and did a bunch of thank-yous, and heard announcements. 

When we got home Dad and the littles were out having taken Christian to Diver's Ed. Chloe and I both got ready for bed, got second-dinner, and watched some "Willis Clan." 

About 9:00 I went downstairs because I was hungry again. I was wondering why in the world I was hungry already, since I'd just eaten less than two hours before, when I saw this: 

Apparently I never actually ate the food I made for myself before sitting down to watch the show. I honestly thought I had eaten it.  

Friday was my last day to watch Sofia. Her mommy is going to get to stay home with her from now on, so any other times I get to watch her will be for random babysitting. Kate also came and it was a fun day. 

It was actually very similar to Monday. They both declared (non-verbally) that morning naps are overrated. However, I was able to convince them that afternoon naps are not. 

So the morning was spent in the living room with music and blocks, and contained lots of laughter, and adorableness, and coffee (for me, no coffee for anyone else). 

Kate has started saying my name as best she can. Whenever I left the room she called "Weeya? Weeya? Weeya?" Also, if I was holding Sofia, she also wanted to be held. 

She let me braid her hair while she ate.

I love them!! 

When they both finally went down in the afternoon I was able to shower, and get dressed, and get dinner in the crockpot, etc. They both slept over two hours! 

Bedhead! 

Sofia left at 3:00 and Kate asked for blocks and music again. 

Aron came over around 5:00. The kids watched "Voyage of the Dawn Treader," Dad worked, Chloe took Christian to Driver's Ed, and Aron and I went through all my pictures to pull out the ones I wanted to put in my senior slideshow. I thought it would take less than two hours to go through hundreds of pictures. It took way longer. 

Saturday everyone slept in a little (until 8:00 ish) and then got up to eat and head over to work at the little house for the morning. I stayed behind to clean around the house and get some of my stuff caught up on. 

I left for church at noon to attend a worship and prayer workshop and then play piano for the hour before service. Dad and the kids cleaned up after working at the house, had some rest time, went to Costco, and then joined me at church. Mom and Aly finished attending the Homeschool Book Fair and met us at church in time for the service as well. 

After church everyone went home in shifts since we had three cars there. 

At home Aly got the tour of our house and we ate if we were still hungry and then enjoyed staying up late to visit. Aly was still on Maui time so she was wide awake and we were excited to get to spend time with her. We loved telling her all about the bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, armadillos, snakes, and rabid deer. (The rabid deer was just a joke, though, we don't have those.) 

Sunday morning we celebrated Mother's Day with cards and a few little gifts. We were having so much fun with Aly that we didn't have "brunch" until 1:00. 

There was a storm that morning and a lightning bolt hit the ground in our pasture. Aly and the kids ran out to see if they could find the scorch mark, but all they came back with was the smell of smoke and wildflowers. 

After brunch everyone except me and Christian went for a walk in the woods down the hill. I did not go because I knew they were going to see snakes. Sure enough, an hour later they returned having seen three snakes. 

They also brought back a dried butterfly to study under the microscope.

Aunt Cendei and Aron joined us for the evening. We had a roast for dinner and watched "Mom's Night Out." It was a very fun day. 

I've been pondering...

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." 

~Isaiah 40:31 

Waiting. 

Waiting is hard. 

Waiting for the next step. Waiting for direction. Waiting for confirmation. Waiting for the right time.
Waiting can be draining. 

But so often in our lives we will once again be called to wait. 
Rest. Stay. Abide. Anticipate. Watch. 
"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength..." 
A server waits on tables. They serve. 
We wait on the Lord. We serve. 
As we serve Him, worship Him, wait on Him, He renews our strength so that we might continue walking as He directs.

The Herd: Quoted 

"You are going to be a hair-doer when you grow up, you can work in a saloon! I mean a salon." -Gabe to Sofia

"I caught that bouquet at Bethany's wedding." -Me
"Yeah, and I have caught lots of girdles at weddings." -Christian
"Um, no. A girdle is like a corset." -Me
"Then what is it?" -Christian
"A garter." -Me
"Oh. Same difference!" -Christian
"No! There is a huge difference between a girdle and a garter!" -Me

"Call it a bucket! Call it a cookie cutter! Don't call it mold!" -Gabe as we try to explain to him what a "mold," whose purpose is to shape things, is. He was not understanding us.