Lego Creations

We had the kids overnight Saturday night, and the big kids spent most of their time with the box of Legos, building and building.

The whole family stopped over today to wish Papa a happy father's day, and I got this great one of Callie belly laughing ...



This is Lexi's own creation - it started as a house, then was a castle, then was ... I'm not sure what it ended up being but she was mighty proud of it. Love that expression on her face.

Papa and Mason built this garage/carwash/gas station together, and all his cars were full of gas, clean, and jumping on and off the awning repeatedly ... at which time it was bedtime!

I told them to pick up because it was bedtime, and Papa said "I'm never going to bed!" Mason, without missing a beat, said, "OH NO! Then you'll be SUPER CWANKY!" Wonder if he's heard that somewhere before??

The girls stayed up jabbering until 10:15 ... it was cute as can be, to me of course who sent them home this morning ... not surprisingly I heard they took good naps today.

Happy Father's Day to all!

Rockin' Tae Kwon Do!

Lexi started Tae Kwon Do a couple of weeks ago - she looks darling in her outfit! Wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch her kicking and punching ... hopefully she's getting the concept that these moves are not to be used on her siblings!



And Mason, rocking like a maniac on Grama's horse - should have video'd it instead, funny stuff!




Pool pictures are my next endeavor!

Blog fast ended

It's been too long ... I've been through my elbow surgery now, and am on the way to recovery. I had to have a part of my hamstring transplanted to replace my UCL tendon in my elbow, yeah sort of a big deal. The recovery time to "normal" (whatever that is) is about 6 months, but I'm already doing so much better. I have physical therapy three times a week, and am in a big ugly brace that I call "Thug." Just for fun. Speaking of fun, physical therapy is NOT fun but I am encouraged by the progress so far.

I have also been so well loved during this recovery time - meals, cleaning my house, visits, cards - it is almost overwhelming. I'm learning how hard it is to receive! It's so much easier to give, and so humbling to be on the receiving end of so much love and mercy and grace. I have been the recipient of the hands and feet of Jesus from my brothers and sisters and that is a beautiful thing.

OK, for some fun, here's a video of Mason and his ongoing fear of all things flying ...



I'll be back sooner this time I hope!

Time for a ramble ...

I can't believe I haven't posted since March 23rd. I think I am getting like everyone else in that Facebook is replacing blogs. Maybe because it's more interactive? Definitely it's less work to comment on someone's status or have a chat than it is to post a blog. But something is lost too ... at least for me - I don't get to tell stories on Facebook! And I really like doing that! Last weekend there was a women's conference at our church, and one of the workshops was on "Writing Your Life Story." I didn't get to go, but I got the short version from the teacher as well as her materials, and I'm intrigued. She suggests capturing memories, basically, which is what I think I've been doing on this blog for the last several years. The bonus here is the pictures.

So now that I've spent a few minutes brain-streaming for you, here's a couple of Lexi shots from the other night.




I just love the child's eyes, can't help zooming in on them whenever I've got the camera. She spent the night Thursday, and one of her favorite things to do over here is take a bubble bath. I sit in my chair at the bottom of the stairs and just listen to her talk and mostly sing - she is so funny. She has a 'swimming puppy' that unfortunately has had it's head removed from it's body somehow, and she was singing love songs to him: "Oh, you are my one true love, yes, my one true love, I'm so sorry your head came off, but I will wash you clean anyway and then we can play, my best friend, my one true love ..." And on and on and on (not all about her one true love thankfully). I just sit down there and laugh.

We are reading "The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe" together, and she is fascinated. I didn't know whether she would be old enough to appreciate it or even understand it, but despite the "old english" and the big words she seems to be absorbing it completely. In fact, while I was reading to her (we're about a third of the way thru the book, the kids have been told a little about Aslan and that they're to meet him soon, but nothing more) we came to the part where Edmund finds the stone lion at the White Witch's castle, and she started to cry and said, "Oh NO! The White Witch already turned the hero into stone!" I was very interested that she has already put together that Aslan is the hero, even if it made her sad. We talked about it being a story like movies are stories, and she said, "But I know one thing that IS true in this book, Adam and Eve! (The kids are called Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve throughout the book.) Yay! Sunday school, camp, reading the Bible at home, talking talking talking about all matters spiritual with her ... even though I personally don't ever remember talking about Adam and Eve, someone obviously has.

Anyway, that's my best Lexi story of the moment. Oh, except for the part where she was twirling around on one foot in her tinkerbell shirt telling me she wanted to be a singing ballerina when she grows up ...

And now that I've given you part of the book review, everyone who has read "The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe," go buy the book! Or watch the movie! It's worth your time, I promise.

Hand and feet

Time is flying along ... these little hands and feet of Callie are proof. They still look so little in these pictures, but when she's running with her feet and eating (and beating her siblings) with her hands, she seems so big.

Time is flying.

I just don't get it ...

This morning in church we went through multiple passages in Matthew, following Jesus' teachings to the disciples about glory to come, heaven, etc. ... always followed by His reminder that His suffering and death was to come. The disciples JUST DIDN'T GET IT. They thought the path to glory was power and authority, sitting beside Jesus on the throne, watching Him physically overcome the world right then. Jesus repeatedly told them that the path to glory was suffering and death. He kept giving them the pieces to the Kingdom puzzle, but God's kingdom is upside down and inside out from the world's idea of glory. They STILL didn't get it ... all the way to the end. Even after He was crucified, they didn't get it - it seemed that all had unraveled. Everything they expected had come tumbling down.

Until the resurrection - that glorious resurrection - when all the pieces of the puzzle He had handed them fell neatly into place and they finally understood. They saw the picture. THEY GOT IT! Do you get it? Do I get it? Do we really, really understand that God's economy is one of serving, giving, suffering, offering ... not the taking, striving, working our plan A, B, C, D etc., that the world tells us is the right side up way?

If I choose to buy into His "upside down" world it will cost. Me for sure, and perhaps those I love. But in the light of eternity, upside down and inside out look pretty right side up come Easter morning! May all of my days start with a resurrection morning!

A Truck Wash ... and Collateral Damage

Mason came over for Truck Washing 101 - a lesson from Papa. Surprisingly neither of them got soaked! He absolutely LOVES Papa's truck ... he was so excited to help wash it he was literally dancing!

Later he was playing on the deck, and his daddy stopped over. I was inside, but heard J belly-laughing so I poked my head out and asked what happened. Well, Mason broke the rain gauge. When J asked him how it happened he said, "I DUNNO! My hands are JUST SO STRONG!"

A little later he was getting the placemats out of the deacons bench for dinner (one of his favorite "nini and papa" things, choosing everyone's placemats for the meal). He had to move a flower arrangement and a picture to get to them ...

... I heard a crunch, and a "I fink I bwoke somefing." Hmmm. He's worth it, though, totally, I promise!

If we are the Body ...

Facebook | Brandon Clayton's Photos - the world race

Can't seem to figure out how to post this as a picture ... but it's worth the click.

The Message

The first message is that Greg and Amy turned a combined 90 years old about a week ago! Greg is now 50 and Amy is now 40. We celebrated with family last night, and good fun was had by all.

The second "message" is the announcement on our answering machine. Who cares, you may ask? Well, it's the prelude to the postlude (that's not right! What is the word I want?), so bear with me and listen to it.



And the REAL message, left on same answering machine by Lexi (with Mason jabbering in the background):



It's a little hard to understand - Lexi first says "That's not Nini's voice!" ... then "Can I talk to Nini, Papa?" and finally, "I called Nini!"

Obviously the continuing saga of teaching Lexi my phone number ... and obviously she doesn't understand the concept of the answering machine yet! And obviously Mommy cut her off at the end! If anyone can figure out what Mason is saying you'll win a prize. Don't know what yet, because I don't expect anyone can do it, but if you do I'll figure out something!

Love those kiddos.

Don't try this at home

All my best material comes from the kids' overnights, that's for sure. Lexi asked me to make heart-shaped cookies - we were working on valentines together, so it follows easily enough. I'm envisioning the whole roll-out sugar cookie thing, realizing I don't have a heart shaped cookie cutter, and she says she wants chocolate chip cookies. Far in the recesses of my brain I know this won't really work, but being the lefty-brained nut that I am, the active part of my brain said, well why not?

These look pretty good don't they? So did my left brain win? No. NO! These were the only two out of the whole entire stinkin' batch that turned out looking remotely like hearts. Imagine how much time was spent trying to make the other 30-some cookies look like these?? Thankfully she was just excited about these two, and didn't seem to care at all about the others, as long as she got to eat the hearts, naturally.

Now this is a whole other story. She came into me in middle of the night on Saturday to tell me her feet were cold. I'm ashamed to say that I was so far asleep that I didn't even get up, just told her to go get her socks from the clothes we'd laid out for church the next morning. Apparently she was up for awhile...



While she was eating breakfast Sunday morning, she said brightly, "Nini, do you wanna look at my bed?" Thinking she had done a 5-year-old job of making her bed and was proud, I said sure and went up to look. This is what I found. I asked her what happened, and she said, "I wanted to sleep on the bottom cushion so that's why the top cushion looks like a slide!" I stopped asking questions in fear, realizing though why she was SO COLD!! I have no idea whether she did this before she went to sleep or in the middle of the night ... am I even fit to have these children in my house??

Finally, a picture of her on her birthday. Poor kiddo was sick so her party got cancelled. Instead we had a very small pajama party, and she of course was the princess of the day. Fun enough, and I think she really didn't know the difference in the end.

Finally for real, yesterday's sermon was a very reflective challenge for me from the book of Nehemiah. He ALWAYS prayed first, and then took decisive action based on God's reponse and His word. Do I pray first and then ask God's blessing on my decision? All too often. Do I pray and then not act? Some of the time. Is that what He wants from me, is that what grows my relationship with Him? Is that what He longs for and waits for? How about you?

Nelson Mandela

Brandon posted a really great blog and especially video - go take a look here if you have the time.

18? or 100?

Christa was taking Lexi to the doctor today for her five-year-old checkup - by the way HOW IN THE HECK DID SHE GET TO BE FIVE????? - and they were doing "math" on the way there. By this I mean Lexi was giving Christa addition problems and then correcting her. My favorite is this one: Mom, what's 9 + 9? Of course, Christa answered "18." Lexi's response? No it's not. You told me it was 100 when I was three.

You can't make up this stuff.

Birthdays and sick days!

Sick days first - we have had the weirdest wave of stomach virus sweep through here - Callie got sick on Wednesday (we babysat her Weds night); Greg got sick the middle of Thursday night, I got sick Friday evening, Brooke (Lexi's overnight friend, see below :) Saturday morning, Lexi Saturday afternoon, and Mason Saturday night. So far that seems to be the end of the epidemic but I haven't heard from Christa yet today ... it was either a total fluke or the FASTEST incubation period EVER for a virus!!


Anyway, that's not any of the fun stuff, just life stuff. Lexi had her new friend Brooke over here on Thursday for a 5th birthday sleepover! She was so excited for so long, "My very first sleepover ever Nini!" Brooke is 6 1/2 and so sweet with Lexi - they get along great and Brooke is sort of "motherly" with Lexi when there is any disagreement, letting her go first, have her way, etc. - I'm not sure that's great for Lex but it was so sweet of Brooke. It was HILARIOUS listening to their conversations without me participating in them - I can't begin to count how many times the two of them used the word "ridiculous." (Example: "Nini, it is so ridiculous that your trash can is in your cabinets." They teased, played, made ginormous messes, and generally had a busy blast. I did too! Because Greg got sick Friday was a little sketchy, so we packed up and went to Christa's after lunch until it was time for Brooke to go home. Here's a few pictures - I practically have a play-by-play posted on Facebook if you're my friend on there and want to look.

We started the day with a trip to Walmart (whoopee) and lunch at McDonald's ... the lunch of champions, huh?

The girls "get" the whole webkinz thing way better than I do ... I never felt so old.

Yeah all this stuff definitely camp out of the homeschooling closet. Should've known they were too quiet ... but really it didn't matter and they had a LOT of fun with "arts & crafts" the whole time they were together. They were also remarkably compliant with cleaning up their mess ... witha little help from a Nini, of course.

Trying to get the kitty - I had to rescue the poor thing a few times - he was definitely "over-loved." And yes, once again, there's Lexi's butt crack. Her signature, apparently.

Just before bed ... Lexi's new princess socks (lovely) and not too long before Greg got sick. Hmmm. Germs.

Bedtime - it only took them 2 1/2 hours to be quiet and go to sleep! Which might have had something to do with Lexi's 29.2 meltdowns on Friday afternoon ...

Long story short - I highly recommend to all Grama's out there to consider hosting your grandchild's sleepover sometime - I think I had as much fun as they did.

Babies

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Willie! He's officially declawed and de ... well you know. He seems fine, and thankfully he and Millie (formerly known as Billie Bob) picked up where they left off, no hissing or growling necessary. :)

Callie came to visit tonight ... she spent an entire hour crawling up and down the stairs. UP the stairs, sit in my lap, up from my lap, down the stairs, turn in a circle, UP the stairs, sit in my lap, up from my lap, down the stairs, turn in a circle, you get the picture. An HOUR! Oh to be so easily pleased. She is such a doll. Her mommy, on the other hand, is on my list ...

... mom sent no diapers or wipes and an imminent poop ... I had a pull-up ... unfortunately I changed her wet diaper into the pull-up BEFORE the poop ... found another pull-up thankfully since she totally peed down her legs, socks, etc. because the pull-ups are too big for her ... so when she went home she was wearing a huge pull-up and a pair of pajamas that are about Lexi's size. :) Hope they remember to change that pull-up before they put her back to bed! At least I THINK that's what I hope ...

When do you make an "M" a "W"??

You make an M a W when you take your new kitty, Millie, to the vet to get declawed and spayed, and the vet calls to say that they can't spay Millie because "she" is a "HE"!!!!!!!! So Millie is now "Willie," and we've renamed Billie Bob "Millie" (since she really IS a girl). This is all very confusing but eventually should clear up the gender issues we've created for the poor things ... and OH MY GOODNESS how could we not tell the difference?? I promise you we looked ... really looked ... at all the kitties and this was the only one that looked like a girl. I'll leave it at that and not humiliate poor Willie any further.

It was definitely one of the funniest phone calls I've gotten in awhile, especially when I told the vet, "Well we'll have to change her - I mean HIS - name now ..." and she said, "Oh we're calling him Milli Vanilli!"

We have a baby!!

Did I get anybody's blood pressure to jump? Heart skip a beat? No? Well it was fun imagining that it might.


We got this little tabby last night - she's 3 months old and we named her Millie (yes, it rhymes with Billie (bob) our other she-cat's name ... I really like rhyming. Plus she looks like a Millie. Trust me.) It has been hilarious watching the two of them circle each other and posture and growl and hiss and carry on ... wonder how long it will take for the power struggle to resolve?

When the sweet turns sour

Aren't they just precious? Seriously! I love both these pictures. And SoMeTiMeS they represent the reality of these little people. And sometimes they don't.

For example, the other day I was visiting them and they were having a rare mid-winter Kansas chance to play outside. The babies were sleeping, so Christa and I were sitting outside also with the back door wide open (to hear the babies, lest you think we were dangerously incompetent - the front door was locked and the garage door was too, so don't worry).

Lexi made the most perfect mound of dirt, and planted a wonderfully straight and tall stick. Dead as a doornail, but that was irrelevant, as you will see. She moved on to the swingset, and next thing you know Mason is on the porch with us brandishing said stick like a weapon. Lexi catches sight of him, and of course a screaming tug of war ensues. Christa grabs the stick, puts it somewhere too high for either of them to reach, and orders them off the porch. Mason went quietly (shocking, honestly) and Lexi's older sister mouth started running ... "Mason now that tree will NEVER grow and it's all your fault that she took it away from us and it was MINE and you shouldn't have taken it and it's all your fault that Mom took it away ..." and on and on and on. Eventually Mason said, "Do you want me to push you on the swing?" Sweet, yes? "NO! You shouldn't have stoled my stick! It's all your fault ... blah blah blah." After about, oh, 3 or 4 more minutes of her haranguing and his trying to appease her I finally went in, but it was quite a display of their separate personalities, and also just the generalized differences of birth order! More than that, it was really really funny!!

Am I the only one?

I'm SO jonesing to change my background, and the cutestblogontheblock website got shut down because their server is overloaded ... I'm tired of my "happy new year message" and you probably are too but I guess we'll all just have to deal until they get back up and running. Good luck cutest IT folk!

A picture worth a thousand words ...

... so I'll save mine for another post.

What a lovely visit ...

My baby brother Mike and his more-than-just-a-girlfriend Lauren came to visit this week from Colorado. We've had the best fun - Lauren and I set up a blog for her and she is absolutely obsessed now ... so go check it out here! We've had lots of time to just hang out and talk and laugh and catch up and get to know Lauren - although they've been together for quite a while now this is her first trip to Kansas ... we were glad to find out she really did exist and wasn't just a claymation figment of Michael's imagination!

Anyway, busy wonderful week ... really hate to see them go. Please come back soon??

23!!

Right after I finished saying I was slowing down on the posts ... it occurred to me that today is Brandon's 23rd birthday! He is spending it, as far as I can tell, on a bus somewhere in Uganda, ultimate destination Lira. He posted a beautiful (to me) blog this weekend - if you want to hear his heart, and how God is changing him, click here. Most of you know this, but he is on a 11-month, 11-country missions trip, and Uganda is country (and month, not that I'm counting) #4.

Is anybody there?

Sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading this ... judging by the comments (or lack thereof) either no is looking or the posts are incredibly NOT interesting. :) Oh well I know I really only do this for my own pleasure anyway, but I do wonder. So, if you want to make my day now and again, if you've been here, let me know!

I'm actually slowing down a bit for awhile ... I have some busy weeks coming up and probably a lack of good material now that the holidays are over and the kids are just pretty much fighting over stuff every waking hour. I'm back on the treadmill (yay me ... here's hoping I keep it up!), volunteering at the church office one day a week, of course still homeschooling on Monday and Friday mornings, Thursday Bible study is starting again next week, helping a new friend organize some rooms in her house, and other stuff I can't think of right now. So all of that to say, I have a lot of great God stuff going on that may lead to less blogging! Who can argue with that, though, really?