Fall Leaf Fun

A Treat for the Man of the House

Blackberry pies--my great grandmother's recipe--made with a friend's offering of her frozen summer bounty--for Daddy--because he works so hard to provide for his brood.

First Hunt of Fall

Pictures by Grace (her first hunt.)

Apple Picking

Conversation with a Little Guy

Joel still wears his cowboy garb everyday. I let him go to bed at night wearing his jeans, belt and cowboy hat. It's just easier. I don't think having a major battle over wearing P.J.'s is worth the fight.

This morning, right after Joel woke up, we had this conversation:

"Mommy, my shirt keeps untucking," (in a frustrated tone of voice). "I can't have quiet time." (Interpretation--"My shirt comes 'untucked' when I lie down, therefore I can't lie down anymore.' ")

"Joel, sometimes clothes are just like that. The pants I wore yesterday (a poorly engineered pair of maternity jeans) wouldn't stay up and I had to keep pulling them up all day."

Joel, in a condescending "you're comparing apples to oranges" tone, replied, "But Mommy, you need a belt!"

His Name Is . . .

Matt and I have decided on the name of our little baby boy. His name is Isaac. We've discussed, we've deliberated, we've listened to others' baby name suggestions and we've prayed. Matt and I both had other Bible names we were considering, the names of men whose hearts were for the Lord and names that had beautiful meanings attached to them. However, the Lord kept leading us back to Isaac, the child given to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, the child of the promise. We eagerly await and earnestly pray for the safe arrival of our fourth son, Isaac John (meaning laughter, Jehovah is gracious) sometime near the end of the year.

Mommy Meltdown

I don't think I cried when our van broke down this past summer and we were without her for a month. (Well, maybe I did, but that's a distant memory). However, I did cry this past weekend when our washing machine broke. (Could I be pregnant?)

We wash three to four loads of laundry a day around here, so when the washer decided she was done being my domestic servant, I had a meltdown. I tried to coax her into taking her old job back. At seven years old and a bijillion loads of laundry rendered, I figured her brain was just getting a bit tired. I reset her computer several times in the hopes that I'd jog her memory as to how not just to start, but to actually finish a load of laundry, but to no avail. She would stop mid-cycle and refuse to go on. "Please, I beg you. You must go on!" Nope. Not gonna do it.
Matt and my dad took her apart on Sunday afternoon. Matt replaced her motherboard (we had an extra in the basement) on Monday morning. A new brain would certainly help (I know it would most certainly help me). Nope. Didn't help. Alright. Time to call in the big guns--the dreaded appliance service guy. You know, the guy who charges $45 just show up at your front door. So $100 later he found the broken part. He ordered the part--a pressure switch--and it arrived today. Matt replaced it after he got home from work.

My domestic servant is back, though she's a little quirky with her new brain and all. I'll just have to get used to that because these days, good help is hard to find. At least we'll all have clean underwear now.

We Love Shots

I took Lydia, Joel and Jude to the pediatrician's office today. All three children needed one immunization each. Lydia was first. She didn't cry when she got her shot and she got a sucker when she was done. After witnessing his sister's good fortune, Jude quickly lifted his sleeve so that he could get his shot, too. Alas, it was Joel's turn next. Joel didn't cry when he got poked and then he got a sucker. By this time, Jude was lifting up his sleeve, making monkey noises and jumping up and down. Finally, Jude got his chance. He whimpered a bit when the shot went into his arm, but quickly recovered when he got his long-awaited sucker. The doctor's staff were all quite impressed. What can I say-- my kids love shots.

Cowboy Joel

Joel is really into cowboys right now. He wears his black cowboy hat (we had to convince him that good cowboys wear black hats, too) belt, cowboy boots and gun holster all the time. To church, to bed, even to a wedding we attended this past weekend.It used to bother him terribly that his belt had so much leather hanging loose at the end (because he's so skinny), but then he watched an old John Wayne movie with his big brother. Now he tells us that he likes his belt that way because that's the way John Wayne wears his belt.

When Joel doesn't want to try a new food at the dinner table, we simply say something like, "Cowboys love brussel sprouts, Joel," and he happily tries a bite. He may only try one bite, but at least he gives it a go, which he usually refuses to do.

Joel begins each morning with pleas for his big brother Paul to dress up like a cowboy, too. Paul usually complies by putting on his chaps, belt, hat and gun holster. After all, it's no fun being the only cowboy in the family.

Setting Sail

Paul finally got to test his raft in the water this past week. He's been working on several raft prototypes over the course of the summer. His final version included a couple of empty plastic barrels which served as flotation devices. He's been dying to get the raft in the river, so Daddy came home from work early on Wednesday and took Paul and the other kids (minus Jude) to try out the raft's sea worthiness. The raft had a rather unexceptional performance. It flipped over and spilled its occupants into the water with great ease. Matt said there should have been some gravel in the bottom of each barrel to create some ballast. Anyway, Paul did get one good run on the raft when he was the only rider and he stayed very still. Everyone came home soaking wet, but a good time was had by all.

Joy Cometh in the Morning

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5b

By God's grace and in His mercy, I am twenty weeks pregnant. The womb is God's workroom and yesterday Matt and I got to peek inside that workroom through the technology of ultrasound. Before she started the ultrasound, the technician said she would be looking for over forty different biological features to see that all was healthy with the baby.
Praise the Lord that his (that's right, another boy!) arteries are crossed as they leave his heart, his heart has four chambers, his stomach has not grown around the umbilical cord, his brain, kidneys, spine, eye orbits and palate all look good. He even has ten fingers and ten toes. God is an awesome Craftsman, and we are fearfully and wonderfully made.We have yet to finalize the first name, but we do know his middle name will be John, meaning "Jehovah is gracious," for He truly is. John is also a family name. The first name of Matt's grandpa was John. The middle name of my grandpa was John. Both were strong men who influenced each of us greatly.

When we came home from my appointment yesterday, we announced to the kids that God would be giving them another baby brother. We got a few shouts and jumps of joy and a few tears of sadness (a couple of the kids had their hearts set on a girl). After we told the kids the due date for this baby is right at Christmas time, they all decided a baby brother will be a wonderful Christmas present. Lydia even suggested we put him in a pretty wrapped box under the Christmas tree.

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3

Summer Vacation 2010

We just returned from a wonderful family vacation. Per our kids' request, we went to visit my Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna for five days and five nights. Actually, the kids wanted to stay a full week, but I think we sufficiently tired out our hosts in five days.

Great Uncle Keith treated the kids to games on his Ipad, first driving lessons, combine rides, bee collecting adventures (he has an alfalfa field), fishing, and plenty of yummy drinks from the little coffee shop in town. The kids thoroughly enjoyed playing at the "best playground ever," swimming at the community pool, playing with (or torturing?) the family dogs, Ari and Libby, watching crop dusting planes and seeing the trains and trucks blast through town (small town excitement at its best).

We watched a couple of Ma and Pa Kettle movies from Netflix and ate way too much Schwan's ice cream. We attended a small town blue grass festival (featuring a local girl and her siblings) and also got to see Grand Coulee Dam. Grace rode shotgun in a wheat truck driven by a nineteen year old girl who was homeschooled. They became fast friends. We stopped to see my grandparents' grave and the kids climbed onto the old tank at the cemetery. Paul was disappointed that he couldn't get the hatch open. Lydia wore (clean) underwear on her head at night so that she could cover her eyes and not wake up too early in the morning, which was a problem the first couple of mornings of our vacation.










We also visited two small town museums during our stay. We got personally guided tours at each one (since we were the only ones there). Elizabeth spotted a very old bedspread at one of the museums. It was made of two thousand fabric yo-yos that were stitched together entirely by hand. Liz got excited thinking about all the possibilities with yo-yos, so Aunt Leanna showed her how to make her own.

God treated us to an awesome display of his majesty one night when several thunder and lightening storms traveled right over us. Amazingly, Jude was the only one of our children who was awakened by the loud peals of thunder. He lifted his head off the pillow, looked out the window, saw a huge lightening streak flash across the sky and said, "Whoa!"

Matt was tickled pink to finally purchase an accordion. He's been looking on Craigslist for months, trying to find an accordion for Elizabeth to play. Saturday morning we stumbled upon a yard sale put on by a former accordion instructor and Matt thought he'd died and gone to Heaven. Aunt Leanna dug through the basement and found her accordion and she and Matt played a couple of accordion duets together. Then Jude got up to the piano and did his best Ray Charles rendition (head movements and all) to add to the impromptu jam session. A grand time was had by all. Aunt Leanna is letting us borrow her accordion, so we'll have to start a family polka band or something.


We went to church on Sunday morning. Matt asked an old woman whether anyone ever sat in the pew that is second from the front. She replied with a good Lutheran answer, "No one ever sits that far up." We did. The neglected pew finally got a good work out. Our family almost doubled the number of congregants that morning. Just kidding, but only slightly.

We arrived home to "the house with the white bricks," last night. While on vacation, we stayed at the little red brick house next door to my aunt and uncle's house. They purchased it a couple of years ago and use it as a guest house. Near the end of our time there, Joel kept saying, "Mama, me want to go home to da house with da white bricks." I guess he thought we'd left our own home for good. He and Jude were so excited when we pulled into our driveway yesterday evening. Jude was reunited with his beloved yellow rubber boots and Joel was so happy to have his own bed to sleep in once again.

For my part, I couldn't have been happier that we returned home with only one small bag of laundry due to the fact that the Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna's guest house has a washer and dryer. Our chickens fared well while we were away and so did our garden. The kids harvested almost a dozen gargantuan zucchini squash today. Hats off to Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna for providing our family with a terrific vacation.

The Boys of Summer

(Mustang courtesy of Great Grandma Fran)

Sounds Like a Tall Tale to Me

Swimming Lessons

The kids took swimming lessons again this year. It was Joel's first year for lessons. He was required to start in "Explorers." He was very timid of the water at first, but quickly got the hang of it. He did so well that he will skip the next two levels and start "Minnows" next year. That's a first for our family. Joel's got strong swimming abilities in his genes, though. Both Grandpa Bob and Grandpa Tom were very good swimmers in their day.

Grace's Confirmation

Well, since Sunday is almost here, I guess I should let people know how last Sunday went (it's been a long week--a long few weeks, actually). Grace's confirmation day was really nice. I hadn't expected the day to be quite as nice as it was, but the Lord had other plans.

I spent a lot of time with my mom in the hospital the week before the big event. I awoke Saturday morning having done NOTHING towards the big day. The house was a wreck and I hadn't started on any of the food for the after confirmation lunch. I hadn't even had a chance to go to the grocery store to get the food. That's when God stepped in.

My friend (who just had a baby, by the way) offered her two older girls as helpers to me for a couple of hours. Elsie and Lillie are each one year older than my two oldest girls. So the four girls cleaned the entire house from top to bottom while I made a Wal-Mart run. Matt, Grace and I took the girls home on our way to church that afternoon. Grace and the other confirmands were interviewed by the Pastor and the elders and each confirmand also gave her testimony (all five were girls this year). Grace was very nervous, but she did really well.

We went home and I took a power nap. In the late afternoon, my sister-in-law, Jessica (the one who doesn't like to cook), came over and helped me with food prep for three hours. When she left I followed her to her house and cut all the remaining roses in her yard. Then I went back to my house and cut all of the remaining roses in our yard. There were just enough nice roses left to make two bouquets for the kitchen and dining room tables. Another God thing.
Sunday morning we all awoke early and got hopping. Showers, baths, church clothes and last minute chores all needed to happen by 10 a.m. And all did happen. A miracle! We made it to church with plenty of time to spare. Lots of friends and family came and we were blessed by their presence.

We scooted home after the service and reception. Matt's mom and dad stopped by Costco and picked up all the food trays we had ordered to save us a trip. Mom and Dad had already begun to set out all the food by the time we arrived home. I just stepped in to finish the spinach and strawberry salad. Then our good friends Floyd and Peggy showed up with a lovely cake in the shape of a cross which had been decorated with butter cream roses and Grace's name and confirmation date. I was so tickled.

Only God could have known. I had secretly desired a beautifully decorated cake for the occasion, but had decided against it (store bought cakes are yucky and my favorite bakery in town is very pricey). I spent Saturday night kicking myself for thinking that I could make the dessert myself. My sister-in-law and I could have cut our prep time by nearly half if I hadn't insisted on making mini cheesecakes--48 of them (which I over baked, by the way). God knew the desire of my mommy heart, however, and completely surprised both Grace and me with a better cake than I could have made or bought myself. That's just so God. He's pretty neat that way.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day, not just because Grace confirmed her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but because God showed us how much He loves us. Even down to the silly little details.

Special Delivery

Joel came to me this evening and said, "Mama, me got eggs!" I only saw one egg. It was in his hand. I asked Joel where the other eggs were. "In mine pockets!" he said. Joel had put a pair of jeans on all by himself in the late afternoon. The problem was the jeans were Jude's, not Joel's, so they were a bit tight. The eggs were really difficult to get out of the pockets. We did manage to get them out without any breakage, but one egg fell to the floor as Joel was attempting to put it on the kitchen counter.

Overheard

Matt and I went on a date last night. Elizabeth really liked the top I was wearing. As I climbed into the car, I heard this snippet of a conversation between Elizabeth and her little sister:

Lydia: "Well she would look even more beautifuller in her wedding dress."
Elizabeth: "I don't think her wedding dress fits her anymore."
Lydia: "Yep. She's growin'!"

Animal Boy

Joel loves animals, "nanimals," as he calls them. He was so disappointed last month when we couldn't go to the zoo because of the lack of available parking. An hour into the drive home after our failed zoo attempt, Joel started pointing and saying, "Der's a parkin' space. We can go to da zoo! Der's another parkin' space, Daddy." Poor kid.

Lately, I've been buying plastic animals at yard sales and the dollar store for Joel. I hit the jackpot when I was able to buy a whole set of safari animals for a dollar at a yard sale. I've been doling the animals out to Joel every few days.Joel's questions about his animals are endless. "Do yions yike to wim in water? Where do tigers yive? Are hippos mean? Do rhinos yike dis kinda meat (as he points to his forearm)?" His comments run the gamut from, "Yook, dis hippo has big toenails" to "Da yion is da King of the Ungle!"

Yesterday Joel asked me, "Mama, could we go to da zoo? I found a parkin' space." It just melted my mommy heart. Looks like we'll have to figure out a way to get to the zoo this summer, even if we have to park a mile away from the place.

Lydia's Culinary Adventure

We generally have a big family meal at "Macduff Headquarters" every month. Usually three tables are needed to seat everyone in attendance, but this month Matt's brother and his family were on vacation, so we only needed two tables. All that to say that Lydia and I did not sit at the same table at this month's dinner, so I didn't get the report of what she ate until we drove home. Apparently she consumed over a dozen full-sized shrimp. She ate them without any cocktail sauce, enjoying them in their natural state. She ate little else--except dessert.

I was sure that Lydia would get sick in the middle of the night, so I told Grace to come and get me when she did. She didn't. However, a few days later she came running up to me with a magazine in her hands. She showed me this picture:
"Mama, do shrimp have eyes?" she asked with desperation in her voice. I put two and two together pretty quickly and said, "No, they don't have eyes."

Then Lydia turned to Joel and said, "Shrimp don't have eyes, Joel. And they don't have legs, either. I know because I ate them at Grandma Dianne's." Well, at least she got that settled in her little brain (and Joel's, too).