This and That (Megan)

Over the past few weeks I've wondered whether I'm stuck in Groundhog Day or Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad month.  Juggling the logistics of selling our house, homeschooling with most of our books in storage, shoveling through blizzards, and caring for a houseful of kids with the stomach flu has kept me hopping ever since Stephen left to start his new job in Alabama. There are days when I want to pinch myself awake from this nightmare and others when I am awestruck by the way God has orchestrated so many details to pave our way for this next adventure!

I can't remember the last time I took a picture of the kids (or where I packed the camera?), but I've scribbled down some of the crazy things they've come out with lately...

The other day Connor warmed my heart by saying, "Mom, you have true beauty, not that pasteurized beauty."

The twins have introduced some fascinating and hilarious dynamics into our family.  They keep poor Brandan a bit off balance since he's never quite sure which baby is which.  The other day he was a little too rough with one of them, so I told him to apologize.

Brandan - "Okay, who did I hit?  Was it Baxter, or was it Cade?"
Me - "Ummm, I don't know.  Just say you're sorry to both of them."  :)

I have been astonished by how quickly Brandan has learned how to read.  He is fascinated by every phonics rule and enjoys filling pages with his "school work."  The other day he informed me, "Mom, I'm just going to write my numbers in general."

We have to keep a close eye on Brandan, or he'll slip off and play hours of chess on the computer.  He has memorized all of the passwords and PINs for the Kindle's and can provide technical support when needed.  The other day, I heard him bemoaning the fact that our internet filter was bogging down the computer.  He said, "I just HATE these covenant eyes!"  

The twins are in perpetual motion!  Not only have we installed every conceivable child lock and gate, but we've had to bungee cord their dressers shut, or they'll empty all the drawers and flip the thing over onto themselves during nap time.  After they snapped two curtain rods, we resorted to thick dowels they could use for chin ups. They climb like little monkeys and have been known to leave lipstick graffiti on their sisters' walls.  Bedtime is quite the ritual.  It's next to impossible to put them both down before one of them springs up and escapes.  The other day I was certain I had "Baxter and Cade-proofed" the room for nap time, but Baxter stripped the toddler bed, moved the mattress, and got stuck in the bed frame.  I could fill a novel with accounts of their antics, but I'm too sleep deprived to think of anything else amusing at the moment.

Poor Baxter is having an identity crisis.  Whenever he sees his reflection, he grins and points, exclaiming, "It's Dade (Cade)!  It's Dade!"

If Cade finds anything distasteful, he'll hand it to me and say, "It's a blah!"

The twins love to play church.  They'll sit on the hearth together with any book they kind find.  Pretending it is a hymnal, they'll break into the most passionate chorus of a song they've made up together.  Sometimes it will be to the tune of their favorite hymn, but they'll replace it with the chorus, "Holy, Holy, Mama!"  Their older brothers are convinced they are going to turn out Catholic. 

 

"Mom Has No Hands"

The title of this post, inspired by Brandan's quote below, is my excuse for falling behind in my posts.  I'm so thankful that Siobhan has captured our sweetest pictures and memories this past month.  Adjusting to life with twins has been a challenge to say the least.  Friends and strangers alike warned me that "I'd have my hands full," but they didn't tell me I'd lose them altogether. I must say that my dear family has pulled together beautifully and learned to serve in countless ways.  Siobhan has run my kitchen, Ethan has painted our house, and Aidan has coordinated creative play for the younger ones so I can nurse babies around the clock.  In the midst of so many adjustments and brutal sleep deprivation, I have never been more grateful for the gift of laughter which my children bless me with every single day...

Yesterday Brandan asked my mom, "Grandma, do you have any hands because Mommy doesn't."  When I was puzzling over this statement, I realized how many times the kids have come to me for help while I'm tandem nursing the twins.  Brandan will even carry a full gallon of milk to plop in my lap, expecting me to pour him a drink from the rocking chair.  It must look to him like I'm just relaxing  and am available to meet all of his needs.  My standard reply is "No, Brandan.  I don't have any hands right now.  Go find someone with hands!" :)

Recently he has used this as an excuse for not obeying.  If I ask him to find something, he'll often say, "Sorry, I don't have any hands..."

When I was planning Brandan's birthday menu, I offered to make macaroni and cheese for dinner (one of his favorite meals).  Brandan replied, "That would be DISGUSTING!"

Ethan scolded Brandan for opening too many packages of crayons.  He retorted, "Ethan, you're just prejudiced!"

Ever since we came home from the hospital, Brandan has asked a staggering number of questions.  Many of them are quite thoughtful, but some are downright ridiculous.  His Grandma Z. gets a huge kick out of this and fires them right back at him.  It has become their little joke to come up with the silliest questions to ask each other, pretending that they genuinely don't know the answers.  The other day Brandan asked my mom what Elim was holding.  When Grandma told him that it was Elim's phone, he replied, "No, Grandma.  That's Elim's Ipod!"

When I ask Brandan if he knows which baby he is kissing, he answers, "Umm, that baby is LIKE CADE." And if I can only manage to carry one crying baby, he'll announce, "Mom!  You missed a baby!"  Instead of asking which twin I'm holding, he'll say, "What kind of baby is THAT?"

Brandan carelessly threw a toy, bumping Cade on the leg and making him cry.  When I told him he needed to be more careful with the twins, he pointed to Baxter and reassured me by saying, "Well, THAT baby isn't hurt!"
 

Frustrated by his lack of success on the potty chair, Brandan decided to fill his seat with spit instead of pee.  : /  He likes to tap his feet on floor while he is waiting to go and informs me that, "This is what PBS kids do when they are on the potty."
 

When I was bathing him, Brandan asked, "Mom, is it cool to have you in here?"

Yesterday I was reminded of the importance of prioritizing the emotional needs of my littlest ones.  It amazes me that they can always detect when they do not have my focused attention.  After a day of projects at the computer, when I was only physically present in our home, Brandan came up to me for some snuggles and said, "Mom, I MISS YOU."

Brandan asked if we could make "chocolate chip flapjacks."  When I looked confused, Shaila explained that "flapjacks are just short for pancakes."


When Brandan notices that I've been crying, he will announce, "Mom!  You have drops on your face!"  Then he will offer to sing "Baa Baa Black Sheep."  When he gets to the part about "The Little Boy Who Lives Down the Lane," his eyes light up and he sings "The Little Boy Who Lives Under the Toilet Tank" and roars with laughter at his own joke.  That makes everything feel okay again.  :)

The other day I presented the kids with cherry-scented play-dough.  Connor, the skeptic, asked, "Mom, is this the poisonous, addictive scented stuff?"

Connor observed about our neighbors, "Mom there are just 4 ladies over there with no kids and no men.  I don't even want to know what goes on over there, AND they SMOKE!"  I gave him a mild scolding, reminding him that we shouldn't judge our neighbors, and  suggesting that they might just be sisters.  Not buying it, he responded, "Mom, they have NO similarities!  At least we have different genders in our house..."

"Mom, can you pasteurize those babies' hands?!"

When Connor heard how Siobhan used to plan our anniversary meals when she was a little girl, his response was, "So HOW LONG has Siobhan been in charge around here?"

Connor, who is incredibly sensitive to my feelings, felt the need to apologize that he had a dream that made me look especially silly.  "Mom, I really didn't mean to have that dream about you.  I wanted to dream about a snake!"

The boys are thoroughly enjoying our study of flying creatures.  The other day Connor announced that he spotted something like a passenger pigeon in our front yard!


Shaila informed us that "The Waltons lived in the Middle Ages when there weren't any seat belts."
On our way to church, she was studying the twins' responses to our CD of upbeat praise songs.  Her conclusion was, "That baby in the blue seat likes rock music, and the one in the green seat doesn't."

For Shaila's sixth birthday, my mom gave her a soft mama kitty and told her that she had to take extra good care of it because she was going to have a baby soon.  Shaila announced this to everyone in breathless anticipation, and set up the kitty in a special basket with blankets.  When she woke up the next morning, sure enough there was a new baby kitty (placed there in the night by Grandma's helper, Siobhan :)!  Shaila and Brandan like to lead their kitties around on leashes.  The other day, Brandan was coaxing his along, saying, "Come with Auntie Brandan!"

As much as she still loves imaginary play, Shaila enjoys following in her teenage sister's footsteps and dressing up in sophisticated clothes.  The other day she met me in a trendy sweater dress and announced, "Mom!  I'm a business woman with mascara!"

"Mom, it's annoying how in Barbie and I Love Lucy, their lip gloss never comes off when they eat."

Shaila commented at lunch time that we "made our macaroni for free."  Her indignant brothers, who just had their first introduction to economics, protested, "Haven't you been listening to any of our book?!  There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!"

Shaila asked Ethan, "Hey, how are you going to pee when you're on crutches?"  When I asked her if she really wanted an answer to that question, she got a look of panic and answered, "Ummm, NO!"

Brandan is certain that "Frosty the Snowman is made of Marshmallows."

He also says, "Our babies look like OCTAGONS!"

Every now and then Brandan will give me a sly look and say that he "wants a new BLACK mother."

We are wrapping up our summer projects, and I am more determined than ever to have our home systems in good order before we add school to the mix.  This morning Stephen said, "So this is your quietest day of the week, right?"  I agreed and told him that "all I had to do was go for a run, clean up the mess from last night's 6 haircuts, bathe Brandan, run 5 loads of laundry, catch up on e-mails, freeze a huge pot of spaghetti sauce, whip up 2 cheeseburger pies, visit the Farmer's Market, type up 2 months of meal plans, order groceries for Hannaford pick up, and spend a few hours nursing the twins..."  It sounded kind of funny when I said it out loud and realized that this was my "day off."  I have enjoyed learning a new organization system called Homeschool Planet and have spent every spare moment creating a detailed account for each of my students.  When I pulled up everyone's schedules at once, the entire program froze up and had an electronic "nervous breakdown."  Perhaps it's a bad sign that a state of the art computer program can't process all that we're trying to accomplish in this home...

Some More Quotes

Twin pregnancy has opened up a whole new world of indignities.  On Monday I got stuck in my parking space at the doctor's office, unable to open the door wide enough to squeeze my belly through.  Yesterday I zipped my winter coat for the last time, much to the amusement of my 14 year old who agreed that I resemble Winnie the Pooh.  And today I pulled out my swollen, purple calves as a dramatic visual for my science lesson on vascular plants.  All I can say is that these little guys owe their mama big time!  :)  These challenges are tempered by the kids' eager anticipation of the twins' arrival.  Brandan often lifts my shirt, asking if he can talk to the babies.  Last night, he saw my tummy and said with the most tender sympathy and reassurance, "Ohhh, Mom...You're okay..."  Another time he watched his twin brothers rolling around in my tummy, and he said, "It's a chicken in there!"

Connor was flipping through his biography on Charles Lindbergh and, when he saw the picture of the Eiffel Tower, he announced, "Spoiler alert!  Now we KNOW he's going to make it across the Atlantic!"

Shaila - "Mom, it's not like I HATE you, but God loves you SO much more than I do.  He loves us SOOOOO much, even with our sin!"

"The Holy Spirit lives deep in your heart, even deeper than the TWINS!"

Someone asked Shaila if she had said goodnight to me.  Her answer was, "Yes, MULTIPLE times!"

Last night Brandan crawled into bed with me while I was reading.  He was in a chatty mood and asked me a string of questions.  Among them was, "Is this your bed, Mom?  And does Dad live here?"

It was about a hundred degrees in our house yesterday, and Brandan was feeling compassionate toward his hugely pregnant mother, too limp to move from the rocking chair.  Dripping with sweat, he offered the only comfort he could come up with, "Mom, I can keep your tummy warm if you want!"

Brandan has proven to be our most verbal 2 year old boy.  We often have to stifle our giggles when he misspeaks because he flies into a tearful rage if he thinks anyone is laughing at him.  Here's a sampling of his cutest mistakes...

He was holding up his Bert doll (an unfamiliar character since he doesn't watch Sesame Street).  He looked confused and asked, "Mom is this called BURP or DIRT?"
"Mom, Cora is making a RABBIT out there!"  (meant racket)
On the way to church this morning, the boys were commenting on an "awesome audi," and Brandan repeated, "Did you say you SAW THE MAIL LADY?"
 

I recently finished a fantastic book called "Teaching From Rest" which reminded me that a RIGOROUS education can quickly slip from excellence to into imbalance.  The author pointed out that rigor comes from the same Latin root as rigor mortis - literally "approaching education with the stiffness of death."  : /  The other day I realized I might need to relax a little when Ethan came to me after a long school day, exasperated.  He said, "Mom, I've been working hard all day, but I just don't know how I'm going to fit in writing my Progymnasmata in the style of Virgil!"







 

Spurgeon Quotes (Megan)

Pregnancy with twins has introduced me to a heightened level of fatigue and vulnerability. There are times when I lie awake at night, fearful that I might not have the stamina for this new chapter of motherhood or that I will be incapable of effectively meeting the needs of so many children.  When these lurking insecurities haunt me, I recall God's faithfulness to me in the past and the many promises in His Word.  I have greatly benefited from Spurgeon's devotional, Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith.  On January 5, when I was struggling with early pregnancy exhaustion and brutal nausea, I read these words based on Isaiah 41:10:  "When called to serve or suffer, we take stock of our strength, and we find it to be less than we thought, and less than we need.  But let not our heart sink within us...There is no telling how much power God can put into a man.  When divine strength comes, human weakness is no more a hindrance.  Do we not remember seasons of  labour and trial in which we received such special strength that we wondered at ourselves?  In the midst of danger we were calm, under bereavement we were resigned, in slander we were self-contained, and in sickness we were patient.  The fact is, that God gives unexpected strength when unusual trials come upon us.  We rise out of our feeble selves...My own weakness makes me shrink, but God's promise makes me brave.  

Monday morning was a disaster.  My carpet stank from recent flooding, the wheels fell off my vacuum cleaner, and my bookshelves collapsed. And, as a finishing touch, my two year old decided to sweep the bathroom floor with dirty toilet water.  I indulged in some angry tears for the amount of time it took me to mop puddles and wipe toilet paper off my walls.  My kids wouldn't stop fighting, and I asked God if all of this was reasonable to expect of me in my condition.  After composing myself to face the rest of my day, I found this e-mail message sent by a dear sister who, without any knowledge that I was in crisis, was praying for me.  Through tears I thanked God that, even through my most challenging and thankless days, His arms are upon me.  He doesn't merely direct me from a distance but assists me with the same tenderness I feel toward my own little ones.  Each time I guide small hands learning to form their letters or complete simple tasks, I am reminded of a God who "puts His hands on my hands and puts His arms on my arms, that I might be strong."



"His bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob."—Genesis 49:24. 

HAT strength which God gives to His Josephs is real strength; it is not a boasted valour, a fiction, a thing of which men talk, but which ends in smoke; it is true—divine strength. Why does Joseph stand against temptation? Because God gives him aid. There is nought that we can do without the power of God. All true strength comes from "the mighty God of Jacob." Notice in what a blessedly familiar way God gives this strength to Joseph—"The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." Thus God is represented as putting His hands on Joseph's hands, placing His arms on Joseph's arms. Like as a father teaches his children, so the Lord teaches them that fear Him. He puts His arms upon them. Marvellous condescension! God Almighty, Eternal, Omnipotent, stoops from His throne and lays His hand upon the child's hand, stretching His arm upon the arm of Joseph, that he may be made strong! This strength was also covenant strength, for it is ascribed to "the mighty God of Jacob." Now, wherever you read of the God of Jacob in the Bible, you should remember the covenant with Jacob. Christians love to think of God's covenant. All the power, all the grace, all the blessings, all the mercies, all the comforts, all the things we have, flow to us from the well-head, through the covenant. If there were no covenant, then we should fail indeed; for all grace proceeds from it, as light and heat from the sun. No angels ascend or descend, save upon that ladder which Jacob saw, at the top of which stood a covenant God. Christian, it may be that the archers have sorely grieved you, and shot at you, and wounded you, but still your bow abides in strength; be sure, then, to ascribe all the glory to Jacob's God.

These Kids... (Megan)

One of these days I hope to find more than a minute to write on the blog.  It has been an eventful winter - keeping up with Kindergarten through 11th grade homeschooling and a myriad of extra curricular/sports activities, chasing a crazy toddler, and adapting to the physical and emotional demands of carrying twins.  As I type these few lines, I'm trying to block out the sounds of a howling dog, a squawking bird, cacophonous piano playing, and squabbles two inches from my elbow.  I just snatched a dry erase marker from Brandan with my third hand, and reminded my seven year old for the billionth time that we only have one bathroom, and, yes, he needed to wait his turn.  In the midst of this, I received an e-mail from my loving husband who told me that he was looking at my marathon picture, appreciating me and all that I've committed myself to.  In the midst of so many challenges, I am striving to keep my eyes on the larger goal - loving and nurturing these children God has blessed me with (while retaining my sanity and sense of humor)...

Here are some recent quotes:

One of Brandan's favorite breakfasts is Amish Oatmeal.  He calls it "Almost Oatmeal."

The other day Shaila came upstairs to inform me that there was a mouse running around the basement.  She assured me, "Mom, it is really precious, but it startled me."

Saturday was "haircut night" in our home.  I lined up all of my men, and Brandan offered his two cents as he inspected my work.  When it was Stephen's turn, my little guy studied his dad's hair and undermined my confidence by saying, "Oh, that's too bad, and OH, that's OBNOXIOUS!"

Brandan often joins me for my prenatal pilates workout.  He takes the routine quite seriously, arranging his weight, mat, and pillows.  There's nothing cuter than watching him do his lunges and pelvic tilts.  Every now and then he'll check in with me, asking, "Mom, how's your baby doing?  How's your back feeling?"

The other day Connor rushed upstairs and informed me, "Brandan pooped so badly that now I smell like his diaper!!!"

After my mom babysat, the kids told me that "Grandma keeps us on a really strict drinking schedule."

Shaila, my little informer, announced that "Brandan was watching creepy, sinful ads on the computer."  (previews to the Transformer movie)

I always know I'm in for a treat when Shaila runs out of the bathroom yelling, "MOM!  Come look at what your two year old did in here!"

Last week we took February break, and I was struck by what an variety-packed stage of parenting I'm in.  My week began at the Boston Children's Museum, followed by elementary Physics Club, and we rounded it out with a tour of the UNH pathology lab with Ethan's Explorer's veterinary group.  Ethan assured me that he wouldn't mind if I joined him on the tour with his high school and college peers, so I waddled my way through the facility, feeling a sense of triumph that I was not the girl who hit the floor when they pulled out pickled organs with tapeworms and alpaca fetus.  On our way home, Ethan and I had a big laugh over how the guide would give me awkward, sideways glances whenever he referred to pregnant bovine.   
 

School Quotes (collected by Mom)

After an especially stressful school day, I told the kids that I was going to unwind with some 100 Proof Limoncello.  Connor's puzzled response was, "Mom, HOW do you PROVE it isn't Jello?"

The other day Connor was humming El Shaddai.  He stopped suddenly and said, "Wow!  Someone really wants Elsha to DIE!"

The other day Aidan was bemoaning the fact that he had 2 more years of classifying sentences ahead of him.  I told him that, when all was said and done, I would have gone through the Shurley English program 42 times, so I wasn't feeling much sympathy for him.  He agreed that the prospect sounded like a life sentence.  :) 


Shaila has made great strides with her reading.  The other day she exuberantly proclaimed that she had sounded out the word A-S-S!  I'm thinking I'll blame the King James Bible for that success.

The other day, I asked her to pray for our church's missionaries, Abe and Rachel, as they learn a new language in China.  Her heartfelt plea on their behalf went like this, "Dear God, PLEEASE help Babe, and help his teacher not to be mean and cruel to him."  I'm not sure if she was picturing "Babe the Pig" or "Babe the Blue Ox."  :)

Shaila asked me discreetly, "Mom, I don't want to discourage Brandan, but he's always going to be younger than me, right?"

On a sentimental note, it just warms my heart to observe Siobhan and Shaila's friendship.  Even though there is a 10-year age difference, they are the best of friends and do everything together.  Last Saturday, I saw them snuggled up with their notebooks, studying Advanced math.  Shaila meticulously copied every letter, number, and symbol, just like her big sis.  When they were done, they settled in to color a Frozen picture together.  :)   Shaila often reminds Siobhan that she was an answer to all of her years of prayer for a little sister.

When we found out that we're expecting twin boys, instead of girls, Shaila was temporarily devastated.  She found comfort in Siobhan's accounts of the times she learned she was having a little brother, rather than a sister.  When they were lying in bed, Shaila asked,"Siobhan did the same thing happen to you when you prayed for a sister and got a little brother instead?  Well...I prayed for a sister and got TWO brothers!" 

Noticing that Brandan was wiggling uncomfortably and announcing, "MY BUM IS DIRTY!" 
I absently asked him, "Brandan, what's under your bum?"  
He pulled out a ruler and said, "Daddy spanks you HARD!"  :)

I told Connor, "It's okay that you need help with math.  That's what I'm here for."  He melted my heart by responding, "Mom, you're here for WAAY more than math, and we love you more than you know!"

Connor - "Wow, Mom!  Siobhan's recovery from back surgery took the same amount of time as crossing the Oregon trail!"  

Shaila asked Siobhan, "Was I even alive when you were in your first play?"  
Connor's answer was, "Yes, Shaila, but you were just a cell."

The other day I was packing a half dozen sandwiches for a field trip.  I turned around to find that a piece of my flat bread was missing, and I heard Brandan exclaiming, "That's AMAAAAZING, Mom!  I'll take two!"


Stephen gave me the most wonderful break on Friday.  He brought the 4 youngest kids on a field trip, and I enjoyed a house with self-sufficient teens.  I went on a long run, and no one missed me.  I took a shower, and no one banged down the door.  I sat down to correct Advanced Math and Biology tests, and no one interrupted me.  I drove Siobhan and Ethan to DI, and no one needed me to buckle them!  I came home to organize about a hundred shoes and mittens and finished the job in record time.  It's hard to believe that all of our kids will be grown up someday.  I'm not ready for that and plan to hold on to each crazy and sweet memory we are making in the meantime... 

Connor Craziness

As a home school mom of 6, I'm always hopping between grade levels.  One minute I'm trying to remember the difference between mitosis and meiosis, and the next I'm teaching the alphabet to my 4 year old while keeping the toddler from eating too many crayons.  Today I was especially long-winded in my explanation of adverbs and how they can be used to modify adjectives.  I looked up to see Connor (age 7) staring at me with glazed eyes and a post-it note on his forehead with "WUT?"  written on it.  Maybe it's time to back up a little?  : /

Cute Stuff

Wow, I'm looking back at these quotes I've collected over the past few months, and I genuinely don't remember some of them.  So glad that I write these things down...  :)

Shaila (age 4) - "It was SOOOO cold in my room that it went right through my jammies and into my heart."

"Dad, I can't tell you about the crude humor in my dream because I don't even know what crude humor is!"

"If we sin, Jesus will just trade His sweet heart for our bad hearts, and He'll take our bad hearts and NEVER sin!"

And now for some mixed up theology...

"Satan didn't want to be an angel because he was a boy, so he gave Adam and Eve that sinful thing to bite."


"Abraham Lincoln and Sarah had Jesus."

When urged to hurry up and eat her breakfast, Shaila said, "Okay, before my oatmeal gets soggy and RISKY, I'll get dressed really quickly!"

With 8 people sharing a single bathroom, we have more potty accidents than I'm willing to admit to.  A while ago, I reminded Shaila that she needed to change her underwear, and her expert reply was, "Ummm...pee dries."

This summer Shaila came up to me with her sweetest dimpled smile and eyes sparkling with enthusiasm and  asked, "Mom, do you want to see the most disgusting thing in the WHOLE WORLD?"
I replied, "Sure, sweetie!" and was promptly handed a wadded Kleenex used to wrap up  her latest treasure - a chipmunk's tail.  : /

Sometimes preparing and serving gourmet dinners can feel a bit like casting my pearls before swine.   Then the kids come out with gushing compliments and make my culinary efforts feel worthwhile again

Connor (age 7) - "I LOVE caramelized soup!"  And the other day, I walked in the door to find that Connor and Siobhan had whipped up some restaurant-quality Pots de Creme.  :)

Connor - "I hope that Great Grandma lives to be 100 because she's fast like Siobhan and INCREDIBLE!"

For this year's family "staycation," we wrote a list of all of the special plans that have been crammed out of our busy schedules.  We let each of the kids come up with a couple of ideas - ranging from making homemade ice cream and watching family movies to visiting the Boston Aquarium with Dad's discounted tickets from work.  We're perfecting the art of summer vacationing with a large family and are thrilled that our kids are content with the most ordinary treats.  The other day I brought the 3 middle kids to the dollar theater, followed by free ice cream (compliments of the library's summer reading program).  After thanking me several times, Aidan said, "We need to remember to thank Dad for working so hard to fund this!" 

Some Shaila Cuteness...

Shaila is entering an inquisitive stage where she wants an explanation for EVERYTHING and tends to cross examine us if our answers are trite.  She is especially cute at Bible time.  Here are a couple of things she came out with recently...

I've been using the "Exploring Grace Together" devotional, and the lessons have led to such great discussions with Aidan, Connor and Shaila.

This morning Shaila said, "Mom, if we sin, Jesus will just trade His sweet heart for our bad heart.  And He'll take our bad hearts and NEVER SIN!"  :)

The other day she asked, "Mom what is a commandment?"

Me - "It's a rule God has given us to live by."

Shaila (a little incredulous)- "So we're living by RULES?!"

Realizing she was looking for holes in my argument, I recovered with the assurance that "No, we are indeed living by GRACE."  :)