It takes someone special...

There's a saying that goes: "Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy." What makes the difference, you say, how can you tell? Well, you see, it takes a Daddy to play ball with his son, giving him pointers and tips as they go. It takes a Daddy to answer big questions, explaining whys and wonderings galore. It takes a Daddy to single out children for trips to town that bring sparkling eyes and happy smiles. It takes a Daddy to allow youngsters to help with projects, guiding them in just how to dip the paint brush and spread the paint. It takes a Daddy to teach skills, patiently explaining how to hold the utility knife so as not to cut oneself. And, perhaps the biggest clue of all? It takes a Daddy to say "I'm sorry" when he was wrong or has hurt small feelings. My heart is full tonight with the knowledge that I'm married to a man who is, indeed, a Daddy!

This morning is as dreary looking as yesterday was bright with sunshine. It seems like Winter just can't get done with it's "thing" around here! It's hard to imagine several sunny days strung in a row right now. But, the end of February is approaching and it can't last forever! Last week was school break, so this week we're trying to get back into the rythm of packing lunches, driving school children and having some schedule. (We're throwing in some extras, like flat tires, just for variety...) The time until Baby Comes is ticking down slowly but surely. By the end of this week our bedroom should be very close to ready for moving in and then! Then...I have lots and lots of things I want to accomplish yet before #5 makes it's appearance!! Sometimes I'm humbled when I stop to think of my problem free pregnancies and deliveries. I guess God thought I needed different kinds of lessons in life...like vehicle issues and driving embarrassing "badom badom" vans with flat tires... We all have our lessons, I guess!

Children are so funny. The latest "thing" around here is acting out stories. One evening chris divided us up and had us act out bible stories and ever since then they beg to do it again! This week is school vacation so chris told isaac and lillian they're a team and jasmine and jennifer are a team. Isaac and jasmine are supposed to come up with a bible story each day that the younger 2 don't know. They are to read it to them and then act it out for us each evening. Wow! You should have seen them searching the bible and bible story book :) yesterday they were all helping each other act out stories just for the fun of it. Can you figure out what bible story it is? :)

This Valentine of Mine

Wednesday was my fav day of the month right now - appt w/ my midwife! See, Chris always takes off and we leave the girls w/ Grandma and spend most of the day galavanting around. The ride up was spent talking and the visit w/ my midwife was pleasant and uneventful. We proceeded to eat and do our usual bulk food store, thrift stores, whatever stores we felt an urge to check out. About 3:00 we turned on yet another road and I noticed "The Barn Inn" sign and did our usual shput the name if it sounds a little odd deal. A little later Chris drives right up in front of the Barn Inn itself and stops the car. "What are you doing??" "Oh I thought we could just stay here tonight." "We are not!! Get going." "Yes, really. We're gonna stay here!" "We are NOT! What is your deal?!!" I was totally dumbfounded. He had arranged the children sleeping at Grandpas, snuck out a few essential items for the night and the whole bit and never slipped anything suspicious! I'm still shaking my head... but Oh, what a lovely time!!!

Sacrificial Love

"We're great, as mothers, at sacrifice. But often, as wives, we could use a little work." -Emily Wierenga ...or, if you're me, a lot of work! This is something I have been praying God would open my eyes to. I wasn't thinking of it quite like that, I've been calling it respect. I've been begging God to show me what respect looks like in the little places. The places where I constantly unwittingly stumble. Because how can you avoid failure when you never realize you failed until after the deed is done? When I read Emily's post today about Sacrificial Love I found myself nodding. Yes! Yes, as a mother there is constant sacrifice. You wipe noses and kiss ouchies and clean up messes and fill drawers with clean clothes and stomaches w/ food...whether you feel like it or not. As a wife though, I tend to expect my husband to do the sacrificing! I think that is the answer to my seeking. Only sacrificial love can remember to view a situation through another's eyes and act out of their viewpoint instead of your own.

Happy 9th jasmine!

This is when i'd love to have a "real" blog where i could upload lots of pictures of my cake making week :) i had a lot of fun but i'm glad i can think about something else now! Yesterday afternoon i took the cake and enough "teacups" for jasmine's class and surprised her at school with a snack! None of it was really as hard as it looks, just took lots of time. The teacups are cupcakes. I attatched them to boughten cookies with frosting to look like a saucer (and also so i could move them around easier!) jasmine was quite surprised and very pleased :) i realized in keeping it a secret how much i confide in jasmine and enjoy sharing ideas with her. It would have been so much fun to have her help me and think up ideas together! The spout for the teapot is a sugar cone cut to size. The handle is licorice stuck on with skewers and the knob on the lid a gumdrop. I cut strands of licorice
apart to make the teapot handles...yes, lots of t.i.m.e. Went into this :) i think today i'll sleep

My fun for the day

I've had this big idea ever since the "purse" birthday cake for lillian - a tea pot birthday cake for jasmine! I was determined i wouldn't wait til the last day this time so that was my project today - to see if my shape ideas would even work. I mixed up a cake and baked part of it in my 2 cup glass pampered chef measuring cup and part in a stainless steel bowl whose diameter measured the same as the cup. Lo and behold it actualy worked out pretty good! I trimmed them flat and put them together. Now all i have to do on the day is decorate! I know i don't usually write about this kind of stuff, but it was such fun and i was pretty excited that my brainstorm worked so far :) i'll make sure to show you a picture of the finished project. We'll see if the rest of my big ideas work out as well! I think doing something out of the ordinary that's fun is a good pick me up....try something
yourself and see! :)

I'm not a very dramatic person. I don't gush over gifts or swoon over cuteness. I've often felt like a poor mom because of my lack of dramatics. Instead of 'amazed wonder and joy' in pregnancy, I'm usually thinking of poor, uncomfortable me! My heart should have 'swelled with awe' at the birth of my first born! Instead I felt a numb 'what do we do now' sort of feeling. There was no intense bond, in fact, I got very frustrated w/ my crying little bundle who didn't settle for the night! I've pretty much gotten over agonizing about what is wrong with me and wondering if I missed some Mom genes somewhere. At the most surprising times - when my 2 little girls walk up to Grandpas hand in hand, when I get up in the morning to find little girl snuggled w/ "mean" big brother on the couch, when I observe big brother and sister playing memory w/ little sister and purposely letting her get a pair, children's wide eyed awe when little hands feel baby's hiccups - a deep, warm feeling assures me I wasn't passed by!