Monday Meatballs

We are trying a new recipe tonight!  I'll let you know how it goes.  Around my house I constantly hear, "I WANT TO HELP," "I WANT TO HELP!" Read that back in the most whiney voice possible. Repeat 40 times. That would be Noa and Ruthie (sometimes Lyd), letting me know that dinner prep will take 30 minutes longer than normal.  Some days I'm up for the challenge.  Today was one of those days.  I'll let you know how the recipe turns out.  We're having Honey Garlic Meatballs, with rice and zucchini!  Noa and Ruthie were incredible helpers today!

This was the 5th attempt to get them both smiling and looking at me.  Not working.  Separate bowls because everything, of course, has to be fair and equal. 

Ruthie was grossed out by the meat at first, but after a while she went for it.

I'm not sure what was so captivating over my left shoulder, but they just wouldn't look at me! Something interesting about Noa is that she's seen about 5 cooking shows in her life but has really taken it to heart!  When she's cooking with me (or playing chef) she's always pretending she's on a cooking show.  Maybe in a few years she'll take over as the household chef.  I would love that!

Brother was a "helper" too!  Not really. In fact, he is a cranky mess.  Last week Noa had croup (lost her voice for about 5 days, which actually gave my ears a break!), and then Brothie caught it. Side note: don't act like you don't want that pineapple wallpaper all for yourself.  Its like a Magic Eye game all wrapped up in kitchen decor.  

Look at how pathetic he looks!  Poor buddy.

And another.  So sad. But anyway... back to the meatballs.

Here we are!  I'm trying this recipe tonight.  I asked the girls to roll them in 1" balls and, for the most part, they did pretty good.  Towards the end, they just started smashing them into the dish, so I had to take over.  But it was a good 10 minutes before that started happening!

In other news, I made some aprons for the girls (for Christmas) this weekend while Russ was on the Man Retreat.  Sadly, the night that Russ was gone was Caleb's worst night with the croup.  Neither of us slept (like, not for a minute) and for most of the night Caleb was either trying to catch his breath, or screaming.  We spent most of the night in the bathroom with the hot shower running so he could breathe in the steam.  It. Was. Terrible.  Why is this the caption for the aprons?  I will tell you why.  On Saturday, all I wanted to do was sleep, but since that wasn't an option (caring for three girls who slept well and a baby that just wanted to be held), I had to throw myself into a project or else all I would think about was sleeping and then how angry I was that I couldn't sleep.  So, I cranked out these aprons in record time!  Just kept rollin' 'em through the sewing machine and now I have three Christmas presents that didn't cost me anything!

Thankfully, the night before the Man Retreat, Russ and I went out to a new restaurant downtown that we loved!  It is called The Rarebit.  Fabulous ambiance, great prices, and even better food.  Russ had chicken and waffles, I had fish 'n' chips, and we shared a Lentil Salad, which sounds gross but it was great.  I wanted to order it because it was different than something I would usually pick, even though I was really wanting the onion rings.  I've never met an onion ring I didn't immediately eat.  But, now we have to go back so I can try the onion rings.  It was all part of a greater plan.

Pumpkin Patch with Noa and Caleb

Look how dirty this kid is!  Our car has smelled like manure all week and I'm sure it was because of Brothie.

Noa didn't want to touch the dirt.  Sadly, we are not farmers.

Some of our homeschooling friends.

Always standing up.

Por Mi Familia

So I just downloaded a bunch of pictures of the last *ahem* year.  Yes, it has almost been that long and the idea of keeping up with the blog has been nagging me for months now.  I don't like the new blogger and well, I just shut down and that was that.  I also have four kids 5 and under, and I think that accounts for some (o.k. most) of the blog failure.  But we're back!  I chose a handful of recent pictures to throw up on here today and in the next few posts, I thought we could just go backwards through the last year.  Poor Brothie hardly has any blogs about him!  Anyway, here's a sampling of the last month or two.  And I completed this task in just under an hour.  Record time, folks!  I hope each of my 7 readers know how much I love you...

Here he is himself, the king of cuteness, the Sire of sweetness, the most awesome boy in the whole world.  He is snakes and snails and puppy dog tails, and he melts my heart each and every day.

This picture got thrown in randomly.  The shirt says it all.

Ruthie Joy.  We've gave her that middle name in hopes that we would actually see her being joyful one of these days.  This particular day was challenging, but she does have many wonderful moments. :) 

Here's the girls' new favorite tire swing at their new favorite park on Folly Beach.

Double wedding with dogs, singing Bible verses, lots of dancing, a butterfly in a jar, each of them greeting their guests and saying a bunch of gibberish into a hairbrush... they are so wonderful.

My handsome date for a wedding we went to downtown - we are so conservative.

Another picture of our new park.  Pirates and lighthouses are the theme.

I found a bike trailer for $12 at a sale so everyone has been getting rides. The only problem is it takes up a bunch of space at the apartment and I'm sure our neighbors are getting tired of it taking up the walkway.  

Birthday bike taxi downtown with my best friend.  It was such a fun night!  I look like I have dentures, but this is the only picture from that night!  Can't believe I am 36 years old.  Where does time go? Where has my upper lip gone?

Brother boy has to be standing up.

Sweet Noa has been very interested in brushing (and spraying) her hair lately.  You can't tell from this picture, but her part is soaking wet with hairspray.  I love her.

Library time with Brothie and the gash!  (Notice the scrape on his head from falling out of the wagon.) This was right around his 1st birthday.

What a difference a year makes!  Last year he was just a helpless little hotdog.  

The girls often sabotage my phone with selfies.  Here's Noa's version. This is how all of them look.  I need to teach them the difference between up angle and down angle pics...

Ruthie's version.  Just the eyes.

Lydie's version.  Are you serious?  I could eat this kid up.  Since we're going backwards through the last year, I'm giving you a spoiler alert: Lydie cut her own bangs and this picture showcases them well...

Strawberry Pickin' Days and Low Expectations

So, I couldn't let a good strawberry picking season go by without a few pictures on the blog.  I know, I know... the blog has been down for a while.  Quite honestly it is just another thing to do - and I already have enough of those.  But, for the sake of my lovely Mom, I thought I would post a few pics from time to time and hopefully, *hopefully* keep up with it AT LEAST on a monthly basis.  We'll see.  4 kids ain't no joke!!!!  Especially when one is a nursing baby!

April in Charleston means Strawberry time!  Actually, it was a tad early.  Strawberries were out, but they will be juicier and more plentiful probably in a few weeks.  We're going to go back since today's adventure landed us ZERO strawberries.  The girls ate some along the way.  At one point, Noa even had a bucket full. But somehow they were gone when we left.  I'm not sure if she ate them or if the bucket tipped.  Either way, no jam for us... 

BUT WHO CARES?!  The more kids I have, the more I feel like I need to lower my expectations.  I would've been so stressed out if I had wanted to bring home a ton of berries today, while goin' it alone with 4 kids.  My only expectations were to get there in one piece (which we did!), and to have fun with friends (which we did!).  See what a victorious day we had???  I need to start applying this to my time with the kids each day.  It is certainly o.k. to expect some things, but when I get myself all in a wad about it, usually the day goes downhill fast.  But enough talk... here's some cute kids...

Stinky feet!!!

Brothie was a trooper.  It was a little windy, so he totally did NOT want to be there.  He wanted to sleep.  Eventually he fell asleep on me.  I'd like to think my heartbeat had something to do with that... so miraculous.  ;)

Yaya Joy (A name she gave herself.  She thinks everyone's middle name is "Joy.")

Here's a bad selfie of me and Brother.  Focusing so hard on getting the picture! Sun in my eyes!  I can't remember a strawberry picking adventure without a kid strapped to the front of me so I had to document that it was happening once again... This time Caleb was my helper. 

Lydie soon tired of finding strawberries after about the fourth one.

Why no smile, Lyds?

Dawn's crew.  Nothin' says Johns Island like Dawn.

Ruthie and her favorite shirt.  It is not MY favorite shirt which is why we chose it for strawberry picking.  I was hoping she would totally destroy it.  Didn't happen.

O.k., o.k.  Now I get what people are saying about Ruthie and Lydie looking alike.  They are so incredibly different that I see similarities, but I've never really seen it like I see it in this picture.  I wonder if they will be even MORE similar when Lydie loses those chubby cheeksters.  It will be a sad day.  :(

Shandy's crew.  Smart enough to bring a stroller!

Ivana showing off her baby love in the back.  And Sue being sweet Sue.

Sweet Ansley.  Her hair and her personality match.

Lydie couldn't quite get the hang of the bag inside the bucket thing.

Get IN the picture with your kids, Jackie!  Brother was crying, Lydie was running away, Noa and Ruthie were mildly supportive of the family pic.  Not all it is cracked up to be.

Rode home with a car full of dirt faces.  And hands.  And feet.  And bellies full of strawberries.

Christmas Video 2012

Joyful and Triumphant

It is quite tempting to be a scrouge this year. With one sickness rolling into the next in our house, I have felt neither joyful nor triumphant a majority of the time. In the last month, I have only been out of the house to do some minor Christmas shopping (like maybe 3 hours), and to take my 2 month old to the Emergency Room.  Friends with kids can't stop by because you'll just keep passing each sickness around.  I've had lots of sleepless nights, comforting children, nursing the baby, helping the girls go potty... One day runs into the next until it occurred to me the other day that I hadn't even seen the church decorated for Christmas.  We only made ONE of the gazillion Christmas parties we were invited to, and that was with MUCH effort finding a babysitter to watch flu-ridden kids. I've missed the entire Advent Season with our church due to sickness! The only thing up in our house this year is the tree and it looks terrible.  The kids (in particular, Lydia) can't stop messing with it, so all of the ornaments are either broken, on the floor, or up high as to keep little fingers away from them.  I have had no desire to put anything else up and quite honestly I feel a little depressed.  And, of course, Charleston won't have snow any time soon, but I'm not even going there...

But as I was in the ER, holding Caleb who was screaming hot with a fever, I started thinking about the Father sending his Son to us.  Emmanuel.  God with us.  I started thinking about what it would be like to have thought up and created the universe, only to be limited to the body and mind of an infant.  Willingly.  I looked at my son, helpless, and couldn't imagine entrusting anyone else with him.  I was wondering what it must've been like for the Father to trust Mary and Joseph with Jesus, knowing everything probably wouldn't be handled perfectly, or the way he would've done it himself.  I was thinking about what it would be like to entrust my son to an 8 year old or something.  Who would do that?  Tough for Jesus. Tough for his Father.  Glorious for us.

As I sing about our Savior's birth this year, I am wearing sweats in my kitchen and I'm usually singing alone.  There hasn't been anyone to sing for except Jesus, and usually that's with my kids in the background telling me to stop singing. Nothing very holly or jolly about this Christmas. No cookies, maybe 2 presents, no decorations, no fun Christmas cards to send out. Nothing.  In fact, I told Russ today that this is probably the worst Christmas I've ever had.  But without those distractions, in some ways it has also been the best one. It has been stripped down to Jesus!  Jesus + nothing = everything. When I think about what Jesus sacrificed for MY sake, how can I be anything but joyful and triumphant? God is with me.

O Come, all ye faithful
Joyful and Triumphant
O Come ye, O Come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold him
Born the King of angels
O Come let us adore Him
O Come let us adore Him
O Come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

Where Has the Time Gone?

Oh my goodness.  It has been forever since I've updated this blog!  Part of it has been computer problems, and part of it has been sheer exhaustion.  4 kids ain't no joke!  I find that on a normal day, I just don't stop.  If I stop, something goes wrong.  Even after the kids go down, we're usually folding laundry, cleaning the kitchen, getting things ready for the next day...  I can't wait until the girls are old enough to help with some of it.  They help a little bit now, but it is with MUCH assistance, and sometimes I'd rather do it by myself.  :)  Anyway, here's some pictures from the last month, in no particular order, because that would take about 45 minutes longer... 

Ruthie has a baby in her tummy!

Noa has a baby in her tummy!

The girls watching TV.  This is when Ruthie had some stash of soap that we couldn't find and after a bath, she kept slicking down her hair with it.  I was the happiest Mom alive the day I found that darn soap.

Noa and Ruthie had dentist appointments with Dr. Chris.  They were both CHAMPS and went through the whole appointment without any problems.  This is a stark contrast to the appointment 6 months ago when I took all 3 girls to MY appointment (while pregnant) and they crushed Pringles all over Dr. Chris' office while watching Veggie Tales. They were allowed to pick out a prize since they were so "good" and I (still pregnant) had to carry Ruthie out of the office kicking and screaming (while pushing Lydia in the stroller) because she wouldn't choose just one prize.  I had to pry them from her hands.  Needless to say, things have progressed.  I'm not sure why I thought taking 3 kids to my appointment would work, but live and learn...

We've decided that pig tails is Ya's best look.

Ruthie lovin' on Brothie.

Sweet kids.  I love this picture.

Brother Boy. Brothie. Buddy Boy. K-Bob. Caleb.
No shortage of nicknames in our house.

Went to the lights and rode the carousel.  Daddy braved it while Mommy held Caleb.  Noa is somewhere else, goin' it alone.

Ya-baby stealing a moment on Ruthie's bike.  I'm sure that 5 seconds later, Ruthie screamed and assaulted her for riding it, but she seems to be enjoying this moment.  Poor baby.

This is some kind of bunk bed that the girls came up with.
Whatever keeps them busy...

Day at Brownswood Nursery with Pops and Cousin Micah. Ruthie got to go by herself since everyone else was sick...or just getting sick...or something.  I can't quite remember. Anyway, she was the big-shot that day.

Noa and Lyd play well together.
Here they are laying in Noa's bed, being buddies.