Sept. 1 - David, just now: "Israel's a COUNTRY?" His jaw literally dropped. "But it's so SMALL! And there are no states in it!" And then he went to our big map on the wall to take a look for himself, as if that would help him figure it out. For someone who was born there, he sure has a lot to learn about it. ;)
Sept. 2 - I don't know much about Paul Ryan, but I just found out one great thing about him: he has a brother named Tobin. ;)
Sept. 2 - Jeff accumulated a ton of Coolest Dad Ever points tonight when he, shortly before bedtime, announced that if all the boys would get their pajamas on, we could go out for a drive-through ice-cream run. Not surprisingly, it didn't take the boys long at all to get into their pajamas. :) What made it even better was that we had coupons for free ice cream at Dairy Queen, so we actually didn't have to pay a cent. A win all the way around!! :)
Sept. 4 - This past weekend, I pulled out our fall decorations and placed them around the living room, surprising Tobin by how early I did it--while it is still officially summer! "But this is for Pumpkin Eve!" he protested. "Or whatever it's called..." he added, as if it suddenly occurred to him that there's actually no holiday called Pumpkin Eve. ;)
Sept. 6 - This evening's best quote, compliments of Tobin... While we were sitting around the supper table, he quipped, "I hear my tummy talking sometimes." A pause, then he added, "Unless it's Jesus in my heart." Well, dear boy, I suppose it could be that; I would imagine it depends on what exactly you hear the voice saying. ;)
Sept. 8 - When Josiah was telling me this morning about a boy that he first met in vacation Bible school, he was trying to help me understand WHICH Bible school it was - which year. "It was," he began, "the year we studied about Christians...and about Jesus!" Well, then. THAT narrows it down considerably. NOT! ;)
Sept. 8 - Josiah's gone all day today at a children's choir retreat. It wasn't until I dropped him off this morning that I realized one of the big excitements of the day involved the bus they rode to get to the camp where the retreat was held. "I've never ridden on a bus!" Josiah enthused, as we neared the drop-off place. The dear boy may not remember, but he rode the bus a-plenty when we lived in Israel. Not having a car will do that to you. ;) After we watched Josiah get on the bus, David said sadly to me, "I wish I could ride on the bus, too. I would sit right beside Josiah!" "Maybe in a couple of years you'll get to," I consoled him. Meanwhile, when the bus pulled out of the lot, Tobin-bless his heart-BURST into tears. "What's wrong?" I asked...and finally got the answer, "I'm sad because Josiah's gone!" Even Shav remarked mournfully as we walked back to the van, "I sure do miss Josiah." I had no idea dropping Josiah off would turn into such an emotional experience! :)
Sept. 11 - David just went over to Moriah and crooned, "Someone's looking beautiful today," before giving her seven kisses. He always gives her seven kisses, because he's seven years old. I wonder if she'll get a "raise" when he turns eight. :)
Sept. 13 - This evening, Tobin and Shav were playing happily in their room after supper; but then suddenly, I heard someone howling. Tobin appeared at the top of the stairs and wailed, "I bumped my head on the paper-typer!" The paper-typer?? Well, yes, I suppose it makes perfect sense that a typewriter should be called a paper-typer. :) (His head, by the way, recovered very quickly...just as soon as I blew a kiss up the stairs to him.) :)
Sept. 13 - Tobin woke up last night, crying from a bad dream. It turns out he had dreamed that I put butter AND sour cream on his corn, and he wailed, "You put sour cream on it. I didn't want sour cream!!" When I have a nightmare, it's usually about criminals or wild animals attacking me or my family. When Tobin has a nightmare, it's about sour cream on his corn. I'd rather have Tobin's dreams. ;)
Sept. 25 - I haven't had a cup of hot tea for months. But ever since we got back from the beach and realized that fall snuck in while we were away, I've hardly been able to shake the chill from my bones. A cup of hot raspberry tea to the rescue! Mmmmm...that's better. :)
Sept. 26 - Today has had some discouraging moments; but rather than focus on the negative, the image I want to remember is this: tonight David, Shav, & Moriah were going down with me to my parents' house. While the rest of us trailed along slowly, David zoomed ahead. Barefoot and shirtless, he skipped joyfully down the driveway in the dark, swinging his arms and taking huge strides, as if he didn't have a care in the world. He wasn't worried about gravel on the driveway possibly hurting his feet, he wasn't thinking that there might be a skunk or a snake lurking about, he wasn't stressed because he hadn't crossed everything off his to-do list today, he wasn't burdened by thoughts of the upcoming election or concern over a loved one's declining health. He was just skipping happily in the dark. David, I want to be like you when I grow up! Will you teach me how?
Sept. 27 - Great quote I read in a publication from Samaritan Ministries: "When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin." - Abraham Kuyper
September 27 - Tonight Shav mentioned angels, and it reminded me of something he would say while we were at the beach last week. There was a fairly high (in the eyes of a three-year-old) sand dune that we needed to cross to get to the water; and often when we started heading towards it, Shav would say something about being afraid. A few times when he said that, I tried to comfort him by saying, "I'm here. I'll take care of you." The first time I did that, he quickly stopped me and corrected me by saying, "No, GOD is with me!" True enough...thanks for the reminder, little one. :) The next time it happened, I forgot the previous conversation and absentmindedly told him again that I was with him and would take care of him. Again he announced, "No, God is with me..." but this time he added something else: "...and angels are all around us." Out of the mouths of babes, right? After that, almost every time we walked across that dune, he would say, "God is with me, and angels are all around us." A precious reminder for me...for all of us, I think!
September 29 - After I fed Moriah her rice cereal this morning, Tobin wanted to hold her, so I sat with him on the couch while he got to hold his baby sister. We started talking about what he wants to be when he grows up, and I discovered that he wants to work at the barbershop and "do all the things that Dad does." He'd like to have 12 children; and when I asked what he'd like to name a son, he shrugged and said, "Maybe Jack." Then I asked, "What would you name a daughter?" He paused...smiled...then said, "Sweetie." ;)
September 30 - I love driving by this Old Order church on Sunday morning; it's worth taking the long way home to see this. :)
Oct. 1 - My dad reminded me at lunch that on this date 100 years ago, something very special occurred: his mother was born. My Grandma Huffman has been gone for 16 years, but I still remember the fun of visiting her home, eating apple butter on cottage cheese, drinking cold Quick Refresher, sneaking Milky Way bars from her refrigerator, playing with the toys kept in an old brown ottoman, watching Granddad play solitaire (and sometimes playing rummy with him), being fascinated when he took his artificial leg off (I *think* it was because of complications from diabetes that he'd had to have a leg amputated below the knee, but I could be wrong about the cause), looking through the photo albums she kept. Today I'm remembering you, Olive Marie!
Oct. 2 - At lunch today, Shav and I were the last two people at the table; and while we were sitting there together, he noticed my wedding ring and started asking me about it. After I told him a few facts (like who gave it to me and when), he asked, "Does it shoot out fire and lightning?" :) "No," I admitted, then leaned toward him and lowered my voice mysteriously, "it's even MORE powerful than that!" :) It is, too; I wasn't joking. Love is the most powerful force in the universe, and if love could be made visible, it might look like a simple gold wedding band. Of course, it might also look like a mother and her three-year-old son, smiling fondly at each other over the lunch table. :)
Oct. 4 - We had a fun day out as a family, enjoying the majesty of God's creation at Natural Bridge during their Homeschool Day. I took my camera along, of course, and I really and truly thought that I didn't take very many pictures. But tonight when I checked the camera, I discovered that I actually took 128. *Only* 128. ;)
Oct. 5 - This morning, I enjoyed a gorgeous drive through the countryside to Polyface Farm. A big thank-you to the staff there who were all so helpful and friendly; your smiles are as beautiful as this lovely fall day!
Oct. 6 - It's been a great week, and I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on any of the special things that have been a part of it. However, I am grateful that as I look ahead to the coming week, it appears that our homeschool will actually have some HOME in it. This past week, we were the (away-from-home)schoolers!
Oct. 7 - Our kitchen smells like a pepper spray factory. Jeff is to blame for that, since he spent some time in the garden harvesting hot peppers ahead of a possible frost, and then he spent time in the kitchen chopping them and canning them. Our home certainly is fragrant right now! Sometimes the simple act of breathing makes me have to break out in a cough. ;-)
Oct. 8 - After the boys were settled in their respective quiet time spots this afternoon, I sat down to eat my lunch after randomly grabbing a book off the shelf to read while I was eating. I happened to choose The 30th Anniversary Reader's Digest Reader, copyright 1951--a collection of articles from 30 years of Reader's Digest. I opened it and began reading. When I came across the following words, I couldn't help but think how applicable they still are today: "It is dangerous to assume that our country's welfare belongs alone to that mysterious mechanism called 'the government.' Every time we allow or force the government, because of our own individual or local failures, to take over a question that properly belongs to us, by that much we surrender our individual responsibility, and with it a comparable amount of individual freedom. But the very core of what we mean by Americanism is individual liberty founded on individual responsibility, equality before the law, and a system of private enterprise that aims to reward according to merit." The writer of those words? Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Oct. 8 - There is a back road close to our house that my boys call The Flip-Flop Road because there are two bumps on it that cause their tummies to do a flip-flop when we fly...errrr...I mean...drive carefully over them. (I really am a careful driver. It's just that, when no one is coming, I do speed up a tiny bit as we approach those bumps--just for the thrill of the tummy lurch that is coming.) ;-) Today as we were taking Josiah to choir, Tobin asked me to please NOT go home on The Flip-Flop Road because it makes him carsick. "OK," I answered, "that's fine. We can go home another way." Shav immediately piped up: "How about The Tennis Shoes Road?" Oh my word, the kid is only three, and already he's cracking jokes? Do we have another David in the making? I'm not sure our family is ready for TWO comedians! ;-)
Oct. 10 - My favorite part of bedtime prayers with Tobin and Shav tonight? Tobin praying, "God, thank You for You!"...and then, a little later, "God, help me to be an animal doctor when I grow up,"...followed by Shav's voice piping up, "Help me to be Superman with a cape when I grow up!" ;-) They may not always wear an "S" on their chests, but those boys are already Supermen to me!! :)
Oct. 10 - At the library today, the man behind me in line took a look at the stack of books I had just returned, glanced down at the rolling cart I was pulling that was stuffed full of books, then asked me, "Do you homeschool?" When I replied in the affirmative, he said, "I figured." He didn't say it in an unfriendly way though--just a matter-of-fact manner--but I did have to smile. Are we that obvious? :) (And I *only* had two of my children with me, so it wasn't family size that influenced his comment!) :)
Oct. 12 - I was having a moment of supreme contentment this afternoon--standing in the kitchen washing dishes, looking out the window at my four sons (two of whom were clad in Superman pajamas) using swords and light sabers to fight imaginary enemies in the backyard, hearing my daughter gurgle cheerfully in the swing, thinking ahead to when Jeff would get home and we would spend the evening as a family together. "Ah," I thought, "life is so sweet. Thank You, God, for these moments." The peace was shattered not too long after that when David entered the house howling. Apparently while pursuing or being pursued in the battle, he had not exactly been watching where he was going, and he ran smack dab into the metal pole of the clothesline. Ouch! It makes me wince just thinking about it. He got a big ol' goose-egg on the side of his head, bigger than any of the boys had ever gotten before. However, for all of the loud cries, it didn't take too long before his snuggle session on the couch with an ice pack was over and he was ready to hop up and be his normal active self again. Maybe the loud moments make the quiet, peaceful ones more appreciated by me. ;-)
Oct. 14 - So much for Sunday afternoon naps and quiet time. On this lovely Sunday, we're eagerly watching the ascent of Felix Baumgartner, 20+ miles above the earth. And then he's going to step out of his space capsule and JUMP?? Hats off to him for his bravery, but you couldn't PAY me to do what he's going to do. I saw a shot from earlier of his mom watching his launch. What must she be feeling right now???
Oct. 17 - I woke up this morning to the sound of my seven-year-old singing a major scale in solfege (do, re, mi, etc.). Thank you, Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir, for making this moment possible! :)
Oct. 18 - This morning I was holding Moriah in my arms while I quickly vacuumed her room before I put her down for a nap. The instant I turned the vacuum cleaner on, she dropped the toy she was holding, pressed her face against me, and tightly clutched my shirt with both of her sweet little hands. She's heard the vacuum cleaner before, but it obviously startled her, and--this is my favorite part--her natural response was to CLING. I'm sorry to say that when I'm startled or faced with difficult circumstances, my first response is not always to CLING to my heavenly Father. Sometimes I PUSH against Him instead. My dear girl taught me a lesson this morning, the same lesson the mighty David learned and spoke of in Psalm 13:1 -
"I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me."Amen! So be it.
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me."Amen! So be it.
Oct. 19 - The best part of the day... For Jeff, it was probably picking and canning habanero peppers before going to work. For Josiah, it was playing a new-to-us multiplication game on the computer. For me, it was wrapping some Christmas gifts!! :) Ever since the year I procrastinated and had to wrap the gifts on Christmas Eve :( I have been absolutely determined to not repeat that. It is a GOOD feeling to have started on that project already! Now, it's time to tackle the dishes and laundry and everything else... ;)
Oct. 19 - How many swords does a young soldier need in his bed while he's sleeping? Apparently the answer is three. At least, that's what I discovered just a few minutes ago when I went to peek at a slumbering Shav and discovered that he'd amassed quite an arsenal before he went to sleep. :)
Oct. 22 - It's only been about 24 hours since we brought Jed, our new collie, home; but already I can see signs of his superior intelligence. For example, it didn't take him any time at all to figure out that a couch is far more comfortable than the floor. Yep, he's a smart one all right. Now how long is it going to take him to realize that every time he gets on the couch, somebody's going to come along and shoo him off?? ;-)
Oct. 22 - (I shared Jeff's Facebook post and picture) Jed seems interested in music!
Oct. 23 - Thanks to Sonlight Curriculum, my boys got to see me cry while reading a book to them for school. Again. There aren't very many books that I haven't cried in, I guess; but the one we were reading today was The Sign of the Beaver, and I thought I was doing great at keeping my emotions in check. But then we got to the end where Matt's family returns. When Matt yells "Pa!" and begins to run towards his father, do you think my eyes were dry? Not a chance. Thank you, Sonlight, for reminding my boys what a weepy woman I am. ;-)
Oct. 23 - What I found when I checked on Tobin and Shav tonight :)
Oct. 24 - Jeff had his nightstand open this morning, and Tobin was peering into it when he spotted some coins. Impressed by his dad's vast wealth ;-), he said, "You have enough money that you can give some to us!" Spoken like a true Democrat. ;-)
Oct. 24 - There's an angel food cake cooling on my counter right now. Why? Because a very special lady is turning 71 today!!! I'm so grateful to be able to celebrate my mom's birthday with her! :)
Oct. 25 - It's raining leaves outside. The maple tree at the corner of our house is at that perfect stage where the slightest puff of wind makes the leaves drop off and then swirl their way to the ground. It's like watching a waterfall of pure gold. :)
Oct. 25 - During Josiah & David's violin lessons yesterday, these were some of the thoughts running through my head: "You gotta love a music teacher who not only knows how to teach your child a D scale, but also knows his favorite color...who knows when to push and challenge a confident child and when to back off and encourage an emotional child...who has the patience to keep a distracted child focused...who knows that it's important to not only talk about using a heavy bow for the accents in Andantino but also about the band-aid the student has on his finger and the new dog he just got. I'm so glad the boys have such a teacher." We're very grateful for Megan!
Oct. 25 - The list of household tasks I could have done here at home was a mile long, but the beautiful outdoors beckoned, and I couldn't resist. So, after Moriah's nap and the boys' quiet time, we set out on a walk--me, Moriah in the Snugli, the four boys on their own feet ;-), and Jed on the leash with Josiah holding him. We walked up and over the hill behind us to the country road that runs along the back side of the hill. Two horse & buggies passed us, with the riders waving and calling out a greeting each time. We admired the neighbors' pony, and another neighbors' horse; we listened to the ducks quack on the neighbors' pond; we saw the moon faintly visible in the eastern sky. And then we walked home, full of fresh air and sunshine. Next week, if the big storm hits us that the forecasters are warning us about, I'll be glad I abandoned my to-do list today in favor of a walk. :)
Oct. 25 - It's been a long time since Moriah fell asleep nursing, but she did tonight; and even after she was fast asleep, I continued to hold her, just watching her and marveling at the gift that she is. I wondered, "Will she ever know how much I love her? Will she know how beautiful she is--body and soul--to me? Will she know how precious to me is her every breath?" God, if she forgets, please remind her! Please don't ever let her forget how loved she is!
Oct. 27 - While strolling down memory lane, I pause to smile at this picture of two beautiful women at my wedding: my sister Donna and my niece Sheena. Ah, memories! :)
Oct. 29 - So far, the storm that everyone's talking about has brought us only a gentle rain. But folks around here are cautious (panicky?) enough to have cancelled virtually everything that's going on in this town, including the boys' choir classes for tonight. Josiah and David were disappointed, since SVCC night is always highly anticipated by them. However, I'm enjoying a break in the schedule, giving us a day at home and a chance to sit by the fire, read from "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" to the boys, and pet our dog. :) A day like today needs a bit of baking, I think; and I'm tempted to make snickerdoodles. I'm even more tempted to make pineapple-cherry crisp, especially since my recipe includes tapioca, and tapioca comes from the cassava plant, and this morning I was reading to my boys about how the Incas grew cassava. It will almost be like doing school when we eat that pineapple-cherry crisp after supper. I like our school. :)
Oct. 30 - Tonight at the supper table, Tobin was wondering why he can't marry Moriah. I told him that brothers and sisters can't marry each other; but that, when the time was right, God would bring someone special along for him to marry. With genuine concern in his voice, he said, "But I don't know where God's pointing!" There will be time, my dear boy. No need to rush it... :) (But believe me, I've had plenty of moments in my lifetime when I've wanted to wail, "But God, I don't know where You're pointing!")
Oct. 30 - I've stayed up way later than I should again (what's new?), but tonight I'm glad I did, if only because I just heard Shav break out into laughter--real bubbly laughter. I wonder what in the world he must have been dreaming to make him laugh so! :)
Oct. 31 - This evening Tobin was helping Moriah by carefully putting Cheerios in her mouth, one at a time (this is the first day we've given her Cheerios, and she loved them!). After a little while, he exclaimed, "I looked in Moriah's mouth, and I saw two teeth!" I was highly doubtful, since I believe it was just yesterday that I checked her mouth for teeth and didn't see any evidence whatsoever. I was going to suggest that perhaps he saw a piece of a Cheerio in her mouth and mistakenly thought that was a tooth; but before I could say that, he came up with an alternative explanation. "Or maybe it was just a daydream," he casually remarked. Well, yes. Maybe so. :)
JDaniel and I have talked about my rings too. I have told him one was a promise for a marriage commitment and one was a promise for a lifetime together.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I cry way too often when reading books to my kids. Little House On The Prairie? Cry. I love You Like Crazy Cakes? Cry. We'll sit down to read a book and Joseph will ask me "Are you going to cry in this one?" :)
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