When You're Turning Nine...

...you're mature enough and patient enough to delay your celebration by 24 hours, if your actual birthday happens to land on the busiest day of the week for the family--the kind of day in which the amount of time that the whole family is together in the same house and awake is about five minutes or less.  So it was with Tobin this year: when given a choice of whether to celebrate his birthday a day early or a day late, he chose a day late, knowing that Grandpa wouldn't be with us if he chose a day early.

Nine-year-olds--especially kind, thoughtful, wise ones like him--can do this sort of thing.  :)

I will, of course, share more from Tobin's birthday celebration...when we actually have it.  But for tonight, on the real day that Tobin turned nine, here are two things I've noticed about him during the past year.

First, he's gravitating toward the big guys.  I used to think that I had two Bigs (Josiah and David), two Middles (Tobin and Shav), and two Littles (Moriah and Benjamin).  I don't group them in quite the same way anymore.  Oh sure, sometimes they fall neatly into those categories; but more often than previously happened, Tobin fits into the Josiah and David group.  One example is the movies that he's allowed to watch: things that might be too scary for Shav (like some of the Star Wars movies or the Narnia movies) are fine for Tobin.

I know what it's like to be a younger child striving to be like the older ones (as the youngest in my family, that's ALL I know!), and I recognize that effort in Tobin more and more.  He's growing up.  :)

Second, he surprises me with his powers of observation, especially with visual details.  I first noticed this when he was learning to read, which was a lengthy, drawn-out process as I've mentioned before.  When I was sitting with him, just waiting for him to read "The cat has a hat" or what-have-you, he would first be studying the illustrations--and then quite often, telling me what was wrong with them.  "I think they should have given the cat a bigger hat," or "those whiskers don't look right," or "why did they color it green?", he would say.  I would think, "Just read the words!"  And he would think, "I could have drawn it better!"  ;-)

Another time I noticed how observant he is occurred during our recent Christmas holiday.  We were sitting at the kitchen table one time, and he had been looking at the nutcrackers which we had set up in the windows between our kitchen and living room.  Suddenly he asked, "Why are the nutcrackers' eyebrows black but their hair is white? The eyebrows should be white, too!"  And you know, he's right!  I hadn't thought of it before, but my son who looks and notices and ponders and questions did.
Tobin is a JOY.  The more he grows, the more I learn about the unique young man God is raising him up to be.  It's a fascinating process, and I give overflowing thanks for the privilege of being the mother of this beloved child.

My precious, adored Tobin Bear.

I'm No Decorator, But...

...if there's one thing I DO know about decorating a home, it's this: do what you love because that's what will make you happy.

So I did.  :)

After I took down our Christmas decorations earlier today, the bare mantel stood there waiting for something to fill it, so I took as a theme the sign that says "All because two people fell in love..." and then rounded up pictures of both sets of my grandparents, a picture of my parents, and a wedding picture of Jeff and I to trace the line of the love stories that have brought us to this day.  If I had had them, I would have included pictures from Jeff's side; and if I had had it, I would have put up a picture of our six children.  Alas, I rarely print out pictures anymore, so I don't have that handy.  Maybe that should be another item on my list of New's Years Resolutions.  ;-)

In the end, I stood back and smiled, grateful for the new look for the mantel--and even more, for the "two people" who fell in love which led to another match and then another match and another and still another until finally, thousands of years after Adam and Eve first fell in love, Jeff and I took that same leap.  :)

Those silver and blue balls remind me of January's colors, all icy and snowy with the light reflecting blue off the blanketed ground as evening approaches.  Of course, the world outside doesn't exactly look like that on this particular day, since there is plenty of green and brown poking through the meager amount of snow we got last night and this morning.  The timing of the snowfall was appropriate, however, since I always bring out my snowman decorations when I put my Christmas ones away; and it's fitting when the weather's behavior matches the sentiment on the center snowman.  :)

I wouldn't win any awards for decorating, but the joy that fills my heart when I look around my home is better than any award anyone else could give me.  :)

What David Loves

Tonight, long after "official" bedtime (which we never manage to hit, undisciplined bums that we are!), David got out of bed and came down the steps with a smile on his face and something on his mind.  "I think I might try to do a back flip on the trampoline at gymnastics next time," he confided.  His joy and excitement lit up his whole face, and my mind jumped back in time to the fall of 2012 when he took his first gymnastics class.  A few months after that, I pondered where the gymnastics journey might take us.  As a matter of fact, I'm still wondering that!  What I do know is that David is still taking lessons, is now at his third place of taking them, and loves it just as much as ever--probably more so, because this gym where he started lessons last fall seems to be the best fit so far for him (in short, it's a little more competitive and doesn't seem to have as many misbehaving boys in his class!).

When I was there a few weeks ago, I used my phone to snap some pictures.  I wish they were higher quality, but I'll work with what I've got.  :)

At the end of class, they got to do this relay race; and it was neck and neck.  They're not competitive at all.  ;-)

One of the great joys of parenting that I didn't really think about too much before becoming a mom is seeing my children flourish in their individual areas of talent and passion.  Having six of 'em means that I get to watch this unfolding happen numerous times--this process by which the little infant who behaves much like all the other babies around the world (eats, sleeps, poops) begins to develop and change and head off in one direction or another.  I would not, for all the world, try to fit David into the mold that Josiah is creating, nor Josiah into David's.  And neither of them would fit into Tobin's pattern!

What a delight to watch them come to life and pursue what they love...and for David, this means gymnastics.  :)

Lights, Camera, Action!

For all the enjoyment we get out of these little movies, you'd think I'd do this a whole lot more often.  But somehow, as the days go by, I rarely think to pick up the camera/phone and capture these little snippets...and even more rarely, get around to sharing them here.  Part of the latter is due to the fact that I haven't figured out an easy, not-time-consuming way to get videos from my phone or David's phone or whatever device they are on into a blog post.  I feel like it ends up being a multi-step upload, download, sideload, whateverload before I achieve success.  There must be an easier way.

Oh, well, for now, here are a few little pieces of life from the past few months!

On September 15, Benjamin and I were with Josiah at his speech and debate meeting; and while Josiah was in his class, Benjamin and I were hanging out in a nicely-equipped nursery in the church where we meet.  For a number of weeks, this was his favorite activity.  :)

The next two videos are from November 1, and they show, not only what a happy guy Benjamin is, but also his unique way of turning his highchair into a rocking chair!  :)  None of our other babies have ever done this, which just goes to show that "sixth" in the family doesn't mean "duplicate"!  :)

Moriah painted a picture on December 19 and was explaining it to me.

On December 22, Benjamin was scooting around upstairs in my room, being entertained by siblings and also by a musical card.  He has learned how to open and close them to make the music start and stop.

December 27 - Benjamin was sick and was cuddling with Jeff.  Jeff was gently rocking him; and every time he stopped, Benjamin would start to do that motion to make Jeff resume rocking.  Who cares if Daddy's arm gets tired?  :)

January 3 - Benjamin was still sort of sick (seriously, WHY are these germs lingering so long? I think this is the first time he's really been sick, unless I've blocked a former illness out of my memory), and one morning we were cuddling on the couch.  He was playing with another musical card while Moriah, in the background, was "reading" me the Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear book...and occasionally asking me for help when she forgot what came next.  :)

There are more videos I could share--and maybe will someday--but for now, here are some bits and pieces of life that will entertain my kids and I, the next time we sit down to "remember when..."  :)

Wordless Wednesday {Sick Baby=Snuggly Baby}

Winter Delights

Winter is not my favorite season; but as I get older, I'm discovering more appreciation for all the seasons and the unique joys that belong to each of them.  Joys, in this season of cold and darkness, like...

...a new candle that smells FABULOUS, given to me by my friend Amanda (she's in the last picture in this post).  

Exactly how a candle in the wintertime should smell!

The symbolism of light in the darkness is meaningful, too, of course.

Another winter delight is homemade hot chocolate; and I've recently discovered a new favorite way to drink it: with a tiny bit of peppermint extract added to each mug of it.  It is SO good!

Swimming isn't normally a winter delight for us in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, but we were invited to go with some friends to an indoor pool on December 30.  There's a special pleasure that comes from knowing that outside, it's freezing cold or near it; but inside, we're happily splashing in the pool and soaking in the hot tub!  :)

 Moriah thought it was great fun to hold Brittany.  :)

 Amanda's mom, Miss Janie, thought it was great fun to hold Benjamin.  :)

 And Amanda even got a turn, too.  :)

Every winter, I feel a little challenged at the thought of staying cheerful until springtime!  Of course, when snow falls, that makes me quite cheerful.  ;-)  But during the snowless days of January and February and even into March, I want to consciously notice the special delights of this season...

...and breathe a prayer of thanks for each one of them!

I Thought I Was Done with Christmas

After all the Christmas posts I ended up doing during the past week, I really thought I had said everything that needed to be said about that particular holiday!  But then I was looking through my phone this evening, deleting some pictures, and discovered....more Christmas pictures!

OK, I'll just share this and be done with it.  ;-)

 Benjamin reached the stage of mobility right before we got our Christmas tree, and I wondered at the timing of it.  Would we have to constantly be chasing him away from the tree because he couldn't keep his little hands off the branches, ornaments, or gifts?

As it turned out, he was curious about all of it and would slowly inch his way over to the tree, looking at it with interested eyes.

When there weren't so many presents blocking his way, he was able to reach the bottom branches and the ornaments that were hung there; but that wasn't too concerning because the ornaments in his reach weren't fragile, and he wasn't tugging on the tree, so no danger of it toppling over on him.  ;-)  But when we started putting more and more gifts out, he was intrigued by them and would sometimes reach out and touch them.  A little touch didn't hurt anything; but when he started trying to pull the tissue paper out of the bags, I had to do something!  ;-)  After a mild rebuke, he got the message and really didn't keep repeating his offense.  When he would go over to the tree, he would still sometimes reach out towards the gifts; but often I would catch his eye and he would know that he was treading on thin ice.  ;-)

When he had achieved the ability to scoot, I was afraid that the tree and presents would be a huge magnet for him, necessitating us to be on high alert every time he was in the living room, lest he tear through it all and make a terrible mess.  But as it turned out, he didn't spend as much time there as I thought he might.  After all, there were plenty of other things to explore.

Like the bookshelf across the room with all the plastic containers with LEGO pieces in them!!  ;-)