Reflections from the past three months

Wow. Abigail is already three months old. I was really wondering if we would or would not have another little one when she came along, and so I have been savoring these moments with her as much as possible.

That is not easy with the older ones. I find myself completely torn. I want to cuddle in a chair with Abbie, and read to her, talk to her (she already talks back to us - Amazing!). And yet I still want and need to care for the boys. So I go to their needs, meaning to rock with Abbie in just a short while. Yet one boy needs a drink, another wants a long neglected story, an then still another is excited to show me his latest Lego creation. So Abbie is either tucked in my arms as I scuttle about or sitting in place in the family room or kitchen.

New guilt comes in. Poor Abbie is so content to sit there, and the squeaky wheel does get the oil. So I decide to go to my room with her and spend some quality time. Two minutes later, our three year old is in the middle of his brothers' game. Interrupted again.

I wonder what she thinks of the craziness that is our household? I realize that I will not have all of that one-on-one time with her that I had with, well really, only the oldest two. And yet I see that it will be okay, because she has so much love all around her. The boys are all crazy about her. That much is clear. I know she will appreciate being surrounded by so much love.

And because I have yet to post our dear little one...

It really is a girl!

We have had a whirlwind of an Easter! On Friday, April 3rd we welcomed Abigail Elizabeth into the world. She is a wonderful little girl and such a good baby. Her brothers just love her and constantly hold her and talk to her. She clearly enjoys the attention.

And then we have the Easter celebration. And all of the company. Quite the craziest of times, but you know, I don't think that I would want it any other way.

Happy Easter!

Environmentalism is not just for lefties

I got to thinking today about the topic of environmentalism. I take it as the idea that we have been given an honor as being stewards of God's creation. With that honor comes a great responsibility. The main issue is that the most vocal proponents of care for Earth also have misplaced priorities. They seem to believe that human beings are even with, or even below the trees and animals.

Now, we as Christians know that this is dead wrong. God placed us in dominion above the creatures and the earth. But with that power comes great responsibility (to quote our friendly neighborhood Spiderman). We have brains enough to know not to be wasteful and do what we can. Now does this mean we should all starve to death because we need hundreds of acres of grassland? Certainly not. But we also know how to not be excessively wasteful, something that falls far short in our society today.

There should be a balance present in the discussion of environmentalism that is sorely lacking today. It should not be "limit the human population so earth can survive" - there is too much human innovation possible for that to be a valid concern. But it should also not be "We can do whatever we want - we're human!". That is lacking a balance of faith AND reason. God does take care of us, no matter what. And the world will end some day. But that doesn't mean we can do whatever because it is all going to end anyway. God still expects us to be responsible and respectful when it concerns His creation. Prudence is a virtue, indeed.

So, so behind...

When you've been away so long, where do you begin?

Do you start with the fact that you totally did not post on your oldest child's 8th birthday? Or do you speak of December where life seemed to pass by in a whirlwind?


We had a fabulous Christmas. Brennan was asking for a Nintendo DS, and I was wondering what would happen when Santa did not bring one this year (Mom and Dad had a little talk with him about no video systems, just yet). Imagine my surprise when he did not even seem to notice. I haven't heard one word about it. He has been busy putting one of his 4 Lego sets together, and quite happy about it!

Nicholas got his big Playmobil pirate ship - the one thing that was on his list. That was was all he asked for. Philip has spent most of the week dressed in his Venom (aka Black Spiderman) suit. And Jonathan loves his trains.

As for my husband and I, we have been so busy it seems. Finishing our wood floor in the hallway, decluttering the garage and the laundry room, and assembling our gift to each other - our new computer. Actually Colin assembled it - I watched! He had always wanted to build his own system, and he did a remarkable job! He was able to get things just the way he wanted it. And I am glad to have a working computer - our old one died a few weeks ago.

Speaking of exhausting appliances, my bonus gift was that my clothes dryer died, so I got to go pick a new one. It will be here tomorrow. It's a good thing too, because the load that was in the washer on Wednesday has been hanging on a line for two days and the towels and jeans are still damp. How did people live in the humidity of southeast Texas without a clothes dryer, I ask? I am drooling at the idea that this new dryer should have each load dry in an hour or less. Actually it is supposed to take 30 minutes, but seriously? My old one was taking 3 hours to dry a normal load the last few months. I am going to have such low expectations it is ridiculous!

And last (but definitely not least) is the little gymnast inside me! She is doing well, and I cannot believe how quickly each pregnancy passes now. It seems like I was pregnant with Brennan forever - I just could not wait! And while we are counting the days until we actually hold this little person, our busy life helps the days fly. I have felt great, perhaps the best I have felt with any pregnancy. Don't laugh - I am in week 27, you know, that naive time when all is well and you aren't at the "I am 34 weeks and my back is killing me" phase yet. Let me keep my amnesia-induced optimism for as long as I can!

Snow Day

We had snow last night and this morning! In Houston! All day long it had been quite cold - in the 30's even in the afternoon. So the boys and I stayed put indoors. At about 7pm, we were playing board games when we heard a knock on our door. Our neighbors were there, with screams of "It's snowing!". And yes it was!

We (as quickly as possible) redressed into warm clothes, coats, and such. We had such a great time. Almost our entire cul-de-sac was out enjoying the unexpected surprise. We had snowball fights, and Nicholas loved catching snowfalkes on his tongue! Philip developed a talent for making miniature snowmen. Jonathan stood out in it, just walking around, listening to the crunching sound underneath his feet, Brennan, after being chased by many snowballs (only boy with four other girls his age on our street), decided it was really cold and retired for the evening. Nicholas had to be chased inside after an hour and a half. We know who would do well (and who wouldn't) should we happen to move to a colder climate!

This morning it was still on the ground. And since our backyard had not yet been raided for its snow piles, we called a snow day and played outside this morning as well. At which I finally got one picture of all of the festivities - Philip made a snowman family of 6. It was such fun, such an unexpected surprise! Brennan summed it up best at lunch when he said "Thank you God for the snow!". I couldn't agree more!

The only downside: Philip is now convinced that since it has snowed, it is time to open Christmas presents. Poor kid has to wait a little longer for that one!

Post election thoughts

I have passionate views when it comes to politics. And so many share their views in this arena that I have felt a little insignificant in putting mine out there. Which is why there hasn't been much here of late - politics and the economy have been the big issues the last months.

I found myself mystified Tuesday night. Although the election results were really what was expected, I wondered why so many people could hand such an important office to a man that is so far to the left politically of the majority of Americans. And I felt despair start to sink in, just a little...

But in the morning there is always hope. At first I entertained the hope that maybe his rhetoric during the election was not just pretty speech. I hoped that he might govern more towards the center. Center left maybe, instead of extreme left? That is my wish for the coming years (but knowing he is a politician, I am not holding my breath!).

And yet yesterday, we had our "big" ultrasound for this baby. We saw our baby girl. (A girl? I cannot quite believe it yet!) We saw perfectly formed arms, and legs, and a beautiful face that even our 8 year old could identify on his own. We saw her kick, flip, and squirm all over the place (Ahhh, she will fit in well in this family) and all seemed so at peace. I think of all of the others I know who are joyfully awaiting their own much wanted additions to their families. And I felt really hopeful. Because these little ones are our messages from God, our messages of hope.

I don't know what these four years will bring. I think our new President will bring some good. And there will definitely be evil in our world - it is a fact. But I can always look at the little people in my life and remember that a key tenet of Christianity is not despair, but hope and faith. No matter what, God will be with us! It will all be okay!

In addition...

...to the Dinosaur hunts pictured below, we have had more events of note. Particularly, the ever-increasing-in-size hole in my backyard. You see, Brennan has been digging for gold.

At first I thought "How cute! After all, they are using plastic shovels. How big could this get, anyway?" Silly, naive me. Never underestimate the determination of boys! This hole is approaching 18 inches wide and at least a foot deep. With plastic sand shovels!

No gold has been found yet, however, expectation still runs high. I get asked "Is this gold?" several times each day. My dear husband may pull all mining rights from this project soon, however.

I can credit this boyhood ingenuity to the Sonlight book "The Secret Valley" by Clyde Robert Bulla. Needless to say, we are enjoying our curriculum this year immensely!

A Belated Birthday Wish

Boy time flies lately. Our sweet Philip turned 4 a few weeks ago (and I missed that post). Maybe it's because I have been making a continual effort to spend more time with the younger two, who, what with the start of schoolwork, had not been getting the personal time that I wanted to give them.

I felt a little guilty as I thought of how I "needed" to write a post for my sweet, dinosaur-loving guy. I contemplated thoughts of "what will he think one day if he sees a missing (or very late post) for his birthday?" (I backup each entry to serve as a journal of sorts). Will he ever forgive me?

Yet, as I pondered these thoughts that only a mother would worry about, I thought of the fun that we have had the last few weeks. We have read more stories. We have put together numerous puzzles. And we have played Hi Ho Cheerio more times than I can count.

You know what, I think that he will forgive me. We have created so many memories together. And actions speak louder than any words ever could.

Happy late birthday, little Philip!
(This was a dinosaur hunt, by the way. We have a lot of these at our house!)