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Daniel, Project 365

Project 365 – Day 24 (Wed-D)

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It’s Daniel’s (age 9) Special Day.

daniel

I think today a resigned acceptance of his stance as the Middle Child came over Daniel. He told me that his Special Day was on Wednesday, the middle of the week (a rather unfortunate day since we have church activities in the evening) and that it didn’t matter if Daddy started with the youngest or the oldest, either way he would be right there in the middle.

It is interesting to contemplate how birth order affects the children. Daniel is right, smack dab in the middle of the family with a brother and sister older than him and a brother and sister younger than him. Most of the time this is extraordinarily fun – he has a wealth of resources for play available to him. He can play difficult games of strategy and logic or he can drive Match Box cars around on the floor. He can tackle his big brother, using some real strength in the ‘fight’ or he can snuggle up on Big Blue with his little sister and read books. He can play with a group (if you define group as a rather small amount of people) of boys or girls.

On the other hand, it can be difficult to be in the middle. You aren’t the oldest – the first to do things, given responsibility and the chance to shine – and you aren’t the youngest – cute, amusing and precocious. What is left?

Thankfully Daniel does find many ways to shine as the middle child. Because of his placement in the family he is helpful with the younger two (easily playing with them) and still a fun peer to the older two.

daniel and sarah

Here Daniel celebrates with Sarah over her new scooter.

Daniel brings many challenges to the family but many joys as well. We have begun a new study of Proverbs in our school time. My Bible reading plan goes through Proverbs every month. I decided there was so much meat in the chapters that I wanted to read them with the children, but I desired to find a way for the passages to come alive and be interesting. I came up with the simple idea of using part of our school time to go through each verse one by one – having the children take turns reading and explaining the Proverb aloud. Brilliant!

I make sure we each have the same version of the Bible (for simplicity sake) and have the children start with verse one and continue on through the chapter. I am pleased with how much the kids understand and how willing they are to spend a rather significant amount of time studying Proverbs. Daniel and I did a portion of a Proverbs devotional workbook last year. I had intended it to be something he did on his own but that didn’t prove to be successful. He had a hard time understanding the questions and how to find the answers in the Bible passage. It is remarkable to me how much he has improved in his comprehension and understanding in just a year’s time. One of my great desires for Daniel is that the wisdom found in the Bible (and especially Proverbs) would penetrate his heart and mind and that he would grow to be the “wise son [who] brings joy to his father.” Proverbs 15:20a.

garfield

This, of course, is NOT a picture of our Bible reading time.

This has been a difficult year for Daniel in the area of friendships. His cousin moved to Norway, his best friend moved to Thailand, two other friends from church went to Africa for the year, and recently his good friend from co-op moved to Kentucky. That’s a lot of loss in a young boy’s life. Through it all, however, Daniel maintains a hopeful, cheerful spirit. He is an incredibly resilient boy in many ways. Already he has made some new friends in the homeschooling PE classes at the Y. I have no doubt he will find some fun companions for this year’s adventures.

He is our Middle Child and well do we love him.

Kathy

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Project 365, Rachel

Project 365 – Day 23 (Tues-R)

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It’s Rachel’s Special Day. Hooray for Rachel (age 11). She is our oldest daughter and well do we love her. What a blessing it is to partner with Tim to raise Rachel up as a child of the King.

rachel

We went to the Y this afternoon – met Tim there – and played wallyball. Rachel is getting to be quite the skilled player. She and Tim were on the same team for a long time and they played really well together. I was impressed with how much she has improved and how often she was able to successfully return the ball (unlike me – I’m afraid I’m the only one in the family who seems to be getting worse).

We had a vegetable, pork, rice stir-fry for dinner. It was delicious although one child said it had too many veggies. In my estimation, as a mom striving to feed your family healthy foods, if you only have one out of five children complain about the quantity of vegetables served, you are doing REALLY well. Ha!

Tim got a telephone call in the middle of dinner so the children started without him and then slipped off to watch a movie so he and I could enjoy some time alone. It turned out to be a lovely hour of discussion and prayer. I am really falling in love with regular, lengthy prayer with my husband. What a powerful thing to bring to our marriage.

After the movie, Rachel chose to play The Awful Green Things from Outer Space. It is a two player game that we stole/ borrowed/ re-claimed from Tim’s parents game collection. I haven’t ever played it so I can’t give a detailed review. We’ll have to get Rachel and Joshua to chime in when they can. I’d love to see the children contribute more to the blog.

game timetim and rachelgame

Joshua was there as counsel for Rachel and family photographer. He took these picture for me. Sarah, David and I read books on the new chair while the rest of the family was playing nearby. I know there is much speculation and wonder about what we are going to call the new chair. Or maybe there wasn’t any speculation or wonder at all (much more likely). Still, if the chair is going to truly have a place in our home, it needs a name. We call the double recliner that sits in the living room and is the ultimate spot for reading school books, Big Blue. We call the small blue recliner Little Blue (not very creative but it does get the point across). So you can see that beloved, well used pieces of furniture have to have names.

Rachel and I thought and thought and came up with….(drum roll) Cream Puff for the new chair. We thought it was perfect – describes the color, sounds tasty, and captures the soft, comfy essence of the chair. Already we are meeting some intense resistance. Joshua hates it and Tim is shocked we would name His Chair without him. Hmmm. We’ll see if the name survives. I wonder if we also need a catchy title for the couch. Any creative ideas?? Let me know.

Of course, I just realized my Orange Chair hasn’t been christened so that either shoots a hole in my theory or says something deeper about the chair itself. In reality we aren’t that creative of a family. My nana had a gift for naming things that always seemed to fit perfectly. Maybe I’ll start calling the orange chair, L’Orange (with a beautiful French accent). That does pose some problems if we ever have it re-upholstered but it’s too late in the evening to think of everything.

Back to Rachel’s blog. Sarah picked Cream Puff as our reading destination (usually we would retire to Big Blue). Everyone loves the new comfy chair. Daniel was on the computer enjoying some game time. It was noisy with music playing in the background, computer game sounds in another corner and a board game in the center of the room but it was family and we were all together. What a precious time! I am so thankful for a husband who encourages focused together time. It takes attention and energy and a decision to make it happen. I am thankful for the way he sacrifices his time and personal interests in favor of building up our family. It is Not easy but the rewards are priceless.

book time

Rachel and I wanted to do a tribute to the special friends in her life but we ran out of time and night fell upon us too quickly. Rachel picked The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as her read-aloud for the evening and Tim read several chapters. The little ones went up to bed and I worked on my BSF in the living room. I tried to keep my interruptions to a minimum (“Why was Lucy all by herself? What did the monopods look like before they were ‘uglified’? How did the man get off the dream island and on to their boat?”). I mean, really, I was doing my BSF, not listening. It was their fault for being so interesting right when I was trying to do my Bible study.

Rachel and I will try to work on the friendship blog during the week and have it ready for next Tuesday.

We love Rachel!! She is a delight. She is helpful and witty and sincere and curious and passionate and knowledgeable about scriptures and on and on. As my mother likes to say, a very satisfactory daughter.

Kathy

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Joshua, Project 365

Project 365 – Day 22 (Mon-J)

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Joshua holds a balloon in honor of Mamie and Aunt Kate’s birthday. See Happy Birthday blogs ( Mamie — Aunt Kate) to read more.

happy bday

Kathy
P.S. See, Tim I took your advice. A nice short blog. LOL!

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Daily Life, Project 365

Project 365 – Day 21 (Weekend Re-cap)

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This has been a busy, people-filled weekend. After co-op on Friday, we brought home one of Joshua’s friend. The boys were having a birthday party sleep-over but the birthday boy himself had gymnastics until evening time. We had dinner, played some games, and then sent the boys off to their party. The house always seems empty when one of the children are missing – changes the dynamics all around.

I slept in LATE on Saturday morning. It was lovely! Tim got up with the children and let me stay in bed. Such luxury!! He and the little boys went to the park to try out Daniel’s remote control helicopter. I don’t think they got any pictures – I’m still trying to recover from the shock. In the afternoon I took Daniel and David with me to pick up Joshua. We met another friend at the birthday party house and traded Daniel and David for two sisters. Not content to bring home just two girls, I decided to invite the two older sisters of the birthday boy. They eagerly accepted and ran off to pack. Poor Joshua, he was the only boy in the house with six girls! He was quite outnumbered.

bridgette

rachel workinghannahbethanysarah and abby

I wish I had recorded Rachel’s giggling. I’ve never heard her giggling quite that much in a weekend. It was very contagious. The girls were kind and let Sarah join them in their play. I am so pleased with the friends the children are making – bright, fun, polite, cheerful, interesting, all around lovely kids.

Tim and Joshua worked outside on our broken down fence. Hooray! They fixed two sides and now there is just one piece that is still broken. The windstorm of several weeks ago did quite the number on our fence.

fence
last piece left not standing

At some point in the afternoon we got a call from some old friends who were in the area. What a treat! They were able to come by and join us for dinner. Thankfully I had started a big batch of bread and already had a menu all planned for supper. We talked up a storm and enjoyed a delicious dinner. Since the children outnumbered the grownups and the dining room table was covered with my Christmas decorations (still piled high, I hate to admit), we let them have the kitchen table and the adults ate in the living room. We had a wonderful visit with Tom and Casey. Thanks for coming!!

tom and casey

I think the girls slept some Saturday night but I can’t be certain. Tim woke them up in the morning singing (at the top of his lungs) Oklahoma. Oh what a beautiful morning, indeed. Ha! There was much flurry of getting dressed, eating breakfast, packing clothes, etc. Finally Tim headed out with Joshua and the older girls. Sarah and I came along after them in the other car.

Tim taught our Sunday School class on 1 Corinthians 6. We had so much discussion and lively conversation that we only made it through half the passage. It was a good study with lots of interesting input from the group.

After church we met up with Jennifer and returned two girls in exchange for Daniel and David. Good to have everyone home again. Tim and Joshua went to Gig Harbor to pick up the recliner – the match to our “new” sofa. Tim is already referring to it as “his chair.” It’s beautiful and so comfortable – I can see the entire family is going to fight over it. Hopefully it won’t get too ugly.

daniel and rachel chair

Tim took this picture of Rachel and Daniel sitting on the recliner INSIDE the van. See, it’s already in hot demand and they haven’t even taken it out of the car!

Tim and Joshua carried it inside where David and Sarah quickly took up residence. I’m afraid the Orange Chair is going to feel somehow replaced.

joshua carries chair

david and sarah chair

In the afternoon Tim’s parents came by to return some things and pick up their cell phone. We had a lovely short visit with them. It’s always so nice to connect with family. The kids grabbed quick hugs and talked up a storm.

Our Bible study met at the church this evening. In order to use the church facilities we have to hire two babysitters who have gone through a Risk Prevention training. It took quite a bit of work finding sitters – but was worth the effort (and cash) in the end. We normally let the children play among themselves (the older ones help with the little ones) but it’s quite LOUD!! It was so nice being able to listen and concentrate on the speaker this evening and know that the children were being well cared for in the other room.

We went through the second session of Love and Respect. It is a fascinating study. I am enjoying it and will blog some of my thoughts later presuming I don’t forget it all. Lol! Our entire group was there this evening (except for the two husbands who are serving in the military overseas and four of the children who were home catching up on school work) which meant we had 12 adults and 18 children present. A big group!!

In an attempt to put into practice some of the things I’m learning in our marriage class, I made it a priority to give Tim a haircut this evening before bed (he’s been asking for one since Friday). Just as we were settling in for the night, we received a desperate call from a friend who had 4 (maybe 5) plates of leftover dessert that she desperately needed out of the house — too tempting. I did my duty as a friend and went over to offer solace, comfort, and doggie bags. Yum.

Tom, we have that lemon meringue pie now. Can you come back??

On the way home from Bible study Daniel started listing all the busy activities we have in the week ahead of us. I was already tired from a very full Sunday and totally exhausted by the time he was done talking. Ha! Thankfully a good night’s sleep will help tremendously.

Night!
Kathy

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Events, Project 365

Project 365 – Day 20 (Christmas tree)

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There comes a point in most people’s lives when they have to take down their Christmas tree. It’s inevitable. Some people put away their decorations the day after Christmas, others wait until New Year’s and then begin the process, and then there’s our family: we try to make it until Valentine’s Day.

sarah and the tree

Sarah helps by posing sweetly in front of the almost empty tree.

Yes, that’s right, Valentine’s Day.
In February.
The middle of February.

Today I was called Mrs. Grinch, by my very own beloved husband. And why? Because I was taking ornaments off the tree and packing them up.

ornaments

Last year I convinced Tim and the children to buy an artificial tree. I found a gorgeous one at Lowes after the holidays. It was on sale and turned out to be a great deal. I think the kids hoped I would forget about it and end up buying them a real one anyway. I’m not sure how you can forget about a big huge, eight foot long box sitting in the garage but then I’ve seen our garage, it’s easy to get lost out there.

tim and joshua

Tim and Joshua worked out in the garage this afternoon.

The artificial tree was a terrible disappointment to the children. It’s amazing they survived Christmas at all. Joshua would barely speak to me about it. Rachel gave a whole devotional during school, one day, on how people with FAKE trees are like people who have a FAKE relationship with Jesus (definite emphasis on FAKE). It was truly inspiring. Everytime a visitor remarked on how beautiful the tree was and how it looked real (actually touching it to be sure) it was like rubbing salt in a wound. Poor dears! The only thing that helped them get through this tragedy was the large mound of presents that lay heaped under the (FAKE) branches.

When we lived out in the country (away from the convenience of Home Depot tree lots) we drove up into the mountains to cut down our own tree. One year Tim was sick and our neighbors were kind enough to bring us a freshly cut tree. We managed that two years running although eventually they realized Tim was faking it and we had to go and actually find a tree ourselves, preferably one that was for sale.
kathy and kiddos

Kathy, David and Sarah in November, 2003.

We were all very excited about getting our own tree. We were especially proud of Tim as the valiant tree conqueror.

tim and jay tree
tim tree hauling

Who gave these children an axe for splitting wood???

christmas tree ax

When your Christmas tree is real (be it fir, spruce, pine, etc) and you put it up in November or early December, by the time Christmas arrives the tree is standing up by sheer holiday spirit alone. One good breeze and you have a shower of needles on your beautiful tree skirt. No matter how thorough a sweeping and vacuuming job we do, it’s usually not until we move out of a house that we seem to get rid of those pesky tree needles.

Well, who knew that the purchase of a fake tree would result in a rather large, eternal, green living room center piece. I think Tim and the children would have been content to leave our tree up until next year. Mind you, now that I’ve spent half the afternoon taking down decorations, finding the Christmas bins, labeling things, and on and on, I’m more inclined to see their point of view. Lol! Especially since I’m no where near finished.

playmobil calendars

Stacks of Playmobil Advent Calendar boxes–empty now of their little pieces, ready to be filled next year.

I’m not sure why the Christmas un-decorating falls so squarely on my shoulders (although Tim and the boys do the box/bin hauling to and from the garage, no small task when you have over 10 bins). Does that happen in other houses or just mine? Is it because I attempt to be ultra organized and it’s impossible to follow my directions? Do I micro-manage? Is it that Christmas has passed so long ago that no one really wants to think about it? Putting away of decorations is just another ‘chore’ I’m trying to assign? Is it a passive/aggressive attempt to punish me for destroying the spirit of Christmas in January? Is it only fun to take OUT the decorations (“Yay, Christmas is coming!”) and therefore sad to put them AWAY. You hardly ever hear any one saying, “Yay, Christmas is over.” At least not the children or husbands in my house.

These are questions I ask myself as I wrap up ornaments, go around the house taking down bows, lights, Christmas cards, etc., knowing full well that no matter how hard I look, how organized I am, it won’t be until I stack all the bins neatly and tightly on the shelves (full to the brim with their lids pressed on securely) that I will find the last of the Christmas decorations. I try to stay ahead of the little impish elf who hides these things and keep a half empty bin ready and waiting but invariably I put that container on the bottom of a big stack. Sigh.

On a delightfully positive note, as I was pulling the lights off the tree this afternoon I found two Christmas presents tucked into the branches – both addressed to me!! Two cd’s from Tim that must have been forgotten. Surely that makes all the work worth while. Right? Don’t worry about answering, I’m too busy trying to turn these red bows into Valentine hearts.

Kathy

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