overheard

1) Owen chattering to the fish on the shower curtain in the boys' bathroom. He's always so thrilled to see them.

2) Kyle, making a grabbing motion with his left hand: "Mom, this is a catching-girls game!"

3) "Mom, can we have mosquitoes for dinner??"

4) Ben sounding out words as he spells. (Mom's observation: the English language is tricky!)

5) Mama: "Kyle do you need to use the bathroom?"
Kyle: "No."
Ben (exasperated): "Kyle, you always say that. Now, come on. Tell the truth. Do you need to use the bathroom?"
Kyle: "Nope."
Ben: "Are you serious?"
Kyle: "No."
Ben: "You're not serious? Okay then, go use the bathroom!"

baby dedication

Last Sunday was baby dedication day at our church. We stood before out family at Harvest and pledged to raise Owen up in the ways of the Lord, and teach him about Jesus & the Bible. In turn, the congregation will help us in this, supporting us as we strive to raise a godly young man.

It's an important day in our family, and although we don't make a big event out of it, it's not something Jeff & I take lightly. We have dedicated each of our boys as well, and it's key to us that we stand before our church family and make this promise.

Owen did great while up there. He was happy and quiet. He even spit up on cue (the pastor always asks the parents to share about the baby, and Jeff of course had to share that he's a spitty guy!)...good thing I took a burp cloth up on stage with us!

So I just thought I'd share. We'd appreciate prayers as we teach our boys about the Lord. It's something that needs to be intentional, as well as lived out in how we behave. It's something that I know I can do better at, and I'm so thankful for the support and encouragement we receive from our family and friends.

vacation Bible school

This year Kyle got to attend VBS with his big brother! It was held at our church, in the evening, the first week of August. Both boys were so excited. Ben, who has been asking when VBS would be since last year's series ended, kept giving Kyle advice on what it would be like.

"And, Kyle, there's this waterslide..."

I was concerned that VBS might not be exactly the same this year, so I tried to make that point often. That didn't dissuade Ben from his belief that things would be almost exactly the same as last year (which was Ben's first time).

And they had a great time. In fact, there was a waterslide, and other water play during the evening sessions. Kyle was still a bit on the young side, but they ended up bumping him up to the 4-year-olds class. He even had his own personal helper. Such tender loving care!

Now, we listen to the CD they brought home from VBS almost daily. I have to admit, it's so much fun. And I love watching them do the motions to the songs! "The fruit of the Spirit's not a coconut..."

nutritional analysis

I mentioned a while back that we were making some changes as far as our family's diet. The metamorphosis is not yet complete, but we've made some good progress, I think.

We've switched the boys to hormone-free, organic milk, and natural peanut butter. Jeff and I are eating raw almond butter instead of peanut butter. We've been buying organic produce as much as possible, and hormone-free (preferably grass-fed) beef, also. Sprouted bread and tortillas. Honey as a sweetener (and occasionally stevia) instead of sugar or a sugar substitute. And the other night, we had buffalo steaks for dinner. This is definitely an adventure!

I don't have the heart to just chuck stuff out (although a lot of it, I should...but I hate to think of the money we've spent on it) so we are working on finishing off a lot of the stuff I had in the house: frozen chicken nuggets & pretzels, as well as snacks with artificial colors, for example, and the soy ice cream I've been eating since I went off dairy foods.

Some of the things we've been learning is about how fat is not the enemy. Jeff & I have known for a long time that there are "good fats," such as extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and avocados. But there a lot of fats that are more than simply not bad (which, I confess, is how I used to think of the "good fats"), but are actually very nutritious. A new favorite? Extra virgin coconut oil. It's great to cook with, and truly doesn't flavor everything like coconut.

I am doing what I can to cut white sugar and white flour out of our diet. It won't be easy, but I believe it is important. We're trying to get down to the basics here. And we're not totally there yet, but we're closer. The refining of our nutrition continues. Eating food closer to the way God made it, the way our bodies were built to use what we consume!

swinging?

Gee, do you think he's teething??

overheard

1) Kyle: Daddy, I want you to arrest Ben.
Daddy: You want me to what?
Kyle: To arrest Ben.
Daddy: Why do you want me to arrest Ben?
Kyle: Because he isn't doing what I want him to do!

2) "Ben, do you want to play superhero family cars kitties?"

3) Kyle: "It was Owen Daniel that did it. Owen spits up a lot. He is a very spitty guy."

4) "Ben-nuh! Ben-nuh!! BEN-nuh!!!"

5) Benjamin: "I have VeggieTales Christmas songs in my head. But I have other VeggieTales songs in there too, my brain isn't a CD; it's a brain!"

no wonder I'm tired

A quote to think about...

There are few assignments in human experience that require the array of skills and wisdom needed by a mom in fulfilling her everyday duties. She must be a resident psychologist, physician, theologian, educator, nurse, chef, taxi driver, fire marshal, and occasional police officer. And if she succeeds in each of these responsibilities, she gets to do it all again tomorrow.

-Dr. James Dobson, Bringing Up Boys

beloved

God's Child Never Dies
(author unknown)

Don’t let them say I wasn’t born,
that something stopped my heart.
I felt each tender squeeze you gave,
I loved you from the start.

Although my body you cannot hold,
it doesn’t mean I’m gone,
This world was not worthy of me;
God chose that I move on.

I know the pain that drowns your soul,
what you are forced to face,
You have my word, I’ll fill your arms,
someday we will embrace.

You’ll hear that it wasn’t “meant to be,
God doesn’t make mistakes”,
But that won’t soften your worst blow,
or make your heart not ache.

I’m watching over all you do,
another child you’ll bear,
Believe me when I say to you,
that I am always there.

There’ll come a time, I promise you,
when you will hold my hand,
Stroke my face, and kiss my lips,
and then you’ll understand.

Although I’ve never breathed your air,
or gazed into your eyes,
That doesn’t mean I never “was”;
God's child never dies.

10 things of which I am certain

1) If there is a child whispering in my house, it is not Kyle.

2) My clothes will smell like baby vomit today.

3) It's nice when the children get a bit older and can do more things for themselves.

4) No matter how often I sweep, there are always more crumbs.

5) It's not easy to wean kids off of foods with high fructose corn syrup.

6) It can be fun to do pilates while a child attempts to do pilates with me.

7) My living room is too small to do pilates while three children attempt to do pilates with me.

8) My two-year-old needs a nap.

9) No matter how often I mop, there is always more spit-up.

10) There's nothing like a 5-month-old's smile to warm your heart.

who's who answers

Thanks to everyone who tried for a guess! And here are the answers to the who's who photo comparision:

Top Left: Owen

Top Right: Kyle

Bottom Left: Benjamin


And the belly pic? During my pregnancy with Owen. My midwife has done one for each baby toward the end of my pregnancies... It's so much fun.

splat!

You know, I really thought Owen's spitting-up was getting better. He will go through a few days where he doesn't do much at all, but then --wham!-- not so much. It's been especially bad the last few days. Ah well, I suppose it's easier to clean oursevles up during the summertime, when limbs are less covered than in cold weather.

It's funny, because with some of the nutritional changes we've been making lately, I had thought this messy trend might improve. For example, I have replaced the peanut butter in my diet with raw almond butter. And since so many babies have issues with peanut products, I thought that could possibly have an impact on Owen's spitting. But...not so much. In fact, not at all.

All the boys have been spitty babies. I guess this is just the way of it for us. But still, Owen takes the cake. It's like he is striving to out-do his brothers in this...he is the spittiest baby I've ever seen in my life!

I guess I'm just counting it an extra blessing that we got laminate flooring last winter, because it's so much better to clean than carpet! Although the sound of the gunk landing on the floor is a bit more dramatic.... splat!

who's who?

I thought it would be fun to compare & contrast the three boys. Here are baby pictures of them at 4 or 5 months of age.

So, can you tell which picture is Benjamin, Kyle, and Owen? Bonus points of you can figure out during which pregnancy the belly pic was taken!

aftermath of the ice cream sandwich

"Uh, guys? I think I need another nakkin!"

overheard

1) Kyle (during a disagreement): Ben, I'm going to do eeny-meeny-miney-mo, and choose myself.

2) Pointing to the hose on the play vacuum: "This is my vacuum sword!" and coming upstairs to get his "vacuuming buddies," two stuffed animals.

3) "Ben, do you want to play superhero car family?"

4) Ben:Daddy, what is this book called?
Daddy: It's called How & When to Talk to Your Kids About Sex.
Ben: Oh. (slight pause) What is sex?