Someones In the Kitchen

Baking around here is a family affair.

Even the littlelest among us won't be left out.

After all, someone's gotta throw the butter around,

and put it back in the box,

and take it back out again,

and put it back in again, etc.

And if one kid's doing it,

then everyone else has to also.

I did limit the rolling out of the cookies to these two turkeys.

That's what naptimes are for...division of labor.

They were excellent pumpkin and leaf makers.

They were also world class decoraters.

The proof is in the aftermath.

In case you're wondering, we took Joey down from the counter for the decorating.  He preferred to supervise

from the comfort of his high chair.

The finished prodcut was delicious, thanks to the help of four little someones in my kitchen.

The Dash

Sometimes Joe gets these crazy ideas, and try as I might, I can't talk him out of them.  Instead I'm simply forced to go along with them.  His most recent crazy idea was that we should take the girls up to the track at the nearby high school, and time them running the 100 yard dash.  His thought was that we'd do it each year and write down their times to see how they improve from year to year.   Please note that his original pitch did not include any mention of him or I running.

In theory, I liked his idea.  In practice, when he suggested we go to the track at almost dark, I balked at him, as I am often prone to do, even when it's not dark.  I went along with him, because he gives me no choice, and because usually these things turn out better than I anticipate. 

There were a few hitches as we arrived at the track, as there often are with us.  Xandra had to go potty really, really bad once we got to the track and I lost the writing utensil that was to record times on the way to the track from the car.  While I returned to the car to search for something to write with, Joe took Xandra to a dark corner to have her pee in the grass.  We're a classy lot, aren't we?  Unfortunately, she peed all over her skirt and leggings.  Even more unfortunate was that I didn't have a stitch of clothing with me to change her into.  After deciding that the leggings weren't that wet and she could get by with just them and listening to a nearly unbearable amount of whining, we recovered ourselves enough to get down to business.

When we got to the track, for the second time, Joe took the girls one by one to the other end

and I stayed behind with this guy clinging to my legs while I tried to balance the camera, flashlight and timer.

After a few minutes he found something far more interesting than my legs.

The girls who were left behind also entertained themselves in various ways.

Each girl was VERY proud

of herself,

and a little silly, after she came across the finish line.

Joe even made me run.  This is the proof, although not a great picture, that I ran the 100 yd. dash

21 weeks pregnant

as fast as I could in flip flops, which, by the way, is not very fast.

The times came out as follows:

Joe - 15.61 seconds

Trisha - 23 seconds

Xandra - 29.78 seconds

Theia - 34.58 seconds

Liyah - 1 minute 6 seconds

After the 100 yd. dash, Joe and the two older girls also completed a 1/4 mile.  Joey, Liyah and I got a bye this year since they're too little and I'm too big.

It was REALLY hard work for the girls,

but they did it.

The 1/4 mile times were as follows:

Joe - 1 minute 18 seconds

Xandra - 2 minutes 53 seconds

Theia - 3 minutes 38 seconds

It was a crazy idea, but it was also fun.  Don't tell him I said so or there will be more of these kinds of events in my future.  Never mind.  There will be more kinds of these events in my future, whether I like them or not and whether you tell him so or not.  Still, don't tell him.  I have a grumpy image to maintain.  There was an added bonus that he treated us to Little Caesar's pizza afterward, too.  I hope that part of the tradition continues, too.  I can always use a little bribery to get myself movin' a little faster and a little happier.

Mysteries

Lately, this is Aliyah's favorite way to sleep at naptime. 

She's got the whole room to herself and she crams herself into a tiny laundry basket to sleep.

I'm not complaining.  The next day she climbed into my bed for nap and had an accident that required me to wash my bedding.  I prefer the laundry basket.  I just don't understand it.  It's one of many great mysteries concerning the mind of a two year old.

Sneak Peek

Clancy had his first photo shoot three weeks ago.  I never tire of getting a sneak peek at all of those moving, working parts on our babies in the womb.  It's such a miracle to see those perfectly formed parts of the body on a 20 week old baby.  It really causes me to be awestruck at God's power to create.  Only he could do something so amazing.  Clancy looks good and all his parts are there and healthy.

He's got spine & ribs (above), 

and four chambers to his heart.

His heart was beating along at 150 beats/minute.

We saw two arms,

Two feet (above & below),

Two hands (above & below),

a face

and a profile.

The only thing we didn't see was Clancy's gender.  The technician didn't even look.  That's okay, we'll get another chance to check in about 17 weeks.

If I Had A Bucket List

surely this evening would have been on it.

Through some divine miracle, I was able to convince these six ladies and a newborn baby (she didn't actually have any say in the matter) to drive to the middle of nowhere, MD (aka Accident, MD) for a Sara Groves concert, an artist whom I love, but of whom most of them had never been exposed to...I think it was the unbeatable combination of a just ladies, child-free Saturday and late night roadtrip with drive-thru milkshakes.  A mingling of the present as we drove around in our super hip minivan, talking about the very kids we were taking a break from; and the past - driving around late in the night, gulping fast food, laughing, and enjoying each other like a bunch of college kids.  

After a 2 1/2 hour drive, we landed at a very hometown Italian diner-esque establishment.  The food was good

and so was their humor.

It took some of us awhile to digest the humor of the above sign.  It's okay if you need to read it twice, too.

The concert was held at a very small Mennonite Church in Accident, MD.  The concert had a very intimate feel because of the location and because of the attendance at the concert, which was small. 

A few notable things about the concert:

1.  Just prior to the concert, Naomi and Baby Lucy attracted the attention of a kind, dark haired woman in the hallway, who stopped to chat with them and oooh and ahhh over Baby Lucy.  When Sara Groves came out on stage, Naomi realized that kind woman was Sara Groves!

2.  There was a string bass and cello used in several of her songs throughout the evening.  These are incorporated throughout her recordings and it was wonderful to see in the concert setting, too.

3.  Other things that were delightful about the concert:  She brought her two older boys out on stage, she sounded just as good in person as in her recordings, the concert wasn't showy or flashy, just very much in line with her music and what one would expect at a Sara Groves concert.

Afterward, we congregated in the hall to talk about the concert.  Lauren had gone ahead to the CD table and wouldn't you know that when we came around the corner, Lauren was TALKING to Sara Groves.  I, of course, immediately wedged my way into the conversation, while everyone else hung back to watch me make a fool of myself.

I felt like a 13 year old girl meeting a famous person for the first time.  I think I may have even said that too her.  I'm confident I said nothing intelligent, and I still had a swollen/bruised cheek from my wisdom tooth extraction, so I couldn't fully smile without pain,

but she sure looks captivated, doesn't she?

I think she was probably wondering when this lady was going to shut up and move on.  We did eventually move on, but not before she signed a few CDs for me and I bothered her

for another picture.

We took one last group shot for the evening, and I had the self-control to leave Sara Groves out of it,

From left to right:  Maureen, Trisha, Rian, Christine & Baby Lucy (she belongs to Naomi), Anna, Naomi and Lauren

then we stopped by to talk to Audrey Assad, the other artist at the concert, who was also VERY, VERY good.

She happily held baby Lucy and cooed at her a bit, signed a few CDs and then we began our slow descent back to reality, but not without a stop for chocolate milkshakes on our way.  I find a chocolate milkshake always helps ease the transition, at least until the next morning.  Reality was harsh at seven the next morning when my kids came bounding into my bedroom happy to see me again.  At that time all thoughts of milkshakes and music were long gone from my sleep-deprived brain.    Over breakfast I sat and told Joe about every detail of the concert.  He patiently endured my monologue and then we rushed out of the house to church, where I saw a few of my other happy, but sleep-deprived cohorts in the halls.

ITunes continues to play a steady stream of Sara Groves and Audrey Assad these days.  I've always enjoyed their music, but now I've got a few fond memories attached to the songs being played.  I'm looking forward to our next adventure.   Anyone up for hot air ballooning?  Don't worry, we can get milkshakes afterward.