gone gluten free

A bit ago I gave you the back story on some of Josie's health issues which included symptoms of arthritis. I mentioned in that post that I had plans to meet with a homeopathic practice to investigate if diet could be part of her problem, a possibility that the rheumatologists didn't seem interested in checking out and pretty much told me that diet has nothing to do with arthritis. Just so you know...I'm not bitter about this but I felt very strongly that I needed to at least investigate a possible dietary issue before committing to medicating Josie for an unforeseen amount of time or to label her with a very heavy diagnosis.

I saw a homeopathic nurse practitioner at Webster Family Physicians just after Josie had received a steroid shot for the continued swelling in her ankle. (The shot was the next step recommended by the rheumatologists since medication alone wasn't totally fixing the problem.) The homeopathic nurse and I discussed doing some blood tests to see if diet was a player in the arthritis. After drawing blood that day, it took nearly a month to get the test results back. Her bloodwork indicated that she had no "allergies" but several low grade offenders which cause inflammation in her immune system. One of the offenders was apple which I had been giving her pretty much non stop through juice and applesauce which were the only foods she consistently had interest in. I had no idea that it was causing inflammation to build up in her little body! :(

The nurse explained that it was good news that Josie's tests showed no severe reactions to food but that we needed to get the inflammation under control so that her fragile immune system could recover, mature and strengthen. She assured me that if we got things under control now, she would almost certainly outgrow these sensitivities!

The plan of action was to completely remove wheat and gluten for a year or two and also cycle through the other inflammatory foods every four days, giving her system a complete digestive cycle before reintroducing them into her digestion.

I have to say, since being on this diet since March, (about two months) Josie is like a different child! She is sleeping through the night (HALLELUJAH!) which happened almost immediately. She is no longer emotionally reactive. Before, she would scream in frustration constantly, needed holding all the time and just didn't act like the carefree, easy-tempered girl I once knew. Now she's back to her old self! She sings and runs around, and laughs and plays with her siblings. And she's finally eating food! She's become a GREAT little eater! In fact, this morning I noticed that the onesie she wore to bed was way too snug. I thought to myself, "I need to take these old onesies out of her drawer because they are pulling on her neck." Then I stumbled across this photo of her from only four weeks ago wearing the exact same onesie:

Here it is baggy and loose. She has gained 4-1/2 pounds in about six weeks. It's incredible!

I so appreciate medicine and love our doctors. But I can't tell you what a relief it is to speak to a medical professional who sees the validity of diet and who is not in a rush to over medicate. I thank God for this amazing turn of events!

As of now, the swelling in her ankle has not completely disappeared. But it is well under control and is not causing her any stiffness or changing her gait. The difference between her two ankles is very subtle. But the idea is that once the inflammation has worked it's way out of her system over time, she should return completely to normal. I'll keep you updated as things progress! I'm one relieved Mama, I have to say! xx

For your viewing pleasure, here are some recent photos we had taken last week. The happy changes are visible!

Check out that healthy little toddler body!

To close, here is an image of her sleeping, sweet sleep, on the couch. She just laid down after lunch and fell right to sleep:

So happy to have my girl back.

treehouse progress

Bryan (and various helpers!) are making loads of progress on the treehouse! The floor is finished, the ladder is built and walls are going up! We picked paint swatches to try to make it look purposeful up next to the rest of the structures in our yard and hopefully, to not annoy our neighbors with a gawdy box in our big tree.

I'm so impressed with the way it's shaping up and also at how earnestly Bryan is working to complete it. He'll probably finish the walls next week and continue painting. Following that will be the roof and then all the extras like the swing and the deck railing on the front.

This photo shows where the front door will be. The extra flooring off the front is a deck which will be enclosed by a nice railing that a friend helped Bryan build. The long board that sticks out on the right side is where a swing will hang (yay!!)

This angle shows the back side of the house which is still unfinished. I'm so excited that almost every wall has a window which we plan on fitting with hinged shutters so the kids can open and close them as they wish. We've decided to paint the siding a stone/khaki color (I know...a very safe choice for me) in order to blend in with the siding of the additions on the house and also the colors in our fence and garage. The trim will be a darker shade of said khaki but I'm hoping to use a deep, statement color like peacock teal or kelly green for the shutters just for fun (and because I can't help it.)

The kids are dreaming of the amenities they want on the interior. So far we have plans for a table and chairs which are already being stored in our basement, a hanging chalkboard (also in my "inventory" in the basement), and possibly the play kitchen. I'm thinking the kitchen won't make the cut as I have plans to create a seating area out of a pallet I found in our alley. Something along these lines:

Image credit: http://ashleyannphotography.com

It won't be nearly this large, and most likely not this pretty, but it will be comfortable and fun! Other exciting details will be strings of lights or paper lanterns, a radio (per Ella's request) and a mailbox. We might throw in some house numbers and a mailbox just to make the residence bonafide.

And that's where we're at! I'll post more photos as things plow forward!

treehouse!

Last weekend we were out in our back yard hanging out when I scanned the scene, taking inventory of projects that needed to be tackled to spruce up the place. I concluded that the overall picture was sad and neglected. As I mentally perused the landscape, my eyes rested on the huge sycamore right next to the back of the house and I commented nonchalantly, "Ya know...it would be kind of cool to have a tree house in that tree..." It was one of my "dreamings" which Bryan is very used to hearing me verbalize, and most often filters out due to time or finances (or possibly annoyance :P). But he perked up at this particular idea. He's become a bit of a handy man since our humble DIY beginnings as newly marrieds. Over the years he's installed a bathroom, remodeled a kitchen, installed siding, laid tile, and accomplished lots of other feats involving carpentry, plumbing and electricity. He's often itching to tackle a project, especially a building one, but time is at a minimum these days.

The mere mention of a tree house seemed to push an "on" button. As soon as the kids got wind that there was even TALK of the subject, they latched on and there was no turning back. Simon especially has asked about it every other second. Even at a wedding last weekend, (the day after the idea was mentioned) he asked in the middle of the ceremony if we could go home and start building. And he has decided that it belongs to him, but that he will share with his sisters.

Bryan has been online doing research, looking at architectural drawings and budgeting out materials. He even went old school and checked out a book from the library. Today was building day.

We all pitched in, though Daddy and Papa (Bryan's dad) did all the carpentry work. The kids and I, along with Grandma, did a lot of yard work, weed pulling, raking, trimming, cleaning, mulching, arranging bricks, etc. Much of our efforts focused on removing English ivy which was used as ground cover on a lot of our property before we moved in. I have decided it's the Devil's weed. It is such a nuisance and is so invasive. It covers most of the trunk of the hefty sycamore that the tree house is being built into, and as we removed the vines, most of the bark came tearing off at the same time. Grrrr....

Working together, we had one of the most productive days around the house we've had in a long while. I tidied the whole back yard and am so pleased with it! And Bryan completed the  first phase of building (framework of the floor plan and supports). The next phase will involve building the ladder and laying the flooring. We hope to have it complete by the end of April! And, Oh. My. Goodness...The kids better play with it every day until they leave for college.

Anyone out there have tree house experience? I always wanted one, especially after watching the movie Swiss Family Robinson.

Floor plan view. Also note my nice black mulch around the tree in the back? Pay no attention to all the bald spots where grass should be growing...that's the sad and neglected part. Grass will not survive back here!

scattered

Today was a bit of a scattered day...I was meant to take Josie to her quarterly eye appointment (it is recommended she be examined every three months as a preventative measure for a rare complication called iritis that sometimes occurs in JIA patients) but the doctor was out due to a death in the family. So, while I was in the neighborhood, I made a quick thrifting stop at Salvation Army (one of my favorite spots.) No awesome furniture to be found but I got a lovely little round, tufted pillow in the perfect shade of pink. It pops just right against the olive backdrop of the sofa! And you can't beat $1.99!

I also picked up some tshirts for Simon to make it through the spring and summer. Since I've been frequenting the thrift store circuit over the last couple of months, I just don't think I'll ever be able to pay full price for kids' clothes again. This is a good thing!

I also got Ella an illustrated Children's Bible from the mid 70s. It's one that I remember having at our house as a kid and I always loved looking at it. She's very interested in the Bible and has outgrown some of the more basic versions and is really more drawn to the actual text which we read together every morning after breakfast. I thought this one would be a great middle ground for her and the illustrations have a certain retro charm!

Ella and I then crammed in about a half day's worth of school (we hit the books pretty hard at the beginning of the week in order to have a light day today) and Simon went to school while Josie napped. Then all the kids headed over to our sweet friend Shannon's house while I ducked out to the annual St. Louis Homeschool Expo. Since this is my first year as a homeschooler, I have never been to an event like this and I have heard it can be overwhelming. I actually had nightmares last night in anticipation...Mommy guilt doubles when you homeschool, I think, as one can question whether or not she's doing enough for her little ones. I was afraid I would enter this homeschool world surrounded by a hundred vendors selling various appealing curriculum, and begin to get shaky in my current plan.

However, I did my best to prepare. I brought a suitcase on wheels so I didn't get a sore back lugging heavy books that I might buy. I fixed myself a large coffee in my most favorite insulated thermos, and I had a very specific list with online prices marked in the margins to make sure I found the best deals. And you know what, it really wasn't very overwhelming at all! I left feeling confident in what I'm doing and really pleased at how much Ella is learning. (Gosh, she's an amazing student.) I even got to meet up with a dear friend while there and talk strategy for next year as well as just be comforted by the familiarity of a friend I love :) I bought all of my curriculum for next  year except for the big Sonlight order which involves the bulk of our reading materials and is a huge box of books! But I got a coupon code for that order which is reason enough to attend the Expo on it's own! A bonus was that I came home with an art curriculum that I plan on doing over the summer with both big kids and a cursive curriculum for free.

When I walked through the door with my suitcase, Ella met me, bubbling over with anticipation. She peeked through the materials and ran around giddy and silly. She was very excited for next year's science workbook (Botany) and exclaimed, "OH! I could just start RIGHT NOW!!" She's a nerd in the most beautiful way!

We capped the evening off by relaxing and hanging out in the living room watching old Spiderman cartoons which were ridiculously entertaining. And then, surprisingly, the most amazing thing appeared in the sky outside our window:

We scrambled out on the front porch to capture this photo. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. Ella suggested we find the end of it and dig up the gold. And I remembered what it felt like to really believe there was gold at the end of a rainbow, if I could only get there before it disappeared!

It was a scattered day, but I'm still smiling at day's end!

announcing the winner!

We visit Trader Joe's every Monday without fail and oftentimes the kids pick up the coloring sheets they have at the checkout counter. Sometimes they color them, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they color them and the artwork sits by our front door, forgotten each time we're on our way until they have expired from the coloring contest. Just after the new year, Simon colored his coloring sheet with a big Happy New Year robot on it and I actually remembered to turn it in! Rather, Bryan took Simon to drop it off since he really liked the way it turned out. I must admit, his coloring is rather impressive these days for having just turned 5. He stays within the lines and picks some pretty great color combinations (even though I have suspicions he has some slight color blindness with particular shades of green and red.)

Last Thursday, I got a phone call that Simon won the coloring contest for his age group! He was pretty pumped. I retrieved his prize from Trader Joe's today and he got a big bag filled up with some pretty awesome snacks...some of his favorites like fruit leathers and granola bars and some treats that we never splurge on...lemonade juice boxes, milk chocolate wafers, cheddar puffs, and oatmeal chocolate cookie packets. The crazy thing about it though is that they had his age wrong and he won for the 7 year old category! He totally kicked some 7-year-old butt!

I would post a scan of his winning artwork, but it's proudly hanging in the window at the Brentwood Trader Joe's. Feel free to stop in for a showing. :)

what's old is new

If you know me, or have visited my house, you know I love aged things: music, art, housewares, linens, whatever. I much prefer the character and story that vintage items innately possess, and really appreciate finding beauty in things that most people want to discard or "upgrade." I've tried my hand at selling some things on Etsy, and had some success with what little I listed, but found I just can't keep up with maintaining my shop and dealing with mailing them out efficiently. But it hasn't stopped me from adding to my "inventory!"

I have had my eye out for THE perfect stereo console for years. I wanted one with simple, clean lines that was on the more petite side. Most consoles are really wide and we just don't have the wall space available. A couple of years ago, I fell in love with the German brand, Grundig, style consoles, but when I saw the price tag of a restored, working model, I knew that it was something way out of our reach.

And then it happened.......the craigslist clouds parted and a ray of light shone through! Late one night, I happened to be meandering through craigslist, doing my regular searches looking for something of interest, window shopping I suppose, and there it was. A Grundig stereo console. Beautiful, clean lines, rare in form, very well preserved. It was not producing sound, though it powered up. Either way, I was all aflutter!

I was able to get the price down to a very manageable amount (with some help from a friend who piped in to buy another item the guy was selling to sweeten the deal) because I knew it would take some money to restore the thing. Now it's sitting patiently in our hallway, waiting for TLC. I can't wait to spin my first record on it!!!! Ugh...the suspense is killing me.

Isn't she lovely? Sleek and graceful!

The details! Ack! They give me goosebumps!

Patiently waiting, cozied up next to Grandma's old wall clock.

I'm super excited to tell the kids to "Keep their hands off the Hi-Fi." Won't that sound so funny?

So, in all my excitement, I've been mulling over the idea of renting out an antique booth. It would add to our income and be way easier to manage than an etsy site for me. I could just price things and leave them there to be discovered! I think it would be a really great creative outlet and exciting to see things sell.

Here's a little number that will make it to the booth once I get my hands on one.

I just love anything tufted, don't you?

She's a little champagne colored Kroeler chair from the 1960s sometime. I would love to keep her around, but we have too many chairs than floor space. She'll look great in an antique mall! I'm on the waiting list of the closest one to our house...I'll keep you posted!

the back story

January 12 was Josie's big birthday. And that's what I really want to post about. But there's a lot of behind the scenes information that you need to know. It was full of happy moments, and also, not-your-normal kind-of-birthday moments. I haven't posted anything about some of the health stuff that's been going on with Josie over the last several months because, I guess I just didn't feel up to rehashing all the details. It's a long story and frankly, I'm at a time right now where I just don't like sitting in this computer chair for very long! So, as a back story before we get to the birthday fun, I'll fill you in on the details of what we've been dealing with.

But to start, here's a fun picture of Josie just before her birthday. The angel hair is in full fluff mode!

It's hard to get a crisp image of this little mover and shaker!

Sometime around mid August, I noticed some swelling around Josie's left ankle. She didn't act like it hurt, she walked normally and so I thought I must have missed her twisting it or something. But three weeks later, the swelling persisted. Over the next several months, we went through multiple pediatrician appointments, several rounds of xrays, and a trip to a pediatric orthopedist who ordered further xrays and an ultrasound. No one seemed too alarmed, though a bit puzzled and we left the ortho with no real answers and plans for an MRI in order to see more detail around the ankle. This was the week just after Thanksgiving.

Two days later, Josie woke up in the night with pain, further swelling in the ankle and a mild fever. She couldn't get comfortable to sleep and was unable to stand or walk. It was a quick and alarming turn. Honestly, seeing her try to stand only to crumple to the floor was a heartbreaking scene.

The following day was spent in the ER doing more xrays, bloodwork and she had to fast from all liquid and food in case they ordered the MRI. It was a sad and difficult day for her, and for us, but I was hopeful that at least by the end of the day, we'd have an answer to what was causing the trouble.

But that didn't exactly happen. They ruled out all the really scary things like cancer, lupus and a "septic joint" and said that they suspected arthritis (this was one of our earliest questions we'd had since Bryan's youngest brother had juvenile rheumetoid arthritis. Doctors kept dismissing that idea since it's somewhat rare to see it in kids this young as well as without any other symptoms.)

We've met with arthritis specialists and the Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis is nearly certain with them, though I haven't quite "embraced" it yet...I am interested in investigating any dietary sensitivities that might cause arthritis symptoms and meet with a homeopathic practice in a couple of weeks...more info to come later, I'm sure.

So.....anyhow....all the backstory to say that, on her birthday, Josie was scheduled to receive a cortisone (steroid) shot in her ankle to decrease the swelling so that we could relieve any pain for her and also get her off medication. The doctors said that half of their patients who are only affected in one joint will receive this shot and never have any further issues. So that's what we are praying for!

The people at Children's Hospital are so great and had birthday balloons for Josie as well as two wrapped gifts and birthday cake. It was really helpful because she played with the toys non stop until it was time for the laughing gas. They gave her a baby doll and a tea set. I loved watching her feed her little baby with a spoon!

She never shed a tear the whole time, even with the anesthetic mask on and doctors in her face. She was incredible. It's been three days since the shot and her swelling is probably about 80% gone. I'm praying for a total recovery...

...now that you're informed, feel free to jump to the next post for all the happy birthday fun!!

life in general: a top ten

There is so much to update since Thanksgiving that I feel overwhelmed. This has been an eventful time. With lots of friends and family visits, Christmas excitement and thrills, health issues (another post needed here) and just general cuteness, there doesn't seem time to sit down and recount it all. So, in the interest of capturing a glimpse, I'll settle for a quick top ten of this particular season with the kids. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. Josie's choice to whisper most everything since she's constantly corrected for screaming when she's unhappy.

2. Josie's quick sign language blown kiss when she screams "NOOOO!" and is quickly encouraged to say "No, thank you." It's a gesture that softens the piercing, shrill rejection she started with.

3. Simon's increased openness and communication...instead of just mysteriously rejecting something, he has started to explain why he doesn't like it or doesn't want to do something...for example, tonight he told me he didn't want to wear a certain pajama shirt because it "tickles." (There was a long tag that needed to be cut away.)

4. Ella's smarty pants-ness. She is just dang smart. And so easy to teach! I love that she loves learning. She really does impress me and I feel blessed just knowing her!

5. Ella's perceptiveness and awareness of others. And honesty. Honesty like I've never, ever seen before. It's very personally challenging and inspiring.

6. Simon's smile and laughter. It melts a mother's heart. He has the sweetest little teeth too and likes to make a game out of brushing his teeth. He likes to play hard to get!

7. Josie's "angel hair." A lot of people like to make fun of her "mullet" but I couldn't cut it for anything! It's thin on top for sure, but it's beautifully blonde, so soft, and it almost sparkles like it's gold spun! It's so pretty just after a bath when there are soft ringlets around the nape of her neck.

8. Independence. It's really cool to see the kids doing things for themselves. Ella has become the designated bathroom cleaner. She likes doing it and is fairly thorough. She also likes peeling her own kiwi and carrots. Simon always dresses himself in the best outfits. Every morning he asks if it's cold outside in order to decide which sleeve length is appropriate. This morning he wore three shirts! Josie is so great about throwing her own trash away and is a great picker upper! She also loves brushing her own teeth and trying to flush the toilet for us.

9. Cozy homeness. As the kids were all snuggled in our bed to read books at bedtime tonight, I was struck by how deeply satisfying it is to create a space that is comfortable, warm, inviting and secure. They were snuggly under the blankets, with their books and their pillows and I pondered at how innate this desire is—as a mom and as a woman—to create a nest for her family. It's something I have struggled to balance...wanting to create something lovely while avoiding finding my worth in possessions. But I think the desire is a pure one that God puts in our hearts, in order to create a place where peace, security and predictability can be found.

10. Favorites. I love that Simon finally has a favorite meal...fried rice jumbalaya or chickpea sausage stew. He has been hard to peg on that one. Josie has a favorite blankie now that she must nuzzle up against when trying to bridge the gap between awake and asleep just after a nap. Ella has lots of favorites and is an open book....one of her new favorite movies is "It's a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart. We went to see it late one evening just before Christmas at The Hi-Pointe theater. What it treat it was and she's still talking about the story!

It's a bit sad that I haven't chronicled more of this really sweet, but sometimes very challenging, time in our lives. There have been some really great moments and all is very well as far has the happiness curve in the day in and day out. However, we are facing some stuff we've not faced before and are doing our best to keep our heads about us. The kids are so great and I am aware, now more often than ever, at what a gift my life is. Being their mom, and Bryan's wife, is more rewarding than anything I've ever done. Remind me of this post when my attitude stinks!

reading, studying, bathing and celebrating

As usual, I have fallen behind in keeping track of all the little milestones and sweet sayings around here. But I don't feel too bad as I've been busy "living life" with these guys. Sometimes getting on my computer feels like more of a drain than productive and helpful. But there are a few notables so I thought I'd pause a moment to scratch them down.

I think I can make the statement that Simon is really reading now. He has been sounding out words here and there and chiming in when I read with him when he recognizes a word or when I push for him to figure it out. He has always liked letters, loves writing words and drawing pictures, but he does get frustrated if he feels like he's not succeeding. So I thought it might be helpful to get him some super early readers that seem less daunting than some of the "I Can Read Books" we have in our library. I purchased the "Bob Books" from one of his school's book orders and he officially began reading them on his own yesterday. He was so thrilled that he stayed up with the light on to read after I'd tucked him in. I am so proud of him and very excited for where this takes him!!

Ella's homeschooling is going well. We have our moments of difficulty, which I notice happen more if we aren't prompt in getting on the ball early in the morning. The more she gets in play mode, the more difficult it is to focus and the day takes longer. But we feel very productive and really get things done efficiently if we start right after breakfast. She is excelling and I have seen so much growth in her confidence as a person and her self expression. Some of that may just be in maturing as she ages, but I have to believe that meeting her needs as she has expressed them has contributed to some of her growth. She loves all the reading and we've finished quite a few books already. She is writing in cursive now and is really quite proficient at it. She likes science and our world history is fascinating. We're learning about Ancient Egypt now and had a field trip to the art museum to see the mummies and Egyptian art. I dare say, I am seriously loving homeschool and the enjoyment, closeness and quality time it fosters!

Josie's vocabulary is expanding and she's successfully repeating words back to us quite a bit now. She's "sugar and spice" as we've always said...the sweetest, most affectionate child I've ever known, but very expressive when she's irritated. She screams to show she's mad and sometimes she screams to show she's thrilled! She's growing so much and is starting to grow out of some of the things that can be so difficult with little ones, like requiring being held for an hour before finally falling asleep at night. We're getting past some of those more "intensive" things with her and she is capable of doing lots of things, but she's still our baby!

Last night during bath time, I was finishing up with Josie when Simon decided to jump in the tub as well. Josie was all washed and rinsed and playing in the water and Simon and I commenced in talking about his fifth birthday plans. I was engrossed in our conversation and hadn't noticed that Josie had gotten quiet and was looking down at something next to her in the water. At the angle I was sitting at, I couldn't see what she was looking at and continued talking until I finally got curious about what she was studying. I sat up and looked next to her to see a small turd floating in the water. She seemed confused at what it was and had been studying it trying to decide if it was friend or foe. As soon as I jumped up with alarm and said, "Oh my GOSH!" she decided it must be foe! She began crying in desperation and panic. I pulled her out and wrapped her up (Simon had already made his exit) and she shivered with nervousness and fear. After the inconvenient impromptu scrubbing of the bathtub while my two youngest waited to be re-bathed, I really couldn't get annoyed or frustrated. It was all too hilariously entertaining. Simon was a champ. I couldn't believe he didn't freak out about sitting in Josie's poo water. But he laughed right along with me. Once I ran the clean bath and Simon got back in, Josie was still afraid. She shook her head emphatically saying, "nuh-uh" multiple times. But I stuck to my guns and she got her second bath. She came around eventually with no more tears shed.

Oh my. Such an event.

Tomorrow is our eleventh anniversary. Tucking Ella in tonight, I told her how excited I was to go out to dinner to celebrate at a fun restaurant (we're doing a family date for this one...Bryan and I had a big Mexican vacation all last week to celebrate year 10-11). Ella said, "Oh no! I'm such a ding dong! I forgot to make you a present!" to which I replied, "YOU are my present, and Josie and Simon too." She added, "And Dad. He's absolutely your BEST present."

She is so right. I couldn't be more satisfied with a life if I had written it myself.

first day of summer break

Today was the first Monday of summer break. It was so wonderful to all sleep in late and  not have to do the school rush! Unfortunately, Daddy was in bed sick so he couldn't enjoy it with us.

But, things went surprisingly well! I expected to have to break up lots of fights and minor irritations between the kids since they're not used to being in each other's space as much these days. But it really wasn't bad!

We did the normal stuff to pass the time like color and play with toys, but we also shook things up a little. We took some quiet time to crack open a new devotional book we bought for the kids over the weekend. Ella was super excited to get into it (she just loves being engaged with questions and learning opportunities). Simon was less enthused as it was his tired time of day since we skipped nap. He had the wiggles and kept wanting to change the subject. I believe he broke into a couple of holy moments with some strategically timed toots as well. Pffft. It's a good thing God has a sense of humor! Josie cried the whole time, but all in all, I think it was a successful ten minutes. I'm excited about the book and about sharing a more focused time to talk about God together. It's always interesting to pick the kids' brains.

Other fun things we crammed into the day were refilling the huge bubble wands and making gigantic bubbles outside in the insane heat and playing with sidewalk chalk. We watered the flowers and then came in muddy and chalky so everyone got a bath. Then after dinner, we did a science experiment per Ella's suggestion, where we soaked dirty pennies in vinegar and then sprinkled salt on them and cleaned them till they gleamed. That was a pretty cool trick I never knew about! And I got to explain to the kids what a chemical reaction is. (Ella's guess at the definition was it was "working together" which was pretty darn close!)

We ended the night with reading and prayers and lots of cuddles. I spent a little extra time chatting with Ella since Simon tuckered out pretty quickly. She is all excited about a new venture she has to make some crafts (bookmarks, scented sachet pillows, painted rocks, tissue paper pom poms, animal masks, the list goes on....) and then sell them to raise money for either some homeless mothers and children or for Joplin tornado relief. We stayed up and made lists together of all the things she plans to make and how much she wants to charge for each item. She is so excited to start, she couldn't fall asleep!

It was a good day...now...what to do tomorrow??

school's out for summer!

Simon has been finished with preschool for nearly two weeks now. But Ella's kindergarten graduation was yesterday and the final day of school was today. After her graduation and awards ceremony (she received awards for perfect spelling, excellent grades, a citizenship award, whatever that is, a character word of the month award for displaying respect, and an attendance award which was clearly a mistake because she missed ten days of school!) the school allowed kids to leave early with parents to celebrate.

Ella's class waiting for their awards

So we took Simon and Ella out for lunch at the Murdoch Perk where Simon ordered a big Belgian waffle and Ella got the hungryman's breakfast! Yowzers...scrambled eggs, bacon, two pieces of toast and potatoes! She shared with Josie. The sweetest thing was that Simon insisted on dressing up. He's still stuck on his new clothes we got him for the wedding. It ended up being great that he did that as I was able to get a picture with them both dressed up!

Check out the huge bruise on Ella's cheek. It's a big one. She ran into the wall somehow in our hotel room while she and Simon were playing. It totally looks like she took a beating. But she still looks pretty in her graduation dress! Isn't Simon sharp in his tie?? He is all about looking handsome these days and is particular about picking out his own clothes.

I'm ready for summer, but we'll miss Mrs. Morton. Ella truly loves this woman! She wants to invite her to her seventh birthday party.

Bring on the summer!!

tidbits

I've been out of the habit of updating some of the bigger happenings as of late. So, to try to get back in the swing of things, this post will consist of some small tidbits of recent happenings.

We went out of town last weekend. The plan had been to stay with our close friends in Joplin but the recent tornado that devastated the town derailed our plan. We drove through though and had a look at things and it was beyond the worst my imagination could have conjured. All this talk of tornadoes has had an impact on the kids and Ella was really saddened by what she saw. I could hear her gasping in the back seat as she said over and over how SAD it was. And then I could hear her praying under her breath. That Sunday we visited Frontline church in Oklahoma City where Bryan was speaking as a guest and the kids talked about things they were afraid of as well as things they were thankful for. Ella's depiction of this was a drawing of a large blue tornado and a picture of Bryan and me. For clarification, she's thankful for us and scared of tornadoes.

On the same subject, Ella told me she wanted to move. Her exact words were, "Mom, I like our house a lot but I think I want to move somewhere else." I responded: "Why? Where do you want to move?" Ella: "I want to go somewhere where there aren't tornadoes." This spring has been kind of scary weather-wise.

Some hail at our house this month. It had begun to melt by the time the photo was snapped, but was originally around 2.5" diameter.

On a happy note, Ella finally learned how to blow a bubble! She also got her ears pierced and didn't even shed a tear!

Time with Simon has been fun and challenging at the same time. He is so sweet and kind and always the gentleman. But also, he's been pushing some discipline boundaries and picking silly fights with me about not wanting to comply with simple requests at random times throughout the day. Today was a bit challenging and, even though it was mainly a good day with lots of smiles and fun together, there were a couple of trying moments, mainly due to tiredness I think. As I prayed for him tonight, he made his requests known and instructed me to pray for the things he asks for every night: Good dreams, no bad dreams and no nightmares. But during the prayer, he tagged on, "And to OBEY." Sweet boy. I know sometimes it feels so hard to respond right in the moment, especially when you're physically out of whack and tired. I know he wants to. We have got to get this whole to nap or not to nap thing figured out.

Along with the prayer time, Simon pulled me close and asked if he could tell me a secret. I leaned in and he whispered, "When I grow up, I want to become a pilot." Dramatic pause...."or a PIRATE."

In Josie news, she's pretty much sleeping through the night and is close to being fully weaned. WOWZERS. She's growing UP! She's soooooo sweet. Such a hugger. Always cuddling and scrunching up her nose to give a sweet smile. Totally need to post some pictures soon. She's a doozy. Here's a quick lookie-loo:

Lovin' the swing!

Alrighty, that's all for now. Life is busy and changing...summer's almost here (Simon's school is over now and Ella's kindergarten graduation is tomorrow morning!! UGH. So ready to close this chapter of kindergarten stuff.) Onward and upward! Hoping to be better with the blog during the summer months!

Simon's last day of school.

wedding blues

This weekend, our dear Michael and Amie got married! For those unfamiliar with these two wonderful people whom we dearly love and majorly adore, Michael is Bryan's youngest brother. Amie has been a friend of our family for years but in the last couple of years, has become one of my closest friends and, before she moved down to Atlanta to be with her now husband, was a weekly babysitter of our kids. Needless to say, she was already family to us, before she and Mike even decided to date. So, we've been counting down the days till their wedding, first and foremost just so we could SEE them again (Atlanta feels so far away sometimes!) but also because it's a really exciting occasion to celebrate their marriage!

Ella is somewhat of a romantic at her ripe age of six and a half. So she LOOOOVES weddings. And Bryan had taken Simon shopping this week to pick out some fancy clothes to wear. He was so excited about his new dress pants, shirt, vest and tie and had been asking me all week if he could wear it. I kept saying, "Wait till the wedding on Saturday! Then you can wear it!!"

Wednesday, the coughing began. Thursday, the runny nose took off. Overnight on Thursday, raging fever ensued. And Friday, I began to get a little panicky that the kids and I were going to have to sit this one out and miss the wedding we've so anticipated.

Friday night was the rehearsal and Bryan and I tag teamed it so he could do the officiating and I could see family and friends for a bit. But Saturday was still up in the air. I monitored the kids closely all day Saturday and the virus seemed to progress. Ella barely got off the couch all day which you KNOW is a bad sign. It was a guarantee that the kids wouldn't be well enough to attend, and with most of our friends and all of our St. Louis family attending the wedding, all hope seemed lost that I would be able to attend as well.

But then, HOPE! I have a wonderful friend named Sarah who I met at the kids' preschool (I'm sure there will be posts to come about their family as our kids love playing together and we so enjoy Sarah and her husband Kyle) whose kids had the same virus the week before. I texted her questions wondering how high and how long their fevers persisted. In the midst of our texting, she offered to come stay with the kids so I could go to the wedding.

Elation! But major GUILT in having to leave the kids behind. Ella was teary and bleary eyed and didn't seem to understand WHY she couldn't just go for a little bit. She had her heart set on seeing them and especially dancing with them. And in all the rush to get ready, Simon didn't seem to get all the information that he wasn't going to be able to go either. (His fever was equally as high as Ella's but he was still bouncing off the wall all day.) As I got my heels on to walk out the door I heard him calling out from upstairs, "MOOOOMMM! MOM!!! I need  you!" Which is usually code for, "I'm on the toilet and could you please come wipe me." But this time, I reached the second floor to find him in his room trying to put on his new clothes. He said, "Mom, I need you to help me with my tie!" My heart shattered. Totally destroyed. "Oh Simo. You're sick buddy and you're not going to be able to go." Oh the horror. The guilt. The tears.

After the ceremony, which was so lovely, moving, beautiful, joyous, etc, I came right home. There was a reception a few hours later which Sarah offered to come back to watch the kids for. But after visiting with the kids, especially Ella, I didn't think I could bear the guilt of leaving them behind. Ella asked me lots of questions about Michael and Amie's plans and if she'd get to see them soon. I told her they'd be going on their honeymoon really early the next morning and they would fly home to Atlanta after that. She began to tear up again and said, "I don't want them to go on their honeymoon, Mom. I miss them so much!" 

But again, HOPE! Bryan made a few phone calls and was able to reach Michael and, joy of joys, Michael and Amie were able to drop by our house on their way to the reception in order to give Simon and Ella a little squeeze. I can't express how special this short 20 minute stop off was to us all, especially Ella. It seemed to take the sting out.

Uncle Michael

Beautiful Aunt Amie and poor sickly Ella.

This made everything right in the world.

 

So now, it's the day after the wedding and the kids are beginning to mend. Fevers are down to low grade and the coughing has let up a bit. And so I'll close this post with some comic relief. Do you notice the severe chapping of Ella's nose in the middle photo? That poor girl chaps like nobody's business when she gets a cold. Her hands go crazy dry and cracked in the wintertime too. For this reason, there is a huge tub of Eucerin in her room. Since she's been sick, she often globs a big mustache of Eucerin on her upper lip but it hasn't seemed to help all that much. So we switched to Aquafor which has soothed and healed a bit more effectively. After we read books and got tucked in bed, I set her up with a fresh box of tissues and her Aquafor within reach for nighttime use. She slathered her nose with it and said quite seriously, "Aquarfor rules. Eucerine drools." And then we both laughed for a solid three minutes. Ahhh....we needed that.

checking in

I've become embarrassingly bad about keeping this blog updated. Truth is, I've been doing my best (well, not my best, but "better") to not spend any "free" time on my computer while the kids are awake. I find it sucks me in and I end up an hour (or more) shorter of time to connect with them. Also, I've been doing a bit more freelance than normal so my time on the computer has been spoken for. 

Right now, we're on spring break. We are using the time to get away from the house and all it's demands and are staying in a hotel in Kansas City. We've been relaxing a lot, watching cartoons and March Madness basketball, swimming a TON, snuggling, tickling, doing color wonder, eating snack food instead of meals, and taking lots of baths (due to the overload of chlorine.) We visited a park yesterday and relished in the spring sunshine, played with Ella's new jump rope and Simon's new tee ball set and ball glove. Ella has gotten to be pretty proficient at jumping rope and swimming! Simon is still rather cautious about swimming, but he at least will swim with a floatation device which beats last year when he wouldn't even get in the water until he'd watched everyone else for two hours. I'm not even kidding.

Some brief updates of late:

1. I've been mulling over and praying about doing home school next year. It's something I never thought I'd consider, but after observing my kids more closely over this last year and learning more about their strengths and weaknesses, I think it could be a real help to them. It is something we're in prayer about and a decision I don't take lightly.
2. Simon is becoming increasingly proficient at writing his letters, drawing and coloring. I've heard him sight read and sound out a few words here and there too. At a recent Parent/Teacher conference, his teacher described him as "cautious" in general, but excelling. He is quiet in his temperament and she said sometimes he seems like it's not worth the effort to get in the middle of boyish squabbles over trains and things. But he has made friends and enjoys school a lot.
3. Ella got the birds and the bees talk on the playground. Wow. Wasn't exactly prepared for that yet! Fortunately, she is quick to share with me anything that doesn't sit right with her, so it was an opportunity for some clear and helpful direction and clarification from me.
4. Josie seems to love music a great deal and requests "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" all day long. The other morning, after she woke up early and was still cuddled in bed with me, she spent a good ten minute humming and making her own music. It was so sweet! She has said a few words which Ella is keeping track of in her journal. Just this morning, we were cuddled in the hotel bed and Simon's head was resting on my lap. She patted him on the hair and said, "Nye Nye." (Night night). She's growing quickly and is so charming!

That's all I have for now. Josie is up and our friends from Joplin (the Clevenger family) have just arrived to finish out our vacation together! There is more fun to be had!! 

christmas 2010 highlights

We had a lovely Christmas this year! The kids picked out our tree all by themselves. I actually stayed in with Josie since the weather was seriously frigid. I was very proud of myself for releasing the need to pick the perfect, most proportionate tree. They all did very well in my absence! It was a good exercise in letting go!

On the 22nd, Mimi flew in on a little charter plane. She was sick with a cold but was still in good spirits.

Uncle Josh came in on the 23rd bearing many amazing gifts. He's a very good gift giver and seemed to rather enjoy spoiling us all. Here he is beaming with satisfaction as his gifts go over big. (Sorry the photos in the post are all terrible!)

Uncle Josh, my big brother.

For Simon, the big hit was the matching Spiderman gloves and hat, which he didn't want to remove until he started sweating.

Uncle Josh made Ella's dreams come true by gifting her the entire set of Narnia books.

We celebrated Christmas Eve at the church with a candlelight service. Ella was thrilled to read some of the Christmas story up on the stage although she was suffering from a rather nasty runny nose.

 

Christmas morning, we celebrated in our normal way. Bryan sat with the kids and told the story of Jesus' birth and the kids threw in their two cents as well. Then we opened our stockings. The kids were thrilled with all the little treasures, especially the new toothbrushes! I love that they get so giddy over Crest spin brushes. And of course, the large tin of m&ms which they've come to expect. We also gave Ella a Magic Tree House (Christmas in Camelot) book which was the only thing she asked for specifically this year. She was ECSTATIC to open it and had it read cover to cover within a couple of days.

We spent Christmas day with the Mowrey clan and had lots of fun eating and laughing and opening gifts. I'm still trying to find the room for all the kids' loot!

I promise we didn't let her actually eat candy canes.

Amidst the loot

simon's bedroom makeover

For Simon's fourth birthday (Dec. 9) I decided that his big present should be a room makeover. When we moved to this house almost four years ago, Simon's room was a bit of an after thought. He was only six months old, still slept in our room, and there was too much going on to really put much thought into his play space. As he's gotten older and needed more room to play, I've felt slightly guilty that I never made his room special or suited to him. It's kind of been the "whatever-is-handed-down-or-leftover" room. And it wasn't inviting for play or imagination because it was crowded, disorganized and small.

When Ella got a bunk bed, Simon insisted on spending weekend nights in her room, and that underscored my feeling that he needed to feel excited about his own space. We conned my dad and step mom into lugging another IKEA loft/bunk bed when they visited us for Thanksgiving and I set to work on the makeover the week before Simon turned four. Here are the before and afters...

Bed, before: It was a platform bed and was awesome for transitioning from a crib to big boy bed. But with a small room, it was impractical since there was no way to store anything underneath.

Bed, after: IKEA Kura Reversible bed with canopy. Instant imagination tunnel and tons of space to play underneath. I imagine making some curtains that could enclose the play space below to create a hideout if he fancied. Someday, maybe.

You'll also notice that I (along with my amazing painting gal pals) painted the walls a deep navy blue. It was a risk in such a small room, but the large windows and coat of crisp white on all the trim make it pretty sharp. All the bright colors POP against this deep blue backdrop. I'm in love with the color! The star wall light stays on most of the time, especially at night, because the deep hue on the walls absorbs light and it gets super dark under the canopy.

Closet, before: It was nothing special. The doors are made of thick particle board and couldn't be any cheaper or more unimpressive. Simon used them for collecting random stickers.

Closet, after: I used an entire can of magnetic primer under a fresh coat of white. I wanted Simon to be able to spell words and use his magnetic letters and phonics system on the face of the doors. But even after ten coats, the primer is only strong enough to hold the thinnest, flattest magnets. The larger letter magnets barely stay on. It's still kind of neat though.

Ceiling/Light fixture, before: TERRIBLE! Ugh! Plaster textured ceiling with ancient, not so cool vintage flush mount light.

Ceiling/Light fixture, after: I hand drew some simple, cartoon clouds and used the remnants of an old can of blue paint I had leftover from Ella's room at our old house. I love the way it turned out! (Ignore the bit of white still left around the base of the new fixture...I'll have to touch that up!)

And the light fixture was such a fun shade of yellow, it was what gave me the inspiration to move forward with a dramatic shade of midnight blue. They complement each other, don't they?

Wall art, before: I kept the airplane decals that I had used in his room before because I thought he'd miss them.

 

  

Wall art, after:  Fortunately, the decals show up better on this new wall color. The same goes for the pinball glass that has always hung in his room. It is highlighted and more noticeable now.

He loves it, and I am thrilled to have done such a massive overhaul on his room! The amazing thing is, I was able to achieve pretty dramatic changes without spending much money since paint is the biggest alteration and the bed and lights were IKEA-mazingly affordable! It was fun to do and I hope it will bring him hours of imaginative play.