I Neglected to Mention...

...that I got a haircut!!

On Easter Sunday, after we had taken our friend Jenya back to northern Virginia, I got a wild hair and asked Jeff to cut my hair...and he got a wild hair and agreed! I really like it. I really, really, really like it.

I don't have a great picture of it, but this is one that either Josiah or David snapped a few days ago.

It's so much easier, so much lighter, so much less hair for Shav to grab! :) Perfect for this stage of life!

What Shav Thinks of Grass

Dearest Mommy,

WHAT is that green stuff you laid me on yesterday?

I heard you say it might tickle me. Tickle schmickle! That was NOT a tickle. That was a POKE! Lots of pokes. On my feet and hands and even on my chin!
I know you wanted me to smile.
I tried. I really did. But I think this grimacing face...
...shows my true feelings. No, wait. This one...
...is better at expressing my disgust and outrage. I could tell that you thought that green stuff was something great, but I am not impressed. Please do not put me on it again.

All my love,

Shav

Flowers Appear

~ I took this photo in our backyard - April 10, 2010

Exquisite! That's the word that comes to mind as I view the spring flowers close up. Such delicate beauty. It's simply exquisite.

It's easy to enter into the Season of Singing when this much loveliness is all around!

Little Trying to Be Big

Someone came to pick up a lawnmower from our shed today; and Tobin, hearing the noise of the truck in our driveway, hurried upstairs to the bathroom, climbed up on the stool, and watched the proceedings. I caught a glimpse of him and had an "awwwww" moment as I reflected on how little he is, how big he's becoming, and how fast the transition is occurring. Years from now, I'll be glad I took the time to snap this picture of my little man watching from the window.

I do believe this dear boy would practically live outside this spring and summer. He loves to be out there and can hardly stand the fact that Josiah and David have more freedom than him and can go outside more often than he can.

Don't worry, my sweet Tobin. Soon enough, summers will come when you'll be big enough to go outside freely, too. Until then, when no adult is available to keep an eye on you outside, you can watch from the window...

And I'll be watching you.

He Says He Wants to Garden

A little while back, Jeff announced that this year, he wanted to be actively involved in our garden. He was so serious about this that he asked if we could change our typical evening schedule so that he could have time to work in the garden as soon as he got home from work, and then eat supper after that (because when that man eats a big meal, he's practically worthless afterwards). ;)

Tonight was the first night of our new plan, and this was the scene around here about 6:45 - three boys and their daddy, wearing jackets because of the chilly air (we've had gorgeous weather recently, but today was cool), working together in the garden (or not working, if you're Tobin; he did a lot of observing though).

So what if we didn't eat supper until 8:00 PM? The boys had an afternoon snack to tide them over. I think we'll be able to adjust to this new schedule without too much trouble. And if it means help in the garden, I'm all for it!
The first project in the garden? Planting onions, of course!

I often think that it's good to be the cook because I get to make whatever I want to eat. In the same way, it's good to be the gardener because you get to plant whatever you like. In Jeff's case, that means onions!

Josiah, the Mathematician

Josiah thinks mathematically. It's just natural to him to focus on numbers and compute figures with precision. He has little use for manipulatives because he just does it in his head! Besides his skill with math and his comprehension of various functions, what amazes me is that it's just so inborn for him to notice numbers and...I don't know how to say it any other way...think mathematically.

Today, for example, Josiah was by my side as I was at the computer reading something on my blog. He suddenly exclaimed, "I'm not 'and 1/2 years old.' It should say, 'and 5/6'!"

Huh? What are you talking about?

Apparently he was looking at his own picture in the sidebar and noticed the caption underneath it, displaying his age. In his mind, he is CLEARLY not 7 and 1/2 anymore, so I should update that to read, "7 & 5/6 years old." Technically, he's correct; but I tried to explain that people just don't do that. We don't get that exact with age. I'm not sure he was buyin' my explanation though. ;) It will be interesting to see where his mathematical mind leads him in the future.

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And now, back to the kitchen I go. Back to the never-ending task of bringing order out of chaos. I really just popped onto the computer to post a recipe (of a rice dish that I think is scrumptious!) on The Foodie Spot since it's my day to post, but I got a little sidetracked and, when I saw my blog's sidebar, was reminded of that conversation with Josiah so I decided to post it before I forget. OK, I'm going to go focus now. Dishes, here I come! :)

Longer Than I Imagined

Before Josiah was born, I - in my inexperienced, idealistic, first-time-mom way - thought that I'd give myself a couple of weeks to get back to normal. A wise friend cautioned me to give myself two months. She was right: by the time Josiah was two weeks old, I was still doing plenty of "baby blues" crying and life seemed overwhelming at times; but by the time he was two months old, we were comfortable enough with life and parenthood to be flying from California to Israel for vacation, right in the middle of steamy hot August - not the most convenient thing to be doing with a newborn.

Now that I have four children, I'm wondering if maybe two years is the amount of time I'll need for this adjustment. I've thought numerous times recently about something that a friend of mine - herself, a mother of five little ones - said to me. "Whoever said that the transition from one child to two children is the hardest apparently never had more than two children." I couldn't agree more.

Before Shav was even born, I knew that this adjustment could prove to be harder than any previous ones were for me. Yet somehow, I thought by this point in time - close to 9 months down the road - things would be easier than they are. After all, when Tobin was only 6 months old, I felt accustomed enough to juggling three children to confidently see Jeff off to Israel for several weeks. Now, the thought of him being gone for such a long period of time makes me shudder.

I don't want to be misunderstood: I LOVE MY LIFE and feel incredibly blessed to be the mother of these four boys. Life is wonderful! I am happy!

But I just don't know how to do it all. I guess I'm realizing that even though my life is truly wonderful, it's not necessarily easy. And I'm wondering when it will ever feel easy again.

Meanwhile, as I ponder these "important" thoughts, I thank God for this small boy...

...who can brighten my day...
...with just a smile.

And, let me tell ya, some days need brightened! ;)

TTT - Girls' Belly Buttons

As we were finishing up a Bible Q&A book recently, the question came up about which island the apostle John was exiled to. Josiah's quick response was, "Passateague!" Uh...not exactly...but I can tell you've been studying Assateague Island recently...and I like your unique mixture of that with the correct answer of Patmos...so you win points for creativity at least...and also bonus points for making me laugh (and that goes a long way when you're a homeschooling mom!).

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One day over lunch, David announced out of the blue, "I'd rather have someone else die than me."

To clarify and expand on his thoughts, I probed further. "So, if it was a choice between you or me, you'd rather have me die?"

He nodded yes, and then added, "Plus, you're older."

Bonus points to you for honesty!

That led to a longer discussion about heaven which is always interesting because it's so subjective. David asked questions like, "Do you think we'll be able to walk on the sea?" and "What does 'walking with God' mean?" He brought up being like angels and having wings, then remarked about how all the angels wear all-white clothing (I'm not sure that's the case, but in his mind at least, it is). It sounds like it's going to be quite a sea of white, but David interjected, "Well, they might have name tags - so everyone can know which is which!"

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And the one that made me laugh the most:

We must have been looking at a book that had a picture of a girl with her belly button showing because somehow the conversation of girls' belly buttons came up. Josiah was sitting across the room, but his ears perked up at that, and he exclaimed in a voice laden with genuine shock, "I didn't know girls have belly buttons!!" With no daughters in the house, we're apparently a little shaky on our basic facts about girls. We're going to have to work on that... :)

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Check out Mary at Not Before 7 for more Tiny Talk Tuesday.

My Favorite C.S. Lewis Quote...

...for now, anyway. He wrote so many profound things that I could never choose just one to be my favorite. :)

For Christmas, we gave The Chronicles of Narnia CDs done by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre to Josiah and David. I thought they would like them, but I didn't anticipate how much I would love them, too. For the past three months, almost every time we go somewhere in the car with the boys, they ask to listen to the Narnia CDs. Listening to those stories makes small trips around town more fun, but it's really invaluable when we're traveling longer distances - like during our trips to DC last Wednesday to pick up our friend Jenya and yesterday to return him - and need to keep small boys cheerfully entertained. Those CDs are one of my top two favorite Christmas gifts I gave this past year (the other one is written about here). :)

Recently we finished listening to Prince Caspian and heard again this great quote. Caspian, who is now king, is listening to Aslan describe the not-always-noble history of the Telmarines, of whom Caspian is one. He laments, "I was wishing that I came of a more honourable lineage." Aslan replies:

You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve, and that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor in earth. Be content.

Foolishness? Or Power of God!

~ I took this picture a year ago, when I was preparing a PowerPoint presentation to accompany the singing of I Will Never Be the Same Again for a church service - April 2009

What else could I possibly post today but one of my favorite verses about the cross? What a significant time of year this is! As I was driving around town last evening, I was struck by the various crosses I saw that were adorned with the customary black cloth. And then, shortly before I reached our home, I saw that someone had gone ahead and put the traditional Easter morning white cloth on the cross that stood in their yard. I wondered whether they were already in bed and had made that change before they went to bed so that they wouldn't have to get up early and do it in the morning? Or for some other reason? Regardless, I get chills when I see the solemn black cloth of mourning, and then tears when I see the pure white cloth of resurrection.

Happy, happy Easter! May your heart grasp the meaning behind the celebration! If only we could comprehend the depth of His love and sacrifice for us!

I Think I'll Go to Bed Now

I am so tired. It's only 9:45 PM, and I'm going to go to bed now. I normally don't do this; in fact, I'm usually just getting revved up about this time, and manage to put in another two good hours or so before I finally make myself go to bed around midnight. Not tonight.

One picture before I go... I was SO surprised yesterday to receive a phone call saying, "This is The Artistic Florist. Will you be home this afternoon to receive a delivery?" Yes, I absolutely would be home for that! Isn't this bouquet a beauty?

Those good folks at The Artistic Florist surely know what they're doing! ;)

And my sweetheart surely knows how to make my birthday afternoon special.

Birthday Sneak Peek

What is sweeter: the cake that faithful friend Jenn made and brought over this afternoon, or the little hands "helping" her to decorate it with chocolate roses and leaves that she taught them how to make?