Little helper

Lincoln loves to "help" do things.  His latest craze is helping with dishes.  He usually asks to wash, but that just means he runs lots of water and plays in it.  Austin & I do let him help dry dishes.  However, Lincoln is very particular with what he actually dries.  For some reason he loves doing the coffee pot.  Of course, most of the time this:

 Turns into this:

I also recently helped some friends do some deep cleaning before they moved into their first house.  Lincoln helped for the first 5 minutes.

Easter

Easter morning began with Easter buckets and a pack of sprinkle doughnuts...

After breakfast was the highly anticipated egg hunt...

Examining their loot...

We were excited to have our international host student, Andjelka, and her roommate, Aleksandra, come to church with us at Orchard Hill.  It was crazy there.  We got the last seats available in the Community Center 15 min. before the service even started.  The service was awesome, though.  Both girls said they enjoyed the experience.  They come from an Eastern Orthodox background where going to church means standing for two hours in an old stone church/cathedral in a very liturgical service.  Aleks said she liked the "positive energy" she felt at OHC.  I hope they come back with us again sometime!

Both girls stayed for lunch.  I had fun making full Easter fare with my first ever spiral-cut ham using this great new recipe, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade honey wheat rolls and two desserts.  Everything turned out great!  I also provided full Easter dinner for another family, so the kitchen was hopping!

Before leaving, the girls showed the kids how to participate in the traditional Bosnian egg-cracking contest.  Each person holds a hard-boiled egg in their hand and they take turns bopping the ends together with another person's egg.  Whomever has the egg that cracks, loses.  You get two tries per egg (two ends).  Lincoln loved it and shouted, "I win!" every time, regardless if his egg cracked.  There is a video in the April play list.

Thankfully, both kids have a clear understanding of the real events surrounding Easter.  They loved opening the Resurrection Eggs and battled for days over who got to open the last white one (they each got to take a peek at the empty egg).  Lincoln also loves to recite his preschool Bible verse this month: "The Lord is risen indeed!"   Luke 24:34

4 years + 11 months

Lincoln is on the homestretch to his birthday, and he is very excited!  He has also been really excited about the Adventure Bible Storybook Deluxe Edition I bought for him this month.  He had been asking to read and reread the New Testament version he received as a baby gift from my Aunt Janet.  When he started asking about the Old Testament, I got a complete version along with audio CD's.  He soaked that up, too.  In fact, he's listened to the CD's so much, he has several stories almost completely memorized and can recite them with expression.  The funniest part is that he begins every "reading" with the entire introduction spiel from the CD: "Zonderkidz presents The Adventure Bible Storybook.  Written by Catherine DeVries. Illustrated by John Madsen. Read by...  Directed by..."  followed by a humming of the theme music.  He stumbles and mumbles through some of the names, but pretty much has it down!

The Adventure Bible CD's have been sharing air time with the audio CD's of Dave Ramsey's Junior's Adventures book series that came as part of the Financial Peace Kids' Pack I also recently purchased.  We haven't fully implemented the money plan part yet, but Lincoln loves the books.  It's funny to hear him talk about "Dollar Bill's Adventures to defeat the dreaded Dr. Debt."  Of course, he also has gotten other ideas from the books.  Like, if he wants to buy something and doesn't have enough money, the best place to go is to work.  So he thinks he is going to go to Grandpa Boote's farm every day this summer to help milk the cows and feed the horse and get paid $30/week like Junior did in The Super Red Racer.  (Nevermind that Grandpa's farm is 230 miles away, Lincoln isn't even tall enough to reach the milkers in the parlor and Grandpa is planning to sell the cows this summer.)  He also wants to invite everyone he knows to his birthday party and thinks Grandma is going to come with an extra special gift (an envelope with a $100 bill) like in The Big Birthday Surprise.  Probably not going to happen, buddy.

Speaking of reality, one of Lincoln's (and Emily's) favorite TV Shows is Renovation Realities on the DIY network while eating popcorn on Sunday nights.  Of course, that gets him thinking and asking about what we can renovate next.  We tell him that we're all done, but he keeps coming up with ideas.  Also not going to happen, buddy.

His other current favorite TV show is Phineas & Ferb.  It's actually kind of a cute show about making inventions and creative double story lines.  However, that comes with consequences, too.  Because it's on the Disney XD channel, it comes with commercials.  I haven't experienced the commercials for that target audience in years since we mostly stick to PBS Kids and Amazon Prime videos, but it's just as crazy and powerful as ever.  Lincoln is now asking for Snackeez, and the "Dough that Glows".  (I had to Google that just to figure out he was talking about Lumi Dough).  Sigh.

Dying eggs

I bought an egg dying kit on clearance at Walmart three years ago for $.25.  I haven't been brave enough to haul it out since.  Our Wartburg Int'l Student, Andjelka, has fond memories of dying Easter eggs, so she volunteered to come over and help.  She even brought a basket and stickers. :) 

This mom was pretty nervous about egg dye in our brand new kitchen.  I had a thick vinyl table cloth covered in a double layer of newspaper with paper towels on top.  Plus vinyl art smocks for the kids.  Luckily, we had no incidents other than a few fingertips.  The kids got the hang of it by the second dozen eggs.  All in all, it was a success.  Now, who's going to help me eat all those eggs?!?

Where have I been?!?

What?!?  A blog post?!?  It's only been like 4.5 months.  It has been a long, cold, brutal winter, but I'm slowly coming out of hibernation.  After the overwhelming kitchen project and falling two months behind on blog posts, I just kind of let things slide.  So, what in the world has been going on with us?  Lots and nothing.

In mid-November I took some strong proactive measures to help combat S.A.D. (winter blues) symptoms.  They included daily light therapy during a morning devotions/quiet time, attending some exercise classes, extra vitamins and even a low-dose anti-depressant.  It's a good thing I did!  My doctor also finally found a magic combination of medicine to completely eradicate my annual winter cough (10 years running), which started in October this year.  Hallelujah!

The holiday season was very relaxing and virtually stress-free for me.  We enjoyed time with family and friends, as well as fun little holiday traditions.  With the beginning of the new year, we settled into a rhythm of life that was slower and more relaxed.  I let things go (like a regular cleaning schedule and the blog) and spent more time just "being".  I started spending less and less time on the computer other than necessary bookwork.  I even started reading real books again!  I experienced a spiritual revival of sorts.  And life has been good. 

Spring has been slow in coming, but I am hopeful.  Lately, I have been trying to go to bed earlier and get up earlier to exercise.  My favorites have been Leslie Sansone: Belly Blasting Walk and a pair of yoga DVDs Yoga Journal: Yoga for Morning, Noon & Night with Jason Crandell and Yoga Journal: Yoga for Well-Being with Jason Crandell.
 

 
After a prolonged period of poor sleep, I've been using a new iPhone app called Sleep Cycle to monitor my sleeping habits.  It has been fascinating.

My other new favorite app is called Paprika.  It is a very comprehensive and customized virtual recipe box that makes entering recipes from any online source a breeze, as well as making menu plans and grocery lists.  I am entering/transferring recipes as I go, as well as adding all of the "to try" recipes from the new cooking magazines I receive.  I am absolutely loving our new kitchen.  One of my favorite things to do in the afternoons is putter around in the kitchen.  I've needed more people to cook/bake for!  I joined a monthly freezer meal exchange group and have also been making one meal a week for my daycare family. 

I recently did some reading on sugar and processed foods and have been trying to make some changes in my diet and cooking/baking habits.  This has resulted in less sugar (including artificial sweeteners), more fresh vegetables, even more fruit and experimenting with new recipes for healthier, homemade alternatives to some processed foods.  I also have had a recent love affair with quinoa.  Austin partially inspired the healthier eating habits.  The kids will take longer to adjust. :op  After honestly evaluating things, I'm appalled at how much sugar and processed foods the kids consume.

A huge catalyst on this road to a healthier lifestyle was when I got braces on February 24.  I have always taken pride (too much, apparently) in my nice-looking, straight teeth.  However, I have been struggling with clenching my teeth at night for years.  The stress of the kitchen project put me over the edge, and I decided the mouth guard I had been wearing for three years wasn't working anymore.  So, my dentist referred me to an orthodontist. 

The initial examination and subsequent impressions and modeling revealed that my bite is misaligned, causing me to chew with my jaw out of joint and showing wear and tear on the bone.  It also showed how the misalignment put all the pressure on my back molars, putting them in danger of cracking (the reason I got a night guard in the first place).  The way my upper lip is formed has also caused me to develop an improper swallowing technique, which has lead to a narrowing of my arch, thus not leaving enough room for my teeth.  Wow!  Isn't modern medicine amazing? 

The treatment plan is approximately 18 months of conventional braces, including swallowing exercises, a bar to widen my arch, rearranging my teeth and slightly intruding my molars.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  I'm all about proactive health measures, so the temporary pain and inconvenience is worth it to cure headaches and prevent cracked molars and TMJ issues down the road.  There's my new selfie. :)

Getting braces inspired me to quit gum and pop cold turkey.  I have also been forced to eliminate candy, caramel, popcorn, nuts, raisins and dried cranberries.  The latter items have been the hardest because of my love for granola.  As a result, I have expanded my palate quite a bit and have become more creative with food.

Another big thing that has been going on is Austin & I being on an Investigative Leadership Team to explore the possibility of starting an Orchard Hill Church satellite campus in Waverly.  The enthusiasm is contagious, and so far, it feels like God has provided and blessed every step of the way.  The initial meeting was last October, and we're meeting about once a month now.  There is no official timeline, but we're super excited about the possibilities!

Austin & I were also invited to join a new monthly card club in February (although Austin still questions how old you have to be in order to be in a card club).  There are 5-7 couples and we play Pitch.  The game was brand new to me, but I have finished second and first among all players at our two meetings.  I can be an intense card player!  I've also played ENDLESS games of Crazy 8's with Lincoln the last few weeks.  Not so intense there. ;)

Right now I'm looking forward to planting the garden and flowers.  I'm also looking forward to a somewhat slower summer spotted with just a few scheduled activities.  Since the Orchard Hill campus in Cedar Falls is not having a VBS this year, I'm helping out with at least one of the VBS programs in Waverly.  The biggest goal of the summer is to spend more time at the pool so the kids get more comfortable in the water and more time on bikes.  Emily still rides with training wheels and Lincoln is finally tall enough to comfortably reach the pedals with enough leverage.

So, that's a not-so-brief update on my/our life.  I'm planning to try and start blogging regularly again from this point.  Meanwhile, when I'm inspired and the time allows, I may try to go back and fill in the gap.  If you normally read this blog through a reader or RSS feed, you'll get everything, but it might be in a jumbled order.  If you normally read this blog on the actual blog site, I'll be posting under the correct date.  Therefore, you'll have to scroll through more recent posts or keep track on the right sidebar for previous posts.  Either way, thanks for sticking with me.  I really do consider this blog to be our family scrapbook, so I don't want to abandon it completely.  Help keep me accountable!  That means you, Abbie. ;)

Palm Sunday

I loved getting palm branches on Palm Sunday growing up.  The Wee Adventure classes at our church did a little parade in the atrium this past Sunday.  Lincoln didn't stop for a great picture, but there's a video in the April play list.  It was fun to see him jubilantly waving it during the "Hosanna" chorus in the church service.

Digging for worms

It was finally a beautiful day, and I was itching to get into the garden.  While I hand-tilled the soil with the garden claw, the kids (including my daycare kids) had a ball hunting for worms.  They collected them in the little wheelbarrow and then spread them out on the potatoes I planted. (I'm hoping the potatoes left over from last year's crop will grow.)

Meanwhile, Lincoln decided to dig a swimming pool.  But he got kind of lazy.

 

Tale of a photo bomb...

March 2014 videos

February 2014 videos