lunch is served

I didn't get much sleep last night.

I am feeling particularly tired.

So when Noelle asked me if she could make lunch for the kids, I gratefully accepted her offer.

I didn't really expect what she produced.

What a great gift I have in a daughter like her.

Thank you Noelle.

Especially today, it meant so much to me.

adjusting my focus

Yesterday we had the opportunity to spend the day (homeschooling) with the Schafers. Whenever I am in need of direction, I go here. This house is filled with perspective. It is not any one thing that is said, but everything all around me that refocuses my vision, and brings me back to the basics. I, once again, remember why I am doing this. I rediscover the joy that can be found in this way of life. Homeschooling, despite the very name of the thing, is not most effectively done alone. A community is still needed to educate these children. The most exciting part is that YOU get to choose what that community looks like. Along with a handful of beloved others, this family happens to be a very important part of our 'community".

While we were there Noelle had an impromptu harp lesson from Alyssa. I asked Alyssa if she would consider giving Noelle lessons since we would be there once a week anyways. She said she would! Now I need to find a harp to rent. They don't seem to be common, nor are they cheap. And I don't want to buy one until I know that she is committed for the long haul. 

I took this video of Noelle playing her first song on the harp, and I forgot (again) that you CANNOT turn your camera sideways and flip the video later as you can with photos, even though my husband has told me on several different occasions. Oh well. It is the audio that is important here after all.



While I was holding Kirsten's new baby and listening to the harp, the boys were outside building these, apparently called goof boards. They are used to help with your balance for all board sports. It is harder that it looks.

Harp playing, goof boarding, and baby holding - that is the best kind of homeschool day.
Thank you Schafer family. We love you!

dance

Noelle, Emma and I headed to the theater today to watch the dance festival. Noelle performed with her ballet class, and she did such a great job. When she was finished and I went downstairs to get her, she said, "It was too short, I just wanted to keep dancing!" 

We met lots of friends there as well, which was such a very nice unexpected surprise that made the afternoon all that more wonderful. 

I love the energy of the theater. If I could have my pick of dream jobs, that is where I would want to be - the make-up, the costumes, the excitement! 

I also love my daughters. Have I ever mentioned just how much fun I have with them? I love my sons too, that goes without saying, always and forever. I would not want a life without them. But my daughters - I feel like I have been triply blessed, since longing for a sister all those years growing up. I now have 3 of the best friends a girl could ask for! 

out of the peewees and into the big leagues

40 bags in 40 days is beginning tomorrow. You can read about it here and here. And since I love all things organizational I find this absolutely fascinating. I have never participated - I didn't think there was any way that I could ever fill 40 bags. Not because I am terribly tidy, simply because I don't handle clutter very well, and I already purge on a regular basis. But with the girls closet in desperate need of a thorough cleaning out, I thought I would test my theory. So on Saturday while Darren was playing with the kids, I went to work.

5 hours later, I got 3 dressers of clothes down to 2, and 7 bags worth of stuff out of that room! I think I just might participate in 40 bags in 40 days this year!

I also realized that I had not purchased pajamas for my baby since she was 18 months old. She is now 3 1/2. We noticed, of course, that all her jammies had turned into capris, but it didn't keep her awake at night, so it didn't seem to matter.

After I was done that room, I needed to get out of the house, so the girls and I hopped in the van, while the boys (big and small) stayed home and played Lego. It is way too much fun for the 4 of us to shop together. Sometimes we buy, sometimes we don't. This time we were on the hunt for pajamas for Nya. Along the way I realized that I have no children left in the baby department of Superstore, nor will I ever again. Turns out my baby is not such a baby.

~before~

~after~ 

Much better! She was pretty pleased. She spent the entire day today changing from one pair of new pajamas to another.

For this girl who ripped her favorite dress while wearing it and riding her bike, we found this:

And for this girl, who not only left the baby department a decade ago, but is now beginning to fit  women's clothing, we found this:

It is such a fun and fascinating thing to see ones daughter growing up and become aware of what she likes and what she doesn't. I realize that this can happen at a much younger age for some girls, but Noelle has never been terribly concerned about what she wears. She is one of those super easy, whatever is in the drawer, kind of people I have always admired. The kind that look cute in sweats or a skirt. Noelle now has a very strong opinion of what she likes and what she doesn't. Nothing too bright, too flashy, or immodest. She likes to be comfortable and co-ordinated. But I also see her stepping out of her box every once in a while and trying some sort of new and fun combination. It is truly so much fun to observe.

And for me - I found this top. It is perfectly simple and beautifully feminine.  

 I am now pretty sure I will be able to get close to 40 bags. Seems counter-productive, bringing in the new while trying to get rid of the old. But when I consider that 7 bags of things we can no longer use went out and only 1 bag of things we can use came back in, it seems a good trade off. Every time I walk into the girls room, even though it appears no different until you start to open doors and drawers, it feels so good. And when you break your house up into 40 small sections it is not so overwhelming.  

 I made my list - now if I can stick with it for 40 days, my house will be one of order.

It could certainly use some of that right about now! 

twelve

This has been a week of wonders for Noelle, and I have felt like a little girl all over again, being able to experience everything with her. 

Birthdays are pretty special around here, but this year, for this birthday, for this girl, we have had some exciting surprises in store. 

The first and best surprise would, of course, be Grandpa and Grandma Anderson showing up on our doorstep the day before her birthday. 

{Try to take a picture when your hands are shaking and your eyes are filling up with tears faster than you can wipe them}

 Next, a pink camera, that she has been hoping for, for years.

Pink poodle slippers from her dear friend Clara.

Pink cupcakes made by her sisters.

Her first professional haircut - ever!

{Tate and I had such fun watching her.}

Although it is hard to see in the picture, Michelle, our hair dresser, even added sparkles to her hair when she was finished.
They look so pretty in person. 

Did you know that you can buy spray on sparkles for your hair?! 

She even got her ears pierced! 

Noelle has a very low tolerance for pain. This girl will not even pull a band aid off. 

I was really concerned that she wouldn't go through with it when we got there. 

Not only did she hop right in that chair and get it done without a flinch, she couldn't stop smiling all afternoon. 

I think I was more nervous than she was. This is my baby, you know.

And to top it all off we had planned to go to Vancouver tomorrow, but it must have all been too much for her. 

She is now down and out on the sofa, sick as she can be. Poor girl. 

What a way to end the most marvelous week ever. 

Get better Noelle. 

I cannot believe the person I see you becoming. You are so very beautiful, inside and out. 

You are your daddy's little girl, your momma's big helper, your grandparents shinning star.

Thank you for loving me, for being my daughter, and one of my very best friends. 

Happy birthday! love, Mom

this week.....

we got a package from my parents in the mail. It contained Christmas cards for the kids and this years ornament. Since moving away my mom has made a really big effort to send the kids cards - for Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, ect. This means so very much to them. They save every card! Thank you, also, Mom and Dad for the birthday cards. I got two - one from my mom and another one especially from my dad! I am missing my parents this time of year, and wishing we could have our annual girls day at the mall.

Auntie Shannon let Santa know that we needed an elf at our house, and so a couple of weeks ago we had a new little guest come to stay with us for the holiday season. Nya was not too sure about him, and refused to go into the living room where he sat. After a couple of days, and seeing pictures of her cousin, Aubrey, with her little elf, Nya warmed to the idea. I asked her what we should name him and she insisted upon Sheep. So here he stays, taking advantage of the many holes we still have in our drywall since getting pot lights installed last summer! The kids are actually super excited about him. Every morning I will awake to Tate asking me if he can show me where the elf is now! 

My Christmas mantel this year is super simple. I didn't go and gather greenery to make fresh boughs. Normally I clip behind my parents house, but since they moved I didn't have in in my heart to go. Maybe next year. But thanks to Debra who was in a purging mood, the mantel got a facelift at least. Thank you, Debra. I LOVE the believe sign, and the black star got a coat of red paint and now my pretty bland mantel is all ready for Christmas. And..........

after 8 months I FINALLY painted my board and applied the vinyl (cut by Debra) for our family affirmations. It makes me smile every time I walk past! It has been WAY too long since I have done anything creative. I need to get back at it.

My boys have such fun with their hair. Every morning they think up some new animal they resemble. One morning this week it was a great horned owl. About 30 minutes later Bergen was relieved of his horns, via the hair clippers!

Noelle is continuing to cook up a storm! She loves it, and so do the other children. She declared one day that she wanted to open her own bakery and name it 'The Baker Bee'. She would greet her customers with, "Welcome to the hive. How may we help you?" I, for one, think this is a fantastic idea. I will be your first customer, Noelle!

You would think that Nya would never be in need of a playmate, but the other day I found her playing Connect Four with a Webkinz. She would lift his paw and have him play his piece when it was his turn. Too cute!

at last

I am not a hairdresser, and I will never profess to have hair savvy abilities, but when it comes to paying for a haircut for the children or trying to do it myself, I will try and do it myself. If I mess up too terribly bad, I will humbly go into the salon and have someone fix my sad attempt. But so far it has worked out alright. It is never perfect, but I have also paid for less than perfection, and that hurts a whole lot more than free.
Noelle has been wanting her hair cut for a while now, but I have been stalling and putting her off, for the above reasons. Also, she is not little anymore, well she's little, but she's not. And she wanted a big girl haircut. I was not so sure I could do what she wanted. So 3 loooooong months later I gave in. It is her hair after all and she seemed to trust in me a little more than maybe she should. So cut we did!

{before}

 {after}

forgivness

I had a great day today - for 95% of the time. The other 5 was filled with frustration, anger, and then immediate regret. I was wrong. There is nothing else to say about it. I let the situation bring out the worst in me. I walked around for the next 20 minutes feeling horrible about myself, horrible about my parenting, and worried about my child. Does she know I love her? Does she know how amazing I think she is? Will she forgive me for the way I acted? I did the only thing I could think to do. I went to my bedroom and prayed. I prayed for forgiveness. I prayed for a deeper ability to be calm and understanding. I prayed that she would forgive me, and that I could forgive myself. Then I went to her.

I could tell you that I hugged her and told her how sorry I was. But this story is about her, not me. She forgave. She forgave without grudge. She opened her heart right back up to me. She trusted me again. How grateful I am for the heart of this child. When I am wrong, when I fail, when I make a mistake - she loves, she forgives, she lets go. There is so much for me to learn from her. How I wish I could be more like Noelle.

New blogs

Emma's new blog

Noelle's new blog

I've just about hit blogger burnout. The girls have revamped their blogs this week, and they turned out pretty cute (they aren't done yet. we are still working on them).  I am feeling very done. Blogging my own 3 and their 2 has been more than I can keep up with. It is such a fabulously fun way for them to journal though. They learn computer skills and typing, spelling and grammar, and photography as well. So we carry on and hope that the day is not too far off that they will be able to do the bulk of it by themselves. For now all I hear is, "How do you spell....", and "How do I do...." every 2 minutes. But they are loving it and learning too!

girls, curls, nails & cookies

Noelle had a small group of girls over to celebrate her birthday last Saturday. We had too much fun! We each made our own mini pizza, and decorated sugar cookies and cupcakes, and then, with the help of Aubrey and Stephanie, stylists extraordinaire, we pampered the girls with manicures and curls! I don't really know what I was thinking, but I realized near the end of the night that between making pizzas and icing cookies, and painting nails, and cleaning up, I neglected to take a single picture. Fortunately for me, at least 1 of my children with almost inevitably have a camera in hand. So although the are blurry - we did get some photos to help us remember this night, courtesy of mini photographers. Again thanks to everyone who helped make this night so fabulous for Noelle. Aubrey and Stephanie - you are forever my girls!

Nya.... seriously am I in trouble or what? She is only 2. 

She was all over it, swimsuit and everything! 

(this has been her daily apparel of choice recently)