My Children Are My Memorial Stones

Today is my Katie's fourth birthday. How did we get here? This is our first official photograph together. I always say that Katie is my hug from God. And that is what she truly is. This girl is such a blessing to everyone who crosses her path. She smiles and gives a thumbs up to strangers in the grocery store. She tells those who visit our home, "I love you!" and means it. At such a young age, I can see God using her to love on others and encourage them!

This is the most memorable snap I took of her in the hospital. At one day old she was already engaging with those around her.
First bath...She knows what she likes...and what she DOESN'T like! She still makes this exact face!

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of Katie. It shows her independence and spunk!

Our most recent photo together. Just an hour after giving birth to Henry. She wasn't too sure of the situation. Mostly, she wanted to make sure that she and I were okay...We are okay!

Katie represents to me a time that was filled with God's love and miracles in my life. Just thinking about this today, made me realize that God has moved in defining ways in each arrival of all of my children. To me it seems as though the people around me took the time to get it together before having kids. God used my kids to force me to get it together and marked each "space" in my time with His grace. With Calla's arrival I was eventually marked Maturity and Responsibility (or at least the beginnings of the process). With Molly-Contentment. With Teige-Brokenness, then Boldness. Katie-Joy and Faith. Henry-Peace, Love, and Obedience.

About a month ago, Molly and I were reading through the book of Joshua. Each time I read it I am particularly draw to the passage in chapters 3 and 4 about how the Children of Israel placed markers in the Jordan as a testimony to what the Lord their God had done for them. So, that the generations that would come after them would not forget. Whenever I read this I think, "It would be neat if I could have some sort of monument to the Lord that would testify what He has done in my life." This morning when I was thinking about Katie's birth and the circumstances surrounding her arrival, it dawned on me the sovereignty of the Lord with each child's appearance in my life. Praise God! He is Good! When I look at them I know I will never forget what He has done for me. What He has brought me out of and through. Where He has placed my feet now.

I love you, my children. Happy Birthday, Katie...my hug from God.

smooch

Let it not snow, Let it not snow, Let it not snow

Snow? Are you kidding me? It is actually snowing and I'm not ready for this kind of weather...except for the fact that it may make my decision to put up the Christmas tree on Monday look more rational. But then again, I have never claimed to be completely rational. Actually, there are many reasons to put up the Christmas tree this early. One: The lights help those who have bi-polar disorder to feel more cheerful. Two: It's a reminder that you need to start Christmas shopping and not put it off to the last minute. Three: It takes so much effort to put the tree up, that you might as well enjoy it longer. Four: Just be happy I waited until November. There have been a couple of years I put it up on October.

I can't believe that I now have 5 children. Henry Alan Zike has now joined our family and will be two months old tomorrow. He has just started smiling at me. I had just about forgot how wonderful a toothless, double-dimpled smile could be. Pretty wonderful. I don't think I've ever stopped to appreciate what it is to be a mother of a newborn as much as I have this time. Maybe because I'm about sure he's my last. Maybe because I know how fast they grow up and become mouthy teenagers. Maybe because I see the wonder of the Lord more clearly at this point in my life. Probably all of the above. It's like falling in love all over again and I'm smittened!

The rest of the kids are doing well. Calla is living with her father...We knew she would have to try it out. She is making honor roll this year and working on being responsible in all areas of her life. I couldn't be more proud of her right now! I started homeschooling the younger kids again, this past summer. I feel like I'm back in my element. Molly is determined and list driven, like her mother. Teige and Katie are developing a love for learning, which is exactly my goal for them on this level. Jeff and I are enjoying our marriage and still are very much the newly-weds. We have been attending Southside Bible Church. It has been such a blessing to be involve in our married couples Sunday School class. Outside of hands-on life training, I have grown the most under the teaching here. Jeff still runs four times a week and we still enjoy home do-it-yourself projects. As for Stickers...I'm returning to the trade soon...so keep on the look out for the announcement!

I'll see you back here Monday for MQM...

smooch

A Bit of Joy

On Christmas Eve...Katie and Teige had three baths. I couldn't find the can of chocolate frosting for the Birthday Cake for Jesus. I couldn't find Katie and Teige. I found Katie and Teige under Molly's bed. I found the chocolate frosting for the Birthday Cake for Jesus.
Katie at my mom's house Christmas Eve, eating. Apparently, a kid cannot live on chocolate frosting alone. I sure could have. Dad...with his best woman and stupidest smirk
Becky, Molly, Abbie...See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil

Daddy reading the Christmas story from Luke to the grandkids

Super Teige to the rescue. Aunt Annie made him this cape and he hasn't taken it off much since Christmas Eve.

The calm before the storm

Teige was the first out of bed at 5:30...

We were all up and at it by 6:30

Me and my sweethearts. What a Merry Christmas.

smooch

Katie's #2 Party

Here is my little winter birthday princess.

"Happy Birthday To You"

Um, You missed one, KJ

Mom and Daddy with his new

dapper cap and suspenders

smooch

Well, That Was Random

When my kids grow up, we'll sit around and reminisce, and tell stories about how we would hide in my bedroom from the Jehovah Witnesses. Today they knocked on the door for five minutes (I'm not exaggerating!). I usually talk to them...They are always really friendly even though I'm not joining their compound...It's 11:30 am and I'm still in my jammies and it would be nice if they would call first...I know this doesn't resemble a knee, but it is. More importantly, it's my knee. This is the worst bruise I think I've ever had to endure. I got it falling of a teeter totter thingee at Southwest Park. It doesn't hurt. It's just ugly. Does that mean I have some weird disease in which one doesn't feel bruises?...

Here is an old picture of Molly walking through Hunter's Honey Farm with Wyatt Sell. I think this was two years ago. They were five. Monica Merritt got really jealous and walked up to Molly and said, "We need to talk." Isn't that cute and hilarious.

Oh, no... I think the Jehovah Witnesses are back...This is like a reverse fire drill...

Here is a picture of the first year we were in White River, taken at American Girl Club. Morgan, Calla, Allie, Carrie, and Grace. That was the most fun year! Every New Year's Eve I have a New Year's Prayer instead of a resolution. I have gotten a yes to my requests every year, except for 2006, when I prayed for a stronger marriage (giggle). The year this picture was taken I prayed for friends for Calla and me. We weren't grounded in a church anywhere and it was really hard not to have Christian fellowship. God was so faithful to us in the friends department. I wouldn't have gotten through 2006 without them...

Monday, Emily stopped by for a while to have tea (believe it or not). I made cancer s'mores (microwaved). This is the only picture I can find of Emily. I'll get one of her making coffee on Sunday. This was about a year ago. Who looks this good after delivering? This was my first encounter with Ian Scott. The last time I was at his house, he said my name...

Last night Molly helped me make my version of Olive Garden's sausage and peppers. I'll post the recipe tomorrow. The rest of the day holds more math lessons...coffee/devotion time by myself at Starbucks...dinner with my kids...

smooch

Which Pooh Character Are You?

Whenever I meet a new person and get to know them a little better, I try to categorize and sub categorize which Disney's Winnie The Pooh character they most closely resemble. I always hate when people put me in a box. So much so that I will almost always rebel against their diagnosis with immediate change. Ha Ha... You thought you had me figured out. Unfortunately, anyone within knowing me for five minute could peg me clearly as Rabbit, which is the least beloved character of all. However, he is the character who has the most common sense and the least patience. And that is an enigma in itself. Which is me.
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Now mind you, babies most always start as a Pooh or a Piglet and develop into something entirely different by the age of five, or so me says. When the Lord put together my perfectly created children he blessed me with a

Tigger - Calla
Who was almost at once a Tigger and never stopped. She is the reason I need to drink SO much coffee in the morning.

Rabbit - Molly (Plus a little Eeyore)
Who started life as a predominant Piglet. The mind of this child has yet to be unleashed upon society, but watch out. She can put a jigsaw faster than anyone else in the family. She is stubborn to figure things out on her own without anyone's help.

??? - Teige
We are still trying to figure him out. He has Tigger tendencies. During his infancy he was a Piglet.
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Pooh - Katie
Still watching this one. She has been my kindest, charmingest child to date. She may turn into the prize found in Christopher Robbin.

Anyway, if you find yourself in an awkward pause at a social event this fall, this is always one of my favorite ice breaking conversations. You could also do Peanuts characters - I'm Lucy. Or Friends characters - I a Monica/Chandler, though I've been known to laugh like Janice.

smooch

They Say It's Your Birthday

Today, I packed the kids in the car and headed up to Fry Road's Northwest Park, which boasts a rough and rumble type of playground, hiking trails, and picnic shelter with ample seating for all your skeletons in the closet. This is My Mama (with my cheesy father and nephew Josiah). She just turned 54 on Wednesday. She was 20 when she gave birth to me. You do the math. Can we count that as a school day?
Annie is so good at coupons. Yesterday she bought $197 worth of groceries for $7. Joni and I tried to listen up close like and glean from her knowledge. I'm learning. I think it looks fun, but time consuming. I'll keep you posted on my new hobby and we'll see if I can be as cool as her.

"Are you really taking another picture of me, Mom?" Isn't she pretty? Hopefully this will make up for the "Dr. Calla" picture.

This is Joni's oldest son, my nephew, Sammy. He had just bit his tongue and was speechless. Looks like an up and coming GAP model if you ask me."Hi there, tomatoes. My name's Katie. Whadda ya say we get to know each other a little better over a ranch cocktail?""I prefer to do everything backwards." Teige loves climbing up the slide this way. It's much more rewarding that using the ladder and less scary.

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No pics Molly, Becky, and Abbie. The find one another and it's a hidden gigglefest. You can hear them, but you can't see them.

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Below is a video of my brother-in-law, Brian, telling Katie a story about a cracker and it was really cute. So, I decided to film it and he started getting more "hammy". Try not to get distracted by my laughing or my Dad's chitter chatter in the background. Press pause on the playlist at the bottom of the page and join my followers list on the sidebar =>, if you haven't already done so, before watching.

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Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you.

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smooch

Cute Shirts and Dr. Calla

This is the beginning of the meltdown that cuppycake experienced last week. I just love this shirt. Katie is almost two. Molly got it for a third birthday present - shown below with the tags still on it.

Isn't amazing how much the two of them look a like? Isn't also amazing how clean and new my sofa looks here.

My Uncle David was in town a few years back (like 4) and Calla was hamming it up as usual to win his affections. She'll kill me when she finds I've posted this, so it's been nice knowing you. I doubt she'll ever become a doctor. She leans more toward the talents of flipping quarters off her elbow like our friend Paul.

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This day has grabbed me and dragged me along. I had a nice break this morning before work grabbing breakfast with Jeff. I'm now waiting for Molly to get off the bus so that I can pick Calla up from art lessons so that I can take them to dance lessons so that I can come home and make dinner so that I can wash dishes. Yay! Dishes.

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Annie~I'll post your hand tomorrow if I can.

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smooch

Mama, my e-awk is broken

Below is a picture of Teige's first fohawk. The boy had crazy hair from the beginning and it was good. He has always been very sensitive about his hair. When he was two months old, anytime there was made mention of his hair being anything but pristine, he would bawl like a...well, like a baby, of course. Here is Teige's latest mohawk. Last November, I remember we were getting ready to give him his first "real" mohawk after we got our family portrait done. We had set a date have them taken and it got cancelled. The following day, Teige cut a huge chunk his bangs and our plans were dashed. Not to mention, he sported a spiffy bur in our portrait (see right).

Teige loves mohawks. He calls them "e-awks". When in need of some product, he'll come up to me, tug on my jeans, and say "Mama, my e-awk is broken." Just about breaks your heart, I tell ya.

smooch

Losing it!

Not my mind, my waist. Woo Hoo. Day 11 of my pilates plight. An inch and a half off my waist. The next time I'm complaining about my gut, you have my permission to slap me upside the head and say go get back on the plan. Gently, please. Each time I have started this routine back up, I have always reaped immediate results.

Today, I was rushing around trying to get ready to see Mary Beth, and I thought I was about 15 minutes late. Turns out I was 10065 minutes early. My appointment isn't until next Tuesday. Is it possible that I have beaten Sherry's record for being early here?

This morning as I awoke to three-year-old knees and elbows stabbing my ribs and stomach. Teige crawled up on the bed and laid his head on my belly, grabbed my hand and laid it across his cheek, and said "My Mama" Besides the immense pain, it was a great way to start my day.

Did you ever have a swatch watch?
Smooch.

The Case of the Missing Jumping Bean

Teige, aka Goggleman:


Mexican Jumping Beans:


A couple weeks ago, I went into Walgreens. As I was checking out, I heard this overwhelmingly loud clicking noise. I looked down and there was this container of tons of little containers with these little beans in them. I had always thought Mexican jumping beans were some kind of myth. Apparently, I was wrong (Relish it - I don't say it often). They were only $1.95 for three a container of three beans. We are all about cheap thrills around here, so I purchased them along with my carton of diaper wipes and carried them out to the car.

For those of you who don't know what Mexican jumping beans are, there is a detailed description of them on this website: http://www.jbean.com/ , which I just now read. Interesting!

Today, when I got home from work, Calla was distraught because Teige had got into her stuff and two of the three beans were missing. At dinner time I interrogated the ever innocent looking Teige.

Me: Did you get into sissy's beans?
Teige: Leelie's shoes are in my room.
Me: Okay, but Did you get into sissy's beans?
Teige: Leelie's shoes are in my room.
Calla jumps up to see if perhaps he hid the beans in the shoes that Levi passed down to him a few weeks back. No beans. Then she brought the remaining bean to show him what we were looking for.

Me: Do you see the bean Teige? Do you know where the other beans are?
Teige: In my room.
Calla jumps up again to see if she can find them. No beans.

Me: Teige, did you take the beans?
Teige: Yep
Molly: Check his pocket.
Calla checked his pocket and sure enough there was a bean in there. But only one.

Molly: Oh, no. That's the pocket he puts stuff he's going to eat it.
Me: Did you eat the bean, Teige?
Teige: Yep
Me: Do you want to eat this one?
Teige: No, those are lucky (meaning: yucky) beans.

Goggleman today, food critic tomorrow. Calla thought herself quite clever when she told him that he was going to get butterflies in his stomach.

Go get you some. They're cute.

Do I need to call poison control? Don't tell the animal rights activist. Smooch.

New Job/My Girl's Today

If you can't find Katie, check in the corners and the library. She has discovered the written word and loves to "read". She has an uncanny ability to tuck herself away, hidden in plain view, with a book or magazine.

Molly: Getting off the bus. I'm sure her bus driver is tired of me taking her picture, by now. Tonight I have my first parent/teacher open house at the school. This is a total first for me. Being a homeschool mom, a parent teacher conference meant I had lost my mind and was found talking to myself in the bathroom.

Calla: Reading Murder on the Orient Express.

I started a new part-time job today. I'm doing marketing for a locally-based IT company. Not only is it bringing in a little extra income, but it's nice to get out of the house three afternoons a week. Funny thing is, I thought it would be more quiet at the office, but the air conditioning system sounds like you're in a wind tunnel or sitting next to the ocean. That will take some getting used to. Thus far, I have looked through building, learned a little about products and services we offer, and found out where the coffee machine is. Coffee is only twenty-five cents. Cool, huh? I'm sure it's no Starbucks or Emily's Coffee Shop, but it may provide useful. Oh, you can also get hot chocolate. Hmmm. What else...the office building has a huge 1/2 story tall African cichlid tank in the lobby.

Smooch.

Molly's First Day in First Grade

Dragged herself to the sofa to do morning devotions and fell asleep before I unzipped my Bible cover...

A little more bright-eyed after a refreshing morning shower. Frosted Cheerios - mmmm...

Molly and Mommy on our front porch waiting for the bus...

More smiles...

See her beautiful new backpack that smells like the "Y"...

Spiffy nametag...

Here it comes...

My baby's gone. :-(

I kept my composure all morning, smiled until the bus rounded the corner, walked in the house and bawled like Lucille Ball.

Molly came home and asked if she could go back. That's a good thing, right?

(Hey Laurie, I blogged. Can we be friends again?)