The Scoop

Today we found a GEM!!!

This week is conference week at the boys' school and since I had my mom's cool car (van getting fixed...) I thought, "What a great day to drive around town and find a cool place to eat ice cream." Don't let our choice of delicacy fool you... It's still in the 40's and raining with occasional snow. But, we found a S-P-O-T! It's a gem, a true piece of sunshine on a gray day. It's called The Scoop.

It's in a little corner shop right across from an elementary school. The boys asked if it was a house, so it was obviously not fancy on the out side, if I was a better picture-taker I would have been snapping shots but I'm not, so just imagine with me. We went inside and there were some junior highers in there hanging out and two nice gals working behind the counter. There were about 24 different flavors, mostly all random. For example, Nate got mint ice cream. Not mint chocolate chip, just mint. Caleb got Cakey Doh. It was vanilla with cake dough pieces in it. Both boys chose a cake cone.

Then I spotted it...a little price board that had the kid scoop on it and other random prices...but it also said:

Baby Scoop: $1

Start em early!!

Really, it said that! I was like...oh you don't have to tell me twice, and ordered one up for Titus. It came in a little baby cone, I got him vanilla bean. I didn't want to overwhelm his senses. Look at this pic!

Start 'em early!!

  He LOVED it. Who wouldn't???!!? The gals loved watching him eat it. Who wouldn't??!!? Check it.

 I had a delicious Salted Caramel Milkshake. It was AWESOME. See....

The boys and I had a good time. We all agreed that we must bring Alena and daddy back to The Scoop.

My sweet big boys. Caleb and Nathan.

After ice cream we went to the library...every one read books for 45 minutes! WOW!

He is a delight!

I LOVE that they can read all by themselves!

All in all a great day! Although raining and a bit crazy, it was good. Now, I need to go, this posting pictures stuff takes too much time and I need to be packing! We are going on a trip! :) 

To the boys - I love you forever. Mama

We Miss

This is going to be a brutally honest post. I am prefacing this so that NO one gets offended or misled. I believe with 100% of my heart that we did the right thing by moving to Spokane. BUT this does not negate the passion with which I Miss...WE Miss...

We miss our friends so much that we take pictures of the pictures they send to us...

We miss SPRING...

Taken TODAY, on the 3rd day of Spring

I miss good coffee...I don't know what the deal is, but the farther you get away from Starbucks capital, the worse the coffee gets. It's weird.

I miss calling friends spur the moment for a play date. Like morning of, haven't brushed my teeth or hair, calling or texting, "Hey, wanna play today?"

I miss homeschooling. Ok, so this isn't ENTIRELY the "move's" fault...and it's probably not 100% true, but I miss having the boys around and teaching them everything they learn. Now they come home smarter everyday and I had virtually nothing to do with it. Humph.

I miss GOOD words. Like GOOD preaching. Thank the Lord for podcasts. And preachers who preach for the internet listeners ;)

We miss our yard....

The kids SERIOUSLY miss Boomer and Angel...

Boomer

 

 

 

Angel

 So....we miss. It's natural right? And at least I am not in denial. Thanks for letting me miss, right here on my blog. Tomorrow, the sun will shine and one day I will post ALL the things we love about being here. But for now, I miss.

Theatre...perhaps

So, if you missed it, we moved recently...

Most of my faithful readers haven't missed that fact though...anyway, in the move we have TRIED super hard to make sure that each of the kids are finding a niche in this new city. So, when the Civic Theatre sent home some paperwork from school, I felt a tug. So we prayed and then we asked Caleb if he would be interested in trying out for a play. Alice in Wonderland. I thought, what a perfect first play for a little boy, not a whole lot of pressure to be the main character :) He loved the idea. He loved to do something different than his brother and it was a perfect opportunity to branch out a bit.

The first day the director would choose roles. I was nervous the first day, Caleb was not. And he hopped in the van at the end of the hour and said, I am the Dodo Bird. What a cute Dodo bird Caleb would be. But let's be honest for a minute here...it's been a LONG time since I have watched AIW. It's probably not even in my top ten favorite Disney movies. So I honestly had no idea who the Dodo bird even was. But what I can tell you is that I knew it would be perfect for Caleb.

The part was simple and not very many lines and it was the PERFECT part for a beginner in the first grade. And Caleb was a natural! He had all his lines learned in the first 24 hours. I am not kidding. By the end of the 13 weeks I think Caleb probably had more than 1/2 of the whole play memorized. Amazing their little brains. The play was cute and very 1st-3rd grade-ish. The kids' costumes were awesome. Caleb's costume had to be pretty simple, which was fine with him, he didn't want TOO much attention drawn to him. And this was the curious part...Ben and I got to see a different side of Caleb in these last few weeks. We saw him be confident yet not steal the limelight. We saw him function on a team, and not take over as director of all. We saw him do something new, with JOY, and not be afraid. I hope these are things we remember about Caleb for a long time. Because I think we are seeing who Caleb is, not just who we are praying for him to be. Prayers work. I saw it in a Dodo bird, in a 20 minute showing of Alice in Wonderland at Spokane, WA's Civic Theatre.

Love you Caleb. I hope this is not your last performance. Although I get to watch you be silly and dramatic everyday...I want those gifts shared with many more people. Jesus in you is amazing.
xoxo- Mama

8

Last weekend the boys turned eight years old. I know 8 is not usually a monumental birthday but this year it sure felt like 8 was a HUGE deal. Maybe because we live in Spokane now, maybe because it's the boys' first year in school, maybe because they used to be so TINY and now they are so BIG. Whatever the reason, I can't believe they are eight!

If you already know the story of their birth, you can skip this part -- but for my own sanity, I must relive this story at least once a year, to remind myself that it happened. To remind myself that my boys are fighters. To remind myself that Ben and I were created for the adventure of twins. To remind Caleb and Nathan that they are special. To remind Alena and now Titus that their big brothers were specially placed in our family to be their BIG brothers. To remind the boys that God created them and they are HIS first, then ours.

March 4th. Who knew that would be the day my life changed forever?

The boys were supposed to be born on April 17th. That was the due date and no one really told me that due dates are never right...especially with twins. So I worked right up to February 26th. We were pretty surprised the night of March 1st (in the wee-early hours of March 2nd) when I woke up with labor pain. Odd, I thought. So I called the nurse, drank lots of water and took a bath. But it didn't stop anything so we went to the ER at St. Joe's hospital in Tacoma, WA. When I got there I was IN labor...but no one really wanted that to happen just yet.... My mid-wife was about to go on vacation, I hadn't called my mom, Ben hadn't taken work off, and Caleb was breech. So we went to all lengths to get the labor to stop. Finally, magnesium sulfate worked. But that stuff SUCKS...look up the side effects, I had them all. It did give us time to get two rounds of steroids in to strengthen the boys' lungs. In fact, we were so convinced that things had slowed down, as I laid there for two days, that we called our parents and said, don't come. And we planned for Ben to return to work. And Jocelyn came and watched TV with me (did we watch Oprah?) while Ben went home to shower and prepare for work the next day.
When he came back, things started to roll....in a much different direction....
All I wanted was a sponge bath so Ben started to help me. Then suddenly he says, I think we need a nurse, next thing I know the nurse says, "Yep, you're at a six and I will be right back." Not 10 minutes later my mid-wife walks through the door and says, "Hey, Crystal, you are actually at a ten and we need to do an ultra-sound. These babies will be here in the next hour." Since Caleb was doing somersaults in the womb, they did a quick check and decided that an emergency C-section was going to be the way to go. At that point neither Ben or I cared, only that they were out healthy. This all happened at 6ish. We called our parents, called Jocelyn, and started to pray and prepare our hearts.

Today was the day.

Caleb Jeremiah was born at 6:45pm; 4lbs 14oz.

Nathan Jesse was born at 6:47pm; 3lbs 15oz.

They were both healthy and small. They were taken to the NICU where Ben would stay with them and briefly come to see me and update me. The first night, around 9:45, I wanted to see the boys so bad. The nurses were very hesitant and I found out why once I was in the NICU (in a wheelchair) and was throwing up right next to Caleb's bed. It was worth it to see my little buddies though.

They were in the NICU for exactly two weeks. This was a crazy experience in and of itself, but they were fighters and it felt like we were outta there in no time.

The most important lesson Ben and I learned at the very beginning was this: God gave us a great gift in Caleb and Nathan, but He also established with us, from the start, that they are HIS first. As we sat eating lunch at the hospital cafeteria one afternoon, I was crying, wanting to hurry and eat to go and see the boys again...as Ben and I bowed our heads to pray we both had a revelation of the Lord saying, "Nathan and Caleb are in my hands. I have them. You will love them and take care of them, but they are mine first. I love them deeply and will watch over them." There was great peace, still an anticipation to go see them, but a peace that the Creator God was holding them and they would be fine.

So this morning, almost exactly eight years later....I let them walk to school. All by themselves. They have been asking for weeks and finally, being eight and all....I let them go. So crazy, yet so right. I mean they are EIGHT.

I love you Caleb Jeremiah. I love you Nathan Jesse. ~Your mama

5 Years + 1 Week

Ok, so I am a little behind, but last Friday, Alena turned FIVE! She is an amazing little girl that we were all excited to celebrate. Let me take you back a bit though...long before Alena was born we were given a gift....

Long ago, in a church far away, sitting in a big room, with not too many people, Ben and I were taught a simple but powerful lesson: We could hear the voice of God. Simple: Read John 10, it says we are His sheep and we can know His voice. Powerful: The Creator of the Universe speaks to me! This can be used for many different things, but one of the ways it has absolutely blessed Ben and I has been in raising our children. HIS heart (meaning God's) is consistently more compassionate, kind, loving, and gracious than mine...so it advantageous to hear His voice when it comes to kids who push me to my mental, physical, and emotional limits. He has this way of speaking to me about them that softens me and helps me see them in the light of glory. Did I mention this is helpful on difficult days? It's actually helpful on the easy days too.

So, anyway, 5 and a half years ago when we found out we were having a girl, we prayed and asked the Creator of our child, who was this being growing inside of me? And believe or not we heard astonishing, yet simple, characteristics about our little one. Now, don't let me fool you...sometimes I doubt, I think, "Really? We heard that, but will that be what she is really like?" I am not always steadfast- thankfully, He is. But then...5 years and 1 week goes by and I frantically search for the exact piece of paper it was written on that day....and when I find it, I am overwhelmed by the power there is in hearing His voice. I will only share a few because these are Ben, mine and Alena's pearls and we won't give them ALL away to the internet...but enjoy, because God is good and faithful and He is simple and He is powerful.

* Confident Joy

I wish you could hear what her teacher says at conferences, this confirms we heard right on this one!

* Shining Star

She is sweet and kind and dramatic and soft. She is a true light.

* Passionate Friend

To her brothers, to girl friends, to me, her dedication never wanes.

Her birthday party was simple. Strawberry Shortcake met pigs-in-a-blanket with chocolate covered strawberries on the side. I was fretting because I wanted MORE for her, MORE friends, MORE presents...but she looked at me, as we were making her cupcakes, and I told her just 2 friends were coming, and she said, "Perfect, mom, I can't wait." Thank you God for the gift of hearing your voice and thank you for the gift of Alena.

I love her, forever.

DENTIST!!

Can I brag on my kids for a minute here?? Of course I can, that's why I started this blog in the first place.

We went to the dentist today. We recently moved and so we have been trying to get set up with a new kid dentist, adult dentist, doctor, church, hair stylist, friend (or two)...etc, etc. Anyway, our adult dentist, (found simply out of desperation when Ben needed an emergency root canal after we'd been here about 2 weeks) referred us to a great kid dentist. Have I mentioned that I L-O-V-E-D our kid dentist in Tacoma (well, actually Gig Harbor)? Well, I did, I loved her. She was smart and kind and did a ton of preventative work with Caleb and his teeth. The kids adored going to the dentist- it was a win-win situation! So I have been apprehensive about if this booming city (documented in this blog) would have a place that I could love as much. Is it so bad that I just want my kids to enjoy going to the dentist? Well we found a winner today!! The front office staff was SO kind, the hygienists were off the charts, and the dentist was A-MAZ-ING. I am proud of Spokane. But I am even more proud of ALL 4 of my awesome kids.

They played like champs while I did, seriously, 20 minutes of paper work. Alena kept Titus from eating some insulation that was inconspicuously poking out from under the play boat they had in the waiting room. The boys were so hungry, but waited patiently for their appointment to start. They were star kids in the dental chairs, climbing up so bravely and then speaking with their hygienist in big kid voices. They went to get teeth pictures all by themselves and said it was "easy-peasy." They answered all the dentist's questions and laughed politely at all his jokes. They were champs. Even Titus let the man look at his teeth without shedding a tear! A win, I tell ya!

We didn't get out with no trouble at all....but I know I, at least, am looking forward to going back for the teeth pulling and cavity filling appointment. I hope they are too... ;)

We've Been Busy

WOW! Life and love have taken over these past few weeks... Valentines Day, Alena's birthday, special guests...all these things set me up for a lack of blogging and a overabundance of love and life.

Today's blog will therefore include something so random and mostly unrelated to my life... but nonetheless something I wanted the whole world to know about!

JELLO PLAY DOUGH

1 Cup white flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup warm water
1 three ounce package of jello - flavor of your choice

Stir all ingredients over medium heat until it thickens, it takes about 8 minutes. Then knead until it's cooled enough to PLAY!!! 

The recipe came from my sister in law (thanks Kristin!!!!), who probably found it off the internet but I don't know where she found it, and honestly I don't really care...just want you all to have the recipe for future birthday parties of your own...

Alena chose a Strawberry Shortcake party this year so we used strawberry Jello, it was a hit and a great party favor. More on the party, our V-day and special guests at another time!