Mess and Bliss.
Great combo.
Ice Paint
Rachael had a friend, Danielle, over for a play date. The night before we had prepped some ice paint (food colored water and popsicle sticks poked through aluminum foil for stability in the ice-cube trays).
I got the idea off of Rachael’s Sunday School paper.
Funny how fun simple can be.
Wordless Wednesday: Freedom
One’s freedom
At the cost of another’s.
But they don’t seem too offended. =)
Flipping
This week my Matthew is off to a youth missions trip for six days. And thanks to our precious Aunt Sarah, who just completed her freshman year of college, we’re having a new roommate and helper with the masses this week. So I’ve taken the opportunity of extra hands during the day, when she’s not working, to bite off my huge summer projects.
This week I’m flipping the bedroom furniture in the kids’ rooms and going through all the stored kid clothing (they are already boxed by size, but the boxes need to be weeded through since some of the lids don’t fit and I just throw the clothes into the boxes as a child grows out of the articles with some regard to condition). We’re donating any unwanted furniture/clothing to the women’s center (a place supporting women who would have otherwise opted for an abortion) and other second-hand shops.
I got an email a while back from my sister’s in-laws saying they had the top bunk of the set of bunkbeds they gave us now available for pick-up, along with the generous donation of two dressers. And just a week after a sweet friend of mine offered me her kiddo’s old baby crib. Since Hannah was shaking the bolts free of her crib (resume skill), I thought it a good idea to do some crib switching.
So with that, the wooden furniture is headed into the boys’ room (more gender neutral furniture anyway) and the white furniture (more feminine, but at the time of setting up the room it was an incomplete bunk set and I needed the completed bunks for the girls over the femininity) is headed into the girls’ room. It started with the cribs, then the dressers, then followed by the beds while picking off clothing boxes and general storage amidst the whole project.
The project could take someone without kids just a a day or maybe even a day and a half when you add in the clothing, but since life still needs to go on around these parts, and there are morning and afternoon naps to be had, I’m easing the project in phases over a the entire week. Afterall, if the kids are a wreck because of pushing the project too hard, then I’m the one that needs to pick up the pieces… without Daddy.
I took some “before” pictures since Matt’ll be taking the camera on the mission trip. So I give you these pictures and hope to post my “after” pictures sometime at the end of this week or start of next week (depending on my sleep deprivation level). =)
Entering into the Girls’ Room
Wall 1 by the door.
The other 3 walls in the girls’ room.
And the boys’ room (warning: less tidy)
Doorway entrance (closet is one the left wall similar to the girls’ layout).
The 3 walls.
We. Will. Conquer. This!
P.S. I know the boys’ room is kinda plain. I’m working on that. 😉
And Waking Her
I couldn’t go back to sleep after our early morning nursing session. But Hannah? Oh no, she had no problem. She snuggled into me and slipped into a deeper, satisfied sleep. I kissed her forehead. Brushed aside her strawberry strands. That sleeping baby … never want to forget …
I went to lay back down. Just to give it a try. I knew my brain was already awake. And despite only the five hours, my body wasn’t feeling the need for more sleep. I was just awake. Ready. Wanting to get a jump on the day’s workload. I looked forward to it. That high of throwing yourself into hard work so you can admire the accomplishment.
The house was quiet. Deep breathing over the monitors.
Thank you, Lord. You bless me so. … Beyond words.
The vacuuming. The straightening. A few things here and there. Then I heard her squirm and moan. Odd. She was sleeping so soundly. “Do you need to go potty?” I whispered over her golden locks. A weary, clumsy toddler crawled from her bed. It’s in those moments that I am reminded of how little she is. Even though she’s running her world.
She woke up during her wait. The feet started to swing. A smile crept across her dimpled face. I knew she was up. But I gave her the opportunity to lay back down a bit. That lasted for twenty more minutes of straightening and cleaning. Then two blue eyes peeped out of her doorway. “You can come out.” I answered her eyes.
She watched me divide out the laundry. Putting aside the things that have grown too small. One shirt here, some pants there. And then she broke in, “Mommy, will you play with me?”
“I’ve got to get this work done, just a minute and then I’ll play.” Came the automatic response.
Silence. More folding.
“Mommy, will you get down the princess game? Mommy. Will you play with me?”
“I’m almost done with this stack.”
Her excitement grew as the stack neared it’s finish. A small celebration radiated through her little body at the last item’s folding. And off she darted for the playroom, ushering me in.
Down came the princess game. She scooted in beside me. There was so much other open floor to play on.
I returned to my “to hang up” pile.
“Mommy, will you play with me?”
Ok, God. I hear you. Priorities. She needs me.
I set aside the laundry.
“Yes, baby. I’ll play.”
Her quirky little personality. Her cackling laugh. Her little dimples. Her wild blond hair. Her ticklish squirming. Her concrete definitions. I drank it all in for over a half hour of early morning play.
I cherished it. I cherish it still. Such a rare gift sometimes. Just sitting with her and absorbing her world.
Thank you, Lord, for waking me up this morning.
…And waking her.
– Love her so.
Wordless Wednesday: Picking
I love how they feel compelled to always pick me flowers when they’re outside.
They don’t know they’re just dandelions
and I hope no one ever tells them,
To them, they are a bouquet of roses.
And I adore them.