Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Advent Pie



Today I made a mince pie on order for a person who needs a potluck contribution tomorrow. I used some pear mincemeat that I had canned, and added lots of walnuts. When I got done with the ordered pie, I had a little filling left over along with scraps of crust from Thanksgiving pies. So I made a little free-form pie for us. I let Jonah brush on the egg and sprinkle sugar on top. He was a bit heavy-handed with the sugar, but that's forgivable, I guess. He kept asking when we could eat it, so I told him he could have some after we got home from church tonight. We enjoyed our little slices of mince pie after our Advent service. Jonah called it "Advent pie". It was so yummy, I may have to make it again. I think this is how traditions begin...

Monday, November 29, 2010

Forcasting

Jonah, in his most chipper weather-forcaster voice:

"Thursday will be cloudy with a chance of showers. Friday and Saturday mostly sunny with highs in the low 50's. Sunday is colder with a good chance of snow! Right now it's 99 degrees in Holland, 23 in Lint, and 56 degrees in Grand Rabbits. In space today, Saturn is blue! Uranus, as usual, is rotating on it's side. Sirius is in the sky tonight."



Can you tell we listen to Michigan Public Radio? Jonah can take a weather report and run with it...

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Around Here Lately...

Busy! We're quite busy around here these days...

I've found that my oldest child is becoming quite the adept helper these days.




I'm training my slave-labor, you know. Just like my parents trained me...

I mean, that is why we have kids, right?

At least, I always thought...






He loves it! Today he put apples through the corer/slicer machine for apple pie, all by himself! I've been calling him my "gopher" because he's been so good at doing little tasks for me all the time.

Yesterday, he helped me with his Daddy's birthday cake. Let's just say he needs some practice in measurement... we ended up with a fallen cake and runny icing.




So it was a little ugly...





...but it was edible.




Evan, on the other hand, is working hard to catch up to his brother. He spent the whole day today practicing his newest trick.




He even fussed at me to put him down so that he could work on it. That kid was on a mission. By this evening, he was staying up on all fours for quite a while and scooting backwards at an alarming rate. He's 4 1/2 months old!!! We're in for it, I think...


In other news, Nathan's parents arrived for their customary Thanksgiving visit.





Evan got to meet his Oma and Opa for the first time!





He's been all little unsure of these new people, and clinging to Mommy and Daddy as much as possible. I'm sure he'll warm up to them quickly...

Jonah, however, takes absolutely no warming and dives right in to soaking up all the extra attention.





His favorite pastime is terrorizing his Opa. They have lots of fun together.

I'm feeling distinctly in need of some sleep, as I've been dealing with Evan's teething woes at night (told you he's in a hurry!) and working at getting food ready. My house is not clean (grr!) but we'll have food and good company and a great many thanks to be given to God. And I'll be even more thankful for some good sleep... Which I'm going to go get started on right now...

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Sweatin' With the Baby


In today's episode of Sweatin' with the Baby I'm going to show you all how
I keep my dimply diaper butt in such faaaaabulous shape!





With only a frillion manic repetions of this proven program,
YOU TOO can look this good!





Ready?

All right then! Let's go!

I like to start with this exercise I call "Swimmy".




To start, hold your arms and legs off the floor and balance on your chest.





And then paddle! Kick your legs!




Keep those arms up! Kick, kick, kick! I wanna see those arms IN THE AIR!


Don't stop now!



FASTER, YOU MAGOTS!!!






Now come into your resting position.

Breath.

Contemplate your river of drool.

Keep breathing.






Ahhhh.

Aaaaaand, set up for pushups!

Ready!

Up!
Down!



pushups

Up!
Down!
Up!
Down!
UPdownUPdownUPdown!








And rest.

Breath.




Until next time, Grasshopper.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Do They Know What Month It Is?

Look what I found!




Two black silkie hens sat together on a nest and hatched out two cute little chicks.

In November.

Not sure what they were thinking there, but at least they can co-operate on the mothering duties and maybe the chicks will have a chance at survival, Lord willing. We'll see...




Usually the silkie chicks are all black and gray, but this time, one is yellow with gray markings.

Must be the milkman's baby.

Celebrity Morning


Yeah, yeah, it's all cute and all...





...where's my cigar?







Um. A little cold here.






Oh great. Here comes that hand again.






The things I have to endure to keep these people entertained.







Oh, Mom, don't be ridiculous.
Of course I'm not going hunting.

Can I go play, now?




I've got a lot to do, you know.





HEY!!!!
What's a guy gotta do to get some service around here?!?





If anyone asks... I'll be in my bed.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Thoughts on a Curve

"What should I blog about?" I asked Evan. Because he's always good for a conversation. Except when he's sleeping.

"Eeehhh. Guh gggkkkgoo. Aaaoooooo eehhhh." he authoritatively answered.

So there is that.

~I'm daily astounded by how fast he's growing. It didn't seem to go this fast when Jonah was this age. I feel like I'm always getting out the next size of clothing for him, or dressing him in something that's too small today, though I'm sure it just fit yesterday. (Which... while I'm glad to be able to just get out the next box, it's also a little hard to manage. I only keep enough clothing to fit in one storage bin per size, so I try to stay on top of sorting out the excess and excessively worn. I've been given clothes at an alarming rate lately, and I'm grateful, but it's getting hard to keep up with.)

~It's really amazing what are counted accomplishments to these little people. Evan succeeds in getting a toy to his mouth and Jonah discovers that 5+0+0+0 still equals five? We celebrate.





~And the frustrations are magnified proportionally as well. Not being able to grab your elusive toes? Not getting your way all the time? Being set down on the floor insead of carried? Having only two chapters read to you instead of five? Explosive.

~I am praying for some patience in dealing with the increasingly-complex needs and training of a kid who thinks himself to be more of an adult every day. Where did this attitude come from? This bull-dogging persistence? The desire to understand everything all at once and simultaneous conviction the he knows it all already? I tend to get so frustrated and short with him and then I realize that that attitude? Is myself in the mirror. Ugh. Then I feel a little sick, wonder how i can fix it, and then snap at him again five minutes later. Jonah has been intense and high-maintenance since the day he was born and it only seems to increase as he gets older.

~Companionship. That's the flip-side. A precocious five-year-old makes a good little buddy. We do barn chores together every night as we chatter and look for stars and constellations in the clear, cold, night's sky. We race every chore all day-- laundry, dishwasher, floor pickup... All I have to say is, "I'm gonna beat you!" and the game's on. He's more and more getting to the stage of boyhood where he intends to be a man and sees no obstacles to that goal.





~I do hope that someday I'll be able to think in a straight line again.

~Last night, for the first time in weeks and weeks and maybe even months, Evan slept more than three hours at a time. In fact, he slept for SIX. And so did I. And it was wonderful. See, last week I took him to see my trusty chiropractor. In three minutes flat, she fixed up his neck, and just like that, he's more content and sleeping better. I heart my chiropractor. In fact, I think I want a bumpersticker to that effect. I don't know how I'd survive parenthood without her.

~I wish I had a housekeeper. I wish I could just focus on the fun parts. I wish I could get more things done, yet slow down just a little. Sometimes I wish I could paint, or play the piano, but I've got my country's 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and Guilder to frame for it; I'm swamped. (Kidding! Name that movie.)

~Then I go kiss some cheeks and I don't wish anything anymore.