Starting School: week 1

Last week our little girl started school, the big scary elementary school in our neighborhood.  After the 2nd day she didn't find it be big and scary and confidently walked in all by herself and has every day since.  Tuesday she learned a bit of the dark side of school.  A couple boys in her class caused the whole class to loose recess in addition to no one talking to her at lunch.  It was a tough day for my social butterfly. But she was ready to go back on Wednesday.  She has 2 kids from our neighborhood in her class and she is making fast friends with them both.  Friday she was hardly home after school between a playdate with her new classmate, and another neighborhood friend. 

Easter Drawings

Both Lydia and Caleb love reading Bible stories at bedtime.  We have had to repair our Story Bible twice and we have had it only a year.  Lydia recently discovered The Picture Bible on our shelf, one of Bob's favorites from childhood.  It uses a graphic novel/comic book style to tell the stories of the Bible.  Bob used it to share the Easter story with Lydia this year.  Later in the day they were outside and drawing with chalk and drew the story on the drive way.  Bob drew the cross, the sealed tomb, and the empty tomb, and Lydia drewJesus's face on the cross and the best part, Jesus risen from the dead, waving at us!

Lydia's Healing Miracle

Our kids are teaching us everyday and challenging our faith   Lydia got her first scrapped knee a few weeks ago when riding her bike.  It wasn't too bad of a fall but it led to a rather large scab on her knee. When she complained about it hurting we would reminder she could pray for God to make it feel better.  What we didn't expect was her reaction as the scab started falling off.  She started getting excited and telling us

"God's hand came down during the night,

and healed it just like I prayed!"

The refreshing faith of a child, if only we had enough faith to trust the same explanation.   

Recycling the Mail

Lydia is starting to have chores to do around the house.  Among them is setting the table for dinner and taking the recycle out and helping daddy with the dishes after dinner.

She also sometimes will go to the curb to get the mail by herself.  She is very proud of this chore.  This week when she went to get the mail, she took the liberty to save a trip back outside by depositing it in the recycle bin on the way in.  I think she is noticing a pattern from all the political ads we get in the mail.

Of course, she was reminded mommy and daddy must see the mail BEFORE it goes in the recycle next time :-)

Linking up with Moments to Remember

Caleb at 20 months

Lydia, August 2010

Caleb is quickly approaching the age Lydia was when he was born, and I'm gaining some perspective on what the last 20 months have been like.  Caleb is starting to talk and have his own opinions.  He is fascinated by the world around him and still needs lots of attention and cuddles from mom.  To think that I was about to have this toddler and a newborn.  I am beginning to feel more justified in my stress level for the last year and 1/2.  I am enjoying my 2 wonderful kids and watching them grow up side by side.  I'm not in a hurry to expand our family right now and dream of what it would be to have a baby when Caleb is as independent as Lydia (only 1 in diapers!).

Its been a wild ride the last 2 years and Caleb has been a huge blessing and gift from God in his easy going personality and good nature.  I am thankful to be walking out of the fog of depression and enjoy my kids as they grow up.

Caleb, March 2012

Happy Birthday Mommy and Me

A special little girl wanted to be a special present for her mama, by coming on her birthday.  Today we celebrate them both.  

Lydia is becoming a young child and leaving toddler behind.  She makes her opinions known loudly.  She likes to be a good helper and often will set the table for dinner.  She enjoys playing on her very own computer and watching Wallace and Gromit Movies.  She prefers to wear dresses and tights most days to pants.  She is our little girl and she brightens our life.

Credit: Daisy Chain Scrap Kit by Digilicious Designs

How was your weekend?

Saturday started out like an average weekend.  We took the morning slow because a friend and the grandparents were coming over in the afternoon for a birthday party for Lydia.  Grandma called in the morning to suggest we meet at the park since it was in the 50s, abnormal weather for So. IL.  The kids would enjoy running around so we agreed and called our friends.  

The kids had a great time playing.  Caleb hadn't been to a playground since he started walking and running so he was having fun.  Lydia was all over the place enjoying the space to run and explore.  

Caleb being the cautious boy he is decided the best way to go down the slide was on his belly feet first.  So he did a few times.  I decided to go with him in my lap so I set him on a platform and climbed up the other side.  Only to have Caleb turn around to his belly to slide off the side I had just set him on.  Not Good!  I was to far away and Grandma dove to catch him and hit her head on the platform.  Cale was fine but Grandma got an ambulance ride to the hospital and 12 stitches!  

Bob likes to say she has more injuries from being a grandma than a mom!  Our party moved to our house for cake and presents minus a few guests as the weather cooled off.  It was good to see Grandma when she stopped by on the way home from the hospital to see us.  What a birthday party to remember!

Sunday we were still thinking about the party the day before and it was going normal, until I was helping Lydia get ready for her nap and sat on my knees.  I felt a sharp pain on the back of my leg that I couldn't shake.  I finally when to change out of my church dress in the middle of helping Lydia and Bob discovered a wasp crawling on my dress!  I had been stung after trapping a wasp under my legs! Time to sit on an ice pack...  And to top off the eventful weekend we had an epic battle of the wills  with Lydia over eating her dinner. 

So how was your weekend? :-)

Moment to Remember

Moments to Remember was developed as a simple way to look back on our week as homeschoolers and find photos that encompass the memories we want to remember. 

The week may have been tough, there may have been more bumps than smiles, but in the end these are the moments that keep us going, the ones we need to remember.

Caleb is getting old enough to want to earnestly try to do what big sister is doing.  This week I caught them both using the Do-A-Dot markers together.  Lydia was doing her Letter Mm pages and Caleb was having fun too.

Lydia's 1st Bible

We had the privilege of taking Lydia to the bookstore to buy her first Bible. We were excited to encourage her interest. As we saw her interest begin we started looking at the variety of choices for a children's Bible. We narrowed it down to a few and looked them over at the store based on the illustrations, number of stories included and translation used. We had lots of choices. She enjoys reading it every night at bedtime with daddy. Her favorite story is Moses in the basket.  When we think about the work we are a part of in Bible Translation, we realize how lucky we are to have choices when buying a Bible and having a child who at nearly 3 can begin to learn to read the Bible. 

Mulindi, a Bwisi man, had just attended a local seminar designed to teach Bible study leaders how to use the translated Scriptures. “This is the 50th year that I have been attending church, but I have never, ever read any Bible verse in my language.  I am like the old man, Simeon, in the Bible, whom the Holy Spirit promised he would not die without seeing the Messiah.  God has given me a time of grace in this world so that I can hear the Word of God in my own language, the language which I understand.  No one can understand the plans of God; people used to say that no one would manage to write the Bible in Bwisi because it is an un-writable language…but here it is!”

We are truly blessed to have choices when it come to reading the Bible.   

Snapshot Sunday: Christmas Fun

This week we had some fun with Christmas projects.  Lydia helped wrap her present for Caleb and we made Candy Cane Mice, a project I learned at my MOPS Christmas Party.  

Advent at Our House

We are in a new house, so this year calls for new traditions for the holidays. We have several Christmas books we pull out for the holidays. We decided to read one each day after lunch or dinner. Lydia is real excited about this tradition.  She started reminding us to read after only the 2^nd day! She likes to take the book of the day and read it by herself after Bob read it aloud at the table.

I also put together a Christmas ABC work book for Lydia which she is enjoying.  I was impressed with her letter writing.  I found the printable at 1+1+1=1 blog and some others as well.  I put them in plastic sleeves in a binder and she uses dry erase markers to do the activities.  

We also are using a countdown calendar with 25 pockets and a candy cane that Lydia gets to move each day to the next pocket. (We got our in the 1$ bins at Target).  Hopefully we will sprinkle some fun activities in along the way as well and here's hoping we get 1 good snow fall to play in.  

This year I am determined to not have the Christmas decorations up until April, (last year it was March) So we are keeping it simple.  Lydia has been a great help decorating and its exciting to watch her learn about the reason for Christmas for the first time.  

Lydia's Faith

We went on a retreat with our church recently.  The theme was faith, both Bob and I had our faith stretched.  Lydia had some moments that encouraged me and reminded me of the awesome task we are entrusted with as parents.

Each of the parents were asked to take a session in childcare.  Bob and I took the first night.  When it was time for snack we asked the kids if anyone wanted to pray for the snack and the first hand to shoot up was our Lydia.  She was one of the youngest children there.  She said the prayer and thanked God for her friends and the food.

One of the mornings when we were getting ready Lydia found the Gideon's Bible in the drawer of the nightstand.  She pulled it out and asked Daddy to read the Bible to her. 

Traveling with Kids

The kids seem to be used to traveling this year. This 2 week trip didn't phase them and they each hit milestones while we were gone.

Lydia (32 months)- She decided that potty training would best be learned while on the move and not at home. Mom is glad for Pull-ups. She was interested in the potty throughout the last month or so. A week before we traveled she was consistantly going when asked and decided she was ready for “underwear” (Pull-Ups) the day we left home. So far so good, we are still getting it down perfectly but we are well on our way to only 1 kid in diapers!

She has grown from a toddler to a child overnight. She is speaking original thoughts and starting new conversation topics. She can carry on a conversation on the phone. We are enjoying the big girl that she is growing into.

Caleb (13 months)- He is our cuddlebug right now. He is content to sit in our laps often and is showing some separation anxiety. We are still awaiting his first teeth to pop through. We can see them they just aren't there. Caleb got tired of waiting for teeth to eat real food, he started showing a real interest in our meals while we were traveling. He has done well with everything we have given him.

We also caught him standing up unassisted a couple times and he will now walk holding only one hand. All too soon he will be running after his sister instead of just crawling.  

On the Road Again - Central Illinois

We have been on the road again. This time we only went to 2 cities but still saw lots of people and were very busy. We visited my (Cynthia's) childhood church in Central Illinois. We stayed with the Grandparents for an entire week. Lydia had a great time with Coco their dog. She enjoyed taking him for walks but we weren't sure who was walking who.

We also made time to visit Curtis Orchard, a local apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Lydia was the star at the orchard. The trees were vey picked over and Lydia was the only who could pick apples from daddy's shoulders. She enjoyed the special role.

Of course since we were in the area we also visited the kids' Great-Grandma. The kids loved being at her house with lots of space to explore. Lydia's favorite activity is watering the flowers with the well pump in the solarium. We also picked Tomatoes. Caleb enjoyed crawling the soft grass outside and opening the crank windows. The weather was perfect the day we went to visit.

We miss you Orlando

Moving to different parts of the country has given us a chance to compare lifestyles and places. Moving back home (to Illinois) has been strange as we've realized how we grew accustomed to things that we never had as kids, but had been subconsciously relying on. As we have settled in to our new home in Southern Illinois, we are reminded daily how much different small town life is from the larger city we left behind. 

Here are the top 10 things we miss from Orlando:

1. Our wonderful playgroup with plenty of playdates and friends for Lydia (and Caleb)
2. The choice of convenient Targets to go shopping.
3. Working with the great people at Wycliffe USA HQ
4. Going to SeaWorld or the beach whenever we felt like it
5. Endless options for restaurants for date night
6. Our connection group at church, sharing life together
7. A paved driveway for Lydia to draw with her chalk with the neighbors
8. Girls Night Out and shopping the outlet malls
9. Once Upon an Child for nearly new toy, shoes and clothes for the kids
10. The Orange County Library with home delivery for library books

VBS: Go the Distance!

Last month we were able to serve our church by helping out with Vacation Bible School.  We had the hard job of driving the van and overseeing the water-slide and swimming pool. It was really tough to float in the pool all morning with the kids. :-)  Our church did a mini musical about a soccer team called “Go the Distance”.

All the kids rotated through our station so we didn't have as many chances to connect with the kids. One child I did connect with was Xavier, he was instructed by his mom that he couldn't go in the pool because he didn't know how to float.  Being a swim instructor in the past, it gave me the perfect opportunity.  I spent part of his swimming time working with him one on one to float.   The next day the first thing he asked when he got to VBS was if I was going to get in the water with him again.

Untitled from Cynthia Lynn Heren on Vimeo.

While we were helping with VBS, Caleb and Lydia got to have some special Grandma time.  Both grandmas took turns watching the kids that week.  On Friday, we let Lydia come with us, she was too young to come the whole week. When it was time to perform the mini-musical for the parents Lydia jumped right in.