Swimming in Love

Ethan enjoyed his first time in a "baby pool" (i.e. our old turtle sandbox converted into a pool) last Thursday afternoon.

Since the older two kids went to spend the night with my parents, I decided to do something special with just him. (I realized it was the first time in 11 years that I had just a baby to care for. What an odd feeling!) I searched the area for some sort of local (free) mommy-baby class or play area -- to no avail -- and then realized I had exactly what I needed right here at home.

And as Ethan loves baths...he LOVED the pool.

I think we'll be spending quite a lot of time splashing in it this summer.

More Meager Monday Musings

Happy Monday! The final Monday in June.

Final. Last. Wow!! Half of 2009 is already gone.

I was lamenting the other day with my older kids that our "baby" is nearly a year old.

Sigh.

Another fun Monday Night Movie Night was had by us. Last week's was a complete and utter bomb. Unless you enjoy completely cheesy (terribly done) films, don't watch Direct Contact. Oh, my gosh. We laughed so hard through the entire movie...and it wasn't meant to be a comedy. Tonight Stuart got Bedtime Stories, and it was such a wonderful movie! We both agreed the kids should watch it tomorrow. (You know the kind of movie you laugh, cry, and want to clap for at the end?) We enjoyed it so much more than last week's film-du-nuit. But then anything would have been better than that, I think. *wink-grin*

The kids have been super kids and seem to be enjoying their Summer thus far. We're hoping to enjoy lots of time outside and at the playground and library -- weather-permitting -- this week. We've had quite a bit of rain and even a few thunderstorms already this summer.

As I'm incredibly late in posting this and my brain is very tired, I'll end in the hopes that you had a wonderfully enjoyable Monday, too!

Friday Funnies

I am in no means making fun of the H1N1 flu, but this was too funny not to share. (Special thanks to my mother-in-law, Jan, for sending it!)

Enjoy! And have a funny Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

In honor of our bun-girls' 4th birthday on Friday:

Bubble and Squeak

Tuesday Tips and Tricks

I'm sure I've posted these recipes before under "Hellish Kitchens." But if you're new to reading this blog, it might take you awhile to find them again...so I'll republish them now.

Enjoy!!

Breadmachine White Bread (2-pound loaf)
(Add the following to your loaf pan in the order given.)

1 1/2 cups of warm water
2 Tbsp. canola (or vegetable) oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour (I like Gold Medal brand "Better for Bread" flour)
2 1/2 tsp. yeast


Cake Mix Cookies
Oven temp: 350 F

1 box any flavor cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola (or vegetable) oil

Mix ingredients together. Add raisins or chocolate chips, if desired. Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake for 9 minutes for soft; 11 minutes for crisp. Cool and enjoy. Freeze any leftovers.

Muggi-less Monday Musings

Happy Summer!! Happy Monday!

And Happy Dad's Day from yesterday!

It's a beautiful day today! Sunshine and blue skies. It may change, but I'm enjoying it while it's here.

We had a semi-busy weekend. Life is beginning to finally wind down for the summertime. (Can we say: "Yay?" Yes, we can!! YAY!)

The kids showed their rabbits on Saturday at our 4-H club's fun show. It was an actual show with an actual judge (alright a judge-in-training who was not Zac Efron despite the similarities in looks), with the idea of allowing kids (like ours) to experience showing their rabbits. Emily has wanted to show Earl for years now, but we feel a bit nervous of the idea since he lives inside in the A/C during the summer. At the county fair, the rabbits are housed in an open-sided shed for a week. I'm not sure her bunny would enjoy that too much. Earl Grey got 1st place and Best-of-Breed, Best-of-Variety, Best-of-Class...of course, he was the only one in his breed, variety, and show. *wink-grin* But still... Edward showed Tony, our black Holland Lop, and got a second-place ribbon with him. He was quite proud since he's not an official member of the 4-H but was allowed to show anyway. It rained buckets while we were there, but we were in the cow shed at the Reading Fairgrounds so everyone stayed nice and dry.


Father's Day was a fun-filled day. After church, a Skype video chat with Stuart's dad, and some pre-dinner dessert with my dad, Stuart and I prepared his Father's Day feast. Since we got him a charcoal grill last Father's Day I thought he might like to grill something special on it each year (different from, say, the other usual grillable stuff he does during the rest of the year). He's been "drooling" over a recipe for stuffed flanksteak since last year...so that was his choice-du-Father's-jour. And it was awesome!!! (The recipe is available upon request.) I made some bacon and egg potato salad and cooked broccoli and cauliflower to go with it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.


Let me pause to remember it................. Mmmmm!

Anyways...

Emily finished her pointe club for ballet last Friday evening. We won't say it went without a hitch because she balked and cried everyday (with the exception of one) about going.... But it's OVER! No more dance until September.


Edward wrapped up his Spring soccer season on Thursday evening in between raindrops. It was not his favorite season, but he was still very sad when it was all over. Since it finished somewhat later than usual and Emily was still in dance class, we celebrated on Friday morning with waffles and ice cream (whipped cream, chocolate sauce, AND sprinkles) for breakfast! He'll play on a U9 team in the fall. All guys. And he gets a uniform with his very own handpicked number on it: 51.


We had Emily's and Edward's moving up "ceremony" on Friday evening after Emily's last dance class. Each got a "congrats" certificate, bookstore giftcard, and new Summer Bridge book, as well as a photo with the headmaster of our "school." Wooof. It was a "solemn" occasion, let me tell you. *wink-grin* Well, as solemn as silliness allows. Stuart and I did have a sobering thought, though, after we put the kids to bed that night. We'll have a 12th-grader, 8th-grader, and kindergarten all in the same year. Three "graduates." Wow.


Ethan is Ethan, still our jovial, silly baby. He's growing and developing all the time. And, like his siblings, he's full of curiosity. We had forgotten how much babies actually understand, and we are constantly amazed by his attention and communication with us. He's not talking by any means (though he loves to "sing" and jibber-jabber), but he shows his understanding by looking at whatever we say or signaling with his hands. We're anxious for his next checkup so that we can find out his stats. He's definitely one BIG guy.

Heard from the girl on Saturday. "I didn't know Agatha Christie was English. Oh, that's right. She wrote Harry Potter, right?"

Have a happy Monday! And I hope it's sunshining wherever you are, too!

Happy Father's Day!

In honor of Father's Day...

The first video is for my sweet hubby, my dad, and all the other dads out there who have "been there, done this"....er, um, you'll know. *wink-grin*

The second video is a touching tribute to dads everywhere, especially the awesome daddy of my three sweet kiddos.

Happy Father's Day!

Saturday Sweethearts

WE LOVE DADDY!

Friday Funnies

Just how bad is the economy?

(Cats are so dramatic!)

Enjoy a funny Friday! And remember that laughter is always free! *wink-grin*

Battery of Change

Thought for the day:

You know it's time to change the batteries in your child's toy when...

...the voice begins to sound like someone employed in a "red light" district.

...the sound effects could be used in the latest Freddy horror movie.

...it begins to malfunction with sounds like those in Close Encounters.

...the woman's voice deepens to that of a weight lifter.

"Cheese. Yum. Yum."

Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

George (4 weeks old)

As a Matter of Fact

I'm amazed at how soon the "will" of a baby develops and shows itself.

Well, I'm "amazed," typed in quotations...

Obviously, it's evident from birth in most babies, when they scream for their food and screech for a diaper change. But that's mostly involuntary, being their only method of communicating.

I'm talking about the eye-to-eye contact and grin of a baby who somehow knows he's doing something he's not supposed to be doing.

I can "hear" the swoosh of collective nodding going on out there from all those who have ever minded a child and who have "been-there-done-that." Yup. You know exactly what I mean, don't you?

So take our 9-month-old, Ethan.

Last month, at a mere 8 months old, he started to stand (slightly) in his highchair. I patiently (and gently) pushed him back down and said very calmly, "No. Sit." It was his introduction to the word "no," and I wanted to be careful not to overuse it and to show him what he should be doing instead. (Who's been reading her baby manuals, huh?)

Forty-seven times later -- in less than 15 minutes -- (I'm exaggerating, of course, but you get the point, right?), and I'm starting to use the hard "mom stare" along with the word "sit."

I'm thinking "firm, but gentle" thoughts.

He's thinking I'm uproariously funny and that this is a game...and a very fun one at that.

Eventually, the idea sunk in, and he sat his little tushy on the seat and finished his Cheerios.

Sigh.

I'm not new at this. I've already successfully navigated my two older kids through this early "show-of-the-will" time. But that was then...this is now.

So today when he started to stand up I told him the "facts of life." (No, not those facts.)

But these: I'm bigger, stronger, and smarter than him. So he's not getting away with anything...well, with much...well, okay, with that.

He grinned and giggled.

Sigh.

I might be bigger, stronger, and smarter...but he's so much cuter.

Now who's giving the *wink-grin*?

Maiden Monday Musings during Summer Vacation

"No more pencils...no more books...no more teacher's dirty looks...."

Ooops! Wait a minute! That "teacher" would be me, huh? (And I've got news for my kids...the looks are staying.)

Happy Monday! The first Monday in our Summer break! Woo-hoo!! I can't believe we're at this point in the year already.

We took "last-day-of-school" photos on Friday, and I suddenly realized, we started the schoolyear with two kids and finished it with THREE. Yikes! I hope this isn't some kind of trend.


Funny enough, life isn't slowing down for us...at least not yet.

Emily begins her "pointe club" -- a ballet "intensive" camp -- tonight. It will run from 5:30 to 8 every night this week. Edward has his last soccer game this coming Thursday. And Emily still needs to finish her life science lessons.

Still, it's nearly SUMMER!! Yippee!!

The weather has remained a tad chillier than usual, though you won't catch me complaining. Cooler weather means NO air conditioning...and no air conditioning means lower electric bills. Now that's something to really WOOOOO-HOOOO about!

Stuart and I continue our Monday Movie Nights with "Mall Cop" tonight. Hopefully, it will be every bit as funny as people say it is. There's not much on television at the moment, so we're spending our time doing other fun stuff. A win-win all around, right?

Since, it's late, and I'm posting this late, I'll bid you adieu a little earlier this week. Happy Monday!

9 Months Today!

It's IN-AND-OUT Day!!!!!

Our Ethan Samuel is 9 months old today!

(Could someone please tell me how time flies by so quickly?)

Here he is in all of his 9-month-old splendor:

Saturday Sweethearts

From this:
To this:8 months old

Friday Fun

Here's a fun music group -- called "K3" -- that my dear, sweet Dutch friend, Jadie, introduced me to today. I found this video after she sent me a few of their other ones, and I think it's such FUN!!!!

Enjoy! And join in to have a "hippie, happy shake" kind of Friday!

Thoughts and Thursdays....

Note to self: Never, ever have a baby at the beginning of a schoolyear.

Okay. Okay. So I really didn't have a "say" in the arrival of our sweet baby, Ethan.

But I'm just saying now...

Back when Stuart and I started to discuss the possibility of a third little Foote, I mentioned (quite strongly) the fact that (especially) since we homeschool we should be (especially) careful not to plan a baby for a September arrival....

I'll pause to let that sink in...........................................................

Yeah. Yeah. I really was present during health class in high school. I really did learn about the "birds and the bees." (Remember, we'd already had two babies...babies who were planned.)

And then I heard it.

It was the sound of God, up on His glorious throne in Heaven, laughing.

I don't know if I completely understood it then. (I thought I was so in control of stuff like that.)

And while our first two little people arrived more-or-less when we expected them, we weren't so blessed the third time around.

Bringing another baby into our family seemed as elusive as catching Santa Claus eating the cookies and milk you left out for him on Christmas Eve.

But then it happened. When we least expected it. Or possibly when we no longer expected it? Ethan Samuel arrived about 5 years after we'd hoped...in -- you guessed it -- September.

Are you laughing? I am.

I believe that God allows us to go through situations to teach us. In my case, I learned that I definitely do not determine the timing of my little ones....and that I need to rely wholly on God for my strength (something I already knew well but needed to be reminded of).

September. The time of vacation and my hubby's birthday; of school starting, soccer starting, ballet starting, learning group starting... So much happens at that time of year...

Sure, the older kids could have gone to our local brick-and-mortar school. But we'd already committed to continuing their education at home, so we knew we needed to continue no matter how hard the road might become.

And it did become hard at times. We had a new person to work into our schedules. We had new feeding times and changing times and naptimes...and lack-of-sleep-and/or-patience times.

Now, as we stand poised at the finish line of the school year, we look back and smile as we sigh.

Who'd have "thunk" Ethan into our lives all those years ago when I told Stuart the one month to avoid having a baby was September?

Note to self: Scratch the first thought, and remember this one instead: Never, ever doubt the timing of God's blessings.

Wordless Wednesday

Did You Copy That?

*$*%#$#%$!#*$*%#$#@%$!#"*$*%#$#%$!#*$*%#$#@%$!#"$*$*%#$#@%$!#*!

And that's not me swearing. It's me smacking my head on my keyboard...

Honest!

Remember the "old" days? You know, a few days weeks months years ago when things were built to last...work...stay around awhile?

I've decided that this printer-scanner-copier-faxer of mine -- that I bought secondhand from my sister who traded with my dad (hmmm....) -- has a "love-hate" relationship with me. It's temperamental to the utmost degree.

For some reason, it thinks it's in control. That it can do what it wants when it wants.

Ha! Have I got news for it.

A few days ago, it worked like a charm. I faxed several documents to several different places...without a hitch. I even made a few copies on it in between.

Now, it's decided to go on strike...just when I need to scan our schoolwork to send to our teachers.

I tried "sweet-talking it"...offering to buy new ink cartridges..."massaging" its innards to make sure everything is in the proper spot.

But no-go. Nada. No vas.

So I taught it a lesson. I'm not going to let it win. I told it who's boss and.....

...I unplugged it.

Sigh.

Anyone want a printer-scanner-copier-faxer? Cheap? Comes complete with a manual and...an "attitude."

Of course, you might need to piece it back together first.

*wink-grin*

Muggier Monday Musings

Happy Monday! The second one in June!

Well, I guess it's officially getting closer to actual Summertime.

We were spoiled by a few days of cooler more Spring-like weather....and now it's getting humid. Ugh. I guess that's all part of living in Pennsylvania.

Thank You, God, for AC!!

Emily had a fantastic recital yesterday. The dancers did a wonderful job and all their hardwork really paid off. She just finished her 9th year of dancing!! Wow! I can't believe it has been that long already. Apart from a weeklong "pointe club" next week, she has off from dance for the summer. Yay! We're getting closer to finishing school for the year. Just a "few" more sciences.....

Edward is still finishing up his Spring soccer season. He has a few more practices and games, I think. He's officially finished with all of his lessons for the year. We finally managed to do the rest of his music lessons, and, oh, what a relief that was! Hooray!

Ethan is nearly-mobile now. He can scoot around a bit and get to things that used to be out-of-reach. And he loves to pull himself up and stand. Ut-oh. Life is changing dramatically for all of us. He's certainly growing and changing quickly. He'll be 9 months old next Sunday. Yikes, huh? But it's fun as well!

Stuart and I started a "Monday (and Tuesday) Movie" night to take the place of our 24 show that is over for the season. So far we've watched New in Town and Taken. Tonight will be He's Just Not That into You and Defiance. We're hoping to start The Closer Season 4 soon, too. It's fun to have some good stuff to watch...especially when our favorite-most shows finish out their seasons. That, from two people who don't watch much anyway. *grin*

On that note, I will bid you adieu and hope that you have an enjoyable Monday!

Sweet Sunday

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

D-Day...65 Years Later

Friday Funnies

The other night, Edward looked pensive and asked, "What's a hypocrite?"

To which I answered, "Someone who says one thing and does another." Then when I noticed that he still looked confused, I asked him why he was wondering.

"Because Lara Croft (from a video game) is in the 'Hall of Hypocrites' in Tomb Raider," he told me.

Overhearing all this, Stuart starting laughing. "Um...that's the Great Hypostyle Hall," he corrected.

Fighting hypocrites would make for some interesting weaponry for Lara.

*wink-grin*

Thoughts and Thursdays....

D-Day.

June 6, 1944.

On Saturday, it will be 65 years since that day.

I've always marveled at the immense courage and strength of the men and women of that time. Our nation has never really known any others quite like them. It was that courage and strength that I drew upon during my many long times apart from Stuart before we married. I often thought that if they could do it, so could we.

I've also wondered what life must have felt like during that time.

For some, nothing would have changed.

But for others, everything would have felt topsy-turvy...very different for awhile...maybe even forever. Things that were familiar would have felt like a distant warm-and-fuzzy memory in a world turned upside-down.

This song -- though not a true World War II song -- became very popular during the war. I guess in part from all the sweetly familiar scenes it brought to mind.

Simple. Lovely. And unforgettable.

Sometimes it's the simple stuff that offers so much hope -- hope that people will indeed be reunited one day and the world will return to some kind of sanity.

I pray for this hope for all the brave men and women who still serve our country.

* * *

I'll be seeing you
In all the old, familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through.

In that small cafe,
The park across the way,
The children's carousel,
The chestnut tree,
The wishing well.

I'll be seeing you
In every lovely, Summer's day,
And everything that's bright and gay,
I'll always think of you that way.
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new.
I'll be looking at the moon,
But I'll be seeing you.

Wordless Wednesday

Mindful of Math

It's funny how my mind works.

Sometimes I feel incredibly logical, full of wisdom on a particular subject, ready to graciously, willingly, and generously divulge it to my offspring -- or any willing listener, really. Then other times I am a trapdoor with squeaky hinges and a broken lock, swinging open, showing the nothingness behind its opaque exterior.

Ever "been there, done that?"

Schoolwise, we're in the "home stretch." We're down to a few more math classes and a bunch more science units for Emily and some music for Edward....and that's it. That's the end of 6th grade and 2nd grade (respectively) for our two older munchkins.

I could say that helping Emily finish these particular math lessons will be a piece of cake...but that would be a bit of a stretch. Well, okay. It would be a flatout lie.

I'm not sure what happened really. I used to be "queen" of my math class....but lately I'm more like that trapdoor I mentioned above.

Emily asked me to help her with some math the other day. (I'll take this moment to add in that this wasn't just basic math. This is pre-algebra...with a side of trig and geometry. I'll pause to let the horror music finish. !!!) I was in the middle of three things, including making dinner and feeding the baby. I thought I could add in another... And then I picked up her math book and started trying to read the lesson. I reread the lesson. I looked at the examples. I re-reread the lesson and gazed intently at the examples. I gave up on the lesson and focused intently on the examples.

Nothing.

Nada.

The gray cells weren't budging. They were firmly asleep and hitting the snooze button over and over again. Or maybe it wasn't so much that they were "asleep," but that they had moved without leaving a forwarding address?

Either way, math was NOT in my mind...

I guess that's the way of things in life. We are constantly moving, redefining ourselves, adapting to our environments...whatever it takes to help us "keep on" in life.

And I firmly believe in the theory that being a mom does indeed take a quarter of your brain with each child. That quarter is reprogrammed to think and feel and remember all the things necessary for raising that child....all the things except for maybe...math?

But isn't that why she has her dad? *wink-grin*

Kickin' New Month Monday Musings

Edward and his soccer buddy wait on the sidelines
Happy Monday! Happy June! Happy brand new month and week!

It's still amazing to think time is flying by so quickly. We're nearly halfway through 2009 already.

Wow!!

We had some awesome late Spring/early Summer weather this weekend. Blue skies, warm sun, and cool breezes. Perfect!

Friday was the end-of-school picnic. The weather cooperated enough that it didn't rain during the picnic time. The kids enjoyed saying goodbye to their teachers and classmates and playing at the park. Stuart took a vacation day so he could join us. Yay!



He shoots....he scores!! Twice! Wooo-hooo! We were excited to see Edward focusing much better in yesterday's game. The same cannot be said about all of his teammates. But I had to keep reminding myself that the spring teams are made up of kids in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. So focus is not a strong point for some yet.

Yesterday also marked the end of teaching Sunday School for Stuart and me. A bittersweet moment, I think. Stuart was beginning to get a little tired from in all...after 4 years. Go figure. *wink-grin* But that didn't stop him from misting up as he prayed with the kids for the last time at the end of class.

Today marks the end of Emily's Ballet 3A Monday classes, and Wednesday will be the last of that day's classes. The recital is next Sunday afternoon! She got her costume last month, and Stuart and I were very pleased. It's very ballerina-ish. The girls felt it looked "too young," but we assured Emily that it looked much more professional than some she's had in previous years. I'm sure they'll all look beautiful on Sunday.

Ethan -- our behemoth baby -- is trying to crawl in earnest now. He's managed to figure out the stance and even has the strength to nearly push himself up. He's still not sure of the motion, though he's realized if he wriggles and/or "swims" he can move towards whatever it is that he wants. He was after a ball last night and kept getting just within reach...only to knock it out of reach again. He's very interested in standing and bouncing still so we think that crawling might be a short-lived stage followed fairly quickly by "cruising." We shall see.

Off to start the laundry... Have a happy Monday!