Happy Birthday, Barrett!

Dear Barrett,

Happy Birthday! Are you really 6? It can’t be! It seems like just the other day I brought you home from the hospital. I was so enamored with you that I told Daddy I wanted 10 more just like you! You are really growing up to be an amazing person. You make me proud every single day.

Right now you are taking Tae Kwon Do and learning everything from how to skip to defending yourself from a stranger attack. You already have your red belt and you are well on your way to getting your next belt. When I watch you in karate class, I can really see the confident hard-working, respectful person you are. I love the words you recite at the beginning of each class, "I promise to be a good person, with knowledge in my mind, honesty in my heart, to make good friends, and to be a black belt leader." I hope you choose to get your black belt, not so you can use it for fighting (I hope you never have to use it), but for the confidence, discipline, and sense of accomplishment. You can do it.

I am so proud of the responsible young man you are becoming. You have a wallet that you are very good about keeping track of and you always remember to close the baby gate so Annabelle doesn’t get hurt.
Speaking of Annabelle, you really are so sweet to her and a great big brother. Just the other day, you fed her almost all of your ice cream and today you gave her your apple juice. You play with her and teach her words and let her squeeze your face. And you get so excited if she repeats a word or sound after you. When you are trying to get her attention, you say An-na-beh-w in a low playful voice. She adores you and Annabelle is so lucky to have you for a brother!

You and Kyle chose to share a room when we moved into our new house this summer. You two have been staying up a little too late talking and playing the past few weeks, but I am glad you have that time to be together as brothers. You are learning how to have respect for each other, and how to work together to solve conflict. I expected a difficult transition, but you guys are doing much better than I thought. You should be proud of how quickly you are learning to handle this new situation.

This fall you will be starting Kindergarten. I will probably be a mess and you will probably be calm and collected and a little excited. You are so ready. I know you will do great in Kindergarten and learn so much because you love school and being with people. You have the maturity to handle tough situations and let minor irritations roll off your back which is so important in life. There was a guy named Robert Fulghum who wrote a book called Every Thing I need to know I learned in Kindergarten. This just goes to show how important this time of your life is. Here is his (abbreviated) list.
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

You already know many of these, and you will learn the others in the upcoming year. What an exciting time in your life! My advice to you as you embark on your school years, is to listen to your conscience and do the right thing even when it’s not easy. You will never go wrong by doing right. If you don’t know what the right thing to do is, ask God. Nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. When you do, learn from the experience and move on with confidence that next time you will do better. There was an architect named I.M. Pei who designed a skyscraper with huge plate glass windows. One day, the windows all began falling out onto the sidewalk below. He had made a very big mistake. He carefully studied the properties of glass, figured out where he went wrong, corrected it, and thereafter called himself an expert of plate glass window design. Making mistakes is part of life, and I want you to know that even when you have made a mistake, I still love you.

At bedtime, we are reading a book called The Mysterious Benedict Society (we read a little bit each night). The main characters in the story are all kids, who for various reasons do not have parents. I was talking with you tonight about what life is like for kids without parents and you felt very sad for them. You have such a big heart and I am so proud that you want to help others with less. We said a prayer for those kids and thanked God for our family.

You are an amazing kid and I can’t believe how I lucky I am to be your mom. I love you more than words can express.

Love,
Mommy

Here’s a list of you favorite things right now:

Legos
Strawberries
Club crackers
Steak
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Ninjas
Star Wars
Money
Tae Kwon Do
Your scooter
More Legos

Here you are first thing in the morning on your birthday. You woke up before me (about 6:30am) and went out on the back patio. This is what you slept in.

Happy Birthday Annabelle

Dear Annabelle,

Happy first birthday, sweetie! This past year has gone way too fast! I swear it couldn’t be more than a few weeks ago that you were a tiny little newborn I couldn’t stop holding and kissing. Now that special date has come around again and I still just want to hold and kiss you all the time. Only now you are a year old and so you like to get down and crawl, pull up and explore. In the span of just one year, you have taught Daddy and I so much about life, ourselves, each other, God and what is truly important in life. You bring so much joy to our lives with your smile, your happy disposition, your sweet, funny personality and charm. I have never seen a baby draw a crowd of admirers the way you do without even trying. I shouldn’t be surprised, people love to be around others who are happy and you are so joyful and sweet…it’s like bees to honey.

Annabelle, since the moment I realized I was pregnant with you, you have made our lives richer. We are so thankful for you and our family is so blessed by you. Your brothers are so proud and adoring of you. They love you so much that they even let you pull their hair and slobber on and play with their toys. They love to teach you everything they know and they show you off to everyone they see. I have never seen siblings have so much love for each other.

At one year of age, you can say Mama, Dada, Gigi, Aggie (you love the dog!), Baba (bottle) and the word ‘more’. You are crawling everywhere and pulling up to standing whenever you can. I have seen you stand a few times without holding onto anything for a couple of seconds. You love to wave at the baby in the mirror, and clap, and give high fives. I think it’s so sweet how when I pat your back, you pat mine. You give kisses and hugs and you get so happy that sometimes your smile with your whole body.

Annabelle, you have a way of touching people’s hearts like I have never seen. You look at people and they are filled with love and joy. It’s not just me and your family, it is strangers too. There are waitresses who have seen you only once before and then recognize you and remember your name several months later. You are amazing and beautiful inside and out.

Happy Birthday baby girl. I love you more than words can express.

Love,
Mommy


Your Current Faves:
Strawberry yogurt
Pulling Gigi’s table runner off the table
Chasing the dog
Looking at the baby in the mirror
Playing in the bath or baby pool
Having your hair played with
hanging upside-down

Here's Annabelle first thing this morning:

looking back and moving on

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”
-Ecclesiastes 3:1

It is hard to express in words my feelings about leaving this home in the country. This home I designed for my family and built up from the dirt on which it stands. The home I always dreamed of. It is difficult because I have so many conflicting feelings. I feel sad to leave, but happy to move on. I feel blessed to have had the experience of living here among the trees and ponds and cattle. We raised little ducklings and set them free. We have “moo-ed” at the baby cows and watched tall beautiful birds go fishing in our ponds. We were visited by turtles. The tree out back held a swing that my boys used to swing in as babies. The pond is full of fish that we have caught and let go. We have celebrated numerous birthdays, Independence Days, and Christmases. Kyle took his first steps in this house and the boys had their first camping adventure here. We had a toddler and a newborn when we moved in and now we are leaving with two boys and a baby girl. These will be cherished memories and I am so grateful for the unique experiences we have had because we have lived here. This home will always hold a special place in our hearts and minds.

Living here has taught me so much about myself and life. I have learned that my marriage is strong. Strong enough to survive the construction process and I am proud of this testament to our relationship, not to mention our own blood, sweat and tears. I have learned that true friends don’t mind a taking a long country drive to see you. I have learned that I can accomplish great things that I once thought were out of reach. I have learned that living in the country does not magically give you more time for the simple things. I have learned that when you are running late and on a country road, you will, without fail, get stuck driving behind farmer john on his tractor. I have learned that there is a season for everything, and sadly, right now is not the season for us to live in the country.

I am excited about moving closer to friends, kids’ activities, doctors, restaurants and shopping. I am excited about living in a neighborhood where we can go Trick or Treating. I am excited that when we decorate the house for Christmas, others will see it. I am excited to throw more parties and not worry that no one will come because we live so far away. I am excited to make new friends and neighbors. I am excited to volunteer in a way that I have been unable to due to my lack of proximity. I am excited to have reliable internet access! I am excited that Cody will have more time to spend with me and the kids and less time commuting and maintaining acreage.

Since I was very young, I have always wanted to design and build my own house. I think this is something I had to do. Had I not had this experience, I don’t know that I would be content living in another home. I think the most important thing I have learned is that time with my family and friends is more important than living in my dream house.

Whether the five of us were in the 800 square-foot, 2 bedroom apartment while building, or in a 5000 square foot house on 82 acres, we just want to be together. This home holds many cherished memories that we will take with us.

Here’s to a new chapter in our lives!

Barrett graduated from preschool

Barrett just graduated from preschool! There were tears...happy and sad. I am so proud of Barrett and thankful that his first real experience with school has been such a happy, welcoming place with such dedicated teachers. He truly loves school. I am sad that this chapter of his life is over. I still remember his first day of preschool when he brought a teddy bear for comfort and then dropped it at the door and ran in excited to play!





Here's Barrett on his first day of preschool.

100% boy

I was swinging outside with the boys and Annabelle and I noticed that both boys had holes in their jeans. So I bribed the boys to let me take a few snaps.

Interviewing boys

I like to ask the boys lots of questions each year. I think it will be fun to compare from year to year.

Interview with Barrett
What is your favorite color? Blue…and red
What is your favorite animal? Cheetah
What is your favorite food? Steak
Favorite song? Zachaeus was a wee little man
Favorite cartoon character? Phineas
Favorite toy? My bike
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Who is your best friend? Ian
Tell me about girls… "yuck" (covered his face, and ran away)
What is your favorite thing about school? Recess
What do you like to do for fun? Play on the playground
If you had $20, what would you buy? A race set
What is something Daddy says a lot? "Fantastic"
What does Mommy say a lot? "Stop it."
What is your fave shirt? Red shirt with lobster and my fireman shirt
What are your fave PJs? Guitar pants and white shirt
What do you want to be when you grow up? Policeman

Interview with Kyle
What is your favorite color? Green and blue
What is your favorite animal? Cheetah and tiger
What is your favorite food? Cinnamon rolls
Favorite song? Twinkle, twinkle
Favorite cartoon character? Freddy
Favorite toy? All of them
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Who is your best friend? Dylan
Tell me about girls… I like all my favorite girls
What is your favorite thing about school? Playing outside
What do you like to do for fun? Play pretend
If you had $20, what would you buy? Lego Rocket
What is something Daddy says a lot? No
What does Mommy say a lot? No and think about it
What is your fave shirt? Superman!
What are your fave PJs? Buzz Lightyear
What do you want to be when you grow up? Super Jim

a bad day made better

Kyle had a bad day at school. He sounded just like Alexander in the book Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. I asked what would make his day better and he pathetically wimpered "ice cream." I realize the precedent I set and I fully expect for him to suddenly have more "bad days". Which is why I talked to him (while he was licking the ice cream dripping down his arm) about other ways to make a bad day better. But I love that the kids are still young enough that their bad days CAN be made better with a little ice cream. They are innocent and worry-free and and that's exactly how they should be at this age.






"What? Do I have something on my face?"