About Sage...

I wanted to save what Sage's teacher said about her on the mid-year report for preschool. I was going to scan or save the original document but Sage drew all over it with a green highlighter. I sat down here to type up neatly what was written. But now as I write this I want to save the original piece too. Sage draws on lots of papers without asking. That's part of her story. (Green highlighter and side staples and penciled in DEC all courtesy of Sage.)

No room...

We had two events for the kids last week - Allie's band Christmas concert and Sages preschool pageant. Both events were crowded and full. There was standing room only. At first I was slightly annoyed at each - why did they remodel the fine arts area at the high school and not make a auditorium big enough for the band and families? As Sydney and I were running around outside before Sages pageant I had a realization that I want to record. Even these stuffy crowded events can remind us of the true reason for Christmas. Weren't the inns and streets in Bethlehem crowded on the night of the Saviors birth? I also thought of the symbolism of how we as believers would crowd into any tight, hot space to catch a glimpse of Jesus as a baby born in a manger or as a returned resurrected being. These thoughts changed the way I viewed those programs and all of the good people gathered together to support their kids and celebrate this time of year.

Bright idea...

The little girls and I are staying in a hotel tonight. After I gave the girls a bath, we realized we had forgotten to pack clean undies. As I was pondering what to do, Sydney had a brilliant idea. "We can use the panties in our backpacks!" She remembered the extra clothes we have in their backpacks for accidents at school and saved the day with her quick thinking and problem solving skills! Yeah for Sydney!

Note to self:

Remember to bring melatonin and lavender and extra books the next time you stay in a hotel with Sage. Mostly just remember the melatonin!

Notes...

Sometimes Sydney writes me cute notes like this...

And sometimes I get notes like this...

Last night she wrote this note when she was mad at me and left it on my nightstand. We talked about her mad/sad feelings before bed and read stories as we always do. She was feeling better about everything. "Mom, the note I wrote was when I was mad. I don't want you to find it and think that I still feel that way. I love you." 

Something about Sage...

On her own Sage requested a big carrot to go with her bunny costume this year. We didn't ever get one but it was fun to see her wheels turning about how to make her costume even better.

Today she decided to be a witch. She chose to wear the cute black and orange hat I bought. For awhile we were talking about putting a green pussy tattoo on her somewhere. Then she decided that she was a cute kid witch and the green gross accent didn't fit. She opted for a slightly large black mole instead. 

First Day of School...

Allie has to leave for school earlier than everyone else and we missed getting her picture on the first day. She also has to stay after almost every day for marching band so she missed out on the after school cake too.

Allie is a freshman, Caden is in 8th grade, Parker is in 6th grade, Sydney started kindergarten and Sage is in pre-K.

Happy Toby...

I wanted to get a picture of Toby licking Caden's face like crazy but Caden wouldn't allow it. I still got a picture of Toby looking happy which makes me happy. He loves us too!

To the Beach...

At the end of July, we got to fly to South Carolina to hang out with my mom, my aunt, my cousin, my sister and her kids. We had a great time!

Some highlights:

The cousins had so much fun together. Sydney and Abbie paired up and played a lot. Sage and Brinlee had a great time together. All the girls were great swimmers and loved playing in the water together.

We found lots and lots of sand dollars and tiny hermit crabs in the ocean at low tide. That was fun for those of us who like sea creatures.

On Friday we had amazing, strong, consistent waves for boogie boarding. The big kids and moms had a lot of fun with those. We had calmer waves later on that were perfect for Sydney and Abbie.

The alligator(s) in the pond outside the condo were entertaining and present regularly.

Everyone loved Emerson and all the cute words he says. He was funny when he first came, resting on Allie's shoulder and pretending to be asleep. We like his coping skills.

We love Seabrook Island, SC!

Even a good puppy...

The first week and a half that Toby was here, he was SO good. He was in the garage a lot and didn't chew on anything he wasn't supposed too. He was a really good puppy.

Now he is in the backyard and has hit a new stage of puppyhood. Here is proof that even a good puppy, still has to be a puppy. Chewing things up, digging holes, etc. 

I think it's like kids. Even the really good ones have challenging stages that they go through. And we get to love them through it all.

The kids still go out multiple times a day to check on him and feed him and play with him. We love our dog.

Thankful...

I wanted to do something to infuse more positivity and spirituality into our home this summer. Every morning around breakfast time we say this scripture al together. 

After that we have quick family prayer. Then I share a scripture (working from New Testament scripture mastery list) and a thought connected with it. 

The last thing we do is come up with 10 unique things we are thankful for. We write them on this chart on the wall. 

My inspiration for writing this post today is the transformation I observed in Parker today. When we started this chart he contributed little to nothing to the thankful chart. Today I had to make a rule for him to let other people share because he was constantly rattling off more new things to be grateful for. I am grateful for him and for our special little morning routine. 

A Puppy???

I'm not sure I ever thought we would have a pet. When we were in Pittsburg this weekend, we fell in love with a sweet stray puppy that showed up at the house. We brought him home and now I'm pretty sure he will be ours. Meet Toby...

Sick Kids...

I've had a couple of friends who had sick kids a lot this winter. My little girls haven't been sick very much at all. I have been thinking a lot about why that might be true. We may simply be lucky/blessed but I wonder if there is more to it.

Four reasons why I think my kids aren't sick very often:

1. Vaccinations
My little girls are on a delayed vaccination schedule. They are getting standard vaccines but at a much slower rate. The most they have gotten at once before age 4 is 2. I know this sounds counter intuitive to most of the population and popular medicine. Vaccines are supposed to keep us from getting sick right? I'm not so sure.

My theory is that the vaccines keep us from getting a few serious but now rare illnesses. I think loading up babies with vaccines early on is taxing on their little immune systems. I think they are less able to fight off the everyday bugs because their immune systems have had to work so hard against all the stuff in those vaccines. My big kids were vaccinated on schedule and we were in the doctor's office a lot. Both of my boys had so many ear infections that we almost put tubes in their ears. I very rarely have to take my little two in to see a doctor for anything other than a well visit.

2. Infrequent use of Antibiotics
Because we don't go to the doctor very much, we rarely take antibiotics. I think antibiotics kill the bacteria that are making us sick. They also kill off a lot of our good bacteria. Those good bacteria help keep us healthy. I've seen many times where you take one antibiotic and then are sick again in a few weeks and have to take more and then more not long after that. Again this is counter intuitive - could antibiotics really weaken our immune systems and cause us to be sick more often? I think yes. You might ask how we get rid of the bad things like strep and ear infections without antibiotics. The answer lies in reason #3.

3. Essential Oils - specifically doTerra essential oils
We love our essential oils. I have experience with doTerra essential oils and I believe they have superior oils to other companies. Each oil is tested to make sure it has all the compounds that should be found in that essential oil or blend. Personally I don't trust all the oils made by all the manufacturers for their healing properties.

I use oregano essential oil whenever we are sick or feel like we are getting sick. Oregano on the bottom of feet is so awesome for fighting off illness. Sometimes we take "flu bombs" which are veggie caps with 2 drops each of Melaleuca, Oregano and On-Guard. Parker was diagnosed with strep this fall. We took him to the doctor and he got amoxycillin pills. Meanwhile I fought the sickness with oils. I think he took 1-2 pills but was feeling so good with the oils that he didn't take anymore. We use oils all the time for anything that ails us. Our medical deductible is so high that we do everything we can at home before going to the doctor. Almost always we can take care of things with our oils.

4. We are not germ-a-phobes
I had a roommate one summer in college that was very conscious of germs. She changed her bath towel and wash cloth everyday. She washed her hands A LOT. She used chemicals to kill all the germs. And she happened to be one of the sickest people I knew. I think regular contact with different germs helps our body build a strong defense and we don't get sick at every little thing that enters our body.

In our house, we use soap and water a lot for cleaning. We don't use Lysol or other chemicals much. Water is by far my favorite cleaning chemical! We also do not buy any anti-bacterial products with triclosan. We sometimes drink from each other's glasses and sometimes we double-dip (but not when Bob is watching). We aren't disgusting either, we wash our hands regularly and use our own toothbrushes. : )

Recent Happenings...

Allie's 8th grade promotion dance. With some of her band friends - Emily, Annie and Kylie.

Building with magna tiles. Parker was home for the last 11 days of the school year and made this fun creation.

More creativity from Parker.

Preschool graduation. Sydney likes to tell everyone that she will be 6 when she starts kindergarten because her mama wanted to hold her back a year (which is true.)

With her teachers Miss Natalie and Miss Laurie. The kids and Bob were doing the wave for her at this moment. 

Miss Natalie is in the middle of this group.  I think these kids liked their teachers! Group hug!

This is her best friend Brock. They made a pact earlier in the year that they would be friends until they die. The last day of school was Thursday (the same day as graduation). Sydney only went to school on MW while most of her class went all four days. At graduation Brock's mom told me that Brock thought he was going to cry all day because he didn't know if he was going to see Sydney again. Sometimes he would leave her notes like this after church or on days she was not in school. 

They will go to different schools all the way through and might not cross paths much, if at all, after the summer. Brock was the 4th kid too with oldest sister in middle school. They are cute friends.

Sydney lost her first tooth. It was really loose one morning and she let me pull it with floss. That made me happy. I don't know why but I like pulling teeth.

End of school awards for Caden. Honor roll and special award for being great in concert band.

Lots of awards for Allie. She's on to high school next year.

Memorial Day in Pittsburg. Sydney likes to ride the tube slow and ride the boat fast. She was the only one willing to adventure out to the lake with me this day. It was cooler and rainier than normal. Parker came and fished from the dock. On Monday we all went out but it was too cold for the adults to get in. Parker and Sydney swam and swam and the cold didn't bother them. The others tubed and tried not to get very wet. 

Saying goodbye to baby Catherine. 

Sydney found these beautiful wildflowers at the park and brought them home to me (I was painting the bathroom trim.) I put them in some water in my new sink and felt happy every time I saw them that day. 

Sage was jumping from the coffee table to the couch when a pillow got moved and she busted her nose and lip. Lots of blood and tears for awhile but she is ok. 

Sage!?!

This afternoon Sage came downstairs with a wet shirt and skirt. I asked her what had happened. 

Sage: "Mommy, I sorry. I wanted to make a pond.

Me: "WHERE did you make a pond?"

She pointed to the carpet downstairs. I made her take me upstairs where we found a huge puddle in the bathroom (why did anyone think it was a good idea to have carpet in a bathroom?). Sitting on the puddle was this cloth Easter basket which she had apparently tried to fill with water to make a pond.

I made her help me clean up the water with towels that she jumped on to soak it up. We have had a fan running on it all afternoon and it is still wet. SAGE!

*Edit - we are still drying the carpet and pad two days later.