Magic Moments

I have a myriad of things that could make up a post for today, but this seemed most important.  Aiden drew this picture last week.  At the time the only thing I saw in this picture was his huge advancement in drawing skills.  This is a big leap for my four year old.  Do you see the rainbow, grass, sun, and sky?  But today I looked at it as I was opening the fridge to get breakfast and I was overwhelmed by a running list of God's promises flowing through my head.  I've been studying Genesis and I never guessed how such a seemingly straight forward book could become so personal.  Aiden's rainbow sparked in me a morning that was filled with affirmation of the Holy Spirit and I stood in awe of God's provision and blessings that make me feel so loved and humbled. I am marveling at how God speaks to us, how His timing truly is perfect, how He ordained all of creation and all the details of my life.  I am mesmerized by His invisible qualities that show...

  We made our yearly trip to Apple Jack Orchard on Saturday...which was very appropriate seeing it was the first day of Fall. It was Sage's first trip there and I am confident it will be the first of many.  I think my boys could be the poster children for Apple Jack's...one of my favorite places to go.  This year was a little different.  Much of the apple crop was ruined by an April freeze so we were able to buy apples but we were not able to pick apples.  We brought home a big bag of Honey Crisp...my second or third favorite apple since there were no Zestars to be found.  We also missed Grandmommy and Grandpa who have made several trips to Apple Jack's with us.  We're hoping next year we'll all go together.  Despite the small apple crop and missing Grandmommy and Grandpa we still had a sweet time together. My sweet, sweet Baby Sagey.  We were able to pick some of the Fall raspberry crop.  Aiden an...

MVI 0758 from Jenny on Vimeo .

The week I decided to drastically cut our sugar intake and quit using the microwave has also been the week that Sage announced he no longer wants a steady diet of mush.  Bummer.  I don't love the baby food stage and I dislike the microscopic finger food stage even more.  I refuse to let my kid live on cheese, bananas and Puffs, so I had to figure something out.  Sometimes he can eat what we have for dinner, but sometimes not.  There are still lots of foods I haven't given him and let's not forget the ongoing dilemma of what's for lunch.  So, tonight I experimented.  I figured if I could freeze baby food in ice cube trays then maybe I could freeze finger food in trays too. First I chopped a bunch of veggies and steamed them in a pot.  Then I chopped them into small pieces...and chopped some more.  Next, I filled the trays with food and then put them in the freezer.  The left overs I made into a batch of baby food.  Sage won't be qu...

The boys have two highlights during the day.  The first one being Daddy's arrival home from work.  Both of them run to the door.  Both line up for hugs.  It's very endearing...for the most part.  I wouldn't trade their love for their Dad for anything.  But really?  Of course Tom is at work all day working for us.  I can't thank him enough.  But let's not forget me...the mama...the one who gave up working, the one who wipes noses, sits on the floor, reads Chicka Chicka Boom Boom countless time, the one who instructs, cares for, and raises the next great generation. Let's not forget her.  Sometimes I think it would be so wonderful to be the novelty parent for just a couple days.  I want to walk through the door and have everyone excited to see me!  HAH!  The boys better end up as President of the United States to thank me for the years of raising them into real men.  Well, maybe not President.  I don't think I'd wi...

I think there are a few things you need to understand...a few things you really should take to heart. Understanding these couple things will make our experience working together much more pleasant. I'm assuming you don't have kids yet, so this point is something you can't fully grasp but need to know.  My child is my treasure.  He is God's most brilliant creation.  He means more to me than millions of trillions of dollars.  Please keep this in mind when I hand him over to you.  Whether it's just for an hour or for all day, you are holding my world.  So, I would really appreciate it if you would smile at my child.  Be excited to see him.  Take him by the hand and treat him like he's made of pure gold.  Also, please value my child as a person...as his own separate being.  Don't treat him like someday he'll be somebody.  Treat him like the somebody he already is.  He is intelligent and he has his own ideas.  He knows when y...

Tom, You are the cheese to my macaroni  You are the horizon to my sky You are the bacon to my eggs You are the laces to my sneakers   You are the jelly to my peanut butter You are the smile to my face You are the gravy to my mashed potatoes You are the bubbles to my bath You are the milk to my cookie You are the ink to my pen You are the ketchup to my fries You are the water to my ocean You are the icing on my cupcake Happy Birthday, Tom! What more could I ask for? I'm so glad God made you especially for me.  It's such a privilege to celebrate your birthday and count all the reasons I'm thankful for you. Thank you for working hard, supporting us, letting the boys be boys, teaching our children, being graceful, being flexible, valuing experiences, and loving us unconditionally.  God was so good when he knitted you together....when he miraculously healed you....when he allowed medical science to be advanced enough to keep you alive.  I feel immeasurably ble...

Clap your hands!!!! 20120909 173426 from Jenny on Vimeo . Things are a changin' around here.  And by changin' I mean the kiddos are growin'.  Sagey claps his hands like a pro now.  And after tonight's dinner I KNOW he knows what "all done means."  As I was feeding him squash (not his favorite) he was yelling at me and then frantically started signing "all done!"  So cute!  For the sake of reinforcing language development Sage was let off the hook on eating his squash.  :) And then there's my Aiden.  This week there has been many a sign that he is growing too. I sold the double jogging stroller that I thought I would love so much.  I did love it, but Aiden never rode in it.  As soon as I bought it he started riding a bike and declared himself too big for the stroller...unless of course his feet hurt. :)  That is just one of the many things that have changed this week telling me that my nearly 4.5 year old is growing up. ...

 After church on Sunday we headed to Taylors Falls. Since Tom and I are not native Minnesotans all these places are brand new to us, and we are loving having the chance to do a little "stay-cationing" now that at least one of our kids is old enough to take it all in. The park was really, really peaceful.  I enjoyed the beauty of it all. Sage enjoyed just being along for the ride and being carried around all day. Tom and Aiden really loved feeling like they were conquerors and explorers. The more time I spend with the boys the more I see their need for physical activity, their need to conquer and their need to just plain be outside. I'm excited to go back because there are lots of trails we didn't do and when the boys are older we can canoe down the river. Summit Rock.  Although it sounds impressive, it's not as much of of a climb as one might think.  It's just half a mile.  But it is uphill most of the way.  I did it with an 18 pounder ...

I drug my feet for a good long time before signing up for Pinterest.  I thought for sure it would A) consume my time (it doesn't really) and B) make me irritated that all the houses on it were better decorated than mine (they are and I' trying to get over it).  All in all, however, it's been a really great thing.  My recipes are in one place. I have a file of this and that and lots of ideas for Aiden and Sage.  I kind of love it.  Anyway, often as I'm surfing and pinning I think, "How clever is that!" or "How do these people come up with this stuff??"  That last question can go both ways.  Sometimes I wonder how people come up with really awesome stuff, and then sometimes I wonder how people come up with such awful stuff ( like this pan of nasty )!  Once in awhile I get a little down on myself, especially when I come across things like, "100 awesome things to do with your kids." I always think those moms must be super great....and then I re...

Sage is trying to communicate. I say trying because right now clap hands, all done, and more all look about the same when he tries to sign them....which looks like some combination of waving his hands and mashing them together.  It's simply adorable.  Of course he started babbling "Dada" a month or two ago and now he finally says "Mama" but only when he's whining. :)  I KNOW he's trying to mimic sounds, but all the development in his brain just isn't there yet.  But, I'm thinking about counting "Ball" as his first word.  Take a look! MVI 0712 from Jenny on Vimeo .

This is a little piece of wisdom that came from a post on Family Matters Blog a while back.  It hangs on my fridge and is a daily reminder to me that success at the end of the day does not mean there were no tears, no frustrations and no mistakes.  Rather,  success, when your primary job is mothering, is defined by the intentional moments....the teaching that happened amidst the tears, the lessons that were learned from mistakes and the grace that was given. Success is when you continually and tirelessly plant the seeds in the hearts of your children that will build a firm foundation for their faith.  Honestly, this little paragraph was also convicting.  The care taking of two little boys who have not so little personalities is daily a daunting task and I frequently find myself just trying to get to the finish line (bedtime!). So this call to a higher standard spoke right to me and called me to "step it up" a little...or a lot. In case you missed it on Family M...

Is it really the unofficial end of Summer? Transitioning into Fall is always so bittersweet.  I'm ready for a fresh start, for the air to have a chill, for apple season and pumpkin season and for a few weekly commitments.  But, I'm not totally ready to give up lazy Summer days.  Gone are the days with no agenda, the boat rides, the beach and seeing our family almost every weekend.  Saying "Goodbye" to Summer is easier to do when I know the Apple Orchard will be waiting for us to visit and I know Summer will greet us next year with it's warm arms wide open.  Unlike most, we are not starting school this week.  Since we played until the very end of Summer we (I) wasn't prepared to start teaching today.  So this week is all about prepping for Preschool and taking care of business like dentist appts, doctor appts, and such.  Even though we will start school (and a couple more things) next week, I know we'll still take advantage of the last warm days ...