A Weekend Get-Away...

Brigham's face sums it up. :)  We were ready for break from the routine.  We joined Doug traveling south for a job interview.  I always forget how long the drive can get with an almost two-year-old and car-sick girls, but it was worth it, just to shake things up a bit. :)

 

Brig screamed "STUCK!!!!" over and over most of the trip.  We tried to help him understand that we were all "stuck," but it didn't seem to help.  At one point Doug suggested I hand him a chocolate "Riesen" to get him to stop.  It lasted about 2 minutes and I turned around to this. Not worth it. :)  I was thinking I could give him a real "reason" to zip it. :)
 

He's good at putting on a happy face for the camera though. :)
 

The whole trip got even better when Doug's sweet parents and sis agreed to meet up with us at the hotel.  The kids were so excited.  It was funny how it felt like it had been forever and just yesterday seeing them- just natural.  So good to be around them!
 

 

They took us out to dinner.  It was definitely good food and good company.
So fun!
 

 

 

 

Then they were good sports and joined us swimming.  They got to drive home quite late, wet and smelling of chlorine, but it was sure worth the sacrifice for us! :)  We are always careful to find a hotel with a pool.  The girls made it clear that was a "must". :)
 

The boys were pretty determined that they could swim on their own.  Doug and I both had to jump in and rescue Seth and Brigham.  They required a tight grip and a sharp eye at all times!  Wild men.
 

 

The next morning Doug took off looking handsome and prepared for his interview.  He said he felt really good about it.  We haven't heard back yet, but he is so awesome not to put all his eggs in one basket.  He's still shooting out a bunch of applications and even lined up another interview since.
While he was interviewing, we got to meet up with our good friends the Kellers for some more swimming.  They fed us Sunday dinner the day before, and were so good to us.  AWESOME people!

It was nice and quiet swimming in the morning. :)
 

 

 And plenty of chlorine...
 

I won't mention too much about the ride home... LONG!  I was starting to go crazy.  I do fine if I have an audio book on, but I forgot to grab one. I got so desperate I started playing Angry Birds and slashing fruit.  Please know that is saying something- not typical behavior for me, but it definitely helped me cope for a while on windy roads in the dark with screaming kids. :)
I will mention a tender mercy though.  We stopped at a rest stop just before all the windy roads, and Doug had the presence of mind to glance at the tires.  They were totally bald in the front and starting to rip.  It was such a blessing he looked and we were able to find a tire store close by, where we devoured their popcorn supply and watched the news. :)  It only set us back about an hour- could have been so much worse being stranded or wrecking along the curvy roads with no shoulder and a drop off to the river.  We truly felt the Lord's hand of protection.
Good to get away, and good to get home. :)

LOVE was made for me and you!!!

Valentine's Day is my favorite and my best!  You can't help but love it when you grow up as the daughter of "The Flower Man" florist.  Dad spoiled me royally over the years.  Lucky girls at school would get a rose in a vase... and I would proudly, yet humbly (if that is possible) carry home my full bouquet home.  He set the bar pretty high, so I'm grateful my Sweetheart knows how much I love fresh flowers and keeps on spoiling me. :)  He brought me four big bunches of flowers and let me play around with them.  That is my favorite!  They are still blooming beautifully!  He even found a sitter and took me out to dinner. XOXO What a man!  And I got him a really fancy lazer pointer... how romantic huh? :)  It was what he was wishing for.  I told him he is the "light of my life." :)

And how can you not love a day that starts out with an anonymous "heart-attack" and a plate of yummy sugar cookies.  It's just so fun to know you are loved!!!

And Grandma's and Grandpa's send the best valentines- we were tickled pink! 

Seth even got invited to a Valentine's Day party for a little girl in his class.  He had a lot of fun making heart necklaces, passing out valentines, and eating sweets.  I think Brigham was in a sugar coma... one sucker or candy heart after another.

 

 

Check out these yummy treats- I probably enjoyed them more than the kids. :)  Delicious doughnuts and yummy little heart-shaped pretzel bites.

Can you see why I'm a fan?  It's just a great day.  Love is in the air!

Feelin' the Love...

I love a good old fashioned homemade valentine.  Those mass-produced action-figure ones are so impersonal. :)  We spent our whole Sunday afternoon making valentines.  I {selfishly} decided to sit down with the kids and make them with them.  I LOVE making Valentines!  I have memories of working on mine in our "Resource Room" when I was in 1st grade.  The fun hasn't worn off, even after all these years. :)  It was even more fun to see what my own kids came up with.  

Amberlee's were "quite lovely" and traditional, but she had a definite advantage because she knows how to cut out hearts.  

 

Pour Autumn was stumped and basically created strange things with all the scraps... things that closely resembled scraps. :)  I tried to talk to her about taking her time and making it special, but she just has her own "quantity over quality" way of doing things and I just let her loose. 

And Seth was very careful and meticulous about his, adding little pencil drawings and a signature, but he was worn out after two. :)
And Brigham... he just ate the paper, which was probably just as much fun for him.
Isn't it funny how you can have such a melting pot of personalities in one family?

We finally got all of our Valentines signed, sealed, and delivered.  Can't wait to post about our fun V-day. :)

 

This last week, the girls participated in a "Polar Bear Walk" to school.  We walk pretty much every day, but this day was different, because there was hot-chocolate and a key chain at the end of it.  Happy day!  They were pretty excited.  

 

 

  

 

Lydia Stewart and the Little People...

SOOOO... not much going on.  Two weeks of sick kids and very little sleep.  Not very much fun to talk about, so I thought instead, I would finally mention my "secret life." 

 

 Back in August, I met to enroll Seth in pre-school.  While I was filling out the paperwork and chatting with the Director, she mentioned that they were hunting for a Direct Service Aide for his classroom.  I had prayerfully been trying to figure out a way to help pay the bills and provide Autumn with the opportunity to enroll in the neat K+ program at her school.  She strongly encouraged me to apply.  After lots of interviews, paper work, and training, I started work at Seth's preschool part-time.  It has been so much fun to watch him grow and interact with other kids.  They have so many amazing resources and materials.  I have been glad that both of us have been given this opportunity.  I still feel like being home to nurture my own children is the most important thing I could do, and it has been challenging at times to find the balance.  The laundry piles up, schedules get hectic, and I'm pretty beat by the end of the day.  Probably the hardest part has been dropping my little Briggy off.  It is only a few days a week, but I still miss and worry about him.  Thankfully he has been in good hands between Doug on Mondays, a sweet friend with a son to play with, and a sweet older couple who treat him like a grandson.
I have made a lot of new little friends.  I've really grown to love these cute kids.  Most of them come from pretty rough backgrounds, so I'm thankful for the opportunity to provide some stability and positive interaction in their lives.

(We had a few kids missing, and since then we have had several leave and several more come, but it has consistently been a sweet bunch of kids.)

So here is a typical day around our place:
Seth wakes up ready to go! (Usually pretty early. :)  He gets himself dressed and makes his bed.

Then we drag the girls out of bed, get them dressed, and remind them to make their beds. :)  I'm not sure at what point this is going to change, but I hope soon.  They are getting better.  I wish some of his enthusiasm would wear off.  We work hard to get them out the door and walking to school on time.  Then it's just me and the boys.

I make Doug a sandwich and send him off with a kiss.  All this time Briggy follows us around, and makes sure I know he wants breakfast.  We usually have green smoothies. (I think it is keeping my picky boys alive.  Seth normally won't touch anything green, so we won't mention it's loaded with spinach. :)
 

We also had yummy whole-wheat apple banana muffins on this day... that happens when mommy is feeling extra ambitious in the mornings. :)

We drop Briggy off and Seth and I head to Preschool, where we...
Sing, read, play, eat lunch, finger paint, build towers and knock them down, feed fish, learn how to share, play with play-dough, watercolor, practice writing our names and counting, make friends, put together puzzles, play dress-up and pretend, etc etc etc...

...Then we go outside and swing, dig in the sand, slide, kick balls, play house and Mr. Fox, blow bubbles, ride trikes, hula-hoop, play tag, ring-around the rosies, duck-duck-goose, and super heroes, build snowmen, and roll down the hill.
*This outdoor time has been my favorite part of the job.  I have loved being forced to get some fresh air and sunshine everyday.  It has been good for my soul... and the winter blues! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, we wrap it all up with a big snack. Yummy! And more play. 

This is what I get when I ask Seth to smile. :)
Then we pick up Briggy, then the girls, get home, and business as usual. :)

I have been so amazed with Seth's growth in the last few months.  He is talking and interacting so much more.  His fine motor skills have really increased and he in just GROWING!  It is exciting to see his cute little personality develop.  I'm grateful we have had this opportunity to foster it.

So that is what I have been doing...
hanging out with little people. :)