12 in 2014: The Year in Review

Well hello, end of the year!

Once upon a time I had a blog. Then we lost internet for two weeks. Then we went to Nebraska for Thanksgiving. Then... I don't even know. The heaps of laundry ate my computer? Yeah, we'll go with that. I really didn't mean to take a two month break from blogging--it just happened. But lots of other stuff really important stuff happened instead of blogging, like sorting through the crazy huge piles of clothes each of the boys have from all the (wonderful) hand-me-downs we've received over the last four years and giving away two thirds of their collective closet. And (slowly) doing the same for my own closet because, seriously, that favorite shirt (or six) from college? Never going to fit ever again. But guess what? I held on to them long enough that I finally didn't mind giving them up. Finally.

Anyway. Not what this post is about. On this eve of the New Year I'm linking up with Dwija at House Unseen for her 12 in 2014 year in review. The extent of the review depends entirely on how long John Paul continues his nap and how many crayons I'm willing to let Liam eat to buy me more time. 

Kidding about the crayons.

Mostly.

In January Alex and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary, Michael turned 3, and Alex helped chaperone (Chrome says that is misspelled... am I losing my mind?) his school's trip to DC for the March for Life. I must have sounded a little too frantic and despairing when talking to my Mom about it in the weeks leading up to it, because she flew out to stay with the boys and me while Alex was gone. So wonderful!

In February I was very, very pregnant. Cue taking advantage of full-length mirrors at Motherhood Maternity for a blurry preggo selfie. My sister came for a visit, rescuing us from my absolute least favorite month. And Michael was introduced to Bob the Cow and said lots of other cute stuff. I napped every chance I got, usually on the floor while the boys were playing around/on me.

In March I gave up hope of ever potty training Michael. But then John Paul arrived! Such cuteness here. Obsessively detailed birth story started here and continued here. The second half of the month is a total blur, surprise surprise. We worked on adjusting to being a family of five. Michael was fantastic with John Paul from day one. Liam loved him dearly from day one, but needed some time to learn that sitting on him and giving full body hugs were not acceptable ways of expressing that love. We all survived. And by the end of the month the whole potty thing finally clicked for Michael (although I didn't get around to blogging about it for another couple months).

April is also a huge blur. We spend as much time outside as we could, enjoying the lovely spring weather. Can you tell those boys are brothers? All I managed to get up on the blog was John Paul's birth story. He slept better than either Michael or Liam did at that age, but still. The exhaustion.

May brought the excitement of watching our new yard spring into bloom, but also some serious snow for Mother's Day. There was the usual end-of-the-year busy-ness for Alex at school, and more blurriness for me as I continued to adjust to mothering three three and under. Part of the blurriness may have been due to dealing with another SI joint problem. John Paul did start sleeping through the night in May, so I should remember more of it than I do... Of course, the other boys felt they needed to take up the slack with frequent wakings.

In June we spent a week in the Black Hills at a church camp I grew up attending with my family. Michael was about the same age I was when I went for the first time. I loved watching him explore and discover and experience things that were so special to me. I remember playing on these walls along the stairs. And beating that spruce tree in the background with sticks to see how many moths we could chase out. We almost didn't make it up there, because our van broke down about an hour into the trip. Alex's parents rescued our family vacation with the loan of one of their cars, and we made it. The six hour trip turned into over ten hours, and the boys were not happy about it, but we made it! My SI joint problem was resolved after I finally got in to see the PT, but I had a fair bit of residual pain from my sciatic nerve. John Paul stopped sleeping through the night (why?! why must he tease me like this?).

The first week of I woke up with literally crippling back and leg pain. After crying on the phone to the PT's office they got me in the next day, and I left that appointment with the terrifying (to me) diagnosis of a slipped disc.  Several visits to the PT, and new stretching regimen, and lots of ice and ibuprofen later, and we still managed to make our mid-July trip to Lincoln. Highlights of the trip never made the blog (mea culpa), but included: almost two whole weeks with my parents, trips to the Children's Museum and Morrill Hall Natural History Museum, and my dear friend Melissa's beautiful wedding.

I didn't take many pictures in August. Still dealing with pain and lots of limitations from my disc issue, I constructed this improvised standing desk so I wouldn't be sitting down as much. Alex took pity on me and built me a wonderful platform to convert my desk into a much nicer standing desk. I think I took this picture intending a before-and-after blog. Whoops. In other news, Alex was back to school, and I was back to stay-at-homing by myself. August is always a rough transition for us--this year it was harder than usual. I also learned that I would only be teaching one class for the Biblical School, and so I spend a lot of time looking for freelance writing work to make up the income.

In September I got to spend a week with my sister in Orlando and meet my newest nephew, James. I also started teaching, continued looking for freelance work, and totally out of the blue was offered a huge project. Now that it has been published, I can finally share that I was privileged and honored to work on a Bible study project put together by the Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, and Lighthouse Catholic Media. Check out the first Lectio study on Peter! At the end of September we spent a weekend in the mountains for Alex's cousin Sarah's wedding. I think these pictures of Michael and Liam--especially put side-by-side--are my favorite pictures of the whole year. When did my boys get so big?! This month we also said goodbye as Alex's Grandpa Charles passed away at 100 years old. His beautiful obituary is here.

In October Alex and I got to go on a date (so rare that it's noteworthy in reviewing the year? yikes!), and we celebrated John Paul's name day. I was crazy busy writing, but so thankful for the work (and loving it, when I wasn't stressed about a deadline). We got this fantastic play structure as a hand-me-down from cousins, and we spent as much time outside as we could. I dressed up the boys for All Hallows' Eve even though there was no one else to see. Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati is getting a little too into character. St. Joseph just wanted to snuggle, and David was having issues keeping his sheep under control.

In November Liam turned two. Two! How can that be? Dearest Liam, I promise an entire blog post devoted to your birthday, even if it is two months late. I refuse to let the whole middle child stereotype be proven true. I was so proud of his cake. He did like it, but it was getting awfully close to bedtime. Hence his blank stare. I was crazy busy writing some more. We lost internet for two weeks (thankfully after my final deadline). We went to Lincoln for Thanksgiving, and the big boys and Alex got to meet James. I think he was a little overwhelmed by all the (loud) love and attention from his cousins (and uncle). Advent started as November ended, and immediately I felt like I was behind.

In December Advent was busy and hurried and I just wasn't ready. Oh well. Christmas came anyway, and it has been wonderful. We have been thoroughly enjoying Alex's time off from school. Liam gets really excited about Krikkras Trees and Krikkras lights.

Wow, the year seems both fuller and shorter thanks to that whirlwind attempt to summarize it! I guess I really do need to blog more, just so I remember more of what is happening in this crazy adventure. This year has had some incredibly high points, most notably welcoming John Paul and watching Michael and Liam grow and learn. But it has also been a tough year with more health challenges than I've had to face before, and more exhaustion than I would have thought possible to survive.

7 Quick Takes (vol. 40): Confessions

--- 1 ---

I have a confession to make. I kind of love shoes. I don't know when this happened, but for the last couple of years I see shoes and I just want to have them. All of them. Okay, not really all of them... not the crazy stilettos and not the really strappy how-do-you-even-get-them-on-and-off sandals and not the huge chunky ones. But I like shoes a whole lot more than I ever thought I would, even if I (somehow) manage to be super disciplined and not indulge myself very often. In fact, I think I've only bought two pairs of shoes in the last three years, and one of those was my first pair of snow boots since middle school. But last night I added the third pair in three years, because I desperately needed some shoes with really good support. I've been wearing my Chacos nonstop for the last two weeks and it helped a lot, but it's supposed to snow next week, and sandals just weren't going to cut it any more.

--- 2 ---

Enter my new best friends.

Thankfully this wasn't as taxing a search as I've had in the past. After a grand total of 24 hours I'm already in love. I have a hunch I'll be asking for a pair of Dansko sandals for my birthday next June...

--- 3 ---

You know what else I'm in love with? Dillard's shoe department. We made my shoe-shopping trip a whole-family experience last night, and all the Dillard's ladies were so sweet and patient with the two crazy boys running and jumping every where and the one slightly impatient boy in the stroller (they really did behave themselves, they were just super energetic). Dillard's has my loyalty forever and ever when it comes to shoes. You know what sealed the deal? Not a single one of them said, "You have your hands full!" Love. Forever.

--- 4 ---

Okay, time for another confession. I've spent the last two weeks watching season 3 of Call the Midwife, and I (at least) teared up during every. single. episode. A couple times I outright sobbed.

I watched the first season when I was VERY pregnant with Liam, and it was perfect to get in the mood and mindset for birth (and make me super grateful that I wouldn't be giving birth in London's East End 70 odd years ago). I watched season 2 while I was pregnant with John Paul. Obviously watching it pregnant is fine, but postpartum is not. Even almost 8 months postpartum. Waaay too many hormones whilst doing the dishes. Alex caught me choking back the tears once midway through the season. He laughed at me (which I fully deserved) until that made me cry harder and kind of punch him. Gently. Sort of.

--- 5 ---

NO this is not a pregnancy announcement!

--- 6 ---

Speaking of shows, at lunch time today the boys and I made the absolutely horrifying discovery that Neflix has dropped Mighty Machines. It was one my favorite shows for the boys, because it was real trucks, limited obnoxious singing to be stuck in my head all day, and it was more educational than most of the other options. It was one of the boys favorites because TRUCKS. So you can imagine the meltdowns when I failed to produce what I had so blithely promised. I almost had a riot on my hands. Jen says it better than I ever could.

--- 7 ---

As a result, I think Netflix and I are breaking up. Amazon Prime doesn't have Mighty Machines either (although I just found a bunch of episodes on YouTube... why didn't I think of that at lunchtime?!) but I think I'm ready to make the switch anyway. I've been wanting to watch Lark Rise to Candleford for ages (also not on Netflix, lame), and this just might be the tipping point. 

Do you have a preference? Advice and recommendations most heartily welcome.

Check out Jen and the rest for more Quick Takes

Sights and Sounds (and Smells) of My Day

Do you want to know what I'm seeing, hearing, and smelling on this gorgeous autumn day?

One day the leaves were golden, the next they were gone

Don't worry, I'll only share the good smells ;) I promise not to comment on the regrettable change in a certain someone's diapers now that he is happily devouring every single new food offered to him (and even more happily, showing a much greater proficiency and interest in self-feeding than either of his brothers did at this age).

Moving on! To the delicious smell of this soup from Sarah at two Os + more cooking in my crockpot. Having supper prepped--let alone cooking and the kitchen clean--before the end of naptime is almost as mythical an accomplishment in my housewifely repertoire as doing, folding, AND putting away laundry within the same day week. Let's just say I am feeling extremely proud of myself today.

What else?

Some sounds would include loud and dramatic sobbing from Michael, accompanied by the sight of Liam proudly sitting and playing on top of the pile of mulch Michael had so painstakingly built at the bottom of the slide.

Another sound would be the rattle of small, hard object unexpectedly hitting the backdoor, followed by Liam's yells of protestation. The sight immediately following that sound when I opened the door? A large pile of mulch on the back doorstep (a good 40 feet away from where it was supposed to be), a very distraught Liam covered in leaves and mulch standing on the step, and a very guilty-looking Michael running away across the yard.

At lunch there was the (not entirely unexpected) sight of the pile of hotdog pieces Liam meticulously picked out of his mac and cheese. Definitely my son.

Current sight: late afternoon sunlight streaming through the kitchen window. Current sounds: Liam playing with a train, and apologizing whenever he bumps something: "Sossy, sossy" to the cupboards and floor; and John Paul chattering at me through the monitor. Well, that was good timing :)

{p,h,f,r} & Theme Thursday: Crack (me up)--My Boys

Oh these boys. How I love them.

And I also love when they are running around the yard, expending all their energy, playing happily together, totally entertained... for all of, you know, three minutes.

But this week we received an especially wonderful hand-me-down from my brother- and sister-in-law. And playtime in the yard has reached a whole new level of awesomeness. Which is to say, we are actually playing in the yard. Multiple days in a row. For hours at a time.

{pretty} / {funny}

As I was taking this picture, Michael was yelling: "Mama! Come back! You're in GREAT DANGER! You went away from us and you're going to get a BIG OWIE!" Obviously the long talks about how it's important to listen to Mama and Daddy and stay close to us when we say so have made an impression. The gift of Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales for Children to the boys from Liam's godfather may have helped as well... 

Also linking this one up with Cari for Theme Thursday because that totally cracked me up. 

{happy}

John Paul was loving the outside playtime as well. I was all set to take a picture of him sitting up, because this week he hit my all-time favorite stage of development: sitting up by himself with enough balance to play happily for extended periods of time, not losing his balance and falling over, but also not getting back down onto his stomach on purpose yet (and scooting away to chew on things he shouldn't)... but as I was taking pictures of him sitting up he very gracefully and deliberately leaned over and started scooting off the blanket. 

*sigh* 

I guess I should be grateful I got two whole days of stable-stationary-sitting.

{real}

Very real. Also real? Baby now awake and wanting his post-bedtime-pre-midnight snack.

7 Quick Takes (vol. 39): In which I have even less to say than I thought I did...

--- 1 ---

I am sorry to report that John Paul's uninterrupted 6 hours of sleep on Wednesday night was apparently just a feast day miracle and not the beginning of a new trend. But last night was still better than most of the previous two weeks, so... maybe we are moving in the right direction?

--- 2 ---

I certainly hope so. Going on 4 years of sleep deprivation is not working out particularly well for me. I don't know how many times in the past few weeks I've reminded Michael to "flush your hands and wash the toilet" after he uses the bathroom. Thankfully he hasn't seemed to notice... I don't even want to think about the resulting mess if he took me at my word.

Don't even think about it.

--- 3 ---

We took some family pictures a few weeks ago, and they turned out fantastic. Here are a few more I shot while Alex's mom took the official shots :) I'm so excited for our Christmas cards this year!

--- 4 ---

Only #4? Really? I'm sure I had so much more to say when I started this over 12 hours ago...

--- 5 ---

Hey look, another picture!

Liam wants to do everything Michael does. It's pretty darn adorable... most of the time. It also results in Michael yelling something along the lines of "No Liam! You can't do that! I'm doing that!" fairly often. But they play well together more often than not. Michael often reads books to Liam and helps him fix his toys when they aren't cooperation. And this week they played together--happily--in the basement without my direct supervision for some pretty significant stretches. It was glorious.

--- 6 ---

Of course, Michael still takes toys away from Liam at least once a day. His reason every.single.time? "But I like {insert Liam's toy here}." *facepalm*

Almost halfway to the age of reason... we can do this...

--- 7 ---

Finally, I need some help. I've been spending a lot more time on my feet since my back issues started in July. My back is feeling MUCH better, but now my right heel is killing me. I'm 98% sure it's plantar fasciitis, and I think I've finally reached the point where I can admit that I need to stop going barefoot all the time. It makes me sad just to type that... I don't particularly like wearing shoes in the house. On the other hand, I strongly dislike shooting pain in my heel.

So. Please help me make this transition (just ask my mom--I need all the help I can get when it comes to any kind of change!). What shoes do you love for comfort and really good support when you're on your feet all day?

Check out Jen and the rest for more Quick Takes

Liturgical Living: John Paul's Name Day

I love the idea of celebrating the liturgical year as a family. Christmas is an easy one. We're working on celebrating Easter in a way that acknowledges how important that feast is, too. We've done some things for Advent and Lent that worked really well, and some other things that need tweaking.

Beyond the obvious major feast days, we try to celebrate baptismal anniversaries and the feast days of our family's patron saints. I say "try," because despite each of those dates being marked on my Google calendar, I invariably fail to realize a feast day is coming up until the night before... or sometimes the day after.

I'm usually not too good with baby steps. I want all or nothing. There are dozens of better blogs out there with incredible ideas and tips for liturgical living, and so I need to do all the things too! And when I take that approach it usually results in a whole lot of nothing. But in this case I think I'm actually doing a pretty good job taking baby steps. I have high hopes that we'll move on eventually, but for now I'm quite happy if we manage to note each passing feast day in a timely manner.

And so yesterday we celebrated the feast day of St. John Paul II, patron saint and namesake of our little John Paul.

who me?

Because we are definitely in an extended season of survival mode, the thought of crafting a celebratory meal and dessert in the middle of the week was totally overwhelming. The fact that I realized Wednesday was such an important feast day after our weekend meal planning and shopping trip may have contributed to the seemingly impossible nature of the task.

So we decided to celebrate with Polish sausages at Costco. Clever, no? It was Alex's idea. Actually, I think he was mostly joking when he suggested it... but I thought it was brilliant, and he gets the credit whether he likes it or not.

Michael and Liam thoroughly enjoyed the outing. Polish sausage and lemonade, followed by 1/5 of a (giant) frozen yogurt? High point of their week, easily. And it was a hit with John Paul as well. He got his first taste of frozen yogurt (because Costco doesn't sell Pope cakes), and he definitely prefers it to the regular stuff he tried over the weekend.

perk of being the 3rd child--I NEVER would have given M a taste of
sweetened anything at 7 months old

We thoroughly enjoyed our celebration. And to top it all off, John Paul slept better than he has in 4+ months last night. A fitting tribute, as JPII has been our family's patron saint of sleep.

Theme Thursday: Good Job

One of the most affirming things in my life right now is when Liam is eating something and tells me, unprompted, "Ashishus!" (that's "delicious," for those of you who don't speak two-weeks-shy-of-two-years-old).

I know as a parent I'm just setting myself up for problems if I consistently (or exclusively) look to my kids for affirmation... like a few weeks ago in Mass when Michael pushed me away with a whisper-shout of "No! I don't want to sit with you" and promptly scooted over to sit with Papa. It's hard to compete with Papa and Cici, I get it. And I'm okay with it. Really :)

So I try to seek affirmation in healthier ways. Like asking Alex multiple times in the course of a few minutes if my outfit looks okay, or posting tons of pictures of the boys on social media and basking in the attention as the likes pile up...

But I can't help but feel a huge amount of satisfaction when the boys clearly enjoy what they are eating--especially since that generally means they finish their meal on their own with little or no prompting/cajoling on my part. Definite parenting win, in my book.

So here's my "good job" from the boys for today. Peanut butter waffles for breakfast. Ashishus.

Linking up with Cari @ Clan Donaldson for Theme Thursday

According to Alex

on our way to last weekend's soccer game date
Ash: Ooh! I could be following the Rapids on Instagram!

Alex: What? All I heard was crazy.

...

Alex:What are you smiling about?

Ash: It's just so fun to get to hold your hand. We never get to hold hands with each other any more. ... Hey, we could take off our rings and pretend we're just dating again!

Alex: We could. And then we could pretend to have a fight and break up. And you can find your own ride home.
fine, it was a silly idea--I wasn't serious anyway!








...
as I start to brush my teeth

Alex: So, I'll see you in half an hour?
I may brush longer than he does, but I don't brush that long

...
driving past the hospital where Liam and JP were delivered, which was under construction for some kind of expansion
Ash: I wonder if that's the expansion on the labor and delivery unit they were telling us about... regardless, those are some huge cranes
Alex: Thanks! I don't even work out.

...after playing a soccer game with some friends
Alex: I think I watch too much soccer and don't play enough. I argued with the ref about a call he made... against a player on the other team...

7 Quick Takes (vol. 38) -- Lots of Random, Lots of Pictures

--- 1 ---

Now? Is it finally Friday? Promise? It should have been Friday, like, three days ago. Such a long week. Wednesday especially was just... blech. No patience. Very little napping. Much neediness. So dramatic. Lots of crying.

And the boys had a rough day too.

So. Rather than recounting the Woe That Was the First Wednesday in October 2014, here are some completely random things from the last few weeks.

--- 2 ---

I think I've probably mentioned it before, but I'm only teaching one class for the Biblical School this year instead of three. This makes my weeks much less hectic, but it also means 1/3 of the income I had last school year. To make up for it I've been trying for the last few months to make some money by writing. I'm sure anyone who has done freelance anything will laugh, but I thought "Freelance Writer" had a kind of glamorous ring to it. Well. Since I wasn't willing to spend 30 hours a week writing content for sites that sell custom-crafted essays to students (I didn't know they even existed... I guess I shouldn't be surprised?) the endeavor wasn't proving to be terribly successful. I did feel that I finally mastered the (torturous) art of writing a cover letter, and I did land a couple small projects, but overall I was feeling fairly discouraged.

Then, totally out of the blue, I got an email asking if I was available to work on a Bible study project. I'll share more about it once the first one is published, but this was an absolute dream come true. So I've been super busy with that project for the last three weeks, and I have two more (probably crazy) weeks of work on it, then a break before expecting another load in a month or two. I'm thrilled. I'm also exhausted and kind of shell-shocked. I thought it would be no big deal to put in 20+ hours of work from home each week, but as if on cue the boys have adopted a totally staggered and shortened nap schedule, and night sleep--which wasn't great all summer--has totally fallen apart for JP. So... it's like college, but with fewer friends and more diapers.

Did that make sense? No? Hmmm... Maybe that actually demonstrates my point better than a well-constructed simile would.

--- 3 ---

Okay, #2 was not quick at all. In apology, here are totally unrelated pictures of the boys:

before loooooong overdue haircuts last week

being superheroes

obviously superheroes cannot stand still long enough to get a non-blurry pictures

--- 4 ---

Within 24 hours of receiving the aforementioned writing assignments, a friend emailed to say that her youngest son needed a couple more service hours for the summer, and would I like for him to come over and play with the boys for a while? Um, yes please! I'm not sure who was more thrilled with the arrangement, Michael or me. I'm hoping John enjoyed the adoring attention of two smaller boys even half as much as those two little boys enjoyed his company!

--- 5 ---

On the topic of being so blessed with generous friends, Alex often comes home from work with a few hand-me-downs from coworkers with older boys. We are so blessed with secondhand clothes, toys, etc., and I cannot even begin to describe how thankful I am for this. Anyway, within just a couple days Alex came home with a big box of clothes AND a big tub of Legos. Liam is thrilled with all his new dinosaur and truck shirts, I'm thrilled with a plethora of polo shirts for both boys, and Michael and Alex are both in heaven over their new Legos. We're just facing the challenge of finding a time and place for them to play with them without Liam putting them up his nose (he's just waiting for his chance, I know it) or JP eating them.

--- 6 ---

Because guess who is scooting/rolling all over the place? If there is a book, he will eat it. If there is a train, he will eat it. If there is half a string cheese left on the floor by a careless older brother, he will eat it (caught that one just in time yesterday). So. Much. Teething.

Curious George was rescued immediately after the taking of this picture. No irreparable damage was done.

--- 7 ---

And finally, I'm now on Instagram after reading this post from Kendra at Catholic All Year. So if you're on Instagram please let me know so I can follow you! Because I'm kind of really loving it, but it's really sad when I check it every 10 minutes and there isn't anything new...

Check out Jen and the rest for more Quick Takes

Boy Talk: Theology Lesson with Michael

After singing a new song while tucking him at nap time:

M: What was that song called?
Ash: "This Day God Gives Me"
M: Gives me what?
Ash: Well, God gives us everything we need, every day.
M: very emphatic and very concerned But, Mama! God doesn't have chicken nuggets!

I don't think he was entirely convinced when I explained that God provides what we need to make/buy chicken nuggets...

love the milk mustache, Mr. Michael

{p,h,f,r} A Taste of Contentment on the Threshold of Autumn

The other day I was... something. I don't remember exactly--frustrated, anxious, upset, disappointed, just plain tired. Probably all of the above. And I thought to myself, "I need more contentment in my life."

Almost as soon as that thought entered my mind I realized it was kind of ridiculous. I don't need more contentment, I just need to pay attention to what I already have. And you know what? It's working! When I start to feel frustrated and disappointed that my back and our budget and the sheer business of three such little boys kept us from accomplishing much (compared to our totally unrealistic dreams) in the yard this summer, I stop and focus on the things I love about our yard. There's a lot to love out there!

Same with the state of my house. When all I'm seeing is the dust and the pretzel crumbs and the toys everywhere, I focus on being thankful that we have so much space in which to gather dust and crumbs and ohsomany toys (and then I try to find a minute to grab the vacuum and make a mental note to get rid of some of those toys). 

Baby steps. I'm not very good at baby steps, but goodness knows I don't have the mental or emotional capacity for a complete attitude overhaul all at once (who can even do that, anyway?).

So to help I decided to (finally) link up with Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real}. Capturing contentment, right here at Crane Corner. Okay, less alliteration, more pictures.

{pretty}

So, that yard that hasn't been transformed into the perfectly manicured little retreat yet? Well, it still had a few very happy surprises for me as the summer winds down. I scattered many packets of wildflower seeds around the grotto in the spring, and some of them are finally blooming.

{happy}

I am so happy that it is (almost) fall. I love fall. But for some reason this season, more than any other, brings on an intense nostalgia. And it's usually an "I wish I were..." nostalgia, and not a "wasn't that nice" nostalgia, if that makes any sense. As much as I love fall, it can bring an added challenge to contentment. Oh hooray, another chance to grow in holiness (only sort of sarcastic).

{funny}

"Mama, look, I'm a robot!"

{real}

There has been a lot of this going on at our house lately (that would be Thomas on the laptop screen there). Usually it's Little Pim or Magic School Bus (60% of our preschool "curriculum" for the year, only sort of joking). Sometimes it's Thomas or Mighty Machines (and then oh! the excitement!).

Last week I got a very unexpected but very welcome and exciting writing project. It also ended up being much more challenging than I expected, and hugely time-consuming. Thus the extra screen time. And there will be more tomorrow, because I'm behind on the second part of the project.

Notes from the trenches: Spanish lessons, alligator games, and Bible stories with Michael

I've been meaning to blog forever... so much has been going on and I just couldn't manage to get around to it.

And then today I decided to totally redo the design. I wasn't pleased with the last version. I think this is my particular manifestation of the infamous Rappana rearranging gene. We'll see how long I keep this one...

Just a few brief stories, and then I really need to clean the kitchen. And I really need to get to bed before 11:30 tonight!

John Paul is enjoying the unadulterated adoration of his big brothers. Michael insists that we all call him "John PAOW," and Liam's pronunciation sounds mostly like "Pablo" these days. So Alex and I have generally taken to calling him Pablo.

I told Michael that JP's name in Spanish would be "Juan Pablo," and now he's very interested in everyone's Spanish names. He can also count to nine in Spanish, but he always skips siete, for some reason. Thank you, Little Pim.

Liam's current favorite game is talking about the alligators in the dining room (thank you Grandpa and Grandma for sparking his interest and telling us what alligators sound like). It goes something like this:
Liam (in a worried voice): Dators?
Ash: Are there alligators
Liam (still worried): Yeah
Ash: What do the alligators say?
Liam: RAWR
Ash: Oh dear!
Pablo: (laughs hysterically)
Liam (worried again): Yowd
Ash: Are they loud?
Liam: Yeah
repeat, multiple times per day

I love telling Michael Bible stories, and I love the questions and commentary he provides. Yesterday we were reading a children's book about the Last Supper, and it included the story of Peter walking on the water (because Jesus was sad and the Apostles were trying to cheer him up with stories about their time together). I was really trying to get Michael involved, so after I told him that Jesus could walk on water because he is God, I asked M if he could walk on water. "No!" he said, "I would sink and a shark would eat me! Or an alligator."

We are all about the aquatic predators in this house, apparently.

Okay, dishes are calling. Goodnight!

7 Quick Takes (vol. 37)

--- 1 ---

Through much of high school and college I processed my thoughts and emotions through journaling. I would spend hours pouring my thoughts, hopes, dreams, and tears into cute little notebooks while sipping Sugar Monkey Plum iced tea at my favorite coffeehouse, waiting for a friend (or stranger, more on that some other time maybe) to stop by my table for a friendly (or not so friendly, probably no more on that later) theological debate. Or I'd curl up with my journal and chai in my room with soft music playing and candles on every surface that would safely hold one.

--- 2 ---

Today I'm typing this post on my phone, lying on my stomach on the playroom floor, trying to entertain JP on his playmat next to me with funny faces and noises. M is using his wonderful imagination and keeps offering me "Lima bean Cheerios" (?!?! My only guess is that the Lima bean bit comes from Veggie Tales). Liam is alternately driving trucks on my back and finding things to jump off of when I chase him away for being too rough. 

--- 3 ---

Proof:

already a master of the one eyebrow raise

don't you want some Lima bean cheerios, dear reader?

Liam, his dump truck, and my foot

--- 4 ---

So yeah. A little bit different. And I feel like I have a lot I need to process, but between the diapers and snacks and stories and never ending laundry and every 2 hours nightly nursing sessions (seriously JP, what is your deal?!) and dishes and toys everywhere and ... What was I talking about? Oh, right. By the time the boys are in bed and the kitchen is clean and Alex and I have finally had a chance to say more than two words to each other without being interrupted and I could, theoretically, light some candles and think something out on paper I barely have energy to drag myself to bed, let alone engage in any sort of introspection. 

--- 5 ---

Another element of my current mental and emotional chaos is trying to find some work as a freelance writer. This year I'm only teaching one class for the Biblical School rather than three, which is fantastic for our daily schedule (not getting myself and all the boys out of the house before 8am twice a week? Yes please!) but more than a little challenging for our budget. So I've been spending a lot of time finding and applying for freelance projects and trying to work on a couple articles to submit various places. It is alternately exciting, fun, discouraging and terrifying. 

--- 6 ---

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but a major part of my motivation this week has been driven by my discovery of Twice online consignment. I know I'm waaay behind the curve here, but if you're not already shopping there and you're interested, would you be so generous as to sign up through my referral link? I'll get some store credit if you decide to buy or sell anything, and then I can indulge myself in some 80%-discounted Limited tops without sacrificing the groceries or mortgage payment ;) 

--- 7 ---

Okay, JP is no longer amused by my absentminded cooing or the endless string of toys, and the big boys have abandoned this entire room of toys to go play on the stairs (not allowed, and therefore always a first choice).

Check out Jen and the rest for more Quick Takes