Children these days

After school, on most fair-weather afternoons, you can find my children playing "at the fort." The neighbor boys have built a fort at the corner of their property and the kids have really enjoyed playing out there.Sometimes the games are elaborate and involve a dictatorial king, a duke and a duchess, as well as prisoners and slaves. Many life lessons are being learned out there in the backyard!
And for her big news, Abigail lost her first tooth on Sunday, November 28, 2010. She is just over 6 1/2 and that tooth has been hanging by the threadiest-thread for ages! So, she's very proud of this recent accomplishment, and her life will never be the same ;0)

Symphony

Kevin had some free tickets for us to go to the Symphony on Saturday afternoon. We chanced it and took all four children to hear "holiday favorites" sung by some Broadway crooners and the Concert Singers of Cary, accompanied by the NC Symphony.
The hall looked very festive, and as you can see, it was mostly a white-haired audience. We had quite a time getting out and not tripping over all the walkers and wheelchairs. But hey, it was free!
The kids were a little awed by the whole thing and Simeon was very content to sit on my lap (and eat a secret bag of nuts, raisins and m&ms) and snuggle. He's getting so big, I'm happy for times when he just wants me to hold him and make him feel safe.
I can't say that I left in a terribly "festive" spirit as the musical selections were rather eclectic. But I'm thankful that no matter how emotionally flat I feel, the reality of the truth of the incarnation remains unchanged. I read in a book recently that we are not justified by the incarnation, we are justified because Christ took upon his own body the wrath that we deserve, and we can now be declared righteous, because of His perfect righteousness. I needed that reminder.

Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a relaxed Thanksgiving afternoon at my sister's house. This is the childrens' table. It's not always ideal to have the children separated from the parents, but at least we could hear the conversation. Oh yeah, like the one when Abigail asked (as without guile as possible) "Do you guys know any bad words?" to which her cousin responded (in all seriousness), "Well, I do, but they're all in the Bible." We silently jiggled with laughter in the other room.Here are my sister and her husband, hostess and host. They are some of the least aging people you would ever meet!
Kevin and my dad caught some football time in the living room, far from the madding crowd.
And seeing as my sister had decorated fro Christmas, we took advantage and had my niece take our photo for our annual card. So, watch for it in a mailbox soon near you. And yes, I realize that Philip is doing something weird with his mouth, but it is hard to get everyone to smile at the same time!

Swift to Hear

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." James 1:19,20

I spend my days talking: instructing, correcting, encouraging, directing, managing. I have some children who are better listeners and doers than others. I have some who need constant reminding, constant calling to attention. I didn't realize how far I had slid into this lifestyle of 24 hour speaking until I actually heard one of my children, for perhaps the first time.

We were doing an art study on The Starry Night by Van Gogh. I have done a serial art study with Lydia and it was always tough going. She was okay to look at the paintings, but never seemed to pull anything of herself out of the paintings we were studying. It was more of the Socratic method of studying art. So, I assumed that life would be the same with Abigail. I showed her Starry Night in the lobby of the library where we were waiting for Lydia to finish a homeschool class. I asked her what she saw in the painting. And then she started to speak. She immediately, but deliberately explained to me how van Gogh had included a pattern in with the painting which was sort of different from the overall theme of his painting. I explored the idea with her and she identified the pattern as the wind. I then asked her what colors he used in the painting. She began naming colors which I couldn't even see--not because they weren't there, but because I hadn't noticed them. She talked about how he used the colors. She talked about which part of the painting appealed to her, because of his color choices. She talked about how impressed she was with his use of lines, his use of small brush strokes. I was really, truly blown away.

As I stood there I couldn't help but thank God for His allowing me to be humbled--humbled so that I could hear this child. This child who is reminded minute by minute to finish one task and move on to the next. This child who is forever doodling on papers, taking hours to finish a drawing project. And ALL of this is going on in her head, all the time. But I never take the time to ask her. Oh Lord, help me to see that being made in Your image is unique in every child, and help me to appreciate that.

Low Battery

Well, sometimes that describes how I feel, but right now it's the status of my camera, hence the dearth of photos.

We went to a Tedd Tripp parenting conference this past weekend. Good stuff. If you haven't got a copy of Shepherding a Child's Heart, you should ;0) Got us thinking and re-thinking some of our parenting heart attitudes and behaviors as well as those of our kids. One thing that has continued to resonate (lots has, but I'll just include this thing) is that our children, because they are created imago dei are created to be worshipers. They will worship either God, or idols. They don't ever stop worshiping. They crave awe. Children constantly seek things to awe them ("Mom, watch me do this! See, look at what I can do! Mom, look at this cool thing I found!") Dr. Tripp admonished us to see our children dazzled, awed, blown away, by the grace of God. And the primary responsibility lies with us parents to reflect that to our children. Am I dazzled by the grace of God? Do I worship Him constantly or do I give in the idol-factory of my heart and rush to be awed by the idols? I want for my kids to be dazzled by the gospel!

So, we're re-working some of our daily habits in light of the seminar. All good, but convicting--which is hard work.

Tonight at dinner, Simeon wanted to ask something of the other kids. They were watching a DVD of Andy Griffith (confession: if Kevin isn't home for dinner, I let them watch some Andy Griffith episodes on the computer while I fix (okay, and sometimes eat) dinner. It's not ideal, but it's not every night either. Mostly every other. Anyway, the bigger kids were absorbed and so Simeon shouts, "CHILDREN!" at which they all look at him and he asks his question. It's just funny to me how #4 asserts himself. He often says, "SSHHH, I readin' da Bible now. Be quiet." And he actually commands a presence.

And then if you're #3, like Philip, you're brushing your teeth while your mom stands next to you. But if she's zoned out by #4 yammerin' in the tub, you might just have to congratulate yourself on a brushing job well-done and say "Good job, Philip" as you hop off the bathroom stool and into your bed.

Today was our first day back to school after 3 weeks off. We hit it hard from 8:30-11:30 and then 12:30-3:00. At 11:00 Lydia says, "I just feel sick. Sick, Mom!" I think I was pushing a little too much for that first day back--so I let her lie down on the couch and then she was refreshed. Okay, better sign off as I need to run in the morning.

Square Foot gardening

Just wanted to post that my little square foot garden is still yielding, despite some cold nights. I still have tomatoes ripening and green beans. Lettuce is a cold weather crop, so that will do okay for a little bit. Our broccoli is maturing, but not at the point of yielding. Rosemary, basil and parsley are still in there as well. I've been trying to dry the herbs as basil and perhaps parsley too, will die in the frost. I guess I could transplant the parsley to indoors. I might do that.

Comings and Goings

We are on a break from school and have filled our days with visits from friends and family. Here are some photos from our days.We went back to Yates Mill Pond with our friend, Carolyn, who was visiting from England. Lydia took the camera and captured some nice shots of the location. We had a nice time with her.
My nephew's baseball team won the Championship game (he has now been on 2 championship teams!). This cake was served in honor of his being a good sportsman during the season; he played the championship game the following night.
My crazy brother, Owen, came for a fleeting visit. He is such a hoot; I wish we lived closer. Anyway, he drove with my parents up to Lancaster, PA for a conference. My dad was preaching a Reformation weekend conference with Dr. Sinclair Ferguson. They had a wonderful time, and I wish we could've all been there.
My sister-in-law, Emily, and her son, Calvin has been here for several days. She is over here on the "mainland" (as opposed to their Hawaiian island home) for a few weeks and will spend almost 2 months here during my brother's deployment to Afghanistan. We went to Early Voting on October 29th and while I was in line Emily and all the children took bats, balls and tee down to the ball field adjacent to the polling station. Calvin has had a lot of first since being at my house--some which might have corrupted him for life: first hotdog, first game of baseball, first piece of gum, etc.!
October 30th I ran my first 5K. It was chilly and hilly! I'm glad I was able to finish it, as I thought I was going to lose it on some of the hills. I finished at 31:20 for my time. I am a slow, but steady runner. Slow and steady doesn't win the race, but it does finish!