This weekend was full of family fun!  My little niece, Naomi, had her third birthday and I really wanted to see her on her special day so Amanda and I planned on getting our families together on Saturday.  She and Jason came over for breakfast, with their children—my nieces Abbie and Naomi, and my little nephew Weston. 

As an extra special treat, our parents came out for a visit, too.  They arrived here at about 11:30 on Saturday morning. There was a lot going on and I didn’t take many pictures.  However, when the family all decided to go out for a walk, I had to stay home with Seth, so JACOB took the camera and got these pictures:

This is my sister Amanda, her husband Jason, and their one year old son, Weston.

Ethan and my Dad, with Parker the dog.  Dad helped Ethan with his dog quite a bit this weekend, and gave him lots of helpful suggestions about how to train him and take care of him better.  My Dad loves animals.

My beautiful little nieces, Abigail (8 years old) and Naomi (3 years old).  They make me smile.

My dear Dad.

Grace took her rabbit on the walk.  They wore matching fur. 

Other pictures:

I really like all the love in this picture:  Dad with his arm around Mom, Mom’s hand on Caleb’s head, Dad patting Caleb’s back.

It’s no wonder Caleb and Dad ended up falling asleep together on the couch. 

Me and my baby…..

Rich and I played a game of bananagrams this weekend. 

Please pray for us, Rich is gone on a business trip.  He leaves today and will be back on Thursday night.

Last night Seth slept 7 and a half hours!  (from 9:30-5)   He’s growing and I really think he changed this weekend, he seems heavier and his face is fuller.  He smiles all the time, too, which adds such joy to our family.  Jacob is still the sibling who holds him the most….

I think I like the evenings the very best of all, after the other children are in bed.  Rich and I turn off most of the lights in the house, leaving on just a lamp in the livingroom.  We watch TV together while I nurse Seth.  He gets his bath every other night, in the kitchen sink.  Last night was bath night and oh how he loves to soak in that nice warm water.  After his bath, and after he’s all rubbed with lotion and dressed, he is so relaxed.  Rich laughed at how drowsy and limp he was last night, he could hardly keep his eyes open.  There is so much satisfaction in a contented babykins, especially when he’s your very own.

Last weekend Caleb started the family off on the stomach bug.  Grace had it on Friday and half the day on Saturday.  Rich had it Sunday.  Thankfully, right now everyone is feeling fine.  It’s a rainy day (cold and wet).  I think the children will have to play inside today, after their schoolwork is done.

My biggest goal for today?  To catch up on the laundry!

Please take the time to say hello, I truly enjoy hearing from each of you.

Blessings and love,

~Shanda

Conversations about Heaven (amongst the children):

“We will become automatic vegetarians.  Of course, I may be wrong.”

“Did you know we will have a feast in Heaven?  And YOU, (pointing at Jacob), you said you would eat all the meatballs and sausages.”  (so much for being vegetarians)

“How old will we be in Heaven?  I hope when I die I’m this same age.  I like this age.”

“Will there be computers in Heaven?” … “No, there will be no need.  Why have a computer when you can go outside and play?  And, we can go over to Grandma and Grandpa’s mansion anytime we want to.”

“Will we all be the same height?  I hope not, I think it would be rather boring if we were all the same height.”

“I can’t wait to DIE!”

“As soon as I get saved I’m going to kill myself so I can go to heaven.”  (said Davy-do)  Mama was alarmed at that one and had to interject…  “God will take you to heaven when it’s time.  Right now you just enjoy living here on earth.”

“We will be able to do somersaults and cartwheels.  Perfectly.”

“Jacob said he wants to climb to the top of the tallest building and jump off!”

“I can’t wait to fly.  I’ve always wanted to fly, sometimes I dream about flying.”

“You won’t be flying into Heaven.  You’ll walk.  Through the pearly gates.  And on the golden streets.”

“I wonder if there will be dinosaurs in Heaven?” …. “NO!  They will be BONES!”  (answered Davy-do)

Then, there was an argument about who would own what pets.  Grace bothered her brothers, because “she wanted to hog them all.”

~When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!~

I read a quote once, from Corrie Ten Boom, who said that Heaven was one area in which we could let our imaginations soar, because it is a place better than any of us could imagine!  Somehow, I think the children’s conversations were a good thing, even if there was nary a word about God Himself.  I know He understands.

Here are the random photos I promised…..

My sister loves this picture, she’s whispering sweet nothings into Sethie’s ear.

The list of things the maids cleaned for me.  I look at this list and think with a thrill, “And I didn’t have to do a single one of these things myself!”

On the weekends, Rich likes to gather the children around the table for quiet working time.  They all have to sit, including Caleb, but when I took this picture there were only three children remaining.

I remember seeing, on another family’s blog, a picture of their homeschooled boy holding their newborn.  I thought it was the sweetest thing ever.  I didn’t imagine at the time that I would be blessed enough to see the same thing in my own home. . . .big brother holding baby brother while working on Math. . . makes me smile. . . .

My sister’s boy Weston is curious about Seth.  Her daughter Naomi adores him.  And David is the protector.

We had a new wood pellet stove installed last week. 

Seth LOVES his swing, which has a mirror and “dangling friends” above it for him to delight in.

We met Amanda at Barnes and Noble on Monday.  Here is Caleb and Weston playing with the choo-choo’s.

Do you remember the little t-shirts I embroidered for Seth before he was even born?

They still fit!  (ha ha, I wish)

As I promised my friend, Joanna, who recently took an evil delight in serving her family octopus, here is a picture of some calamari (similar enough to ocopus IMO, calamari is squid)…..Rich loves it…..we had this as our appetizer on Tuesday when we went out for his birthday.  There were also some fried hot peppers mixed in.  YUM!

See the weeny little squids? 

Yesterday, my dear friend Tammy came over with her two little ones.  She brought a microscope so that she could teach my children a science class.  They had so much fun gathering things to look at.  She carefully showed them the parts of the microscope and had all of the children involved in preparing the slides and handling the equipment.  They listened intently and we looked at so many different things…including a piece of brownie and some milk! 

While I was writing all this the boys brought in 2 salamanders that they caught out of the pond.  This is the first time (first times are exciting, yes?) they caught such things……and it was quite something to see them crawling across my desk.  No, I didn’t take a picture of that, but only ’cause my camera wasn’t ready. 

As I was reminded this week as I read a favorite book, “TODAY IS YOUR LIFE”….so, enjoy the day today…go through it with eyes wide open, or a camera in your hands, ready to capture and record the sweetness God sends your way.  His blessings are many and His love is amazing!  A thankful heart is a happy heart.

Have a wonderful Thursday, all!….love, your pal, ~Shanda

t a d p o l e s

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life. . .and God created every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, and God saw that it was good.”  Genesis 21, 22

Yesterday evening, after Rich and I got back home from our date,  I bundled up Sethie in a couple of blankies, took my camera, and went outside to sit in the sunshine, down on the bank of the pond, to watch David and Jacob as they worked on filling up a rubbermaid container with tadpoles.  Caleb watched with me (he still won’t touch the things) and Ethan was fishing at the other end of the pond.  They always love having Mama has an audience, they show me everything they catch.  They talk to me the whole time.  I love listening and watching them enjoy God’s big beautiful world.

“God does not give grades for studying the book of the heavens and the earth.  His reward is to fill his students with wonder and praise…they gain the assurance that God understands them and is attentive to the details and needs of their life.”  Bob Schultz

There were large tadpoles, fat ones, little ones. . . . .all the sizes made Caleb laugh and say, “They’re a fambly!”  (family)

The littlest one, the baby of the fambly~

Jacob made a discovery.  This creature was about 3 inches long and resembled an insect.  Sure enough, when we looked it up this morning in Anna Comstock’s wonderful Handbook of Nature Study, we found that it was a Giant Water Bug.  None of us could bring ourselves to touch it and the boys did not add him to the tadpole collection, he got put right back into the pond.

The boys….(by the way, Grace is normally right there with them, catching things, but she was in the house yesterday)…..

“God created the heavens and the earth to be experienced, not just read about or lectured upon.”  Bob Schultz

Rich came out after a while and he took this picture of Caleb kissing his Mama.  His kiss took my breath away, wow, Caleb is a good kisser!  It lasted about 10 seconds and left Rich and I laughing and laughing. 

(Too bad about 20 minutes later he started complaining that his tummy hurt and he bent over and threw up!  Rich teased me by saying that he got sick from kissing me.  I just hope I didn’t get Caleb’s bad germs.  He was up a few times last night to be sick. . . .but so far this morning he is fine.  There’s never a dull moment around here!)

I’m so happy that my sweet six children get to grow up in the country.  However, even before we moved to this place three years ago, we enjoyed the outdoors in the backyard of our house in the suburbs, and all the different parks we visited.  I think it’s important to be outside as much as possible.  Not only do we learn a lot, we also sleep better at night! 

Here are some pictures that we took this morning. . . . . .

Is an occasional cup of coffee (half-caff) bad for an eleven year old?  Ethan made himself a cup this morning and sat on the couch, enjoying it immensely.  (Bethany, he has his new webkinz with him, that you sent for his birthday!  That was so very sweet of you!)

Seth is enjoying some new dangling friends. 

Is there anything nicer than a sweet smelling baby nuzzling into a Mama’s neck?

YES!  Two nuzzling babies! 

Seth put his little face right there in that spot in my neck and fell right to sleep.  It was so hard to put him down, but I did, and he’s fast asleep right now in his playpen in the livingroom.  He’s still sleeping long stretches at night.  We all think that Seth is just the most wonderfullest baby ever.    Grace said this morning, “Seth is a smart baby.  Whenever he wants Mama, he just cries and she comes.”

It’s been so nice to sit here and write.  I’ve missed blogging lately.  I will probably share some random photos tomorrow from the past week that I haven’t had a chance to post yet.  I have been busy, almost too busy to THINK, but as I sit and contemplate this morning, I find that my heart is still ever so very content and thankful for the life God has given me.  Thank you, loving God, for blessing me with a nice calm morning, so that I could sit here and remember the many ways you bless my life.  Thank you for my children and my husband, and our happy home.  Thank you for friends and family, and for the lovely world you created for us to enjoy.  

Well, it’s time to get on with my day.  

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my little place here on xanga,  God loves you! 

Have a blessed day my friends~

Love, Shanda

PS, I CANNOT BELIEVE IT’S APRIL!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I expected, yesterday was an amazing day.  I truly felt like myself again, probably more so than any other day since Seth was born on February 2.  As my friend Joanna said to me, this is the perfect time for me to recover from having a baby, because SPRINGTIME itself is enough to put happy, rejuvenating thoughts in my mind, and give me renewed energy.

The Morning Walk

The weather yesterday was beautiful and mild.  We needed jackets on our morning walk, but by the afternoon we only needed sweatshirts, or in the case of the active children, no jacket at all.  The air was fresh and the birds were happy (during our daily phone chat, my mom listed off so many birds that she observed that I was inspired to finally refill my feeders again).  As soon as Seth went down for his late morning nap (and after David got home from school) I went outside for a little walk.  We were all happy and silly.  Jacob and I walked side by side (he’s such a friend these days) and enjoyed David and Caleb’s antics.  Ethan and Grace stayed home.

This first picture is of Caleb.  I dangled him from a grapevine.  He liked it so much that I did it again so I could take his picture.  He held on tight and said, “Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  Oh!”.  Then, silence— as he let go and dropped to the ground.  When he knew, a split second later, that he was still alive and well, he was SO proud of himself and squealed to his brother, “DAVID!  Did you see that?”  He adores David and his opinions.  He really looks up to his big brother.

Dangling:

Dropping:

During our walk, David allowed Caleb to touch his sacred pop gun.  David got this gun as a gift over a year ago and promptly broke it.  Rich put it up in his closet in disgust and David recently discovered it (stacked a suitcase on a chair to reach it) and fixed it all by himself with an entire roll of scotch tape.  He and Caleb were behind the couch and I could hear the tape going and going and going.  Finally he tried the gun.  “I need more tape”, he said.   “BUT!  Mama will be SO MAD!” said Caleb.  “NO!  She won’t!” said David.  They didn’t know I was right on the couch, listening in amusement.  Anyway, here’s a picture of Caleb, looking down the barrel of the gun.  When I asked him what he saw, he yelled, “GUN!”

By the way, the gun used to shoot a cork on a string.  As soon as David repaired the handle, he cut the string so he could send the cork flying.  However, the cork is now lost.  Just as I suspected would happen.  At least the handle is fixed?!?

We walked to the field near our house.  The little boys ran down to the stream.  Jacob and I let the dog go so he could run…..and as usual, he ran away and Jacob had to go after him.  That’s why he’s not in any of the pictures.  Jacob informed me yesterday that he is currently training for the Marines.  As a result, he was quite happy to run after the dog, because every bit of training helps.

As you can see, things are very brown here in New England.  

The little boys always gravitate toward this pipe.  It is large and the water is very loud, rushing and exciting.  They spent a bit of time yesterday, throwing rocks into the pipe to watch them flow back out with the water.  David tried all sizes of rocks.  It was a great experiment for him.   If the rocks were too heavy they didn’t come back out. 

(When David was Caleb’s age, he fell right in the water here.  During the winter.  I had to carry/drag him home soaking wet.)

“The out-of-doors is a little boy’s (and girl’s) friend.  It is big enough for his energy and filled with things that he cannot hurt.  He is a natural scientist.  Take him out as much as you can, summer and winter.  Let him walk as far as he can with you following him; allow him to explore, pick up sticks and leaves, shred them, throw them.  Let him get dirty.  Strollers can be convenient for parents, but they restrict a child from walking and exploring.  Once a child is able to walk and run, a stroller should be used only to get him somewhere and bring him back or when he is really tired.”  ~Michael Thompson

The Afternoon Snack

Back at home, I nursed Seth while watching the Paula Deen cooking show with Jacob.  She was making ooey gooey cinnamon rolls.  Jacob got up impatiently.  “Way to go, Paula!  Now I’m craving SWEETS!” he said.  So, we decided to make MONKEY BREAD together.  When it was done, we sat right on the floor with forks and dove right in.  The last time I made this bread, Ethan ate so much he felt sick.  So, we were all very careful to stop eating before we had those sick feelings.  We still managed to eat half of it in one sitting.  It was all gone by the end of the day. 

It was so much fun to sit like this with the kids.  Jacob got up to take the picture.  Yes, David has socks on his hands.  Not sure why.

Monkey Bread (we think it’s called Monkey bread b/c if you try to eat it when it’s too hot, you scream out like a monkey…..at least, that’s what Ethan did yesterday)

3 (10 oz) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
3/4 cup white sugar
3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar

Mix the 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.

Quarter the biscuits with kitchen shears.  Dip biscuits into sugar mixture, and place in a greased tube pan.  Do this until all the biscuits are used.

Melt butter and mix in the 3/4 cup sugar.  Pour mixture over biscuits.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.  A powered sugar frosting can be poured over the warm biscuits….ultimate yumminess!  And, with all that sugar, you are guaranteed a party atmosphere for several more hours until it works it’s way out of your (and your children’s) system.

Seth goes outside

After naptime, the kids all went outside again so I bundled up Seth and took him out for about 15 minutes.  We sat on the yard, then sat in a rocking chair, then walked around on the porch.

Isn’t my little groundhog adorable in his white beanie and blue blankie?  (Seth was born on Groundhog’s day)

Elizabeth Mitchell, the same woman who sings 2 of the songs on my playlist, also has the most adorable song on one of her CD’s called, “Oh Groundhog“…it is PERFECT for Seth, it’s “his song.”  I wish I could put it on here for you to listen to.  She has another song that I like to play in the morning called, “So Glad I’m Here“, it’s the perfect upbeat song for Mama’s (or, anyone, really!).  If you have an IPOD, buy it!  It’s a 99 cent song that really focuses me on the fact that I’m truly happy and joyful in my day to day life.

Sunshine makes things grow.

After a while, I put the sleeping baby in the house and then went outside just in time to catch David and Caleb beginning to make mud balls with the hose.  Their hands and feet were so dirty that I had to bring out some warm sudsy water before they could enter the house.

It was just as much fun for them as the mud.

Caleb and I took one last walk in the evening before I had to start dinner.  I didn’t take pictures but there was one thing that happened that I thought was so cute.  On our way back, I bent down and showed Caleb a rock that was covered with different varieties of moss.  He immediately squatted down pulled it all off in chunks with both his hands, “We’ll take this home…..and put it in a bowl….”  I thought it was precious because guess what?  I had already put some moss in my own pocket without telling him.  I didn’t even realize that he knew I liked bringing moss home with me.  We’re the same. 

He ended up planting his in my flower garden.  I spent some time uncovering my baby tulips and daffodils.

Also, Jacob, Ethan, and Grace did more training for the Marines.  They ran a lot.  I was amused when Grace told me later, in a confiding tone, “Running is easy if you think about something pleasant.”  (she paused)  “Like standing still.” 

Happy Springtime!  If you can, get outdoors and enjoy God’s beautiful world.  There’s nothing like it, each visit is a healthy adventure. 

The earth is FULL of the goodness of the Lord!

Love ~Shanda

This lovely baby
slept six and a half hours straight last night!

*Jacob and Seth*
(I took the picture just this morning)

I’m delighting in a good night’s sleep…..AND…..

….the sun is shining, the children are healthy and quietly playing, I see robins hopping all over the yard.

Birds are singing.  The air outside is clean and sweet.

My coffee’s good.

It’s going to be a beautiful day.
Isn’t S P R I N G wonderful?

So I had to laugh last night as I tried to make dinner.  I was making a new recipe.  I’m not sure what the other children were doing but Grace was at the table putting together a puzzle.  I multitasked.  I was distracted.

I worked on dinner.  (made some rice, had Jacob pull leftover chicken off the bones for a casserole)

Then I played with the baby.  I brought out his changing table pad and put him on the table with Grace.  

I worked on dinner.  (rummaged for the canned cream of chicken soup, mayo, and chicken broth).

Then, I played with the baby.  I got the IPOD and put on our favorite cd, so we could sing to Seth.

I worked on dinner some more (where IS that curry powder?)

Then, back to the baby I went.  Grace and I sang Jingle Bells to him, and a couple other songs. 

hmmmmmm, where was I?  Oh YES, dinner!  (preheated oven, went downstairs to the freezer for some broccoli, mixed everything up. . . )

Jacob was hogging the baby this time, so I took a few pictures of loving big brother.

Back to dinner…..finally it was ready to put in the oven, *whew* boy, that took about three times longer than usual!

Half an hour later and not a moment too soon, Rich came home and found dinner done and waiting to be pulled out of the oven.  I was on the couch, nursing Seth, who had had quite enough fun for the time being.

After dinner, I had to grab the camera for one more photo.  I had one of those content feelings as the older kids cleaned up the kitchen, and the younger ones danced around.  They were all singing to the IPOD and working so happily.  My family.

And, that’s my life these days.  My brain is tired, from being pulled in so many directions.  I wondering now, if that is the reason I had to get up at 1 in the morning to take Tylenol for a terrible throbbing headache? 

But, it’s all good.  I’m smiling.  Really!

Chicken Divan (serves two adults and five children, with a tossed salad on the side).

leftover chicken (about 2 1/2 cups or so)
2 cups broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup mayo
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cheddar cheese
3 cups cooked rice (I used 4 cups)

Place cooked rice in the bottoom of a greased casserole dish.  Spread with chicken, place broccoli over top.  (I didn’t bother cooking the broccoli, I added it frozen and it baked just fine).  Mix soup, mayo, curry and broth together and pour over the chicken.  Stir everything around slightly.  Top with the cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

(YUM!)

Now.  I must get busy.  Tonight is meat loaf and mashed potatoes.  Here we go again. . . . .

~Shanda

…a little child, born yesterday,
A thing on mother’s milk and kisses fed…
~”Hymn to Mercury” (one of the Homeric Hymns), translated from Greek by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Baby Seth is growing nicely. . . .all these pictures were taken yesterday.  I can hardly believe that he is now smiling for real, and looking right into our faces with such trust and innocence.  He’s so wonderful, such a dream.  I find myself sitting on the floor with him on a blanket, just sitting and admiring him.  I get his legs out of his sleeper and start kissing his toes.  Soon he’s stripped down to his diaper and is so patient as Mama plays with him.  I observe everything. . . his little legs, his round tummy, his arms and hands, his neck, his cheeks, his eyes, his head, inside his ears..everything gets touched and/or sniffed and kissed!  Is there anything softer and sweeter than a newborn?  I gently pump his little legs up and down for exercise.  I take his little hands and lift him “up up up” so he can practice sitting.  I open his fists and blow his tiny damp palms dry (with more little kisses).  I clean out the stuff he’s been collecting between his fingers and toes.  I turn him over on his tummy to see how far he can lift up his head.     I laugh over him, smile and coo, and find myself talking in a high, baby-talk voice.  I can tell he likes it.

I wrote this post earlier this morning and then just discovered this quote in the book I’m reading.  Reading this affirms what I believe most Mamas know instinctively…our lovin’ DOES make for a content and healthy baby!

“All babies, including your son, are born ready to love their mothers.  Your son’s most important survival instinct is to hold on to you, to cling, to cry, to suck, to smile, and to follow you, first with his eyes, then by turning his head, and then with his feet. . . .you quickly become the center of his universe and he spends much of the time in the first years of his life calling you, tracking you, and protesting when he cannot make you respond to him immediately.  He will be the most ardent lover you have ever known.  All you have to do is give in to his passionate pursuit and you will love him.  It is almost impossible not to.. . . .what the two of you are doing is getting to know each other.   You play with each other, you are fascinated with each other, you imitate each other. . . .this intense imitative communication between mother and child is the foundation of a child’s emotional life.  Research has established clearly now that this earliest bond and the continuing phenomenon we call attachment have lifelong consequences.  So if in the first year of his life you and your son fall in love and become profoundly connected to each other, and if he also becomes deeply attached to his Dad, then you will have helped him start to build the foundation of a secure personality, which he will have the rest of his life.”

-Michael Thompson, Ph.D. in It’s a Boy, chapter two, “Your Baby Boy: Birth to Eighteen Months”