Princes are overrated

If that is how it's done, she doesn't WANT it.  

Birthday Miracles (Ineke Turns 4)

Ineke was sure that she would turn four "when the snow comes" so she has thought it was her birthday every time it snowed.

The first snow was in October.

But eventually, it actually *was* her birthday...just a few days before Christmas.

Being four is a pretty special birthday because the minute she turned four, her hair was long enough to do in braids.

(A birthday miracle?)

Her birthday was on a Sunday which means the morning was full of the hustle and bustle of  getting ready for church.  Time slowed for just long enough for everyone to gather and watch as she opened sister gifts.  Considering our Sunday mornings- that could definitely be considered a miracle.

A few weeks before her birthday, I asked Ineke what she might really, really like for her birthday.

I was expecting something girlie or pretty or mermaidy or unicorny since that seems to be how she rolls these days.  Instead, with those happy little mischevious eyes she looked at me, grinning, and said "I'd want Papa to shave his beard and mustache!"

I couldn't believe my ears.  I said something like "Well.  That is something you will have to tell PAPA about!"  She did.

On her birthday morning, I couldn't believe my EYES- the bearded man was beardless!

That would be miracle #3... and if it isn't a miracle, I wish I had as much clout as my girl!



Ineke's requested birthday meal was tuna fish sandwiches and chicken bbq dip with chips.  That sounded like a pathetic birthday meal so I splurged and bought too-expensive croissants and spent half an evening hotgluing a bunch of ribbons to toothpicks to make things fancy for her.



When Ineke was a three day old baby, Matt gave her a little hard plastic polar bear for her Christmas present.  He gave me the Mama polar bear.  I cried at the sweetness of it.  Ineke discovered, this summer, that her baby polar bear was gone.

He miraculously returned for her birthday this year though...which made her exceedingly happy.  

I included lots of meringue cookies because I learned from Adele's birthday cake (way back in November- and no, I haven't blogged it yet) that meringue cookies tops Ineke's list of favorite things to eat.  

And just wait until you see the last of the birthday miracles...

Ever since I first saw this in the Magic Cabin catalog (back when Adele' was a baby so...10 years ago give or take), I wanted to have it for my children.  AND myself.

Spending $300 on a toy is out of the question for us so I knew if the gnomes and fairies were ever to get a home in these parts, it would be by the hands of my handy husband.  But birthdays would pass, Christmases would pass, children were growing up... and I knew that if it were ever to actually happen, it would need to happen quickly.

There are no guarantees that more children will come along, after all.   And these children are growing up at lightening speed. I brought it up again this year, as I do every year, and this time out of desperation, I wondered aloud if Matt's Dad might be willing to make it for me since Matt is always so busy.

WELL.

That seemed to be the ticket!  Matt dove right in one Saturday and by the evening, it was done.  (Matt wasn't totally opposed to his Dad working on it- he helped out quite a bit too.)

When Matt brought it in, it took my breath away.  It still does, every time I look at it.    He even made some wooden furniture to go with it!  I made some furniture, a stove, some food and plenty of peg people to play with.  The total project cost under $6.00 because we had EVERYTHING on hand already except the battery operated tea light candles, some green fiber and a little metal pail. 

I am not sure how we will ever top this birthday.  She was spoiled for sure.  But we have been spoiled aplenty with this spunky and sweet creature and our gift giving pales in comparison to His gift to us... the gift of our Tiddle.

Trouble With Trolls

 

 

Jan Brett's trolls and Ineke, everymorning~ the resemblance is uncanny.

I've always suspected she had some troll in her.

A Monkey Jumping

Welcome to My World

Why yes, that is a dirty, wet dishrag on her head!

Corynn turns greasy pizza boxes into art.  

I now have two girls baking in the house:  Lord have mercy.

I had a hunkering for Chinese: Asian Chicken in Plum Sauce and Fried Rice

I wonder if, when I am old and gray, I will look back on my dust piles and miss the legos and hairbands and whole plums that fall from little fingers.  Maybe I will be happy to sweep only dust.  Or maybe I'll actually miss daily sweepings like these.

I had been working hard to avoid all of the inferences to autumn I kept hearing/seeing/sensing.  I refused to acknowledge the school bus passing through at 6:50am and I avoided any mention of switching summer clothes for fall ones.  In my particularly grumpy moods, I would inwardly mutter "Keep your pumpkin spice candles, soups and steaming mugs to yourself!" when friends were embracing the crisp autumny air.   At one point, I may have even cursed the leaves that were littering the road.

And then something happened...all of a sudden the wall of thick, obscuring fog in the morning made me linger by the window.  All the zinnias popped open and every single one seemed to be another gorgeous shade of orange.   And sunflowers, in their yellows and burgundies, are particularly good at easing one in.  A generous neighbor took pity on my mouldy, disease-ridden peaches and dropped off a few buckets of peaches and plums.  Have you ever made jam from plums?  The dark, chalky blue skins turn the jam the most GORGEOUS purple red color in some sort of kitchen magic.  And the blush of skinned peaches- you must be dead inside if it doesn't do something to you.  

I'm in....I'm aaallllllll in.   I'vebeen sufficiently wooed.  I've been roasting vegetables and making comfort foods, I've been looking for opportunities to bake instead of turning on the oven when I absolutely MUST.  I am loving the deeper, jeweled colors everywhere...I've even picked up my long abandoned yarn (do I still remember how to crochet and knit?!).  There may even be some pumpkin spice candles flickering in the background.

A few weeks ago, Matt paid his brother to come over with his fancy sawmill and saw up some lumber from trees Matt has been hauling out of our woods.  One particular tree was ginormous!  (The pictures don't really do it justice.)  It was a gorgeous day for it and we now have a bit over 2300 board feet to do who knows what with.   Matt knows.  We'll find out...

We officially started the homeschool year this week and I think we were all ready to just take that first step.  I've been dreading it... because homeschooling can just be HARD.  It can be hard to get everything done in a day that you simply MUST do both on the academic front and in the ordinary 'rumbling bellies must be fed and the bathroom stinks like a stadium urinal' sort of way.  The flower bouquet on the table has been dead and crispy for over a week.   Yesterday, I swept and vacuumed the living room and I honestly felt as if I had just spring cleaned my entire house!   Adding home learning to the mix seemed to daunting a task.

Two things:

1)  All four children are starting out excited, diligent and hard working.   The older two are much better about getting their work done without me badgering them about it (a major complaint in years' past) and the middles are rearing to go.  Granted, a spankin' new year does that to students, but I am enjoying it immensely for how ever long it does last.

2)  Ineke is insane.

She finds a marker and starts drawing in a book while I am trying to explain a math problem to Judah.  I take it away and set the marker in front of me.  Adele' asks me a question.  Ineke somehow found another crayon, marker (or stealthily retrieved the confiscated one)-usually permanent, or other such writing utensil in the time it took me to answe the question and resumes her carnage.  I get all writing utensils that I can find and put them up high on a shelf.  THERE!  So Ineke climbs up on the chair to crawl up on the table to crawl over to Corynn who is studying her grammar and shoves her little face in Corynn's and grins.  Corynn smiles, puts her down from the table saying "Ineke, you can't be on top of the table" and then Ineke walks around the table and does it again.  And again. She thinks she is so hilarious.  I take her to the living room and to her toys and she finds a crayon under the couch.  And then finds a book.