365 Project: Week 8

2.25.13
Ahhh....old books. Is there anything better than to stuff your nose into an old book, curled up by the warm stove, a cup of coffee in your hand?



2.24.13
Such a busy weekend I hardly remembered to take any pictures on Sunday. But I did take this one of the sunrise and the fog rolling into the valley with my phone!




2.23.13
Sabbath: Children's Story. Not even half the normal number of children this week, but it doesn't matter how many cranky, tired, uncooperative, loud, boisterous, bouncy, crazy, unruly, crying, laughing little BLESSINGS there are in attendance, I've not once had the experience of feeling like any of them are at any time unwelcome. I think every generation in our church is thankful for each little body and the life they bring to our church family. Of course, every baby, toddler and child has their moments of crankiness, but for the record, they're all good kids! Just a week before there was a row of 7 children sitting completely by themselves, quiet as little mice! I'm very thankful for our church and for the attitude towards children here.




2.22.13
Preparation Day: Elayna is always my eager little helper, and she wanted so badly to help squeeze the lemons for the salad dressing for Sabbath!




2.21.13
Sometimes a little girl just needs to sit on a stool in the middle of the living room with a lollipop in nothing but her unders!




2.21.13
Science is so cool! Our new Apologia Zoology: Flying Creatures of the 5th Day is turning out to be a perfect fit for my aviation-loving son and my zoologist daughter.




2.20.13
Lord, there are no words capable of encompassing the dimensions of a mother's love. Without knowing it, experiencing it, I'd never comprehend the depth of Your love for Your children. For me. Thank You for these three blessings. And their uncooperative baby sister. They are my heart.




2.19.13 

A little early morning routine! It doesn't matter what pajamas I put her in the night before, she always strips down the minute I leave the room and sleeps in just her pull up. At least she leaves that on!

365 Project: Week 7

Feb. 18: Monday School Day
Elayna finds spelling practice to be much more fun when Dr. Seuss gets involved! And who wouldn't?!





Feb. 17: Sunday Afternoon.
A lazy Sunday afternoon playing Review & Herald's Birds game. Birds are the favorite right now, though it often competes with Animals. You'd think with three girls in the family Flowers might gain popularity, but like every other girl in the history of time with a big brother she adores, Emmy follows Joshua's lead in pretty much everything. When I was a kid it was all about Birds or (what a surprise) TREES.



Feb. 16: Sabbath: Weather
The flash captures the intensity and determination of the snowflakes as they bury the ground deeper in a winter white blanket.


Feb. 16: Sabbath: Weather
Snow falling as hard as an April rain.



Feb 16: Sabbath 2: Music
And then the music changed from light and flowing to intense and dark (still instrumental orchestra), gripping her in a sense of worry, still captivating every drop of her soul. It was amazing to witness.




Feb. 16:  Sabbath 1: Music
Emmy on Sabbath morning, waiting for everyone else to get ready for church, she fell into this quiet reverie listening to the orchestra music playing on the radio in the living room.



Feb. 15:  The Corner
In a corner of the living room, across from the cozy wood stove, below the rooms where children sleep, inside four walls that kept out a biting wind and a building snow storm, near the man whose hands have been frostbitten, calloused by hard work, held babies with tender care, and folded me close to him in love.



Feb. 14:  Valentine's Day!



Feb. 13:  Library Time 3:
Baby bird PUPPETS?! To whomever invented this one: Emmy thanks you!


Feb. 13:  Library Time 2:
There was a little girl who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead;
When she was good, she was very, very good,
And she she was bad....
She had her T-Rex eat the edge of the puppet box!


Feb. 13:   Library Time 1:
Evelyn Claire LOVES Curious George. George is her friend. We checked a few out for her and read this one for a bedtime story. The other three children slowly trickled in and sat around me on her bed, listening and laughing at George's antics.



Feb. 12:
Naptime drama. Just shy of 2 1/2 years old. Fiercely independent. Self-regulated. Articulate. A lot like her big brother and almost as determined to never be the baby of the family. Except when it works in her favor. Or when she gets in trouble for smashing her cousin Levi's LEGO ship. "Hey! I just the baby!"




Feb. 12:
Three random facts:  Elayna Marie is 5 years 9 months. She is my mini-me in just about every way possible except she has curly hair instead of my stick-straight hair. For the longest time she called toilet paper "paper toilet" or "paper towel".

365 Project: Week 6

Feb. 11: He's a good sport and complies with my requests to go here, stand there, look that way, and all the other random photography experiments I'm constantly doing. But this is definitely his, "Really, Mom, pictures AGAIN?!" look.



Feb. 10: Growing and measuring. I try and try to tell him to stop this growing up stuff, but he just smiles and tells me he just. can't. stop. "8 inches to go, Mom. Then I'll be as tall as you!" *sigh*  His father grew 8 inches in one year, the year he was 11. I'm not ready to be looking UP at my son, but my days of superior altitude are numbered, I'm afraid.



Feb. 9: Emmy, soaking in a post-flu hot bath with a few of her favorite toys.



Feb. 8:  By now they all have a fever and spend the day lying around the living room feeling miserable.




Feb. 7: Sick, feverish baby, sleeping on her favorite princess pillow.



Feb. 6: Icicles from an upstairs window, looking out over the sunrise.

Feb. 5: What happens when Momma is sick? The whole world turns upside down.

Feb 4 (again): A kitty and his girl.

Project 365: Week 5

Feb. 4: Someone was very excited to try on her new purple dress with a fluffy tulle skirt!





Feb. 3:  Torch Lake in February with lake effect snow blowing in from the north end of the lake.




Feb. 2:  The two little girls stayed home with me and had a lovely tea party in their church dresses.




February 1:  19th century home, 21st century technology, and mid-20th century-themed WWII Aces game.




January 31:  My boy.




January 30:  Face paint + 3 girls + vivid imaginations = Three fierce tiger/jaguar/leopard/lionesses!

January 29:  Sisters. Emmy (7y 2.5m) & Elayna (5y 8.75m)