Seriously!

How did they do it? Our moms, grandmas, great-grandmas had more kids, less appliances, less pre-packaged frozen food. How did they not go crazy?

I have a recipe book of meals that take less than 20 minutes to prepare, and tonight it took me an hour! Every time I opened the fridge or a cupboard, Shelly was there to pull out extra stuff. Archer wanted to help mix. Eventually... Finally... We got to eat.

Mini Golfing with Children

Let's just say its not easy. Shelly wanted to pick up anything that moved and then she threw it in the general direction when we pointed towards the hole. Archer putted once per hole (after swinging several times while we all stood a good distance away) and then picked up his ball and dropped it into the hole. David and I shared our balls with the 2 kids and by the time we got to the 10th hole we weren't even trying to golf anymore. The goal was just to keep the kids happy. There were great claims from David that he would take me out again without the kids and beat me at the game. I told him he was right, I've never claimed to be good at any sport involving balls and judging speed and distance. Ah, adventures with kids!

The Rules Are Paying Off!

Do you ever have those moments that you know you'll miss some day, but you can't stretch them out while you have them? Putting Shelly to bed is one of my favorite times of day. No matter how grumpy she gets, I hold her and rock her and sing. She quiets and I rock her, holding her close and enjoying the moment. Sometimes she wraps her arms around my neck, sometimes she lets her body go limp and I close my eyes as we both wind down for the night. Every night, after I put her down and walk away, I think about how much I love those moments and I'll miss them when Shelly gets too old for me to rock her. We have a different routine with Archer, lots of kisses and promises that we'll come back to check on him in "these many" minutes, holding up four or five fingers. Tonight he's waiting for us to come back and passing the time talking to Curious George. Bed time is now the most peaceful time of our day.

A few months ago it was the complete opposite, crying, yelling, throwing toys and general chaos. Its amazing what a few months can do. I have to admit that we're still not 100% consistent on every little thing, but we've gotten better at generally laying down the rules and trying to stick with them. And its paying off. Hallelujah!

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
~ Psalm 4:8

Road Trip Pics

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDBlsVLjQGc

Home at Last!

We're finally home from a five day road trip around the state to visit as many family members as possible.

Day 1: Racine to Black River Falls

Saturday Aug 16

We started a bit late and under-estimated the amount of time we'd need to reach our destination, but didn't get there too late to completely miss the party. The evening closed with a nice visit around the camp fire. The kids were surprising un-afraid of the dark and loved the independence of running around and playing with everyone. Archer made great friends with Pete and Sadie, but Shelly was terrified of the rough-housing between the two and wanted nothing to do with them. When we crawled into the tent, Archer fell asleep right away, but Shelly got her second wind and climbed back and forth from one side of the tent to the other, and over everyone in between. She did this for about a half hour before she finally settled down.

Day 2: Black River Falls to Bloomington

Sunday Aug 17

Lisa was kind enough to provide breakfast before we packed up our tent and moved on to the next destination. After a stop in town for fuel and some supplies, we headed south towards Bloomington. The rolling hills and beautiful farmland were enjoyable for David and I, but the kids were more interested in singing and eventually sleeping. We stopped along the way a few times more than we would have had to if Archer hadn't been so worried about bugs in the toilet, but I can't really blame him... (A "rustic" wayside means pit toilets, and for city kids like us, its not so appealing. We left and moved on to a more modern pit stop.)

We enjoyed spending the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa, had fun at the playground and had only one minor injury to report. While I was determined to get the kids as dizzy as possible on the merry go round, and David was determined to lecture me on being more careful with them (especially since its SUNDAY, after all, and there's no place open for stitches, and where's the nearest hospital anyway?), Shelly just couldn't help but use the opportunity (when her dad's back was turned) to fall off a set of steps on the playground and completely wipe out. She ended up with a small cut on her head and a small bruise on her forehead. She survived!

Day 3: Bloomington to Argyle

Monday Aug 18

On the road again... Out comes the map and we stuck the kids in the car once again to head off to the next destination. Our departure from Bloomington was hurried a bit when we realized we were on Shelly's last diaper. After an accident on Day 1 from not limiting soda intake and not stopping often enough, we had learned our lesson and were determined to prevent something similar from happening again. So off we went, through countless more small towns, several pit stops and minimal crying and fights. When we got to Argyle we heard the great news that Stephanie had her baby! Congratulations Travis & Steph!

It was at the farm that Shelly finally started to calm down in her fears of dogs and cats. Champ followed Archer around everywhere, and Archer was entertained by throwing sticks and rocks for Champ to fetch. Shelly was afraid but eventually calmed down a little as she realized that Champ wouldn't knock her down or lick her face off. Fearless Archer had no problem going up to anything that moved to get a closer look, and once we went inside the house he played with Emma the cat non-stop. Shelly couldn't resist the fun and called Emma's name and once she got started there was no stopping her!

Uncle Jim got the kids pretty wound up and left just in time for David and I to have to calm them down. There was lots of running, screaming, laughing and chasing. Who knew a little cat toy could entertain everyone that much?

Day 4: Argyle to Wisconsin Dells

Tuesday Aug 19

Grandpa Shorty took us out for breakfast before a short fishing trip at Hidden Valley. After that, Archer helped Farmer Tim with his chores and went for a ride in the tractor. It was great of Farmer Tim and Farmer Jim and Grandpa Shorty to take time out of their day and visit with us before they had to get back to thir chores.

Just when I thought we were on our way home, David suggested we go to the Dells instead. One of my favorite parts about our trip was not knowing what time it was every second of the day. I hate being tied to the clock and it was nice to just do fun stuff until we were ready to move on, without knowing or caring when we would leave or arrive at the next destination. And so, we took off to the Dells!

We stayed in a hotel with a pool and got some swiming time in before bed. Shelly surprised me again with how she adjusted to the water and gained confidence. I think she doesn't like to see her brother having fun without her, and she didn't want to get left behind!

Day 5: The Dells to HOME!

Wednesday Aug 20

We took advantage of the last day of our road trip to sleep in a bit before heading out to breakfast and then adventures at Pirates Cove. I don't know if its because its the end of the season or the middle of the week, but there were surprisingly few people there and the kids enjoyed the sand box, jumping pillow, and pedal cars without waiting in line or sharing the space with anyone else.

Finally, road trip time was over. Shelly fought getting strapped into her seat more each time we did it and this was the culmination of her fighting the seatbelt. I can't blame her - it was a lot of car time for the kids and we tried to get them into the car at times when they could sleep through the ride, but it didn't make it easier for them. They're so full of bouncy energy that the "road" part of the trip was hard on them. After grumping for awhile she finally fell asleep and we pulled into the driveway at 5:00 p.m.

We drove about 700 miles (that's about 54 inches on the map) and the very best things were spending time with family, making up silly songs in the car and laughing together. Thanks to everyone who fed and entertained us, you made it a fantastic adventure. And - Thank God for family!

Shining Light in Our Hearts

As a parent I try to fill my children with guidelines, rules, values, morals, attitudes, compassion, love, forgiveness, love, happiness, love... What a daunting task. We're all filled with things, passions, interests, loves, how do I pass those things along to my kids? Of course there are plenty of opportunities for them to get filled up with stuff beyond my control. Yesterday as I was looking for a band aid for Archer, he said to me "Did you know when you use band aid brand it locks out dirt and germs?" Today I saw the commercial that said... well, you can guess based on what Archer said. He's getting filled up with lots of stuff, some good, some not so good. I'm making more of an effort to fill him up with good stuff.

What am I filled with? Its not such an easy question, if you really try to answer it honestly. There's frustration, selfishness, all kinds of junk that I'd rather not admit. Of course there are the good things like commitment to my family, honesty, love... But what really shines? And what do my kids see?

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
~ 2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT

Making an Impression

Little Shelly loves the water, loves playing in it, splashing it, watching her brother play in it. What Shelly Bell does NOT love is seeing people go under. Whenever one of us jumped in she let out a screech, arched her back and threw up her hands in despair. When we popped up to the surface she came to the edge to offer her concern and a helping hand. Then she went back to playing on the steps, pouring water from one cup to another, throwing balls and keeping an eye on her brother.

Archer doesn't mind when everyone else jumps in but there's no way he wants water on his own face. He had fun (and surprisingly little fear) captaining his own ship while Denise pushed him around and then shared his raft when Denise needed a break from motoring him around.

The most interesting thing that happened today was when I tried to get him to walk across the pool in the shallow end and he wouldn't do it. But for some reason, he was happy to walk to Denise when she called him over. Its interesting how he'll do something for her but not for me. I think he's showing off. And isn't it interesting that he's only four, so young but completely aware of what he can do to make an impression on someone. How early it starts, our awareness of other people's opinions!

In the end, though, who's opinion really counts?

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
~ Romans 12:2

God tells us not to do what looks good in the eyes of the world, but to follow his word, his path, his wisdom.

Island of Boredom

One of my favorite books ever is Island of the Blue Dolphins. One summer I think I read it 30 times, I knew I liked it so why try something new? Mom was kind enough to find the movie for me and I was disappointed with it (it was made in 1964 so it was obviously dated, but add to that the lack of conversation and things went down hill from there...). But I still have the VHS and during some reorganizing I ran across it again and decided to watch it tonight. Archer wanted nothing to do with it, he was really pushing for Beauty and the Beast. But I got my way cause I'm the mom and my vote counts more than his.

After watching the movie drag on for an hour and a half and finally end, I turned to Archer. "Archer, that was long and really boring. What did you think of it?" His answer? "I thinked it was boring when it was still in the box." There you have it - he told me so.

P.S. I still love the book and hope to read it to my kids when they're old enough to sit still for it. Some books just shouldn't be movies.

New Strength

The Lord has blessed me with so many things but there's a lot of responsibility that comes with blessings. Blessings of a family and a home bring the responsibilities of managing the home and teaching my children the things they'll need to know to survive in this world. What a heavy burden! But also, what an amazing opportunity. I think a lot about creating traditions that my children will remember and be able to count on over the years, what we do for holidays or birthdays, what we do for fun in the summer, how we spend our time together. I believe this is not only to build memories of fun times together, but to give them stability of what to expect, even when everything else in their lives might be changing. But intentionally buidling family traditions is just the start - what about attitudes and reactions to daily events? What can I teach them with my example? When I see something happen, my reaction will shape their attitude towards those events. I guess thinking on such a large scale could truly be intimidating and draining. But the Lord gives us opportunities each day to make the right decisions and act as a positive example to those around us. And he gives us the energy and strength to make those decisions. He's truly a provider!

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength...
~ Isaiah 40:31

Good Old State Fair

Today we went to the Wisconsin State Fair with Mark and Abby. You can always count on State Fair for wonderful smells, a little danger and a lot of fun! The first thing we noticed was the great smell of fried food. Sadly, we did not have the honor of tasting the fried mac and cheese on a stick, but we stopped by Saz's for some great sandwiches. We also enjoyed the livestock barns, pig races (along with goats and ducks!) and the boys all went down the giant slide while the girls stayed below to take pictures. (Shelly acted grumpy most of the time, I think she was too hot and couldn't decide if she wanted to be independent and walk or shy and be carried.)

Now for the real adventure - almost getting trampled by the clydesdales! We happened to be passing by the colesium when some people in yellow shirts started whistling and announcing to get out of the way. The teams were coming out of the colesium to return to the barns and we were right in their path. Now, most people cleared out of the way and stood by to watch, but Archer didn't take the direction, I had been briefly distracted by something else, and David was carrying Shelly. I realized that tiny little helpless Archer was now the only person standing in the horses' path and they were coming up quickly! I grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him (along with the stroller he was pushing around all day) to the edge with only seconds to spare those huge hoofs clomping on by! I looked down at his small feet, his small body and looked up at those huge horses and felt awe and respect for those animals, but even more so for the people in the wagons who so carefully and precisely control those huge animals. Ok, so it wasn't quite as close as I made it sound, the horses were maybe 30 feet away when I dragged him off the road, but that was close enough!

After we all caught our breath from the close call and waited for the giants to pass, it was time for the pig races. This is something I haven't seen for years but really wanted to go back to enjoy again, and to share with my husband and kids. And the pig races (along with goats and ducks also racing) made me realize something - adults do these things for their kids, and then say afterwards, "Wasn't that so much fun?" And the kids grow up remembering it being really great. And then they go back as grown-ups and realize how it really wasn't as great as they remember. Thanks Mom and Dad for doing that for me. I'm passing along the tradition to my kids, "Archer, wasn't the pig race so much fun?" Ugh. It actually wasn't that exciting. Honestly, I felt sort of bad for the ducks, do birds really like to run? Oh well, it was free, and they passed out free sausage sticks on the way in.

Now we can talk about the adventures of the State Fair for a couple years to the kids, before we return again to refresh their memories of the great food, great animals, and exciting pig races!

Don't forget to check the link on the side for more pics

Fun in the Sun