You have to take control of it because it wants to go it's own way.

-- Archer on using the electric sander

Archer (and the rest of us too) had the chance today to play with a few power tools (power washer, electric sander, air blower and nail gun (DAVID ONLY on that last one)), make a bit of a mess and come inside with paint chips in our hair and covering our clothes. We're getting ready to paint the railing on the porch, I'm sure that will be even more fun tomorrow... hopefully we don't end up with PAINT everywhere. Update to follow tomorrow!

P.S. Tonight Archer asked me if he could put E to bed. Including the whole singing 3 songs, countless kisses and hugs, requests for one more "bayten" (blanket). They did well, thanks for the help Arch!!

Look What I Found

I checked on the boys and found this...

How sweet!

Things They Say

This morning Shelly was playing with her magic wand and "Abracadabra I turn you into a HORSE!" she said, pointing the wand in my direction. "Neigh!" I said a few times before she turned me back into a mom. "If you weren't the best mom in the world, I wouldn't have turned you back into a mom, I would have left you to be a horse forever." I was relieved to be a person again. Archer wished I was a horse, so he could ride me around.

E started screaming in pain and I heard Arch shout, "Did you loose a finger??!!?" Not really the most comforting thing, but E's done crying now so I guess its all worked out ok.

And lastly, whenever E wakes up (morning or after a nap) he immediately makes demands which fall into these three categories: "Me want FOO" or "Me wat TV" or "Me play Wii".

Night Out

While David and I were out dancing the night away, I got this message from Aunt Niecy:

Picked up thee three hooligans on the side of the road, don't worry, I booked em

And these pictures...

We retrieved the kids from Bampa Bampa Howt later for the full report of their antics through the neighborhood. Now we're on our way home, where we'll all crash for at least 12 hours and I'll get to sleep in late tomorrow. (I can hope for sleep, anyway!)

Hair Fun

Shelly and I decided to dye our hair. I picked a traditional color, but for Shelly we picked pink. She kindly let me talk her into a tamer color, not quite so bright, and we went home ready to try it out. 

She was a real trooper as she waited for me to get all set up and then, I think she might have been a little nervous when I did this...

It worked out ok, though, she's pretty happy with the result!

I wonder if it will all be washed out before school starts?

Walk

When the kids started getting restless I called out that it was time to go for a walk. I knew it would be an adventure, you can't walk out the door with four kids without it being fun.

First fun - a tire. Archer rolled that thing about a half mile before he abandoned it.

Shelly searched out flowers and Brock followed suit, pretty soon they were pointing out different kinds to each other to help build their bouquets.

When we got home Brock and E gave me their flowers, now they bring some color to our kitchen,

Our Very Own

Bows and arrows!

I'm really excited for Archer about his newfound interest in archery. I'm really ready to get him his own bow. Recurve or compound?, I keep asking him. He says recurve. I want to get him a compound. But we're not ready to take the plunge yet.

So the other day I came up with a compromise. We'll make our own bows, something safer than the full sized weapon that can only be shot at a range. We'll make a version safe for home, like it only shoots something soft. And not too fast, so we don't shoot someone's eye out.

Solution: Popsicle sticks and Q-tips

It turns out they're really hard to shoot, don't go very far, and the arrows got pulled apart by the youngest archer in the family. 

So, the bows and arrows didn't last long but it was a fun diversion for a rainy afternoon.

Singing (and Playing) in the Rain

Shelly called me outside to look at her masterpiece. I ran out (no time for shoes) to see her chalk masterpiece on the driveway just as the first raindrops started to fall. The four of us retreated to the garage (did I mention that E didn't have shoes either?) and soon we were watching a downpour melt away the colors of Shelly's art. Then the real fun began.

Let's run to the street and back, I told them. We took turns, I held Shelly's hand and we ran out and back. Then Archer. Come on E! "Oh no no no" he sad, waving his hand at us and smiling. We ran out and back a few more times, all the while trying to convince E to follow. "My shirt get wet" he told us. I told him we'd just get a different shirt later. Finally he joined us.

The running around was followed by a strange game of basketball, with Arch as the ref.Whoever has the ball tries to score by throwing the ball into the garage (its a big target, not easy to miss!). There was a lot of traveling (we definitely need to practice our dribbling skills), many rule changes mid-game, a few tears ("my turn!!") but lots of laughing. And wet socks, and wet everything. It was kinda fun!

Rocks in My Pockets

Have I ever told you about my kids' obsession with rocks? Recently its shifted to sea glass, or just tiny bits of broken glass. But it started with the rock collections. On our porch railing there is a collection. In a bucket in the garage, and another bucket in the back yard. And in their pockets. Especially Shelly's. Given E's tendency to throw everything, the rocks inside the house seem like a major threat now. He picks up a rock, I fear for the tv screen. And my own safety. Sometimes I find a lone rock in the bottom of the washing machine. Thankfully never in the dryer (yet).

Do you ever wonder at what point the collection becomes a burden? I've found Shelly's winter coat stuffed full of rocks in every pocket. She loves to collect these pretty little things, but what about the weight? Doesn't it pull her downward? Of course they're added just one small rock at a time, so perhaps she doesn't notice. The thing about the rocks is that the kids will (maybe) outgrow them. But we, generally, all of us people, don't outgrow collecting, do we? We all have them, the collections. Furniture, books, shoes... Pictures. Pictures printed, pictures stored in some forgotten folder in the back corner of the computer memory. But isn't it just more stuff to carry around?

I sometimes wonder what it would look like to really just keep the most important things. And give away the rest. Not keep the "I might use this someday" stuff, or the, "I KNOW I'll need that in five years" or "this doesn't fit me anymore but maybe it will again someday." Or what if, instead of thinking that even my pictures are so precious that I'm willing to spend hours organizing and lots of money saving them, I just left them alone. Or gave away the shoes I NEVER wear, or quit trying to talk myself into thinking that dress will fit me again someday.

Sometimes the things that fill our house cease to feel like they're part of our roots of a firm foundation, and start to feel like vines creeping and entangling us into this world. All of these things. Are they choking back the freedom we have to really follow Jesus?

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
~ 1 Timothy 6:6-11

Choosing Joy

I've been working my way through the book of James forever. I have a study book and its been amazing, the insights, the thought provoking questions. But I keep coming back to the beginning. 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." This is such a tough one, joy in the face of trials. The study book took me through it, it doesn't say "feel." It says "consider." Think it through. Choosing anything but joy leads us in a direction that God doesn't desire for us. The other choices - anger, fear, giving up - they don't lead us closer to God. Choose JOY and let God lead us through, teach us perseverance, bring us closer to Him.

This morning the kids and I talked about this verse. I told them its like choosing cookies - the nice soft cookie, still warm, chocolate chips melty... Or the other cookie, a few weeks old, dried out and hard, maybe some flies living on it or something. "EWW!" they cried. I told them that God wants the very best for us, but if we decide to eat that old cookie, well He'll let us. But why would we choose that? So all day we've been reminding each other, "choose the good cookie!" and "choose joy!" Its worked out alright.

Until this afternoon. There as a task that had to be completed. There was someone who could not bring themself to do it. And there was two hours of crying, screaming, throwing things. This person was NOT choosing the good cookie and finally after a long long time screamed that insult back at me, to top it all off, "I don't CARE if I have the BAD COOKIE!" Eventually the task was completed, the tears and anger stopped and now all is back to normal.

Anyway, I'm not writing about this to remember the trial... I'm writing about this to remember the work that God is doing in our hearts. I realized, that in reminding the kids all day about choosing joy (even though your brother just stole your toy or hit you or WHATEVER), in reminding THEM to do it, I was reminding myself. And God worked in my heart today, and not once did I feel angry (sad, yes, definitely), and not once did I yell back or whatever. I prayed, I prayed with the kid, I thanked God for them in our family and asked for help for all of us in choosing joy.

And it turns out, when you ask, God answers with peace and joy. Thank you so much, Lord. What a relief that its over, but more so, what a relief that you helped us through it and helped me to choose joy. Thank you!!

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
~ Matthew 7:7-8