Tea Party

On Sunday, we had a *simple* birthday party for Irina with five of her sweet friends. 

I got carried away and it was a little less simple then I had intended, but it was lovely. I pulled out tea cups I collected as a young girl, borrowed napkin ring holders, and little bowls for tea bags. I enjoyed setting the table with Irina's help and of course arranged flowers. Irina was so happy to make place setting cards for each girl practicing her new cursive skills. 

Our sweet daughter felt very LOVED and cherished and that felt good to me. Our mother-daughter relationship can be a bit tricky so maybe that is why it felt so important to me to make this party special? It is taking time for a comfortable love to grow between us.

And of course it was a "Doll and Me Par-TEA!" I fixed Irina's hair to match her doll Rebecca. 

Before we were seated at the table, we took the time to go over proper table manners. 

The boys had an important job as greeters, servers, and helpers. 

The boys escorted each of the girls to the table. I LOVED the nervous giggles coming from Ethan. 

Originally, I planned to have just tea and cake. Next thing I knew, I was making cucumber sandwiches, a fruit and cheese platter, and Irina asked to make a sweet treat from her girls cookbook.

The best decision I made was to hire my friend Leslie to make the cake. Isn't it beautiful?!! 

I'm so grateful she was willing. She doesn't have a cake business, but I've seen beautiful cakes she has made for her family. So blessed she was willing to serve us AND deliver the cake! It tasted great too!

 The boys carefully served the girls each platter of food. They took their job very seriously. 

 Concentrating ;) 

 Check out the cool surprise inside! More pink!

We played a few games... balancing the book on their heads, 

who can stack the sugar cubes into the highest tower in a minute, 

 and one other game (not pictured - my camera battery died). 

Each girl got to take home a framed bible verse. With the help of my mom, I got frames from Goodwill. 

Then I spray painted them silver and put in the verse. Thanks Mother!

Irina was literally floating the rest of the afternoon. She kept saying, "You so good to me, Mommy. Thank you for your idea for my party. I loved my birthday party." (on repeat!) Then... "I can't wait for my birthday." (which is Friday and won't be nearly as exciting, I'm afraid.)

Such a special afternoon. And do you realize how many dishes my hard working husband washed and dried? Oh my goodness! Thank you, Darin, for taking care of that end of the party. Phew!

Just a little excited...

I definitely don't have time for blogging today and it is not a priority, but I've been silent too long. This is going to be a quick one. We're still alive!

Irina starts in a YMCA soccer league TOMORROW and she is just a little excited. Okay, maybe that is an understatement. She is THRILLED!!! She got her uniform last Thursday and of course she immediately put it on. "Please you take picture of me Mommy?"

She's never played a team sport. She has very limited understanding of the game of soccer. (We're working on that!). I'm a little worried for her. However, I know she is determined, competitive, and a wee bit feisty. She keeps up with the boys, doesn't she? Yes she does!

The boys have never played soccer either, but you know they are "experts" coaching her in the yard. Ha! 

They pulled out these books and have been trying to teach her. It's sweet. 

They've been having her practice kicks, dribbling around cones, 

and other soccer drills from the books. Her first game is on Saturday. 

She knows two girls on her team and the coach is a friend of ours. 

It's a recipe for learning and lots of fun. Do you think she'll smile the whole game? :)

Not to mention that her 12th birthday is quickly approaching in 10 days with a "simple" birthday party to celebrate this Sunday. All that combined makes for an overly emotional pre-teen AND Mommy. Oh my! (Take a guess... do I know how to keep birthday celebrations simple? I'm trying...but ACK! She's missed out on birthday celebrations for 10 years. Oh dear.)

These Kids

It's that time a year where we stop and assess our schooling choices for the kids. There is usually lots of discussion, prayer, analyzing, prayer, thinking, and prayer.

We don't make the choice to homeschool lightly. We don't do it out of some superiority complex. We don't choose to homeschool out of fear of the world. Each year, we have felt God's clear answer to our many questions/prayers is to continue homeschooling. It is where He has led us.

This year, there is no clear answer yet. It has been a hard year and we must really consider our options. We're exploring keeping some at home and enrolling others elsewhere full time. It will be a difficult decision. We are trusting that God will lead us to the answer that is best for our family.

In the meantime, it has struck me lately how unique and special the bond is between all four kids. I've said it before and I'll say it again. It is as if Irina has always been here. They especially like playing dolls with her! Shh... don't tell them I told you. :) I think being home has fostered their bond.

Oh... they have their sibling squabbles. Believe me they do! Fists and tears and screaming are a somewhat regular occurrence. But somehow, we work through that and then they are like magnets. They can't resist the force pulling them together. Even though they are all so different in personality and interests they have this amazing way of playing together. (games, puzzles, legos, outdoor games, pretend play, etc.) No matter what we decide for school next year, I hope and pray that they always work to maintain their friendships long into their old age. Can you imagine what family reunions will look like in 20 years if they do?

Identity

Thinking, feeling, processing, and examining... that is what I spend a lot of my brain power on these days. Does your brain shut off? Mine doesn't. EVER! I think that might be a female characteristic, or maybe it is just me?? 

Darin tells me that he's seen articles about how Facebook causes depression. (Maybe Pinterest does too?) Hmmm... I can believe it. You read and see pictures of all these great things people are doing. Parties they are planning, recipes they are making, perfectly well-behaved children, perfectly decorated houses, athletic milestones, etc.. Do you ever feel like you don't measure up to the perfection people portray? You know it must not all be perfect, but it certainly conjures up images of an IDEAL that is so tantalizing. I confess that I have moments of feeling jealous. Okay... since I'm confessing, probably a lot of moments like that. That comparison trap is wicked! I must repent.

Here is a perfect example. I volunteered to help coordinate an in-class party for Luke's history class. I don't love this sort of thing, but I wanted to do my part and we love his teacher. The theme was "Space Race." They were learning about the race between Russia and the US to get to space. At the start I figured I'd come up with a simple rocket craft and simple snack. It would be easy. I spent hours (!!!) searching on Pinterest in my free time. ha! The more I looked, the more inadequate I felt. I started to have a melt down. The time was running out and I couldn't pull this together. What if there was something else out there better? I had to keep looking for the perfect idea.

When I told Luke I was in charge of a craft and fun snack, he replied, "You're not that kind of mom." As soon as the words were out of his mouth he crumpled in embarrassment realizing his words could have hurt my feelings. (love his sweet heart!) I smiled, brushed if off, and knew what he meant. I have a reputation for being obsessed with "healthy." In his mind, a fun snack would be some kind of junk food and he knew I would never bring that. Oh my...  While I tried to brush off his comments, it further fueled my crazy. I was going to bring an awesome craft and have a SUPER FUN UNHEALTHY snack. Yes I WAS!!! If all the other moms on Pinterest can do it, so can I.  Luke asked me to bring the "rocket" fruit skewers (above) and I brought some "space themed" junk food to go with it. I didn't take a picture of that. :)  We did a craft that was borderline lame, but the kids didn't seem phased. The rocket we tried to shoot off with vinegar and baking soda was a dud. I could have done more, but does it really matter??? Does it? What would perfect look like?

In the end it all worked out, but I needed to repent of my approval seeking. Whose approval do I really need the most? Certainly not a room of nine 5th graders! Did I please God by working with all my heart to bring Him glory? Was I seeking His approval or the approval of men? Were my eyes fixed in the right place? These are all questions I wrestled with and am trying to learn from. I'm definitely not saying that we can't plan really cool parties and do really amazing over the top fun things. God is stretching me to realize WHY I strive to do these things. Am I alone here? Do you ever struggle with this?

And all these yummy food photos are further evidence of my crazy. Every couple weeks I don't sleep (just kidding... sort of) so I can carve out the time to make pumpkin muffins, granola, whole wheat bread, granola bars, and tortillas. It makes me feel happy to feed my family foods that I think are nutritious and delicious. (some of you may disagree... sorry gluten free and paleo people!)

This is where I wish the thinking, processing, examining my heart would shut off. All I know is that as our spring/summer kid birthday madness nears I want to be sure that I am reminding myself that my identity is NOT in how "pinterest worthy" our parties are. My identity is not in what healthy things I make for my family. My identity is not in ANYTHING else but in the fact that I am a child of God. I was bought with a price. I am loved, forgiven, and cherished beyond measure for one simple fact. I was created by the Creator of the universe and He doesn't make mistakes! What could be better then that? Hallelujah!

The Weather Can Do Wonders

I have to say when I got up early this morning in the pitch black the day after "spring forward" I was a bit of a grouch. Not exactly looking forward to the day and praying for a better attitude.

Then I went into the garage to do my strength training dvd (which I usually do on this portable dvd player) only to discover that the screen is broken. I later learned that some kids (who will remain nameless) knocked it off the shelf with a basketball on a previous day. So, until further notice I will also be exercising my ears as I listen carefully to the instructions on my dvd. I guess I won't be trying any new dvd's anytime soon.

Finally once the morning rush was over (breakfast served, lunches packed, bags ready... you all know the drill probably better then I do!) and the older boys were out the door for their homeschool academy we were finally able to catch our breath. But for some reason, Aaron's steady drumming during school with his pencil, hands, or whatever nearly drove me crazy. "STOP DRUMMING!!!!"

Until I noticed the SUN and what appeared to be warmth!! The weather can do wonders for my attitude. These two are sweet playmates on Mondays when their brothers are away. They had some sort of pretend world going on after lunch. They insisted it was warm enough for no jackets and flip flops. Okay... sure!

With potential rain the rest of the week I decided we needed a spontaneous outing. 

I picked up the big boys at 3pm and headed to one of our favorite outdoor locations. 

Do you see Ethan scampering like a little gazelle? 

They were thrilled to be outside in shorts! It was 70 degrees. 

 Ethan asked me to take this picture so he can sketch it later. ;)

 We got to the top of this hill and Irina said, "Let's roll down the hill." 

 Luke and Aaron didn't want to get dirty so they ran. 

 Ethan and Irina rolled and rolled. Although, Irina kind of curved back up the hill and had to readjust.

Can you see the delight on their faces? Is spring really coming? I can't wait!