Keep Out Little Critters

My garden helper showed up with a fence for my garden this week. 

Take that, chipmunks, bunnies, and squirrels! This garden is not for you. Keep out!

Irina was quick to point out that they can still jump in from the fence. Perhaps? 

I'm choosing to look on the bright side. We shall see...

Happy

I think I've always known this, but this week I was reminded how much I love being 

OUTSIDE and being ACTIVE with my family. We have explored new territory 

now that school is over and we have more free time. Somehow, I need to make 

more time for these type of adventures during the school year. It would do us 

ALL such good. My heart is always so happy after our bike rides.

Like, skipping around the house happy. I love being with these kids. 

So thankful that Irina loves being sporty with us! 

Great Ending

What a great ending to our summer day! Ethan volunteered to make supper and he 

made most of it on his own. Wow! This swimming sure does put him in a good mood. 

He made egg salad (for egg salad sandwiches). I had hard boiled eggs in the fridge.

And pasta salad. I cooked the noodles and he cut up most of the veggies. 

(cucumber, celery, red pepper, grape tomatoes and olives)

He informed me that he wants to be a chef when he grows up. 

I think I'm going to take advantage of this stage! Who knew?

Following dinner they all read quietly on the couch while I cleaned up the kitchen.

I only feel comfortable sharing these great moments because of yesterdays 

post about our hard moments. We have a little bit of everything around here. 

Don't we all? I'm thankful for this sweet ending to our day. 

At least the house will be clean...

We're working on consequences over here to sibling scuffles and disrespect towards me. I know I have many strengths, but parenting doesn't seem to be one of them (at least not the discipline piece!) In the moment, it is not easy for me to come up with appropriate consequences to foolishness, impulsiveness, selfishness, rudeness, etc..

Today, I walked away from the latest battle and prayed. I put the two offending parties in time out apart from each other and prayed every minute of that 5 minutes to know how to handle this onslaught of conflict. Lord, help me be patient! Lord, give me few wise words that they will hear. Lord, help me know how to train these precious kids (who are driving me crazy!!!) Lord, thank you for your patience with ME as I mess up. 

No more Charlie Brown teacher voice. "Wah wah wah wah wah wah." Remember that? I think that is all they hear when I talk to them regardless of the words coming out of my mouth. (Which by the way is tricky since I lost my voice today! blah!)

And then it came to me! I ignored the latest brawl and gave them a task. They were given two chores to work on together as a team. For every time there was conflict during the completion of their task, they would be assigned one additional chore. We all shook hands and they got busy.

Oh, I know I need to get to the root of the issue. I know that somehow I need to reach their heart and help them see what causes their reactions towards one another or me. There is a lot of training to be done.

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it." James 4:1-2

My latest realization though is this: Those teachable heart moments may need to happen during a time when they are not so wound up, angry, or upset. I'm certainly not very teachable when I'm upset.  And so, today they worked and worked and worked. There were all sorts of combinations of kids working together as teams. They did get assigned a few extra jobs when they didn't work together as a team well, but in the end Aaron said, "That was fun!"

And so, while this new attempt may only be effective for a short time (if at all!) it has certainly helped in cleaning the house. Bonus!

First Swim Meet

Luke, Irina, and Ethan swam in their first swim meet and survived! Hooray!

Aaron is still doing some pre-team lessons and will be swimming in our next meet. 

There were some serious butterflies in anticipation of this meet. 

Ethan was the most relaxed and excited.

Did you know there is a lot of waiting at swim meets? Warm-up was at 1:00pm. The meet started at 2:00pm. 

Our three kids each swam in two events and finished at 4:30. Less then 12 minutes of swimming in 2.5 hours. 

Yikes! So glad for good friends to teach us the ropes and provide entertainment. 

Check out Ethan's farmer tan. He said he felt so fast in his bare chest and slick tight suit. 

Quite a difference compared to his baggy swim trunks and swim shirt!

He came in 3rd place in his division for back stroke!!! Wohoo!! 

What a JOY to see that smile at the end of his race. 

Irina (very competitive by nature) was very excited to be on the team, but her nerves nearly got the best of her. She powered through and did the best she could. I am proud of her. It was a big day! As far as I can tell right now, she is more at home on the soccer field. However,  I am eager to see how she progresses through the season. She is one determined little lady!

Luke, very timid by nature, was quite nervous... BUT HE HAD FUN!!! So glad and proud of him. 

He did a great job for his first swim meet. He swam a 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke. 

A gorgeous day at the pool! This freckle faced red head was a trouper; patiently waiting and cheering on his siblings. 

He was not feeling well, but didn't want to miss it. Can't wait to cheer for him too. 

I think I like this swim team routine. ;) Let's see how I feel when it is sweltering hot. 

Last Soccer Game

Irina played in her last soccer game on Saturday. :(

It was a terrific first season for her and she is sad it is over. 

 Considering her inexperience playing soccer, she had good instincts on the field.  

We are thankful for a great group of girls and encouraging coaches. She learned a lot.

 Do you see the boys above? Ethan and Aaron hung out with the coaches 

during most games and seemed to think they were assistant coaches 

or part of the team!! Hope they were not too much of a nuisance. 

(They've known the head coach since they were babies so they were right at home.) 

 Do you see Aaron squeezing in there for the team cheer? So cute!

We have ALL enjoyed cheering for OUR GIRL this spring. 

I think she has more soccer in her future! :) 

Four Days In

We are four days into our summer break and today nearly killed me! HOWEVER, thankfully the day ended on a positive note and the big picture is that the first three days had some great moments.

Let's start with the GOOD. I've been relaxed at times. Ha! Who knew it was possible? :) We've played game after game of Dutch Blitz together. We've laughed. We've had tickle fights. The kids have been going crazy with puzzles. We've cleaned out some drawers and done some cleaning (just a little bit).  Luke is speed reading through any book he can get his hands on. It is so re-energizing for me to take a break from the nightly lesson planning and school set-up. ahhh!

Puzzles on the dining room table. Their goal is to completely cover it. 

The not so good is that we've been plagued with evening storms interfering with our swim team practices and planned pool visits. Wednesday and today were rainy nearly all day with chilly temperatures for June. Due to a germy boy, we had to cancel our fun plans today and I neglected to establish more structure. Silly Mommy.

Too much free play time + 2 full rainy days = sibling conflict and lots of fighting! 

My nerves were shot by noon. After some enforced playtime apart and some extra chores, 

we went to the pool for swim team practice. These kids needed some exercise and fresh air! 

While the big kids were practicing, Aaron was VERY happy shooting hoops all by himself. 

 It was raining and 63 degrees. Do you see the coach and lifeguard in the far right of the picture above? They are bundled with rain coats. Thankfully, the rain stopped. So proud of Luke, Ethan, and Irina. Not one of them questioned my decision. They jumped in eagerly and swam their laps with the team. They were numb when they got out an hour later, but a hot shower solved that.

Ethan dove off the diving block for the first time like a champ!

Irina has had so many new swimming skills thrown at her and she has stuck with it. 

I am proud of her determination and her joyful demeanor has endeared her to the coaches. 

She went to sleep with a big smile on her face tonight. 

(Ashley - she LOVES the cozy pool cover up. Perfect for a chilly day like today. Thank you!!)

Notes to Irina

Almost TWO years ago on June 15, 2013, we were showered with love by friends and family at an adoption shower in honor of Irina. (She was still in Ukraine at the time.) Everyone was so generous in giving us items we would need for our sweet little girl. A girl! How were we to know how to prepare for a girl!?! girly clothes, dolls, ruffly nightgowns, monogrammed bags, towels and pillow cases, jewelry, hair accessories, etc.... all things we did not have in our house for a young lady. We quickly were inundated with PINK!!

But even more than the material blessings, what touched me most about that memorable day (planned by a dear college friend named Joanna) was the LOVE, PRAYERS, and SUPPORT. Jo planned so many special touches, one of which were "Notes to Irina" that each of the guests filled out.

After careful thought, I decided it best not to give Irina the notes when she first arrived in America. I wanted to give her time to learn the language and adjust to all the many changes in her life. On her 12th birthday in April, the time was finally just right to pull them out and present them to her.  (phew! glad I didn't lose them with my scattered brain!) With a shaky voice full of tears, I began reading them aloud so the whole family could be touched by the sentiments. But then there was commotion, and distractions, and noise, and chaos (Does that happen to you??)... and I tucked them away intending to try again later.

These tween years have been a volatile time for Irina's emotions. I hear from my friends that that is pretty typical for girls her age, but it just feels like there is more going on. Things can spiral unexpectedly and very quickly. Often times I am caught unprepared, forgetting all the tools I've learned for handling these emotions and the way she choses to express herself. My joyful, youthful, and very confident girl can disappear before my very eyes. It can last moments, minutes, or hours. Then as quickly as the storm approaches, it can fade away. I confess that in these moments it is not my gut reaction to draw close. I have to fight against my cynicism and irritation. I have to pray moment by moment for compassion, wisdom, and the ability to draw close to her. I have to pray for the Spirit to enable me to CONNECT with her and reassure her. I don't do this well and that is humbling.

This week when one such storm arrived, I remembered the "Notes for Irina." They are full of scriptures, prayers, and sweet words. I pulled them out and she was entranced. Sunshine returned. (Don't worry I took this picture on a subsequent day when she was reading them AGAIN. and AGAIN. and AGAIN. They are so special to her!)

My dear girl, someday you will read about these hard times on the blog. Maybe you will forget they ever happened? My hope and prayer is that instead you will remember all the ways God has been at work in your life and be able to praise Him for it. You are loved and you are CHOSEN. God loves you with an everlasting love. He will never leave you. We love you too! Love, Mommy