He said it so matter-of-factly and excitedly that I couldn't help but let the fact that he colored on his arm slide. Such creative enthusiasm...so Mac.
Corrie got away with one herself the other day at naptime. I heard her making a lot of noise and went in prepared to lay down some law, wooden spoon and all...
But when I saw her, all of my disciplinarian resolve melted away into a big, beaming smile.
"Mommy, look at my sleeping bag!" (Said with a smile at first, but then a big frown when she realized she was in trouble).
She had removed the pillowcase and climbed into it, creating her own little perfectly-sized sleeping bag.
So creative, so unusual, but at the same time practical and sort of genius...so Corrie.
Yesterday evening we took the kids to the local Japanese Steak House for dinner on the Residency's dime. We discovered about a year ago that any time there is a prospective applicant in town who needs to be "wined and dined," we have the chance to eat food we could never normally afford. And, if we bring the kids, we can order kid's meals for both of them and take home their leftovers, too!
As we waited for our guest to arrive at the restaurant, the kids played and ran up and down the sidewalk. At one point, a man walked by as Mac was performing his signature pre-running routine, where he runs in place passionately like the roadrunner before taking off. The man yelled, in the loudest, most enthusiastic country/mountain-folk voice, "Burnin' Rubber!!!"
The dinner was delicious...Mac loved the fire, and He and Corrie figured out how to eat with the chopsticks.
Poor Davey was so tired because it was past his bedtime. I held him close to me and leaned in close to his sweet little ears and sang to him. "My little Davey Dave, Davey, Davey, Dave..." He began to relax and lay on my chest as he chewed on a soup spoon. "What a precious gift this little boy is! Thank you, thank you God!" My heart was so full in that moment. (Of course, the next moment Mac threw a set of chopsticks at the table next to us and Corrie screamed because her steak bite fell on the ground).
A few other notable memories of late:
We got to visit Ames and Jer in PA, and the kids had a blast playing with Ryan and doing so many things for the first time like rollerskating, driving an ATV, etc.
We also got to visit Grandma and Grandpa Vetterlein this week. Davey got to ride in a cart for the first time and he loved, loved, loved it.
Reminded me of the first time Corrie rode in a cart. Seemed like just yesterday.
My dad was able to get home from work early enough to see us before we had to go home. I love my dad so much. Seeing him with the kids is such a pleasure, especially watching him with little D.
More and more I find my heart spontaneously bursting with inexpressable love and gratefulness to God during the day. This a new experience for me, and all I can do is say "I love You! I just love You so much." And I just keep thanking Him again an again.
Thank you, God, for giving us these memories together, but most of all, thank you for being who You Are. You are awesome.
So many little things happen every day that seem worth remembering. Mac, Corrie and Little D, I hope that this blog remains in cyberspace well into your adulthood, because all of our eggs are in this basket as far as your childhood memories go. If this thing bites the dust, you are just going to be stuck with me and your dad's recollections, and I am not sure that will be quite the same.
Well, anyway, here are some memorable moments of late:
One afternoon last week I asked God for help. I was beyond my last leg of energy, Ellis was not getting home until late, and I felt so unable to provide something for the kids to do other than watch TV. "Lord, would you please provide an activity for us?" I was out of ideas.
Not too long later, I walked into the living room and glanced out the window. "Guys! Look at that! A huge rainstorm!" We sat out on the porch together and ate frozen yogurt while we watched the storm. Mac and Corrie have been wanting to wear our adult-sized T-shirts lately (Hey, by the way Calvin, we loved reading on your parent's blog that were doing the same thing!)
Of course, Mac and Corrie couldn't resist the rain for long. Though I did not want to deal with the mess, I also could not resist letting them have a blast with their umbrellas in the huge "waterfall" under our gutter.
Notice how Corrie still insists on fitting into her "glass slippers." Those feet seriously look like the step-sisters' feet trying to squeeze into those shoes now!
Last week I looked in on the "Davey Cam" to see a sweet scene: Mac was showing Davey how he colors in his SpiderMan marker book...melted my heart :)
We had a "Lightning McQueen Potty Chair" in the front yard for a while. I went out to water the garden one afternoon during nap time, and I was surprised by two little kids running out into the yard...naked from the waist down. "Mac and Corrie! What are you doing out of your rooms?...AND Where is your underwear?!!"
Apparently, Mac had found the potty chair in the closet and pulled it out into the kitchen, where he and Corrie decided was the ideal place to "fill it up." They had run outside to tell me, "there is a big lake in the kitchen!" By the time I was done cleaning the "lake" and the kids, I gave up on the potty chair and just stuck it outside for the rain to wash it...which actually worked really well (in my opinion).
About that time, I realized our floors needed some serious attention. I thought about how Ellis had spilled some milk on the kitchen floor the day before...there were so many Cheerios there already that it looked like a giant bowl of cereal. Sigh.
That, coupled with the "kitchen lake" and about five other memorable moments of filth in the past several days made me realize it was time for some serious action. "God, what should I do?" It was now Sunday morning, and I called my mom to see if the kids could visit her for a few hours while I put the whole upstairs through a serious deep cleaning. She said yes, and we were so blessed! The floors got cleaner than ever and the kids had a blast over there.
Davey was very interested in Jake, and I think it's safe to say Jake liked him too!
Davey still likes to be up pretty early in the mornings, and the other day we sat together on the couch as the sun was rising. I loved seeing him sitting up and playing...he is getting so big!
We have a local park that has TWO great playgrounds right next to each other. There is also some construction going on there, which has created an area full of dirt mounds. When given the choice to play with dirt or an actual playground (or two), which do you think our kids will pick every time?
Mac made a friend (as always) and taught him how to "climb the giant mountain!" It was pretty cute watching the kids interact with their new friend. For a while they would say, "Hey boy! Come this way!," until I asked them to find out his name (Larry, I think). Mac said, "oooh, Larry...nice to meet you!!!!"
Exhaustion has been hitting pretty hard lately, and this has been allowing me the gift of learning to lean on God in new ways. One morning last week, I prayed for God's direction and provision for us again. Almost immediately I thought, "Hey! What a great morning to go to the orchard!" But who could come with us? I called our friend Sherry, and she and her son Travis were so delighted to come along. It was so fun and so very, very beautiful!
I guess I was trying to camouflage Davey with me that day?
It was very important to Mac that he have his SpiderMan coloring book and his "car jar" (a breast-pump jar that he found and filled little cars...I know no one needed to know that detail) with him to pick the raspberries.
A few weeks ago, I started asking the kids what they are thankful for as they color their pictures during our snack time Bible study. It's been so funny and endearing to write down the things that they say. I have enjoyed looking at the wall every once in a while and reading all of the things that they have been thankful for.
The other day, we learned about Jesus calling the disciples to be fishers of men. Corrie was very concerned about the number of fish that they caught (she just watched a movie about the ocean and the dangers of human fishing nets/overfishing). I also wondered: what kind of mental picture are these kids imagining when Jesus says that now the disciples will go fishing for men?
When I asked the kids what they were thankful for, Corrie had much to say!
"I am thankful for my backpack and for crayons and yogurt drinks. And I like cottage cheese too. And I am thankful for eating chicken and for coloring. And I am thankful for playing with Davey. And I am thankful for playing and looking at ladybugs. And I am thankful for putting them down in the grass. And I am thankful for looking at Jesus' friends in the fiery furnace (looking at the pictures of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that she and Mac colored earlier)."
I recorded Corrie's words on her paper, and then I asked Mac what he was thankful for that day. Can you tell from the picture below that his answer was a little shorter?
"I am thankful for my new super mater monster truck movie!!!"
(Try to imagine the love and vigor with which he shouted that statement). I thought that comment was funny, as he's had that movie for at least a year. That's Mac :)
And something else about Corrie Johns: she is such an artist at heart. This morning she asked me to fill up a cup with water when she was outside playing. She used it to turn her sidewalk chalk into finger paint and "paint" murals in various places.
Oh, and another thing about Corrie: she gets really, really silly and delirious when she is tired.
Oh, and another thing I forgot to add that I don't want to forget: Everynight at bedtime, the kids ask for me to sing them a song. For at least two or three months, when I say, "Okay Corrie, what song would you like me to sing?," she says "SpiderMam!" (I guess she is picking the feminine version of the superhero?)
The funny thing about it is that I don't know the SpiderMan song, so I just sing the words, "SpiderMan, SpiderMan, Radioactive SpiderMan" over and over again until I decide to stop singing and tickle and kiss her. I always start singing it slowly, and she always excitedly requests, "faster, faster!" and then I sing it so fast you can't even make out the words I am singing. I am sure this will eventually get old, but right now it's sweet and I am glad to have the memory with her.
I am reminded more and more how quickly this life can be over: in a moment you or I may be face to face with Jesus. That is reality. Somehow this makes me treasure little things about our kids that I used to overlook. If you really watch them and enjoy them, life becomes simpler and fuller at the same time.
For instance, it's been a joy to discover that Davey seems to already have a sweet relationship with his big brother and sister. Whereas Mac relates to Davey with tons of energy and excitement, Corrie has a gentle and patient way with him.
The other day we went for a walk to the park, and Davey sat in the double chariot with Corrie for the first time. Every time I looked at them, they were either holding hands or Davey was resting his hand on Corrie's leg.
Corrie is always requesting to hold Davey...I think he weighs as much as she does!
Tonight I had them both in the tub for the first time. It was pretty cute seeing them in there playing together, and Corrie was very patient with him. I guess surviving almost three years of Mac has trained her pretty well for dealing with anything Davey can dish out.
I am also savoring every moment before Davey goes mobile. He is the grabbiest of all of the kids and is so interested in everything. I can't even imagine what kind of "adventure" awaits us once he is on the loose, and lately he has been getting up on all fours looking like he is going to take off any minute.
I have been leaving him to play in his little spot in the living room, as usual, but lately he has ended up in the craziest places. How he manages to get stuck under our various furniture items is quite a talent.
And today we had a great treat of having family come to visit for the afternoon. Mac and Corrie had a blast with all of their cousins, and I will admit that I actually loved having seven kids under seven here.
"It sure is nice to have a weekend," said Ellis this past Sunday. That was the phrase of the day, in my opinion.
On Sunday, Ellis was so excited about us playing ultimate frisbee with some "locals" at the old middle school in town. We loaded all of the kids up in the van and arrived at the field just after 3pm...to an empty field. Nope, nobody there. Ellis was so disappointed, while I was (not so secretly) rejoicing. Sorry, I pretend to like that sport because mostly everyone I care about thinks it is awesome, but really I haven't had the best experiences with it recently.
Anyway, now we had to answer the question, "What do we do now?" Well, we've got snacks and the kids are already loaded up...how about a hike?
Seriously, how many people have a beautiful national park as their "backup plan?" We remarked about how blessed we were and made the 5-minute commute up to the mountain tops. We had a little picnic and played around at the visitor's center before starting our hike. Davey was loving the outdoors.
Mac and Corrie were off and running toward a big group of rocks to climb and jump on. Mac was in heaven.
Before we left, I had asked Ellis to get Mac and Corrie ready while I got Davey ready. After we were all packed up in the car, I looked back and was surprised to see that Corrie was wearing a pair of size 3-month boy's pants. "What in the world?!!" Ellis had gotten the kids' dressers mixed up and thought those pants were "capris" for Corrie. He believes that he has stumbled upon "the best way to re-use clothes ever." You be the judge:
Once we were ready to hike, Corrie climbed in the backpack to assume her perch on daddy's back. She was so happy sitting up there with her little yellow toy snake in-hand.
We found a new trail and enjoyed our little "jaunt" very much. Mac was especially sensitive to the trees that day. He claimed that this tree was "cross" at him (angry) because of the "eyes" and mouth he saw on it. He took his transformer robot and hooked the tree's mouth.
A short while later, we came upon this tree, which perplexed Mac. It had some kind of fungus growing on it that looked like facial features.
Toward the end, Mac was really worn out and sore from running and tripping and falling. His energy perked up though, when he saw some flowers he could pick for Corrie. She loved them.
A very nice couple took a picture for us with the view from our hike in the background. It was such a beautiful day with unbelievable weather! I love how Corrie is showing off her flowers :)
We piled back into the van and headed for home. As we coasted down the mountain back into town, I couldn't help but think, "not too shabby for plan B!"
*Side note: A few days later, Ellis got the kids ready to take them to the playground while I ran a quick errand. I got home just as everyone was loaded up, and we walked together down to the park. When we arrived and let the kids get out of the stroller, I was shocked to see Corrie's outfit this time: she was wearing (quite happily) an infant boy's t-shirt. Ellis hadn't even realized he had dressed her in Davey's clothes again. I had to laugh.
