It is a sad thing when a man feels like an intruder in his own blog, but such are the straits to which we have come. Kathy is off gallivanting, and so it falls to me to stay up late blogging, tweaking the timestamps so people don’t know how late I was up and writing.

Today was Sarah Lucinda’s special day, and she didn’t really want to play a game. Instead, she asked me to play on the floor with her. She had dragged a number of dollhouses and castles into a circle and had nearly 50 little people (mostly Polly Pockets and Playmobil people) all talking to one another in falsetto voices. We played on the floor for the better part of an hour, acting out a day in the life of a man with 9 children (or it may have been 11, I lost count). The family had carrots for dinner, which was appropriate, since we ‘real people’ also had carrots (except we had a yummy roast, noodles, other veggies and homemade biscuits, left for us by our sweet Kathy).

For some reason, the parents of the family slept in the attic. I’m trying not to read too much significance into that.

Sarah is a sweet girl and she is a lot of fun to play with. I was surprised at how quickly the time passed; we ended by reading The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round and then singing each verse.

Here’s a sweet co-op girl.

Today was co-op day, and for no particularly good reason, I was about 13 minutes late to pick up the kids. Most of them were out playing in traffic (well, in the parking lot anyway) but Sarah was patiently waiting in her classroom. I asked her if she was worried (one of her brothers is often dismayed by late parents) and she said, in a sing-song little voice, “No, I just waited.”

I have a lot of deep and subtle thoughts on my heart, and you would think that I would take this opportunity to write some of them down, but I need to pace myself. Besides, this is technically Kathy’s Project 365 post, so I can’t really wax too eloquent on a borrowed soapbox.

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This is how Sarah and I started out our day.

Sarah (age 4 1/2) came downstairs, all snuggly and still sleepy. How could I resist? I am trying to be more sensitive in the moments when the children reach out to me (for a book or a hug or a discussion) and be purposeful in giving them my attention and time. It’s difficult. I am usually busy – either with my own chores and work or my relaxation (phone calls, computer time, etc.). It takes effort and a determined, cheerful spirit to stop what I am doing and reach back to the children. I think about the verse in Malachi 4:

He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers;

My desire is that my heart would be turned toward my children and that they would grow up knowing that my love for them is deep. I especially struggle making time for the children when I am in the midst of working FOR the family (cleaning, preparing meals, washing laundry, and on and on). There is a part of me that cries, “Don’t bother me now, I’m busy serving you.” And yet, which would they prefer? A mother who sweeps the floor, folds their laundry, picks up toys, or a mother who sits down and reads a book, who tickles them as they run about?

I love the image implied in the phrase, ‘turning your heart to your child.’ There is a deliberate choice and action involved and a response returned. If I have my child’s heart I can teach them about the Lord; when I share with them, they will listen. If I have my child’s heart I can correct and discipline them and they will respond, knowing I love them and want the best for them. If I have my child’s heart I can walk along side them and help them to discern God’s plan for their life. If I have my child’s heart I can become their friend.

So, that means I need to put aside the keyboard or put down my book and listen to the children. I need to keep them close to me when I’m working in the kitchen or around the house and include them in my activities. I need to remember these years when the children are home with us are precious and fleeting. I need to remember the words in Deuteronomy 6 and take every opportunity to teach them about the Lord.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Sarah has been been waiting for today to arrive ever since last weekend when Rachel had her big sleepover and Sarah was promised one for this weekend. Almost every day she has asked me if this was the day Elise would come over. Her eagerness was so sweet and full of hope it was hard not to be excited with her. Today we had our homeschooling co-op. Sarah loves her little kindergarten class. She has some wonderful teachers and even gets to join David for one period in a “big kids class.”

Snack time!

After co-op it was FINALLY time for Elise to come over. We had a lovely dinner with Elise and family (thanks for providing everything, Jennifer!!) and then went to church for a showing of Facing the Giants. The kids brought blankets and sleeping bags and set up spots on the floor in the front of the gym. Joshua was kind and carried in some comfy folding chairs for the moms. The movie was excellent and we all had a good time. The church made popcorn and served it in the entryway along with water bottles and juice. Sarah and Elise stuck together for the movie time, posing for pictures when necessary. Lol!

Now the children are all settled into their rooms and ready for bed. We’ll see if the girls get any sleep. Surely 4 year olds won’t stay up until midnight like the big girls did last weekend.

Kathy

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Rachel says I have a “million” pictures of Sarah. Ha! I just sent her outside to take some photos of Sarah. Tim is working in the garage – trying to organize things – David and Sarah are “helping” him. I told Rachel I didn’t have enough pictures of Sarah and needed more, since it is her Special Day. Rachel looked at me in utter disbelief. “You may not have enough pictures from today, but in general you have millions of pictures of Sarah.” She is off by a few zeroes but I certainly have taken my fair share of photos of Muffin Sarah.

Today our homeschooling co-op resumed. The kids were all VERY thankful to be back with their friends; starting new, interesting courses. Sarah (age 4 1/2) is in the kindergarten class. I am with her for the second period as the teacher. Last semester I was in the classroom for two periods – an assistant for one class and the teacher for the other.

We did some crafts – bead necklaces on ribbons and Fruit Loop necklaces on yarn. Sarah loved the craft, it was a perfect choice for her. She wore her Fruit Loop jewelry the rest of the entire day, finally eating it this evening.

Sarah has several friends in her kindergarten class – there are some sweet little girls, just Sarah’s age, in the co-op. The teacher for the second two periods wasn’t there today so Sarah went into David’s class. She was tickled to be a “big girl” in Grandma Honey’s class (don’t you love that name!).

This evening, Tim and Sarah played Feed the Kitty again for Sarah’s game time. Right now they are stretched out on the floor, reading I Spy.

Sarah LOVES her Special Day time with Tim. She smiles and laughs, is almost giddy, with the joy of having uninterrupted Daddy Time. I think that Sarah and David have a special bond with Tim because he was home for much of their early years. Sarah was four months old when Tim lost his job with AT&T. His unemployment continued for almost a year and a half. What a blessing for the little ones in the midst of a very difficult time.

Kathy

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It’s Sarah’s (age 4 1/2) Special Day! Hooray, that means it’s also Friday and the weekend is upon us.

Sarah has been working on a letter for a little friend who lives around the corner. She colored several pictures, wrote notes (with help from Mom) and included a tasty treat. Today we were finally able to pass it along.

I always find it interesting to see how the children develop friendships. Although we haven’t lived there in over two years, David and Sarah immediately list people from the Duckabush when asked to name their good friends. We were very blessed, in particular, that one family had children whose ages matched almost perfectly with ours. It was a special time of friendship.

Sarah played with this neighbor girl recently and, I guess, she has been on her mind. She wanted to send her a letter. Sweet.

Book Review Time!

I think Sarah has convinced at least two different people to read her this book today. David loves its companion tale, Buzzle Billy, so it’s not surprising Sarah would choose this one as her current fave. I wish we had more books from the Building Christian Character series by Michael P. Waite. They are great–funny, told in rhyme, full of cute illustrations, and in the end, teach an important Biblical principle. The older three read them for years and it is fun to see the younger two pick them off the shelf.

This is obiviously a serious tale!

Sarah worked for a long time creating a picture on our new whiteboard.

The rest of us were doing our history and read-alouds while Sarah sat in the dining room and drew her picture.

Of course, I wasn’t doing much reading since I kept jumping up to take more pictures of Sarah. I couldn’t resist!!

Ta Da!! The final master piece. Truly a picture is worth a thousand (or at least several) words. Most of them escape me at this time.

Daniel and Rachel discovered some big blocks of ice in the back yard. They carried them over to the door to show me. When I went to grab my camera they quickly had Sarah hold the ice. “Cause it’s your Special Day, Sarah.” How perceptive are they–knowing I was trying to take lots of pictures of Sarah today. Of course, later on Rachel called me a Photo Maniac so it’s obvious how quickly even your family can turn on you. Ha!

Doesn’t this girl EVER wear gloves? Where IS her mother?

Sarah has long been a very careful and creative little artist but lately she hasn’t shown much interest in coloring. I bought her a new coloring book for Christmas and she has barely noticed it, much less done any coloring. Well, David has gone overboard in his coloring, spending long moments sitting at the table with his Prismacolor pencils and Dover coloring books. Sarah pays keen attention to that which interests her older brother. So when Rachel borrowed her new book during our reading and colored a beautiful mermaid page, I wasn’t surprised to find Sarah on the floor later in the afternoon, working hard on a picture.

For her Special Day game, Sarah chose Feed the Kitty. She knew that it was HER Special Day and was determined to have everyone play a game with her. She was quite enthusiastic in rolling the dice.

Every time she rolled two sleeping kitties she would throw her arms up into the air and say, “Yes!” It was hysterical. She was definitely an entertaining part of the game. Ha!

And, yes, we did have hot cocoa again this evening. If we’re not careful, the children will think they get hot chocolate on every game night (a dangerous, if yummy, tradition to start).

Happy Special Day, Sarah!

Kathy

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