Splices and Spices

We have had a super productive day already.  Evie woke up at 5 a.m. with a high fever, I gave her tylenol and actually took her temp at 6:30 (after holding and rocking her)

 - she was so cute and holdable.  

So, it went down to 100.2

Bonus:  Matt went for a jog this a.m.

I read lots.

I wanted to blog because today is one of the days I'm sending our laptop with Matt (and I won't have a computer so I must blog now) so that I won't be tempted by it.  Though it brought me a good John Piper sermon yesterday while I folded laundry, more often than not, the computer can be a time waster, so Matt takes it for me a few days a week.

Our landline has been down three days now so I am going on a verizon-induced media fast.

My digital camera, however, is in Evie's room with lots of new super cute pictures on it.

So, I stole some appropriate photos from our friend's The Rizzos blog.

These pictures are from a Comedy Night we hosted a while back.

This picture of people laughing is a great time for me to interject the main focus of my blog today.  Simon has been saying some hilarious things that I better blog before I forget.

Matt and Simon play the "Question Game" sometimes at night instead of a story.  Basically, you get to ask a question and the other person answers it.  

Simon's Question Verbatim:  "Why does bad stuff appear in my nose?"

Seriously, he said appear.  So funny.

Disclaimer:  I am to blame for some of the things Simon might say.  I publicly confess that on Monday night Simon heard me say, "I can't take it anymore."  He's heard me say it before, I'm not incredibly proud of it, he's probably even heard me say darker things.  But it's real.  If you've had those days then you understand.  If you haven't had those days, then come offer to keep my kids sometime, please.   They are the greatest; I just forget sometimes and a little time away usually helps me remember!

All of that to say that Simon now likes to say, "I JUST can't take it ANYMORE!"

And after church on Sunday we asked him what he learned in class.  His response:  "Nothing.  That church is IMPOSSIBLE."

Not a catch phrase of ours, honest.

 

Some pictures just have to be posted twice.

Oh, I picked up one of those Amish Bread Starters last week.  I don't know if I'm doing it wrong.  It seemed weird to add milk yesterday and still leave it on the counter.  

And the bag is expanding and now looks like it might explode.

By the way, I have a nike + link on this blog that doesn't work.  It doesn't pick up any new progress so it makes me look even less active than I am.  It's supposed to be linked to my ipod somehow.  

Crazy Kids

Evie mid-cough.

Our kiddos and moi have been sick for a looong time!

I have put off going to the doctor because I know they'll give us antibiotics, but I'm not sure I want to do that again ... Seems like we just did that at the end of last year.

We're definitely improving, though!

Steam showers and rest go a long way!

A passage from "Our Nearest Kinsman" by Roy Hession

The Story of Ruth:  Our Redemption in Christ

The magnanimity of Boaz to the poor gleaner, Ruth, is nothing to be compared to the vast grace of the Lord Jesus toward the one who is humble enough to confess himself a failed Christian and take the sinner's God to be his God.

Once we start taking that ground, we find ourselves the object of his special attention in a way that is not the case when we are protesting our sufficiency.  As we bow before him in our acknowledged failure and poverty, knowing that only Jesus can do the sinner any good, we find love, encouragement and help coming to us from every direction in a way that is quite extraordinary and quite undeserved.  Handfuls of precious promises are left on purpose all over the place, and as we stoop to gather them, we hear the words sounding again and again, "Do not reproach her, do not reproach her."

And we find that, though we are but poor gleaners, the field in which we are gleaning is indeed the field of grace; for Jesus is going things for us that we neither expected nor deserved, and they are but the promise of more to come."

part 1

part II

"This really is the truth and not poetic fancy.  The New Testament says, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved"  (John 3:17)

If he is not condemning the world, He is certainly not condemning the failed saint who is honest enough to take his place as such.  The records of God's dealings in the Old and New Testaments with sinners who have turned to Him--from Manasseh, the wickedest of kings, to the woman taken in adultery--all proclaim the fact that God delights in mercy.

If confused and overwhelmed by such grace we ask, as Ruth did, "Why have I found grace in Your eyes that You should take notice of me, seeing I am what I am?"  He will reply much as Boaz did to Ruth, "It has been fully reported to me all that you have done."

He will point back, not so much to our sins as showing what we have done, but rather to our sighs over our sins, to the beginnings of a new honesty about ourselves and to the feeble faith that dares to hope that surely "there is plentiful redemption in the blood that has been shed."

This is what attracts him to our aid.  Sometimes He comes to us and says:

(read on)

....

"I've come in answer to your prayer!"

" But I haven't prayed, Lord,"  we reply, "I've been too weak to pray."

"Did you sigh?"  He asks.

"Yes, Lord, I certainly sighed."

"Then that was your prayer,"  He says, "and I have come in answer to it."

~ p. 60-61 from "Our Nearest Kinsman" by Roy Hession

Simon spent a good part of one morning in our kitchen window sill, having a one way conversation with a treetrimmer on the neighbor's property.

"You're doing a great job!"

"What are you doing?"

"You're so strong!"

"Are you making firewood?"

"Why aren't you talking to me?"

Breakfast out on the front porch one morning.

I still don't know why we weren't on the private back porch.

Simon probably wanted to watch the cars.

hiiyah !!!!!

Too much camera action too early in the morning

Evie Spevie

Evie contemplates while wheeled contraption to use for leverage.

I was in IKEA some time ago and overheard a conversation between two employees who were arranging a new living area.  One employee was commenting on the decorations and other eclectic pieces they were using and was asking the other employee where they bought all this 'cool stuff.'  She commented that they had been shopping for the store displays earlier that day at a bunch of thrift stores ....

And that's the secret of the pros.

The other day Simon and I sounded out the word, "LET" which was on a magnet.  Once he sounded out "let" he guessed the rest of the magnet, "Let the little children come to me!"

It actually said, "Let us not become weary in doing good,"  but I was still impressed.

I remembered teaching him that story the week before, but when I further questioned him he gave me no credit.

****

Mommy:  Do you remember me teaching you "Let the little children come to me" last week?

Simon:  No

Mommy:  Well, how did you know it then?  That's a verse from the Bible.

Simon:  Jesus told me.

Mommy:  Really?  When?

Simon:  When I was sleeping, He told me, "Let the children come to me" and He was nice and good.

Let go, sweetie!  Let go!

Under all that silly string is our favorite italian - Tony.

*************

Later that night I had this conversation with Simon:

Simon:  I want a kid party with only kids.

Me:  Okay, we can have a Charlotte's Web party since you finished the book and we'll watch the movie and have popcorn.

Simon:  And none of your friends can come.

Me:  Okay, and I won't climb on any of your friends' heads.   It would be nice if you would do the same for us ;)

Evie, also known as R2D2 chilling in her space-ship.

Simon makes us all a spaceship and we report there every once in awhile.  Evie actually has two spaceships.  I dubbed her playpen in our closet as R2D2's Spaceship Number 2 so that she can get some sleep every now and then in her spaceship.

My (Princess Leia) spaceship is the couch which works well when when are on dock for an extended time.

Simon's (Luke Skywalker) spaceship is usually the big red chair.

Evie has been promoted to management.

I know, I know, I know that I need to do a Food Face Blog Post soon.

It's coming, and it's going to be yummy.

Our homebound kids have been coping fairly well.

We might risk being around people tomorrow night, unless they have a negative relapse tomorrow.

I debate almost every day on the doctor; maybe I will go and just make sure it's not strep.

I am very conflicted on that end.

It's seems like we just had strep, so ....

I put Evie's booster seat/chair combo next to the piano today and it kept them entertained for awhile.  I played in the middle of the keyboard.  Simon said that Evie was playing on the 'melody' end and that he had the 'strong' end.

Roasted Lamb and Veggies

Photo Shoots With Simon and Miscellaneous

Evie and Simon getting some pre-bedtime cuddles and giggles.

Explanation:  Simon has been begging to take pictures on the camera.

The other night at bedtime, I gave in and let him use the camera.

He was pleasantly careful with it.

He wanted to take turns taking pictures of each other.

He had interesting, er, poses.

I could only put a couple of the ones of me because from his angle (short) they were for the most part terribly unflattering.

We had lots of fun, and he really made me laugh!

Simon thought this pose (dead) was hilarious.

If you look at the corner of his lockers you can see part of a white extension cord.

He was disappointed in my lack of original poses, and he actually wanted me to pose with the electrical cord in one shot.

Doesn't everyone pose with a clothes-hanger?

Mom, you're so boring!

Grab the electrical cord.

That's fun.

Here was another middle of the night conversation with Simon when he came to our room.

*******

Simon:  Mom, do you have a question for me?

Me:  No

Simon:  I thought you did.

Me:  No.  Go back to bed.

Simon:  Do you have a hug for me?

Even Simon is out of creative poses.

Good Dad.

(playing "Bomb the Castle" with Simon)

Bad Dad

(Messing around on the ipod touch)

Actually I think Matt was changing the music that was playing in the living room.

 

Simon is serious about that shortcake batter.

Simon's grandma gave him this book for Christmas.

.

It covers the escapades of a rooster who finds his great-grandmother's (the Little Red Hen) cookbook.  It is titled, "The Joy of Cooking Alone" by L.R. Hen.

The rooster makes strawberry shortcake with the help of his less-than helpful friends

 (they kind of remind you of Amelia Bedelia.)

 

Simon  loves the book, and I promised him we would buy all of the ingredients to make it.

So, we did.

 (there's a recipe in the book)

At our house you will probably see these two things:

1)  Evie in some sort of sleeper pretty much all day (it's been cooold)

2)  Evie walking around the house with any sort of walker.  This walker makes the most sense, but she also uses our kitchen stools, a magazine rack, and Simon's carbox.  

At her 15 month well baby visit last week, the pediatrician told us that if she's not walking by the next visit (18 months) that we'll have to see a physical therapist.

I'm not worried about it; she'll be walking any day now.

See, another day, another pic.

Same walker.

Different sleeper.

Simon doesn't like to be cold and wet.

After his baths, he always wants to go into our room and get warm by our "fire."

He swaddles himself in towels and sits in front of our fake (yet warm) fire.

Evie is getting chattier everyday.

She is a great cuddle-bug and often crawls over to my feet and just looks up,

 wanting me to pick her up.  And, I do.  They're only this little once!

Evie's height has dropped to the 50th percentile, and her weight (18 lbs) is still in the 3rd percentile.  I thought she has been getting a little more pudgy and was expecting her weight percentile to jump; I was really surprised it was still in the 3rd percentile.  At this point, we'll never be out of the infant car seat, facing rear.

Simon doesn't look too enthralled here.

This is one of Evie's greatest expressions.

She is trying to make Simon laugh/smile.

Sometimes they both put blocks in their mouths and just laugh at each other hysterically.

It's really kind of gross, but it's some huge inside-joke between them now.

Simon took this photo of himself.

And Simon took this picture of the piano.

Disclaimer:  We had a Super Bowl Party that wasn't planned until the day before.

I'm putting the disclaimer on there because I told several people we were going somewhere that we didn't end up going.  We realized we probably wouldn't have ended up going anywhere b/c having the kids in another house means we would really be distracted watching them, and really wouldn't be getting any fellowship in.

And then this crazy persuasive guy named Sean approached us and told us to have one so they could come to it with their little ones (just kidding, sort of) and that's what we did.  It was really easy with all of our little kids and some other little kids because they mostly played outside and we could see them, but not really 'hear' them too much.  And most importantly, not worry about them so we could have fun!

And no one judged us for our lame tv. that is still surviving from Matt's college days.

I remember when Matt bought that tv at a wal-mart in Dayton, TN.

Yum-o.

Lunch on Saturday.

Thank you Kroger for avocados being 4/$1 last week!

My kids are eating them at almost every meal!

Simon and I were playing checkers in the kitchen on Friday while I was also making and assembling pizzas for lunch.

Simon spilled some grated cheese and had to do a little clean-up duty.

They both ended up getting shots at the doctor's later that day.

Simon is all ready for kindergarten now (as far as immunizations)!