a birthday girl

Happy Birthday Ingrid.

You have been an awesome two year old.

I know you'll make three sweet too.

here's hoping

I was hurriedly serving supper when I glanced over at Emeth to see him absolutely decimating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "WHO GAVE HIM A SANDWICH?!" I demand. "Ingrid, did you give him your sandwich?" Poor Ingrid tearfully answers "No, you did."

I have no recollection of this, but I don't doubt it. There was nothing to do but pry the sodden remains out of Emeth's fingers (he was going to town) and give Ingrid another sandwich.

Here's hoping it won't give him a peanut allergy.

amen *bum-bum*

I have to tell you, Ingrid is the cutest, sweetest, most sincere little sayer of bedtime prayers I have ever witnessed. Every night I listen to her and my stomach goes all in knots because she's so adorable.
Lately (for reasons unknown to me) she has been finishing off her prayers with a hurried, "...in Jesus name, amen*bum-bum*" She thinks it's hilarious. I can tell she gets a little rushed towards the end because she just can't wait to tack that *bum-bum* (kind of like a tuba accompaniment to her prayer) on the end. Then she looks up at me with her silly grin and wrinkled little nose and says "I said amen-bum-bum" then delighted giggles and hugging herself. Tonight I said to her "Ingrid, you are so silly!" She giggled and answered, "Yeah, Jesus thinks I'm so silly!" She seemed really pleased by that idea.
I wish I could go wake her up and squeeze her again right now. :)

Full Circle

It always tugs at my heart a little when I have to pack away clothes that the girls have outgrown, but especially if it is something I have seen often on all three of them. It is such a tangible reminder that they are growing so fast. I love my children at every age, more than ever, but I still miss the stages that have already passed.

So many pleasant memories are associated in my mind with this little dress. Theia received it as a birthday present from Uncle Pat and Aunt Nadya on her second birthday.

It has been a favorite with all three girls.

(Theia on our Spring Lake babymoon, shortly after Ingrid's birth)

(Eliza by the open window in January 2009, the first morning of our new life in Florida)

(Ingrid opening presents on her second birthday)

Ingrid wore it for the last time a few days ago. I started to put it on a hanger, then suddenly recalled how short it had been on her, and how the snaps had gaped apart because it was tight around her chest when I had put it on her. You can't blame me for shedding a few tears when I took it off the hanger and instead folded it up to send along to my niece. I look forward to seeing it on Rebecca next. It's one of those dresses that makes sweet little girls even sweeter.

Her sweetness defies description

 Oh sweet Ingrid. I wish I could convey how adorable she is just with words, or just with images, but I couldn't do her justice. That voice, that chatter, that goofy grin, those innocently vain compliments she pays herself - all day long, those outrageous compliments she pays others, her trick of setting herself up for a joke and then laughing at herself hilariously! The way she runs on her tiptoes. You'd just have to be here and spend a day with her to see. I love this age, and I love this girl.

Sung to the tune of...

Waking up knowing that Jesus has saved us

Swingsets set up while we sleep to surprise us



Playing outside just before we get dressed

These are a few of the things we like best!

__________________________

Girls in pink dresses with white grosgrain hairties

Egg hunts at house church before the rain drenches

Boys in white pants paired with argyle vests

These are a few of the things I like best!

Some people's daddies...

Some people's daddies



are so much

FUN!

A byproduct of allergies

It seems like every year around this time I have to do a post about allergies. I really can't help it, because it occupies an inordinately large percentile of my attention during these accursed weeks.

The girls, I must say, have been touchingly compassionate about their mother's condition. The other day I had a fit of sneezing about 12 sneezes long. Theia was in the same room with me at the time, and she inserted a "bless you" between each and every sneeze, without looking up from her coloring book, or changing tone a single time. Today Ingrid very sincerely blessed me after a sneeze, and when I sneezed again immediately, exclaimed "Bless you again, Mommy!" After I recovered I said to her, "You are so cute, Ingrid!" She beamed with delight, and ran over to me and presented her cheek to be kissed. Sometimes I just can't stand how cute they are!

Merely a matter of mathematics

+

+

=

{potty trained}

Congratulations Ingrid. You are such a big girl.

cell phone images alert

Usually I would not soil my blog with grainy cell phone photos, but if I'm crazy enough about the subjects, I can look past the photo quality once in a while.
Exhibit A
I was lucky enough to have not just one, but two handsome dates last night; our first date since the night Emeth was born (although I don't think dates that happen while in active labor should really count). They were both extremely well-behaved throughout the evening. We ate at Outback Steakhouse, and the hostess asked if we needed a children's menu. Um, no, he'll just have what I'm having (later). After supper we went shopping and I bought a pair of skinny jeans - my first pair. I am very behind the times. Suffice it to say, at 6 weeks post-partum they do not make me feel skinny.
Exhibit B

Ingrid, pretending to be (in her words) "a dead mermaid". I mean, obviously - as if that even needed an explanation, right?

four

How do the girls feel about their new baby brother?

Tender,

Proud,

and excited.

These pictures are over two weeks old. Sorry they are so late in coming. Emeth is just over 3 weeks now, and he's definitely looking plumper, older, and clearer than he did when these were taken.

Life is BUSY. But that's partly because we got home with barely enough time to scrape Christmas preparations together for our family. Its definitely been a happy busy. Once December is over, I guess we'll find out what life with four is really like.

Halloween 2010 - The Farmer's Daughters

This year the girls dressed up as farmer's daughters for Halloween.

I don't think we'll be winning any contests, like we did last year, but I shore do think they made the cutest little bunch of freckle-faced rednecks I ever did see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being a farm girl is such hard work

There are crops

to be gathered

fields to be mowed

fences to be climbed

the farmhouse to tend

trees to be pruned

and, of course,

our down-home,

sweet and wholesome,

corn-cakes and apple pie,

aw shucks good looks

to be maintained.

I'm gonna wait till the midnight sunset hour