How to waste a day...

...in three easy steps.

Get the idea that your computer will be better suited to you in a different place (you don't have a laptop).

Move the computer (and all the peripherals).

Decide that that idea was not a good one.

I'm so frustrated. I just want to feel like I fit someplace.

Almost a week past...

Since my last post....

We've had our birthday mini-golf trip with Anna, we had regular kinship, we had a special BBQ/kinship on Friday night and Danny and Linda arrived from Long Island.

Over the weekend (with Danny and Linda) we went to Shaw's Lobster Pound for real Maine lobster (I had steak) and went to an aquarium in Boothbay Harbor (can't recommend it... cool exhibit but not worth the price of admission). Celebrated our 11th anniversary on Saturday evening by going to the local blues bar sans kids (thank you Carrie for the babysitting gift).

In the middle of the night, Marc got really sick, so on Sunday with four hours notice I led the whole church service and preached! Danny and Linda hung out most of the afternoon, then we had to say good-bye to them.

Today we've gone to Home Depot and bought a new range (ours have ceased to work the way they are supposed to), moved my computer from the basement to our main living floor (out of the dungeon) and Marc is now mowing while I am trying to make this computer corner not dominate the dining/kitchen area and look nice and feel comfortable.

Another Sofie story

Yesterday, when we were outside, Sofia watched a bird fly and land in the neighbors yard. Upon successful landing, Sofie threw her hands in the air and started clapping.

Sofia, what do you have?!

Sofia is getting bolder and bolder about being on the grass or dirt. A couple days ago even she would curl her feet up as high as she could just to avoid touching the grass. Today she was crawling around like she'd been at it forever.

We were making our way around to the front of the house. She stopped to admire something green that was taller than her in a 'flower' bed, so I scooted ahead to throw something away. When I returned (maybe 15 seconds later), Sofia had something in her hand.

"Sofia, what do you have?" Big Grin! Small toss. Picked it up again. Mom moves closer. It's a worm! A big, long worm. And Sofia would pick it up, hold it long enough for it to squirm and then give it a little toss. Then pick it up again. By the time we got the camera she was done with her game of worm-toss, but she was convinced to hold it one more time.

PS. The dirt around her mouth has nothing to do with the garden or the worm, she had just eaten a chocolate cupcake.

A Heart Balloon!

I bought a bag of balloons for Anna's birthday. It was just a bag that was hung in one of those random spots near the icecream (an impulse purchase product placement). When we got the bag home and opened them, there were mostly normal balloons, round, a couple different shapes. Then Caleb got quite excited about a balloon he had pulled out. Then I heard Marc saying, "Caleb, I've been around balloons for over thirty years..." When I looked to see what they were all jazzed about, this is what I found they had. There were five or six in the bag. Cool, huh?

A technology fast... or was it a Sabbath

I don't know what compelled me to do it. But yesterday morning I found myself thinking about how Marc will change his voicemail at work or church when he is going to be unavailable for a chunk of time. Then I wondered about doing it myself. So I did it. I turned my phone to "Silent" and changed my voicemail recording to say that I was away from my phone from yesterday morning until this afternoon. Also, as part of the discipline, I did not turn on my computer until just a few minutes ago.

I think I strongly recommend this discipline for everyone. The kids and I had a lovely day with just us...

Picture Day

Anna turns 4 on Sunday, so today we went to get pictures done. Here they are! Three Beautiful Kids!

I'm not so sure about the frog....What a happy girl!
I love this picture!
Sisters, Sisters, There were never two devoted sisters....
The birthday girl herself...
imagine... 4 years old.

Done First Grade

Caleb and I finished first grade this morning. WOW! In this past week, as part of his finishing up, he learned to tie his shoes (I told him I would keep him in first grade until he could tie them), memorized Colossians 3:12-14, and memorized a poem about how umbrellas were invented. We finished reading our stories, doing our spelling, graphing in math, and he and dad finished the first half of the study of world history (the rest of world history comes in second grade).

I think we're all kind of looking forward to the break, but I will miss it too. I love the curriculum and I love watching him learn and grow and push through points of frustration.

We haven't done much to celebrate. It's been a rainy and stressy mommy week. Hopefully we'll paint his room in June as a kind of celebratory gift. When we asked him how he would like to celebrate, he said "m&m's". That's my boy.

Marc and I started Tango lessons last night. This is the sixth session of ballroom dance lessons that we have taken: rumba, salsa, triple-time swing, waltz/swing, waltz, and now tango. We're certainly not headed for any competitions, but we're having a great time dancing. We have the most amazing teacher, Jody, who drives up from Portland to teach on Sunday nights, and her tireless assistant Eva.

I have to recommend to anyone who can make the space to dance together on a regular basis, do it! We laugh, and smile, and play... things that now we are parent's of three with a church plant, day-job, and homeschool, and on and on and on, we often forget to do.

Caleb read his first chapter book this week. We went to the library, and he picked out this book. He said to me, Mom, I want to read a book like you do sometimes... start it one afternoon and finish it the next day.

He did it! He was so proud of himself... and we were, too!

We just spent the weekend with the other Maine Vineyard pastors on a retreat. We each got a gift basket, and one of the things in our basket was this book: nice girls don't change the world, by Lynne Hybels.

Thank You Lynne Hybels for writing your story.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone, but especially the mommy and christian servant type someones.

A well timed word, a well timed book. Let's get 'done watching' and start 'doing'. May God grant the grace.