snowy days

Freezing rain and drizzle started to fall Monday afternoon here in the Ozarks followed by three inches of snow on Tuesday. We knew the storm was coming so we went out Monday and stocked up on milk, eggs, dogfood...everything except DIAPERS. Yes, use your imagination.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we bundled up the kids and Bear took them out for sledding. They were all THRILLED. And I was also thrilled as I video-taped their fun from inside the warm house. I have an innate aversion to freezing, but my North Dakota husband absolutely loves being out in the snow and had a blast sliding with our trio.

Today was a quieter day. Bear wrote a newsletter which should go out in the next week (let me know if you'd like to receive one) and the kids and I had a half-day of homeschool. Keona is memorizing the countries in Africa at her Kindergarten. I'm always awed listening to her rattle off 53 countries from A-Z. Jonathan finished his Arithmetic 5 book so we've started 6th grade math a bit ahead of our schedule. He is so gifted in math, science, and art.

Jonathan and Keona are both taking piano lessons and doing great--though they can't seem to unstick their foot from the sustain pedal. And we set up a small desk in our "school room" for baby Louie. He loves saying the pledge with us and sitting at his desk! He normally gets paper from the closet and colors or sits in the "red reading bowl" with a book upsidedown pretending to read.

Overall, life is good.

Short sentence.

Treasured reality.

prayer smiles

At night when I put baby Louie to bed, we first sit on the floor together and read the "bye-boo" (Bible) and then I lean over with my face on the carpet and pray for him before tucking him him. Louie loves these times and has taken to crawling on my back while I'm praying and pretending I'm a horsey. It was fabulous last night to know that God heard my prayers and my son's giggles simultaneously.

In the morning, our newest family tradition is to sing a hymn together at the piano. Then we read from the Children's one-year Bible, ask the kids if they'd like us to be praying about anything, and then Daddy prays for each one of us while he places his hand on our heads.

Yesterday, 5-year-old Keona wanted to pray. Just as Daddy did, she went to Daddy, me, and Jonathan laying her hand on each of our heads and praying. Next, she placed her hand on her own head and asked God to give her a "pink and purple wig" for her birthday.

Then Keona placed her hand on Louie who thought Keona was playing tag! So Louie took off running, but Keona was undeterred. Around the kitchen they went while Louie giggled and Keona prayed with her hand on top of the moving target of Louie's head until a breathless Keona shouted, "AMEN!"

Lousiana and crawfish!

What a beautiful day! Today we concluded the retreat on Choices here in New Iberia. Wonderful, fun, attentive souls.

Then tonight Paul and Lynn took us to eat at Gator Cove. I experienced BOILED CRAWFISH! Incredible. Amy brought me something to wear (evidently my suede jacket wasn't the appropriate attire).

Paul and Amy coached me on holding the head and twisting off the tail. I learned to stir up this fabulous dip of hot sauce and "garlic power"...I'm certain there will be crawfish in heaven.

And then we topped it off with the chef's own crème brûlée pineapple...I actually thought about licking the plate.

But even above the delicious food, I have so enjoyed Louisiana hospitality. I feel adopted. Thank you to all my new friends.

our little man

Precious Louie turned two after Christmas and his personality continues to captivate us all. He loves order and is always putting things away (thank you God). He is gentle with peers and able to throw his weight around with older siblings...and he notices everything.

The other day Bear was talking to me while I was putting some clothes away. He was leaning back on the bed with his hands under his head when Louie came in, looked at daddy, and then left for a few moments only to return with wipies in hand. "Thanks, buddy," I said, assuming he was helping me pick up.

Louie watched me for a minute and then left the room again. This time he returned with a diaper. He offered it to me and when I looked puzzled he gently patted daddy on the rump with the diaper! Dad was in his diaper-changing spot so he wanted to help.

Louie helps everyone in the house. He brings Jonathan his slippers when it's cold. He brings mommy blankets, sissy toys, daddy tools. By nature, he seems to notice when someone is in need and his heart longs to help. I have much to learn from my kids.

Daddy's treasures

Around noon today, Bear loaded up the car to go on a two-night prayer retreat. He had his guitar, warm clothes, favorite books, good food, and after giving us all kisses he started up the car only to hear that rrr-rrr-rrr-click-click of a dead battery.

It took him a while to get a new battery in while we all checked on him from time to time from within the WARM house.

A few miles down the road, Bear called and said, "I have a memory that I will always treasure. When the car finally started to run I looked up and there, in three different windows, were three precious faces: Louie looking out through his bedroom, Keona looking out through the other bedroom, and Jonathan looking out through the homeschool room downstairs. They didn't know the others were also watching me but all three pressed their faces into the window, made silly faces, and blew kisses at me as I drove off. I wish I had a video camera."

Then dear Keona tonight took out a small, torn, piece of paper from her sock. "I'll keep this forever and ever," she said with teary eyes. Bear had written her note before leaving. It said: "I love you my precious little princess."

As she started drifting off, Keona checked her sock to make sure her note from daddy was secure, then said, "I'm never going to take these socks off, never."

A daddy's love is a powerful force indeed.

on New Year's Day

Bear and I were upstairs the morning of January 1st talking about some of the new traditions (curious pairing of words) we are hoping to implement in 2009 when we heard Jonathan and Keona singing the "Happy Birthday" song LOUDLY downstairs.

We both paused wondering whose birthday it was when the kids got to the last line: "Happy Birthday dear God's earth, Happy Birthday to you!" Jonathan later shared that his gift for God's earth on its birthday was to go outside and pick up any liter he saw. Our precious son.

And in the midst of it all I realized that in 43 years, I had never--on any New Year's Day--thought of the earth aging another year. How I love seeing life afresh through the eyes of my kids!

streamers on birthdays

One of our birthday traditions is to tape streamers all across the birthday girl or boy's room so that when they wake up they have to "burst through" to their new year amidst cheers and round of "Happy Birthday."

Louie's birthday was December 28th and the night before Bear and I were talking about whether or not he might be too young to "streamer" his doorway. "Would he know what to do?" I asked. Bear thought we should find out. So in the morning, Bear went into Louie's room to change his diaper while Jonathan, Keona, and I taped streamers across his door.

Louie's face lit up like the sun! With a running start he burst through the door giggling his fabulous laugh. And then what happened next was a revealing picture of how wonderfully different each of our three children are.

When Jonathan bursts through the streamers on his birthdays, he leaves the streamers dangling in the breeze.

When Keona bursts through the streamers on her birthdays, she excitedly twirls all the streamers into a ball and declares with tears that she will keep her birthday streamers for the rest of her life.

When Louie burst through the door this year, he first relished all the singing, and then quietly picked up each streamer, crunched them into small balls...and put them into the trash can!