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Makenzie quip:

Mike and Ike candy---Make-n-ecks

Babies don't do daylight savings. You would think that after four children I'd remember this. It's not like they say, "Cool, an extra hour of sleep!" *YAWN* Where's my coffee??

Another Zoe caption!

This is her half-smile she dons when asked to "smile for the camera". To me it looks more like she's caught a whiff of unpleasantness. She really can smile with both sides of her mouth; I've just got to catch it!

New Makenzie Quips:

Halloween: "Hallowing"

Makenzie's end-of-soccer-season pizza party was this afternoon. We went to The Pizza Maker and she was so excited. She ran ahead of us and was the first to get to the door. The door was actually two doors wide and had elongated brass bars for opening. Makenzie said, "wow, these are really big door knogs".

After school today, we decided to take a walk. What a beautiful display of colors we found. It was a bit cooler than we expected; 59 degrees instead of the 70 posted on the local news website. I was glad Stevie prompted everyone to wear a sweater. Isaac took a little nap and Zoe calmed herself by holding her baby and sucking her thumb. Makenzie fell about 20 times, only to jump right up again :) (she's donning wheels on those tennis shoes). On the way back, Zoe got down to walk. I tried to get a picture because it was like watching the baby geese following their momma, but I just never seemed to be fast enough (more Makenzie falls).

Stevie is wearing a helmet because she has roller blades on. I asked her to push the stroller so that I could get a shot of all the kids while on our walk. She said that it wasn't as easy as it looked! For some reason, I believe her!!

Fall "Walk"

I tried to capture some colors for Kathy--I know she misses the Kansas autumn colors...

Stevie is always dancing, even on skates. Makenzie is always trying to catch up.

I've been trying to get a "good shot" of one of Zoe's crocodile tears. Lately, there have been plenty of opportunities (terrible-two, and all that), however I just can't seem to get a clear shot. In this one, you can see her tear. It was interesting to me, because when she looked up, the tear did not shine, but when she looked down, the tear became very clear.

BTW, Zoe stops crying when I try to get these shots!

Being two is hard.

And at times, oh so sad.

I love being a mom. My kids are my life right now and I wouldn't trade a moment with them for anything else in the world. I know they'll be grown and gone in a blink of an eye so I am treasuring every minute. In between all the loss of sleep, sacrifice, and headaches, there are hugs, kisses, smiles, and memories that bring such joy to my life. Besides the worries that no one warns you about before you have children, the most agonizing thing to deal with is watching them go through a difficult situation. It's so easy to just rescue them and tell them what to do. The really hard thing is to give them choices and then step back and watch. I pray that they make the right choices AND that they make it through those turbulent times unscathed. Knowing that going through adversity will make them stronger doesn't make it easier for me. It is during those moments that I begin to have the slightest understanding of the love that God has for us. How He must grieve over our poor choices and revel in our wise ones. As I write this, I'm also beginning to realize that these are times for my growth as well. It's truly amazing how all this is planned and orchestrated for our own good.

In order to properly tell this story, I have to admit something: I'm old (sorry, Jill). At least my body feels that way at the end of the day. Every night I hang out with the heating pad on various achy spots. Recently, it's been my right rib cage because I've bruised my ribs from coughing so much. When I've had enough, I just toss the pad down and drift off to la la land. The heating pad has a white cord and that's plugged in to a brown extension cord and it is pretty much a fixture. Now that revelation is out, I can get to the story:
At 2 am this morning, I was just drifting off to sleep. I heard Makenzie's voice and then Doug's voice. I didn't stir too much because I figured Doug had the situation at hand. Before I could roll over and tune them completely out, Makenzie called out to me, "THERE'S A SNAKE IN THE HOUSE. MOM, BE STILL, IT'S RIGHT BESIDE YOU." Now, I open my eyes and peer up and see Makenzie with Doug beside her. I asked Doug if she woke him up (duh) and then it dawned on me what was going on. After explaining to Makenzie that what she was seeing was just an electric cord, I coaxed her downstairs to snuggle up with me. She heartedly climbed in and was shaking from head to toe. I could hardly contain my giggles, even still this morning.
So don't worry about those things that go bump in the night...watch out for the electric cords *HISS*

OK, I don't have to imagine a thought bubble--look what I found in flickr toys! Hey, send me your "thoughts" for Zoe...

The Hidden Treasures field trip to the Overland Park Aboretum. God's glorious colors!

Stevie wanted to pick this little guy up but I wouldn't let her; we had just seen a baby copperhead and I didn't think it wise to be putting hands in their territory...

Stevie with Isaac, Caleb, Autumn, Makenzie, Hannah, and Zoe

What a great day we had!

Our Hidden Treasures!

I'm so happy! Stevie finally has a friend her age in our coop! This is Autumn and they had so much fun today. Praise the Lord for bringing them together.

Makenzie and Elisabeth "taking a nap". They had just spied a ladybug prior to this shot. Elisabeth is so tender-hearted about insects that she cried over a daddy-long-legs demise earlier. I only expected to see fall trees and maybe some hardy mums, but we did have our share of "wildlife" (and I'm not just talking about our energetic children!).

I dunno, but I think Zoe's hair style matches the background...When I took this shot, I just thought that her pink jacket would be a nice contrast to the fall colors.

I'm still happy with the outcome. :)

Although he developed a rash on his face after returning home, Isaac seemed to take the day at the Botanical Gardens all in stride.

The Alathea Academy field trip to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead.

The geese were a new addition to Deanna Rose Farmstead this year. Stevie almost got to touch this one.

These tractor trikes were a new addition this year. Makenzie and Zoe had to wait "forever" for a turn...looks like it was worth the wait!

Go, Makenzie, Go!

Zoe does not look thrilled in this shot--it could be because she had just set the pumpkin down after she'd realized that it was too heavy for her. I popped up with the camera and the command to "pick it up, honey, momma wants to take your picture". Can't you just see the conversation bubble over her head...

We were supposed to go to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead yesterday with our homeschool coop, but it was cold, too cold for me just getting over a respiratory virus and too cold for Isaac. We went by ourselves (well, there was five of us!) today. What a beautiful day it was too.
This is my favorite time of year! I love the weather (for the most part), I love the colors, and I love the way this season reminds me of renewal.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

...there's just something so sweet about a sleeping baby!

Today, in Bible class, Makenzie learned Psalm 139:14: "I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." I told her that verse was one of her grandma's favorites. She wrote it in her notebook and we worked at memorizing it. She wants to be able to recite it to her grandma.

Today we learned that Makenzie's grandma has breast cancer. We haven't learned the treatment course or any other prognosis yet.

What keeps coming to my mind is Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans that I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

Makenzie is spending the night with her grandma tonight; Grandpa is out of town so Makenzie is keeping Grandma company. We planned this before we got the news and we didn't tell Makenzie the news. We're not exactly sure how much she'll understand. I'm not sure how much I understand yet.

I can't quite describe all of the feelings spinning around in me. I don't know how to react or respond at the moment. I am comforted that Scripture came to mind immediately. The verse I thought of is one that is commonly quoted. After having looked it up to be sure of my quotation, I read the following verses: 12-13: "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

How comforting is that! That we have a Father in heaven who knows us, knows our innermost parts from conception; He wants only good things for us; and He will be there for us when we seek Him out.

I don't know what the future has in store for our family. However, I am confident that my Father in heaven will be there for whatever is awaiting us.

This is what happens when your husband and 1/2 of your kids go out for Monday Night Football. Mom gets to play!

OK, gotta stop this now and get some knitting in....

Too much time on my hands...

I'm having way too much fun!!

I made this with fd's Flickr Toys. There are so many fun things to do with your pictures. It's all free too. My kind of entertainment!

This picture looks like it really belongs on the cover of a magazine. We didn't take pictures like this of the other kids. I guess I figured you couldn't bring a camera in to the OR. Maybe we did bring it in but we waited until the baby was getting cleaned to take a picture. I do remember having to ask Doug more than once to take this picture while the doctor was holding Isaac up (he was very much caught up in the moment).

Azithromycin is an azalide, a subclass of macrolide antibiotics. Azithromycin (brand names Zithromax® in Italy; Zmax®; Sumamed®; Aztrin®) is one of the world's best-selling antibiotics, and is derived from erythromycin; however, it differs chemically from erythromycin in that a methyl-substituted nitrogen atom is incorporated into the lactone ring, thus making the lactone ring 15-membered. Azithromycin is used to treat certain bacterial infections, most often bacteria causing middle ear infections, tonsillitis, throat infections, laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and sinusitis. Recent studies have also shown it to be effective against late-onset asthma, but these findings are controversial and not widely accepted as of yet.

Oh, thank heaven for antibiotics!
I'm feeling much better now!

I'm still sick. Bleh.
I called my doctor's office this afternoon to talk with the nurse. I told her that I had new symptoms and that the old ones aren't getting any better. She asked me, "what do you want me to tell the doctor?" Uh, did I stutter?
Last night I went to pick up a prescription for Nasonex (the doctor had phoned it in). It was $74.00. Well, it's still sitting in Wal-greens. I called the health insurance company today because I just don't understand why the prednisone I got on the previous Friday was $10.00 and this is $74.00. Well, it all has to do with deductibles, co-pays, generic meds, and premium meds. I asked to be given a way to determine the cost of a prescription and was told, "there isn't any way, the computer just figures it based on percentages."
...at this rate, I'm not sure I'll ever get better...

Most of these posters on flickr have many pictures, I'm happy to have just the one!

We've all had one of 'those' nights and we've all had one of 'those' days...I had one of 'those' nights last night and one of 'those' days today--do they still make calgon?

Sleep was seldom experienced by me last night, not only because of the albuterol making me jittery, but also because Zoe coughing all night. After giving her cough medicine and rubbing her chest with Vicks, she finally settled down about 4:45 this morning. Of course, it was Isaac's turn to awaken me about 5:45 to be nursed.

I'm still trying to get better myself, so when I did finally get up, I decided I would take the day easy--not go to my circle group, but just stay in and get the girls' school done and then take the rest of the day off.

About 10 am our power went totally out. This really isn't a bad thing, as far as things are concerned, just inconvenient. The part about it that didn't set well with me was the fact that the power company knew when they were going to turn our power off (the transformer we're connected to sunk in a neighbor's back yard), but they didn't inform us. So, I had nothing in the house to eat that didn't need to be cooked and I wasn't looking forward to going anywhere with a sick two-year old and me still feeling icky. Not to mention the fact that my garage door needed electricity in order to open it to get my van out (I did learn how to override that). I finally settled on ordering Mr. Goodcents in; this was a good thing :) After school and lunch, I was faced with what to do for the rest of the afternoon. Zoe had fallen to sleep and Isaac was taking a really good nap. SO...I finished a board book scrapbook for Zoe. I guess I really have no room to complain. We did stay warm---I was able to convince Zoe to wear her dance leotard over her jammies. We finished school with little complaint and few interruptions and I worked on a project that I'd been neglecting for months. I'm still feeling like I need a night of sleep, but I got much accomplished. So a day without the computer and TV (and heat, lights, and cooking conveniences), turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. I'm tellin' ya, crafting has many therapeutic qualities.

compromise

Shh, don't wake the babies

Shh, don't wake the babies
Originally uploaded by meldenham.

I'm so excited! This picture made it to Explore on flickr. It hit on October 1, 2006. Cool, huh?

Today we had art class in our homeschool coop. We're so blessed to have a wonderful coop at church that, not only do all the homeschooling moms share teaching tasks, but so do some of the other moms whose kids are grown and/or not homeschooled. The teacher today was one of our pastor's wife. She is an art teacher and the kids got to do four different projects: molding clay, watercolor, tempura painting, and stamping with an apple and paint. All the projects were fall themed. The clay project was a turkey dish, I was very impressed with how they turned out. The teacher is going to take them to get fired in a kiln, hopefully they will all survive!

Miss Zoe proudly displays her apple stamping. Tammy was brave enough to assist my two-year old with paint, thanks girlfriend!

This is the project that I wanted to try. They traced leaves and then drew the veins in with a pencil. Then they traced over with a crayon and finally painted with watercolors. They learned about warm and cool colors on this project.

This is Stevie's, I think it turned out great. Suitable for hanging!

Makenzie's final rendition of an autumn tree, complete with falling leaves!

Stevie is detailing the feathers for her turkey bowl. I think this is going to make a great Thanksgiving Day centerpiece.

Makenzie, Emma, and Joy are painting fall trees. Not only did they enjoy being creative with paint, they learned how to mix primary colors to get secondary colors (and I didn't have to clean paint up at my house!)

Bubba got blogged! Here's the link to goobybaby.com:

http://www.goobybaby.com/?p=43#more-43

I've got a Yahoo 360 blog too, if you're interested: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-NqnCHZA8fqqlYGFPmZfAYrc-?cq=1
There's a bit of duplication, pictures, but the blog entries are different...
I've also got a Xanga site: http://www.xanga.com/madenham
I'm trying to keep the blog entries different, but you will see some of the same pictures.
I'm just not happy unless I've got four or five irons on the fire!

Another Makenzie Quip

She told her Sunday school teacher at church that I had a stroke!
I had an asthma attack...

It is a beautiful day outside. Not quite full-out Fall, but not quite Indian Summer either. Blue sky. Not too hot, not too cold. Fall is my favorite. I love the colors and crispness in the air. But this fall, at least right now, there is something in the air that has me whooping and hacking. So much so that I had an asthma attack and spent Friday night in the ER. YUCK! Now I'm on prednisone (just love the red, bloated face it has given me) and albuterol. More than likely a virus is the culprit--settled in my chest and then triggered my asthma. I haven't had an attack for two years and before that it had been five years. Let me tell you, not being able to breathe is pretty darn scary. On top of that, my brother was just recently hospitalized due to a severe asthma attack. He was on a ventilator for six weeks. I'm just a tad freaked out, to say the least. It is a blessing though to have three girls, their nurturing instinct kicks in at times and they become uncharacteristically helpful and attentive (albeit, short-lived, but I'll take what I can get). My husband has a "mom's don't get sick" attitude, so in less than an hour he'll be home with the two older kids and I'll have to round up some lunch. Ah, no rest for the weary...

Buddha's New Jacket

Buddha's New Jacket
Originally uploaded by jnhkrawczyk.

this is why I stay up until 11:30, 12, even as late as 2 am "flickring"

Where else am I gonna see this?

Harriet Potter and her doll brigade

Harriet Potter and her doll brigade
Originally uploaded by meldenham.

Zoe has the biggest, brownest eyes of any child I've ever known. She's also very laid back, so much so, that I call her my melancholy baby. These dolls are ever present; her "babies". This is my third child and the first one that has had an attachment toy. Sometimes she says and does things that are so cute--like walking into the kitchen with these glasses on. The corny smile she's donning is a new thing, I hope she outgrows it.

Ew-Icky spider in the garage

Ew-Icky spider in the garage
Originally uploaded by meldenham.

This WAS a spider I tried to kill several weeks ago. I just knew it was going to get me someday. I finally got him, er, her, well, anyway, it. But not until I got this shot (wish I had a macro lens and a camera to support it). Can you see the eyes glowing? Too creepy!