Busy, productive, or both?

The good news: we have a nice School routine going! The bad news: now the laundry is out of control, together with the chore chart (aka chores)! We keep busy around here and can just continually pray and hope that we are being fruitful and productive in our busy-ness.
One of the things I've been busy with is turning the posts in the 6+ years of blogs herein into books. I can only afford to make one every so often, but am trying to keep doing it because I'm considering moving my little cyber journal to a new address.
Not that I have anything against this little blog, but since joining the crowds of the "cooler" people and using my ipad exclusively for all things internet, blogger doesn't let me post pictures directly from the ipad onto the blog. So I'm "studying" other options. By other options I more accurately mean "Wordpress", since they actually have an "app" (or platform,or whatever it is that's needed to blog freely from the ipad).
So, if you still read me, please bear with me as I learn this new thing and figure out how to get back to blogging. Because, after going over all those posts and old pictures I was reminded afresh of the reasons why I began this blog anyway. I wanted to document our moments. I wanted to impress our story into some record that would make it permanent and "rememberable". Seeing the delight on my Adriana's face as I read to her the posts I wrote while I waited for her arrival, or the joy in Elena's face at hearing about her baby antics... It is totally worth it! Every word recorded, and hopefully also printed, is totally worth it! I'm blogging again!

"Don is a fat ram"

Wow, it has been over a month since I last posted! How does time get away from me so quickly? I suppose it is to be expected as we add things to our "to do" lists, and as the children grow. Again we are striving for disciplines around here, and just a month into having begun our fall/school routine we find... I find us trying to get back on track already. But here we are, learning to be a family, learning to be peop,e of good character, all of us together and simultaneously. We live in a workshop we call home. So many things I want to write, mostly so I don't forget, mostly because it is a way to perpetuate this day, this beautiful good day we're living...

** We don't have cable and although we haven't seen this show in several months, pretty much every single meal we play Iron Chef. All the girls are Chef Cora because she is the only girl. And we talk about the food we're eating.

ELENA is reading. Sentences like the title above or something like: "Pam's cat fits in a can" are proudly heard around here, usually between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. She loves Bronwyn, misses Abby terribly and is intent on introducing them some day. She actually practices what she'll say: "Abby this is Bronwyn! And they will be friends mom, I know". She just began ballet, so she twirls and dances all around the house, all.day.long.

ADRIANA has begun school and is writing her name. While Elena dances, Adriana sings. She probably sings much more than Elena dances, actually. And she randomly remembers songs that she's heard, as she proved the other day by out of the blue singing the song about the Three Bears we heard at Academy Night for CFA. But everything she does, she sings along as she does it. She is also doing ballet and is looking forward to going to CFA for the first time.

BENNY spends the morning scribbling on the stack of books I got him at the Dollar Tree and with each turn of the page exclaims "ok, Mommy, teach me! Teach me!". As voluntarily as he began to potty train he gave up on it, much to my disappointment, but I know that it is coming at some point down the road somI won't fret about it, at least not today. Whenever he goes to bed, for nap or bedtime, he'll lay there ask me to "pay him" (pray for him), lets me (or daddy) give him a kiss and then, every single time without fail he'll say "now I kizz your face" and proceeds to turn our face sideways and kiss our cheek. Where he came up with this, I have no idea but I can't help the cuteness of the whole thing! We moved him to a twin size bed, mostly to have the crib matress available for Giselle, but still... My little man is growing.

GISELLE is a force to be reckoned with, as pleasant as she is, she has a little dynamite temper in that little mass of chubbyness! She cries at the mention of the word "no" which bears witness to the fact that she understands it, so she can't fool me with her cuteness. She's a smart cookie! The only reason I think she is not walking is the massive thighs she has to figure out how to balance! And I keep her in her basket in my room "just for one more night" so she has already jumped out of it into the floor a couple times, but I just refuse to accept that she is growing so fast! The crib awaits to be set up in the girls' room.

And so, we do life in this little home, thankful for these seemingly long days that are just flying away. My thoughts get lost in the midst of 6 year-old's made up rhymes, 5 year-old's made up songs, 2 year-old's sticky fingers, and 9 month-old sometimes-slobbery-sometimes-bite-kisses, but I think that'sa good place to find one's self lost!

Nuevos Inicios (read previous post for English)

En apenas un par de semanas estaremos iniciando una nueva jornada más en esta pequeña casita. Oficialmente empezaremos la escuela. Elena cursará Primer Grado y Adriana empieza el Kinder. Benny y Giselle, ellos se vienen de corbata. Debo admitir que la idea de estructurar nuestro horario para que nuestra pequeña escuela en el hogar opere como es debido puede ser abrumadora, pero tampoco puedo negar la emoción de participar tan activamente en la formación académica de mis hijos. Me vuela la mente con ideas y visiones del potencial de aprendizaje y descubrimiento y luego me tengo que recordar que es solamente Primer grado y Kinder, que tengo que halarle las riendas a mis ambiciones académicas y concentrarme en las prioridades básicas... Del tipo de "que aprendan a leer y contar primero".
Con eso, la necesidad de estructurar nuestros días un poco más intencionalmente clamaba por atención. Hoy nos dedicamos a eso precisamente. No, no sabemos exactamente lo que tiene que pasar a cada media hora de nuestro día, pero sí sabemos cual es el esqueleto de nuestra rutina. La carnita se la añadirá la locura dinámica del día a día. Estamos en el proceso de diseñar posters con las tareas del día, planificación de menús y lecciones y aunque no quiero que los días largos y lentos del verano se terminen todavía, estoy muy entusiasmada por el principio de la próxima temporada.
Y si tan sólo mi fabuloso Ipad tolerara otro montón de cosas chileras,les pondría fotos, pero eso tendrá que esperar a que mi Ipad aprenda nuevos trucos o a que pueda secuestrar la compu de mi esposito.

New Beginnings

In just about two weeks, We will be starting yet another journey of sorts in this little house of ours. We will officially start school. Elena will start First Grade, Adriana will be in Kindergarten and Benny and Giselle, well... They will just tag along for the adventure. I must admit that the prospect of structuring our schedule for our little school to operate seems quite daunting, but I also can't deny the excitement of being such a hands-on participant of their academic formation. My mind flies away with ideas and visions of all the potential for learning snd discovery and then I have to remind myself that it is only First grade and Kindergarten and I must reign my academic ambitions and focus on the basics... As in "let them learn to read and count first" type of basics.
With that said, the need to structure our days a bit more intentionally, if you may, begged to be met. Today we did just that. No, we don't know exactly what will be happening every single half-hour of every day, but we do know what the skeleton of our routine should be looking like. The meat will be added by the crazyness spice of every day life. Chore charts, meal plans, lesson plans and the like are in the works and although I don't want the slow days of summer to be over, I am excited for the new season.
And if only my sweet Ipad would support a bunch of cooler stuff, I'd leave you with pics but alas, it'll have to wait until my Ipad learns a few more tricks or I can kidnap my hubby's computer!

She is Five!

Our Adriana has turned five, in the blink of an eye it seems!  We are so very blessed by her presence in our lives, she is such a gift to our little family.

Nuestra Adriana acaba de cumplir cinco años.  ¡El tiempo parece haber pasado en un abrir y cerrar de ojos!  Su presencia en nuestras vidas es de tanta bendición y ella es un regalo de Dios para nuestra pequeña familia.

 She loves being a big sister.  We always assumed that Elena and Adriana would be the very best of friends, but the more Giselle grows, the more attracted Adriana seems to be to her!  It is so precious to see her be the big sister to a little sister.  We underestimated this role in her life but she is thoroughly enjoying the change from being the little sister to the big one and embraces all it requires of her by very willingly attempting to teach Giselle everything she can about life!
Le encanta ser la hermana grande.  Siempre asumimos que Elena y Adriana serían las mejores amigas, pero entre más crece Giselle, más vemos a Adriana gravitar hacia ella.  Es tan bello verla ser hermana mayor para Giselle.  Este es un rol en su vida que habíamos subestimado pero que ella ha acogido con mucha diligencia y siempre está presta a enseñarle a Giselle todo lo que puede de la vida.

 Our very helpful girl seems to be always willing to take on tasks that are way bigger than her.  When her little heart is set out to accomplish something, not one dare stand in her way!
Nuestra pequeña ayudante siempre parece estar dispuesta a asignarse tareas que son mucho más grandes que ella.  ¡Cuando su corazoncito se fija en un logro, nadie se atreva a atravesársele!

The strength of her character can sometimes be baffling, and I can only pray for the wisdom to bank on it and let it be profitable for the destiny God has before her.  It is such a gift to see her grow in her determination, in her strength and in beauty.  She is the best little 5 year old anyone could ever wish for and we are so blessed to call her our own!
La fuerza de su carácter a veces nos confunde y sólo puedo pedirle a Dios la sabiduría de ayudarle a convertirla en una herramienta de beneficio para el destino que Dios ha dispuesto frente a ella.  Ser testigos de su crecimiento en determinación, fuerza y belleza es algo que no tiene precio.  ¡Adriana es la mejor niñita de 5 años que cualquiera podría desear y nos bendice saber que es nuestra!

Happiest birthday my sweet Adriana!
¡Mi dulce Adriana, te deseamos el más feliz de los cumpleaños!

This is our home

Finally!  It has been a long time since I've been able to upload pics, let alone post them, but here we are.  We are finally home and we welcome you to it!  Now I would like to think that it is looking much better these days than these pics, but still.

Moving in!

It's the little details that make a house home.

The living room is looking emptier these days as all these boxes have been scattered
and distributed throughout the house.  Like a white canvas it
waits for the inspiration that will dress it to welcome our visitors.

This little staircase announces the steps that climb it every moment of the day.
There is such beauty in the creaking of the wood that celebrates the life
that is being made here.  I love that!

This is operations central.  Our dining room and kitchen are small but oh-so-efficient!  

The dining room portion.

The first space that got organized...

looking from the dining room into the living room, where I can see to the
front door and welcome the happy faces that visit us.

Laundry room and back door... when our feet are muddy, we come through the back door,
straight to the wash our clothes go!

These are about a month old, but hopefully I'll be able to update you again soon!

Almost a month (Picture Overload)

It is almost a month since I last wrote, and it seems to happen that way so often.  Before I know it life happens and a whole month goes by.  This time, between sickness and computer failures, well... you know how it goes.  There are deep thoughts in my heart that I don´t even have the time to post here, but they are recorded in my journal, for sure.   Daddy is away and we´re sick.  As it goes when you´re alone, we have broken things, we haven´t slept well.  Tempers fly, repentance ensues, and forgiveness follows.

When the house is quiet and everyone is asleep I am even more aware of his absence.  Temptation creeps in to resent, to be mad, to be sorry for myself... he is there, where we were all supposed to have been!  It is so not fair!, but then I remember that this life, after all, is not about me.  It is ALL about HIM.  His kingdom, His work, His love, His life.  Ben is away but we are both doing kingdom work, we are both being loved in the same perfect way and we both have life abundant because of a day like yesterday and, better yet, because of a day like tomorrow.  Today we wait... we wait like they did.  Except a couple thousand years ago they may not have really known what they were waiting for.  WE DO!  And if in light of that I couldn´t possible sit and feel sorry for myself.  I won´t deny it has been hard.  It may not get easier tonight and the days following... or it may.  But I have so much more to be thankful for!

So this is what is going on with us:

This face continues to be the most adorable baby face around here!

My chunk of white meat and gummy smiles!   She loves to be entertained, and smiles at anyone that will talk to her.

 Laying down is not her favorite thing, and is fighting gravity and her own body to try and stay up.  It is the cutest thing!

Chubby hands that attach themselves these days to anything that comes their way.  My favorite:  when she reaches for my face, or when those little fingers purposely curl around mine!

 Needless to say how much she is loved around here.

Our four year old has proudly (and finally) been willing to learned how to make her bed!

 And her brother thinks posing with your bed is the thing to do!

We find ways to be distracted... let me present to you "our swing"

 wind could not deter the adventurous spirit!

 I just love their going ons!

 We color on boxes...

 and we watch for Spring

and while we´re sick and daddy is away:

We play with our dinner:

 We make corporate efforts to make comforting foods, one mixes the dry stuff

 another mixes the topping

 and some of us are just plain cute

 Dinner art

 Comfort foods:  Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake!

This is long, this is very long.

There are days in motherhood, like today, when I really feel like throwing in the towel.  Don't worry, I won't (at least not yet).  But seriously, I'll give you a glimpse:  I wasn't feeling too well to begin with when I woke up,

::  at 11:30 a.m. and after about three meltdowns in the previous 15 minutes, I decide Benny should really go for a nap.  I wish I could just lay next to him...

::  Adriana needs juice, her cup drips, she cries.  I wipe the sippy cup, give it back.  It drips again, she cries again, I take it again, open it, wipe the rim, give it back.  It drips again, she is in full meltdown, her cup always drips, I take it again... but "what if it drips again!"  She cries more, I wrap a washcloth around it and give it back.  But, "What if it never stops dripping?"  I am terribly tempted to answer back with the same drama, but restrain.  Did I mention I wasn't feeling well?

::  Then we ate lunch, took a trip to the store, and on the way home decided to do cereal for dinner.  The baby cries, I take her to the bed and nurse her, she doesn't fall asleep so I go back down for my dinner, left over black bean soup.  Still not feeling better. 

::  Adriana spills her bowl of cereal, her new flip flops are now sticky... another melt down.  I wash them in the sink, show her.  But, "Now they're wet!"  I dry them thoroughly with a towel, give them back, refill the bowl.

::  Elena teases Adriana about taking one of her Cocoa Puffs.  Adriana moves her bowl out of Elena's reach.  Second bowl of cereal on the floor.  Quick!  Save the flip flops!  We clean, make corresponding apologies.  Everybody is happy.

::  Benny DUMPS his bowl of cereal... he just wanted to clean like Adriana did with Mama.  I should have just cooked dinner!  This drama is more exhausting than cooking dinner!  We clean and, oh relief, it will be bedtime soon.  I am not feeling well, remember?

::  Big kids are in bed, Giselle starts crying.  She doesn't want to nurse, she doesn't want anything.  I walk.  I rock.  She cries.  Benny calls, girls are playing, I settle them, Giselle screams.  Girls get up, I go in to settle them, Giselle screams, Benny is awake.  Benny is sleeping, Giselle is screaming, Adriana needs to use the bathroom.

::  Three hours later, I sit here.  There is a deafening silence and peaceful slumber has overtaken my rambunctious bunch.  I feel numb.  My nose is stuffy, I didn't want to get sick again.  I never did finish doing the laundry.  But...  but when I am getting ready for the pity party I remember all that I have been learning about Gratitude.  Rewind a few hours, and there, intertwined with the messy, the tiring, and the ugly, was beauty.  And if I dwell too much in how difficult it was, I'll miss it.  I will miss the fullness of life:
::  Benny asked me to "seep" with him during nap and wrapped his little arms around my neck.
::  Elena and Adriana were thrilled to find a sink their size in the store's bathroom and they looked so precious washing and drying their hands proudly without needing my help.

::  Benny jumped on every puddle from the store to the car, and as I saw the joy in his little face I made sure he didn't miss any!

::  Elena very maturely recognized the mistakes she made today and confessed them before we had any chance to approach her about them.

::  Ben recorded some of their games by letting them tell their own story and made them a movie.

::  They were so thrilled to see and wear their flip flops today, they made us wear ours, "It will be fun Mom/Dad!  Like a flip flop family!"

::  Adriana made herself be brave enough to wear her flip flops again after the sticky incident (she REALLY doesn't like sticky!).

::  Giselle shows her excitement with her whole body!  Her arms flail in excitement and she looks almost spastic with joy the minute any of us talks to her and shows her toys.

::  Ben helped the children pick up their bedroom before going to bed (and what a beautiful job they did!), and put them all to bed before leaving for his basketball game.

This day was full of hard, not-fun-at-all moments, but there was so much more to it, so much to grow, so much to learn.  So no, I am not going to throw in the towel!  I am going to revel in the fullness and the beauty of today, and trust me, I am not trying to convince myself here.  Truly, my heart is glad for this day.  Besides, I don't think I could find the towel anyway (unfinished laundry, remember?).

Not Forgotten

This little cyber world of mine has not been forgotten... just a little delayed.  So much in the mind, so much to do and fulfill has left me with no time to pour out thoughts here.  When I'm done wiping runny noses I hope to be back with some fresh inspiration and stories to tell.  In the meantime, I leave you with what I'm thinking about these days: 

I am thinking of Him.  The One that came like a lamb to rescue me...

Discovery

Well, I can´t take the credit for it.  It is not my discovery, but it is a fun one anyway.  On Wednesday night, we put the older kids to bed and as they drifted into peaceful slumber, we slipped on our shoes, bundled baby up and took a little excursion to a stranger´s house.  She is the friend of a friend, and though I know very little about her story, I know that we share more than just the one friend in common.  She married an "American" and left her homeland behind.  This we share with the friend that brought us together as well, so we met in her house.  We don't share a country of origin, but we share the same language.  Four of us gathered in her little living room and made acquaintances while we waited.  Two from Mexico, two from Guatemala.  We sat in her beautiful living room reflection of her life, a marriage of two cultures.  

About 20 minutes into our wait someone said:  "here he is", and on cue the four of us grabbed coats and shoes and stepped out into the cold of the night to greet our new friend of sorts:  Don Margarito.

Don Margarito has a box truck that he drives around the state.  He carries his truck full of Central American and Mexican products and delivers around the farms where such nationals work.  He caters mostly to working men, so most of his product is canned and some trinket snacks of the school recess type.  But more than the material content of his truck, his deliveries are of the emotional kind.  Who would have thought that so much of home could be felt in a conglomerate of boxes inside a truck?  Because there, in the midst of those boxes of cans, bags of chips, jars of salsa, and all that stuff, for a little bit of time I was a child in the little store around the corner of my parent´s house, and I was a girl in the little kitchen of the janitor of our school buying snacks at recess, and I was walking the central market as my mom bought the produce for the week...

After our brief encounter, I walked away with the most expensive chips I have ever desired to buy, a bag of "tostadas", two avocados, and a bag of coffee bread.  Just a little taste of home.  

 

 

And just as I have done too many times to count at my parents house, Thursday afternoon, right around 3:00 I sat down with a cup of coffee and traveled back in time...  all thanks to a friend, her friend and Don Margarito.

Child´s play

I am so happy that we are becoming weaned of the TV and more play is happening all around the house:

 

Maple Syrup

Until I came to this area, I had never tried maple syrup.  I used to believe that maple syrup was that thick, dark stuff sold in the "log cabin" bottle and I never really liked it.  Like peanut butter, maple syrup is one of the things that became a part of my life only 8 years ago.  My pancakes were enjoyed with honey, my lunch sandwiches were made with re-fried black beans.  So I absolutely fell in love with the "real thing" once I tried it, and I am so sold!  Never have my pancakes seen honey again!

So you will understand my excitement when I realized that I actually know people who own a sugar bush (ahem, is that what you call it?) and that I could get to see how this is done.  By the way, I have to say one of my favorite things of my school days was doing field trips... do you know how thrilled I am that I get to choose and be a part of my children's field trips?  Granted, so far I am usually the most excited:  "Girls, guess what?  We will go see how maple syrup is made?"

Adriana:  "What?  Maple syrup?  What's that?"

Me:  "The stuff we put in our pancakes!"

Adriana: "Ohhh"

Elena:  "Will there be wasps or bees?"

Me:  "No, maple syrup comes from trees!"

Elena:  "Are we going to be there a long time?"

Me:  "Well, I don't know, but they also have a barn with baby lambs."

Both:  "I want to hold a baby lamb!  Can we touch them?  Can we feed them?"

Yeah, so I hope I plan a few trips in there with stuff they enjoy, such as the baby lambs more often!  At any rate, here a few pics:

It begins here... in these beautiful woods.

They gather the sap from the tree as the weather warms up and the trees start "waking up" for the Spring.

As the sap flows from the roots to the branches to awaken the tree, it gets collected in these buckets.

It boils at insane temperatures!

And voilá!

Need I say more?