My 32nd birthday

This year my birthday felt like a real party!!  My grandma Rowena, Rachel, and my dad came over to help celebrate!  Dave grilled up Famous Dave's BBQ ribs, and also cooked carrots on the grill for me.  I love grilled carrots.  Rachel brought a delicious pasta/veggie salad and my grandma brought a delicious lemon/coconut cake. 

Rachel and Violet decorated the whole house with twisted crepe paper even though we chose to eat our meal on the deck. 

The kids shopped for gifts with my mom and Rachel a few days ago and chose an owl necklace, a white watch with pink hearts, and some flower earrings.  Rachel also got me a pair of denim capris, mom got me a pretty top, and my grandma gave me some money.

I felt very celebrated and loved spending time with my family.  It was really cool to have my grandma and sister in Iowa and just come on over with only a few minutes of driving.

my dad got me 32 peas from his garden, haaa!!

Violet wanted her hair curled like mine. :D

Vanessa fell asleep that afternoon on Mama Row's lap

Eli's 1 yr well child doctor check

Eli had his 1 yr check up along with Vanessa's 3 yr check.  It is convenient to get them in the same visit since they are exactly 2 yrs apart. 

He stayed in the stroller most of the time, except during his exam.  He weighs 23 lbs 11 oz, and is 31" tall.  Head 19 cm.

Vanessa's presence during the visit kept most of my attention, since she is everywhere.  Eli seemed to be a great little guy as always, happy almost everywhere.  I fed him snacks during the visit as well.  Doctor said he is very healthy, no ear infections, and has no concerns. 

Eli getting weighed in

Vanessa's 3 yr well child doctor checkup

I took Eli and Vanessa to their 1 and 3 yr doctor checkups, respectively.  I'll write about them separately since that's how I organize the blog.
I asked Mama Row if she would be willing to watch Violet and Calvin while I took Vanessa and Eli to the doctor.  She said she'd love to, so I dropped them off at her place at 9 am and went to the doc with my younger two.

Vanessa was SO EXCITED to be the oldest kid in the group this time.  She got the privileges she normally has to fight for, which are pushing buttons to open doors, pushing the buttons on the elevator, and playing alone with the toys in the waiting room.  She loves the play house, loves the concave mirror on the wall, and looked out the 4th floor windows and noted how many cars were outside.  She also wanted to take pictures with my camera, and took a picture of her feet, the ceiling, one of Eli, and wanted a picture of her in the playhouse. 

She got weighed and measured, and is 31 lbs and 38" tall.  She finally made it out of the 20 pound weight range.  She got to change into a little doctor's exam robe and called it her superman cape.  The nurse told me she would attempt a vision screening if she was cooperative, and she passed it with flying colors.  The nurse was impressed that she stood in one place and would obey the commands to cover each one of her eyes and tell the nurse what she saw on the chart from a distance.  A train, a duck, a lion, and a house. 

She was very shy when the doctor did the exam. Dr. VanSickle asked her lots of questions (What's your name? are you a boy or a girl? what is your favorite thing to eat? do you brush your teeth?) and Vanessa would quietly nod at each question, not giving specifics.

looking for the number 4

Vanessa's photography

"her superman cape"

 

more of Vanessa's photography

she even got me in a pic

Violet asking questions about salvation

Just got the kids to bed.  I am copying/pasting an email (with a few edits) I sent to Dave because I have been sitting here on the computer long enough and my eyes are getting super tired.  To preface this, I'll explain that Violet has been sincerely asking questions about salvation lately.  When putting the kids to bed on Sunday night,  Dave talked about salvation and how to be sure we are saved.  Violet whispered in Dave's ear "I want to talk to you about this later tonight." So after the 3 younger kids were sleeping, Dave brought her downstairs and went through some verses in Romans.  She read the verses herself from her Bible.  She "got" a lot of it, and understood that she is a sinner, and that Jesus took the punishment for her sin when he died on the cross.  She had a hard time and got squeamish when she pictured nails going through his hands.  I totally remember feeling that way as a kid.  Can't quite imagine that pain.  So after that discussion, she prayed and asked God sincerely to help her understand.

Fast forward two days to tonight.

I was chatting with Violet about VBS (Violet and Calvin went to Heartland Vineyard's VBS program tonight from 6:30-8:30), called Camp Vineyard) after getting the boys in bed.  I asked her to tell me about it and she said, "ya know, the lesson tonight was about God, and how he is the shepherd and we are his sheep, and if we get in trouble, he is like the shepherd and takes care of us and helps us somehow and he is always with us"
Then later she said, "I think God answered daddy's prayer last night when he prayed that I would understand."  I asked her if she was talking about her questions about being saved.  She said yes.  I pulled out the paper from my pocket that was given to us when leaving VBS tonight and it had John 3:16 on it with some suggested motions to help remember the verse.  She rattled it off as we know she's already memorized that verse. 
A little story popped into my mind of something my own mom told me when I was younger.  She was relating a story of when SHE was a child and remembers being saved.  My mom told me that when she was a little girl, one night she seemed confused about God and how to be saved when the verse John 3:16 came to her mind.  When she got to the part in the verse that says "that whoever believes in Him" she thought, "hey, I believe, anybody can believe, and I definitely believe." So that moment, she realized that she was saved. 
Violet got a shocked expression on her face and said, "it's that simple!  I just have to believe it! And I do believe it!"  
I said, "Yeah! these are all things you know, and you've learned since you were so little, and now that you believe that Jesus took care of your sin so you didn't have to, then you can know for sure that you are saved."  She seemed pretty happy.  And then was intermingling some goofy tricks with a pink blanket on the floor (she must be easily distracted)...and went a little limp because she was soooo tired from the whole day, I asked her to climb in bed.  She got in bed and I told her, "Ya know, when you get saved, angels are having a big party in heaven when someone decides to put their trust in Jesus to be saved." and she said "I bet they are sooo happy because one more kid is saved now!" (referring to her!)
She said, "I knew that! I knew angels had a party in heaven when someone gets saved, because one time, Frederick, you know, the one with all the brothers and sisters (I'm thinking Steinbron), he came to our Sunday School class and told everybody he had gotten saved, and the Sunday School teacher said about the angels having a party in heaven because they are so happy a child got saved."

I also asked her somewhere in the middle of that conversation ... "How good do you have to be to get to heaven?" and her response was, "NONE good."  
 
She also told me she is going to try be super super super nice to Calvin from now on.  So I mentioned that she now has the power in her with the Holy Spirit to make right choices.

So if you think of Violet, pray for her growth in Christ now as she begins her personal relationship with Jesus!

ETA: This morning she got on the phone with Dave (he is in CA this week) and she excitedly said to him, "Daddy, guess what? I got saved last night!" and she went on to explain the discussion we had at the night before.   He was rejoicing with her on the phone. 

Eli stood up himself with out holding onto something

Two nights ago after the older 3 kids were in bed, Eli was still awake, and really enjoying all the attention he was getting from mom, dad, and Aunt Rachel.  He was smiling a lot, smacking things in his little arm-bouncing way, and got some kind of brave streak in him to start standing up and walking.

He began by standing up against something, I don't remember, a wall or a table.  He took a few steps, then plopped down on his bottom.  Then he put his two hands on the floor, got his feet under himself, and stood up.  Just like that, his first time standing up alone.  He seemed pretty proud of himself.  He took a few steps, then fell down.  He kept standing up, walking, falling, standing up, walking, falling, etc...and repeated this until he seemed tired.  It was the first time he seemed interested in learning of his own interest.  He seemed so determined.  It was mixed in with lots of laughing and "uh-ohs". :)



ETA (6-25-13): Eli now will stand up and walk across the room (wobbly and toddling) with no help.  The kids still exclaim and rejoice when he does this, so its still "new".  He even crawled bravely and confidently through the grass in the backyard, walking a few steps in the grass too.

Violet's poems about our family

Violet got some alone time (about an hour) while Mama Row had Calvin at her place watching some cement trucks pour cement by some houses being built by her new place.  Violet went upstairs and wrote two poems about Vanessa and Eli, and they are so cute, I had to write about it.

She titled Vanessa's poem like this:

"The Vanessa Poum"

Vanessa is a cerlyq (curly Q) so cerly as I code (could) think,
she is so adorabil and I no (know) that she recks things that we make!


"The Eli Poum"

Eli is so chuby as chuby as can be.
He is so chuby wubby like a gumy bear
he luks as if I code (could) eat him.
I wode (would) eat him becaus He is soo cute!

 
*editing because she finished poems for the whole family...adding the others below:

"The Mommy Powum"

Mommy is my mom, and I feill like she sas yes to evrything! 
ha let me tell you a secret she is my mom!


"The Daddy Powum"

Daddy is a gufe ball, and he is a pikle man to. 
He talks about PIKLE'S eeeevvvvrrrryyy DAY.

"The Calvin Powm"

Calvin is the collist man I have evre seen.  becaus evry day he wars (wears)
coll (cool) stuf!  
ha let me tell you sothing (something) Calvin is my 
brother!!!!!!!!

  
 

Superman morning

This is how the morning started - all of them had their favorite blankets pinned to make capes.  They insisted on eating their scrambled eggs/toast for breakfast wearing them, and spent a few hours today playing different roles.  I tried taking a pic of all 4 of them and it didn't go so well.  Oh well.

Eli's 1st Birthday

It seems like birthday party central around here this week!  I barely got Vanessa's birthday party stuff put away when I had to get out Eli's birthday things.  I planned a lasagna/garlic bread dinner, Mama Row brought a strawberry spinach salad and a chocolate cake.  I made a new recipe for lasagna and it was delicious.  Eli really liked it too.

Most of today felt like a normal day.  Eli got lots of hugs and kisses today.  Violet and Calvin are enamored with Eli.  They both love delighting in the silly things he does.  He copied us today and said "uh oh!"  He also unknowingly pushed the green trike down the stairs.  That little trike has taken a beating and held up amazingly well.  When he heard the thundering clunks of the trike heading down to the basement, he said, "uh oh!"

He loves walking around holding onto things and with people, just not on his own.  He tried taking one step alone outside in the grass on Sunday but immediately sat down.

Tonight's party for Eli turning one was really fun.  Mama Row came over to help us celebrate at 6:00pm.  The kids always get all giddy and crazy when she comes over, they talk at once super fast and can't wait to show her whatever...this and that thing.  Vanessa especially likes her.  She read some books to the kids while I finished getting food on the table and then we sat down to eat.  Eli had lots of bites of garlic bread, lasagna, and when it came time to eat the cake, we stripped him down to a diaper and let him have a piece of chocolate cake.  Dave put one bite in his mouth to let him taste it, then he grabbed a huge chunk of cake with his hands and dug in.  He only ate a few bites then threw everything on the ground.  He loved the vanilla ice cream that went with it.  The cake Mama Row made was yummy but she wasn't excited about how it was presented.  The cake broke when coming out of the pans when she made it so it was patched together with chocolate frosting as best she could.  She insisted that a picture not be taken of the whole cake because she said it looked wonky. :)  Violet tried being sneaky and grabbing the camera but Row wouldn't let her, haaaa...that was a funny scene.  She sliced up the cake on plates with ice cream and everybody got one candle on their piece.

After chocolate-crumb clean up, Eli opened his presents, with my and Violet's help.  He got a contribution to his college fund, a helium "happy birthday" balloon, a stuffed monkey (from Aunt Rachel), some Thomas the Train PJs from Grandma Martha, and a cup of Ritz cheese crackers from Violet.

Mama Row invited Violet to spend the night at her place tomorrow night.  Then went home with a piece of lasagna for lunch tomorrow and all her dishes.  Dave cleaned up the kitchen and we both worked to get kids in bed.  

The things I want to remember about Eli when he turned 1:

1. He likes to playfully slap/pat.  I pat his back a lot when holding him so I think he reciprocates.  Just a light slap, slap, slap on my arm, back, or chest.  I think its adorable....with his chubby little baby-like hand.  He seems to do it mindlessly and smiles a lot when doing it.

2. I nursed him three times today.  He still seems to enjoy it and calms down to nurse for a few minutes every day.  I do not know how long I'll keep it up but he has taken really well to a lot of food and milk already so he's doing well in the eating department.

3.  He is a speed crawler, and seems to mischievously head for the stairs.  Tonight after the older 3 kids were in bed, he was still awake.  I was checking email on my phone and I put him down.  He crawled to the dining room, looked back at me, smiled, and made a beeline for the stairs.  I chased him playfully and he giggled as I picked him up like he knew what he was doing.

4.  He loves being thrown up in the air and caught on the way down.  He gets a huge smile on his face and cackles his little grunty laugh.

5.  He absolutely loves baths.  He is a water baby and splashes up a storm.  The other night (can't remember when, but I was busy putting the older 3 in bed) he climbed into the dry tub by himself and got stuck there not able to get out.

6. He babbles "MMm!" and "dadadada" most the day. 

7.  And he still likes to snuggle.  If he's tired he will lay his head right on my chest and start humming "mmm...mmm" with his paci in his mouth.  He still loves that paci and his muslin blankets to sleep with.

8.  The hair on your head is fuzzy blonde, mostly straight, except for the hair that is longest near the back of his neck.  Its wildly curly!

Mama Row made him a card with his picture on the front, I think he recognized it because he smiled and got excited when he saw it.

he loved the stuffed monkey!

Calvin noticed how similar it looked to another smaller version we already had...actually...now I remember Grandma Jo gave Eli that littler monkey before he was born!!

Me and the crew!

Dave and his crew!

Mama Row knows how to party!

of course the birthday boy stayed up late, and was the last to go to bed.