365Project.2015 | Week 47

 So thankful for the grace God gives each day. This was a "long" week in many ways, especially with Chris being gone Wednesday through Friday for a work conference. However, the Lord gave much grace, and while yes, the kids and I most definitely had our "moments," overall things went very smoothly, and for that we are thankful!

We're also thankful that Abby and Peter have both gotten over their colds, and neither one turned into croup!!! This Mommy was praying hard that she wouldn't have to deal with croup while flying solo.

Day 319. Hannah and I unintentionally coordinated for church! :) Too fun not to take a picture. :)

And then Sunday afternoon we launched into our week's first adventure ...

We have very special guests coming over Thanksgiving week (Yay! Grandma and Grandpa!!), and our guest room will be used once again. However, the bed which currently fills that space is a bit low and not quite our style. We are so thankful for it ... the Lord provided it for a good price on Craigslist just shortly after we moved up here so that we could have a bed for our missionary friends, but it's not something we were inclined to keep forever. So, we started talking about it ...

And we decided that we'd sell it.

But, instead of buying a new bed for the guest room, we decided that we'd move our master bed down to the guest room, and begin looking for a new bed for us. And the Lord allowed all of that to happen very quickly.

 By Sunday evening, our master bed was in the guest room ...

And our new bed was put together in our room. :) So thankful that Grandpa was able to come over and help Daddy move things around! Moving furniture is not high on Mommy's list of favorite things to do. Especially. Queen. Mattresses. And by the Lord's grace, the original guest room bed sold less than 24-hours after posting it on Craigslist ... for just $20 less than we paid for it in the spring. :)

Day 320. Another major event for this week was the implementation of a new mealtime chore routine. I'm privileged to serve in the nursery each week with a wonderful friend who graciously fulfills the Biblical model of "older women teaching younger women." Her encouragement and gentle spirit of mentoring have truly been a blessing to me. In the course of conversation this Sunday, I shared some of my frustrations over the non-effectiveness of our current mealtime chore routine. We talked, and she shared some of what worked over the years when her children were younger, and between this and that, our new plan was born. 

We now have three distinct sets of mealtime chores: Meal Prep (includes setting the table, getting drinks, helping Mommy with whatever she needs help with before lunch or dinner); Clean-Up (includes clearing the table and wiping it down, loading rinsed/stacked dishes in the dishwasher, and helping Mommy until the kitchen is completely clean); Abby Duty (watching and playing with Abby both before and after the meal so that Mommy can cook/clean up).

We do this Monday through Saturday on a two-day rotation for each set of chores. Clean-Up person is completely off -duty before the meal and  Prep person is completely off-duty after the meal.

It's been a game changer, folks. It's. Working.  

No more squabbles over who gets to set silverware vs. pour drinks. No more children disappearing before the job is really done. Everybody's learning how to properly clean up a kitchen and load the dishwasher. Mommy can cook without the stress of wondering what mischief Abby has gotten herself into ... or trying to multi-task with a toddler. Nobody's bored with their job (and thus trying to get out of it), because they only have it for two days and then they get a new one. Mommy gets time to work one-on-one with each of the kids. It's great. So. Thankful.

Peter got very creative with his first round of "Abby Duty" ... a Duplo wagon! :) Abby. Loves. It. :)

Day 321. The kids have been learning about the various sections of the orchestra in their music classes at homeschool group this quarter, and this week we had a great opportunity to hear many of those instruments played! :) It was a very cool, interactive demonstration!

And here's our crazy crew ... all four of them can fit into a cupboard ... and they have a blast doing so!!!

Day 322. And then it was time for Daddy to pack ... Abby figured she could catch a ride in Daddy's carry-on ...  ;)

 We love you, Daddy! Come home soon ...

Hannah took a slightly different approach to "Abby Duty" ... it's never too early to learn how to color. ;)

Day 323. Matthew's reading abilities continue to explode! So. Thankful. (And if you happen to be wondering ... we have used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with three children now ... it has worked very well with two and not so much with one. But I don't think that was the book's fault.)

Day 324. We finished up our school work and took a field trip to our own backyard. :) The kids cut some logs for a project we're working on ...

 Toby supervised ...

 Hannah cut her very first log all by herself ...

 

 Abby took a nap ...

 Matthew had fun on the swing ... (I love this picture!!!)

 

 And Peter tried flying ... ;)

 After collecting what we needed for our project, we went on a hike. It made for a fun "last day of Daddy being gone" outing. :)

 Day 325. Three cheers for Daddy!! :)

 So glad to have him home again. :)

And this week, we have vacation from school and Grandma and Grandpa arrive from Michigan! Yay! Excitement is running high. :)

365Project.2015 | Week 46

The weeks march on ... rather, it seems they fly by! This week seemed very. full. Multiple late nights for Daddy, one of our last "button down for winter projects," and a special outing this weekend. Add those on top of the normal stuff of life ... you know ... the three meals a day, laundry for six, homeschooling three, chasing one toddler ... that stuff? It makes for full days. ;)

312. Hannah-bug played the piano at church for the first time today! #blessed ♥

313. We have a large shed in the backyard in which we desire to store our camper and some other items. However, the ground is very. mucky. So, we ordered some crush-a-run, and Chris and Peter spent the evening with the John Deere and a rake making a firm foundation ... 

 

 

 

By the time they finished, the shed floor was solid, with a thick layer of plastic between the dirt and about 6" of crush-a-run on the entire right side.

Mommy and Abby occasionally supervised. ;)

314. This crib has served a good, long life. :) Not only did our four kiddos enjoy its comforts, but Daddy and his brother did as well. Thanks for saving it, Grandma and Grandpa! :)

Hannah enjoyed a fun afternoon with her friend Alyssa from homeschool group. :)

315. Awww! Cuddles are the best. ♥

316. Mommy had ten minutes for a game of Chutes and Ladders. I made sure Matthew understood that and we set the timer before starting with the understanding that whoever was farthest when it beeped would be the winner. I needn't have worried. He won in five turns. Gotta love the big ladder! :) (And Mommy wonders why it can't happen that way every. time!!!)

 317. This little lady is on. the. move!! :) She's gaining speed, confidence, and stability every day, with crawling swiftly becoming an outdated mode of travel ...

 Oh, and did I mention we're climbing? For now it's just stairs and chairs and stools ...

318. We enjoyed an absolutely wonderful afternoon visiting with (Great) Grandma and Grandpa this Saturday! I am so thankful that my kiddos have the privilege of knowing and loving their great grandparents. ♥

Abby had fun exploring new buttons ... 

 Ooooh!! Grandpa ... it talks!! Can I do it again? ... And again? ... And again? :)

Matthew enjoyed playing with a new collection of vehicles ... (Peter had fun repairing one that had some loose wires ...)

 And Hannah and Grandma enjoyed sharing current knitting projects ...

 And learning new skills! ♥ #soblessed

Thankfully, this little one was able to sleep rather than cry for the trip home. ♥

 And, in other random tidbits, our faithful van hit 140k. :)

And that be our week. We launched our new one with new adventures ... but that'll be a tale for another day. :)

365Project.2015 | Weeks 44–45

Welcome back! We've enjoyed some beautiful fall weather these last few weeks ... what a blessing! :) We've definitely been able to ease into the NY weather thus far. We're more than happy to keep ignoring the fact that winter really will come. ;)

298. Sometimes it's just hard to go to sleep ... so we play with blocks instead. At 11:00 pm. ;)

299. Chris and the kids did some reorganizing of the Lego's, and Peter decided to use the fresh start to put his crane together once again. With a few modifications and enhancements ... ;)

 300. Oh, just enjoying a few pretzels ...

 301. And a late night snack ... shredded cheddar cheese! Mmmmm!

302. Between the rainbow and the sun touching the trees with a golden glow, it was a simply stunning morning!

 303. Daddy puts ear plugs in my ear if I'm around noisy tools ... so I decided to try it myself. :)

304. We all thoroughly enjoyed a church hayride and bonfire! :)

305. It's so hard to capture even an essence of it in a picture, but this particular afternoon we were SWARMED with black birds. All of the trees were covered in birds and when you stepped outside, it was louder than the cicadas on a southern summer evening. Abby was fascinated! :)

 306. These two love baking together! ♥

 307. So. Much. Sweetness. ♥

 I love her crinkly eyes!

308. And this little guy will. not. be. stopped. He's writing "stories" and sounding out words like crazy! Thrills this Mama's heart!!!

And this little lady's expressions just crack me up! :)

309. Daddy passed his CDL road test with flying colors!!! Go, Daddy!!!

And here's our crew! They sweetly obliged Mommy and stopped their play to come pose for a group picture. ♥

We also got to enjoy a bit of play time with our cousins! :)

 310. Date night!! ♥ Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!!

We found an official coffee shop in our new stomping grounds ... the one tucked inside Target wasn't really the atmosphere we were looking for. ;)

311. And ... when Mommy and Daddy get a few hours of uninterrupted conversation, they might just start  brainstorming. And getting ideas. And they might just decide that the storage room tucked behind their closet ...

Is quite a nice size.

 And they might decide to do a bit of rearranging.

 Or make that a lot of rearranging.

Because that space is just the right size for a little lady who could use her own sleeping area. :)

We had to purchase a "new" (to us) crib because our other one was simply too tall for this area, but we are all very excited for Abby to be able to have her own "bedroom." We shall see if the new arrangements help her to sleep a bit better ...

And that's life in these parts. :) Just two more weeks of school before a week off for Thanksgiving, and then Daddy launches into the December rush. It's gonna be a whirlwind ride to the end of the year! Thanks for joining us! :)