WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

It’s been awhile, but with good reason as we spent the past week at the beach on our family summer vacation. The kids had a blast! They ALL loved the sand and the ocean….. which if we are talking odds, they were stacked against us for the chances of this happening. Needless to say MacGyver and I were quite pleased and it made for a “relaxed” and entertaining time for all of us. In fact, each day we asked the kids what they wanted to do that day and they always said, “Go to the beach, then the pier, then back to the beach and back to the pool”! The boys were up early each morning, (around 5:30am!) and our tent was typically up at the beach by 7:30. We took a break to come in for lunch, lounging and a nap to refresh the kiddos and then it was out again until the sun went down! They also enjoyed the indoor pool- it was small enough to manage all 4 closely and shallow enough for them all have fun. One afternoon it rained a good deal and we ended up just hanging out at the pool. It was a perfect hideaway for the “rainy day”. I was happy we had gone with an indoor pool.

We also played putt putt, ate ice cream, visited a traditional family favorite restaurant which had a boat dock attached, visited the pier and saw a real live baby shark, walked on the beach at night with headlights, chased crabs at the inlet, watched lightning over the ocean, tumbled around under the pier, saw a baby man-o-war on the shore, took pictures for our Christmas cards, bought shark tooth necklaces (which Bottle Rocket still claims has real shark blood ingrained on it!), had breakfast and hung out on the beach the first day with friends, and made a ton of memories that will last forever.

We took a TON of pictures and I would love to show them all, but it would take too much space. So for now, here are a few highlights in the next post.

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

Big news from this week...........Sparkler used the potty!!

AMORE

All of our children are affectionate. Some more than others, no doubt. But at any given time, it is not too hard to twist an arm for a big hug or seat on your lap. As parents, we work to foster the importance of family and loving each other. You can often hear MacGyver telling the boys when they fight with each other...."no matter what, at the end of the day and for the rest of your life, you will have each other.....friends will come and go.....but your siblings will remain....so watch each others back and learn to get along". Ahhh, very true!

There is not often a day that goes by when MacGyver and I voice out loud or ponder to ourselves about the blessings of our children. Sometimes we still can't believe that we have 4 children. Having one child is a miracle in itself. Having four is beyond imagination some days. We feel so humbled and fortunate that God has entrusted us with these beautiful gifts. It is a gift that could never be repaid. My sister gave me a sign a few years back that says "No matter how many kids a mom has, she loves each of them the most!" This is very, very true. Our maker designed us with a capacity to love that is undescribable. When pregnant with Fire Cracker and Sparkler, I often wondered how I could spread out my love to 3/4 children. How would it be equal? Does your heart ever reach a 'maximum capacity'? But it became evident pretty quick that there is room in my heart...plenty of room....to love each child....equally......wholly.......unconditionally.........and fully! I cannot tell you how, it just happens. I do know that it is not mere coincidence!

Each day as I watch our kids, I see a similar love among them and it makes my heart swell. I can see how much they truly care for each other. They hug on each other, pick each other up, snuggle in bed together to read books and often give each other encouragement and help (of course as I type this, Smoke Bomb and Bottle Rocket are screaming at each other over hotwheels!). One day a neighbor said she saw Bottle Rocket run over to Sparkler when she fell. He just immediately reacted- before we even got to her. I believe it is the little things like this that make for a fine person down the road. The world needs more love these days. Families need more love these days. Kids need more love these days. You often hear people say parents must be doing a good job if their kids are acting good. I say that great kids make a parent good!

FIRSTS

Being the mom of 3 boys and 1 girl (who happens to be the youngest), it is not neccesary to tell you that I am all new to this girl 'stuff'. I am not a tomboy, but I am not high maintenance either- somewhere in the middle I guess. For 6 years, I have reared boys and it has been amazing! Little boys are so special and loving. My mom was right when she said little boys love their mamas! I love to play baseball, football and legos with them. I am even warming up to snakes and bugs and worms! My heart swells to see MacGyver and the boys hanging out and learning life lessons together. I don't even get offended (ok......maybe sometimes!) when it boys only time! So when Sparkler came along, it was a whole new ball game for all of us! I had to almost retrain my thinking to girlie things. Of course when she was smaller, we could still get away with having all boy toys and a playroom full of balls and blocks. But as she has grown, so has her personality and it is all girl! She loves to play baby dolls, carry her purses and wear bows. It has been fun to watch and really quite exciting to see her become interested in these things.


Today, I bought a jewelry box for her.... her first one! It is not real fancy....I mean she is only one but it had a lock with keychain and keys. And of course, I had to buy her some costume jewelry to go in it. When we got home, I showed her the box which she took from my hands immediately. Then she ran off to a little corner to explore her new toy in peace. She turned to me a moment later and smiled a smile I have yet to see.........opened the box........ put on all the jewelry...........took off all the jewelry............put it back in the box..........and then did it all over again! As for the lock latch, she figured out in a matter of minutes! She continued to play with the box and jewelry for at least 30 minutes before dinner. I had to literally drag her away at that point to eat. Once she had finished, she pointed to her jewelry box from the highchair and said, "me, me". After that, she played for another 45 minutes! Each time she opened the box, she would hum or click her tongue in excitement. It is amazing that kids are born with such innate abilities.

I remember and still have my first jewelry box. It is quite humbling to sit before your own child and watch them experience the same things you did as a child. It is incredible to look at your child and see yourself. You can almost watch them see, smell, taste and feel some of the same things you did when you were little. All I can say is that we serve an amazing God!

IT'S A BOY THING

Some days I feel like I am in a whirlwind (well....really I feel like that everyday as the mom of 4 kids!). I have been so used to boys for years and now Sparkler has begun to enjoy girlie things like jewelry, tutus and baby dolls. Constantly throughout the day I find myself shifting between the two and love every minute of it. Partly due to the age of our kids and partly due to the gender of our kids, MacGyver and I often split up to do different activities with the kids. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with the boys and we play a ton together but Dad always makes things more fun!

The other day MacGyver took Smokebomb and Bottle Rocket to the river in our neighborhood to build a tire swing. Yep, a tire swing! They took a teenage neighbor and all had a blast! When they got back home, they were COVERED in mud. Did I say covered? I meant SMOTHERED in mud. White shirts were brown. Mud was all clumped on their clothes. Their shoes were all soaked through and through. Exposed legs and arms were painted with blotches of dirt. The scent of freshly acquired mud enveloped the house. I had just finished several loads of laundry when they came back home. I saw this scene and wanted to cry...........But then each boy (including MacGyver!) was grinning ear to ear! I could not help but smile myself and laugh at the fun they must have had! It was an "ah-ha" moment for mom. I honestly felt God gently nudge me on the shoulder and say, "This is only the beginning! Relax and be joyful....that they are your children, that they have such a wonderful and loving dad, and that they love being boys!.

NEW READERS CRACK ME UP!!!

I am so glad that we get to experience the "new reader" period 3 more times! Bottle Rocket has consistently cracked us up over the last 2 years. It is exciting to see kids begin to understand what they see around them- things they had no clue existed prior to that moment! A great example is last summer when Bottle Rocket began reading the July 4th Fireworks on the Pier signs when we were at the beach. He read the signs to us so many times, it persuaded us to stay one additional day to watch the show!! Today he cracked us up again when he asked us (while we were on the highway!)......."Dad, where is Mary Land? Hehehehehehehehehe!!!!!! Oh that was a good laugh......kids always keep you on your toes!

FINALLY (FINISHED WITH CAMP!) FRIDAY!!

Whew! Today was the last day of summer camp for us! MacGyver and I teach a total of 5 academic camps at a local University and have done so for the last 8 years. It is a lot of fun, a lot of work and a great way to introduce young students to careers in the healthcare field. It is not the average camp with games and playing all day. In these campus camps, students learn a great deal of info about the camp subject, meet with college admissions officers, spend the week overnight in a dorm, explore the campus and visit various college departments throughout the week. And that is just in the evenings! Throughout the day in our camp we take field trips to local health facilities, visit the nursing and kinesiology departments on campus, tour student health services & "play" with all their cool medical equipment and have one-on-one interviews with healthcare professionals such as medical doctors, anesthesiologists, registered nurses, physical therapist and radiology technicians. We also learn CPR, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, how to take blood pressure and how to assess a patient. The students also particiapte in a number of group activities to promote teamwork and communication skills. The TRU team (you might have seen some of their commercials on TV) visits us for health education as well. It is so much fun to work with the students and they all leave a lasting impression on me. They are typically interactive, eager to learn and well mannered. That being said, I am happy to have another year behind us, but I will also miss interacting with these fantastic students who often teach me just as much as they learn!

Here are a few shots I found on the camera this week. They are not all exactly recent, but close enough! Camp wore me out each week, more so than the kids ever do!!

DO FACTS MATTER IF THEY LISTENED AT LEAST?

Over the weekend, we visited my parents. During the visit, Macgyver decided that one of the cedar trees in their natural area needed to be cut down. It was a great idea...a way to help out and the two older boys had a blast! They helped cut the tree into 8 foot pieces once their dad had it chopped down (so cool to watch!). It was neat to see MacGyver and the boys out there working together. Man are they going to be a lot of help down the road! A big advantage of large families! I am also so grateful to have a husband that thrives on constantly teaching his kids and presenting them with new opportunities and experiences.

So we got home that evening and MacGyver shares a sweet story with me. While chopping wood with the boys, Bottle Rocket excitedly exclaims, "Hey! I am just like Abraham Lincoln!". His Grandfather and Macgyver were thinking "what?", but went along and listened as Bottle Rocket continued talking. He said, "I am cutting down the tree just like Honest Abe did!" He was so enthusiastic that it crushed his grandfather and dad to inform him he had the story mixed up! They took time to explain to him that who he was likely referring to was George Washington and he did in fact cut down a tree....just not a cedar tree! I give him points for at least knowing the names and stories (somewhat) around these figures. Pretty good for a 7 year old!

SATURDAY SACK OUT!!

We are not anti-television, but we really make efforts to limit the amount of TV our kids watch. We would prefer they play, read or go outside for some fresh air, etc.
So when they do watch TV, this is what happens!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

Here it is.... the few pictures we have this week for Finally Friday!!