Loving the Little Years

Started reading a book this week titled: Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches.
She has some good encouragement for mothers with young children. Something I found challenging was to think of childrearing as a pastoral pursuit.

" Christian childrearing is a pastoral pursuit, not an organizational challenge. The more children you have, the more you need to be pastorally minded. Look to each of their souls and their needs. If you are focused on upkeep of the house and the schedule, as long as your child is not interrupting that, you don't worry about it. If you are being a parent who is pastorally minded, you will stop whatever it is that you are doing to go see how your daughter is up in her bedroom. Has she been quiet lately? Was that a faint door-slam you heard in the distance? Find out about that. Did one of your kids seem a touch off as they went outside to sit in a tree? Don't let that go. Be a pastor to your children. Study them. Seek them out. Sacrifice the thing you were doing to work through minor emotional issues.

While your children are little, cultivate an attitude of sacrifice. Sacrifice your peace for their fun, your clean kitchen floor for their help cracking eggs, your quiet moment for their long retelling of a dream that a friend of theirs allegedly had. Prioritize your children far and away above the other work you need to get done. They are the only part of your work that really matters."

Much easier said then done...especially for this type-A mom. I like piles put away, clean floors, being on time, etc. It is a struggle for me to stop what I'm doing to listen to a long made-up story when I have fifteen things still to accomplish. Great reminder for me to slow down and enjoy just being with my "littles"!

Future gamer? Don't think I can handle two of them!

Roller skating. Hmmm...don't know what the costume is.

September beginnings

We were thrilled to hear of Sadie Jo's arrival on Saturday. She is Adam and Anna's first and is an absolute beauty! Emma and I visited her on Saturday afternoon and then the four of us stopped on Sunday. She has so much hair and is just a little doll. Emma is so excited about her first girl cousin and talks about her constantly. She is already so loved and we can't wait to watch her grow!

Emma started her first week of preschool this week and absolutely loves it. She always wants to do more than what is planned for the day. Seems like she will follow after her parents and be fond of books and studying. Ethan still teases me about loving school and being a nerd. I have to admit that I do love it and it's been fun putting together Emma's preschool lessons. She will do one letter every week so we started with the letter "A."

We had a little bonfire in our backyard on Labor Day. The kids enjoyed roasting marshmallows and Noah kept sneaking closer to the fire which made me very nervous. Ethan and I finished painting our deck and I also was able to paint a nightstand for upstairs. It felt great to get some things crossed of the to-do list and also just to relax together at home!



Sadie Jo Crim




The new family




Aunt Konni and Emma admiring her new cousin.



Sweet little Sadie

Noah with his marshmallow

Emma shows us how it's done.

Enjoying s'mores

Seconds

First day of preschool



Let's hope the eagerness continues




Noah wants to "help"



So long summer

August has come and gone already!

After Idaho, I went to Orlando on business for a week. This was the first time I'd traveled since before Noah was born. Ethan had both kids by himself for a few days and it was a challenge. He called just to let me know that he had no personal time for three days and had decided he never wanted to be a single parent. I told him I'd been lacking personal time for the past four years =) It was a good experience for all of us. Ethan has been a big help since I've returned, I missed my family and was excited to come home, and the kiddos had fun with G&G and daddy.

Some other events in August were:

• Anna's baby shower
• Good-bye party for Kyle and Lindsey
• Family day
• Church picnic at Willowbrook
• Isaac's birthday party
• Another trip to the zoo
• An Iowa Cubs game

We are ready for life to slow down and have some cleaning and projects to work on. I'm planning to start Emma's preschool next week and will attempt to start a new routine for my days at home. Summer was great fun but we're excited for fall!

Uncle Austin at Family Day

Spectators

Janis takes Bret on

Noah the cheerleader

Sweet little Khloe

Uncle Andrew is funny



Isaac turns 4





 The birthday guests



Noah loved his balloon

Cupcakes are so yummy

Post-cupcake Eva

The pinata was a big hit

The loot



Noah found Eli's stash



A trip to the zoo with Lydia



Feeding the goats was their favorite part





Emma loved the goats





Noah met a girl at the Cubs game



Daddy's Craigslist find

The secret door

Noah has to do everything big sis does