feeling like a challenge?

So we have been discussing "30 days of nothing" with our kids for a couple of weeks. Owlhaven (an adoptive mother we have followed for almost two years) has the details here. We are planning on participating at some level, but are still discussing the details.
One thing I like about this particular challenge is that it forces our family to really struggle with some of our basic values. We have chosen to live as simply and meaningfully as we can & challenged ourselves to not gain our value or joy from our stuff (or lack of). But why? Are we trying to live on less simply because we think we have less than those around us? Are we choosing often to identify with those around the world who truly have less than us? Are we answering God's call to reach out to those in our own area that do not have their needs met? How would God have us respond to the needs of the world? Discussing these topics with our big kids has been good already & we are excited to see what we learn together.
If you are interested in joining us, let us know! Or just follow along as we document some of our choices & struggles here during the month of September.

thinking about today...

Reading this article at Family Life's website, I felt the sting of conviction from God. How many times do I need to go through this kind of questioning in my own heart before I correct my kids? Oh, dear. numerous times a day.
If you are anything like me & spend way too much time feeling frustrated, check out the article. A quick read, but so very practical.

Quoting from Ginger Plowman:
"By verbally correcting our children in righteousness using God’s Word, we are preparing them to govern their own actions and enabling them to discern matters of their own hearts. We want them to heed our instructions so that they can learn how to discern what is right."

first day

Today our little girl ventured into the world of formal education.
We are thrilled for her & enthusiastic with her, but it feels strange, kissing this little hand & sending her through the doors...but the three hours went fast & Maci & I were waiting when she came out.
I made her skirt & added an apple to a stained shirt destined for the rag pile...

one last glimpse of summer--

So these are last...um...not sure...Friday's moments.
Aunt Rachel LOVE (Maci with precious cousin Mia too).
Lego clone battle ship (no, I don't know what those words mean, but I do nod my head & encourage creativity).
Urban playground (Abi soaking up every bit possible of cousin Ella, who will return to Brazil in a month).
My undisturbed afternoon moment. It came a little late.

Thursday memories

moments from our day:
enjoying the corn harvest
Ana & Maci enjoying fancy new ribbon curtains given to them by their Aunt Ro.
Ana ooo-ing & ah-ing about all the pretties in the school stuff aisle at W++Mart. Daddy let her pick out a pack of pencils (not from the list) on their special "date."
Stephen playing PS2 with several friends, screaming & exclaiming at each other, four players at a time.
Special times to remember our summer by.

today

The days just go by. It is difficult to believe that this summer is speeding towards its end.

I thought I would try to end the summer with a few snapshots (physical, but also descriptive) of the last moments of free time '08. So the next week I will attempt to post near-daily snippets of us enjoying each other (something I think we are getting better & better at).

I feel a little somber about our summer; it contained more struggle (that was me), more wielding of weapons (the boys'), more tears (me again, I think), & more growth (by all) than I expected. But more about that later, if I get back to it.

On with today.

I love watching my husband reach out to our older kids. Tonight after everyone else wandered away, Abi remained after dinner, grieving her earlier-than-any-other-sixth-grader bedtime. She expressed her lack of appreciation for looking different than "the rest of the world". She bemoaned her lack of "screen time". This picture may not capture it, but she was one sad little sweetie. Dave scooted over by her & reminded her of how much we treasure her & how we are making tough decisions and how much we care about her. I know we'll talk about this many more times, but for today, I appreciate not having to put out every fire on my own.

Second moment: Stephen began cross country practice today & while Abi calmed down in the shower, Caleb gathered the girls & read "until his head ached" he said, & then took them on a walk around the half block (as we call it). It is so fun to see how, in a bigger family, different kids hang out together & really enjoy each other. A precious moment.

Tree House is Completed!

With summer slipping quickly away I have decided to try and tackle the list of "things to do when I have time in the summer." The first of many was to build a tree house with my kids (boys specifically).

It has been a rocky road. I apparently agreed to build the tree house this spring, a fact I do not remember. When asked in June, I shortly said "we don't have money for a tree house" (the dad standard answer - at least around here). After some tears and reminders of earlier conversations, we of course had time and money for the tree house (not really - but that is another story...)

So we went to the store, bought some wood, and built the platform we had measured out. It was to be 8 x 10. After the platform was built we also realized how HUGE it was going to be. I believe Sonya said it best when she said that our last house had bedrooms smaller than the tree house (she was correct by the way). So we decided to take it down and use it for a deck to hold our picnic table (also a goal of ours).

That of course led to more discussion of broken promises...and dreams. I went to tuck Caleb in that night and he was drawing picture of his tree house, called the Dream House, that of course would "never happen". So we talked about many other ways we could build the tree house. We all finally agreed on a more modest 8 x 5 plan (3 kids can sleep in it) and set to reworking the platform. I also received building advice from those more experienced.

Finally, after the first trip to the lumber yard, we needed to save $$. We trusted the web site that said something like "What makes a tree house so fun is the using up of old wood!" Although, I am not convinced that our neighbors feel that way! So, I dug deep into the shop, pulling out a Stuber Bros. Building sign, as well as an old window and many an old piece of wood (I think I even have an oak 2 x 4 and a maple 1 x10 that used to be part of a piece of furniture).

All in all, we worked together to come up with the tree house. It has been a fun time and hopefully will bring years of enjoyment to our kids. The memories will be with us for a lifetime!

I have included a slide show for those that have the time...

- Dave

big ol' zucchini

Well, zucchini season began while we were on our two week vacation. We truly enjoyed ourselves...maybe more on that later...but coming home to these zukes reminded us of the work we have to catch up to the season. I shredded a bunch in little 1/2 cup plops for this yummy pancake recipe. Our kids canNOT find the zucchini & they are really filling so Dave doesn't have to make as many. Maybe you have lots of zukes too?