Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Kids

They're getting old.

Isaiah...

Stuck between childhood and adulthood - wants to be a grown-up but, yeah, he's still a kid.  Almost as tall as me.  Looking and occasionally acting more and more like a teenager.  Longing for friends to hang with - which is a little more difficult when home schooling.  A great big brother.  Finally an independent learner.  A goofball.  A fun kid.  We like him.  A lot.  He's 10.

 
Huston...



A sweet boy.  A pleaser.  A great friend and one that just wants to be part of the gang.  Easily discouraged.  Totally, ridiculously silly.  Loves to laugh.  Loves his siblings.  Loves his family and will work hard when it was his idea.  Schooling?  No thank you, he says.  But he's coming around.  He'll draw you a picture, do an errand for you, squeeze you around the neck, but don't make him practice reading.  Wouldn't trade him for anything.  He's almost 8.


Avery....

Doesn't that grin say it all?  He's a conundrum... super lovey yet hot tempered, creative yet analytical, focused yet spacey, silly yet quiet, the center of attention yet a loner... he's somewhat a mystery - and a lot like his daddy.  Catches onto things rather quickly and then other times when you're talking to him he looks at you're not speaking English.  Loves to draw, overly obsessed with the computer (limited with it to avoid totally addictive tendancies!), hates being cold, and still clings to mommy at times.  Overall, a fun guy.  He's 6.


Lillie...


The princess of the family.  And she knows it.  Dresses girly, loves fingernail polish and baby dolls, watches John Wayne and plays in the mud.  She mothers her older brothers and can pout and act like the baby of the family to manipulate them in order to get her way.  She's doted upon yet she knows how to take care of herself too.  She still sucks her thumb.  Still likes to snuggle.  And can usually convince at least one of the brothers to play with her.  We love our Lillie Fraces.  And our baby is almost 4.

Just thought I would update the fact that we do still have 4 children... and they are growing like weeds.  Sometimes I'm ready... and other times, not so much.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Sky's the Limit... Sort Of

Don't fall over.  I'm actually writing a blog post.  Hope you can recover from the shock.

I've been reading the Little House series to the boys before bedtime.  I started the first book a couple of weeks ago and really thought the boys would lose interest in the storyline of a little girl and her family in the Big Woods - but there was enough hunting and butchering and storytelling to keep them focused. 

In that book, (Little House in the Big Woods), Laura and Mary live with their family in a little cabin deep in the Wisconsin woods.  One day their dad decides that it's time for his family to join him for his visit into town.  They had never gone before, and of course there was a lot of excitement about the many things they might see.

The town was near a lake and as they traveled they eventually came out of the woods - the only environment Laura had known - and entered into the wide open spaces near a lake that stretched for miles... and Laura was scared of how very big the sky was.  She had never realized the sky was so huge, because at home it was drowned out by the trees.  She felt small and swallowed up and she will never forget how different she felt when she saw the reality of the size of the sky above her.

Now, I've read this book before, but this portion had never struck me like it did this time around.  It made me wonder how very limited my perspective might be.  What am I missing out on because I'm so entrenched in what is around me - because the trees are crowding out the big, glorious sky?  Am I walking around oblivious to the opportunities around me or am I searching for them, hoping for that exciting and intimidating feeling that comes when you realize that you are a part of something much bigger than yourself? 

That little story just got me to thinking... so I thought I had better write it down (and am very glad Laura had wrote it down for me.)