Duncan's Birthday

This past Saturday was Duncan's 35th birthday. Two nights before, I surprised him with a dinner out with friends. It was a blast!

As for his actual birthday? What he really wanted was to spend it as a family.

The girls and I went out when they woke up (anytime after 6am these days) to get bagels. When we got home, we did what we always do on a birthday morning in our house: opened presents!

Amelie's present was the biggest surprise. She told me she wanted to make Daddy a baseball stadium. So she and I worked together to create this baseball game, complete with bases, players, a bat, and a ball. Quite ingenious, I'd say!

Duncan and the girls gave it a try while I got breakfast ready.

Then we headed to Quiet Waters Park for the morning.

We found a tiny little beach near the boat rental area.

I think Linus could have stayed there all day.

Good thing we're going to the beach in the middle of May!

Violet ate her lunch leaning up against a tree.

After lunch, we did a tad bit of grocery shopping and headed home. In the afternoon, Duncan and Amelie went to the bike shop to buy one of Duncan's presents. I had scoped it out, but Duncan needed to choose the rack and panniers he wanted for his bike. These should make biking to work much easier!
Later on, we had a dinner of meatloaf, french fries, asparagus and strawberries. And of course we had German chocolate cake for dessert--with homemade frosting! I'll never buy the canned stuff again!!
It was a wonderful day celebrating the most amazing man I know. Here's to many more, my love!

A Peek at Things to Come

This was taken a few weeks ago on a warm afternoon. It made me SO EXCITED for this summer! Linus LOVES being outside as do his sisters.

I look forward to a lot of digging and running and playing and laughing!
I look forward to water and sand and bubbles and fireflies!
I look forward to Ritas dripping all over the place and sticky kids.
I look forward to going to the pool and dirty feet and Crocs every day and mosquito bites!
Err, ok, so I took it a little too far with the last one.

I'm just so excited for warmer weather! And I'm looking forward to all of the memory-making we'll do in our backyard. Can hardly wait, I tell ya!

Enjoy!

Baby Stellan

I just wanted to point you in the direction of another mommy's blog.

Have I ever met her?

No.

Have I even left her a comment?

Not that I can remember.

But her story impacted me greatly last summer when I stumbled upon it. As I woke today, wondering how her sweet baby was this morning, I just knew I had to share her story with others.

You can read Baby Stellan's story here.

Ode to Spring

Oh, you, temperatures in the upper thirties.

Did you really think you'd keep us away from the park on the first full day of Spring?

You must think again.

Because you never had a snowball's chance in...

...well, ok. So maybe that's not the best metaphor in this case.

Happy Spring!

Mommy and Baby

Linus hasn't really attempted saying his sisters' names too much. In general, he calls Amelie "Mommy..."

and, even though he went through a period of calling Violet "Vi-Vi," it's more common to hear him call her "Baby."

He's started to call Duncan "Daddy,"(as opposed to "Mommy") and every older-looking man is "Bompa." Trucks are "Dootdoot" and can be defined as any vehicle larger than a car. He has several new words each day, which is so fun to discover.

After having three birthdays within four weeks in our family, he's also become an expert singer of "Happyyy-you!" He especially likes to serenade his sisters at bedtime. (They all share a room, you know=).) Here's a little clip of him singing his best song. He's quite obsessed with seeing himself after he's had his video or picture taken, which is why you hear him say "I see." Also, this video was taken after Linus' bath, while his sisters were in the bath, hence the lack of glasses. (And the pictures above were taken right after naps, which is the reason for no glasses. He still wears them. Really.)

First Cooking Lesson

Yesterday, Linus decided, after months of playing with our play food in our play kitchen, that he'd try his hand at being a chef. His debut creation? He helped me mix the cheese sauce for our shells and cheese. I think he was pleased with the end result. He ate his sisters under the table. Then again, that's not really unusual these days for our growing boy:).

A Half-Birthday Dilemma

There once was boy,
Born on August 29,
Right before a leap year.

He had a half birthday,
He turned six months,
Only 'cause it was a leap year.

In August he turned one,
It was so much fun!

But as February rolled 'round,
No 29th could be found,
'Cause it wasn't a leap year.

Is he 18 months today?
Or was it yesterday?
Or does 17 months he stay?
Until the day of March 29?

When 19 months he'll be,
Most definitely,
And to an end will be all this fuss.
Mrs. Rohal, can you help us?

5,4,3,2,1

Duncan and I moved here back in August of 2001. The first Sunday we were official residents of my hometown, we attended Reformed Presbyterian Church of Bowie and we never looked back. It has been such a joy to be a part of this body of believers in Christ and to be under such solid teaching!
Soon after we started attending, we began to get to know the other married couple, Megan and Rob, who were about our age and didn't have any children. (I really think they were the only ones in the exact same season of life as us, hence the words the other married couple.) We hung out some, yet we were all quite busy working and/or going to grad school. The summer of 2003, we discovered we were both expecting our first babies at around the same time. It was an exciting time and a blessing to go through that experience with our friends. We got to know each other better as we compared our experiences and discussed what baby gear we were choosing. Megan and I even shared a church-held baby shower.
Amelie came along on February 19th and William made his entrance into the world just 13 days later. Megan and I were both able to stay home with our babies and therefore were able to hang out even more.
In the Spring of 2006, after Violet was born and when Megan and Rob were expecting their second baby, our neighbors approached us and wondered if we knew of anyone that might be interested in buying their home. I remember the conversation when Duncan wondered aloud if Rob and Megan were considering moving to a bigger home since they were expecting a second child. They hadn't mentioned anything, but we figured we'd throw out the idea to them. One thing lead to another and they became our official next-door neighbors on September 29, 2006. How do I remember the exact date, you ask? I know because Lucy arrived a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, on October 1st--just two days after they moved in!
It's been so much fun to have neighbors that were friends first. Freighbors, I call them. We often play outside together, borrow ingredients that we forgot to pick up at the store, or go on Starbucks runs for one another.
When I ended up in the hospital the month before Linus was born, their being so close was invaluable. Our children are so comfortable with them and in their home which made a chaotic time more than palatable for the girls.
Last week, I had a realization, after Amelie turned 5. For just under two weeks, until William has his birthday, our 5 children are the ages of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. I couldn't resist the photo op! So, at Amelie's little birthday party, we snapped this photo.

Amelie-5, William-4, Violet-3, Lucy-2, and Linus-1

Amelie turns 5!

Amelie turned 5 this past Thursday. I can't BELIEVE she's already 5! She is so grown up and so mature in so many ways. An amazing little girl, I tell ya!

Here she is just before opening her gifts. I love this picture because she looks very natural.
Even though Amelie doesn't usually go to school on Thursdays, she went because it was a field trip day. To the post office! (Amelie attends three days of a five day program. Her school is awesome and flexible like that.) She and I made alphabet sugar cookies for her classmates (and as favors for her "party" guests, as you'll see below). So, we brought those for a special snack before the field trip. In between dropping her off and being back at the school for the field trip, I dropped Violet and Linus off for a few hours of fun with Rock. (Thanks Fixes!!)
In the afternoon, the girls (dressed in their matching birthday dresses--thanks Ducky!) had fun playing with their new stuff. Violet even got to open a belated birthday gift. She (and everyone else) loves the ice cream set! (Thanks McDermotts!)


After a dinner of macaroni and cheese (the orange kind) and ham (leftover from Violet's birthday), we had ice cream cone sundaes with our personalized alphabet cookies.

Before bedtime, Amelie and Duncan built some stuff with her new Rocky Mountain Ranch Lincoln Log set. My girl LOVES Lincoln Logs which thrills her Daddy!



Amelie had a "friend" birthday party when she turned three. It was my idea. She really did not enjoy it as I would have liked her to. Therefore, I've sworn off those types of parties until my kids initiate them. When I asked both girls who they would like to invite over to their birthdays, they both had the identical answer of our neighbors and Bowie Grandma and Grandpa (my parents who are local). This was who they both had last year, as well. I figure that one day they'll want to have a house full of school friends attend their birthday parties, so I'll enjoy the simplicity of their desires for now.
The next question asked of the girls was what food they wanted. Amelie really doesn't like dinner. She endures it. However, the girl LOVES all things breakfast. So she jumped on my suggestion of having a breakfast party the Saturday after her birthday.
She really wanted baked oatmeal with milk and juice with no water or vitamin C. (Every morning we all get a glass of diluted juice with Vitamin C crystals mixed in for an immunity boost. It's rather sour and even though everyone has gotten used to it, they still prefer plain juice.) We added scrambled eggs, bacon, and bulla-- Swedish coffee rolls made by my mom. All of this was followed by cake and ice cream, of course.

Since Amelie has become a fan of Reading Rainbow (yay for LeVar Burton!) she decided on a rainbow cake.
(Tried as I may, I can't get this picture the right way. So please exercise your neck for a minute.)

Amelie seemed pleased with the result.

This is a cute shot with Amelie and her best bud William before present opening. They aren't even two weeks apart, but check out that height difference! I think he's leaning a bit.

And last, but not least, here are the personalized alphabet cookies we gave to all of our guests as they left. (Again, give those neck muscles a stretch!)

Amelie is 5 and SUCH a blessing to Duncan and I. I've been surprised lately at how I speak to her in such a grown up way. It's going to quickly! Lord, please help me to appreciate each and every day and all that it holds!

Beauty Amidst the Chaos

I love tulips. Adore them even. Most people that know me well are aware of this. The name of this blog even reflects this fact. So when returning home from a long weekend without my husband (a Valentine's Day weekend, that is) I found twenty tulips on my kitchen table. He knows me. Knows that I love any flowers, but love tulips most of all.
The next day, my mom showed up with ten more tulips! She had given me some for my birthday, but ended up keeping them (and my three children) as Duncan and I stole away to NYC for the following weekend. She promised to buy me more when I could enjoy them, since they don't last long. Little did she know, I was well endowed with tulips at the moment. Not too worry! Never too many tulips, in my opinion! So, I removed the original twenty, got out a bigger vase, trimmed the stems, and VIOLA:
I placed them on the kitchen table. Which also happens to be the craft table. And puzzle table. And game table. And (as seen above) lacing card table. It usually holds the remains of drinks or snacks or meals, in case someone get a little bit hungry or a little bit thirsty a little later on.
But such is life! Snippets of beauty amidst massive amounts of chaos. My life isn't very orderly. I don't have a regular cleaning or organizing routine. There is always laundry to be done. Crumbs to be swept. Fingerprints to be wiped. But in the middle of all of the chaos are beautiful memories. Peals of laughter. Fits of giggles.
As I ponder these truths on the eve of my eldest's fifth birthday, I mourn that it's already gone so quickly. Have I been a momma for five years? Seriously? As I lay in the hospital bed five years ago this night, progressing oh-so-slowly, I never could have known. I never could have know the pain or the joy or the anxiety or the love that is motherhood.
I am so thankful for this privilege. This honor. This blessing. These blessings. Of being a mother. Of living this calling. This beautiful calling.

When I Google "Paper Crafts"...

...up pops this amazing website! It's called dltk-kids.com. Perhaps you've seen it. Perhaps I'm jumping in way late in the game. Either way, it's an amazing resource for moms and teachers alike. It's chock full of simple crafts for which you probably have everything on hand (computer paper, scissors, crayons, glue sticks, etc.). Recently, the girls have been into the animals that we color, cut-out, glue together and then tack on a straw for an instant puppet!

Below is the culminating activity: a puppet show!

We've already had hours of enjoyment and we've barely touched the tip of the iceberg that is this marvelous website.

Happy paper crafting!

Violet-E. Turns Three!

Violet was clued in to her birthday this year. She knew it was coming, knew she was turning three and was excited about it.

Monday morning, she woke up to her presents.

She got a cool tunnel, which everyone enjoys. Mommy and Daddy like how small it folds up.

She also got a microphone. A natural, wouldn't you say?

This was her first glimpse of her Maisy cake. She loved it!

Here's the cake. I'm thankful that Maisy is a hand-drawn character and is not symmetrical. That took off some of the pressure!

Violet chose ham and French fries and strawberries for her birthday dinner. When asked who she'd like to invite, Violet chose our freighbors, William and Lucy (and their parents, of course), and Bowie Grandma and Grandpa.

Here's the happy birthday girl after blowing out her candles.

Violet continues to light up the room wherever she happens to be. We look forward to this year of three and all that it will hold for our dear Violet-E.

New York Recap: Saturday and Sunday

On Saturday morning we slept in until 9:22! I can't tell you when I was last able to do that. It was amazing. We had breakfast in a diner and headed to Central Park. Ever wonder what 7 degrees in Central Park looks like? Here's a picture to help you get the idea.

We saw the skating rink in Central Park owned by Donald Trump. Once again, it was way too cold to even think about putting on ice skates!

Here's me with Hans Christian Anderson. See his little ugly duckling friend next to my leg?

This was when I had a tea party with Alice and her friends. (This was the photo of the e-mail post card we sent the kids on Saturday.)

After Central Park (and a quick visit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Shop to warm up and a stop at Dean and DeLuca for a quick snack) we headed down town on the subway. We got off a Wall Street right by the New York Stock Exchange.

The NYSE is right across the street from Federal Hall. This is where George Washington was inaugurated as our first president in 1789. Here's a shot of Duncan with him.

After this we walked over to the World Trade Center site. I didn't take any pictures there for a number of reasons. From there we headed over to the World Financial Center which is right next to Battery Park. We knew the plane that had landed in the Hudson was docked there, so we thought we'd try to catch a glimpse of it. Because of the number of people that had the same idea as us, the myriad of emergency personnel, and all of the rescue equipment, it wasn't possible to see anything. We did, however, get this neat view of the three places we had visited on Friday all in one shot.

After a subway ride back uptown and a rest at our hotel, we had some dinner at a yummy place in Times Square called Ruby Foo's. Then we headed back out into the cold. We walked around the M and M's store and a few other places.

At that point, we headed back to Rockefeller Center and hit up the Magnolia Bakery once more. Oh yeah. Magnolia cupcakes two nights in a row!

On Sunday, I didn't take any pictures. We woke up, grabbed a quick breakfast and then headed, on foot, to church. We decided to attend one of Redeemer Presbyterian Church's services that was held at Hunter College. It was close-ish...just 18 block up from our hotel. We got a pretty good workout to get there! To top it off, it was a warm 34 degrees, so all of the layers we dressed ourselves in were making for some pretty warm walkers!
We're glad we went. And the icing on the cake was to see one of my campus ministers from WVU and his wife sitting just four rows up from us! They live in Pittsburgh, were visiting family in New Jersey and had decided to drive in to Redeemer for worship. Pretty crazy to have seen them, especially since there were 2000 people in the worship service!

After church, we had lunch and headed home to our much-missed kiddos. They had a fabulous weekend with Bowie Grandma and Grandpa. We were thankful for the time away and even more thankful for the blessings that the Lord bestows on us each and every day.