On the Road Again

Daddy's favorite song, according to Ella and the girls, is Willie Nelson's On the Road Again. They often request it by name... I think that's funny since they are only 3 and almost 2 years old. Tomorrow they'll be singing it as we make the long haul down to Thomasville to spend the weekend with Gamma, the great-grandparents, and other cousins and friends. I am pretty sure we'll have a different trip this time around thanks in part to our new dual screen DVD player and also to the changes in the girls over the time since we were there last, but we'll just have to wait and see. Look out Thomasville, here we come!!

Wordless Wednesday- Spray Park

Okay, this little field trip today was way too much fun!!

Kate says she's all done by grabbing her shoes and giving "this" look.

Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Fun

Ella and I finally got around to making that fruity play dough yesterday afternoon. It turned out great!! She enjoyed making it with me, and in only five minutes it was ready to go. We made four different fruity smelling colors so that there would be plenty to go around when Maggie, Kate, and Sarah woke up from their naps. Below is a picture of the mess that ensued when they were finally unleashed to play with it this morning. I hate the smell of regular play dough so this smells extra good by comparison, and it is an added bonus that I don't really have to worry if the munchkins put it in their mouths... I know what's in it because I put it there. As you can see they had a blast.

After our play dough adventure, we moved our little party out to our back playroom. Kate insisted on driving to the beach, but no one was interested in going with her.

Instead, the rest of the gang wanted to get out the jumpy house. I was too lazy to clean up the playroom (or "help" them do it), so we set it up outside for an hour or so of jumping pleasure.

I could tell the jumping outside novelty had worn off when I came outside after a water break to find all three of the little girls in the corner investigating who only knows what?!?

What ever it was kept Kate's attention much longer than it did the others, but Sarah stayed close by to hear about her observations.

We've been filling our afternoons with lots of pool time to wear the girls out lately. They are actually so much fun to take to Mimi's pool these days that we often swim both morning and afternoon. These shots are from yesterdays' after nap swimming round. The whole crew on the steps waiting to yell "READY... NOT" and dive in. Oops, Maggie got ahead of herself!

Sarah enjoys floating and swimming on her back.

Maggie likes to jump in and "make BIG splash".

Kate seems to be the dare devil of the group where the pool is concerned. She truly isn't happy with her jumps unless at least her face goes under water. She putters around the entire pool like she is a fish or something.

Ella is quite proficient at swimming in 2 swimmies now a days, so she's decided to challenge herself and swim with only one swimmie. Therefore, I don't have photos of her doing her thing in the pool because when she is only wearing one swimmie mommy has to help her stay afloat... at least part of the time.

After supper last night we took a walk around the subdivision nearest our house. It was a very pleasant time filled with lots of chatter about the fun activities of the day... until we came upon a couple of the neighbor dogs. Wouldn't you know it, the smallest one of the bunch came up behind Scott and bit him on the calf before we even knew what was going on. It didn't take a chunk out or anything, just four small puncture wounds and a huge bruise, but I'm not too thrilled about walking out that way with the girls in their strollers again any time soon. Perhaps tonight we'll take another route because the evening stroll is very good family time.

My Interview

No, I'm not looking for work. The four little charges I have already constitute full time status in my book. However, I did have an interview recently over at 5 Minutes for Mom about my blog. You can check it out if you like by clicking on the link below:




Don't go looking for anything deep. I basically just answered questions about why I blog and when I got started... those kinds of things.

I have to say that outside of real life friends and other multiples moms blogs I read, almost all the others are people that I've discovered through 5 Minutes for Mom somehow. They host lots of blog carnivals and giveaways, and always have something good going on. If you enjoy blogging and haven't ever checked them out, you definitely should give them a look.

Daily Projects

This week the girls and I have completed daily projects, and by projects I mean fun crafts, not the "useful" household type projects that could be done. Each morning around 9:30am we've all sat down at the table to work. We have colored, drawn, glued, cut with scissors, and finally painted. The picture above is from our chocolate pudding and pretzel finger painting day that turned into full body paint and a chocolate high for Ella and Sarah, and a bust even as a snack for Maggie and Kate. As much as the two of them loved it, the other two hated it! I was a little bit surprised, but not too upset about only having two filthy little girls to clean up at the end instead of four.

So far I've discovered that they are not safe around the house with crayons or pens... duh, so we sit at the table all together. They love to cut pictures out of old magazines and glue them to paper plates. Coloring books are great for coloring and putting stickers all over.... stickers are also not safe to have around the house. Each one of the girls is very particular about her own work, yet they are all very different in the way they go about things.

We may have a little bit of traveling to do next week, and daddy will be home for lots of "adventures". I'm not sure we'll actually get around to doing a project each day, but I've got all the supplies for home made fruity play dough , which is next on our list. I'm sure there will be an update after that one!!

Global Food Crisis

I've found that there is no better way to always be thankful for our many, undeserved, unearned, blessings than to be in prayer constantly for those who are less fortunate. Some time back a couple of my favorite bloggers wrote about a trip to Africa that they were taking with Compassion International, and I began to research... until that time Scott was the only person in our family who took an interest in the way our tithes were invested. I was content to give it all to our church. Scott, on the other hand, already had the fever for finding other ways to use our gifts to bless others. After reading about Shannon and Sophie's trip, we prayerfully decided to sponsor a child. We selected Sabina and have been blessed already by our letters and correspondence with her.

As a result of our sponsorship, I attempt to keep up with the goings on in Sabina's part of the world as well as other Compassion news. A big part of the news with Compassion lately is the global food crisis. You can check out the link to read some facts about it.

I talked with the owner of the salon where I get my hair cut yesterday about the fact that rising gas and grocery prices were hurting business. Gas here is right at $4/gallon and people are beginning to carefully consider and consolidate trips; people are cutting back and cutting out things they consider to be extras.

Until last night I had never considered what the rising costs of food and fuel were doing to those who already live with poverty. The higher food prices are forcing families just like Sabina's who survive on around $1 per day to spend upwards of 80% of their budgets on food. Many of the compassion sponsored children in parts of the world are only eating when at their church-based centers. In Haiti Compassion will spend a minimum of $2M feeding the sponsored children and their families for the next couple of months alone.

I can not begin to imagine being a mother in one of these poverty stricken areas and wondering what/ when my children would be able to eat next?!? It makes me sick to think about it.


If you are wondering what you can do to help, I can offer two suggestions.

1- You can make a donation to Compassion's Global Food Crisis Fund. They make it very simple, and the organization itself has a 4 star rating with Charity Navigator, one of the evaluators that Scott always uses to check out charities before giving to them.

2- June 25th has been set aside as a day of fasting and prayer to honor the victims of the global food crisis. Please join us that day in praying for our sponsored child Sabina, and for the thousands of others affected.

Wordless Wednesday- Flashback to September 2007

These two pictures had to follow last weeks' Wordless Wednesday post because they were all taken in the same spot. I can't believe how much they've changed in 9 months time!

Sarah, Maggie, & Kate

VBS 2008

All four of the girls attended Vacation Bible School at our church last week. It started each night with dinner at 6pm and ended with a closing meeting at just before 9pm. Our normal bedtime here for all the girls is around 7:30pm, so except for the first night, we never quite made it to the closing gatherings. The part that we were there for was thoroughly enjoyable, and I thought that these pictures pretty fairly depict each of the girls personalities these days. Let me explain:

Below is a photo of Kate, who at the time had busted into a class full of older kids (mostly girls) during their music time. She is totally enamoured with slightly older kids and loved being the center of these two sweethearts' attention. You may have to click on the photo and make it larger to see the huge smile that she had plastered on her face... she loved it!


Next to Ella, Sarah is by far the most stubborn child we've got. Here she was digging her heels in and refusing to go inside the fellowship hall for crafts. She would rather "do her own thing"... in her cute new pink tennis shoes, of course.

Maggie's picture doesn't quite say as much about her personality these days as it does about the fact that she is the child most likely to sleep well if given the opportunity. Clearly here, by the second night of being up way too late she was a zombie! My new favorite characteristic that Maggie has is the way she changes both her tone and her face when she is intending to impress a certain degree of seriousness upon you in conversation. Imagine a most serious tone coming from one so small and hearing her say, "It's too ha ta do, mama." That means too hard to do, and often just that Maggie is unwilling to do whatever has been asked... but the degree of seriousness with which she delivers the comment almost makes me laugh every single time.

Ella's picture below shows how tiny she is compared to the other kids in her class... except her sisters. That didn't stop her from soaking in every bit of Bible school this year. She emulated the older girls and really enjoyed having a turn at being the leader occasionally. Her best friend Campbell from Tennessee was here for VBS, but unfortunately just like last year I didn't get any pictures of the two of them together. I didn't have as much time or any spare hands this year to carry my camera around with me all the time because I stayed pretty busy chasing Maggie, Kate, and Sarah as they bounced from one wall to the next.

Even though Maggie, Kate, and Sarah were probably too young to attend formally this year, I know that they were getting the lessons. They were actually paying attention during the music portion and learned the little song that their class performed. It's called I Know My God Is Real. It has a catchy tune, and I can't seem to get it out of my head...yep, stuck in there since last Wednesday, but one day over the weekend I was singing it to them and forgot the third line. When I stopped singing because I forgot what was next, Sarah started saying I give ship, I give ship, and wouldn't you know she was trying to tell me the next line... I will give Him my worship! These girls amaze me with something nearly every day.

Thank you Ms. Carly for organizing VBS this year and allowing all my girls to attend, and a huge thank you to our teacher, the wonderful Ms. Amy, who handled 15 children almost 2 to 5 year olds like it was no big deal!!

Super Dad and Why

Dear Scott,

On this your 3rd Father's Day, I'd like to take a moment and document some of the many reasons why you make such an awesome, or shall we say, Super Dad.



1- Whether at work...





or at play...



you always give 100% to the task at hand. I really appreciate the fact that we have all of you when you are home. That is what makes the fact that you have to be away quite a bit bearable. The girls love making breakfast with you on those mornings. We are all able to enjoy a good hike or some other adventure at least once a week these days, and I am grateful for the experiences we are able to share as a family.

2- You made the transition into parenthood look EASY when Ella came along. You were able to add her into your daily routines very smoothly. Even when she was a tiny little thing you used to take her out to eat and all over town for this or that, you taught her how to nap by securing her infant car seat on the washer or dryer while you did laundry, and you generally just became the best daddy a little girl could ever dream of.

3- Then when Maggie, Kate, and Sarah came along as a package deal you were like a poster child for those funny t-shirts that said, "One baby? I laugh at your one baby." Again, you made caring for three babies at once seem so easy that you were no doubt a natural......

.... even if one of your favorite baby care past times was co-napping.

4- One of my favorite things that you are doing for our girls is giving them an excellent example of who a Godly husband is by the way that you treat me every day. You encourage me. You push me to learn new things. You inspire me to be a better person and mother.... and all the while, you love me just the way I am!

There is no one any of us gals would rather lounge around with, or snuggle up on,
or giggle the day away with than you.We all absolutely adore you! Thanks for being the best dad and husband us girls could ever ask for.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Love,

MaryBeth, Ella, Maggie, Kate, & Sarah

Another Day at the Lake

According to the girls, we took Daddy to the beach... not Hilton Hey-ud, but U nuh coy on Tuesday. They were excited to show off their new beach, and he was just as eager to watch them enjoy it. Of course, we didn't get any pictures with Daddy in them; he was the one making all the photos.

It was completely deserted when we arrived at 10am. By the time we settled onto our little blanket and put sun screen and floaties on everyone, there were a few other small groups there.

By the time we left the beach around noon, it was as if we were swimming up stream. Immediately after we removed our beach blanket and sand buckets someone else was putting theirs down. There was not a bare spot on the sand over the entire beach! I've never seen people move in droves like they did that day. It's a good thing we're early birds, or I don't think our trip would've been pleasant at all. There were just too many people for me.

We're planning to meet up with Amanda and her boys there on a Friday afternoon very soon.... let's hope it won't be a crowd fighting event. The beach at Unicoi is great, but I don't think it would be nearly as much fun if I was constantly having to count my children to be sure they are still around. I get enough of that in my everyday life.