Modern-day Farm

When Diggy’s teacher at church asked the class yesterday if anyone had done something fun during the last week, Diggy said, “I smashed my hammer through the wall in my parents’ bathroom.”

This is actually Kenny…with Brent in the background. 

When we picked our house a few years back, we looked for one that needed a bit of work…because Brent enjoys tearing holes in walls and he’s quite talented at patiently inspiring the kids to work alongside him. The Perfect Modern-day Farm.

The kids were ages 6 down to 6 weeks at the time (minus Cienna). Their attention spans were quite short and needy and the projects were quite long and tedious. I remember wiping away the gritty grout residue on our new entryway tile until midnight one night, grumbling about the whole modern-day farm idea…knowing the kids would be up around 6 a.m. with lots of energy and the work not yet done.

So, after necessary roofing, flooring, painting, and some kitchen work, it’s been awhile since we’ve embarked on a major project. We’re perfectly happy with our old bathrooms…I thought.

But on Friday night, Brent started talking about the specifics of our master bath. He wants to do a major re-hall. I’d been hesitant, but finally agreed to his plans. I thought we were still months away from starting, but then again, have I ever shared how quick of a mover Brent is? Engaged after dating two months?? (Best decision I ever made!) Well, hammers went flying Saturday at noon…and THIS time, the Modern-day Farm is working at full capacity.

Brent had all 5 kids at his side for several hours on Saturday while I was out to lunch with a friend . They were all very excited to show-off their hard work when I returned…partially because I didn’t know they were going to start yet.  

Kirsten, now the age of Kenny when we’d moved here, enjoyed several hours of getting down and dusty (both on Saturday and Monday)…hammering down walls and prying up floors.

Allison chopped away like a cute three-year-old would, making up stories as she went and enjoying the mess. Apparently she was making a bird’s nest in the “sand.” After getting in PJS, she bid a sweet farewell to the little tiles she’d enjoyed all day…knowing they were getting replaced…Good-byes can be hard. 

Cienna primarily enjoyed the masks…which came in handy because her other favorite part was trying to sneak “rocks” into her mouth. Cement chips and dirt inside the house…it was a dream come true!

   But the BIG farm story comes from our two strapping boys who never tired of  hammering, chipping away tile, and hauling debris out to the garage all day Saturday, saying things like, “We’ve really used this Saturday well” and not even wincing when their hands received the scrapes and blisters from hardy work.

And after a day of rest, they voluntarily (and with great excitement and anticipation…and we didn’t bribe them or offer any form of reward or payment) went to bed early so they could join Brent at the break of dawn (on MLK Jr. holiday)…at 5:30 a.m…the approximate time that I believe they would’ve milked cows back in the day…and they proudly worked for more than 12 hours…SUCCESS!! 

(I keep saying “they” because as a pregnant mother of young children who still fall in the short-attention span range, there’s not much I can do to help…so the girls and I had another pink-nightgown sleepover in the girls’ room in order to preserve our beauty sleep amidst all the noisy hammering…another success. ;)

I’ll try to remember to post pictures of the finished project…in a few months…because tomorrow we all have to go back to our day-jobs.

Thank You Aunt Pam (and Associates)!!

We had in interesting drive home from AZ last week…

THURSDAY, DEC. 30:

9:00 a.m. ~ The kids vote to take the drive to IL straight through (without stopping at hotels) so we can stay as long as possible at Nana and Papa’s. We decide to leave late afternoon instead of now to arrive home by Friday late evening.

2:30 p.m. ~ The UPS truck stops at Nana’s house. The package sits in the foyer unopened…it was probably another gift for Rex and Emily (the newlyweds).

3:00 p.m ~ Weather.com shows a storm finishing it’s way through the Northern AZ mountains. We hear rumors that some roads are closed, but efforts to receive confirmations or info on re-openings failed.

3:30 p.m ~ My fearless husband decides to see for himself if roads are closed…hoping that because the storm had mostly passed, the roads would be open by the time we reach them before dark. We jump in the van.

3:32 p.m. ~ Nana rushes out to the van after realizing the newly arrived package had come from Aunt Pam…the maker of the Matching Family Nightgowns that EVERY girl in her extended family covets. Pam had called on Christmas Day (I think) to get the Smith girls’ measurements and not only worked endless holiday hours, but also overnighted (I assume) the finished projects to us, hoping they would arrive before we left…and they did!

4:30 p.m. ~ Driving through the first mountainous ranges in Northern AZ, the sun is shining and the roads are clear (but noticeably empty).

5:00 p.m. ~ We make it easily to Payson, AZ…where the road closures had been reported.

5:05 p.m. ~ The road heading out of Payson is closed. We wait in a long line of cars…until we hear that police are only allowing  cars with chains or 4WD through..possibly for another day or two. Our trusty van has neither.

5:25 p.m. ~ We turn around. We make a few comments about how AZ could use a more timely snow plowing system because the skies are clear, but the roads in this town are a mess…causing unnecessary delays.

5:27 p.m. ~ Going about 30 mph, we hit a patch of black ice, we swerve to the left and to the right, Brent says, “Hold On” and our swerving turns into a full 360. The unplowed slush in the middle of the 4-lane road stops us. Thankfully no other cars were near at the moment. We all breathe a sigh of relief…and I think a prayer of gratitude that AZ is not as snow-plow savvy as IL (the black ice would’ve been there without the heavy slush in the middle) and that wise police officers don’t let vehicles like ours commence traveling on dangerous roads.

5:30 p.m. ~ Allison says, “That circle gave me a headache!” But, the kids are excited that their hope of staying longer at Nana and Papa’s will come true after all…or maybe not.

5:40 p.m. ~ We discover why the roads coming in to Payson looked so empty…the road going back south is closed as well.

6:00 p.m. ~ We check into a hotel…all wishing we were still at Nana’s.

6:15 p.m. ~ The girls all quickly slip into their new cotton-candy-pink nightgowns…and the Princess Party begins (the boys watched football or something)!

10:00 p.m. ~ Kirsti says, “Mom, you’re the queen and we’re the three princesses,” as me and my three girls snuggle up close and turn out the lights. I lay in bed wondering if Aunt Pam (and her elf helpers…you know who you are) had any idea how useful their handiwork would be for us on the very first night. Their extreme effort and thoughtfulness turned our extreme situation into a memorable miracle. We can’t thank you enough for your generosity and timeliness!!

FRIDAY, DEC. 31

10:00 a.m. ~ Brent takes the van for an alignment check (after our swirling adventure) and returns to the hotel with chains for our tires.

11:00 a.m. ~ Brent drives a homeless couple to the grocery store and buys them food for a few days.  

12:00 p.m. ~ The drive home continues. I admire the smile on Brent’s face as he puts the chains on our tires. He truly loves adventure…and the unknown.

 

2:00 p.m. ~ The roads through the mountains of AZ are horrible…very unplowed and unsafe for the average vehicle.  But with chains, we make it through without a single slip. My brother calls and thinks we have taken a detour to Disneyland because the chains sound like multiple ascending roller coasters. I tell him the chains’ vibrations make us feel like we’re on a roller coaster.

This is Allison a few minutes before my brother called…she agreed with the roller coaster theory and enjoyed the ride…notice the anti-carsickness bands on her wrists…Thanks GG!!

3:00 p.m. ~ Once we hit New Mexico, the roads were clear and we didn’t see a single drop of rain or snow the rest of the trip. We think it’s ironic that our worst driving weather in both directions was only in AZ. Something my parents  (in the good ol’ Midwest) will be reminding us for years to come, I’m sure.

SATURDAY, JAN. 1

12:00 a.m. ~ We count down to midnight with those who are awake in the car. But in reality, we had technically missed a true countdown because we happened to cross time zones at 11:30 p.m., thus changing our clocks to 12:30 a.m. in a time zone that had already welcomed the New Year.  Thanks for the memories Oklahoma!

3:00 p.m. ~ Home Sweet Home! 

The Best Gift

It was unanimous…the family’s favorite gift this year came as a hand-me-down T-shirt on Christmas day to Cienna from Cousin Katie…

 

Cienna will be getting lots of use out of this shirt over the next 6 months as we await the arrival of Baby #6…due around July 10.

At 13 weeks, I’m feeling the usual pregnancy fatigue and mild nausea, but the kids keep me going every day. We can’t wait to see who is coming next. This new baby is already very loved and will receive lots of tender hugs, kisses, and care!

Merry Christmas to all Family and Friends!

Christmas Memories 2010

We drove to Arizona for Christmas and for Brent’s youngest brother’s wedding to be on Dec. 28.

The drive took 26.5 hours. And because Brent is such a marathon driver, we drove straight threw in our trusty (but very mocked by siblings) 1995 Toyota Previa, which upon arriving in Mesa, has officially been driven by our family from Coast to Coast (in random order: San Jose to Provo; Provo to Mesa; Mesa to Chicago; and Chicago to NYC).  And I, who normally struggle with more than an hour of monotonous freeway driving, was determined to make my husband proud this trip by taking the wheel for the critical 2-6 a.m. shift of driving through Oklahoma. The kids slept a great deal and listened to music/ebooks. And we only had one incident of car-sickness with Allison…poor Brent…that was the only other time I was driving.

Due to our big trip, we celebrated Christmas early in IL. We gathered the family on my grandmother’s 89th birthday for a dual party. She’s an amazing lady whom Kenny says looks only 70 and acts only 20 because she still cooks great meals and drives all over the place (but he probably meant she acts more like 50 because I don’t know too many 20-year-olds who cook great meals…Brent and I were eating mac-n-cheese and the really disgusting microwave burritos under our college budget and my 20-year-old cooking). The girls received doll furniture and beautiful dresses with matching doll dresses (dresses from Grandma and Grandpa), Kenny wanted an electric tooth-brush and an mp3 player, and Diggy was most excited about getting a wooden model ship to build.

Kirsti, Kirsten (the doll), Allison, and Cienna. The other two girls have non-American Girl dolls that fit very nicely into matching dresses, too, but just aren’t pictured.

My personal favorite part of the gift exchange is watching the kids pick out (primarily from dollar sections), buy with their own money, wrap, try not to tell, give hints, usually tell, and then still anticipate with full excitement the opening of each other’s gifts. A few highlights include: Kirsti picked out Hello Kitty socks for Allison; Diggy bought Kenny a compass for drawing; Cienna helped wrap up some doll shoes for Kirsti and Allison; and Diggy knew about the 12” Christmas tree from Kirsti for his pet giraffe, Gerry, early enough to go out and buy a few mini ornaments for himself in prep for decorating it immediately after the grand opening.

Gerry and his Christmas Tree 

We also dug out the chimes again this Christmas. With another year of musical experience under our belts, practices went more smoothly than ever. “Angels We Have Heard on High” was the song of choice as we rehearsed for our first public debut at the Ward Christmas party. Cienna helped Dad hit his notes, and Allison knew right when her low “Ri-Ah” notes fit in on the chorus, which turned into a big crowd pleaser. We’re planning to rehash it for the Extended-Family Nativity tonight.

Kirsti was in elf in the 1st grade Christmas show called “Santa Goes Green.” We had the pleasure of hearing clever lyrics all season long  about powering the sleigh with windmills, how to detect a green house effect, and recycling grandma’s fruitcake.

The kids took turns exhibiting the persistence of  Sam-I-Am in order to convince Cienna that a visit from Santa Clause is a good thing. They talked excitedly about how he comes at night…with reindeer…on Christmas Eve…and comes down our chimney…when everyone’s asleep…and brings us presents!  And because she’s not familiar enough with presents to accept them as a reasonable reward for having a stranger creep into her comfort zone, with every new detail, Cienna insisted, “I not like Santa. I not like Santa.” I even saw her swallow hard when she saw Santa’s picture on a magazine. The Santa debate when on for days until Allison said, “He brings us prinkles!” (which interpreted means Pringles—equivalent to the Christmas Orange at the Smith house).  And thinking she heard ‘sprinkles’ (which I’m not sure she really likes that much, but it was at least something she recognized), Cienna finally began chanting, “I like Santa! I like Santa!”

She ultimately decided that as long as Mom was holding her and she didn’t actually have to see him, the benefits of Santa coming (especially to Nana’a house instead of her house) should outweigh the costs.   His visit is now much-anticipated tonight…even though the kids know he can’t bring anything that doesn’t fit in their backpacks for the trip home. And I have to say, because of Santa’s down-sized visit, much excitement (but definitely not all)has been shifted to giving away all the home-made gifts they’ve made for extended relatives this year.

   Cienna adding her hand to an apron.

We have LOVED returning to Arizona for the first time in 3 1/2 years. We left a White Christmas, but have hardly had time to mourn because we’ve been outside every day playing in short sleeves and flip flops. And being around Brent’s ENTIRE family is such a treat!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!Ken, Allison, Brent, Kirsti, Amy, Cienna, and Diggy

Stay tuned ‘til tomorrow for what I think will be the whole family’s favorite present this year…

Teaching Moments

I awoke suddenly at 3:30 a.m. the other night (which isn’t unusual with young children around), and I heard a low voice talking somewhere in the house (which was unusual enough that I rapidly became more alert).

And after surveying the room with ears perked, I realized Brent’s spot next to me was empty, and the floor space on the other side of me was occupied by someone who must have had a bad dream…and had come searching for a “safe” place to sleep. (I can still remember the comfort of retreating to my parents’ bedroom floor when I was a kid because I had dreamed that ants were crawling on me or that a tornado was right outside my window…)

I listened to the low voice in the other room for a few minutes…and also heard a soft child’s voice sharing the dialogue.

Then I smiled.

For several minutes I couldn’t pin-point which child Brent was off comforting in the middle of the night. I could only hear bits and pieces of bad-dream-discussions and empathy and advice on various subjects and more empathy.

And when Brent didn’t return, I realized he’d happily taken the vacant bed of the child on our floor, giving company to the now lonely child in the other room, who also happened to be plagued with a bad cold, and thus was up most of the night.

At one point I heard the low voice say, “That’s why it’s so important to be honest…then people can trust you. I’m glad you’re honest.”

I learned in the morning that the conversation had lasted nearly 30 minutes.

My heart felt warm and fuzzy inside…when our child was lonely or afraid in the middle of the night and came searching for comfort, my amazing husband, the father of my children, didn’t send the child away comfortless (or to my side of the bed). Instead, my husband lost sleep… And gained a powerful, peaceful bonding moment….which so often turns into a teaching moment.

My children know from many experiences that they will get a loving response from their father—even in the middle of the night. I think that’s why they are so quick to listen to him and work alongside him during the day. He inspires them with his love.

And as we sacrifice on behalf of our children in attempt to provide simple teaching moments 24/7, we’re learning that our children are really giving us many opportunities to learn the truth to this scripture taught by Christ: Matthew 16:25. 

Halloween Happenings

For kids who are frequently spotted (indoors and outdoors) dressed up in random costumes throughout the year, Halloween is just another day to pretend (with bonuses like pumpkin carving and candy). Deciding which costume to wear became a down-to-the-wire decision…and even changed based on various parties/events we attended. (I don’t even have pictures of all of them.)

Ken (I keep forgetting to call him Ken, but when he reads these, he reminds me): Had planned on being a football player for several weeks, but just a few days before parties started, he followed his heart and rehashed his favorite character, whom he plays so well, English accent and all. (He was a football player for a trunk-or-treat we attended Sat. night.)

This is Ken in the school costume parade. As part-timers, the kids still get to enjoy perks like school parties. We live near such a GREAT public school!

Diggy: Last year when the whole family dressed as Harry Potter characters, Diggy was quoted saying with a deep sigh, “I can’t believe Kenny is going to be into something else next year.” He was relenting the thought of having to change side-kick roles…what could be better than being Ron?! BUT, this year, Diggy decided to be a ninja long before Ken started re-reading HP again a couple of weeks ago. And despite major pressure to be Ron in Hogwarts robes, Diggy also followed his heart and was Ron dressed in a Ninja suit.

Kirsten: Had a cheer-leading costume ready when Ken was planning his football costume. And happily unleashed her Hermoine garb last-minute when she was needed as someone else. She dressed as an angel for the trunk-or-treat…very fitting.

Allison: Was a witch a few weeks ago until she discovered the Unicorn costume at the bottom of the box. She loved wearing this bright pink costume and was so excited to go trick-or-treating (during family council, the kids had voted against going out on Sunday, the 31st, but we still went to local businesses Friday night and to a city near my parents’ house named Zion (also very fitting), who held their trick-or-treating on Saturday afternoon) …but Allison was sick with a fever the whole weekend. : (

This is just before the fever started.

Cienna: For someone who is genuinely frightened by most costumes (she clung to me while we watched the kids’ school parade and kept repeating, “I not yike the wolf” for several hours afterwards), Cienna wanted nothing to do with dressing up (smart girl). She could choose from a ladybug, a bumblebee, Cheer Bear, a puppy dog, or her Hedwig suit from last year. But they all looked to much like, well, costumes…so “Nope” was the repeated answer. (And I wasn’t going to force her into a costume, because her memory is WAY too good for that…perhaps I’ll share examples another time.) Finally, in desperation as we were getting ready to go out, I grabbed a pretty church dress and wand…and she said, “YES! I’m a princess!” And she was adorable.

And finally…You Know You Are Home-schooled IF---

Your Halloween decorations double as anatomy visual aids.

I love having family, fun, and education all wrapped up together…and the kids love it, too.

The Passing of the Bow

After watching out the window (or waiting while perched on the front steps) for the “package truck” to come for DAAAAYS…he finally came!!! And he was greeted by children who spotted him around the corner and ran out to snatch the odd-shaped package from his hands while he was also delivering something to Harry’s house across the street.

The package was ripped open…

This is what happened to the box.

And once the 1/4 size violin was carefully unwrapped, Kirsten officially passed her 1/8 size violin (with bow included) on to Allison.

Kirsten’s pre-school now includes violin lessons. (And did I mention we get FREE pre-school here at the Smith house??!!)

The first lesson went well…

…Not forgetting the all-important “Bow-to-the-Teacher” at the end…Allison is a wise student.

And we now have a quartet! (Diggy has inherited Ken’s smaller cello and prefers/enjoys exploring his new instrument informally. Kirsten and Ken have been taking formal lessons for about a year….and love it!) It’s quite entertaining to listen to them “practice” together.

And Cienna anxiously waits for someone’s bow to get officially passed on to her…whose bow will she get??