a new series: Ezra's Obsessions

Ezra might be a bit obsessive compulsive.

Ok, maybe more than a bit.

We've seen these obsessions go in cycles. He will completely latch on to learning/playing a certain skill or toy and that is ALL he wants to do until he has mastered it. Conquered it. Then he moves on to the next thing.

Here's an example:

I like to call this period of his life the airplane period. I wrote about it here. We literally had dozens and dozens of airplanes made every day. Dozens and dozens.

We also had a train track period.

Then a coloring period.

And now his latest obsession (and this one is a doozy) is his drawing period. He draws all day long. I exaggerate not. All the day long. Cars, trucks, castles, spaceships, letters, letters, and more letters...

I saved all these papers over a 2 day period. Two days.

On the occasion that we have run out of paper or I forced him to take a break from drawing it is not unusual to see him tracing letters out in the air. In the air, folks. I told you this kid is obsessed!

If this obsession is still lasting around Christmastime all he is getting is markers and paper. Grandparents, take note.

girls got skills (of the two wheeled variety)

Check out what Ella learned to do at Nana's house last week (and has been practicing here non stop this week)...

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Jeremiah was only a little bit heartbroken that he wasn't the one to teach her. It's a good thing he has three others.

thursday thoughts

Jeremiah has a new watchin' football buddy...

Zoe has found her fist...

I have a feeling it won't be long until she finds her thumb.

I feel like a new woman this morning because she slept for 9 straight hours last night. Actually, it is 7:30 and she is still sleeping...

It's time to start thinking about the packing process around here. Which, I've decided is going to involve a lot of purging. Nothing feels better than a good purge. Its a little bit overwhelming to start thinking about where to start. So, I think I'll just keep thinking about it...and not actually start yet.

We had our last hu-rah at pelican's sno balls yesterday. We will miss this place this winter...

I'm still in denial that winter is coming.

Although I've been a soup making fool lately: vegetable, chicken noodle, minestrone...all in one week. Nothing puts me in the mood to make soup like the threat of impending winter.

We've been in full fledged figuring out the kids costume mode around here this week as well. I think the boys want to go as ninja-pirate-lion-spidermen. And Ella flits between a cheerleader and a cat. I think we are moving closer to a final decision. Oh, and Zoe is a going to be a duck. I'm thankful for one child that doesn't have an opinion yet.

Sidenote: If you know Jeremiah in real life, ask him to tell you the story of the year he dressed up as a duck for halloween. It's a good laugh.

Happy Thursday!

Homeschooling: these are the days of the week

Ella has been obsessed with dates recently...

"How many more days until my birthday?"
"How many more days until we go to Nana's?"

"How many more days until Christmas?"

"How many more days until _____________?"

And so, in order to save my sanity, and provide her with some answers we made up our own personalized monthly calendars. She checks it off every day and counts down until the next exciting thing in her life. I love that every time she asks one of the "how many..." questions I can just tell her to go count for herself.

It was also great practice for her writing her numbers, counting, reviewing the seasons, and more.

Simple.

Easy.

And very effective at eliminating all those pesky questions. (Did I just write that out loud?)

Now onto mastering the whole clock and time thing...

wherever I am, there i am (rethinking multi-tasking)

Ah, multi-tasking.

It's the gold standard of good motherhood. The yardstick, the benchmark, the paradigm of whether or not things get done in a day. I need to be able to fix lunch, make a phone call, wipe a nose, and oversee the clean up of the lego's...all at the same time.

And while I won't argue that multi-tasking is a necessity to surviving as a mom, I've been extremely convicted lately that I need to NOT multi-task so much. Or be more intentional about the times that I choose to multi-task.

I know, I'm speaking heresy in mom speech...but hear me out.

The consequences of multi-tasking (as applied to mommyhood) is that I may be there with my kids, but I'm not really there with them. I am present in body, but far far away in mind.

I am fixing them breakfast, but not sitting and eating and talking with them.

I am getting them dressed, but thinking about that phone call I need to make.

I am spending the whole day with my kids...but I haven't really been with them.

And I'm not fooling anyone. Especially my kids.

I know when I'm talking with Jeremiah and he is not really engaged in the conversation. Any wife knows that feeling. And it is not a good feeling. Why would I think I was pulling anything over on my kids by only half listening, half engaging?

I don't feel that my life and daily routine need a major overhaul. I just need to remember to slow down. To engage. To take those 10 minutes and sit and color with Ella and talk with her. To build a train track with the boys...not just watch them build it while I stand at the counter on my computer trying to pay bills and halfheartedly look over every once in a while and say what a cool track they are creating.

And I don't feel that I need to always be playing with my kids. I can't color and build train tracks all day long. Of course the bills have to get done, the dinner has to be made, the floors have to be swept...and I am doing a disservice to my kids if they feel that everything revolves (or stops) around them all the time.

But it all boils down to this:

When I am playing with my kids, there I am. All of me.

And when I'm paying those bills (or ___________), there I am. All of me.

My kids and my bills will benefit. And so will I.

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16

there and back again

We have had quite the week around here. But, we actually haven't been around here around here. Nope, on Monday we headed up to my parents house (6 hours away), spent Tuesday visiting with them, left the older three with them and headed home on Wednesday. Then the three of us left early Thursday for Caswell Beach for a staff retreat for The Creek, only to finally make it back home Saturday night. And to top things off, Jeremiah left Sunday afternoon to meet my dad halfway and pick up the older three kiddo's...and finally make it back home late last night.

Shew.

Did you catch all that?

Yeah, me neither.

As crazy as it was, we had a great week! Zoe did awesome considering the hours of her life that were spent in a car seat and shuffled around here and there and everywhere. She actually choose last week to start sleeping through the night for us. Perfect timing.

Zoe enjoyed getting some love from her Uncle Luke.

I learned a few things this week:

Always pack more diapers than you think you are going to need.

Ditto for the wipes.

I love the staff at our new church and am so excited to do life and ministry with them.

Why do I even bother bringing the camera?

My older three kids are really getting...well, older.

I really (really) enjoy eating food that other people cook.

There is no place like home.

Happy Monday!

i love it when...

Zoe wakes up from her nap, sweetly stretches her arms up above her head, pooches out her pouty lips...and lets out a man fart.

Ezra comes to me and tells me he "bless you" "fee" times in a row. (translation: he sneezed 3 times)

Eli gives me the play by play on the movie I am watching with him:

"Mom, Bambi trying to walk..." "Mom, Bambi fell down..." Mom, Bambi said burr-ed..."

Ella informs me that God told her that we need to adopt a six year old girl from Ethiopia. Every. Single. Day.

Yep.

It's official.

I have the best kids in the world.

(no offense to all you other parents with lesser children)

the obligatory pumpkin patch pictures

Ah, the pumpkin patch pictures.

It's right up there with the kids under the Christmas tree picture.

Our pumpkin patch of choice this year was Green Level Gourd Farm. I took the kids there last year by myself and got hopelessly lost. As in call my husband in a panic because I have been driving around for 2 hours without seeing signs of life lost.

I happen to know the area a lot better this year...because it is where we are moving to! How bout' that. I certainly would never have thought that this time last year.

But then again I wouldn't have thought we'd have another child in our family...

Or we'd be at a new church...

Or we'd be moving to a new house, new city...

The things that can change in a year.

Back to the pumpkin patch...

My kids are cute.

We all had a blast.

Hay rides are worth the money.

My kids are cute.

I love my family.

And did I mention that my kids are cute?

Not Me Monday

I am always aware of my children's whereabouts and would never, ahem...misplace one of them.

And since I wouldn't misplace one of them, I certainly would never, ahem...misplace two of them.

And they would obviously know better than to go INTO the back door of the house next door to the house we were looking at buying during one of our multiple house hunt festivals. Only to be returned to me by one nice but very surprised neighbor.

Oh, gasp. That would never happen.

Because that would just be awful.

And scary.

And embarrassing.

Nope. Not me.

(And for the record...we are NOT buying that house. I don't think I could face that neighbor again.)

thursday thoughts

Rainy days. Rainy days. Gotta love some rainy days.

Except when your 3 littles are bouncing off the walls with unrestrained energy. I actually had them run on the treadmill yesterday in hopes of using up some of that energy.

Why is it that instead of using up their energy, being active seems to multiply it?

My dear friend Tasha (and family) is in Uganda still in the process of adopting their little girl. They have met some setbacks time wise with court dates and such and it is looking like they will be gone longer than expected. I can hear the many emotions she is feeling in her "voice" as she writes and it just takes me back to all the feelings I experienced when we first adopted Eli.

If you had told me 15 months ago that I would look back on those feelings and it all be a blur I wouldn't have believed you. Not for a second.

BUT God is so faithful. And those feelings are a blur.

Please pray for Tasha and family.

Things are moving along with the new house process. We got the inspection out of the way this week. Found a few surprises...but hopefully nothing the sellers won't balk about fixing.

The kids enjoyed a brief break in the rain earlier this week...

We have been having a fruit fly problem in our house this past week. Those things are seriously annoying. Seriously. And so I went to the wonderful world wide web to google ways to get rid of them. I happened to come across a helpful website that told of a way to catch and release them.

Huh?

Really?!

Who in their right mind would want to catch and release a fruit fly? What is wrong with people?

Moving on...

I did find that placing a small bowl of apple cider vinegar, water, and dish soap does a wonderful job of killing them. No catching and releasing around here.

Happy Thursday!

(unless you happen to be a hambick fruit fly...then your hours are numbered)

you've got a friend

the kids have a favorite park here in durham.

they call it the secret park.

we've been playing there ever since eli joined our family.

there is a certain slide there that ella and ezra love to climb up.

because up is the new down to those two.

eli has never ever attempted to go up this one.

but longingly watched his siblings from the sidelines.

until...

ella spoke to him "come on buddy, you can do it. i will help."

and off he went.

fear stalled him about halfway up.

good thing ella was right there.

supporting him.

pushing him.

and so.

for the first time.

he did it.

they did it.

a tiny huge miracle.

the moments that make my life.

zoe elizabeth: two months

I know, I know. How in the world is she two months old already?

How. In. The. World?

(sigh)

She is such a doll baby. She is smiling all the time now and tries her hardest to laugh. And she has the cutest squinty eye smile where her eyes just scrunch up and clear disappear...

She seems to save all her special smiles just for her Daddy. And I think she likes his new office...

She is a chunky monkey. I moved her up to size 2 diapers this week. And she is wearing size 3 mos clothes already. Even a few 3-6mos outfits. On our not official scale she checks in at 12lbs +. I love it. I love the rolls. I love the squishiness. I love the smooshiness. LOVE it.

She is starting to engage with some toys and move around a bit. I have been surprised on two occasions this week when I went to get her up from a nap to find her rolled over.

She loves to sleep on her tummy.

She is not a paci girl.

She still eats about every 3 hours during the day. After eating we play for a little bit and then she naps. She goes down for the night around 8-9pm and will sleep until around 7am the next morning...waking 1 to 2 times between then to eat. She settles right back down after each feeding, so I am not complaining one bit.

She does not enjoy her car seat much.

Her eyes are dark and lovely and sparkly and slowly turning (what we think will be) brown.

She really loves her bath time.

And she really loves when all her brothers and sister play around her. Toys are not nearly as necessary with child #4. And who can blame her, her siblings are quite the entertainment.

I can't imagine life without her.

I can't even remember life without her at this point.

Happy two months my sweet Zoe Elizabeth!

memory monday: morning vapors

James 4:14

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while and then it's gone.

I'm not promised tomorrow.

I'm not promised tomorrow with my kids. Or my husband.

My life is not a dress rehearsal and I don't get a do-over.

Just a reminder to myself to not get so caught up in the urgent that I miss the truly important.

saturday morning light

i love saturdays.

i love the morning light as it streams into our living room.

and i love waking up to this little girl every morning.

i think she likes the light too.

once upon a (rest)time

I found this story in Ella's journal that she writes in during her "rest" time...

Here's the translation:

Once upon a time there was a little girl.

Her name was Ella Hambrick.

She loved doing school.

But one day her mom said she could not do school.

She cried so much that then Ella's mom changed her mind.

The End.

thursday thoughts

I love this.

And this made me rofl...

(that's "roll on the floor laughing" for those of you not as cool as me)

(ok, honestly...i didn't know what rofl stood for either. i had to look it up. i'm so lame.)

I also love the fact that we HAVE A HOUSE to move into.

Woop. Woop.

After six long weeks of house hunting and finding houses and losing houses and finding houses and losing houses...we finally got a contract to stick. Smack dab on a great house.

I am also in love with this weather this week. Perfect. (Except if this is Tasha reading this...then the weather has been awful and you aren't missing anything!)

My kids have been taking full advantage of this weather and been playing outside all the time. One of their favorite things to do has been making me birthday cake, au natural. This one was a delicious dark chocolate...

Our resident cake boss, hard at work...

You know you want one.

The cake, not the girl...she's mine. And I'm not sharing =)

Happy Thursday!

Homeschooling: The Color Wheel

One of the earliest "school" memories I have is sitting in my elementary art class learning about the color wheel. I remember being fascinated by the fact that I could make all the colors I wanted just by mixing the 3 primary colors. Yes, I know...I was (and still am) a bit artsy fartsy and those kinda things are right up my alley. Color theory in college...ah, heaven!

Anyways, I was excited to take a break from our books and did a lesson on the color wheel for my kiddo's. Although, I'm not sure their excitement quite matched mine.

With this lesson came a big (HUGE) new step in my teaching Ella. After I explained the concept of the color wheel she actually asked me, "How do you know this?"

As in, I am not going to just take your word for it...I need to see this for myself. The first time in our schooling process where she hasn't just taken what I've said as truth.

I was so excited for that question as one of my mail goals in teaching my children is for them not to just take my word, but to know for themselves...and to give them the tools to learn to decipher and investigate. To not just turn off their brains and believe me, but to really really know things for themselves.

And so we broke out the paints and set off to see if what I said was really true...

The above picture was Ella's final "proof". She was quick to point out that the orange was more peach than true orange (she is my daughter after all!), but finally conceded that in theory, the color wheel theory was true.

But I have a feeling the real lesson of the day went far beyond the color wheel.

Sidenote: I didn't think it was worth taking a picture of the boys "work" as somehow all their color mixing just ended up as brown, ha!

Not Me Monday (on tuesday because i somehow totally missed monday)

I did not let my daughter play "beauty parlor" on me and go all out with my make up.

I did not let my daughter play "hairdresser" and attempt to cornrow my hair.

And the final effects were not...shall we say...breathtaking. As in "you would stop breathing in surprise if you saw me."

And, of course, I would get caught up in nursing the baby and feeding the other kids lunch (and so on and so forth...) and forget the new look I was sporting.

And, of course, the UPS man did not choose that afternoon to make a delivery.

And, of course, I did not open the door looking like a 1980's fashion model gone very wrong.

And, he, of course, did not stare and stare at my breathtaking new look.

And, I, of course, would not think he was a bit rude and inappropriate.

Nope. Not me.