Say That Again?

This morning, Elizabeth informed Isaac and me that we need to say "zero" instead of "all gone" or "nothing" because "that's the mathtistic way to say it."

Tonight I made a Moroccan chicken dish (delicious, if I do say so myself!). Elizabeth liked it too. "Mama, you're right! I love Maraca food."

Back to School

Elizabeth has been home from school for two days with a mild fever/cough/congestion. I hate having her miss so much school so early in the year (have to save up for Breezy week in January!) but everyone is being so careful about exposure and contagion nowadays!

The rule most places is that kids need to be fever-free and symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school. That means that they can almost never miss only one day in a row!

She's very excited to return tomorrow.

Beautiful Weather

Isn't this cooler weather glorious? Break out the sweaters, light some candles, heat up a warm beverage, and enjoy!

Of course, those simple pleasures that I enjoy so much aren't nearly as fun when I spend ALL DAY pacing the house with a screeching fussy baby who won't nap, but you can enjoy them for me!

New Birthday Tradition

Amelie turns one on Thursday, October 1, and we decided to make her birthday tradition a family trip to an apple orchard. (After all, how many hiking pictures can one mama scrapbook?) Since it was gorgeous out this afternoon, we seized the opportunity. Amelie had a great time climbing pumpkins and crawling in the dirt. Thank goodness for little black pants that hide dirt stains! I had a great time with the camera.

There's No Stopping Her

Amelie had a busy day. In addition to learning to walk, she discovered the joys of climbing. And I discovered the ear-peircing shriek she lets out when I try to deter her from her newfound hobby.

"Why be content with sitting on a chair? I can stand!"

"Mom, you know I'm not moving. I can sit here all day." (Notice that I got wise to this and stuck pillows underneath the chair.)
"Do I hear a shout-out? Look at me - one hand!" (Notice I got even wiser and upgraded to couch cushions. If you can't stop the climbing, you might as well allow it and not worry about it.)

"No hands! Let's all clap for me!"

Elizabeth: "Is a photo shoot going on without me? Let me join in!"

Amelie: "Look what climbing enables me to do: I can reach pictures on the wall!"

Safety note: Amelie actually played on the chair for a long time without falling and then carefully climbed down all by herself. Really. It was very impressive. Think I should bother with the couch cushions tomorrow?

Look Who's WALKING!

Amelie took two steps in a row a couple times this morning. Then suddenly this afternoon, she decided she could walk and repeatedly took 6 or 7 steps at a time!

A big girl who can walk should really have her own cell phone, you know.

"Wait, hold on. I have to take a call."
"Oof. It's really hard to stand back up with a phone in your hands."

"Hey, did I just do what I thought I did? I'm pretty cool!"

I think this is the beginning of yet another new age at the VanLoon house!

Random Conversations from Around Our House

Elizabeth: "Mommy, I'm just so proud of myself for being a kindergartner."

Me: "Amelie, say 'Mama!'"
Amelie: "Dada."
(Every time!)

Me, after finding out that Elizabeth feels sad at recess because she misses me: "Honey, if you really, really feel sad, you can go up to Mrs. Johnson and tell her that you miss your mommy."
Elizabeth: "Well, I already go up to her every recess and ask her when I get to go home."
(Elizabeth actually loves kindergarten and is excited to go every morning. And yesterday, after we talked about her feeling sad at recess, she had a great recess time!)

Me: "Amelie, who put drool all over my arm?"
Amelie: "Dada!"

Elizabeth: "I want to ride the bus every day. Do you know why I like to ride the bus so much?"
Me: "No, why?"
Elizabeth: "Because it goes super fast and is really bumpy. And if you're the third person in the seat, it's hard to stay in your seat without falling into the aisle!"
Me: "So you like the bus because it's like going on a ride at the fair?"
Elizabeth: "Yes!"

Me: "Amelie, what does a cow say?"
Amelie: "Moo!"
(I know. You were expecting "Dada" on that one, weren't you?)

Did You Know?

• Did you know that if a baby gets so many crumbs in her hair that she requires an emergency bath, the crumbs do not come out with shampoo and you have to pick them out individually?
• Did you know that no matter how consistent you are, a five-year-old can still believe that throwing a tantrum will get her what she wants?
• Did you know that hauling 20 pounds around all day does not give you arm muscles that you can see from across the street?
• Did you know that laundry multiplies exponentially and miraculously never runs out? Same with dishes on the counter, come to think of it.

Just a few thoughts.

First of Many

Elizabeth had her first art class today. She got to draw a picture of whatever she wanted. She chose to draw Daddy watching TV.

I wonder what her art teacher thinks of our family.

I told this story to my dad. He laughed and said it's just the first of many similar incidents. Great!

Lesson Learned

It doesn't matter if you arrive at the bus stop 15 minutes early if 30 seconds before the bus arrives, you realize that your backpack and lunch are sitting next to your front door.

Thank God for our own means of transportation!

Getting Things Done

In my Bible Study right now I'm being challenged to cede all control of my life to God. They specify that this means giving Him my worries and all that I'm anxious about. I'm not usually a worrier; His faithfulness to me has been so apparent that it's easy to trust Him and not dwell on things I can't change. But I am a controller: I tend to be self-sufficient and can find myself relying on me to get things done rather than on God. I try to make sure things in my life go the way I want them to.

My question is this: how do I know when I am relying on myself and when I am relying on God while solving problems and getting things done by His grace? After all, He gave my mind, my decision-making powers, etc. Is it simply the act of acknowledging God's preeminence in my life? As long as I pray and say "Your will be done, not mine," does that mean I am free to problem solve as I see fit while listening and responding to God's voice (if I can hear it)?

Maybe this question will go away when I get better at recognizing God's voice and hearing His will for my life. I am very excited about growing in that area! This post doesn't make a lot of sense as I reread it, so I guess I'm just trying to share some things I've been thinking about lately. Any thoughts?

Settling In? (Please, God?)

After a very rough first two days home with Amelie, this morning went GREAT! She was generally cheerful and not quite as needy. I woke up early (for me) and did my whole Bible Study while Isaac got the girls breakfast. Then I got Elizabeth ready for school and made her lunch, and read the paper while Isaac brought her to school. When he got back home with Amelie, the house was tidy and I was ready to face the day!

Amelie and I played for a while, and then I put her the baby backpack and swept and mopped the whole house! After assorted other chores, we picked up a new wastebasket at WalMart (ours stunk so badly that I could not face cleaning it out!) and came back for lunch. Lunch is easy because I make Amelie's at the same time I make Elizabeth's!

I'm the back-up baby-sitter for Elizabeth's friend Isabelle (who is also five but has half-day kindergarten) and her 2-year-old brother. I have them today, and they're being their usual angel selves. It actually makes my day easier to have the extra kids! They'll come with me to pick Elizabeth up at kindergarten.

Right now, Amelie and Luke are napping, Isabelle is playing happily with Elizabeth's toys, and I have free time! Please, God, can it be like this every day?

New Speed Record

I haven't been able to run as much as I would like lately, due to a combination of factors (Amelie, Isaac's work schedule, my commitment to spending time alone with God, and my own dislike of waking up early). But today I had time for a brief run, and I killed my old speed record! I did 2 miles in 17:24, and my previous recorded best was 18:44! I'm really proud of breaking 9 minute miles!

West Wing Pleasure

Isaac and I have been borrowing episodes of The West Wing from the library and devouring them like popcorn (okay, real popcorn may be involved as well. And lots of ice cream). We don't agree with all the politics but really like the characters. We're on Season 2 now.

The drama follows members of the President's staff. Several episodes have focused on the fact that the staff serves "at the pleasure of the President." You have to admire the loyalty and dedication in that sentiment.

Today I read II Corinthians 5:9 - "So we make it our goal to please Him [the Lord]." How cool is that? We serve at the pleasure of the Lord! I just think that's really cool.

Post-Kindergarten Success!

Here's Elizabeth coming out the door to meet me after kindergarten (the picture caught her somewhere in the middle of giving her teacher five on the way out the door). See the happy smile hiding behind the hand?

She reports that her favorite part was "everything" and was full of stories about her day (three people had apple juice boxes at lunch, no one cried because they missed their parents but one person got a little owie, they got to go to the playground TWO times, and the play food in the pretend kitchen looks very real).

We had talked about how she'll have to eat her lunch much faster than she does at home, and she proudly reported that she finished everything in her lunch just in time. When we got home and I unpacked her lunchbox, I discovered half her lunch in there that she hadn't noticed! So we added a half-lunch to her afternoon snack. All in all, it was a great day.

Amelie missed her sister a LOT and was pretty much a bear all day. I hope she adjusts fast.

First Day of Kindergarten

Here's my big girl on her first day of kindergarten. Isn't she beautiful?

When we left her, she was excitedly sitting at her table waiting for everyone else to arrive. What a big girl! I can't wait to hear how her first day went. (I get to pick her up at 3:35!)

Excitement and Fear

Elizabeth commented today how funny it is that she can be excited and scared to start school at the same time. I started thinking about the truth in that statement. Aren't we often excited and scared simultaneously? Think about some situations: starting school, starting a new job, going on a ride at the fair, having a baby, getting married, buying a house, and so on.

It's easy to get excited about new things, and I think that as humans, we frequently fear new things as well. It's part of our nature. How wonderful that God knew we would feel that way, planned for it, and promises to be with us the entire time! He will never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:6). When we pass through the waters, God is with us. When we pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over us (Isaiah 43:2).

As I think about scary public schools, shaky economic and financial situations, and threats both domestic and foreign, I am reassured to know that God is with me. He has guided people through worse situations and He is faithful to do the same for me. Read Psalm 91 and feel comforted from fear.

Amelie's First Step(s)!

Amelie took her first step today. And her second. And third and fourth. None of them were consecutive, but she's definitely working on this new skill! Yeah, Amelie!

If Only That Came With Age

Today I asked one of Elizabeth's friends (who had just had a birthday) how it felt to be five.

Without pausing a beat, she looked at me seriously and answered, "Very smart."

Wouldn't that be nice?

Last Summer Hike

Since it ws such a beautiful afternoon today, we spontaneously decided to hike. We chose the bank opposite the side of the Mississippi River where we had such a great hike on Elizabeth's birthday. We ended up finding a great trail to run on pushing the jogging stroller: wide, flat, and straight. It was a great trail for running but that's really the opposite of the way we like to hike. So we abandoned the effort after a couple miles and retreated to a fun castle park in Eagan. At the park, Elizabeth could climb and Amelie could eat sand to her heart's content. It was totally worth the drive. As a bonus, we stopped at Sam's Club on the way home and now we have food to eat again!

Guess Who's Talking!

Amelie said her first official word in context today: "Dada" (Daddy). We think she's been saying it for several days, but since she frequently babbles "dadada," we wanted to wait until we were sure she really meant Daddy. She's a huge Daddy's girl so this is a very fitting first word!

I love this stage. I can't wait for what's next.

State Fair

For Elizabeth's birthday this year, my parents promised her a special day at the State Fair. Today, my mom took the girls and me to the fair to redeem the present. It was fantastic! Since it was a birthday gift, we did things that we've never done before, like ride three different rides and buy lots of different kinds of fair food. It was so much fun!

A trip to the Fair simply isn't complete without a visit to Little Farm Hands. Check out the matching green sunglasses and hat.

We all rode the SkyCab, which is my favorite splurge at the fair. I was worried that Amelie would scream the whole time in the enclosed space, but she liked it too.

Elizabeth stared dreamily out the SkyCab window.

Amelie needed space to crawl around. A growing girl just can't be cooped up so long.

It's very hard to get both girls to smile genuinely at the same time.

It's not hard to get a genuine (if somewhat dreamy again) smile when you're eating cotton candy and snuggling with Grandma.

Elizabeth tried the little kids' swing ride and then moved up to the big kid one. She loved it and kicked her legs and laughed the whole time. (This picture was taken on the ground.)

Amelie rode in the stroller a lot more than I expected her to, but still spent significant time in the backpack and in my arms.

It's very hard to resist sticking your face into phot opportunities. I love Grandma's gray hair sticking out over the top of the picture.

We can't resist a fire tower. Grandma sat the climb out, but I brought Amelie up in the backpack. Usually that's Isaac's job, so I appreciated that the DNR fire tower was only 65 feet instead of the usual 100!

Here's hoping for another great birthday next year! Thanks, Mom!

An Ode to Sorting Clothes

How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.
I hate thee to the depth and breadth and height
Your piles can reach, when feeling out of sight
From the shoved-in-a-corner 3T clothes that fit no one.
I hate thee to the level of every day's
Most avoided chore, by sun and clock-radio-light.
I hate thee freely, as boxes clutter my basement and refuse to be closed.
I hate thee purely, as I can't remember whether that 4T shirt fits more like a 3T or a 5T.
I hate thee with a passion usually reserved
For sticky high chair trays and dried up meat.
I hate thee with a hate I used to save
For bushels of laundry overflowing the bins.
I hate thee with the breath, groans, grunts, of all my life - yet if God choose,
I shall only miss thee when my girls no longer need me
To sort their clothes and I long for the simple tasks I can do for them now.

(With my apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning for mangling her beautiful sonnet!)

Lookin' Good for Pictures

At a friend's house yesterday, Elizabeth flipped over the handlebars of a little toy car and landed on her mouth. The friend's mom calmed her down with a video and ice until I got there, and then we headed off for a fun afternoon at the dentist. It turns out that Elizabeth is just fine: a chipped tooth, a split lip, and some bruising around her top teeth, but nothing that won't heal on its own. We've given God a lot of work to do keeping us safe lately!

Here's Elizabeth today, a day after her incident. The lip is scabbing over and she wants to point out the princess band-aid on her arm.

Won't she look lovely as we meet her teachers and classmates tomorrow at her open house?