Sep. 14, 2006 - Our trip to Utah –part two

We chose Utah because my sister who lives there had a baby girl last month.  We needed to visit her and meet the baby, so we piggybacked our week of vacation with the family visit.

We stayed in a condo that had a full kitchen so that we could make and eat our own food in.  This saved us money and made us feel better as eating out too much can really make you feel sick after a while.  We used our saved money for amusement.  We had a blast.

·        We spent a day in the pool, which was huge and beautiful and had a waterslide.  Living where we live, this kind of swimming fun is definitely a treat.

·        One day I was sick, so Mike took the bigger boys to Park City, the site of the recent winter Olympic games.  They had a blast riding the roller coaster and huge slide.  Definitely a first time experience for them.

·        A family member who is in the air force took us on the tour of the base.  We were able to look inside the cockpit of a fighter jet.

·        We went to a dino-park and that was really fun.  We just had to make sure the boys understood what the Bible says about creation and that some people don’t know or believe what the Bible teaches. 

·        We rented Jet Ski’s at the lake.  I got the ok from my OB and all but our toddler were able to cruise the lake on the high-powered jet skies.  We had such a good time!

Here we are happy to be home putting things back in order.  A great break was had by all and we are thankful to have had the luxury. 

One unfortunate thing however: we arrived home to find that our kitties have either found another home, gone on vacation themselves or became a meal for the coyotes in our absence.  We will miss them for sure.

~Amy

Sep. 12, 2006 - Back from our 1,000-mile vacation –part one

We had a great time visiting the beehive state of Utah.  It was all that I think a vacation should be, lots of non-routine, tons of fun, a bit of rest, physical activity, more togetherness, with the end result of everyone happy to be back home to status quo.

We divided up our long drive so that the first day we drove 2/3’s of our trip and the second day we only had to drive 1/3.  This worked really well.  We spent the night between in hotels that had pools hoping to get all our energy out, but learned that indoor “heated” pool means different things to different people!  Next time, I think we will just opt for a hotel near a good park.

When we needed to stop for meals, we would pick up some food, and then go straight to a park.  Mike and I would eat at the park while the boys played and ran.  We would run with them after we were finished.  Then, when they were hungry, they ate their food in the car while we drove.  This worked perfectly!

If you have a long drive ahead of you, I highly recommend getting or borrowing a GPS system!  We have affectionately named our Meredith (it is a woman’s voice) and we LOVE her!  Whenever we needed to go to the bathroom, we would simply ask Meredith where the nearest Starbucks was (well, of course we needed coffee at about the same intervals!) and Meredith is how we were always able to find a park no matter where we were.  Also, Meredith allowed us to eat the things we wanted like a fresh Subway sandwich rather than being stuck with the gut-bombs found under the yellow arches off the side of the road.  In addition, we could look at Meredith any time and know what time would be arriving at our destination and where we were on our map.  And of course she did her main job of telling us the best route and when and where to turn.  Yeah… we really like Meredith.

For in the car, some of my plans worked and some did not.  Here is what I brought and how it fared.

1. I traced a map of each state (we went through four) and showed our route through the states as well as the larger cities we would be passing along the way, as well as our planned stops.  This was really a success for the boys to know where we were in our journey and to understand the geography of it all.  It is a poor trace job and I have terrible handwriting, but it worked great anyway!
2. I printed out state maps for the license plate game.  We colored in a state every time we saw a matching license plate.  To be honest, I liked this game the most, I think the boys are a little young for it.  But it was fun for them to watch me get excited every time I saw a new plate and color in their maps for them.
3. I wrapped a bunch of snacks and little things for them to unwrap along the way.  This was silly.  The wrapping paper was a mess, and it just didn’t provide the magic I was thinking it would.  They were happy with the snack or treat but I don’t think the wrapping added anything but mess.  Not worth my time.
4. My youngest watched his first video ever.  I guess when they are strapped into a car seat they are interested in things.  Miss Patty Cake has stolen another of my boy’s hearts.
5. The several audio books that we bought for the family to listen to did not work for us.  We listen to them all the time at home, but for some reason on this trip the road noise was too much for any of us to follow along.  In the future, when we are on these kinds of roads I think earphones will solve this problem.
6. Mike does not get car sick, so he was able to read aloud to us all as I drove.  This worked as long as his voice held out and was really enjoyable for us all.
7. We kept our usual rods in the car so that our discipline could be consistent and look just as it does at home.  This was good for all.
8. We tried to keep our nap and eat routine the same as usual.  This was really helpful and really do-able.

I think these are the main things that we did for the 15 hours we drove there and back.  The older boys were never a problem; my toddler was true to my predictions and got sick of it after a while.  But we made it, he survived and so did we.  I write about our actual week of vacation next time. 

Have a great Tuesday and happy schooling!

~Amy

[edit] picture of Meredith for the curious

Aug. 31, 2006 - Sunk costs

Sunk costs.  Mike and I tend to use this term a lot in our marriage and family life.  It means that if you have already paid for something, there is no reason to pay for it again.  I first learned this term when we were dating.  Were we out at a restaurant and after eating some of my dinner, I realized that I was full.  So I stopped eating.  It baffled Mike to see half of my food left on my plate, so we began to talk about it.  To me it seemed that I paid a certain price to fill my tummy with a certain meal, just as Mike had done.  There is no reason for me to pay for it again using the currency of an uncomfortable stomach –it wouldn’t bring what I had already paid for it back.  Mike (who used to be a CPA) explained that this is the concept of “sunk costs”, that I made sense, and that he would love to take the leftover food home in a box.

One of our favorite times to use this term (at this point in our lives) is while on vacation.  For instance, when we went camping this last weekend, we paid for two nights at the campsite.  We knew we only wanted to stay for one night, but we wanted to enjoy the full second day all the way through dinner.  Since check out is at 12, the only way we could get what we want was to pay for two nights. 

Another example is our trip to the mountains last year.  It seems to work best for our family to drive in the evening and get home late.  But check out time is always in the early afternoon.  And one of the things we enjoy while on vacation is naptime (from 1 to 3 Mike and I get to read, play games just the two of us, etc.).  So we leave after dinner the night before we have to check out.  At first it was hard to do because we had paid for that night in the condo.  Then we remembered the principle of sunk costs.  There is nothing we can do about the fact they make us pay for that night we are not there in order to enjoy the evening we are.  It would be easy to stay that last night simply because we had paid for it.  If we did however it would mean that we would be paying for it twice.  Once with money and the second time using the currency of not traveling when it works best for our family.

If your family finds yourself in a circumstance that is not working, be willing to think beyond what you have already paid.  I am not saying be wasteful with your money. If there is a way around paying for it in the first place then by all means do, and be careful with your choices initially.  But once you are in a circumstance, remember that you do not have to pay for something twice --and money is not the only currency!

~Amy

Aug. 19, 2006 - Another question for the wise

As I anticipate the arrival of our fourth child in January, I’m beginning to wonder how long our seven-passenger van will work for us.  It works well for us now and I love having space to change diapers, change clothes, discipline, --oh and seat our family.  I also have enjoyed having an extra seat to bring a grandma on a ride here or there.  I do sometimes wish we had a little more room so that I could bring other kids (and friends) with us here or there.  But with kids needing to be in a car/booster seat for so long this is not possible in our current van.

So what do you families of four or more kids drive?  What do you hope to drive when you are a larger family (if you are not currently)?  If the Lord blesses us with more children what should we drive?  What are our options?  What do you like or not like about your or a friends vehicle?  I am interested in ease of seating, space for strollers and junk, and how it is to actually drive (can you park it in a normal parking lot?).  So leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts. 

Thanks, and happy Saturday, Amy

Aug. 17, 2006 - What we’ve been up to

For the last two weeks we have been doing swimming lessons.  Considering the fact that we live in an area surrounded by water and the fact that I am a terrible swimmer (and have always wished I was better) I thought lessons were a good idea.  Getting three kids (5 and under) up, fed, ready, and sun-screened –along with the necessary bags packed—and getting us all to the pool (20 minutes away) BY 8:15am has been a challenge though!  So I have been tired.  The kids have been tired.  And the company we’ve had pretty steadily (different people) for the last month or two has added a bit to the tiredness.  But it’s all good!

Most of all I am thankful for how these two weeks have shown me how it would NOT work for our family to rush out of the house every day to get kids to school.  It has significantly changed the pace and peace in our home.  I feel this is ok for a short period of time, but I really cannot imagine it being our lifestyle.  We certainly do not laze around every day in our normal routine, but keeping kids at home is very different than rushing them out of the house!  There is time to discipline for the things that come up at any time of the day.  There is time to stop what I am doing and praise and hug these sweet kids of mine.  I have way more creative energy when we are at home more and the important things can get done first (like our devotions after breakfast at the table –all together and NOT rushed!).  The bottom line is that we all get to choose how the atmosphere of our homes will be.  And I think it is especially up to the mom to set the tone.  We need to choose what things are worth our rush (like getting to church on time) and what things are not according to our values.  We need to start with our values (that we get from God’s Word of course) and work from there. 

Just like vacations are nice (for a week or two) but in the end cause me to better appreciate the norm.  I have found these weeks of an added outside-the-home-thing show me how good we have it that we have not jumped on the school bus!  I will So enjoy this September!

~Amy

Aug. 12, 2006 - Conservative taking over the world?!

I recently read an article that fascinated me and thought you might enjoy it too.  Unfortunately, you have to subscribe to WORLD magazine in order to view the entire article online.  So I will quote enough that you can enjoy the main points of the article.  It was written by Joel Belz and published in the May 6, 2006 copy of WORLD magazine. 

Two years ago, Mr. Longman argued in an article in Foreign Affairs that most experts, and most of the media elite, were getting a very important issue wrong. "Most people think overpopulation is one of the worst dangers facing the globe," he summarized. "In fact, the opposite is true. As countries get richer, their populations age and the birth rates plummet. And this is not just a problem of rich countries; the developing world is also getting older fast. Falling birthrates might seem beneficial, but the economic and social price is too steep to pay. The right policies could help turn the tide, but only if enacted before it's too late."

Mr. Longman's journal article was a summary of his 2004 book, The Empty Cradle: Freedom and Fertility in an Aging World. In it, he argued that the rate of population growth has fallen by more than 40 percent since the 1960s, and that the number of human beings on the planet could well start to decline within the lifetime of today's children. Demographers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, he said, "predict that human population will peak (at 9 billion) by 2070 and then start to contract."

Even by 2045, Mr. Longman points out, UN projections suggest that the world's fertility rate as a whole will have fallen below replacement levels.

In an article in the newest issue of Foreign Policy, he suggests that leaving ideology aside and focusing only on demographics, conservatives are destined to inherit the earth.

The statistics simply don't lie. Mr. Longman says that "nearly 20 percent of women born in the late 1950s are reaching the end of their reproductive lives without having had children"—and that such a proportion is nearly twice what it was a generation earlier. This "greatly expanded childless segment of contemporary society, whose members are drawn disproportionately from the feminist and countercultural movements of the 1960s and 70s, will leave no genetic legacy." The children they might have influenced, Mr. Longman says candidly, were never born.

Conservatives, meanwhile—typically including lots of evangelical Christians—have gone right on having babies. In doing so, they may be profoundly increasing their influence in the world at large. Nor is this impact just a fuzzy researcher's theory. Fertility rates in the states carried in 2004 by George W. Bush are 11 percent higher, Mr. Longman says, than in states won by John Kerry. In other words, conservative dominance might be expected to continue to grow where a majority has already been established, while what he calls "progressive" political influence will probably shrink.

Overall, the Longman theory points to the "emergence of a new society whose members will disproportionately be descended from parents who rejected the social tendencies that once made childlessness and small families the norm. These values include an adherence to traditional, patriarchal religion, and a strong identification with one's own folk or nation."

Or, less academically, you might want to revisit all those jokes you've heard about how big homeschooling families could take over the world. If, of course, you're really committed to those so-called "progressive" ideas, you may not think the joke is very funny.

All I can say is, I LOVE IT!!!!  It’s like God has a plan or something!

~Amy

Aug. 10, 2006 - Another question for the wise

So, I have this very, very active and physical 19-month-old boy.

We are planning a two-day driving trip next month and I am quite worried about what to do with this guy!  I have a ton of plans and ideas for my other two boys, but all of these don’t work for the little one.  Examples include disposable cameras, a family journal, alphabet games, and books on tape, etc. etc.  But what to do with the toddler?!  If you have any ideas for me --especially if they have actually worked for you please let me know!  I have enough time to plan, purchase, or make whatever will work I just haven’t a clue what that is.  Please help!

~Amy

Aug. 1, 2006 - Good times

We had a great time visiting our mountain this weekend.  We live in such a beautiful place!  We had a wonderful time with another family hiking, scrambling, getting dirty and playing hard!  As Mike prayed at lunch, it is hard to imagine what heaven will be like when God has made it so beautiful here!

Here is my oldest mountain climber

My middle climber

And my littlest can do it too!  Do you see how dirty he is?

Don't think I'm just a bystander that's (pregnant) me pushing the stroller in the snow!

So thankful for days like this!

~Amy

Jul. 27, 2006 - In other news

My friends and family that know me will be shocked by this next announcement.  You see I am not an animal lover and I really don’t like cats.  It has something to do with the fact that my entire life every time I am around one my eyes start to burn, water and itch, my nose and throat…. Well you get the idea, they make me sick (literally) to the point of asthma. 

We live on acres of grass, which means that we have lots and lots of mice.  So we figured we should get some barn cats to help us with the mice issues.  Yesterday a friend dropped off the kittens.  Yes we now have:

ONE

TWO

THREE

Kittens!

Obviously the kids are in love with them and they are cute --even I can admit.

~Amy

Jul. 27, 2006 - Food for thought

I am reading Family Practice which is edited by R.C.Sproul, Jr. and I am just finishing the forward.  But I read a quote last night that I thought was really clever. 

"Andrew Lytle argued that the American family was destroyed not by Hollywood or Washington, but by central heating.  Before its advent, families stayed together by the fire.  You could either have peace and warmth, or bicker and be cold."

I have read/heard a lot of different blames about why whole healthy families have become a thing of the past.  This was a new idea for me.  Really, I think like most of our ills it is our sin we should blame, but this was clever.

Do what you can to get your family around the proverbial fire today.

~Amy

Jul. 23, 2006 - A question answered

Greekhoneybee  asked some good questions in her comment to my post about the blessings of covenant worship.  I thought it would be neat to have my husaband Mike answer her question and he was happy to do so.  After reading his answer, I think that it warrents repeating instead of remaining in the comments only where it might get missed.  So here is Mike response:

Posted by Mike (Amy's husband)

With regards to the idea of having your daughter with you in worship, I will assume that since you are here in this blog community, you are inclined toward the idea of homeschooling.. I would suggest to your husband that the same reasons to homeschool during the week also apply on Sunday. Who do you want to shape your daughter's character? Who is best fit to be a model in worship--you and your husband or a bunch of other four-year-olds? For Amy and me, homeschooling is all about being single biggest influence on your child's character. As far as that mission goes, Sunday is no different than any other day. I would appeal to your husband's desire to be consistent in parental choices (I assume he has that desire). Just be warned that it may not bear immediate fruit, so you can't just decide to have your kids with you in worship because it will "work better." It won't immediately be better. You have to be convinced of the decision from a philosophical as opposed to a utilitarian position. It's a commitment to a long term commitment. You may even direct him to this discussion so he can see the fruit of others who have gone this route w/ worship. I hope that helps!

Jul. 20, 2006 - Thankful

You know you are out of the first trimester of pregnancy when:

1. You no longer measure how you feel on a scale from slightly yucky to really terrible.
2. When your husband comes home and asks how your day was you start saying “really good” once again.
3. You can make your kids laugh again.
4. You start thinking of projects and chores and ideas to do again.
5. You desire to get some exercise.
6. You want to eat everything and a lot of it.
7. People can tell you are pregnant just by looking at you now.
8. You are just giddy about the coming baby.
9. You are ready to get out of bed in the mornings.
10. And the nesting instinct begins to get real strong.

I am so thankful to be past that first stage.  I am also thankful for all the help and encouragement that I received from bloggshpere.  I read the blogs of people that I want to learn from.  Blogs of people that I think are doing well and hearing from these people (read your name here) that I would make it, that I was being prayed for, and that it is ok for my kids/family to have a season of a little less was very helpful for me.  So thank you, I am blessed indeed.

Allow me to show off.  Can you see my little sweetheart?

~Amy

Jul. 19, 2006 - Excellent gift ideas –part one

While Stacy is away on vacation, I think I will use her “blogging” days (you knew we had a schedule didn’t you?  Of course we do!  We love schedules!) to share some of the amazing gifts she has given me in the past.  I do this not only to brag on Stacy’s amazing creative ability, but I know that I am always looking for meaningful gifts for others.  Since imitation is the finest form of flattery I am sure Stacy will not mind if you would like to copy her and give these same gifts to those you love.  If you have questions about the details of how to do these things I am sure that help is there for the asking! 

So here is one of my favorites.  Stacy gave me this last year for my birthday.  It is a canvas that she bought already stretched around a square frame.  She painted it a burnt orange (because this is my favorite color) and made a sort of scrapbook page of three of my most favorite people, my boys.  She added words that describe my little men and decoupage over the top of it all.  I look at this often as it is hanging in my kitchen and I will love it forever! 

So here it is scanned in and close up:

And here it is as it hangs on my wall:

As an aside I will add that I have given scrapbook pages as gifts a few times and it has been met with pleasure.  While I do not have the skill that Stacy does people love the pictures and the sentiment and message declared by the way they are put together.  I gave a page of my boys and their daddy to Mike as a father’s day gift one year.  It just went right into our family scrapbook, but it was the time and effort (and end product) that meant something to Mike (plus they don’t need another tie).  As a mother’s day gift for Mike’s mom one year I framed a scrapbook page of her and Mike and the boys.  It ended up looking pretty good and she liked it a lot.  Anyway, the point is that after you put all that work into scrap-booking you might want to think outside the “book” as far as what to do with the end product.  And Stacy’s gift is an excellent example. 

~Amy

Jul. 6, 2006 - Typical for us

I love this picture because it really shows life around here these days.  My 19 month old is always running somewhere!  He only stops to eat, sleep, or explain to me that he thinks he is the boss (and consequently receive my explanation that God made me the boss).  My 5-year-old and 3-year-old are the best of buddies.  They are crazy, active, goofy and fun.  They fight but get over it quickly and at the end of the day love each other with a love that I pray will last.  It makes me smile to see this picture because this is the best kind of portrait, it's a slice of life being lived and enjoyed!

~Amy

Jul. 4, 2006 - Not alike in every way

While Stacy and I do have a lot in common including our birthday (within a day), our philosophies, and our values there are many things that we do not have in common.  I thought it would be good to post some of these things so that our blogging friends do not begin to think we are clones.

• Most obvious: Stacy has brown eyes and brown hair while I have blue eyes and (umm… well used to have) blond hair.
• Stacy is artistic, I am mathematical.
• Stacy is a morning person; I very much am not.
• Stacy is an excellent cook, I am learning.
• I enjoy cleaning and organizing, Stacy is learning.
• Stacy has always wanted only to be a stay-at-home mom, while I went through a feminism phase (and I’m sorry).
• Stacy’s major in college was graphic design, mine was political science (for a few quarters) then communication (for a quarter) then inter-cultural missions until I got married and then pregnant (I am still a few classes shy of finishing…)
• Stacy married a quiet man; I very much did not.
• Stacy can be a perfectionist while I often care most about just getting it done.

So there are just a few of our differences.  It is like any relationship: the things that we have in common make our friendship easy and enjoyable and the things that are different help us to learn and grow.

Happy Fourth of July! 

~Amy

Jun. 29, 2006 - Our mini vacation

Jun. 21, 2006 - Amy's been tagged...

...but she's still driving back from Oregon.  And she's not really into these kinds of things, so I'll do it for her.

-Mike

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.

... your cooperative extension office, land-grant...

(from the Private Applicator Pesticide Education Manual; I need to be able to use the strong stuff to keep up w/ our land, so I'm studying up for the test)

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch? 
An unopened box of printer ink, my brief case, the binder for my paintball field LLC.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? 
Do movies count?  Last night the boys and I watched The Princess Bride and stayed up way past their normal bed times. 

4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 
10PM

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 
10:23

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? 
The heater or air conditioner.  Probably the latter, as it was pretty hot today.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? 
I mowed the lawn from about 9 to 9:30.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at? 

I checked up on how my fantasy baseball team is doing.

9. What are you wearing? 
Brown work jeans, blue shirt from Costco.

10. Did you dream last night? 
I probably did, but I can’t remember any of them.

11. When did you last laugh? 
I was just talking on the phone w/ Amy and laughed about how Stacy guessed right that she wouldn't like this questionaire thing.  i send her funny forwards from work ALL the time and she never reads any of them.  If it has "FW" in the subject line, I think she just deletes it.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? 
Red paint (very similar to Stacy's).  Black and white pictures of us and our children, most taken by my sister.  I only count 10 though.

Jun. 17, 2006 - Our rocket launch

Can you see the rocket?  Its about 20 feet in front of the truck and its blue.

Here is my hubby, my two oldest and my dad right after the 5...4...3...2...1...blast off!  (A.K.A., a bunch of boys).

Can you see the rocket way up in the sky?  (I know I'm not the best photographer, but its there).

The boys sure were excited!

As the looks on their faces show, the rocket was a blast!  If you get a chance to launch one, I highly recommend it!  Thanks dad for bringing us this bit of fun!  Happy Fathers day to you and to my man... the biggest boys of them all!

Love Amy

Jun. 8, 2006 - Eight Wonderful Years

On the 6^th Mike and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary.  We even went out to a fancy dinner just the two of us!  We had a great time.

Here are two of our marriage traditions:

1.      We love to ask each other pre-thought questions.  This is something we enjoyed even before we were married.  The questions can be things like, “If you could be the character in a book you’ve read recently which one would it be and why?”  Or, "what are you most proud of in this past month?”  Questions like this are fun because they cause us to think of things we might not have thought to share otherwise.  Sometimes the wording of a question can reach into the far recesses of my man’s mind and cause him to remember to tell me something he meant to tell me all week.  For our anniversary dinner a few of the questions were, “What do you regret in the last eight years?”  It confirmed to me again how much Mike trusts the sovereignty of God.  He has no regrets because even mistakes (like getting into debt when we were first married) taught us things (like how to get out of debt).  Another question we asked that night was regarding what we have learned in our marriage that we would want to tell the “Mike and Amy” of eight years ago on their way to the alter. 

2.      We also love to watch our wedding video every year around our anniversary.  Not only is it fun, but to hear our vows again and see ourselves making them is always edifying.

I went to bed that night so satisfied with having had such a nice time.  I am glad for these traditions.  They bless me and they bless Mike.

~Amy

Jun. 3, 2006 - My top 5 favorite things about preschoolers and how things are going

1. The snuggles and cuddles
2. The spontaneous “I love you mama”
3. That they are willing to let me read to them all day
4. The way their faith is so child-like J --I can learn from it
5. The way they see everything for the first time and it ALL is amazing

I thought about having a top 5 of my least favorite things, but I don’t want to.  I’m too thankful for these guys.  As I have been feeling sick these last few weeks my sweet boys have been doing great.  They don’t think they are suffering from the things we are not doing.  They think its great when I ask them to join me in bed to read 100 or so (a little exaggeration) books.  They think its great that they make their own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I am so thankful for this, because an adult would be complaining about how good things used to be. 

We have a new schedule these days.  It called the carpe diem schedule.  Here’s how it works.  When I am really sick, I’m on the couch.  BUT when I get a wave of feeling a bit better (which has been happening in the afternoons and I am so thankful!) I seize the day (ok moment) and do the most desperately needed chore or task.  No, it is not a good idea for a permanent routine, but it works for a season and this season will pass.  So hide away the carpe diem schedule… you never know when it may come in handy.

Thankful,

Amy