She's growing up! Oh wait, never mind.

Yesterday, I had to run some errands and take Claire for her 5 year check-up so Jason stayed home with Elaina and Eily. He was trying to get a lot of painting done but the girls were very restless and needy so he decided to take them on a walk to burn off some energy. They walked around the block and down to the cemetery and on the way back they passed a large drainage ditch. There is usually a tricking of water that runs through the ditch and maybe a piece or two of trash. As they were walking by, Eily said in very slow and dramatically mysterious voice, "Ooohh, There's probably a shark in there." Elaina, very exasperatingly responded, "Eily, there is not a shark in there."

Jason smiled to himself as he realized that Elaina had reached the age that logic prevails over gullible-ness. (Is that a word?) She had reached a level of maturity new to the children of our family.

Then Elaina said, " But there probably is a crocodile."

Craft Crib

What a cool. fun way to repurpose your crib.

Iiiiiiit's Monday!!!

The new week has started! It always feels good to start fresh. I'm glad it comes around every 7 days. Elaina had a fever on Saturday so Sunday Jason stayed home with her while I took the other 3 girls to church. He had a root canal earlier in the week so he didn't mind resting and taking it easy. He said it feels like someone broke his jaw.

Elaina is over her little fever virus so today is going to be a good beginning to a good week of school. Bring on the learning!!

I'm feeling a little Martha Stewartish this morning. I'm sure it's the weather and I'm wondering if I should try to do a fall craft with the girls. I always want to do these things and everyone is so excited when we start and then about halfway through it all falls apart. Someone cries because they don't like their finished product, someone cries because they've spilled glue (or something just as messy) all over them, and then I lose my cool and the whole thing becomes something very unpleasant.

Last week we finally did our first entry in our nature journals. The girls LOVED it and I did too. The only bad part was that we weren't able to do it until about three in the afternoon so we were sweating pretty bad by the time we came in. Eily gave up pretty fast but that's ok. She's three.  Elaina and Claire did their own Nature Study the next day while playing outside. I was really excited when I overheard their plans.

I've stayed on top of the housework for a whole week. I started doing the baby steps from Fly Lady again. I did them right after I had Eily and it was the calmest time of my mother-life. So my sister, Leah, asked me to do it with her again and I really felt it would be a good start to getting my household back in order. It's been a little crazy since before Nora was born.

And speaking of Nora, I hear her squealing in her bed. I'm off to get some baby smiles!

Living in a dream world

• Some days I struggle. I struggle with getting out of bed. I struggle with getting dressed. (Think postpartum belly.) I struggle with doing laundry. I struggle with staying positive and happy. I just want to curl up in bed with a pillow below my head and a pillow on top of my head, a fan in my face and the blinds closed. I want to nap for 4 hours. Oh, sleep. I miss you. I miss you much.

• Eily had a little bout of sickness. So far no one else had any symptoms and I'm crossing everything that it stays that way. 

• I really, really want to spend all day in a kitchen and cook fallish food. And then I want someone else to clean up the mess. 

• I want to go out to eat with Jason and not stress about the money being spent on frivolous food. I want to put on a pretty dress and fix my hair all pretty like and have a relaxing date. Without any children. 

• I want to paint the furniture and the schoolroom and be organized already.

• I want to not want so much.

I love her.

p.s.  This outfit? Killer cuteness.

Elaina, 6 years old

2010
2009

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30 years of Thanks

Today I turn thirty. And I'm excited about it.

Thank you to the ladies who took me out to dinner. Thank you for the VERY LOUD birthday song you sang to me in the middle of Marketplace. Thank you for waiting until most of the other customers had left before singing.

Thank you, Misty and Thomas, for supper last night and for the delicious birthday cake. Thank you for always wanting to hang out with us and always feeding us.

Thank you to my girls for the adorable, off-key birthday song. Thank you for the excited smiles you gave in my honor. Thank you for your sweet, smelly morning-breath kisses. Thank you for sleeping in this morning.

Thank you, Jason, for my breakfast coffee. Thank you for marrying me. Thank you for saying yes to four babies even though my pregnancies are probably harder on you than me. Thank you for working hard 24/7 so that I can stay home with the girls.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with Jason, Elaina Ceridwen, Rachel Claire, Eily Edith and Nora James. Thank you for placing me with Mark and Pam Green. Thank you for my 5 siblings who I love and who still love me. (I think.) Thank you for my church. Thank you for amazing, Godly grandparents who played, and still play such important roles in my life and the lives of my family. Grandparents who love my children as much as they love me and who continue to be wonderful examples. Thank you for Nana, who may not always remember us but is still so excited to see us and wants us to stay all day. Thank you for my in-laws that love me and consider me their daughter.  In-laws who put up with my traveled-out cranky self and constant "no's." Thank you for my Aunts, Uncles and cousins. I can't believe how much I love them.

Thank you for thirty years of wonderful memories.

Love,
Rebekah

Claire is 5!!

2010
2009

Claire, in reference to her approaching 5th birthday...

"I just can't wait!! I've been waiting so long!! Like seven years , I think!"

Welp,
Nora is almost crawling. She gets on all fours and rocks back and forth and she can move her legs forward but then she rams her face into the carpet. Once she figures out how to move her arms forward she'll be driving her sisters crazy following them around where ever they go.

Jason is moving his studio out of the house. He took the first load of boxes to The New Studio this afternoon. It's very exciting for all of us. Jason is excited about have almost triple the amount of room and I am excited about turning the current studio into a schoolroom/playroom. I have a vision. Oh yes, I do. A vision of white and soft blue. Of shelves and knobs. Of space. So. Much. Space.  Of a stained cement floor with a colorful area rug.  Of a painted coffee table turned craft table and a painted china cabinet turned bookshelf. (Someone hand my mother the smelling salts.) I have a vision of order. And space. (Did I already say that? Sorry. I'm really excited about the space.)

I cleaned the kitchen for over 4 hours today. I meticulously cleaned the refrigerator and the pantry. I scrubbed baseboards and cabinet doors. I rearranged cabinets.  I tired.

This day has had its ups and downs but I'd say, overall it's been a good day. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Church, family and friends. Never a bad combination.

A Rap

She has a cute owl hat,

She looks like her Aunt Kat,

Her spit-up goes ker-splat,

Now what'd ya think of that?

My cousin is in Ireland. My single, hasn't had babies yet- heart is there with her. I was meant for Ireland.

And it was meant for me.

I know half the week is already past but I have decided that I will post this week's goals and see if that gives me a little more motivation.

10 Goals for my week:

1. Complete a week of school where everything gets accomplished. (I'm talking to you guys Artist/Composer Tea Time/Nature Study!)

2. Get the laundry caught up

3. Iron 5 things

4. Return something

5. Read 4 chapters in my book

6. Write a friend a note

7. Mentally catch myself before I yell a correction and speak softly

8. Drink Tea

9. Kiss Jason 5 times every day

10. Pluck my eyebrows

Going to bed with the house picked up makes all the difference.

And, yes, Grandpa, I know the actual house wouldn't be literally picked up but I think you know what I mean.

Today was a full day. It started as the first day since school has started that I actually woke the girls up instead of just waiting until they woke up on their own. I hopped out of bed bright and early this morning and took a shower. This NEVER happens. It was nice to get a little head start on the day before the chaos would begin.

We got in the car -didn't melt before we had pulled out of the driveway, for a change- and started on our way. I had to stop at the McDonald's for coffee first and foremost because I already felt the need to take a nap and it wasn't even nine o'clock yet. We stopped at Mom's to drop off some food that I needed to take to my cousin's house later on in the day, and exchanged Eily for Lillie. Eily really, really, really wanted to spend the morning with Grandma and Grandpa so Mom took her to story hour and then dropped her off at their house. In the meantime, the girls and I made our way to the house that will be our home-away-from-home every Wednesday.

There are several families in our area/my life that homeschool and we are all meeting once a week to do some extra-curricular classes such as cooking, writing, music, a Montessori style class, manners, etc...
The house hasn't been lived in for a few years so it had a lot of cleaning that needed to be accomplished. We worked hard all morning (some of us more than others)(and I'm the others, not the more)(baby was a little cantankerous this morning) and then Rachel and I ordered the kids some pizza and took off. Rachel went home. I went to Mom's house. (Isn't this thrilling?)

First, I stopped by The Grandparent's home to get Eily. They were all having such a wonderful, sweet time together that I decided to say, "Yes" to the pleas to continue the visit. And Eily wanted to stay, too. So I went next door to Mom's and prepared the rest of the food, went to the grocery store to get even more food, ate some food and weighed/portioned some food. Then we headed out the door to take the food to Stephanie's house. She just had a baby a week ago and all the women from church are taking turns bringing supper to the new little family of three. Just in case you are wondering, I brought Peach-Whiskey BBQ Chicken, broccoli, mashed potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, yeast rolls and strawberry cheesecake. FYI, the chicken? uh-mazing.

Then I got back in the car, put the baby's passy in her mouth, wished I had a passy to put in Claire's screaming mouth and started for home.

And that was basically my day. What was your day like?

Oh yeah, and I went and got Eily at some point before going home.

Then End.

First Day of School Photos 2011-2012

Elaina Ceridwen Sacran
5 years old
August 2011
 Kindergarten

Rachel Claire Sacran
4 years old
August 2011
Pre-School

Eily Edith Sacran
3 years old
August 2011
Distracting but Adorable

My class 2011-2012

A post full of...

Wow. It's so easy to not post. For a long time I had nothing I really wanted to record. It is hot was about the only thought I had running through my brain. But for the past couple of days I've really had a lot on my mind and I wanted to sit and record it all but there just wasn't time.
We are almost finished with our second week of school. It is fantastic. And hectic.


I wrote that above passage 5 days ago. I mean, it is really hard to get a post in around here. I'm feeling random so here we go:

I find it strange to say that I'm on a diet yet I'm eating delicious and filling meals.

I love my girls but.... they are terrible at interrupting. Number one thing to work on around these parts.

Week three of school starts tomorrow. Really? This year is going to fly by.

I keep trying to upload some pictures but the camera cord thingy thing isn't working right. Someday....

I love frozen chocolate chips. And I miss them.



And that's really all I can think about right now.



Oh yeah, and none of this is what I originally wanted to write about....

Nora James 4 months old. She wears size 9-12 months and that size is really tight on her. She weighs 2 pounds more than the two babies that are a good bit older than her at church. She's Jolly. :)

This is serious. :)

A Request

Hey Everyone,
I am asking you to do me a favor. If you don't mind, please join Ebates through my referral link:

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=MI3Z%2FZzml1uqivFkC9SsbA%3D%3D

 

If 10 people join before August 31st I get $100 added to my account.

I signed up with Ebates a while back and have used it often. I bought all our school books for this year off Amazon through Ebates and earned $25 back. If you do any online shopping at all, I would recommend joining.

 

Thanks!

A List

1.Oops, it's been a while since I last posted. Sometimes, the days just fly by and before I know it a whole week has gone by. We are staying busy but busy doing "nothing" sort of things. We have been playing a lot with our new friends and Jason had a little minor surgery so we have also been taking care of Daddy.

2. School starts Monday. It seems a little unreal. I spent so long planning, reading, buying and organizing that once it was all ready I stopped thinking about it and then the other day I realized that The First Day was almost upon us. Yikes!

3. I love Nora. I love all my girls, of course, but Nora is really fun right now. She doesn't know how to make her words sound ugly and she is all smiles all the time. Pure pleasure.

4. As hot as it has been, I'm not ready for cold weather. I am ready for fall weather, but not cold weather.

5. My house gets messy so quickly.

6. If you want to come play, then come on over. We love company.

7. I need to go get busy cleaning in case one of you takes me up on that offer.

8. Eily is a riot. A complete and total riot.

9. I miss sleeping.

10.

Dear Aunt Kat,

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