All Dressed Up

Here's my crew all ready for Halloween and some serious trick-or-treating.

Naomi wore the same duck costume that both Silas and Isaac wore when they were toddlers.

Here's Silas as Buzz Lightyear. Not sure what that pose is supposed to be? But he was rather pleased with himself for thinking to hang his plastic pumpkin on one of the wings.

Princess Millie...

And Isaac as Spider Man, though he was definitely more interested in candy than in taking any pictures.

We did quite the trick-or-treating marathon this year. We did a quick jaunt around our block before Millie had to be at her theater class. The boys ate supper, then went out for another round with daddy. Then once Millie was done with her class, we met up with friends to tromp around their neighborhood and collect lots more candy. It was quite the night, and Isaac fell asleep while we were still out trick-or-treating.

And while I'm on the subject of our dear third-born, here are a few Isaac stories worth remembering:

**Isaac still sleeps next to me at night, and recently in the middle of the night, I noticed him getting out of bed, but didn't do anything about it because I was half asleep and figured he'd be back soon. When he got back in bed I heard a crinkly noise - sort of like the sound of the plastic covering on a library book, so I figured he'd brought a book to bed. But, I realized in the morning, he had actually gone to the fridge and got a whole loaf of Ezekiel bread, which he brought back to bed and slept curled up with for the remainder of the night. I guess he was hungry.

**One night at supper, Isaac asked me in all serious sweetness, "Mommy, does God have a jet pack?"

**Turns out Isaac is the nick-namer in our family.  He frequently calls Tom "Mr. Daddy Man". And for some reason, about half the time he calls Naomi either bibs or bibbers or bibber baby. And he'll say it just as casually as you might say hi to a friend: "hey bibs."

**And finally, a few weeks ago I came into the bathroom to find wads of wet toilet paper covering one of the walls. When I questioned Isaac about it, he assured me it wasn't him, but rather that "Sticky Isaac" had made the mess (there he goes with the nicknames again). And it seems that "Sticky Isaac" made another visit today. And even as I write that, I just have to laugh. I love that kid.

Naomi on a Saturday Morning

I don't think I could ask for a more gorgeous October weekend than the one we're currently enjoying. This warm spell just begs us to get outside and take in the golden colors. We were just home today since Tom needed the van for a couple of work things. But the kids find plenty to do just playing out front, dragging out everything with wheels and zooming up and down the sidewalk, or sometimes requesting a walk around the block. And Naomi is getting so independent outside - finally sturdy enough that I don't feel like I have to follow her around every second to keep her from crashing onto the concrete.

I was inspired to pull out the camera because Naomi was wearing this little outfit that Millie wore in China. Not just any little set of clothes, but one that I specifically went and bought with a Chinese friend because I wanted split pants for Millie for potty-training. (I sewed the "split" back together once Millie was potty trained) And of course this had me all nostalgic for Millie at that age and all the adventures and our sweet Chinese friends. I went back through our pictures to try to find one of Millie wearing this same thing, and I couldn't find one of just Millie. Only pictures of her with our Chinese students, and this one of our little family when we were visiting Hong Kong, posing here with the owner of a restaurant we would frequent during our year there.

And then (sorry, I'm really off on a tangent here), I came across this picture of Millie on what was probably her first ever playdate. With her little friend Albert. All bundled up in their coats even though they were, in fact, playing inside.

Fun memories.

Digging Out

This is one of those tasks that feels a bit pointless to me. Not the actual shoveling and spreading of the compost. That has become a high priority now that we are ready to shift our gardening into high gear. But the fact that I am the one attempting to do it. Me, with my meager upper body strength. Me, with more than twenty pounds* of baby strapped on my back, making every movement slower and more tiresome. Me, with the inevitable interruptions every three and a half minutes. It begins to feel a bit like I'm shoveling with a teaspoon, making little headway. I wheel some of the compost over to a garden box, dump it on, spread it out, and I've hardly made any impact. Millie clamors for a turn. It's hard work, I warn her. The shovel is heavy, I say. She'll give up in two minutes, I think. But she doesn't. She happily works away, her pace probably as good as my own, and I leave her to it.

I am back the next day, digging again. Eager to get this black gold onto the beds. And even though Tom could do this faster, probably four times faster considering he is stronger and would have no interruptions and no baby tied on, here I am. I'm tempted to just let him do it**. It would make more sense. But I'm digging. Not just shoveling compost, but doing something because I need to do something. I'm digging out from disappointment. Trying to work through the why and what next. Knowing that God's hand holds mine, that I am poor in spirit, and it is this poverty that leads me back to God's grace.

And my thoughts turn to this miracle. This dirt under my feet; made up of the discarded, unwanted, unneeded. No use for these scraps - throw them out. And now they are transformed. The stuff that will bring life, growth, sustenance. Fruit of value and beauty. Right in my backyard, and I am grateful.

*I'm not actually sure how much Naomi weighs. But I'm sure she's at least 20 pounds. She is a chunky, heavy baby.
**In the end, Tom finished spreading the compost. In no time, I might add.

For Tom

Every night as we eat supper together as a family, we go around the table and each person tells one of the highlights from their day. Just the simple things, usually. And invariably, every day, Isaac says that the highlight of his day is, "Daddy coming home today."

Now, I won't worry too much about what this says about the kids being stuck home with mommy all day. But it's true that Tom brings the fun and joy, the laughter and playfulness, to our family.

Tom is surely one of my highlights every day. He is my support and encouragement, truly my best friend. He enthusiastically goes along with all my crazy ideas - everything from homebirth to co-sleeping to cloth diapering to extended nursing. He embraces fatherhood and loves to nurture and encourage our children. I'm especially thankful that Tom recognizes and embraces this current chapter of our lives, with all its sacrifices and challenges, and that we can laugh together at the end of each day.

Happy birthday Tom! I'm glad to be sharing this crazy, fun, exhausting, wonderful adventure with you!

Inspired by Finn Review

I am loving Naomi's teething necklace that I mentioned back in this post. The brand is Inspired by Finn, and I wanted to provide a more in-depth review here.

How does it work?
The beads are made of Baltic Amber, which contains succinic acid. As the necklace is worn against the skin and warmed by body heat, the beads release trace amounts of succinic acid. Succinic acid helps boost the immune system and provides pain relief, among other health benefits. (This means the necklace needs to be worn against the skin, and not on top of clothing.)

Does it really work?
I, personally, find that it's hard to give a definitive answer. Every baby is different, and some seem to tolerate teething without much discomfort, while others are just plain miserable through the process. So I would imagine that Baltic Amber could be more effective for some individuals than for others. I can, however, tell you that we have had a positive experience. Naomi has been wearing her necklace all day every day for nearly a month, and during that time her first two teeth have erupted and she hasn't shown any discomfort. No excess drooling, no fever, no excess fussiness.

I love the natural look, and the length (12 inches) is just right for my 8-month-old. I think it's an excellent, safe way to alleviate teething pain, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a natural alternative to teething gels.

I purchased Naomi's necklace on the Mama Bargains site, so I paid 50% off the regular retail price. I also just saw that Inspired by Finn ran a sale through their Facebook page. So keep an eye out and you could probably get one of the necklaces at a discount.

Disclosure: I was given a discount by Inspired by Finn in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

In the Stroller

It was such a gorgeous weekend here. Finally some warm weather, so we spent most of Saturday and Sunday outside. And this Naomi is getting downright heavy. I carry her in the Ergo a LOT, but after a while I get a little tired, and I think she does too. So yesterday she got to try out a ride in the stroller for the first time. Millie pushed her around our block, and both girls loved it. I loved getting a picture of all four kids. Seems like it happens so rarely that we get all four of them happily looking at the camera.

Six Word Fridays: Again

(this is Isaac's favorite book - today)

We read his favorite book again,

And again and again and again...

More Six Word Fridays fun at Making Things Up