Sweet and Squishy

These are two words we use to describe the little boy in this house who turned 4 yesterday. Sweet, 'cause he is just really sweet, and squishy 'cause he so soft and cuddly and tender hearted and, well, you get the picture. Unfortuanately, sickly is another word we have to apply to my little Seb. I always love the change to cooler weather, except for the fact that it brings on his asthma. It was so bad this time around that we ended up in the ER last Wednesday, hooked up to breathing machines and being ex-rayed for pneumonia. Thankfully it hadn't gotten as bad as that, but it was a long day, and we were thankful to be released that evening. He felt better by yesterday however, and was able fully to enjoy his birthday festivities.

These pictures were taken at 0 dark-thirty, because we had a busy day doing some non-birthday related activities. Thankfully, when you are four, you don't feel cheated when you have to spend your birthday at Daddy's worksite. We had cake and gifts with Aunt Vee when we got home last night, but I didn't get any pictures since Steve filmed it. The video is way too long to upload here, but rest assured, he did manage to blow out all his candles, even with his puny lungs.

Waiting for the great balloon cascade.

Boys and Balloons- need I say more?

Mommy reveals some amazing balloon twisting skills.

Homemade donuts were the order of the day.

Happy Birthday Sebastien!

My own little Calvin

Aunt Aubree gave James a book of Calvin and Hobbes for his birthday in June. Still not sure if that was a great idea, but it has been entertaining.

This was the not so original idea he came up with while I was making lunch today.

I tried to give him a pretend quarter to see what his great ideas were, but he wasn't having it, so I went on making lunch while he continued to hawk his wares. After a few minutes and still no takers, he changed his prices.

Still nothing. So he started issuing blank checks to his brothers so they could pay him.

Etienne paid for the great idea of cleaning the windows. Much to my surprise, he dutifully cleaned windows for the next ten minutes. Who knew that would work?

He finally knocked his price down so low that I couldn't refuse. I gave him a real penny and he "randomly" selected this particular piece of advice for me.

How could I refuse? I made him a popsicle.


And just for fun, here are a few more Calvin sales pitches that I hopefully won't be seeing around my house.

Have a happy day!

Coming up for Air

Summer used to be my favorite season. No school, warmer weather, vacation- you know, the usual things most people like to think of when they think of summer. Now that I live in the south, summer time seems to be a time of fighting bugs, warding off heat and humidity, and being stuck at home trying to think of indoor things for the kids to do, without the usual distractions that church and school bring.
This summer has also been difficult for other reasons, and I find myself longing for a new start, for the beginning of routine and fresh air. Our family has been plagued with injury, illness, and even death. Constant struggle and upheaval does not make me want to rise to the challenge- it makes me want to hide in a corner, especially when it is 100 degrees outside. I feel like I am sitting around, waiting for the next blow to fall, a blow like last week when a young cousin was diagnosed with cancer.
I have been putting things off- like coming to grips with the fact that I am going to need to homeschool this year, and not wanting to do it. In short, I guess I have been living in fear, stagnating for want of action.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided I would shake off dull sloth and do a dry run of our homeschool day- just to see if I could sort out a schedule and figure out what other books I needed to get. I was ambitious- I set my alarm for six am and had charts and printouts and what not ready to go. My alarm went off- I woke up sick. Very sick, and the following sinus infection is still dogging my steps. It was like starting a race by running straight uphill. I was tempted to give up- I mean, how necessary is an education really? But life goes on, hope is still there, and perseverance is necessary, even when I don't feel like it. It is September- I am starting school in earnest tomorrow. I have my alarm set for six am again. And fall is coming, with its reminders of change and new perspective.

This has been a darker post than usual, but it has been a darker time for us. I write this I suppose, for the future, so I can look back and see how God has brought us through the good times as well as the bad. My next post will be cheery and full of all the amzing ideas I have found for homeschooling on Pinterest. Lord help me, I finally got sucked in to Pinterest. Ha! Until then...