Multitude Monday #9

It's been awhile since I've posted a Multitude Monday...a recounting of God's faithfulness and blessings in this season.  I am so thankful that though I desire to honor Christ, his love for me is an unchanging love, and not dependent on my performance.  He is faithful, even when I'm not.  THIS is true mercy and grace, and it makes me want to please him even more.

Things have been hoppin' in our household.  School is well underway, but some of us are still adjusting.

Picking up where I left off...

123.  Physical health.  It is so easy to take for granted a body that functions properly.

124.  Group exercise class at the local rec center.  I've been going twice or more a week for Body Pump.  It's weight training set to music, and it works each muscle group.  I definately feel stronger, especially in my legs and lower back.

125.  25 lbs. gone!  It took 5 months but slow and steady wins the race, right?  I'm aiming for 15 more by the end of the year. 

126.  Discounted clothing for my kiddos and turning a profit through the Weeusables Consignment Sale this week.  Just in time too because they both had outgrown nearly everything in their closet!!!

127.  Spiritual encouragment through the men and women in our Care Group and church.

128.  A dinner date with longtime friends--sans kiddos!  We figured out that we hadn't done that since starting our families 7 years ago. 

129.  Spontaneous squeezes and sweet whispers from my kiddos.

130.  Input for how to better steer my child's strong (STRONG!!!) will through H. Clay Trumbull's book "Hints on Child Training".  Though originally published in 1890 it is remarkably current--some things just don't change!

131.  Cool mornings!

132.  New people joining the Mom's prayer group for our elementary school.

133.  Our new church building!  We've officially been meeting there since the beginning of August.  After 30 years of paying rent, we now have the space for greater ministry and service.

134.  Patched drywall!  Seems silly, but after a year of having a hole in our living room ceiling (due to a mysterious roof leak) it is now fixed and awaiting a coat of paint.  Hurray!

135.  A benign test result.

136.  Adam doing an awesome job during his first trip to the dentist! 

137.  A steaming cup of coffee and a few minutes of quiet solitude.

138.  Book Club.  I just love it!  It challenges me, refreshes me, and is a once-a-month repose in this season of my life.

139.  Upcoming fall festivities--my favorite season.

140.  Homemade applesauce.

141.  Marigolds still in bloom.

142.  A great year of pastured poultry production!  Favorable weather for the most part, better equipment, and plentiful customers.  Our last batch is finished in a week.

143.  A prayer that reorients my heart when I'm foolishly self-reliant..."Jesus, please help me.  Because otherwise I can't be helped."

144.  My mom.  :-)  A trusted confidant, friend, source of wisdom, helper...I could go on and on but the screen is already blurry from the tears welling up!

145.  My hard-working husband.  I am particularly thankful that he has a job that allows him to be at home with us early in the evening, that he's willing to help Natalia with her homework despite the grading and lesson plans awaiting him each evening, and that he is a "hands on" daddy.  Love you, hon!

Yearly Portraits at Conestoga House and Gardens

Every year I try to have a photo session with the kids since I don't go anywhere for portraits.  My favorite spot for this casual photo shoot (ie: I click away while they roam) is a local gem, Conestoga House and Gardens. 



They are only open one day a week, have very restricted hours, and finding a Wednesday evening that we're free is slim pickings.  However, last night was the last chance we would have before they close for the season, so off we went.  (It was Pete's first time there and he had a very important job--to keep Adam out of the water hazards fountains, pool, koi pond.)

It was evident that the kids were tired and not in the mood.  Wouldn't you say?
(Note to self: avoid picture taking during the first week back to school.)

Anytime I asked if they could stand or sit in a particular place or smell this or that flower, they balked and gave me one of these:

Adam's tactic was to run.  Just run.  And the boy is quick.

(By the way, the place has a carry in, carry out policy...we brought our own flowers.)

So, I left them alone, and managed to get a few shots I could work with.  They didn't have to be contest winners.  Just one or two snapshots of who they are at this age.

And because I promised Natalia she could use my camera (with assistance) to take a few pictures when we were finished, here is her favorite shot of the night.  The horse.  That should be no surprise!  :-)

What truly made the evening was running into some friends from college and my Y.E.S. training, as well as two families from our church!  Shout out to the Planks and the Howells!  :-)  The kids had a blast playing hide and seek as the sun set.



First Grade

I think she was a bit nervous last night.  And she barely ate anything this morning, despite my efforts to convince her it would be a long time until lunch, until Adam decided to eat a banana 10 minutes before the bus was to come.  Then she wanted one too.  Thank goodness, because she was up at 6:30am, claiming she wouldn't have any time to play today.  Those 2 hours seemed much longer...  :-)

But she had a smile on her face when the bus rolled to a stop and she climbed on! 

Adam, on the other hand had a quivering lower lip when, as we walked back to the house, he asked, "WHAT are we going to do without Natalia?!"  (oh my...bless his little heart!)



I really think Natalia will love 1st grade, but I don't anticipate it to be an easy year.  She is so social, but 1st grade will be much more work than Kindergarten, and prolonged concentration is really hard for my girl.  I'm praying for her increased mental stamina this year, that I would have wisdom to know how to encourage her and support her in the way she needs, and that she would focus on the positives and not the negatives. It was really nice to meet her teacher and visit her classroom last week during Sneak-a-peek.  And two of her close friends from last year are in her class.  (A few more are right across the hall.)

As for Adam, well, I think he'll be just fine.  We're waiting until next year for Preschool, but with the mom's prayer group for Natalia's school and the playroom at the gym twice a week, he'll have a good amount of interaction with other kids his age.  And he's always been great at playing by himself here at home.

I'm excited for Fall and getting back into a routine after a whirlwind summer will be good for all of us.

Her Favorite Subject

Horses.  No matter the task, topic, or activity, Natalia will find a way to connect it to a horse. 

She talks about them during dinner time, she makes up songs and stories about them, she pretends her near-daily trips to the neighbor's farm are for her "riding lessons".  (In actuality, she pets them, or simply gazes into their empty stalls and daydreams.)

So when she was with Grandma recently she started a watercolor picture of...A HORSE, OF COURSE!
(Using her little horse "Patches" as a model.)

We now have a series to hang on her bedroom wall.  :-)

So Sweet...

...the bugs can't help but nibble on him!

Poor kid. His ear was swollen and sore for 3 days!

 As you can see, it didn't affect his disposition.

Gifts and Activities for the Kids

We've never been away from the kids for 10 days, and they are still fairly young--3 and 6.

So I had a little something for them to open each day while we were in POLAND.  Many times it was an activity that they could pull out again later if they wanted.

I found this awesome CD of silly kid songs online for a good deal. 



Randall Goodgame and Andrew Peterson have knocked another one outta' the park!
Take a listen to the song samples here.

I also wanted to find some inexpensive puzzles (around 60 pieces) because both my kids love them and it challenges them to concentrate on one thing for a good amount of time.  Adam does this automatically.  For Natalia it's a skill we're working on.  ;-)

Well, I wasn't finding what I wanted for the right price, so I was delighted to discover amazon sells blank puzzles to make your own!  I confess it made me alittle giddy!  Oh dear.

I bought a pack of 12 (with 63 pieces) for $14 and used the markers I already owned to make three for each of them.  And I have extra for a rainy day!



A big bag of farm foam stickers, regular stickers, hidden picture pages I pulled out of an old Highlights magazine, and an animal mask craft that I saw online and adapted were a few of their other surprises.  All they needed to do for the masks was color the animal cutout already drawn on the cardstock, cut it out, glue it to a paper plate, punch holes in the sides and tie a piece of elastic string through each hole.





Another idea I found online was to use a snack ziplock, partially fill it with small colorful snacks like multi-colored Goldfish crackers, pinch it in half with a wooden hinged clothespin with a smiley face drawn on the tip, and form antennae with half a length of black or brown pipecleaner.  Voila!  You have a butterfly snack.  (Sorry, no picture.)

Lastly I made a simple calendar for the duration of our trip, so they could mark off the days.

I think they enjoyed everything.  I certainly had fun making them!  It's been a week since our return home, and we're still working the puzzles and listening to those awesome and silly songs!

POLAND, Part 7: Wieliczka Salt Mine

Our guide book estimates that salt was excavated here as early as the 11th century.  !!!



Located 30 minutes by bus east of Krakow, Wieliczka has a beautiful hotel with fine dining, outdoor eating area and visitor center, and a museum housed 400 feet underground.  It was a great way to spend our last day in Poland. 

You may be wondering what happened to our plans (my personal goal) to hike to Morskie Oko, the twin glacial lakes in the Tatra Mountains, in the southern border town of Zakopane. 



Well...blame it on the heat wave.  At first I didn't want to abandon our plans, but as the week went on, the daily highs were still reaching the upper 80's and low 90's and we were tiring from our travels (we must be getting old!).  Spending our last day in the natural AC of Wieliczka just sounded more inviting than a 2 hour hike, and Zakopane is very touristy and crowded at this time of year.

Someday, Morskie Oko...(sigh)...someday.

Again we arrived early, which was definately to our benefit!  We realized this after our tour of the mines concluded around 10am and we came up out of the elevator shaft to incredibly long lines--gobs of people waiting to buy a timed entrance ticket.

We started by climbing down 40+ sets of stairs (an elevator would take us back up at the end) and walking through salt-encrusted corridors with carved salt figures and models showcasing the old mining methods and tools.





Immediately we noticed the dry coolness of the mine.  There wasn't that damp feeling that you'd expect underground.  Sometimes the wooden supports were painted, but mostly they were unfinished.





An enormous network of underground galleries and chambers was created here over the centuries. Salt was also used as a building material in the carving of underground chapels and altars in front of which miners prayed for God's providence and protection against accidents.

Then came the chapel of all chapels!  (Again my pictures completely minimizes how huge it was.)
Left side:



Right side:



These murals carved into the chapel walls were amazing.  The one of the Last Supper is supposedly only 4 inches deep.



Some shots along our meandering tour.  I kind of like the ones I took without flash, even if they are alittle blurry.
Looking way down into a corkscrew chamber.



And looking back up at where we'd just been...

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And that, dear friends, is the last of the pictures from our trip.  However, check back tomorrow for one more related post.  :-)