Patty Cake

Lydia's favorite thing to play right now with me is "Patty Cake".  We must have played it at least forty times today.  I love watching her little face when we sing together.  She gets so tickled with herself.  Lately at the end of the song she falls completely backwards out of my lap and does a back flip.  Then she climbs into my lap again and says "gan mommy!"  I started playing "Swing, Swing, Swing, on a summer's day" with her and she likes that one as well.  I can't for the life of me remember any other clapping songs, so ladies help me.  If you remember any please comment or mail me the lyrics.  I'd appreciate it. 

It's the Greek in me...

As I've gotten older I have truly acquired a taste for Mediterranean food.  The last few days my taste buds have been craving Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie).  Since there are not a lot of Ethnic restaurants in Galesburg, it was up to me to try and make some.  I wasn't sure it would turn out so good, but it actually turned out delicious. (that's actually it in pixs above) Surprised myself!  By the way if you've ever seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"  my family is the greeks and Glen's is the dry toast.  Not sure either of those is a good thing, but we're stuck with each other.  Good thing my dry toast likes spunk!

One of those Days...

I had one of those days yesterday.  You know the one I'm talking about.  At the end of it you regret pretty much the whole day.  I laid my head down last night and just wept.  It had been a long and disappointing day and I just was ready for it to be over.

It started out well, with good intentions and full of possibilities.  Glen had told me that he would watch the boys all afternoon so that Lydia and I could have some girl time.  He had things that they could help with at the church to get ready for our Summer Theater production of "Charlotte's Web" we are doing next weekend.  I was delighted to have some time to get a few things done and a few minutes where it was just a slight bit quieter around here.  Don't get me wrong I love having all my children home during the summer, it has been a great summer so far, but the volume in our house gets a little bit overwhelming at times.  

The only thing on my to-do list was getting Ethan to the Doctor to check his feet.  He has been having some trouble with severe cracking and I was worried that he could get an infection.  So I called at 8 am to make an appointment, but to my dismay the only time they could fit him in was 2:15 in the afternoon.  That was right smack dab in the middle of my afternoon away.  I figured I could get him to the doctor and still have a couple hours afterwards before the fam came home and Glen said we could grab some dinner so I was relieved of kitchen duty and thought it was still doable.  

Well once lunch was over it was nap time for Lydia.  She couldn't disagree more.  It was a battle and around 1:30 I knew it she had won.  We arrived at the doctors office right at 2pm and didn't get called back to a room until 2:45pm.  Lydia had hit the fence by this time and was terribly tired and uncooperative.  We got into the room and she wanted to touch everything. (Two year olds are God's way of showing our own stubbornness towards Him.)  I tried to get her to lay in my arms several times, but to no avail.  Keith came in around 3:10 and we finally left around 3:35pm.  By the time we got to the car, I was exhausted from just dealing with her and realized there was no way we could go out.  Disappointment and frustration had set in.

When dinner time came around, I was crazed.  I was snappy and grumpy and down right pitiful. I had let the day get to me and I was no fun to be around.  The more I spoke the more I regretted.    I was glad when the day was over because I couldn't be a terrible mother, wife, sister or friend anymore.  

As I laid in bed last night, trying to forgive myself for the ugliness I had inflicted on everyone a song stirred up inside of me.  "Refiner's Fire".  The lyrics go like this...

Purify my heart

Let me be as gold and precious silver

Purify my heart

Let me as gold, pure gold

Refiner's fire, my heart's one desire

is to be holy

Set apart for You, Lord

I choose to be holy

Set apart for You, my Master

Ready to do Your will

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within and make me holy

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from my sin, deep within

The statement that stuck out was the "choosing" part.  Yesterday I felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride that I couldn't control.  Once I chose to get off, I was able to refocus.  Regrettably, but off none the less.  I want to choose holiness, but often times I don't choose right.  My prayer today is that I will choose instead of randomly acting out.  I am thankful that His mercies are new every morning and that I have a husband and children that give mercy as well.

Jaron's Golden Birthday Ticket

Jaron's Birthday Surprise!

We got Jaron tickets to the stage production of Willy Wonka in Chicago for his birthday.  I thought it would be fun to wrap his gift (golden ticket) in a candy bar.  Turned out cute. 

Happy Birthday Jaron

Happy 9th Birthday to my favorite Jaron in the whole wide world!

Fishin' with Friends

An Afternoon at the Pond with Friends

Today we went fishing with Steve and Seth Peachey.  We went to a little pond by their house and fished off of a little bridge.  I went with the anticipation of running after Lydia the entire time, but to my surprise she was relaxed and really wanted to fish.  

We were there for about an hour and a half and Lydia and I only caught one fish.  Ethan caught three, Seth caught three and Evan caught SIXTEEN.  No that isn't a typo.  He would drop his line and catch within a couple of minutes time.  It was ridiculous.  Steve and I were laughing around 7 and 8, seeing as Lydia and I hadn't caught one yet.  

It is in his blood.  He has a long line of fishing lovers in the Haralambou/Ardine family.  Evan absolutely loved it.  I decided that the fish knew I was on the other end of the line and refused to bite.  I remember too many "family days" that consisted of fishing and crabbing growing up.  Before Daniel was born I would sit on the beach/shore/bridge/pier and read magazines and bask in the sun, after he was born I was the babysitter.  I just didn't get into the whole fishing thing.  Funny thing is, Daniel doesn't care for it either.  Just the two of us, because the rest of my family loves it.  Nick is borderline obsessed with it.

So now I've got a fisherman in my own family.  Good thing is I truly enjoyed watching them fish.  I got a kick out of Evan pulling them in.  I laughed at Ethan because, like me he was content to do anything else...and Lydia she touched all sixteen of those fish and threw a few back herself.  The boys didn't want to touch the fish or the worms, Lydia on the other hand couldn't keep her hands off them.

It was a great fishing day!  Thanks Steve and Seth

Don't know what I want to be when my kids grow up?

Mommy Camp

Jaron and Glen are at Kids Camp this week, so the rest of the kiddos are calling this week at home "Mommy Camp".  Knowing that they expected fun, I enlisted one of the Peachey kids (Seth to be exact) to be a camp counselor.  Yesterday we went to Peoria in search of a birthday present for Jaron, a few errands and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.  Seth was amazing with the kids and such a great help to me.  It went splendidly.  We had a fantastic time. 

Today we went to the Peachey's house where Seth had set up a mini kiddie camp for the boys that consisted of a slip & slide and water balloon fight.  Evan and Ethan were thrilled when they jumped out of the van and saw the yard set up for fun.  Our friend Gail gave them a picnic lunch under a shaded tree.  Lydia stayed and enjoyed the fun as well while I ran a few errands.

When I got back the kids were in the pool, so I sat and put my feet in.  Gail and I chit-chatted while everyone was swimming and during our conversation she asked me where I saw myself in a couple years.  I have to admit the question hit hard.  Last semester I went to a guidance counselor at the local college to get information on Sonography (Ultrasound), but disappointed about the hardship of getting into the program I back down from the idea.  

The boys want me to work in their school cafeteria when Lydia gets into school, but at home that is my least liked job (cleaning the kitchen).  Glen wants me to be more involved in ministry and just do whatever (which would end up being 40 hours a week just scrapbooking to catch up).  My own father has an opinion as well, he believes I'd be bored at home and should do something.  I just don't have a clue.  

I thought about being a breastfeeding consultant, but there isn't a high demand for one in these parts.  I also thought about being a Duola, but I would need to live in Chicago to get anyone to pay me to do that.  So I'm left with not knowing what I want to be when my kids grow up.  I know I want to be home when they are home.  I know I don't want to be tied down to something that might prohibit my schedule from doing ministry.  My major was Art with a concentration in photography (a hobby major - a friend recently told me) 15 years ago.  Now everything is digital...yikes I just don't know.

I guess I'll just take it one day at a time and see where the Lord leads me.  Tomorrow we're headed out to lunch with friends and then to the Children's Museum.  I'm enjoying "Mommy Camp" and I think I'll just keep doing that for as long as I can.  

By the way, I have to mention again how terrific Seth Peachey is...He has taken the time to make "Mommy Camp" a lot of fun and his enthusiasm is contagious.  Thanks for all your help Seth!!

Cape Cod

NYC

We're Back!!

We are finally back home in good ol' Galesburg, Illinois.  We left Boston on Tuesday and took our time just enjoying the scenery and Children's Museums along the way.  I took over 500 hundred pictures, so I am trying to narrow down what I will actually post.  I didn't want to bore anyone with one of those horrific "Our Family Vacation" slideshows with tacky music - you know the one's I'm talking about, you'd go to one of your parent's friends house for dinner and sit and watch a thousand pictures of people you hardly knew.  Anyway, I thought I'd spare you the pain.

Glen and I only have one regret from our entire trip...yesterday...we had the bright idea of going to a waterpark with the kids as a last hoo-haa before we arrived home.  It was an overcast day and pretty chilly, but the kids were stoked about it so we decided to go.  By the time we left, he and I were rock lobster red.  We spent a whole week at the beach and didn't get any degree of burn, but take us to a concrete slab and now you could fry an egg on us.  The kids were spared of any cancerous, careless, fire-hot broiling, but Glen and I were idiots.  We are so mad at ourselves and completely embarrassed.  We kept calling ourselves idiots while we spread the aloe-vera all over.  At one point, I started to blame him, saying I wanted to leave earlier, but all he could do was laugh at me, because I have raccoon eyes.  (Side note - my girlfriend Melodie is always on my case about not wearing sunglasses, so I've been wearing them more and apparently they worked.)  We got into such a giggling frenzy that my skin was hurting from the laughing.  We were quite a sight.

Other than that we had an absolutely wonderful time with my parents and having special family time.  If you get the opportunity to spend quality time with your parents, husband and kids this summer, do it.  It is priceless.

On the road again...

Well we began our journey home yesterday from Cape Cod. We spent five completely relaxing and glorious days at my Aunt Joann's vacation home at the ocean. We had a wonderful time with my parents and spent most of our days reading good books, napping with the ocean breeze and spending the early evenings at the beach. We actually frolicked in the ocean and mozeed here and there.

After two jammed packed adventurous days in New York City, it was nice to just enjoy the simplicity and beauty that surrounded us at the Cape. We truly enjoyed each moment and kept commenting on how this was exactly what we needed. We went to a children's museum in Maspee, looked at the Mayflower II from afar (they wanted $10 to tour it). We ate Lobster and New England Clam Chowder. We went to Hyannis and walked around the quaint town. We even went to a church on Sunday that I picked out from the newspaper and after the service we found out it was a Nazarene church. The name didn't give it away, but the people did. It was a newer church plant and it was neat to see God at work in a different part of the country.

Mom and dad left Monday morning, so we spent the day relaxing and picking rocks off the beach to bring home as souvenirs. Then we went to Red Robin for dinner. One of our favorite places just happen to be in the same area of town.

Yesterday we ventured off to Boston and went to the Boston Children's Museum. It was one of the best we've gone to so far. The kids had a fantastic time. Then we went to the U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest commissioned battle ship still around. The boys enjoyed looking around and looking at the sailors in their "costumes"(uniforms). After a full day, we started our journey home. We stopped in a town called Fishkill, NY which is smack dab in the middle of the mountains. It is a beautiful sight to see. Whenever you think of New York, you always think of the city, but we have gotten to see some pretty country. We went to a cool family rec center this morning and are heading to another children's museum this afternoon. I tell ya that Annual Family Museum pass from the ACM is well worth it.

So there's a quick update. We didn't get WiFi at the cape so this is the first opportunity I've had to blog. I plan on putting up a slideshow of all our adventures once we get home. We should hit home on the 4th or 5th.