Rachel's lip and Rose's eyes

I love each of my kids for thousands of different reasons. I really like seeing their personalities come out though and laughing at how silly they can be. Take Rachel, for example. She is spunky and determined to get what she wants. Her main method of persuasion these days is the pouty lip. She will look up at you with her big round pleading eyes and stick out her lower lip and say "pleeeeeaaaassssse?" She's just so cute when she does that you can't help but laugh.

And then there's Rose. She's fun to tease these days since she's getting older and can recognize we're teasing without getting mad. She just crosses her arms, narrows her eyes and glares at you with this expression in her eyes that says "I can't believe you jsut said that.". Hee hee hee.

David is turning into the jokester of the family. He is getting good at making up jokes and one-liners. And when you laugh at one of his jokes, his face just lights up. You can tell he's just so proud of himself for making you happy.

And Matthew. . . where do I start? Today my parents came down - they are keeping both girls for a week and were here to visit and take the girls home with them. My parents took all 4 kids to the playground near our house. When they came back, my dad was telling me about a penny Matthew found. He asked Matthew if he had a piggy bank to keep it him. Matt said no. So dad asked where he kept his valuables. Matt replied "at the zoo." We all burst out laughing because Matt was so serious. He looked around at all of us and kept asking "what's so funny?"

I just love my kids. They are each different and special in their own way. Raising 4 kids is HARD (quite easily the hardest job I've ever had!(, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Our God is an Awesome God!

I don't know why I'm so surprised. I shouldn't be but somehow I still am. Does this mean I don't have faith in God? No it just means I worry too much and try to solve our family problems on my own instead of relying more on God like I should. So what am I talking about? In the past week we have received some very practical help from several very unexpected sources. We've gotten checks we weren't expecting and have been given food (leftovers from a couple different cookouts we were invited to). Praise God for His provision! We are now able to pay our mortgage for next month and either the gas/electric or the water bill. Yeah!!!

This whole process has really made us depend on God. It's been a great lesson for the kids about God and how He really does take care of us. Rose commented just today that life hasn't been much different since dad lost his job. And that's been our goal. The kids don't need to know how much we've struggled and stressed about the future. They know their dad doesn't have a job right now, but they don't need to know all the details of our finances. They have been great through all this - not complaining and begging for things (well except Matthew some, but he's still little and doesn't understand).

We have been so blessed through all this with an amazing circle of family and friends who have been praying for us, calling to check in and emailing. We appreciate each of you so much for supporting us through all this.

There is no job on the horizon for either of us yet. Phil has been diligently applying places most every day. I am working on updating my resume and will be looking for something as well. I love being a stay-at-home mom and don't want to give it up. But if I can find work, I will. And for those of you wondering why we don't just apply at McDonalds or retail or something for now just to get a little money, well we could but it wouldn't really help. Places like that aren't hiring people like us who want benefits and full-time work (or even part-time work) because we're overqualified. There are so many people looking for work right now that retail and fast food places aren't looking to hire someone like me with a Master's degree when they can get someone for cheaper who won't be quitting when they get something better.

But through all this, the kids and I are still having some fun. We went to a cookout that a couple in our small group had at their house. They have a fenced-in backyard with a pool and trampoline. The kids were thrilled and spent 90% of our time their in the pool. And this was in weather that was maybe 74 degrees. It has been a surprisingly cool summer here but that didn't deter the kids from swimming.

We've been spending lots of time at the playground a mile from our house. They have 3 separate play areas with stuff for littler kids and stuff for bigger kids to do. We get there and my 4 kids scatter in different directions, climbing the rocks, sliding, doing the monkey bars, playing tag and just generally having lots of fun. I so enjoy watching them enjoy themselves and run off some energy!

Thre best news recently though is that Matt is finally potty trained. Yes he is indeed 4 already. I've been putting off training him but finally decided it was time last month after his birthday. Success!! Yippee!!! He has had 1 accident in the last week so I think it's safe to say that we've passed another milestone and have entered the phase of life that doesn't involve taking extra diapers everywhere we go. We still have several in pullups at night, but at least I don't have to change diapers anymore. Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What day is it?

Seriously, does anyone know what day it is?? I am noticing that with both Phil and I home full-time there is nothing to mark the passing of time. The days tend to blend together. It's been a progression actually. Back before Rose was born when I was still working for money, I really looked forward to weekends as a time to kick back, relax and not have much of anything to do. Work wasn't really fun but I got things done. Projects that I checked off my to-do list stayed done.

Then Rose was born and I started staying home full-time. What a big adjustment. Weekends were suddenly less exciting because they weren't that different from weekdays. Things I got done got undone really easily. The work was a LOT harder but I loved it so much more than any job I'd ever had in the past.

Now that Phil is home full-time I have no way to mark that it's a weekend. He is always home. It's definitely been an adjustment.

There is nothing new to report on the job front. Unemployment is still processing our claim so we don't have any income on a regular basis. But God has been so good about providing for us. We've had friends invite us out for lunch or over to their house for dinner. We've had unexpected checks arrive in the mail along with a bill we wouldn't have otherwise been able to pay. The kids have been terrific about not begging for new toys, trips to McDonalds, etc. I'm so proud of them for the way they're handling this!!

Don't get me wrong - Phil and I are still worried about how we're gonna pay the bills next month. The future is so uncertain and stressful for us, not knowing how we're gonna put food on the table or pay the mortgage, not knowing if we'll be living here or somewhere else. But we're relying on God (or at least trying to). He has a plan and will provide for us. Worrying about next month won't change anything and certainly won't help.

The First Day of a new chapter in our lives

Well this is Phil's first day unemployed. He spent the morning sleeping in then did some housework and job-hunting after he got up. He told me that he didn't get depressed if he kept busy. This will be a hard transition for him (and all of us) I think. We got his last paycheck in the mail today. Yikes!!

Meanwhile the kids and I went over to mom & dad Hahn's house for a play date. The kids were thrilled because they have been asking when they could see their grandparents again. They had a terrific time playing and I got to relax and have some grownup conversation. Mom even fixed lunch for us - I discovered that I like grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. These tomatos were so sweet!! Yummy! Anyway, after lunch we 3 adults took the kids to see Disney's Up at the theater near their house. Rachel sat still, behaved wonderfully and loved the movie. Matthew watched parts of it and said he liked the movie, but squirmed through probably 2/3 of it. He has just an unquenchable source of energy somewhere. He is on the go nonstop until he just crashes at night. He does still take the occasional afternoon nap, but if that happens he is up until 10:00 p.m. usually. Ugh.

Anyway, back to the movie. It was cute, but not exactly for people Matthew's age. It had a slow start, establishing the history of one of the main characters. There were some really funny parts though; I won't mention what specifically in case you haven't seen it yet. But it had some really inspiring messages though, like loving people, not things; spending time with your kids; and keeping your promises. One thing that really struck me was when Russell was talking to Mr. Fredrickson (the two main characters). He was telling his new older friend about how his dad used to have more time to spend with him and described what they used to do together. "It might sound boring," he says. "But I kinda think it's the boring stuff I remember the most." That is so true! I may want to spend lots of money doing fabulous things for my kids (like trip to amusement parks or the bowling alley) but in the end it may be the little things we do together (like snuggling on the couch for Family Movie Night or trips to the playground and McDonalds) that they remember the most. I've gotta remember this!!