Things Are Changing!

She's such a funny girl.

For all of her 4 years she has cared nothing about toys.   As you can imagine it was very hard to buy anything for her.  She liked clothes ok, but not so much as to get terribly excited over them.  She does have 2 baby dolls that got a tiny bit of attention...named This One and That One.  But for the most part...nothing.  And really, she didn't even enjoy playing with friends much. 

She just liked being with Momma.  Talking to Momma. Cooking with Momma.  Sitting on Momma's lap.  Following Momma around.  Reading with Momma.  Watching Rachel Ray with Momma.  Talking talking talking and playing with ZBoy.   She's my momma's girl alright. 

But now all of a sudden she has discovered the fun of girly toys.  A few weeks ago I took everyone to Toys R Us just for fun.  We did the quick once over then she asked if we could drop off the boys so the two of us could go down the pink aisle.  She loved everything.  Tinkerbell.  Strawberry Shortcake.  Tea pots.  Baby dolls.  Sparkly purses.  All of it. 

What fun!  She exclaimed and giggled over everything. 

Last week we got an American Girl catalog in the mail.  She looked over this dolly book, she called it, and we told her we had some of those in the attic.  Lane was generous enough to let her play with hers and she has been smitten ever since.  She's always the curly haired one (she hasn't named her yet) and she likes me to be Addy.  We have their trunks , "houses", and a few clothes and the dolls go to lots of birthday parties. 

I'm thinking her birthday is going to be lots of fun this year!!

It's NOT Yours!

E told me a story last week about how he's never eaten ice cream at my house.  I was sure he was mistaken b/c I know we've had ice cream while he's been over.  But apparently the first time we had ice cream he had his bowl all dished out, set it on the counter to find the sprinkles in the pantry, turned around and it was gone. 

Gone!  All he saw was the back of ZBoy walking off with his bowl of goodness. 

The next time was exactly the same thing.  Only this time it was a bouncy pony tail that he was looking at. 

Then there was the time when he brought over his milk shake.  He set it down to get something out of the microwave and ZBoy was sucking it down as fast as he could.   I tell ya the guy is going to have to learn to work one-handed around here. 

This week the g'mas took us all to Chuck E Cheese for dinner.  We ate, played games, and did the whole CEC thing.  It was time to leave and I was herding all the Taggs toward the door.  I brought up the rear with only ZBoy behind me by about 3 steps. 

I turned around to shoo him forward and GASP!!

He was sucking down SOMEONE ELSE'S abandoned coke off the table next to us!!!

Oh my goodness gracious.  I was pretty sure he'd probably drop dead soon from the stranger cooties but he's still with us. 

Disgusting. 

A Season For Everything

Isn't he cute?  This is a frosting clown that LB learned to make in cake decorating class.  He is entirely made of frosting except for the plastic head. 

Isaiah 54:13 says "And your sons will be taught by the Lord."   I have seen this over and over in my years of homeschooling.  Right now it is very apparent in LB's life. 

She has become very interested in cooking and sewing.   Now I can cook but I can NOT sew.   And I can't make anything cute out of frosting.  But it doesn't matter.  My friend Becky has been very sweet to take LB under her wing now and then and spend the afternoon sewing with her.   And then there is FYI (craft day) at church that usually centers around either cooking or sewing.  We know that on this day we will all get to glean from Leola's wisdom and craftiness.  She is taking 2 different cooking classes in co-op this semester and she is also blessed with grandmothers on both sides that are very talented seamstresses.  Yep, it skipped a generation. 

I thought today about how perfectly timely this is.  There was a season not too far back when there would've been no way I could've allowed LB to participate in these things.  There were too many diapers and nap times to juggle.  But it didn't matter.  She didn't need it then.  But now, at just the time she does God has sent the people into our lives as well as provided the time to do it. 

I'm so thankful. 

An Impromtu Tea

I found myself at a rare moment with just my Bird around.  I asked, "Hey, you wanna have a tea party with me?"
Oh yes, she did!

We had milk and these yummy muffins that LB had made earlier in the day.

All of my kids love these little tea pots that they can pour themselves.

A few minutes later her big sister joined us. 

Thank you girls for a fun time!

Morning Glory Muffins
2 C. flour
1/2 C. chopped nuts
1 1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. chopped apple (I used applesauce)
2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 C. oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 C. shredded carrots
1/2 C coconut
1/2 C. raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Stir in carrots, raisins, nuts, coconut, and apple.

3. In another bowl, beat eggs, oil, and vanilla.  Stir egg mixture into dry mixture.  Batter will be thick.

4.  Scoop into muffin tins.  Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Meg Comes Home Today!!

In fact she's in the air as I type.  Only 3 more hours!

Graduation Part 3

Here she is!

There's not a lot of pix from the actual ceremony.  Each graduate had a slide show with pictures from their lives from babyhood to now set to a special song that they picked.  

There were a couple of songs the seniors preformed in between.  This was one musical group!  And Meg played keyboard. 

Then each graduate's parents walked up with their graduate to turn the tassel and present their diploma. 

Me and my baby girl! We did it!

At the reception....

Friends!! This is about the time I realized that I left chickens in the oven that had been cooking since 10am.  It's like 5pm now!  PANIC!  So Pam, Jen, and Rommel ran home to turn them off.  whew!

Family!

Meg and Ethan

Sisters

Meg's Table

All the graduates decorated a card table with special things from their lives.

What a wonderful time it all was.  And it was just fun to plan and to get to work with all the 17 families who participated.  Sweet to see all the slide shows and remember when these kids were about 5.  I'm so thankful Meg got to graduate with her class and with the friends she's known since she was little. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make this day so special for her.

Courtship According To The Momma Part 1

Here we are 3 weeks into Meg and Ethan's courtship.  It has been a whirlwind of emotion, let me tell ya!  I am incredibly blessed with friends that have walked this road before me and have humbly shared their life with me in the process of it all.  As a mom who had never been there, I soaked it all in.  I'm thankful for their transparency and I want to be able to be that for other moms who are not there yet or are unsure about this whole courtship thing. 

Something I was thinking about today was how humble and teachable these 2 young people have been.   Ready to learn, quick to ask questions, listening, and wanting to do what is right. 

Ethan's parents have done a phenomenal job raising him with a vision to prepare for his future family.   He is setting the standard in our home for all who are to follow after him.   And he has made me think of how we are raising our boys.  I hope to elaborate on that later. 

I remember how tiring the days could be when I was the mom of a bunch of littles.  It seemed like every moment there was a new issue to tackle and nobody big enough to really be a help.  But now I look back and I'm so happy we invested the time it took to be intimately involved in their lives.  Homeschooling, limiting tv, limiting influences period, has really paid off.   Those were NOT the things we thought up on our own, but the things that God laid on our hearts that were right for our family.   I'm talking to you moms of little bitties here when I say that it is all worth it...every minute!  Every time you turn off Sesame Street and read or talk or play outside.  Every time you have to say "no" when it would be easier to say "yes".  And every time you choose to keep them close to you instead of sending them somewhere else. 

I am humbled thinking that God has worked so mightily in our lives.  The answered prayers of many years and sometimes many tears.  In the meantime, He was doing the same for Ethan's family and the families of whomever is to come calling next.   Wow. 

I have spent the last 18 years keeping this sweet girl close.  And now I realize that all that time was spent to prepare her to be somewhere else and with someone else.   She won't be here with us forever.  But she's God's, not mine.  And I can not hold her in my tight fisted grip.  That one simple concept took awhile for me to work through! 

And here we are.  All grown up almost.  And I get to walk her through this, learning the whole way.  I do want to share with you some of the practical aspects of courtship we're working through later, but today my heart is full of thankfulness that I've gotten to be her mom, that I've had her home, and I've gotten to spend most of every day of her life with her preparing her for the next thing.

I Used To Be A Perfect Mom

It's true.

It was back in the day about 19 years ago.   It was just Honey and me with our grand ideas and our little puppy dog.   We were sure we had it pretty much figured out and when we heard somebody's child screaming a fit in a restaurant we'd give each other the knowing look that said, "OUR kids will never act like that." 

Then something changed. 

The most beautiful baby girl was born into the world...and she was ours.  Well here we go, right? 

But no.  She wouldn't sleep through the night.  She cried for no reason.  One of her first words was, "NO". 
And she only wanted to eat macaroni and cheese. 

It escalated from there as each of her precious siblings were born.   They all came into the world with their own distinct opinions about things.  Weird. 

And then there were potty training show downs, sibling squabbles, melt downs, food fights, and  toddler tantrums.  Oh, and what about that time that my daughter had to be carried out of Walmart b/c she was throwing such a fit and stamping her little feet so hard that we weren't making any progress through the parking lot?  And over what?  A plastic pair of safety sissors. 

This parenting thing is harder than we thought. 

Everyday I am reminded that the longer I'm a mom, the less I have it figured out.  There is always something new.  Something I didn't consider.  Something I didn't plan for.  And I don't know the right thing to do. 

The good news is that although I'm no longer the perfect mom, my kids do have a perfect Father.  And so do I.  And every day He is waiting eagerly to bestow His blessings on me when I ask.   And boy do I ask!  I ask for wisdom, patience, forgiveness, gentleness, and grace. 

"I know that nothing good lives in me."  Rom 7:18

Grace like rain.  "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy."  Rom 9:16

And I am free!  Free from having to know it all.  Or pretend that I do.  Free to walk in perfect counsel without fear. 

And when pride rears it's ugly head, I have only to roll out of bed and be greeted by the nine sweet faces that God has used to humble me. 

Perfection is overrated.

The Tagg Ten

We've been studying Exodus 20:1-17, the 10 Commandments, for a few weeks now.  Good stuff.
We've also had some long meetings over the course of the weekend to help us see that we could use our very own family guidelines....not the same as Our 24 Family Ways or the 21 Rules Of This House, but something that would be mostly specific to us. 

Here's what we came up with...

The Tagg Ten

1.  You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!

2.  We train ourselves to be a help rather than a hindrance.

3.  Do it now, not later.

4.  Work when it's time to work, play when it's time to play.

5.  Leave the doors alone.  Properly said:  Leave. the Doors. Alone. 

6.  Leave a place better than you found it.

7.  No socks on the tramp, no wheels on the neighbor's driveways.

8.  When someone is resting, we leave them alone.

9.  If you grumble and push, your day will be mush.  And you may just end up with a pop on the tush.  (thanks Charlie!)

10.  Don't bongoo in front of company.  (just guess...)

I Guess It's Time

2 days now he's been in his Spiderman underwear.  And doing it like a pro.  And I knew this day would finally come.  But I wasn't in a hurry.  He is our Babyest afterall (and I do love changing diapers). 

This morning at the breakfast table I was praising him in front of everyone telling about what a big boy he is and what a good job he's doing on the potty. 

Honey put his face in his hands and said, "But we haven't been out of diapers since Laura Beth!" 

I'm glad I'm not the only sentimental one. 

Look What's Missing!!

Driving With Teenage Girls

And I'm still alive!!

Nah, they are both doing great. Nevermind that Meg takes a turn on 2 wheels and I bump my chin on the dashboard every time Lane makes a stop. They are nervous and excited and one is all smiles while the other is super serious. Funny.

Meg drove in traffic today. Lane practiced parking and backing out and of course...stopping.

It's nice to teach them together.

Slowly but surely I'm working my way out of a job and it won't be long before I won't even have to go to the grocery store anymore.

Wow, how did we get to this??

New Rule

Don't yell unless the house is on fire....especially before noon.

And really they don't yell b/c they are mad (except Zeke) it's just that they are so loud. And even if they aren't particularly loud individually, they are collectively deafening.

Talking, talking, and more talking.

I'm hiding in my room, ordering school books, and eating m&ms silently while the noisy ones are napping, cleaning, painting, and being quiet ...or else!

shhhh......

A Hard Lesson

My 5yo has had a tough week. He is learning the hard lesson of honesty and has lied to me several times. And though I've been consistent to discipline him every time, it continues. It's never anything big. Just little things that make me think he just wants to see if he'll get away with it.

Today is rainy and we decided to give the play place at Eastside a try. Just before we were ready to walk out the door he lied again. Again a little one, but dishonesty just the same.

I decided to try another tactic and told him he would not be allowed to play at Eastside OR with the Wings who were coming later. He needed something that would remind him not to try this again and making his day miserable was all I could think of.

OH the play place was FUN!! Fun for big kids and little ones. And Nate had to sit by me and watch. We were the only ones there for about an hour. He sat watching his brothers and sisters run and slide and climb with big tears rolling down his cheeks.

I sat there debating with myself if I should let him get up. Maybe he should sit out part of the time instead the whole time? Should I let him slide down the fast slide just once before we go? But my heart kept telling me NO and to just wait it out. So I did. And I hated it.

Now he's on my bed taking a nap while everyone else is playing with Wing boys. A hard lesson but hopefully one that'll stick.

Work for the Kingdom or just plain torture? I guess time will tell....

Revamping The Kitchen Work

I've noticed something. Whenever I assign certain jobs in the kitchen, the kids only do that job and nothing more. They have a "it's not MY job" sort of attitude about anything that has not been assigned to them. There is not the collective feeling of working together to finish a project and being proud of the end result. No, it's more of a get-it-done mindset.

After some bickering over who's turn it was to do dishes and who did them last I excused them all from the privilege of cleaning the kitchen tonight. No one would receive the blessing of serving God by serving the family through kitchen work. I did it all myself.

And as I worked and listened to my iPod, I prayed.

Assigning kitchen duties has not been an easy task. It's a huge job. And while we have many hands, if we're not careful there are *too* many hands and it ends in waiting and tripping over each other. But it was time to rethink it and try something else.

Thinking and praying through it, I realized that I need to be more hands on in the cleaning of the kitchen. They have gotten into some bad habits that need to be fixed and don't have eyes to see what has been missed.

Soooo...my new plan is to work in the kitchen with COW (child of the week) not only in the cooking of the day but also in the cleaning. Babies can play with Daddy and I can call in more help for certain areas if needed.

It'll give me a chance to work on the bad habits and spend more time with each child.

Anybody else have issues with kitchen chores?

How Do You Handle This One?

This is one of my favorite pictures of my boys. Aren't they great?

About boys. If you have more than one you know that one of their favorite pastimes is seeing who can burp the loudest. This carries over to other gas related competition as well. I guess it's all fine and good at home but when you go out and all of a sudden you hear "BLEZZCKK!" it's not so fine anymore. I turn around and see the proud smile (all teeth) on my boy and the surprised (Oh my!) look on everyone else's faces. I tell them no burping (or other gas passing) in public but they either lack the personal awareness of where they are, or they just can't resist...not sure which.

So it seems like the logical thing to do would be banning all such competition at home as well as public but at the same time it seems like I'm denying them a rite of boyhood. What do you think? Renee, Shannon, Janice....those of you with boys.

Irritations Are A Catalyst For Change

There'll be a lot of changes in our house. Everything from school schedules and work ethics, to words of the mouth and looks on the faces.

I consider irritations as God's prompting for improvement. If things are not going the way they should that is my cue to engage. I need to examine myself first and see where I have allowed things to slip, to seek the Lord's wisdom on what I need to change, and to jump in confidently with both feet.

The weekend is a good time to work and there's work to be done over here. It's been an irritating week.

Older Kids

Teenagers to be exact.

When my kids were little we were blessed to have friends with older kids. Friends we loved and respected and who had the same visions for their families as we had for ours. I paid close attention to these children, their parents' decisions, and the way things worked in their families. They were transparent with us, sharing successes, failures, and ideas. Through their examples, the Lord was quietly training us up for our own set of teenagers.

Now we have 2 - almost 3- teenagers of our own. We also have babies and ages in between. And while I feel like its an often frustrating stage, I also feel like its the most satisfying. We hear parents relate the woes of rebellious teens or warn young families, "Just wait until they are teenagers". It's enough to make you wish they'd stay babies forever. But I'm here to say that it doesn't have to be that way.

Yes, there's frustrating times, miscommunications, and disappointments. But the fun conversations, interesting topics, and soul-searching questions more than make up for it.

I feel like I have more of an opportunity than ever to help shape their opinions, ideas, and thoughts--and do they have a lot of those!! They also do the same for me and challenge me to look at something from a different angle. I like that.

The talks go long. Sometimes they're short. They are deep. Or silly. It doesn't matter. You leave feeling like you know each other even better.

Becky was right. They don't go to bed at 7:30. ;-p

Meg, Lane, and Kitch, I love you just as you are and I'm happy to be your mom!!

A Gentle Reminder

Here's a poem I'm teaching my boys. My next door neighbor in AR wrote it. It's most helpful sometimes!


If you grumble and push
Your day will be mush
And you may just end up
With a pop on the tush!

Clever huh?