embrace the circus

We’re alive! We’re in New York, in our new house, and feeling almost settled. (You know, except for the lingering boxes, the curtains and pillows still to sew, the walls still to paint… the projects that will be hanging around for the next three years!)

I have so much I want to share here — about our last weeks in California with the friends who have loved us so well, about our crazy trip across the country (we did NOT drive, but it still felt like it took forever), about the fun we had visiting family in Illinois, and about settling into our lives here at West Point.

Of course, there are about a hundred things to write and absolutely no time to write them. The circus is just as crazy as it ever was — possibly more so. It takes me all day just to stay on top of the regular, everyday stuff. But one day I’ll get around to writing. I promise.

May was a whirlwind. I know I keep saying that, but it’s completely true.

A quick photographic review of some of the month’s highpoints:

Luke continued to be an exceedingly good sport. He cooperated with his siblings' games... and wore their creations with a smile.

We were all exhausted by a crazy schedule. Here, Indy and Elmo passed out before preschool pickup. On this day I actually enlisted a mom I've met but do not really know to stand by the car so that I didn't have to wake him to get Kathleen. Poor guy slept through most of soccer, too!

We celebrated mother's day with a delicious breakfast out at our favorite spot, Hobee's. After breakfast we drove up to visit with Nan and Grandpa.

I wasn't the only one who found the mother's day breakfast to be delicious... Maddie thoroughly enjoyed her chocolate chip pancakes!

We celebrated Daddy's birthday with a tasty cake! And, thanks to Nan and Grandpa's superior babysitting skills, we also enjoyed a date night (joint birthday/9th anniversary) dinner at Palo Alto's Evvia. Yum.

Hallelujah! Jim defended and filed his dissertation! When the committee returned its decision (passed, no revisions), I cried. Such a happy ending to three long years of hard work for Jim.

Luke mastered sitting and commenced scooching (low crawling, army crawling, call it what you will) around the house. This entertained him endlessly, but made for some mangled magazines, among other things. It also motivated me to vaccuum at least three times a day. Even that wasn't enough -- that child found stuff to put in his mouth no matter what!

Towards the end of May, chaos descended upon our house. Our children found amazing ways to entertain themselves as we cleaned and organized and prepared for our move. (Of course, their imagination was more than occasionally supplemented by a video... )

On the last day of May (and the very day before our movers arrived!), we met up with our friends Jenny and Kevin and their three children to play at the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose. We joked about how when we all lived in Germany, a three hour drive to see one another was nothing. Yet, though we've spent the last three years living only about an hour apart, the addition of seven children has made that shorter drive somehow much more difficult.

The kids had a blast at the museum. We blew bubbles, made cornhusk dolls, and explored animal habitats. Our children (as in, the circus kids) got completely soaked while playing in the water exhibit. We finished up with a picnic lunch, and let the kids run around the big, green park. (They did not particularly care to stop for photos...)

Catching up with Jenny and Kevin was fantastic. And can you believe it? We'd never met sweet Adeline! She is a real cutie. Like her mom.

That’s all for May, folks. There’s lots, lots more to say about June, but that’s for another day…

Well aware that our time in California was rapidly drawing to a close, the circus made a break for the San Francisco zoo. Our plan was doubly good — not only would the kids get to see the zoo, but we’d all get to visit with our friends the Starlings. The Starlings lived in Germany with us and we’re looking forward to being neighbors again in New York. If you’d told us back in Germany that in six years we’d have seven kids between us, I’m not sure I’d have believed you…

This is the best I can do when it comes to a group shot. And it's not even all our children!

but, of course, we do have seven kids between us. Wow! Joni and I (and probably Jim and Jim, too, but I don’t think they talk about things like that so much) were eager to let the girls spend some more time together before both our families move to West Point. A few friends can ease a transition, right? Anyway, that’s how we all found ourselves together at the zoo.

Our kiddos couldn’t keep themselves from climbing all over the lion statues.  I couldn’t keep myself from snapping photos.

Sunglasses for a lioness? Why not?

There's something particularly appropriate about seeing John David on a lion. Usually he's the one roaring!

Obviously, Luke didn't climb on the lions. But he didn't seem to mind. He sat happily in the jogger.

And the zoo had these marvelous chances for kids to “be” different animals. Our children stood in front of just about every one of them, pleading “take a picture of me!”

We think Sammie Starling definitely measures up!

Our plan was fantastic! We got great weather — uncharacteristically warm and sunny.  The girls seemed to hit it off.  We enjoyed a picnic lunch.  We saw all — or at least nearly all! — the animals.  And the girls turned a small staircase into their own personal playground.

Joni and I even got a chance to sit and chat and feed our nurslings while Jim and Jim took the bigger kids on the train.  And our exhausted children slept on the way home.  Really, it was a fantastic day.

Thanks, Starlings!  Next time in Central Park?

Just around the time John David turned two, we celebrated a special little girl’s birthday with a party in a San Francisco park.  The adventure into the city was great fun for our littles — people they love, a new park to explore, party hats, and cake.  Really, what more could they want? Not much.

Indy again proved his fearlessness, climbing to the tippy-top of the play structure.

Princess Madeline calls down to her minions (her parents) from her high tower.

The cement slide was a hit, as always. We sort of thought that Indy was too small. We were wrong.

Blinded by her pigtails!

This photo doesn't look like it, but he insisted on the hat and the swinging. It was hilarious.

Anxiously waiting for (delicious) cake!

I sometimes joke that our family feels like a parade, but here we really look like one, marching back to the car, balloons in hand.

In the flurry that was this spring, John David turned two.

And, oh, is that boy two.

He’s busy. Very, very busy. He’s opinionated. He’s loud. He’s stubborn determined. He pushes limits and tests our patience on a daily near-constant basis. We sometimes joke that if John David has spent less than 40% of his day in time out, we’re probably not doing our job!

John David, having fallen asleep while in time out.  (Apparently after climbing into a pile of the pillows from the guest bed.)

And yet, we are so in love with John David. Our big, rough-and-tumble boy is somehow sweet. So sweet. He takes momentary breaks from his marauding to give me a hug or a kiss. He melts our hearts and wins over strangers with his cheery “thank you SO much!” His dancing never fails to make us laugh. While his interests can be very “boy” –dinosaurs and trucks and his pirate shirt and monsters — he also has been influenced by his two big sisters; he requests “Fancy Fancy” (Fancy Nancy) at bedtime, unabashedly slings purses over his shoulder and perches headbands on his head, and calls out “I choose Cinderella!” when we mention a movie.

Family friends gave John David a singing rocking horse days before his birthday.  He could not have been more delighted.  “My horsey!” he yells.

Though the day of John David’s second birthday passed without a (timely) blog post, the day did not pass without a celebration.

He began his day with two birthday traditions — a balloon and a bowl of “sugar cereal” of his choosing.

Nan and Grandpa joined us for dinner at Five Guys (the kids enjoy the burgers, but it’s the peanuts that they love) and stayed for gifts and, of course, cupcakes.   As an aside, when we tried ask John David what he’d like to eat for dinner on his birthday, all he’d say was, “Cupcakes!”

A new Notre Dame storybook…

A set of dinosaurs and a new backpack…

Make a wish, John David!  (Mama and Daddy were wishing to survive until your third birthday.)

We did not manage to move the plate of cupcakes quickly enough. He grabbed two. Or maybe three. But, hey, it was his birthday!  And besides, it wouldn’t be a party if John David didn’t make a grab for extra cake.  At least, not a party at the circus!

Happy belated birthday, John David.  We love you, little boy!

So, (once again) I’m behind on posting. It’s not like we haven’t been doing anything… it’s just we’ve been doing so much that I can’t find the time to sit down and tell you about it.

These little people are growing by leaps and bounds.  Every time I turn around someone has learned something new.

Little Luke discovered (a few months ago now) that if you want the family to sit up and take notice, you could try just sitting up.

Yup, one day we turned around and he was practically sitting up in the bouncer. Whoops! We apologized and moved him to the exersaucer, which he still enjoys.

We snapped this photo one day when Luke rolled right off his play mat and into a sparkly princess dress one of his sisters had discarded on the floor.  He promptly started chewing it.  It was apparently more enticing than the infant-safe, wooden toys we’d set out for him. Whoops! Sorry, kiddo! (That’s practically a theme around here.)

When we discovered some friends were selling their nearly new bunkbeds, we jumped at the opportunity to secure beds for the boys down the line. We hadn’t realized we were in the market for beds just yet… but then suddenly we were. We even bought them while Jim was out of town! And we went ahead and set up one of the bunks for John David. (And when I say we, what I really mean is my brother-in-law Craig. He picked up the beds in the north bay, drove them down to the south bay, hauled the pieces upstairs, disassembled the crib and then assembled one of the beds. Seriously, is that guy great or what?)

It was a bit of a risk, moving John David out of his crib.  We weren’t sure how he’d react.  But the boy was over the moon.  He couldn’t wait to climb into the bed and move every item he owned onto it.  (“Pirate?  Bed?” “Yes, honey, we’ll put your pirate on your bed.”  “Dog?  Bed?”  “Yes, honey, we’ll put your dog on the bed.  But can I put the sheets on it first?”)  And that night — and most since then — he slept right through.  Hooray!

Of course, he doesn’t sleep the “right way.”  But he’s sleeping.  And that’s all that matters to me!

More recently, Luke was introduced to the new and exciting world of solid food.  So far, he’s tried avocados, peas, and (hard boiled) egg yolks.  He is a happy eater.

His brother?  Not so much.  Well, he eats.  And he eats a lot.  But the boy has distinct ideas about what he should eat, when.  Here he is refusing to eat even one bite of broccoli or pasta, holding out for some ice cream.  (He didn’t get any ice cream.  His disappointment was vast.)

Mornings are a little easier than evenings, since there’s no expectation of dessert. (Also when you get the “fruity yogurt” as a treat!)  And because it’s perfectly acceptable to arrive at the table in your pajamas and your brother’s hat.  Well, it’s acceptable at our table, anyway.

We’ve learned that a bubble machine is an instant party-maker.  I’d written about how we used it at Easter, but Nan actually surprised us with it a few days earlier during a playdate with some of our dearest friends.

(Clearly, eating bubbles is more appealing than eating broccoli.  Or maybe that’s only because there’s no dessert…)

More adventures to come!

We were eager for Easter.  For weeks, Kathleen had been asking, “How many days ’til Easter?”  And then, finally, we could tell her, “It’s tomorrow!”

We dyed eggs.  Well, Jim and I and the girls did.  John David wasn’t particularly interested, which was probably fortunate for us.  (I mean, you’ve seen him and peanut butter.  John David and 9 cups of egg dye?  Potential disaster!)  Luke supervised.

The girls woke early Easter morning and waited (oh-so-impatiently) for their brothers to wake, as well.  Eventually, though, the six of us made our way downstairs, where we discovered the children’s baskets.   And where John David dove right in.

Why let a little thing like a foil wrapper slow you down, right?  (Oh, and I can confirm that the Easter bunny is, in fact, sleep deprived.)

We continued our “indoor hunt” tradition, letting the children find little, foil-wrapped chocolate eggs.  They loved racing around downstairs, hunting.  The girls’ hunting skills have improved; John David is simply a natural!

We read the Easter story (in multiple versions!) and made eggs and resurrection rolls for breakfast (the girls helped make the rolls; John David helped by eating marshmallows).  We dressed everyone and worshiped at a lovely Easter service.

That afternoon we were joined by our family and our dear friends for dinner and an egg hunt.  This was the third year we’ve gathered this group of loved ones.  In that time, we’ve added four children to the group!  So, we’ve got quite the crowd of egg-hunters.

Once we’d collected all the eggs (and confiscated — at least temporarily — most of the candy), we let the kids run off the sugar they’d already consumed by employing Nan’s bubble machine.  Frankly, that felt like a bit of genius.

It was an afternoon of delicious food and delightful company.  We can hardly believe it’s the last Easter of its kind — we’ll need to create new traditions next year.  Well, unless we can convince everyone to fly to New York!

We hope your Easter, too, was filled with the joy of the risen Savior.  He is risen.  He is risen, indeed!

Oh, friends, I nearly forgot to tell you!  Our Good Friday was very, very good.  Jim’s dissertation defense went beautifully.  (Thanks to Nan and Grandpa, I even got to go watch!)  We heard the words we’d almost been afraid to hope for: passed, no revisions.  Hooray!  Thank you for your prayers.

Things I learned today:

• If you burn the morning’s steel cut oats thoroughly enough, you can still enjoy the burnt smell that evening.  Incidentally, no one will notice if you make popcorn, since the burnt oat smell covers it up.

• At the gas station it is possible to rid the minivan of trash, change a toddler’s wet shorts, rescue a dropped dolly, and spend a shocking amount of money, all in the time it takes to fill a tank with gas.  ($4.19 a gallon?  Really?)

• A brown bag, post-school, pre-soccer lunch in the minivan pretty much guarantees that the new carseat no longer looks quite so new.

• The soccer coach independently confirmed Jim’s assessment of our daughter’s performance at soccer practice.  She’s the fastest one there… when she can be bothered to run.  Which is to say: not often.   (And for the record, that’s fine with all of us — for now.  She’s five!  She’s supposed to pick dandelions, right?)

• You cannot expect a two year old who has not napped and who has endured Costco, preschool pick-up, and soccer practice to patiently wait on the line at Honey Baked Ham.  At least, not quietly.  (“Oh,” says a man outside afterward, when I’ve strapped a screaming John David into the van, “They were pretty good.”  “Well,” I respond, “75% of them were, anyway.”)

• That fancy, shiny new gate?  The one that actually keeps the two-year old out of the kitchen?  It’s only as good as the mother who remembers to close it.  (Yup, that’s peanut butter.)

Sorry, bookclub. I'm pretty sure literature wasn't meant to endure this

• The only thing better than your favorite Thursday night dance class is your favorite Thursday night dance class with your sister and your best friend.

• A day’s worth of soaking will not fix the blackened oatmeal pot, but steel wool and elbow grease will.

(Another member of our family has been learning (and writing) a lot lately.  Seven days a week, a lot.  And tomorrow he defends his dissertation.  Will you pray for him with us?  We have every confidence in him, but even greater confidence in God!)

Hooray! The worst part of moving our blog address was wondering whether you all would be able to find us again. We’re so glad you did.

We’ve had sort of a late spring around here. I know that even saying that makes me sound a little silly; we have friends in New England and friends in Alaska and friends in plenty of places where they get, you know, actual weather. (Like snow. And inches of ice.)

Here we’ve had lots of rain and plenty of grey. While that might be mild for the rest of the country, it’s practically severe for us. And we’re more than ready for some sunshine and warmer weather.

Well, I’m ready. John David? Not so much. The downpour taking place during a recent preschool pickup pretty much made his week. He was positively gleeful.

Even outfitted in boots and raincoat, that child still got soaked. He rode home stripped down to his sodden diaper because I was afraid that his wet clothes would make him too cold. (I shouldn’t have worried. That kid’s impervious to just about everything.) And he smiled the whole time.