These are the Years

These are the years, the gentle years,
the soft and sentimental years
when wee little fingers
reach and touch
and little eyes gaze
with wonder and trust,
when you love so tenderly
and so so much,
these are the gentle years.
These are the years, the rainbow years,
the quiet, walk-on-tiptoes years,
the years of laughter
and smiles and sighs
when both of you watch
with misty eyes
the tiny bed
where a cherub lies,
these are the rainbow years.
These are the years, the tender years,
the blissful, sweet-surrender years,
when your little treasure
from above
is the soul and purpose
and center of
your plans and dreams
and dearest love,
these are the tender years.

-Barbara Burrow

This poem really touched me. The time is so fleeting... it makes me want to lock the door, unplug the phone, throw away the computer, and then curl up on the couch with all my children, and just hug them forever.

Ephraim Birthday

Ephraim just turned 9! He had two parties, one with friends and one with our family. Here he is at the friends party. His friends Brandon, Alton, & Graham came home with him on the bus. They played nerf guns, played outside on the swing, played Wii and played lego. He thought Azael's birthday party in April was so much fun so he tried to do all the same things. It went well (which was a relief since Mystery Man was out of town). 

 Here's a photo of Ephraim during the family party. Unfortunately he had a fever of 102 for this photo. But he insisted on having cake because Grandma & Grandpa were visiting. He was excited to receive money, which he' s saving for his own Ipod. He also received a Star Wars Lego set.  He put half of it together before he felt too ill to continue. He finished the rest the next day. Poor guy!

Ephraim has a heart of gold. Every day after school he ALWAYS finds the childcare kids first thing and plays with them. He loves those kids. Just the other day he went into the library and said, "I would love to win the free Nook. I'm also trying hard to win that teddy bear gift basket for the childcare kids." How sweet!  

Ephraim has a lot of energy. He loves to use it to socialize. He is quite a smart boy; however, his teachers regularly comment that he needs to do less socializing and more focusing. :)  I'm sure he'll figure that out with maturity and time. 

His favorites: still Lego, Wii, board games, playdates. He has become a fairly avid reader this past year. He enjoyed the Seekers series, has read the first four Harry Potter books, and many other fun books. He is a great pianist and is quite diligent at doing his practicing every day. 

Nicknames: Bephraim. Beefster. Beefsteak. (my nicknames for him)

As a Mom, I feel very confident that Ephraim has some important things to do in his life, particularly in the line of blessing the lives of the people around him. His loving, tender heart will be used to the good of many people, I believe. We love you so much Ephraim and feel privileged to get to watch you grow and develop each day. Love you Buddy! 

Summer Fun

Azael graduated from elementary school. Here he is waiting for the ceremony to begin. He'll be in middle school next year! 

 The childcare kids enjoyed a cute Cowboy theme last week. Here they are all decked out! So cute. :)

 Claire and Jane

 We also tie-dyed shirts. Here we are.

 Jane, Silas, & Lorelai having fun in the baby pool.

Jane just moved into a BIG GIRL BED, right beneath Lorelai! She is loving it. And Lorelai is so excited to be on the top bunk....

My aunt Jane and Grandma Bertha came to visit. They brought us a finch feeder and MM hung it up in a small tree outside our living room window.

 He climbed right up to get the rope over the branch.

 Jane, sporting a sweet bike helmet. 

 sibling love.

 Grandma Bertha watches as Jane tried to jump on the pogo stick (good thing she has on that helmet, right?)

Aunt Jane poses with Silas & Lorelai.

 popsicle duel

Another day....Visiting the zoo.

 riding the carousel

(Silas gave Jane a ride... she was VERY nervous)

 Lorelai rode on her own

 Jane and Claire in the kangaroo pouch

The kids climb on the turtle. Ephraim make a great landing.

 Two prairie dog babies wrestling around. The kids watched them for along time.

 Playing at the park following the zoo. Everyone poses on the train.

 Claire and Jane posing in their tie-dye shirts.

 Most recently Grandma & Grandpa came to visit. Grandma brought LOTS of cake mixes and taught the boys how to bake them. They are excited to eat lots of yummy cupcakes this summer! 

 Grandma also brought along a cute hat for Jane. Jane may not have a lot of hair, but she looks adorable in a hat.

I can't believe it has only been 1 week since school ended. Life is good!

Waterpark

On Memorial Day Weekend our family went to the Wisconsin Dells. Jane took it slow and refused to go on any rides or in any water for the entire morning. Here she is, leary of the swing ride (behind her). 

 Lorelai had a great time riding everything from this train to roller coasters. 

At one point we saw a woman receiving CPR after apparently drowning. The whole thing shook me up a bit, so I did something stupid and drove our stroller through a bit of water, getting the camera wet. It fogged up the lens. I took this picture to test it out... my facial expression shows exactly how I was feeling. Boo! But I had to include this to prove I was there (since I'm NEVER in photos). 

 We took a family photo while the lens was foggy, as well. Nice. :)

 Later in the day (prior to the hail storm) Jane did enter the water and had fun on a little slide. 

 Good job Jane! :)

We had a nice time, aside from the traumas of the day (read more here). 

Preschool Graduation

Lorelai graduated from preschool a few weeks ago. Here she is on graduation night with her teacher Miss Linda. It was a great year. Lorelai made many great friends, including Jonah, Izzy, and Nathan. Her listening skills improved and by the end of the year Miss Linda emailed me to say how much Lorelai had grown and what a pleasure it was to have her in class. Great job Lorelai!

All Stars

Silas had a blast during the Spring soccer season, largely because he loved his teammates. 

David and Whitney are friends from church. Bailey, one of David's friends, played on the team too. The head coach was Silas' former primary teacher at church, too (also David's dad). It was a lot of fun!

I borrowed these pictures from a friend (Thanks Alisa!).

Great Season guys!

Lots of Fun. And weirdness.

Just a photo update. Enjoy!

Silas (dilated eyes + sore throat = stylish). 

 With even more style.

 Mother's Day cards from Lorelai.

 Ephraim's Mother's Day gift to me (this is his all-time favorite food: Mac n' Cheese mixed with beans. He really gave this as a heartfelt gift and not a joke. I found it really sweet).

Silas' Mother's Day gifts.

 Mystery Man came through. Truffles and gourmet chocolates from Vosges in Chicago.

 Our first water fun of the season.

 Watching the solar eclipse. A bit hazy, but we eventually saw it.

 Hanging out prior to the eclipse.

 Silas had some stylish new glasses. I say "had" because they were broken at a birthday party after only 6 days of ownership. Luckily the replacement arrives tomorrow.

 Ephraim, being sophisticated.

 Jane, loving her graham cracker & milkie.

 Mystery Man and kids waiting for the eclipse. And having a sword fight.

Lorelai helps Jane

 I was there.

 This photo makes me think of Joan of Arc. Girl Power!

 Mystery Man takes a photo of the eclipse (note: I just examined that picture and it's nothing but a blur of light. Good try, though, MM). 

 Joan of Arc and MM.

 Silas and Lorelai before their music concert (see previous posts).