Sunday, July 27, 2008

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to Work We Go!

Jason and I have always said to our kids, "Humrichous kids are hard workers". We have also taught them that after we work is when we play. They often hear us say, "if you don't work, you don't eat". Lastly, during the remodel of our house, we continued to tell the kids that last year was the year to work (and we sure did) and this was our year to play (and oh, boy are we!!!). This summer I am convinced more than ever that teaching our children to work is HUGE in our parenting. In a culture that has so many conveniences, I am reminded at how we have to look for opportunities to teach our kids to complete "tasks". I am amazed at how many parents do so much work while children watch countless hours of television or play video games.

So...how have I done this? First, from a small age, I have taught our children to throw their own diaper away or to get trash bags out to put in the trash can. They learn early and I love their faces when they feel a sense of accomplishment. Second, we are very measurable in our "work time". The older children (7,5 and 4 years old) work with me in the morning primarily. I tell them how long we will work, what their jobs will be, and what we will do when we are done. This really helps them see the "light at the end". Lastly, an invaluable resource that has helped me find age appropriate jobs is this great book. It is called What Every Child Should Know Along the Way by Gail Martin. It is available at http://www.gfi.org/. You might check it out. It also contains some great information on manners, character and other teaching tools.



We have a friend that visits our home in the morning. Often she asks to take a couple of our kids home with her. In the hour she is here, Benjamin has vacuumed the floors, Lynnea emptied the dishwasher and baskets of their own laundry are on their way up the stairs. Our home can stay neat (most of the time) and our kids take ownership as well!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Could they be any more beautiful?

Now....I pose as the proud sister and aunt wanting to show off my beautiful nieces. I know that I am partial, but these girls are such dollies. My sister Gwen lives in Michigan with her awesome husband, Josh. They are in youth ministry and I love their hearts for the Lord. Maggie just turned 3 and Anna is 8 months old. Enjoy these pictures!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Happy "Last" 1st Birthday!

Tonight we celebrated Isaac's 1st birthday. It's amazing after all the work you put into a party...how fast it can go. I find myself reflecting on the past year... how fast it can go. I remember being in the hospital after my first c-section thinking "how in the world am I going to go home and do this?!?!? Amazingly enough, we did it. I really thought watching "our baby" get bigger was going to be easy. Yesterday, I found myself shopping in a boutique for Isaac. I had a gift card that I wanted to use to buy him an outfit to wear for his birthday. One thing led to another as I scanned the layette. No more little tiny outfits. You guessed it. Crying my eyes out while waiting in line. I can only imagine how much harder this gets.
Anyway, our party was fun. Isaac was the little charmer smiling at all his guests. Mostly, he just loved the balloons and tissue paper. Grandpa and Grandma Legg came with their grandchildren from CA. Our beloved Burton family with their 3 little boys came as well. We sang Happy Birthday, ate cake (which by the way had the San Andreas Fault line running through it...it broke when frosting it...it really does pay to wait until it cools!), opened presents and played some more. The house is a mess, but a good mess. The kids are asleep (Jason too). And here I sit...so very thankful for our little baby. Happy Birthday Little Isaac!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Family...Family...and more Family

Jason's older sister Johanna and her family are on furlough from Nicaragua for the summer. We all got together at our house for the 4th of July holiday. Jason's younger sisters (Jewel and Jill) and their families traveled over from Ohio and his dad came from western Indiana. We had a great time eating together, playing at the park, eating, riding bikes, eating, and much much more. Most everyone left on Sunday to travel home. Bob, Johanna, David and Lily will be here for the week.

I am reminded at how blessed we are to have such a nice house to house everyone. It has been wonderful to have a room for all of the families. It was my dream for sometime to allow our home to be a place of fellowship and wonderful fun. I praise God for giving me this opportunity once again!