Good Crop

So the title of this blog comes about because my new SIL told my brother that one of the reasons she chose him was because he looked like he would "produce good crop". Hilarious! Cant say I disagree I mean we do come from an incredible yet undefined gene pool. Anyhow the reason for the post is I wanted to brag on my "good crop." Ya know how you always hope for your kids to make wise and selfless choices, but grit your teeth when they are faced with a decision (that might not be easy for them) that could go either way?

Just to give a little background on the subject we give our girls 3 gifts each Christmas (not including the little things we put in their stocking). We give them a want, a need and a surprise. Now one gift might include a couple things. Last year we got Dani a braclet maker and the string that she would need to make the bracelets. So there is an example of "one gift".

The other night we started talking with the kids about ways in which we could share with people that dont have as much as we do. Some of the items we decided on were; donating canned foods to a food bank, donating some of our things to Goodwill and last but not least "shopping" the Compassion catalog. If you are not familiar to Compassion, it is an organization where you can sponsor a child but this year they sent out a catalog and had different items you could donate to people in need (in Africa). This spoke to our heart because a little boy we have been sponsoring for the last 9 years lives in Tanzania, Africa. As a family we went through and decided on some things we would purchase and then we challenged the kids. C and I usually spend about $100 on each other and this year we decided it would be $70ish and we would put the remaining money towards something else in the Compassion catalog. We asked the kids if they wanted to give up one of their three gifts and give something to someone who has less than they do. I thought for sure Leilani would be the hold out, but I was wrong. She and Dani jumped right on board. Alli on the other hand said, " Can I think about this for a while." Of course. We really wanted this to be their decision. So we were fully prepared for her to answer "no" but I really hoped they would choose to give.

After much consideration Alli chose to give up one of her gifts. I cant tell you how proud I was of all of them. I wanted them to feel a certain amount of discord so that this was truly a sacrifice to them. Dani chose to give money towards a playground. Leilani chose a blanket and a tarp. Allison chose formula for a baby for a month. I am so humbled by their hearts. Oh, this makes mommas heart proud and is proof I am raising "good crop".

Ineffable

I know this doesnt sound like a real word, but it is. I even sound borderline bad. Do you know what this means? Impossible to describe. I was homeschooling Dani this morning and this was a vocabulary word that we were touching on during the reading/composition section of our workbook. Loved. Im bad!

I have had my head in the clouds lately. Dreaming of taking the kids to Hawaii. I think it would be so magical to see their little faces as they frollicked on the white sand and waded in the crystal blue water. warm water even. The sun would bleach out their hair, tan their skin and bring out the fraction of Hawaiian that they are. I thought about taking them to Kauai, renting boogie boards and lounging out there as long as possible. My only fear is that we would never want to come home. But oy vey, it was spendy last time. A gallon of milk was $7. C would need a huge pay increase and all our family is here. Oh to dream, as I sit here in 20 degree weather freezing my hiney off.

Baby girl is rolling over in the crib and usually not happy about it. Very funny. And as I type I hear her stirring, so more later.

Jaimie

Smile Bug

I will have to find my pic of Lou. She was a pink cowgirl. My daughters looked so adorable. Alli was a super model, Dani a blushing bride, Charlee a butterfly. C took 2/4 of the girls around the neighborhood while Dani, mom, Charlee and I answered the door to 349 kids. It was fun and the count was great. I absolutely loved answering the door and chatting with mom. Love these memories. I also love the after halloween pillaging that I do at Walmart to prepare for the following year. The girls really wanted some "spider webs" on our shurbs out front and I got some for next year. Love!

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin on her belly!

Reason #214 of why being a Stay At Home Mother rocks.......I get to witness all my baby's firsts. No one else is telling me what she did today, what I missed, I get to see it all. Praise God for teaching C and I early on to live on one income. So incredibly thankful. Two days ago Charlee rolled herself over and then didnt like it. It was precious. I went to her last night and she had turned over on her belly and again was not happy about it. This morning when I took her out of her crib she was on her belly completely turned a different way then I put her in the crib. She is so happy in the morning to be rescued, changed and fed. I absolutely love going to get her smiling face. Love, love, love.