The Big 07!

So this October my mom turned the big 70 and my baby turned the big 07. He is now the age on his football jersey...apparently a very big deal!







Even though he opted for the "no party" there was still plenty of presents from family and friends! We also had "the cousins" over for cake and ice cream.



He got some much needed money and a Petsmart gift card to buy rabbit supplies, and plenty of things to keep him busy! Here is just a few!







Kim and Zack sent a present for Brody and his brother...very thoughtful!

Well, Brody says..." I still feel like I'm six" but he is another year older, getting so big, and growing up so fast.

Dear Brody,

Happy Birthday to a very special boy that puts laughter in our lives each and every day. You love life and it shows. You are the "class clown" in our house. You play tough, but you still love to snuggle and I love both sides of you. You love your family, and care deeply for animals. Your bond with your brother is so apparent and puts joy in my heart that can't be described. You are confident and at the same time willing to admit when something frightens you. I love that honesty. You are so smart and learning comes natural to you. You tease Connor about his love for books as you lift your eyes from your own. You have a very logical mind which I pray that God will use in your life in a mighty way. I call you my "little negotiator" and am constantly amazed at how you see things and how you teach me to see them too. You embrace things that are unique and admire the extraordinary.

You are a true gift and a blessing from God and I am so grateful to be your mom. I know 7 will be great!

Love,

Mom

This is only a test....

This year I had a brilliant idea for Brody's birthday. His birthday was Monday and will receive a separate posting soon;)

Each year we offer Connor and Brody a big choice when their birthday rolls around. They get to choose between a party with friends or a present. We have explained how expensive it can be to have a party for kids these days and that if they want a party that IS the present and it has been a real good strategy for us. This year Brody chose a present. He said parties are crowded and there is "you know mom all those people". If you know Brody, I'm sure you are chuckling right now.

I thought long and hard and came up with the perfect present....a bunny! Brody has been wanting a real sheep for a very long time but he is just so little. He really seems to want to take care of animals and I see a 4-H club or two in his future, but I am tired of telling him "when you get a little older". So, I felt a bunny would be a great "test" to see how he can handle the responsibility of an outside pet that requires quite a bit of care. I quizzed him a few months ago and asked if he couldn't have a sheep what other animal would he want and he said that a bunny would be really close to a sheep.

So, we are now a 3 pet family...dog, cat, and now the cutest little Holland Lop bunny you have ever seen!

We had to spill the beans early because daddy decided to build the hutch and it took up the garage for a few days. Also, I wanted him included in picking out just the right bunny for him. He was SO precious going to Petsmart and spending birthday money and a gift card on all the "stuff" that his new pet requires, and we found a breeder in Turner that was so helpful. The hutch came out great and Saturday night we picked up the newest member of the family, Dusty.

He is a real good bunny with a great temperament. He is not aggressive or shy and has a great personality. He comes to the cage when you go to the door and will sit for ever and let anyone pet him.

So far we are only on day 3 but it is going good and the honeymoon isn't over yet! We even got him an exercise pen and he is learning to put it up and down and get him out of his cage for exercise and fresh grazing. (Did I mention they are quite a bit of work?) I do think it will be great for him and he is so excited. I think it will be a good lesson to teach responsibility beyond the cat and dog and it is fun to see him so excited.

Here is his first night in his new home.

We learned quickly how much he loves clovers!

Today, he got to practice picking him up and holding him which of course was a very big deal. That bunny just snuggled right up to him.

I am thrilled that he loves his present this year and will update how the happy couple is doing;)

Letters to God

In the journal jar is an assignment to "write a letter to God" which both Connor and Brody have done in the past week. I felt these were worth sharing and preserving...


Dear God,
What made you think of creating the world? I've been curious.
Thank you for family and friends.
Thank you for giving us food and water.
Thank you for holidays.
Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and thank you for games.
I hope I can go to heaven when I die.
Love, Connor

Dear God,
You are awsome. And very big.
You made the world.
And you made me and my family plus Big Jake and Small Owey.
Amen.
Love, Brody

How sweet! I just love these letters and I adore these boys of mine!

One more chore

I absolutely dread ironing. Truthfully, I have enjoyed the last almost 20 years of no ironing. I loved my husband's T-shirt and jeans philosphy and have had no trouble putting something back on the shelf that looked like it would require ironing. After all....I did "press" full time with a job I had out of high school and feel I did my time. Plus after you have used a professional iron, you realize how inadequate the regular versions are.

However, that time has come to an end and I am now back to the task of ironing those button up shirts. Bryan wants to look nicer at work now that he is a superintendent and I definitely agree and support him. He has meetings with clients, suppliers and companies now and I am so proud of him.

Yesterday was my first day back on the job. The kids were giddy to see mom use the new iron and board I had to purchase. (I know I had an iron because I have used it on numerous bead crafts that the boys made over the years, but I couldn't even find it;)

They thought it was the coolest thing ever and that is when it hit me that they have never seen anything like it....mom ironing clothes?

Oh...the good ole days;)

Pillow Talk

I thought my mom's whole purpose was to be my mom. That's how she made me feel. ~Natasha Gregson Wagner

I love this quote and have probably mentioned it many times before. Most likely it is to remind myself to slow down and pay more attention or sometimes I pull it out to beat myself up when I am feeling really crummy about my ability to parent these two young children God has trusted me with.

Tonight though it comes to my mind and I long to capture some special moments with Brody . I do get busy, there are many things grabbing my time and attention. I hope more often than not it is my kids, but I admit I fall very short. I think all the time about regrets that I don't want such as...

"I should of read that story even when I was tired or played that game when there was laundry to do. I should of just played hooky from school and pulled out the board games."

Brody has started asking me to lay in bed with him at night when I go to tuck them in. I have to admit, it makes me sleepy, and that is why I find it hard to do sometimes. The evenings have been a very productive time for me lately and it is hard to bounce back after laying down and being read to, then laying in the dark to top it all off! However, he seems to really treasure these moments with me as much as I do with him. He is cuddly, sweet, and affectionate and even tells me, "I like it when you lay with me mommy." So, each night I am home I have decided that I will spend this time no matter how I feel or what I think I have to get done. It can all wait and these are important moments that I will never get back. Just last night we discussed some great things ....

"Mommy....if someone was going to turn you into a motorcyle which part of you would be the wheels? How about the horn mommy, and the handlebars and the...."

"Mom...what are contacts for and why do you wear them when you don't have your glasses on?"

"You know I couldn't feel my first loose teeth because my permanent were already coming in Mommy, but now I think I will."

I don't know where or why this came up but thank you God that my little boy wants to spend this time with me, I know that he will be all grown up before I know it. I will treasure these nights and enjoy every minute and I thank you for blessing me with this incredible gift. I hope it gives him some sense of feeling so loved that he feels for that time he is my whole purpose.

Words of Wisdom....from Connor

This year I tried something different to spice up their journal writing a little. I wrote on slips of paper a lot of different journal starters for each one of them. Then they decorated containers and we folded them and put them all in the jars along with 2 each that says "Skip Journal Today". I assign journal writing two times a week on Tuesdays and Fridays and I have to say they have been doing really well with this format. It challenges them a little more but they also feel more in control since they pick it;)

I want to share a few that Connor has written so far this school year. I will correct spelling, but leave it as written. I wish they copied or scanned better, but this will have to do. Enjoy!

The Qualities that make a best friend are....
To make a friend you need to have 5 qualities. To make a best friend, I like to have a similar age. I also like to like a few of the same things. You also need to like each other. You need to be kind and good. I like having friends to play with.

What makes you laugh?
There is a lot of things that make me laugh. For instance, I really laugh at the word Bootie! Brody can really make me laugh. He does really funny things, but I can too! Once we made ourselves fall off the bed and Brody fell on me! (I just remembered that it was the couch!) Laughing is really fun for me and Brody!!!

What would happen if you threw a piece of trash on the ground? What if everyone did?
If I threw my trash on the ground I would be a litter bug. If everyone threw their trash on the ground, the earth would be trash! IUE!! Then everybody would have to buy a gas mask. It would not be funny, but it would be stinky.

I am the happiest when...
Normally, when I am happiest is when I am not sick. I am also happy when I am watching football. I am also happy when I am laughing. I also love eating. I have fun playing football. I love it when I am happy.

Love....(he had to define it as a vocabulary assignment which is where the first part came from)
Love is giving to other basic needs without having as my motive a personal reward. Love is also to have a passion or devotion to someone. Love is also liking something. God loves us because He created us. Abraham showed that he loved God because God told him to sacrifice his son. Abraham did it. But before he actually did it, God said not to and gave him a ram.

What would happen if there were no rules?
If there was no law, it would be kind of fun! It would be fun because the government would make silly laws. There could be no such thing as school. (that would be kind of bad) If they made sports with no penalties or coaches, the quarterback could do whatever. The bad thing about no rules is that people would do bad things, like stealing, cheating, and killing. If there were no rules it would be good and bad.

Honestly, he came up with no school being bad all by himself! He is really doing a great job this year and has come a long way. Writing is harder for Connor because he is very logical and likes to have the "answer" in print before him. I am proud of him for thinking about some of these topics and coming up with some pretty great stuff! He is growing up so fast!

Not a Bad one in the Bunch!

Last night we finished reading together "The Cricket in Times Square" and Connor's comment was to me, "mom I don't think there has been one Sonlight book that I haven't liked, they are all good." I am happy to have such a tremendous resource in Sonlight and I just really enjoy the times we share together with the Read Alouds.

Last week Connor, Brody and I finished a great book, that I have to mention here. It is called "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite De Angeli and we all really enjoyed it. We had been studying knights, castles and the Middle Ages and this was a wonderful way to end that part of our lesson. It was only made better by this wonderful one my friend gave to me as she knows I love old books! I adore this copy that seems to have been printed in 1949 and pulled from the library shelves of School District No. 42 in Benton County. The price on the jacket boasts a $2.50 price for a hardback book. I love that it was obviously enjoyed by so many and I am sure a bright new copy took it's place on the shelves.

The illustrations are wonderful and it is at the top of my list of "favorites"! The best part is the story and the lessons and how a young boy could relate to the main character, Robin. It is wonderful for asking..."What do you think YOU would do?" Oh, and how easy to discuss true character and fruits of the spirit when given so many wonderful characters! Robin is an excellent role model for any young boy in my opinion demonstrating true courage. We had some wonderful discussions around this book and it is one I will not soon forget. It asks us to identify "walls" that come up in our own lives and what "doors" we seek out and find our way through. This is one to keep, treasure and enjoy over and over again!

You Win some....You loose some.

Wow, what a weekend!

Started Saturday with team picture day for flag football then onto the big game. They knew it would be a tough one against the Crimson Tide but they practiced hard and were confident they would do their best. One of the many strong players was out camping, but they tried hard not to let that get them down.

Connor got to play quarterback and was obviously nervous. Once the offense got in the groove though it went better. Connor was thrilled to score his first points which involved a 2 point bonus after a touchdown. He tossed it to Jack, who tossed it back to him and then he ran it in the end zone for the score. He really needed that! Brody was in a few trick plays and even played running back which he was waiting to do since the season started. He plugged through for some yards but also really enjoys rushing the passer! (kind of ironic, since I am always the one rushing him) It was a very rough start to the game...we were down by two very quickly scored touchdowns. They played hard and fought tough and in the end came out victorious! Am I an awful mother for not remembering the numbers? Connor is asleep so I can't ask him and he would know. But we won and are now 2-2!

Bryan was also lucky enough to get 4 tickets to a Ducks home game for that same evening so it was a football day for the Doeren family! He heard the traffic going down could be crazy so we left very early with plenty of time. It was a beautiful day for a football game and with free tickets to our favorite Oregon team, we are all pretty blissed! It was funny that the game started out just like ours...down quite a bit very early...but the Ducks made a strong comeback! It was really a great game and was quite the experience. College football fans make up for a very interesting bunch and I think I will leave it at that for now....

So with all that winning...I am sure you are on pins and needles wondering what the loss could possibly be???

I won't keep you waiting any longer.....

Brody lost his first and second tooth! The first one came out at halftime during his game and the second one came out on Sunday. It is so weird when he has his big "firsts" because they seem to represent my "lasts" since he is our last child. However, it was a very exciting time for him and I won't dwell on that.

I do have to note though and am pretty sure that it will be documented here that I am the world's WORST tooth fairy! I even put the money on the coffee table sure that I would see it when I went to bed, but I didn't.

So, this was our conversation the next morning....

Brody: "Mommy, do you know what is so weird? I put my tooth under my pillow and it is still there."

Me: "Really, that is really strange, what do YOU think happened?"

Brody: "Maybe I didn't put it under my pillow early enough?"

Me: "I don't think so (can't be his fault that his mom is a loser), maybe she is just running late today." Let's have some breakfast!

While breakfast is heating up....I sneak away and well you know! After breakfast I try again...

Me: "Brody, why don't you go check under that pillow again?"

Brody: Big....no HUGE...smile and all is right with the world again.

So, you do win some and loose some and sometimes you just get lucky! Thank you God for understanding kids who can bounce back when I fall short.