Vader-Ade and Seven Leia Dip

We got a new color on the farm! Not to mention our first track tractor! Happy birthday, Trevin! Just kidding. Although, he can think what he wants...

We may not have given Trevin a tractor for his birthday, but we did manage to give him a pretty sweet Lego Star Wars party. 

My favorite part about throwing a child's birthday party: the food puns. 

For anyone who doesn't know Star Wars... I'll just tell you, these puns are hilarious. 

Vader-Ade, Yoda Soda, and Luke Skywater

Ashton made his BB-8 cake. It turned out so cool. (She made it because I will ruin every cake I ever try to make. Promise.) We had so much fun celebrating our 5-year-old!

I just sink into those eyes. I was always teased growing up that my eyes were the color of poop. But oh my goodness, give me all the poop eyes. Poop eyes give me heart eyes. 

Trevin:

+There's still a few words that Trevin pronounces incorrectly. For several years he's referred to Grand Island as "And Gr-island". I never want that to stop. I can't bear to correct him because it is my favorite thing. Recently he started using the word "disgusting". Although he says, "uh-skusting". It probably won't be cute when he's 17, but right now, I'm clinging to these tiny words that keep him a babe in my heart. 

+We were made very aware this month of Trevin's strong sense of gender roles. It started fairly innocently when he and I were playing football in the yard one day. He said we had to pick our team names. He said, "I'm going to be the Tigers!" I said, "Ok, what should I be?" He paused and then replied, "You can be the... ponies. ...Or... um... baby cows." He then explained that those were girl animals, and boy animals were things like tigers and bears and lions. Message sent, loud and clear. 

But then we were having supper with our friends, Logan and Claire, one night. It just so happened that all the guys were on one side of the table and all the girls on the other side. In the middle of supper, Trevin piped up and said proudly, "I know why we're sitting with boys and girls on different sides [of the table]." We all looked around and took notice of the seating and I was curious as to what he would say next. "It's because the girls have to be closer to the kitchen!" We all about died and it has earned James a month of dishes. Out of the mouths of babes...

+One thing that has taken me by surprise is the tears. I thought by age 4 they'd be done crying. Well, they're not. And it shows no sign of stopping at age 5, either. This week Trevin cried because he didn't want to look at his shadow. I just.. I don't know how to parent that. I can reason with disobedience or selfishness, but this doesn't make an ounce of sense. I'm at a loss. Send help. 

This is what sibling-life looks like. 

Myla:

+Turned 11 months! This baby has grown at warp speed. 

+She has taken off on all fronts this month. She is officially walking! She took her first sequence of steps on April 22. She walks all the way down the hallway, turns corners and sometimes she will even get back up to walk when she's fallen down. She still crawls 75% of the time, but her walking is getting more under control each day. She also loves pushing her walker, but she mostly just drags it around behind her. I'm thrilled that she is walking before summer gets underway. Managing a crawler outside is not the easiest task. They eat dirt and rocks and bugs and all of the things, all of the time. 

+She suddenly has started to really use her vocabulary. New words this month are uh oh, kitty, T (for Trevin), cow, dog, and bird. She's blown us away with how much information she is retaining. 

+She blows kisses, pretends to drive toy cars while making car noises, and "reads" books. She's also started to help unload the dishwasher. She pulls out the silverware, one at a time, and hands them to Trevin to put away. It's the best thing. 

+In the past couple weeks she's really discovered her ability to throw a fit. I can't say we've had a full-blown tantrum yet, but it's gotten close. She utilizes her pouty lip, screams, and does a pretty impressive "cold shoulder". The innocent baby phase is way too short. 

Trevin had his first official dentist appointment this month. He did so great! So we celebrated with strawberry shakes! The dentist told me to keep doing what I'm doing because my teeth looked really good. I'm glad he said that, because I'm not flossing.

We celebrated Myla's first Easter! 

She wasn't sure what to think of the Easter egg hunts, but she loved playing with her basket full of eggs. We had such a fun holiday with family and friends. 

One of our favorite family activities is fishing. 

We were so excited to get some nice weather and spend an afternoon catching some bluegill and bass. 

Trevin out fishes me every time and Myla was constantly begging to touch the fish. 

James hit the flamers hard this month. I spent a little time helping with assembly. (Don't be impressed; I mostly zip-tied cables. That's my area of expertise.) James has put so much work and thought into each of these machines and I'm so proud to watch them come together. He had a fun time making the 16-row flamer below. He never ceases to amaze me. (Don't get me wrong, I've had some clever production ideas in the past, but if I ever tried to use my hands to make it, I'd end up with a pile of paperclips, some string, and a glob of glue.) James not only has the brains to create, but also the ability to manufacture. It's remarkable. 

James has received a few more flamer inquiries for next year. I keep telling him that it's because I'm promoting it on my blog. "They want a 12-row? I'm sure he read about it on my blog last month. I'm pretty good at this marketing thing. I do get a cut in the profit, right?" He mostly just rolls his eyes at me. (Please note: If you mention code BURNTHEBLOG on your next flamer order, you will receive a 50% discount on the 7 million zip-ties needed to complete your flamer. But wait, there's more! I'll throw in a complimentary "Fire Hazard" sticker for your mounted propane tank. Act now, this offer won't last long!)

We celebrated Ashton's bachelorette party in Lincoln a couple weeks ago! We opened gifts, ate appetizers, had drinks, and played games at the hotel. 

We gave her some really nice gifts... 

Then we headed downtown for Lazlo's and the Piano Bar.

We are officially 2 weeks away from the wedding. It has been nuts around here and it's only going to get more busy as each day passes. If you don't hear from me for a couple weeks, don't fret. I'll see you all in June. 

Another thing happened this month. I took a job! If you've been a long-time reader of mine, you may remember a job, four years ago, that I considered taking at our church. I turned it down then, but it came open again this month and I was approached for a second time. James and I talked about it and decided that now would be a good time for me to take on something outside the home again. (Most of you would know that I've worked with Christian Resource Center for the past several years, quitting just before Myla was born. I loved the work that I did there, but it got difficult taking Trevin with to all of the camps and I had a hard time finding sitters for him for several weeks in a row each summer. CRC's busy season = James' busy season and that was the hardest part.) I felt like I was ready to take on more responsibility again and thought that this year would be a good transition year to do so since Trevin will start school in the fall. I'm 2 weeks into the new job and I'm hoping to find a groove soon. So far it's felt a little choppy and straining, but I'm still trying to smooth out the system and figure out what works best for me. Right now I'm mostly doing bulletin, email, office-type work, but that will be changing after the wedding. Next month I'll be taking on a lot more graphic work, relaunching the website, managing the church's social media and a lot of other new things that we're excited to introduce to our congregation. Looking forward to this opportunity to serve some of my favorite people. 

I'm struggling to fathom the fact that I have a 5-year-old. (I mean, I'm too young to have a 5-year-old! Right? And you all respond in a unison, "Yes, you are.") He's my side-kick and my sweet little helper. He's taught me more than anyone. It's been such a joy being his mom. 

Also, Myla turns 1 in less than 2 weeks. This has been the fastest year ever. 

Weddings and birthdays, growing on the farm... 

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Today Isn't Your Birthday

One day, I looked at this baby and hardly recognized her. She grew up overnight and we are desperately trying to soak her in. This is my FAVORITE age; there's so many fun things about it. 

Myla:

+Turned 10 months! This month she's discovered her silliness. She knows when she's being funny and loves to entertain us. She's always doing goofy things to make us laugh.

+Four teeth are through, at least two more on the way.

+She has a hoarse little voice with the most pathetic puppy whimper that you've ever heard. She whines whenever she wants something and she has the matching puppy-dog eyes to go with it.

+She loves doors, her pacifier, peek-a-boo, and the vacuum. (Most kids are afraid of the vacuum, but she comes crawling as fast as she can when she hears it.)

+She's prepared for her first birthday because she loves to point and copies me when I'm blowing on her food. She'll be ready to hold up her "one" finger and blow out the candles. I remember working with Trevin on both for weeks and he still didn't do either for his birthday. She's easy-peasy. 

+She gives kisses, started some sign language, and says dada, hot, boo, Ash, and mama. She's only said "mama" 4 times. She's purposely withholding it from me, it doesn't bother me... not really... I think about it sometimes... not very often... it's fine... I know she loves me... 

We have a picture of Trevin, just like this. I love it when memories of him come flooding back, as I watch Myla do the same things. 

+She knows no limits. She loves to climb, bear crawl (when her knees are bare, because she doesn't like them rubbing on the floor), pull up, walk around furniture, push her walker, and she's stood on her own many times. I don't think she's too far off from taking those first steps. Yesterday she was dragging her walker backwards over toys; she doesn't seem to rely on it too much. 

+We started her on formula for the day a couple weeks ago, but I was still nursing at night. I had intended on just doing 1-2 bottles a day, but she had other plans. After her last two teeth poked through, she bit me while nursing. (It's as bad as it sounds.)  I bopped her cheek a little to make sure she knew that was not ok. She just stared up at me as if she was questioning me. James walked in the room a few seconds later. She took one look at him as started bawling. She refused to nurse from me for a week. I could nurse her at night, when she was half asleep, but anytime I tried to nurse her during the day, she just stared at me and cried. My production dropped tremendously after that week, so she was just nursing at night. Until she bit me two more times. Bite me once, shame on you. Bite me twice, shame on me. Bite me three times... We're done. Strictly bottles now for my own safety. 

+We've been leaving her in the nursery at church on Sundays. That's always a transition. Our Sunday School class meets right outside the nursery... So we can always gauge how she's doing... And so can everyone else. She's doing a little better each week, (minus Wednesday nights, that's a nightmare). 

+She's finally sleeping through the night! Generally she's up at 5-5:30 for a bottle, and then back to sleep. I think we've finally got this down. Of course, she'll start teething again next week and we'll start the process over again.

+She's clingy, but she's starting to warm up to people. Sometimes accidentally. Her and Trevin both have mistaken my friend, Taylor, for me, many times. It's been fun to see her sweet personality grow and form. She is full of joy and curiosity. It's not uncommon for her to sit contently and play with toys for an hour. She makes my life so easy. 

Trevin: He's made some big strides this month! 

+He learned how to ride his bike without training wheels last week! We knew he'd have no problem as soon as we took the training wheels off because he was hardly using them, so this came as no surprise. James sent me a video from the shop showing me what he had accomplished. I was SO proud and SO sad that I wasn't there to see it. There's big milestones in a kid's life and this is one that stands out in my mind. He's becoming a boy and leaving behind all things toddler, one step at a time. It is really difficult to fathom letting that phase slip behind us, but it is inevitable. 

  +He is known for telling us, "Mom, choose. I can eat candy or watch a movie. Which one? Choose." We've been going through a parenting class, by Paul David Tripp (the one with the awesome mustache) in Sunday School and it's been eye-opening.  It's teaching us how to parent to the heart and not to the behavior. It's not just practical advice on parenting; it's changing our entire perspective and approach to our children. Be for your kid, not against. I need this reminder every day.

+Legos are his preferred entertainment. He spends hours playing, building, and rebuilding. He gets the Lego catalog in the mail and he loves flipping through it over and over again in search of his next dream set. James recently had a conversation with him about earning money and saving up for the things he wants. He woke up early the next morning and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Dad, can I come to work with you?" He spent the whole day with James doing extra jobs around the shop to earn money. He's been so motivated and so determined to work hard. He's over halfway to his Lego set and it's been really exciting to watch his eagerness. (We have a few chores at home that he does to help out, but he doesn't get paid for those. We don't love the idea of an allowance for doing expected jobs, but do want to give him the opportunity to earn money and to learn the importance of hard work and saving. He's our first kid so we're still trying to figure it all out. If you have any suggestions, or personal experiences, I'd love to hear it!) 

+Trevin really took to the BB gun this month. He'd shot a couple times before, but this time it sunk in. He figured out how to aim and was hitting the target regularly. He's also using the same BB gun that James grew up using. It's so very sweet. 

+We've started talking about what life will look like for us once Trevin is in school. Apparently it's stressing me out more than I realize because I keep having a reoccurring dream about forgetting to pick him up from school. 

+He turns 5 this month and he can't wait. He asks several times a week if tomorrow is his birthday, when everyone's coming for his birthday, if he can open just a few presents, and if we can make his birthday cake right now. 

I played an April Fool's joke on Trevin and Caleb. I gave them jello in a cup with a straw and told them it was juice. They thought it was the funniest thing. (I'm learning that my target comedic audience is ages 4-8.) They spent the rest of the day trying to get me back. 

We've made a lot of progress in the basement craft room, pictures to come when it's complete! We've added a desk and storage as well as a kitchenette. Thank you, IKEA. The warmer weather has moved us to outside projects, like revamping our flower beds and planning the garden. 

He pretends he doesn't like to dress up; don't let him fool you. 

We got all fancied up and joined our friends, the McHargue's, at the Nebraska Christian Benefit Auction. This marriage thing is pretty cool and is only getting better with time. He continues to give me more grace than I deserve. Like the time I decided to drive his truck to Bible study when it was cold and I backed out without unplugging the block heater... I didn't even notice. It's a story I don't care to tell; it's not my finest moment. I was obviously distracted (very distracted) and late. As I'm backing out, Ashton's golf clubs fell over and caused a loud crash. I saw this, but assumed they had been leaning on the truck or something. I guess I drug a golf club halfway out of our driveway. And the cord was found down the road. Apparently I'm not ready to drive a diesel. I'll accept that. 

James has been busy in the shop, finishing up this year's flamers and getting equipment ready for field work. The kids and I have nestled in at home, holding out for some more warm weather. I'm on the shower committee at church and have spent a lot of time this month planning and preparing for the many bridal and baby showers that spring brings. We're bracing ourselves for the next couple months because it's going to get crazy. This week brings Ashton's bachelorette party, the following week is Trevin's birthday and Easter. Then several more church events and planting to kick off May. May also brings Myla's baby dedication, 1st birthday and major preparations for Ashton's wedding on the 20th. I'l start to breath again in June. 

We've closed a big chapter in our lives this month with the final divorce hearing for James' sister. We wouldn't have chose this road, but God has proved faithful. We've been given the opportunity to come alongside her and the boys, giving support and encouragement in the most challenging year of our lives. This is not my story to tell, but it's a story of protection, redemption, and grace. I've learned the desperate need for prayer in a very real sense. A situation that has wounded so deeply is being healed over time. 

Life-bringing Spring, growing on the farm...