double blessings

Welcome to the world Sarah Dovelynn and Sean Michael Messick! Our two beautiful babies were born on October 1st. Dovelynn spent the next nine days in the NICU, but both babies are home now and keeping us busy. Mom and Dad couldn't be more proud!

pregnant pause

Followers of my blog (imaginary, but devoted): you have just experienced a pregnant pause. Literally. Shortly after my last post, we were overjoyed to discover that we were expecting again. We were shocked a short time later to discover that we are expecting twins! Dan was unable to be present during the ultrasound (regulations prohibiting children kept him waiting out in the van with the crew). I was overwhelmed, thrilled, terrified, and so happy. In the intervening months, we have sold our house (yea!), experienced life in a two bedroom basement apartment with six children (no comment), found a very comfortable rental (a blessing), made some life-altering decisions (more about that later), and watched my belly grow (and grow). I am almost 35 weeks along and huge. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Sean Michael and Sarah Dovelynn. The tiny clothes have been washed and admired, folded and put away. I have finished sewing blankets, sheets, and burp clothes. The crib is set up, the carseats are buckled in place, and my hospital bag is packed. Now all that is left is to wait, pray, and wait some more. My next lapse in communication may be even longer, but now you know why.

two birthdays and a lost baby

This past week marked milestones for two members of the family and a tragedy for a third (nothing like suspense to keep the readers' interest piqued). Diana's big day was on Wednesday. We celebrated with pink cake and pomegranate ice cream. Rather than list her presents, let me assure you that she is happy and that her bedroom (which was starting to look spartan because she prefers packing her stuff to putting it away) is now comfortably crowded. We celebrated Logan's birthday on Saturday. Saturdays for Logan are a love-hate affair. Dad is home all day--love it--but it is also our big cleaning day (think forced labor with mom and dad cracking whips). Serendipitously for Logan, we had a showing of our house on Saturday morning, bumping our cleaning up a day. His birthday was spent in glorious relaxation and gluttony. He opened his presents early so that he could play with them throughout the day. We took in a movie at the cheap theatre (a rare luxury). We consumed half a chocolate cake and a quart of ice cream. We also discovered....the baby, which brings us to the tragedy. Baby was the name A.J. bestowed upon a beautiful stray cat which had been frequenting our yard. We never discovered it's gender (amazing that a couple with six children couldn't determine the sex of a kitten), but it's coat looked like baking cocoa with cinnamon stirred in. A.J. loves all animals and he managed to convince his dad to let him bring the kitten into the house "for just a minute". I sent the older boys around the neighborhood to confirm the kitten's homelessness. By the end of the day, we were talking about making an appointment with the vet for shots and A.J. was referring to "his cat." Just before going to bed, I put the cat out in the back yard for the night. I hesitated, but we did not have a litter box, and after all, the cat had survived outside before we adopted it. Sadly, that was the last we saw of Baby. A.J. is heartbroken. He keeps asking when his cat will come home. He has spent hours calling for his kitten. So, if you find a choco-cinnamon kitten with golden eyes--please send him (or her) home.

parlez-vous japanese?

Today marked a new milestone in our homeschooling adventure. When we first started our home school, we tried to have a daily spanish lesson. The two oldest boys enjoyed the challenge, but the younger children were restless to the point of mutiny. So my fantasy of learning to speak spanish as a family was put on a shelf along with my dream of becoming a world-class figure skater. As the year has progressed, we have occasionally reevaluated our learning goals and methods. Most recently, we have decided to study one subject (or block of subjects) each day. Consequently, on Tuesday, in addition to studying art and music, we now have added foreign language studies. While it would be easier to mandate Spanish lessons for the entire crew, I believe that kids learn best when they have some choice in the process. The outcome of our new schedule is that I am now directing lessons in French (Mark), Japanese (Eli), and Hebrew (Diana). Thank heavens for the internet. Mark has already learned the alphabet and numbers one through seventy. Eli is learning cool Japanese phrases equivalent to "what's up?". And Diana spent at least one hour laboriously copying the Hebrew alphabet. Sugoi! Translation: Cool!

Brrr!

camping

Winter camping with five kids--sounds like the plot of a cheesy comedy, right? Nope, guess again. Last weekend Dan and four kids (Mark, Eli, Diana, and A.J.) successfully braved single digit temperatures in the crowded confines of our dome tent (in the backyard). Amazingly, all of the kids slept well. Dan tossed and turned all night thanks to a bad case of claustrophobia. Despite that setback, the brave man has agreed to give it another go. The older boys have already set up the tent (one hour, one fight, no broken tent poles!). The kids are anxiously awaiting Camping, The Sequel. This week Logan is eager to join the fun. Sam and I will enjoy a quiet house and a warm bed. Hey, Sam is too little and he is still nursing so I generously offered to forgo the fun(the sacrifices we make!). Just in case merely camping in the snow becomes too last week, we have decided to add a small fire to the program. We will be roasting hot dogs. I hope they don't freeze while we are fixing the buns!

Reflections on the upcoming move

It has been snowing steadily today, and I want to curl in the corner of the couch with a warm blanket on my lap and a good book in hand. If I am perfectly honest though, that desire is almost constant, weather notwithstanding. We have been packing in preparation for the upcoming move. Boxes in various stages of being packed (or unpacked by my "helpers") lie in corners and under tables--a visual reminder of change. I can hear Diana and A.J. playing house in the next room. They just "bought" a new carseat for their baby. The children amaze me with their innovations. Most of the toys are packed now, only a few of the favorites remain. And yet the children play, never seeming to miss the vanished playthings. They play with blankets, pillows, and imagination fills in the gaps. Are they deprived now, or were they before we packed the overflowing closets and playbins? How much is enough and how much is just too much? I am glad to have this time, to see my children thriving without the comfort of familiar objects surrounding them. When we do unpack in the new home, that will also be good. I don't intend to give away all of our earthly goods and take a vow of poverty (some might argue we did that when we decided to have a large family), but I do hope that I will retain the memory of this time. We have food, shelter, our faith and each other--and that is enough. May this sufficiency fill us to overflowing with gratitude and remain in our hearts long after the last box is unpacked and the last toy reshelved (however briefly).

hello world!

The purpose of this blog is to create a visual history of our family--the joys, the heartaches, and the miracles. I will try to accurately and honestly portray the day to day comings and goings of our family while also maintaining needed privacy. I am creating this blog primarily for extended family, but all are welcome to view and appreciate the hand of God in our lives.