Quotes from 2013

It's almost the end of the year! I had put a quote of Everly's up on Facebook today and it made me realize I should track down all the quotes that the kids' said this year. Thankfully, Facebook makes that easy.

Now I'm sure I don't have all of the quotes but this is a decent batch. Have fun reading.

Me - “Everly you need to be nice.” 

Everly - “No, I’m Everly!”

Logan just told me that the ScoobyDoo series is like the Bible: each episode is part of a whole. Great that he understands the Bible works like that, weird that he relates it to ScoobyDoo

“Who ordered the frappuccino?” - The kids were apparently playing "Starbucks"

“Dad when I was sleeping, Logan took my sock off.” – Ransom

“Dad, I will call you back. I really love you Dad. I’ll call you back, see you soon.” – Everly pretending to talk to Justin on her pretend phone.

Everly was having one of her fits (a pouty one; not a yelling one) and I told her she was being like Ransom. She must have misheard me and said, “ No, I look like Mommy!”

“I’m tired. I go sleep in the car. I can’t handle sugar.” – Everly

“I want tortillas, and bread, and chips. That’s all.” – Everly’s lunch request.

“My nose is rotten.” – Logan describing what I assume is a raw nose from a cold.

“Mom, I see frosting!” – Everly upon seeing frost.

“Mom, why are you putting on makeup? We aren’t going anywhere!” – Everly

Me – “You have hiccups.”

Everly  - “Yeah... I got them from Target.

Me – “Oh, I didn’t know you could get hiccups from Target."

Everly – “Yes… and Red Robin, and McDonalds, and the zoo…"

Our Year in Review via Infographic

Merry and Bright

Lots of Christmas activity here! I decided to do an Advent calendar (tree) this year and base it on activities instead of treats. Granted some of those activities are treat related like "eat candy canes". The kids have been loving it and the race downstairs to look at the tag for the day.

One such activity was to take Christmas pictures and so we did. It actually was probably not the best activity considering how horrible the whole photo shoot went with Verity not sitting still and Everly suddenly forgetting how to smile. Somehow in the midst of all that, we got a few good pictures.

Here they are...

Verity: 1 Year

Age: 1 year!

Weight: 19lbs 14oz - 50%

Height: 28 1/2 inches - 30% (It appears like Verity dropped from 50%  to 30% but honestly I think we finally just got a proper measurement...normally the nurse measures too big)

Eating: We are slowly getting Verity to eat solids now. She still doesn't eat a ton and it must be smooth purees but she'll eat a bit now. As long as it's smooth, she won't gag. Still drinking lots of breastmilk too.

Sleeping: Sleeping is whatever... She probably wakes every 3-4 hours. I don't know. I've kind of just learned to go with it and not think about how she "should" be sleeping through the night.


Accomplishments: Verity has taken a step here and there. She's still not interested in the idea though. She much prefers just dropping down and crawling to you instead. I'm going to say her first step was at about 12 months but I'm guessing it will be another month before she's really walking. (which is how Everly did things too) Lots of talking but still pretty much the same stuff: mama, emma (which I'm starting to think might be anyone she loves and not just Emma...as she says it for Justin too... she refuses to say dada for some reason), hi, bye-bye, uh-oh, "mah" for more. Verity now has 6 teeth; 4 on top, 2 on bottom.

Other Random Stuff: Nothing interesting to put here. Verity had croup shortly after she turned 11 months. It was bad enough that we took her to urgent care although in hindsight I'm not sure that we really needed to (considering her oxygen levels were pretty much perfect) but it did get her done with croup faster. She's found her voice (not that she was quite before) and likes to shriek when she deems necessary. Still has quite the tongue fascination (as you can see for the picture). Her hair is starting to get longer and is still pretty blonde. There are some days when we wonder if she's going to be closer to a strawberry blonde but only time will tell.

Everly: 3 Years

Age: 3 years

Weight: 26 1/2 lbs - 9% (This girl will always be tiny)

Height: 36 inches - 28% (She's growing height a lot lately and slowly moving up in percentiles)

Fun facts: Now sleeps in a big girl bed, loves her little sister, has adopted certain ladies at church to sit with during worship.

Interview with Everly

Q: What's your favorite food?
A: Chinese and here's a quote from earlier today, "I want tortillas and bread and chips"

Q: What is something you are good at?
A: ummm learning.

Q: What's your favorite color?
A: Blue

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: I don't know... I can't think when people are sweaty.

Q: What is your favorite book right now?
A: Fairy books

Q: What are three words that describe you?

A:  Happy, girly, talkative (words supplied by mommy as Everly didn't understand the question)

Q: What snack do you like best?
A: Cookies

Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: Totoro

Q: What is one food that you do not like?
A:  Onions

Q: What is your favorite toy to play with?
A: My kitchen

Q: What is your favorite game to play?
A: Candyland

Q: What makes you laugh the most?
A: Verity laughing at me

Q: What scares you the most?
A: Nothing. (nothing scares you?) Just a monster.

Q: What do you want to do next year?
A: Go to Red Robin

Autumn Leaves

 I took these pictures almost a month ago now. It seems to be a habit for me to write a blog post with our pictures after weeks have gone by.... oh well, at least it's still fall and we've not moved into winter yet!

You'll notice that the group photos are all nice but at least one of the kids are not looking at the camera. Such is life with four.

And yes, I got just one of Logan. No other kids. Well I got some of Verity but those are in her 11 month blog post. Ransom and Everly were too busy playing in leaves.

Verity: 11 months

Age: 11 months

Weight: Roughly around 20.5 pounds according to the home scale.

Height: Once again no idea. I'm sure she's still holding her about 50% though.

Eating: We try solids but that gag reflex is going to be around for awhile it seems. She's enjoys most of the foods we offer her, she just doesn't like more than a lick at a time. It's going to be a long time before she's actually eating, I fear.

Sleeping: Sleeping right now is a mess. I was drinking way too much peppermint tea (at least 4 cups a day) and that much peppermint can decrease milk supply. So suddenly Verity wasn't getting too much milk and thus waking up more often. I'm taking fenugreek to bring my supply back up and that seems to be ok now…but now Verity has croup and so we've been up every 1-2 hours again.

Accomplishments: I don't think Verity has added any new accomplishments since last month. Odds are she probably has but nothing is standing out to me right now. Still doesn't want to walk unless holding our hands.

Other Random Stuff: Verity went to her first Pumpkin Patch and seemed to love pumpkins. She also LOVES leaves. We took a few fall photos the other day and so she was sitting in a pile of leaves; she was mesmerized.

The Pumpkin Patch

If you know our family, then you know we don't celebrate Halloween. That said, we still like pumpkins and so on Monday (which I didn't realize was Columbus Day… which meant more people at the farm) we went to "The Farm".


"The Farm" is probably one of the top pumpkin patch spots in our area. Tons of stuff for the kids to do (not that we do them all), a corn maze in the shape our our state (complete with interstates and landmarks), and of course a pumpkin patch.

It's quite a drive to get there. Now that we live in the city it actually takes us 45 minutes to get there. This was the first time, I had to explain to the kids why it took us so long to get from the pumpkin patch to a fast food place for lunch; because you need lots of land for pumpkins and farms. My kids have lived in the city for almost 3 years now and apparently it's getting to them.

The kids loved the pumpkin patch. Logan instantly picked up a pumpkin and got covered in dried mud. Everly started the trip by asking if the pumpkins were going to talk and eat her. Apparently she's gotten jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins confused. Verity thought the pumpkins were great and even tried to eat one…yummy….

But I'll do less talking about just let you see for yourself.

Verity: 10 Months

Age: 10 months

Weight: No idea…probably around 19.5 lbs (I've delayed too long for this post so I'm going to just post without the official stats)

Height: Once again no idea. I'm sure she's still holding her about 50% though.

Eating: Still pretty much just breastmilk. We are still trying solid foods but Verity still has quite the gag reflex. That said, she does seem to have a favorite food so far: pumpkin! Lucky for her, I'm stocked up on pumpkin so she gets that often, usually mixed with homemade chicken broth.

Sleeping: We are slowly coming out of Verity's waking every 2 hour phase (thank goodness!) Now I'll get 3-4 hours. Hopefully things will keep progressing and we'll be sleeping through the night once again.

Accomplishments: Can get to standing position from the floor by herself. Official chair pusher; she loves pushing our chairs across the room. Likes clicking her tongue and blowing big bubbles. Current words seem to be Mama, Emmm-ma (our roommate and since Emma is close to Mama it's a natural choice), Dada on the very rare occasion (she seems to be focusing on "m's" right now). And her first real word is Uh Oh. It's more of a sound as she's not really saying it but I'll take it. She also has no real idea of what Uh Oh means but it's still completely cute to get her to say it! And she's starting to say Hi (although once again, there's no real connection to it yet)

Other Random Stuff: We were watching The Aristocats the other day and Verity starting swinging her arms and dancing when she heard the "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" song. Now whenever any of us sing that song she'll start swinging her arms.

Crunchy Living Class

I meant to write about this earlier but it just hasn't happened. I've been busy with the kids, working in the nursery again, and I've really become active with Green Moms Network which is a group of green bloggers. It's how my blog has grown so much and I'm starting to help a lot with it…in fact I now have a weekly post for the GMN blog that pays…ok only $5/post but still!

Anyway back to the point of this post. Justin and I have talked about me teaching a "crunchy class" for awhile now. I've never really thought that anyone would want to attend and I'm not a huge fan of public speaking so I've put it off.

However, people said they were interested. So I did it. I had my first Crunchy Living Class a few weeks ago!

I'm planning on having one a month with each month being a different theme. This month was Natural Remedies so we made Elderberry Syrup and VapoRub.

Like I said, I had a lot of interest but apparently I picked a Saturday that everyone was busy on. In the end, I only had two people show up but it was probably for the best. As I mentioned, I don't like public speaking so it was nice to have more of a "just friends" atmosphere.

The class went well. It was easier than I thought it would be and it was fun hanging out with the ladies who showed up. I ended up with a lot of extra Elderberry Syrup (had to make a big batch ahead of time in case more people showed up) so I decided to sell it to some friends who couldn't make it.

I need to get planning next months class. It's supposed to be Natural Beauty themed and so I'm planning on doing deodorant, a scrub, and maybe something else…toothpaste maybe? I'm not sure (which is why I'm dragging my feet). I've also got to price everything which is never any fun.

So that's a little update about what I've been up to. Hopefully my next class will be a bit larger.

I'm Getting Old

I'm getting old. No not in age…well I am getting older but I would imagine 28 isn't really considered old unless you ask a teenager.

No, I'm getting old physically. I'm slowly moving into the age of aches and pains. Nights of uncomfortable sleep (although currently I'm blaming Verity for that one). I now officially get knots in my shoulders. I used to think knots were something people exaggerated about or almost inflicted upon themselves. I mean, think about it our bodies really shouldn't do stuff like that. But it does. I've now learned my lesson. I'm only 28 and I'm having my husband rub knots out of my shoulders. Wonderful… No more soaking in tubs for enjoyment, no more rice bags simply to warm up with…no these things are now a necessity.

Something else has changed with this passing year (I say year because everything seems to have changed at 28). I am no longer unaffected by caffeine. I used to be able to have my java chip ice cream and frappaccinos with no issues. Caffeine didn't "work" on me. It wouldn't wake me up but it wouldn't keep me awake in the middle of the night either. Not any more. Yesterday, I had a frappaccino at 5 pm (hardly night time!). I felt no different for the whole evening and then… it was time for bed.

Not for me. I was wide awake and a bit jittery (much like when I've dealt with restless leg syndrome) until 2 am!

Someone explain to me why caffeine will last longer than tylenol? There's something wrong with that!

I've always heard that pregnancy is harder the older you get. I'm still considered young in the pregnancy/baby world but I can agree that being pregnant with Verity at 27 was much harder than being pregnant at 21, 22, or 25! I don't know how women survive being pregnant in their late 30's or 40's!

I need naps now. I used to think a nap was a waste of time. I have plenty of other things I need to do! Now I crave naps. I can see why old people sleep all the time. This growing old is tiring!


So I'm getting old.

I don't like it.

Now of course, there are some good things to growing older. I don't have to deal with as much drama (ok there's still a bit…women are mean), no more school work (although I'm teaching school…hmmm), I'm learning just who I am now (only took me till my mid-twenties and after having most of my kids to figure that one out!). So growing older isn't all that bad. But the bad stuff…is not fun.

I need to find the fountain of youth in my natural remedies. I am always looking for remedies and health tips for my kids or if we get sick but it looks like I should start focusing on natural ways to age slowly or more easily now.

Better Things

When we were in college, Justin introduced me to George MacDonald. George MacDonald was a Scottish author and Christian minister in the late 1800's - early 1900's. He seems to be best known for his books, Phantasties, The Princess and the Goblin, and At the Back of the North Wind although he wrote much, much more. In fact, Justin and I love his works so much that we've slowly collected his writings and have a shelf of lovely hard-covered books numbering probably at least 20.

Sometime around college when I first learned about George MacDonald, I must have went in search of his writing on the internet. In that search, I came across his poems. Better Things is one of his poems and I've yet to see it in any of the books we own and I'm not even sure it's in any sort of collection. However, it's always stuck with me. I had the foresight to print it off when I found it way back when and it's stayed in my college binders ever since. So now I'm putting it on here. This blog is a far better place to store a poem and besides that, I can now share it with all of you.

Better Things

Better to smell a violet,
Than sip the careless wine;
Better to list one music tone,
Than watch the jewels' shine.

Better to have the love of one,
Than smiles like the morning dew;
Better to have a living seed,
Than flowers of every hue.

Better to feel a love within,
Than be lovely to the sight;
Better a homely tenderness,
Than beauty's wild delight.

Better to love than be beloved.
Though lonely all the day;
Better the fountain in the heart,
Than the fountain by the way.

Better a feeble love to God,
Than for woman's love to pine;
Better to have the making God
Than the woman made divine.

Better be fed by mother's hand,
Than eat alone at will;
Better to trust in God,
Than say: My goods my storehouse fill.

Better to be a little wise
Than learned overmuch;
Better than high are lowly thoughts,
For truthful thoughts are such.

Better than thrill a listening crowd,
Sit at a wise man's feet;
But better teach a child, than toil
To make thyself complete.

Better to walk the realm unseen,
Than watch the hour's event;
Better the smile of God alway,
Than the voice of men's consent.

Better to have a quiet grief
Than a tumultuous joy;
Better than manhood, age's face,
If the heart be of a boy.

Better the tanks of one dear heart,
Than a nation's voice of praise;
Better the twilight ere the dawn,
Than yesterday's mid-blaze.

Better a death when work is done,
Than earth's most favoured birth;
Better a child in God's great house,
Than the king of all the earth.

-George MacDonald

Verity: 9 Months

Age: 9 months

Weight: 18 lbs, 14 oz - 59%

Height: 27 1/2 inches - 44%

Eating: Mostly just breastmilk. Verity started solids when she turned 9 months (so a few days now). First food was egg yolks. Didn't like. Then we tried bananas which she appeared to like a bit better but her gag reflex is ridiculously strong and so she didn't like the whole swallowing process. Then we tried avocado; both in chunk and puree form. Once again, didn't like and gag. She even gagged on the puree. I've never had a kid with such a strong gag reflex especially at this old. It's a good think she's plump enough on breastmilk!

Sleeping: Little girl is no longer swaddled. She's getting to be a big girl. Unfortunately however, I've created a crutch of feeding her to sleep and thus she is now waking more than she should. Looks like we have a hefty dose of sleep training coming up.

Accomplishments: Still crawling (obviously), pulls herself up, cruises, "dances" while holding on to something, will stand unassisted for a few seconds and she's very proud of this feat. Getting good at that whole pincher grab (aka "guess what crumb Verity found on the floor") and can climb stairs now. (oh yay…)

Other Random Stuff: Verity loves water. If we're in the bathroom she'll stand by the tub and squawk away. If the kids are playing in the pool she'll try to climb in.