hutchinlove

And we're off!

2011-09-06T07:24:00.002-05:00

Hey, faithful blog readers (if there are any of you left!) Things have been a leetle crazy lately, what with Chet taking the bar, family vacation, moving out of our house, and planning a six-month road trip/farming adventure.

So for the next six months, come find me blogging over here. Hopefully we'll make it through the road trip and onto the farm ;)

5 years

2011-07-08T10:46:00.004-05:00

(seriously in love. at a party. deliriously happy. oh, the variety of our self-portraits.)

About a month ago we celebrated our FIVE year anniversary. Sometimes that seems like so much time and sometimes it seems like nothing at all (most days I still feel like a newlywed) .

Five years is still five years, you know? But the time has passed so quickly.

I guess we must be having fun.

Time flies, am I right?

Anyway, thanks to some generous family and friends, we got to have a whole weekend to ourselves. One night here in town and then to a bed and breakfast at a winery nearby.

We relaxed. We rested. We enjoyed.

We used to be theoretical. We used to talk about our vision for our family and our hopes for the future. But this time we didn't.

We laughed.

Maybe what we needed back in the day was to plan and create a vision. Maybe what we need now is rest from that. Or maybe we are a little more realistic with ourselves three kids later.

Whatever the case, we are the Lord's. We are thankful for our five years and three kids and are hopeful for many more to come.

Smiles and hugs forever

2011-07-02T21:10:00.004-05:00

You need to watch this. Repeatedly. (Or once. It'll have the same effect, i.e. once it's in your head, it will never leave.)

Goes without saying that it's the Number 1 Most Requested Song here in Hutchville.

(At least it's not annoying.)

I plank, you plank, we plank

2011-06-30T16:09:00.005-05:00

After my sister showed Sharks some pictures of her planking, he wanted to try it.

First attempt:

Planking on the couch. Also known as lying on the couch. Little did I know I've been planking for years.

Next attempt:

Planking on a chair. Creative.

Third attempt:

By jove, I think he's got it.

They say silence is golden

2011-06-03T19:55:00.003-05:00

This time, silence was an overturned aloe plant and a one-year old throwing dirt.

I'm dying over here

2011-06-02T14:40:00.003-05:00

This five-year old girl wandered over to our yard to play yesterday and we got to talking.

I asked, So do you have any brothers or sisters?

Yeah. I have a brother, but he's really sick. Like, really, really sick. You know the kind of sick where you die? Umm, I can't remember what his sickness is called though...but I know that it makes you die.

(I'm thinking, cancer? And I was really sad. Because having a sick brother who is going to die has got to be tough.)

Then she says,

Oh! Yeah! I remember! It's called DIahrrea!

-----

Gold medal for my effort in keeping a straight face?

Finis

2011-05-28T13:32:00.005-05:00

These law school years have felt like a really, really long pregnancy.

Growing, stretching, and discomfort.

Sleepless nights.

That sense of expectancy, the knowledge that there is a point to all of this pain.

So graduation was a pretty awesome night. We decided not to bring the kids because all we wanted was to be able to soak in the moment, and I wanted to yell really loud when Chet crossed that stage to get hooded.

(I was thisclose to yelling, "I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES!" but I've already had his babies, so it seemed a moot point.)

You know when you have a baby, how you are more proud than you have ever been, and you just look at each other and say, "We did it, babe! We did it!!"

And you are amazed and humbled that the Lord brought you to that place?

Well, that's what it felt like.So very proud of this man.

By God's grace, WE DID IT, BABE!!!

The straw that broke the camel's back

2011-05-27T13:57:00.003-05:00

I've got some big things to post about, like Chet's graduation (which was last week) and Chet's birthday (which was two months ago.) As you can see, I am on top of things as per usual.

But for today, I want to tell you about why I am never going grocery shopping again.

Ever.

And that is not an exaggeration.

Within the last six months we have successfully:

1. Knocked over a six pack of beer.
2. Knocked over a display of tomato sauce.
3. Dropped a glass bottle of iced tea.
4. Knocked over a full bag of groceries at the counter.

But today took the cake.

Maybe it's the Grocery Store's passive-agressive way of telling me to LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK without actually saying it. Well, Grocery Store. Never let anyone tell you that being passive-agressive isn't a good way to express your feelings. Because it worked.

Like I said, NEVER going back.

We did our usual Grocery Shopping Configuration. Buckled Finn into the front of the cart. Plopped Deedo into the back. Sharks was walking.

There was that one time I let both Sharks and Deeds walk and that ended badly. So now the general idea is to keep as many kids contained as possible, and we (usually) manage alright.

I stopped to get some hotdogs for our camping trip and as I was deciding how many packages to get, there was this CRASH. A really loud one.

Followed by some screaming.

I turned around in a hurry to see a tangle of flailing legs and arms and the cart tipped over sideways on top of Sharks.

Much, much screaming.

I did not know it was possible for all of my children to hit their heads on the floor at the same time, barring a tornado or car accident or something.

(It's possible.)

Poor Finn was stuck, hanging there upside down. It's a good thing he was buckled, or he could have also been squished under the cart.

Deeds was the least injured and the loudest screamer. Go figure.

Sharks, unfortunately was trapped under the cart and ended up with the worst injuries (which were just big bruises on his shins and a bump on his forehead.)

It was one of those things where everyone is screaming and you don't know who to help first and you kind of want to lose it too and join in the screaming.

Thankfully they hire friendly people at Trader Joe's (I'll be honest - sometimes they are too friendly and a little creepy-like, but today I was thankful, even for the creepy-friendlies) so we were quickly assisted and given lollipops.

The funny thing is, we had just been at Target and the lady in line behind us mentioned how well behaved the boys were and how sweet they were.

(Pride comes before the fall, anyone?)

Somehow, she was standing right next to us at Trader Joe's when this happened and was the first to run over to help. She was kind enough to hold Finn while I tended to the other two. And she didn't make me feel any worse than I already did.

Anyway, the boys are all fine. Ultimately I think it was more dramatic than traumatic. I mean, it was a scene. People all over the store kept asking how the boys were doing, which was nice, but I still felt all adrenalined up and it was stressing me out. Even after a relatively normal trip to the store, by the time we make it back to the car, I usually feel like I am about to have a panic attack. This time I just wanted to cry.

So that's it, Grocery Store. We're through.

There's room on the bandwagon

2011-05-06T20:39:00.002-05:00

This is what my sis-in-law was working on a week after her sweet son, Elijah was born.

Impressive, no?

Her video is sooooooo close to 20,000 views! Check it out and get her a few more.

Pretty please?

Cutest thing I've ever seen

2011-05-05T20:03:00.004-05:00

Pretzels

2011-05-04T13:14:00.005-05:00

We made these. After that terrible horrible no good very bad day. Totally worth it.

Seedlings

2011-05-04T09:34:00.005-05:00

Radish seeds in empty strawberry boxes.

Here's hoping they grow.

Why I am not a fashion blogger

2011-05-03T12:55:00.007-05:00

1) Throw up and/or poop don't count as accessories.

2) Waking up with my hair stuck to my face is not the same as gently tousled "messy" hair.

3) Just because the dark circles under my eyes match the purple in my shirt doesn't mean I coordinated my outfit.

4) My photographers are less than three feet tall. And no matter how hard we try, all we end up with is this:

Clean Food even if I don't have a Clean House

2011-05-03T09:42:00.006-05:00

(photo)

I think I mentioned that I meal planned every meal for the whole month this month. For maybe the first time ever. Well, I have planned before. It's the follow-through that gets me every time. And I'm a little worried I'm not going to make it this time either.

You know how I go crazy over library cookbooks? This time it was this cookbook called Clean Food. I totally judged a book by it's cover. What can I say? It did look...clean. Everybody needs a little clean somewhere.

I'm going to go ahead and blame Clean Food for my meal plan attempt because everything looked fantastic and fresh, and since the book is split seasonally, I was dying to make a bunch of the Spring recipes. (Even if the weather still thinks it's Winter, at least our bellies will think it's Spring. Take that, rain.)

I picked out a ton of recipes from Clean Food for our meal plan because they were all sounding amazing. They reminded me of the stuff I would make when we were part of a CSA and got a bunch of weird veggies every week. That kind of cooking really gets me excited.

Somewhere round about the Cashew Cream and the Flax Egg (say what?) I got to thinking that there was something strange about this here cookbook.

Oh, and where'd all the meat go?

Turns out, Clean Food means Vegan Food. (Is this something everyone else already knows and I am just late to the game?)

So the other day I whipped out my meal plan. I had been avoiding it since I had no groceries, but after (finally) successfully making it to the grocery store, it was time to get down to business. It had been another one of those days, and I was hoping the Meal Plan said that bacon and eggs with lots of cheese was for dinner.

But...it seems that I was delirious when I planned those meals.

Sweet Potato, Corn, and Kale Chowder?
Swiss Chard with Roasted Golden Beets?

The Black Bean Burgers with Pineapple Guacamole we ate last night really was delicious. And I love a good beet. Truly, all the food does (still) sound wonderful.

But when dinner time rolls around and you are starving and the little people are screaming and you have been chopping this veggie and that veggie and then you plop a mound of greens on the table...oh, the silence.

I mean the kids do not care that the beets are special, non-purple beets. Or that the greens (swiss chard) we had last night are totally different from the greens (kale) we are having tonight.

They are all, Where is our dinner, mama? This looks like weeds.

Inside Out

2011-04-29T14:07:00.004-05:00

"Do you see it, Mom? Do you?"

"I wrote your NAME!!"

To laugh or to cry, that is the question

2011-04-28T09:16:00.007-05:00

Long day yesterday. In the morning, we tried to go grocery shopping but ended up leaving with no groceries because of tantrums from both older two. Later that afternoon, there was a point when I was stuck in rush-hour traffic, all three kids screaming and hungry, when I thought, It can't get much worse than this.

Then Deeds threw up his dinner all over the table. (Yes. Yes, it can get worse.) For awhile we all just sat there in stunned silence.

Note to self: it takes throw up to calm everyone down?

But after that he was totally fine. That seemed like the end of it.

We had been planning another assault on the grocery store this morning, seeing as we had nothing in the house (which is ironic since I actually took the time to plan every meal for the whole month.) I guess meal plans don't work if you don't have food. Rookie mistake.

But then, Sharks threw up his breakfast.

So we gave up the Big Grocery Trip and determined a quick trip for the basics was in order.

I should mention that I was wearing a button down dress shirt of Chet's, you know like in the movies? How a lady will wear her man's shirt and look all sexy?

Well, since we're being honest here, you should know that my wearing of his shirt is not an attempt at hotness, but more of a testiment to how long it's been since I've done laundry. We were cracking up about it this morning because it was not cute at all, just big and hideous...oh, I think part of the problem was that I was wearing pants.

Note to self: sexy shirt thing only works WITHOUT pants (and I'm guessing without throw up on it? Jury's still out on that one though.)

Since we determined that a) we had no groceries, and b) I looked like a frump-monster, it was clearly my job to hit up the store.

After I made it back to the car with the groceries, I looked down and realized that the middle button on my shirt was completely and utterly unbuttoned.

Fantastic.

I probably shouldn't say this, but it can't possibly get any worse than this.

There will be mud

2011-04-11T20:23:00.004-05:00

"He was covered in mud, like a...umm...like a brown dog!!"
~Sharks

Sweet Sixteen

2011-03-23T19:32:00.002-05:00

In our house, The Wiggles is contraband. Chet figures that there is better shows for the boys to watch, and let's face it - The Wiggles aren't exactly manly.

Yesterday though, Sharks asked if he could take a Wiggles dvd on an upcoming road trip. Chet said no.

Of course Sharks tried to go all lawyer on us:
Mom! I have an idea. Maybe when Pops is at school we can watch The Wiggles!

(I tried my best to nip that in the bud - and explained that even when Pops isn't here we still remember and obey his words. I think he understood because he didn't ask about it anymore that night.)

The next morning at breakfast though, Sharks started chucking to himself and said,

Mom! I thought of something really silly. What if Pops died, and the rest of us were still alive - then could we watch The Wiggles?

(Sharks almost got his wish because Chet and I both just about died of laughter right there in the kitchen.)

After we recovered, Chet told Sharks that when he turns sixteen he can decide for himself whether or not to watch The Wiggles.

So my son is looking forward to being sixteen not because he'll be able to drive, but because it means the freedom to choose...to watch The Wiggles.

And I for one cannot wait for the day when I get to remind him of this moment.

You talk weird

2011-03-18T21:18:00.006-05:00

My husband has many gifts but one of them is not doing fake accents. Actually every time he tries I tell him he sounds like a constipated, drunk Irishman whether he's doing an Irish accent or not (you might think that means it sounds legit - but in this case not so much.)

Let me think for a sec about how to describe this to you in all it's glory. Ummm...ok. Here goes. He sounds like he was terribly constipated, then got drunk to forget about the constipation, except he got so drunk he forgot where he was from or what language he was speaking and yet somehow what comes out of his mouth still sounds constipated, with a twist of gibberish - there's his fake accent in a nutshell.

Lest you think I am being mean to the hubs, let me just say that few things in life bring me as much joy as his Irish accent.

-----

Most of you peeps know that I spent my junior high and high school years in Scotland. I came back with a funky accent, a sort of American-Edinburgh hybrid. My first week back here I overheard some girls talking about me and they were like, "Why does she sound so weird?" Awesome. Every high school girl wants to be told they sound weird.

Like most teenagers, I wanted to be like everyone else and tried my best to get rid of my accent as soon as possible. (Boo to my high school self.) So now, though accent-less myself, I love listening to other people talk.

Which is how Chet and I ended up watching Celtic Thunder infomercials last night (him for tips, me for enjoyment.) So many levels of embarrassing right there that you will only comprehend if you have seen Celtic Thunder yourself. I guarantee that no matter what you watched yesterday, it was less embarrassing than that.

Anyway. Fast forward hours later and we were getting ready for bed when out of the blue Chet bursts into song and sings, "Damn Birdie Show!"

If you are wondering, What's a birdie show and what is so awful about it? then you are thinking the same thing I was.

Turns out he was actually singing, "Down by the shore." Apparently that's a line from a Celtic Thunder song.

Somehow he is convinced that my miscomprehension of what he said means that his accent is good.

Fur pillows are hard to actually sleep on

2011-03-16T09:48:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen this, (originally found here) you should. Josh Groban mocks quite effortlessly, but let's be honest. Kanye was kinda asking for it.

For the record, I would be totally ok with Josh (first name basis, why not?) singing my facebook statuses. I'd particularly like to hear his rendition of: "Still puzzled over how Deeds actually managed to swallow a foot-and-a-half of dental floss..."

Yes. That really did happen. Yes, (sigh) I really did give him dental floss. Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem all that intelligent. But at the time...

I really did not think he would EAT it. That never even crossed my mind. He came to me all proud and said,

MOMMY! I ate it!

You ate what?

The floss!

No, really. (dumbfounded. completely.) Where did you put the floss?

In here! (opens mouth. points inside.)

-----

That's going to be a treat on the flip side, ifyouknowwhatimean.

-----

I was going to try to wiggle that fur pillows comment into something on this post, but all that jumps out at me is the (bad) grammar.

Split infinitive, ending with a preposition (apparently Winston Churchill disagrees and I like Churchill so I may have to rethink my position on this). I realize that it was a tweet, but something about hearing it Josh Groban-style raises expectations, you know?

However, fur pillows now sound quite intriguing.

Deedo's Birthday! (last July)

2011-03-11T10:07:00.006-06:00

Nope. We don't have three birthdays in a row.

I simply forgot to post about my middle son. Apparently I forgot last year when he turned one too. Poor little guy. At least we didn't forget to celebrate, so that's something.

We were actually visiting Chet's family, so his mom took over the cake decorating and it turned out GREAT! (I actually took her idea and ran with it and made Sharks a basketball cake this year...right now, simple=perfect.)

Shark Attack!!

2011-03-07T22:03:00.004-06:00

Today, this little buddy turns four!

Way back before we started law school, a friend said, "When Chet gets finished with school, Sharks is going to be 4!" At the time, looking at my 18 month old baby, I couldn't picture him as a real boy (as opposed to a baby).

But he is. Both a real boy AND a four-year old one at that. With a brand new (to him) shiny red bike to show for it.

We started a tradition this year of Chet taking the birthday boy out to breakfast. So off they went to Steak N Shake for pancakes and milkshakes (Sharks' choice.) Now if that's not the best way to start a birthday, I don't know what is.

I will always have a special place in my heart for this fellow, who ushered me into motherhood.

To In-Finn-ity And Beyond

2011-03-05T20:51:00.003-06:00

This fellow is ONE! And we can't believe it.

Remember when we thought we were going to call him Samuel? How confusing of us. (Sorry.)

Happy Birthday, little one! You truly are Finntastic!

I think now is when I am supposed to write down all of the awesome stuff he can do.

So,

The List Of Stuff You Can Do, Darling Finlay:
-Laugh
-Throw your own diapers away in the trash (as well as a bunch of other things we actually need)
-Eat like a champ (In fact, tonight your father said that he thinks you eat more than he does. That might be true, but to be honest I think it says more about your father's eating habits than yours. Carrots and celery do not count as a meal.)
-Dabble in ye olde sign language (please, more, and all done)
-Unravel and eat our last roll of toilet paper. Now that was a bummer.
-Follow your brothers around the house, showing them your love by knocking down everything they build. And they love you for it. Kind of.
-A bunch of other stuff that most 1-year olds can do.

Finn-tin-tin. What a guy.

Laundry day

2011-02-18T15:08:00.004-06:00

I've been having this competition with my laundry. Kind of like a stare-down, or like a wait-out. You know?

Like when you wake up way too early in the morning to one of the kids crying, and you know your husband is awake too, but you are both too tired to move and so you each figure you can pretend to sleep the longest so as to avoid dealing with the situation.

That's what's going on with me and the laundry, your basic wait-out. When the laundry piles up, I throw it in the basement, and there it sits. End of story.

My logic is that that if I wait long enough the laundry will get sick and tired of sitting around, and wash itself. Then dry itself. And iron, fold, and hop in drawers all by itself.

(We have smart phones. So why not smart laundry? Are you with me, people?!)

Anyway, Sharks went to bed without any pants last night. (I was out.) Apparently Chet couldn't find any pj's or pants for the poor buddy so pants-free was he.

Really I think it was Chet's way of telling me that the laundry won.

Sigh.

Laundry: 1, Erin: 0

Children are people too

2011-02-17T15:11:00.004-06:00

I wasn't really a kid person before I had kids. I didn't like to babysit, didn't know how to play with kids, and just generally felt awkward around them. After Sharks was born, I read all these baby books about how it was important to play with your baby and talk to them and engage with them, and I was like, huh? Babies don't do anything but sit there, and poop sometimes.

Then my friends would come over and would be all cute and sweet with Sharks and come up with all these games to play with my baby and I'd think, OH! That's what I'm supposed to be doing. And I was a little jealous because it just didn't come naturally to me.

Anyway, as Sharks grew and after we had Deedo, I was able to see that these little babies pretty quickly develop personalities, and all of a sudden I was the one baby-talking and coo-ing and tickling. And come to find out I am actually a baby person after all.

The thought that these little guys are real people, and the older they get the more we see and shape their little selves became an encouragement to me during those wakeful nights and scream-filled days.

I have no idea what my boys will be like when they grow up, but to see certain traits already cracks me up. For example:

Every day before nap time, I lie down with each boy individually and ask if they have anything they want to chat about. Sharks usually asks if we can talk about Why Pharaoh Didn't Obey God And Let The Israelites Go, or maybe Will Jesus Know Where To Find Me When I Die, or even Does The Street Sweeper Come On The First Tuesday Or Wednesday Of Each Month?

On the other hand, after I get all snuggled up with Deeds, he says, Let's Laugh! So then I have to bust into an uproarious fake laugh. That's all he ever wants to do, just laugh and laugh.

Obviously I don't want to label them or force them into a particular personality box, because we all grow and change. But that right there is a picture of their little personalities at the moment. And I can't wait to see what Finn will be like as he grows.

Weirdo runs in the family

2011-02-16T20:37:00.003-06:00

Ever have one of those moments when you look at your children and you think, Wow. They are only 3 and 2. How did they get so weird already?

The boys have been doing this thing where after they go to the bathroom but before they put their pants back on, they pull their shirts down over their knees and waddle around like ducks. Except.

They call it Playing Naked Mole Rat.

So they are like, Mommy! Mommy! Don't put my pants on yet! I want to be a Naked Mole Rat.

See what I mean? Weird.

Tom Sawyer style

2011-02-09T16:22:00.005-06:00

Yesterday I gave the boys a bath. Okay, actually what happened was the boys scrubbed the tub for me. They needed a bath (boys get stinky sometimes) and the bathtub needed to be scrubbed, so we did things Tom Sawyer style (you seriously have to read Tom Sawyer if you haven't, and even if you have, re-read it. Classic.)

I have this mixture of baking soda and castile soap that makes a "natural" soft scrub and I told the boys they could each have their own sponge (what a thrill!) and I would let them go crazy with some scrubby stuff and they could knock themselves out scrub-scrub-scrubbing the tub-tub-tubby. (They like rhymes so it was sure to be a hit.)

That way they got clean, the tub got clean, and I got a chance to clean the rest of the bathroom while they "played." So we were all together and managed a lot of cleaning in a very short amount of time and I am very okay with that.

It was sort of a way to work in some work without stressing too much.

Post-bath, and they wanted to run around naked for awhile. I was thinking maybe up and down the hallway a couple of times, then they'd be ready for clothes. But no. Sharks told me he was running a half-marathon so we (Finn and I) should sit and cheer for him like we cheered for Pops at his race.

He then proceeded to run for half-an-hour straight. Up and down the hallway. Over and over and over. One time I made the mistake of cheering, "Go Sharks! You can make it!" and he said, "I am not Sharks, I am pretending to be Pops, so say 'Go Pops!'"

It was insane. I can't even run that long. About ten minutes into the "race" he said his side hurt. I was like, Yeah, that's called a cramp and sometimes runners get them but you just have to power through. He whispered "power through" to himself and started running faster.

The only running phrase I know is "Put down the hammer!" and actually I am not sure if that is legit or if that is just a Chet-ism, but I started saying that to Sharks and then he was running with his arm up and down like he was hammering. (I think it is in reference to your legs hammering down on the ground, but I am not sure.)

He would get tired and I'd tell him he could stop, but he kept saying he was in a half-marathon and that it was a very long race and he couldn't stop til the very end. I finally had to set the timer for ten minutes and told him once it beeped he had to be done. Those last few minutes were tough for him, but he kept going.

I have never seen anything like it. And now, I am off to exercise, with my three-year old as inspiration.

This is the face...

2011-02-07T07:30:00.000-06:00

...of a man who has a job!

Praise the Lord!

Unbeknownst to Chet, I had been praying that he would be offered a job by the start of the semester (Monday, January 10). My reasons for praying this prayer were mostly so that Chet would be relieved of the stress of job-searching (which in itself is a full-time job) before school began.

We hadn't heard anything, and after many "no" responses last semester, we had no reason to believe a yes was on it's way so soon (not that we doubted God's provision, we just assumed it would take some time.)

Then on Thursday, January 6th, Chet received a phone call offering him a job. I have no doubt that this is the job I had been praying for.

After much prayerful consideration and conversations with family and friends, we have decided to take the job. This means that Chet is going to be a JAG Corps Officer in the US Army.

There are still quite a few steps in the process, including passing the bar, passing a background check, and passing the physical. And we don't know much about the where or the when. Even so, we are very thankful.

How to warm up on a cold winter's day

2011-02-05T19:28:00.004-06:00

I'm supposed to take soup to our Kingdom Group dinner tomorrow. No big deal, right? I went to the grocery store, picked up all the ingredients, and came home to start cooking.

After chopping and sauteing all the shallots and opening all the cans of beans, I realized that I had forgotten to buy chicken broth. Rookie mistake. So I figured I'd just make a simple vegetable broth, with onion, celery, and carrots.

Are you sensing the impending disaster?

(I wasn't.)

Just as I was measuring the broth to add to the soup pot, I knocked the whole pot of boiling hot broth all over myself.

I totally lost my cool. (Why do I love puns so much? Somebody stop me.) The only thing I could think of other than AAAaagggh the PAIN! was, "Get these clothes off of me!!" so I started ripping my clothes off and crying. I mean, it really, really hurt.

Then I screamed for Chet, and he came running, and poor Sharks saw the whole thing and was just standing there, stunned.

I hopped in the shower for some relief from the burning. And then, at the advice from a doctor friend, I headed to an urgent care since my stomach was already blistering.

But due to all the snow, I couldn't get our van out of the parking space. (We live in the city and our streets aren't plowed and it's a real lose-lose situation for everyone.) So that was fun. I was thinking, Forget this, I'll just lie down in the snow for a few minutes.

Thankfully my husband is awesome and got me on my way. The doctor asked how I got the burns and I told her that I poured boiling vegetable broth on myself. She said, "By accident, I hope."

Ummm, yes. If I wanted to pour boiling liquid on myself, I would have just used water and saved myself the trouble of chopping all those veggies. Anyway. The nurse "dressed my burns" which is just fancy talk for "covered it with a couple big band-aids," and gave me some ointment.

On Facebook this morning I was joking that I'd rather give birth again than cut Deedo's hair (which I did this morning - bad idea #1 of the day.) Now I know that I would also rather give birth than pour boiling broth on myself.

How to live life

2011-02-04T20:33:00.003-06:00

(for the record, this isn't supposed to be a complaining post...it's more just searching for answers from other moms who have been there.)

Finn is at the stage where he puts everything in his mouth, knocks over stuff he shouldn't be playing with in the first place, pulls out toys we've just put away, and so on. He's a sweetie; he just happens to be a curious sweetie.

I used to do my daily jobs with the boys (making beds, getting dressed, doing dishes, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, laundry, all the basics.) But add Finn to the mix, and it's more than I can handle. I used to put him in the Ergo, but now my body is too tired from exercising to even contemplate that. Plus he's heavier now.

So I've stopped doing those things while the boys are up, thinking that I'll get to them during nap time.

But guess what? Nap time rolls around, and I'm tired too. So I take a nap (or exercise), thinking that I'll finish up the dishes after dinner. And the laundry and whatever else I've neglected.

Suddenly dinner is over, and who wants to tackle a mountain of laundry or a whole day's worth of dishes? Or move at all?

Usually by then I am so wiped out, it's all I can do to organize the dirty dishes into the sink to soak until morning. That way I feel like I'm doing something without really doing anything.

Which means that nothing substantial gets done, and the cycle continues the next day. So, basically, I need help. Without the daily jobs to give us a routine, the days seem very long.

For the most part, the older two boys play pretty well together and I can manage to get quite a bit done while they play if the baby is sleeping, but then I feel like I am wasting the time we have without the baby (usually we read together.) Or I feel as though I am too task driven and never stop to play with them.

In all honesty I am not a big fan of housework (who is?!) and would gladly not care about it, but I have just enough house-pride to be embarrassed if someone came over and saw this place. Plus, I really like the idea of having the boys work alongside me throughout the day because I think it teaches good work habits, I am just not sure how to put it into practice.

I have a feeling that some of the experienced moms out there would just tell me to get down to business and deal with the inconvenience. That simply being with the boys, whether working or playing is what is important. And that is probably the truth. Good results take hard work.

So, I've got the theory, I just need the practical knowledge (and encouragement!) Any suggestions of how to do this with three little ones?

Things that made me laugh

2011-02-02T19:06:00.004-06:00

1) Last week at MOPS: "Erin! You look really pretty today, I didn't even recognize you!"

Ummm, thanks?

2) Finn's first word: "Amen!"

Unless you count fake burping. He's had that under control for a couple of months.

3) Sharks walking backwards, pants at his ankles, dragging Finn by one foot out of the bathroom. Now that was a sight. I guess somebody wanted to pee in peace. (I know the feeling.)

4) Three snow days with all of us at home. Chet looks at me and asks if he looks as rough as I do. Answer: yes.

5) And Deeds. The kid remembers. I knew he would. Every time I put on his pjs, he says "Don't zip it on me!"

6) Finally, another Jeopardy moment. So, we watch Jeopardy pretty much every day. And we bet on who's going to win. And my favorite part is that the boys go crazy and jump up and down when someone picks the Daily Double. Jeopardy is just THAT exciting. Right now you can actually take the test to become a contestant!

Muscles

2011-01-31T14:11:00.002-06:00

Here's the honest truth (isn't all truth honest?) After the insanity of P90X Week One, I have had to re-evaluate. Five hour-long workouts per week turned out to be a little much. So now my goal is to work up to five times per week.

And I'm ok with that. This week I'd like to maintain three workouts and add in the Ab Ripper (sounds delightful.)

So even though not making my goal was a little disheartening, I did have the encouragement of discovering that I lost five pounds. And sometimes a little encouragement is all you need to keep up the good work. And eat less donuts.

Clearly, there are a few perks to exercising. Right now my favorite thing to do is shove my arm in Chet's face and flex my bicep.

Two heads are better than one

2011-01-25T14:57:00.003-06:00

So the other day at breakfast, Sharks had an epiphany: Mom! If Finn had two heads, then he could eat from BOTH at the SAME TIME!

True.

Mooo-ving on.

Remember how not too long ago I decided to go for a run and how I was all excited about it? And then I ran another time?

Well, that was it.

So I'm giving P90X a try since it's still too cold to run outside. My plan is to do it 5 times a week for one month, then re-evaluate. A friend is doing it also, for accountability, which is kind of laughable because we've tried to be exercise buddies before and that lasted maybe 3 times?

No matter. This time we're going to Bring It! because This is the MOTHER of all P90X workouts! I mean, it's motivating the first time you hear that, but I have now realized that the guy says that for every workout, and I'm pretty sure that by tomorrow I'll be annoyed enough to chop his head off.

Anyway today is Day Two. It is hard enough to exercise on a normal day when I am feeling fine but after yesterday, which was the "Chest and Back" workout, also known as Push-up Torture, well I can hardly lift my arms and can't even imagine exerting the energy to put in the dvd.

My arms are so dead that it was painful to switch the baby from one side to the other when he was nursing last night. Right about then I was wishing for a two-headed baby.

The results are in...

2011-01-24T16:09:00.004-06:00

...and the first person to get it right was...Me (which I think is Katie?)! Look forward to some tasty chocolate coming your way!

And yes, I picked tricky pictures on purpose...otherwise it's no fun.

I especially liked that some people guessed wrong twice.

But this just goes to show that there's a reason why I felt like I gave birth to the same kid three times over (all boys, and all within 3 oz of each other.) Thank goodness their personalities are different or I would call them by the wrong name even more than I already do.

Like, Obey mama's words, Harceefin! or maybe Finndeearks, eat your dinner! or even Don't sit on the baby, Cedafinkins! but usually it's just, *sigh* whateveryournameis.

Maybe we should have given them rhyming names, like Ed, Ted, and Fred. So that when I get it wrong, I could play it cool, like, "No, I said Ted. Really."

Who's Who in the Hutch Household?

2011-01-22T17:00:00.000-06:00

UPDATE: So I guess this is a little tricky! No one has gotten it right yet. Not even Chet. First person to guess it right can pick a kid to borrow for the weekend.

Just kidding. But I will send you some chocolate. (By the way, Mandy, I owe you some from last time...oops.)

You tell me.

A Home Date Night Extravaganza

2011-01-21T16:42:00.004-06:00

(Note to Chet - halt in your tracks - no reading this one, mister. You'll ruin a surprise.)

It came to my attention a few weeks ago that my hubs has never had pizza delivered. Ever. Is he even American?! I didn't grow up getting pizza delivered regularly or anything, (my mom was a homemade pizza maker), but I know that at some point, I've ordered pizza.

It's time to remedy that. So tonight we are having Date Night At Home (thanks for that Brite idea, pun totally intended, sorry in advance.) Plus I have all the pieces to wear an outfit like this and since I have no reason to wear heels in my everyday life, Date Night it is. Not to mention the fact that it will be great to eat and talk together without interruption.

I mean, Chet is almost thirty after all, and he needs the experience of a delivered pizza before the big 3-0. So, thanks to a little Christmas gift from my Grandma, expressly for this purpose, I am secretly ordering pizza, to be delivered after the kiddos are all tucked into bed.

I can't wait to hand him the cash and say, "Here, go pay the delivery guy." Because that is when he will learn what dinner is. Ha. We have definitely never ordered food to be delivered in our married life, and since it's not going to be a regular thing, it feels kinda extravagant.

So here's to beer and pizza that I didn't have to make. And a sweet date night at the homestead.

All That Glitters

2011-01-20T09:32:00.003-06:00

Today, at breakfast, Sharks burst into tears and said, "I'm really scared!"

"I'm afraid that King Midas is going to turn me into gold!"

Ok, so being solid gold wouldn't be awesome.

We went through our usual routine when fears are involved (praying, saying a memory verse, etc.) He also says this little line - GO AWAY bad thoughts, I'm resting in the joy of the Lord - at bedtime sometimes if he is thinking about something scary, so we repeated that for awhile.

Then I explained that King Midas wasn't real, so he couldn't turn him into gold.

Sharks countered with, "I know he's not real, but I'm afraid he's going to turn me into gold in my dreams."

Oh boy.

Skirtain

2011-01-18T15:32:00.000-06:00

Back in the fall, I found a couple of fashion blogs that I've enjoyed. One of them is kind of vintage-inspired, and I like that she wears weird things but still rocks them.

Since our clothes budget is practically non-existant, I thought I could find a few things at a thrift store that would add a little vintage-y fun into my wardrobe without breaking the bank.

Enter this skirt. I chopped off a couple feet and hemmed it above the knee. Throw on some tights and boots, and it was ready to go.

(Evidence that I am a mom and not a fashion blogger: baby sock on floor.)

I was well satisfied with my afternoon's sewing project and was feeling all cute in my vintage-inspired skirt when Chet came home and asked, "Is that your Halloween costume?" I admit I could have styled it better, but come on!

Guess how many times I've worn it since?

So, after finding this blog, which I love and would wear almost everything she does, I noticed her easy skirt tutorial. After the Halloween skirt debacle, I decided to give it a try to redeem myself.

I went on a hunt to find some material or fabric of sorts, and found a beautiful curtain panel for $3 at Goodwill. Including the cost of the elastic, the skirt - or skirtain, get it?! - cost $4 total. Not too bad. I think it turned out quite well.

Plus, I am loving the flannel plaid pockets, made out of an old shirt of Chet's.

A pain in the...refrigerator

2011-01-17T08:44:00.004-06:00

UPDATE: Success! We have a fridge! Sharks told the delivery men, "Thank you for making our fridge healthy!" as though they were fridge doctors. Close enough.

So remember this? Well, after almost a week, our landlord got us a new fridge. It is being delivered as we speak...or, as we write/read?

But since we live in an old house, the doorways and hallways are quite small. And there happens to be this little shelf that juts out into the hall that is blocking the way.

Which means that the fridge doesn't fit.

I would really, really like to have a fridge in my kitchen. I mean, the coolers have been fine and all, but to have to run out back every time I want some milk in my coffee has really made me question my second (and third) cups.

Anyway, now the kind delivery men have to take off the doors off of both the new and old fridges in order to attempt to get one in, and one out of the kitchen. And even so, it's a little iffy whether it'll fit...

Coal train...I mean Coltrane...

2011-01-15T13:34:00.004-06:00

Every time we pass under the train bridge near our house and I say, "Look, guys! It's a coal train!" I chuckle to myself and think, "Coal train/Coltrane! Hardy-har-har."

So today I figured we'd go for it - we played "coal train" while listening to Coltrane.

Sharks thought it was funny too. I guess word nerds run in the family.

Then we had this enlightened conversation:

Sharks: This train has to go to the coal line.

Me: You mean the coal mine?

S: I thought it was coal line.

M: Well it's called a coal mine because you have to mine for the coal.

S: Oh, like you use your mind and say, "Where is the coal?"

Anyway, you should try the coal train/Coltrane combo sometime. It made for a very relaxing train time. In fact we were so relaxed we forgot how to properly communicate.

Happy Warrior

2011-01-14T15:27:00.005-06:00

Finn's name means "little blond soldier" and since he's such a happy fellow, Chet's dad calls him the Happy Warrior. I find that quite fitting.

Ask Chet who our "soldier" is supposed to be fighting, and he says, "Satan." Which struck me as a bit dramatic at first, except that we really are in a battle with the Enemy.

Today Sharks asked me if God is holding Satan back so that he doesn't distract us to make us sin. We have been listening to these cds everyday, which I think provoked his question. I'll be honest, I had trouble answering him coherently. At least in a way a three-year old would understand.

We've been working on self-control a lot around here recently (tantrums seem to be cropping up in the wake of weeks of sickness), and one thing we've been coming back to is the verse that says "Be sober minded and alert, for your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (in 1 Peter, I think.) It has helped Sharks to realize that in being self-controlled he is fighting God's enemy. Still a work in progress. Aren't we all!

That was kind of random. Funny how one thought leads to another and suddenly the blog post where you planned to post pictures of the baby ends up being about fighting sin.

Oh well, I don't know about you, but I need the reminder to fight.

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee

2011-01-12T13:56:00.006-06:00

I made the boys these Davy Crockett/Daniel Boone outfits for Christmas, following this pattern, with just a few alterations to make it more Frontiersman, less Neverland. (For the record, it was very, very simple. Hardly any hemming and only a couple of straight seams.)

I wasn't planning on making Finn a costume at all, but I accidentally made Deedo's too small. So much for very, very simple. Good thing I bought extra fleece. So Finn doesn't have a coonskin cap and definitely looks more Monk than Frontiersman. Well maybe those frontiersmen need some religion.

Of course I had visions of them running around wearing their costumes, playing and exploring and killing bears.

Instead, they wear them for a maximum of 5 minutes. But perhaps in years to come they will enjoy them more?

One day during those 5 minutes of costume-wearing, Sharks told Deeds they were going bear hunting but that only he could kill the bear because he was three and Deeds was only two. (Nice literal interpretation of how Davy "killed him a bear when he was only three.")

For now, I am still convinced that a little boy in a coonskin cap is the cutest, ridiculous-est thing ever.

Out with the old, in with the new...

2011-01-12T09:44:00.004-06:00

Old fridge:

New fridge:

Good thing this happened in winter, eh? Plus we feel a little like Little House on the Prarie. Because having your fridge in two coolers on your back porch is just like the pioneers.

Books

2011-01-10T22:30:00.006-06:00

(shelf from smartfurniture)

Since I forgot to write a book list last month, I figured I'd just mention what's on my shelf at the moment.

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky

and

a bunch of books about beekeeping. Which I have been loving, but I figured they would bee unbeelievably boring to most of you. Unfortunately, it looks like I will have to postpone getting my hive for another year.

So, no idea if anyone really cares what I've read, but I figure C & P will take awhile, so there may not be any list updates for a bit.

Let me count the ways...

2011-01-10T17:11:00.002-06:00

Family Resemblance?

2011-01-10T13:42:00.005-06:00

This may not be the best picture of Chet - who has had to deal with me shoving my new camera in his face when he's on the phone, eating dinner, reading books - and maybe it's just me, but I cannot believe how much these look alike.

Well, I guess I can believe it. They are related, after all.

Snowy days

2010-12-17T10:00:00.004-06:00

This was about a week ago...and we haven't been out in the snow since.

The other day on the news the weather lady said they had received "numerous" calls from people who fell on the ice on the way to their mailboxes or when they were out to walk the dog.

Because that makes total sense. The first thing I thought of when I wiped out on our front porch was, "Quick! Where's my phone? I've got breaking news!"

And then Chet wiped out and I missed it. If only a news camera had been there.

I think they are playing Snow Football. Also known as A Way To Get Even Colder While Playing Outside.

Sharkies looks thrilled at his catch...don't think he's realized that the ball is no longer in his hands.

Life is one big awkward stage

2010-12-16T14:09:00.007-06:00

This kid is getting some teeth, two on the bottom, two on the top. And every time he smiles, I think of Mater.

And then I say "Ka-Chow!" to myself under my breath. Which would be embarrassing, except that this is what I was wearing all morning. Scratch that. Still wearing.

So I have more pressing things to be embarrassed about. I know what you are thinking. Where did I find such fantastic green leggings?

I got cold in the night and grabbed whatever I could find. Chet had a good laugh at my expense when he saw me this morning. I think the words "Giant Green Bean" may have been mentioned.

Duly noted.

(Sharks just saw this pic and said, "Oh, is that you when you had Finlay in your belly?" Groan. It just keeps getting better.)

In my defense, I have been caring for sad, sick kiddos like this guy all week. Poor Deeds.

On second thought, I don't think there is an adequate defense for green leggings. Ever.

(Not) Alone

2010-12-13T22:04:00.002-06:00

Here's my talented sis-in-law, Ashley's new music video for her song, Alone. The chorus especially has been encouraging to me, in the moments when I feel, um, alone.

Also, for some free music and to help give clean water to those who need it, check out this post.

Wintry Drinks

2010-12-13T21:40:00.003-06:00

Two drinks we've been enjoying this winter:

Hot Milk and Milk Punch.

So, for the Hot Milk...well it is what is says and it's so easy it's hardly a recipe. But we love it.

Partly cause I kept forgetting to buy cocoa. (How unlike me, I know.) My mom made a variation of this when I was little if I couldn't sleep, so we'll call it a tradition. Even though now we drink it at all times of the day.

Oh right. The non-recipe, coming right up.

You need:
Milk, a cup or two
REAL maple syrup, to taste (you could use sugar - we just try to stick with more natural sweeteners.)
Cinnamon, sprinkle on the top (I let the boys do this, so we get a different amount every time.)
Vanilla, a capful or so

Mix in a pan and heat on the stove. Then drink and relax. It is perfect for when you are cold but have already had one too many coffees. (Actually that is pretty much my state of being.)

Though I have been known to put it IN my coffee, kinda like a Cinnamon Dolce Latte, but not. (I really want to write, "but Not-te" but it looks more like Naughty instead of rhyming with Latte. Sigh.)

And now for the Milk Punch, which is a little more grown-up. I have also been known to put that in my coffee. It is absolutely delicious, a perfect accompaniment to dessert, or for after dessert. Or for breakfast. Or for in your coffee. I may have mentioned that...

To us a child is born

2010-12-03T23:10:00.003-06:00

Deedo says Isaiah 9:6-7, very cute-ly, I might add.

I tried to get him to be all gangsta

2010-12-03T22:08:00.004-06:00

As I was taking this pic of the Deeds today, I remembered a similar shot of Sharks, taken at almost the same age.

To me they look different. But to everyone else, they look like twins. Then again, people always used to tell Chet and me (I'm pretty sure that's grammatically correct, even though it seems wrong) that we looked like brother and sister. Because that's just what every dating couple wants to hear. So we laughed and said, Well, we are from Arkansas.

Running, or something like it.

2010-11-28T19:58:00.004-06:00

This afternoon, I decided to run again.

Chet and Deeds were sleeping, so I ended up pushing Finn in the stroller since Sharks wanted to trot along with me.

That should tell you something about our speed.

So I got all geared up: running tights, running shorts, running shoes - all Chet's except the shoes because I'm not allowed to get my own until I have proven that I am serious about "trotting."

Of course, Sharky-sharks wanted some running tights too. (Ok, fine, I asked if he wanted to dress like a runner. Whatever.)

Thankfully, a few weeks ago I bought what I thought were leg warmers from the dollar bins at Target...turned out that they were mini-sized footless tights. Now I know why they were a dollar.

But, they made perfect running tights for a three year old.

We are champions!

He is thrilled about it.

Oh, yeah. Then on the news tonight, I found out that a house we walked right past just got busted for being a meth lab. Yikes! We should have run faster!

Two Stories About Deedo

2010-11-27T20:46:00.005-06:00

First. The funny:

So we're at my parents house, when Deeds decides to sing "Come Thou Fount," and he sings, "Streams of mercy, never ceasing, COBBLESTONES of loudest praise."

They are at least louder than a regular road.

Second. The painful:

Well. You should feel sorry for Deedo. Especially all you men out there.

Today, I accidentally zipped his boy part. Yikes! Ouch! Zoinks! Holy footie pajamas, Batman!

Screaming ensued. Oh, the screams. As I'm sure you can imagine.

Of course now he's going to be scared to death of pajamas, or at least zippers. So, sweatpants it is. For life.

It's going to be awesome in that job interview someday, when he's wearing a tie and button-down with sweatpants.

On Running

2010-11-22T15:34:00.003-06:00

So yesterday, I asked Chet if I could go for a run. He laughed like he thought I was joking. No idea why. I am extremely serious about my exercise.

I work my arm muscles very hard to whip up a batch of brownies. I exercise patience as I wait for them to bake. And the endurance it takes to eat my way through them pushes the limits of the human body.

Like I said. No idea why he laughed.

I actually had to ask him twice. Though I'm thinking I should have said, Can I go for a trot? Because that would have been more accurate.

This run/trot was all provoked by Born to Run. My plan was to go slowly, and really try to enjoy the act of running, rather than see it as a means to an end.

Plus, in the book there are all these stories of people who were like, What the heck I'll go for a run, and they end up running 20 miles or something.

This one guy (who wasn't a runner at the time) was out celebrating his 30th birthday and thought it would be fun to run 30 miles on his 30th and he just went out, straight from the bar, totally wasted, and he did it.

So I thought, YOU NEVER KNOW. I might be one of those people.

Except now I know.

(I'm not. One of those people.)

I made it exactly three miles. Whenever I got tired, which was basically the whole run after the first two steps, I kept telling myself to trot, slow down, look around, and enjoy.

It worked, mostly. About halfway through I started to psyche myself out cause my legs were tired, so I was like, Be thankful you have legs that move, WOMAN. And I kept going.

(Do you like how it sounds like I was accomplishing a magnificent feat of endurance? Instead of a measly three mile run?)

And now, THE. PAIN. My abs are so freakin sore, they hurt to touch. It hurts to breathe. And yes, it's kind of embarrassing that I am in more pain now than Chet was after his half-marathon.

I'm thinking I need a do-over, though. I still might be one of those people - maybe if I start off my run with a gin and tonic? Or two?

Sharks sings scat

2010-11-12T15:15:00.002-06:00

We've been listening to Miss Ella's Playhouse a lot. The boys love it and so do I. So it made sense to learn about Ella Fitzgerald this week, seeing as we were on the letter E.

We watched this amazing video of her singing scat. Totally worth checking out. Then I got Sharks to try. Here's his tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. (Hopefully she's not turning over in her grave.)

The Letter E

2010-11-12T15:04:00.005-06:00

The Letter E

Activity: painting with eggs (made this one up, and thankfully it went ok)

Snack: hard-boiled eggs
Field Trip: zoo, to see the Emperor Penguins (except they didn't have that kind.) This also tied in with Mr. Popper's Penguins, so that was cool. Like 45 degrees cool.

The zoo had a baby penguin named Woody, and since I forgot my camera, Sharks posed with a beanie baby penguin (also named Woody - what a coincidence) once we got home.

The Letter D

2010-11-12T14:55:00.004-06:00

The Letter D

Now, this week was fun. Some highlights were learning what "dozen" means, and listening to Clair de Lune by Debussy. I also got a kick out of Sharks identifying the parts of a dragonfly - head, thorax, and abdomen. (No, I didn't already know that - books rock.)

Snack: dill pickles
Field Trip: don't think we went anywhere...unless the doctor counts

The Letter C

2010-11-12T14:50:00.003-06:00

The Letter C

(Sorry about all the school posts...just trying to catch up.)

This week was pretty lame. We all had colds. And coughs. Which both start with C. So at least we were in good company. If you C what I mean.

Field trip: ummm...church?
Snack: cookies!

The Letter B

2010-11-12T14:37:00.005-06:00

The Letter B

Pardon my bluebird. I tried.

Ice boats. Blue + Red = Purple

Field trip: bakery
Snack: bagels

The Letter A

2010-11-12T13:57:00.003-06:00

We are doing this letter of the week thing this year. Honestly it's more of a test run to see if I can actually make it as a homeschool mom.

After a rocky start (we were on the letter A for 2 months because I kept putting off the letter B), we have finally figured out what works for us. And we are both (mostly) enjoying it.

Though the first couple of times, Sharks said, "But Mom, this is not a real school, and you are not a real teacher." It's called homeschool, buddy. "But a home is not a school." Sigh.

Thankfully we have moved past that. So now, during the little boys naps, Sharks and I do "school." For about 1/2 hour.

Basically we just read books, do activities, and eat things that start with the letter of the week, and we make a folder of it all. I also try to do a "field trip" each week that relates.

We also collect things from around the house that start with the letter, and we put them on a Letter of the Day Tray.

So, here's the Letter A!

[I used a bunch of stuff from Homeschool Share, but most of what I do is from here. The more familiar I become with the program, the more I add my own ideas in, but I use pretty much all the scheduling stuff from them. I don't always get all the books she suggests, just whatever our library has.)

Brotherly Love

2010-11-09T14:19:00.003-06:00

I've been skeptical when I hear other people talk about "the bond" their kids have.

When I read things like, "They are just so close and they love to be together..." what I really see is: "Blah blah blah-dy wishful thinking blah."

How cynical. I know.

But I've since changed my mind.

(Mushy mom-speak alert.)

These two have a bond. For realz.

Sharks can make Finn laugh like no-one else can. Sharks is the first one in the room to comfort his brother when he cries, and he always wants to rub "his sweetie's" head and give him kisses. In the picture, he just wanted the baby near him while he played.

And Finn responds to Sharks. He laughs at him and follows him around.

To be sure, Sharks has also pushed him over, taken toys away from him, and almost dropped him on his head. They are brothers, after all.

But thus far, I am thankful that there is evidence of love. I hope and pray that it continues as they grow.

Somebody got a haircut

2010-11-09T14:05:00.003-06:00

Before:

He said he wanted to be bald like Deedo.

I said ok.

After:

Kinda made me sad to cut his long hair, which is why I realized that I should.

And now I keep calling him Deeds, or sometimes Chet.

"It's ok to call me Chet, that's really my name," he said.

So the littlest knows I haven't forgotten

2010-11-08T19:27:00.003-06:00

Buddy-o Numero 3:

You started crawling at 6 months. Crawling. At 6 months. In the amount of time it took to wrap our minds around that, you had already figured out how to pull up to stand.

(And we were hoping you'd take your time.)

After pulling a French press of freshly brewed coffee off the counter at a friend's house at 3 months of age, you have wrenched the title of Reach Master from your brother. Just the other day, you knocked a six-pack of beer to the floor in Whole Foods. All by yourself. Shattered glass, shmattered glass.

(Not embarrassing at all.)

However. Your favorite way to explore is with your mouth. To date you have eaten/attempted to eat: grass, leaves, a piece of bacon (oops), gum wrapper (don't ask where I found it), paper, a lego, and fringes from an area rug (now that was a sight).

And you continue to be the sweetest baby ever. Your brothers were wonderful too, but Finn, you are always laughing, even when we are only saying your name. You already have a sense of humor.

As Sharks says, "You are our little precious." (Lord of the Rings, anyone? That's not at all creepy.)

October Reading List

2010-11-08T13:27:00.001-06:00

Previous book lists -
Summer
September

Books from the past month:

Lost City Radio, Daniel Alarcon - Felt like I was waiting for a punchline/climax that never happened.

The Sunday Philosophy Club, Alexander McCall Smith - I read all of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books and figured I'd give this one a try. A nice mystery, without being too dark.

Little Bee, Chris Cleave - a beautiful and tragic tale of a Nigerian refugee in the UK. A really well-constructed novel. The insights of Little Bee (main character) are brilliant and adorable - "no one likes each other, but everyone likes U2." Made me cry.

The Clear Skin Diet, Alan C. Logan and Valori Treloar - And now I'm taking Fish Oil every day. And trying to stay away from refined sugar. I will let you guess how that's going.

Mr. Popper's Penguins, Richard and Florence Atwater - Read to the boys. Totally worth it - if you didn't read this in your childhood, read it now. Will post more about this later.

Baby, We Were Meant For Each Other, Scott Simon - heard about it on NPR one day. I've read more compelling memoirs and books about adoption that were more inspiring to me, but all in all, a fine book.

The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larsson - Love the mystery of it, not so into the subject matter at times. Verdict's still out on whether I will read the third in the series.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, Christopher McDougall - Loved this book. Well-written, interesting, and informative. If you are wondering about the bare-foot running craze, or just like a good piece of journalistic literature, it's definitely worth a read.

Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen - Just read it. Yes, you.

Bad Dreams

2010-10-24T22:06:00.002-05:00

This is my worst nightmare. Soooooo not a cat person.

Just reading it made me itchy.

But, it's an awfully cute blog, though.

What I learned from the fruit flies

2010-10-20T14:04:00.002-05:00

Due to an unforeseen rotten onion, we got a plague of fruit flies. (Unforseen: in a pot, bottom of the shelf. No clue the onion turned on me.)

All last week, I declared war on those dang flies. Everything food related went into the fridge. All dishes were immediately washed. As soon as the food was gone, the table was instantly wiped down. Are you sensing the urgency?

And I was seriously annoyed the whole time, because sometimes I don't like to do the dishes right away, you know? I even remember asking myself, WHY in the world did God make fruit flies? They are just a HUGE pain in the you-know-what. What purpose do these silly little things serve?

Well, I still have no clue what their biological/eternal purpose is, but because of those flies, I learned that our home runs much more smoothly when I finish one thing before I start the next.

My mother has been trying to teach that for years. As has my husband.

But give the fruit flies one week...and presto! New woman. Ha.

This is a big deal because I tend to live by feeling...if I don't feel like doing the dishes, I don't, until I absolutely have to. And then of course, the stress amps up because I have created a disaster through my inaction. You know who pays for that? The kids and Chet.

So at the end of the day, I am thankful for those fruit flies and more importantly, for the God who created them and gave them to me for the week. Now that I can see the blessings that come with being responsible, my prayer is that I can keep it up.

Early Birthday

2010-10-14T14:38:00.005-05:00

My birthday always falls smack-dab in the middle of finals, and last year when I turned 25 we did diddly-squat to celebrate. So my hubs preempted the iminent birthday disaster and planned an early celebration date for us.

Dinner was amazing. It was like my dream meal...Espresso Rubbed Beef Filet Medallions with blue cheese cream, buttermilk mashed potatoes, fresh asparagus, and crisped onion straws. Thank you, Groupon.

Somehow we forgot to get a picture together, but at least we took pictures of each other.

We got to the symphony and Chet started heading for the front row. Chet is kinda sneaky and would totally do something like sneaking up to the front row even if our tickets were for somewhere else, so I was nervous. Turns out, that's actually where our tickets were - right at the edge of the first row.

We were so excited at our seats and couldn't understand how they were still available when Chet bought the tickets. We could literally touch the stage. (They were student tickets, he just got to pick where we sat.)

(Clearly the symphony is not our usual scene, however much we love it.)

The first piece was great - we were so close! Not too many musicians and we could see everything really well. But then, as more of the orchestra came out, we understood why no one wanted those seats.

Butts! Backsides! Rear ends! All we could see were the tushies of the string section. (Insert inappropriate g-string joke here.)

We were cracking up. Pun totally intended.

So we high-tailed it Chet-style to some open seats in the upper level, just in time for Tchaichovsky's 5th Symphony.

Crafty Schmafty

2010-10-14T14:18:00.003-05:00

We made Paper Bag People.

(Note: Star Wars t-shirt, aka Star "Words." The favorite of the moment. Not that he has a clue what it is. Deeds always asks, "Who dat guy?" And when I tell him, he says, "Yes, Dawth Baduh.")

I thought it was going to be so fun, making these Paper Bag People, and they'd run around and chase each other and LOVE it.

Not so much. Really, they wore them for the picture and then cried until I helped them tear them off.

(Can't understand why. They look super comfortable. Or as Deeds says, "Super compy.")

Next time I'm calling them Paper Bag Robots and I'll tell the boys that their arms are supposed to jut out at impossible angles because that's just how robots are. Take that, Paper Bag Peeps.

Sticks and stones

2010-10-13T14:49:00.007-05:00

Since Chet has class two nights each week, I've been trying to use the time to get the boys in the woods, or at the very least outside somewhere where it doesn't feel like the city.

Don't get me wrong, I love the convenience of the city and the way it feels so full of life (especially when you live so close to your neighbors that you can see into their dining room from yours.)

But the older the boys get, the more I want them outside, digging in the mud and building forts and picking up bugs.

I learned some things on our first "hike."

1)Deeds walks slowly.
2) Deeds walks slowly because he is examining every single rock and stick he sees.
3)Deeds will try to pick up and carry every rock and stick he sees which makes him walk even more slowly.

Note to self: next time, take a stroller.

The thing is, Deedo's slowpoke rambling made me realize how often I hurry the boys along. I had to consciously tell myself that we weren't going anywhere in particular, that the whole point was to simply be outside, exploring and enjoying all that God has created. So it ended up being good for me too.

Overwhelmed

2010-10-13T14:23:00.003-05:00

Sorry I've been absent from this little blog here. My computer is really old and I have to jump through an awful lot of hoops just to blog (old browser and suchlikes. I tried to upgrade but it made my computer soooo sloooooow that it just wasn't worth it.)

Plus we've had sickness and strep make the rounds: Sharks got croup, Chet got strep, then I got it, Deeds got an ear infection, Finn got some weird rash that after visiting the doc three times finally was diagnosed as strep, then Deeds got the same rash, and now, a month after it all started, we are on the mend.

I feel like I have months to update. I guess I will just get started.

For now, here's a pic of Hutchinlove, J.D. (taken for his job applications.) I am quite partial to the lovely chalk drawings on our front door. Hopefully those who interviewed Chet will take that into consideration when reviewing his application.

Every time I see this picture, I really want him to say, "I'll see you in court." And throw in some legal gobbledygook like lex rex or a certiorari, or prima facie. Cause that's how you tell a real lawyer from a fake one.

September Reading List

2010-10-04T13:48:00.003-05:00

Ok, folks, I have found that some of the best books I have read have come from recommendations from people I know. So I'd love to hear what YOU are reading! I know more of you read than the two people that commented last time, so if you'd be so kind, leave a comment with a book you have read and enjoyed. Please, pretty please? Help a reader out!

One book I would recommend is The Brothers K by David James Duncan . I read this last winter and I saw it at the library again today and got teary just seeing the cover, that's how much I liked it. From Publishers Weekly: "It is a stunning work: a complex tapestry of family tensions, baseball, politics and religion, by turns hilariously funny and agonizingly sad...The book portrays the extraordinary differences that can exist among siblings...and how family members can redeem one another in the face of adversity." (For the record, this is not the same as The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, though the allusion is there for a reason.)

(Here's last month's list, if you missed it.)

September:

Unwind by Neal Shusterman: A young adult novel, recommended by a friend. There was a second civil war, Pro-life vs. Pro-choice. To end the war, they came up with a compromise: no life can be taken until the age of 13, when parents can choose to "unwind" their children as long as no part of the child technically "dies," thanks to organ donation. The story is about a kid who tries to escape being unwound. It was a quick read, overly dramatic, and utterly unrealistic - but like I said, it's TEEN fiction.

War Child by Emmanuel Jal : Another memoir of a Lost Boy of Sudan. Of the ones I read, this one was the most graphic and challenging, and left images in my head that I will never forget. This is partly because Jal was a child soldier, and his experiences tended to be quite violent. But to see God's hand on him through it all is a powerful thing. Here is a link to a TED talk he gave. It is worth watching.

Giada's Kitchen, and Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis: I love Giada. Everything I have made from her cookbooks has been wonderful. Chet mocks the Giada obsession, but seriously. I love carbs and chocolate, and Giada is very good at making both. What's not to love! Plus I have learned her secrets for making anything "Italian" - take a basic cupcake recipe, throw in some mascarpone or ree-COTT-a, and you've got yourself some Italian cupcakes.

Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman: And my obsession with cookbooks from the library continues. I also really like Mark Bittman. No nonsense, simple recipes that are still delicious. I used this cookbook all summer long. Each recipe took only 20 minutes to prepare and cook, and I could always find something to make with the ingredients in my kitchen.

The Dayuma Story by Ethel Emily Wallis: This book is about the first Auca Christian, Dayuma, and Rachel Saint's relationship with her in leading her to Christ. (I have been trying to read missionary biographies on Sundays. Because it is a day set apart, I am trying to orient my thoughts towards the Lord, so I am excited about the big pile of missionary bio's I borrowed from my in-laws.)

Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman: A very practical book about getting to the heart of your children through training and discipline. One of the things that has stuck with me the most is to view every act of disobedience as an opportunity to point your kids towards their need for Jesus. This book has been very helpful, particularly because our kids are so close together. (I also really like her Wise Words for Moms.)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: The third and final book in The Hunger Games series. Can you say, "Mocking-lame"? Ok, not that bad. It was an expectation thing. I loved the other two books, but this one fell a bit flat for me.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami: Because I have no idea how to describe this book, here is a summary from Amazon - "15-year-old Kafka Tamura runs away from home, both to escape his father's oedipal prophecy and to find his long-lost mother and sister. As Kafka flees, so too does Nakata, an elderly simpleton whose quiet life has been upset by a gruesome murder...What follows is a kind of double odyssey, as Kafka and Nakata are drawn inexorably along their separate but somehow linked paths, groping to understand the roles fate has in store for them." There were some very beautiful moments right alongside some very disturbing moments.

Sharky-Art

2010-09-21T16:44:00.006-05:00

Sharks has been, um, opposed to coloring ever since I first put a crayon in his hand. Nothing I have done has ever persuaded him to draw. Not even cool coloring books. Or peer pressure (Sunday school.) I even talked to my art therapist friend to get some fun ideas. But still, nada.

However, in the last few days, the clouds have parted and the golden sun of COLORING FUN has shone.

I know it's silly, but I have been waiting for this day. Coloring is so soothing to me, and I had hoped it would be one of those fun things we did together - now whaddya know, we've got a budding artist on our hands! Ha.

(For the record, I drew the circle for the head, but he did the rest.)

For All the...

2010-09-18T20:14:00.003-05:00

The other day, we were playing ping-pong in the basement, when Sharks hit his ball into this giant old hose sitting on a shelf in the corner.

"Mom, come quick! My ball is lost in the countless hose!"

Took me a second, but then I realized what he was saying.

"From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Alleluia, Alleluia!"

[from For All the Saints, by William Walsham How]

I cannot even express how much I love these adorable language mishaps the little guys make. It is so precious when they try to apply the things they hear into everyday conversations. (Unless they are talking about nosepicking.)

What are some good ones your kids have said?

Nap Time-ish

2010-09-18T20:06:00.004-05:00

Since Sharks no longer takes an afternoon nap, we had to come up with a new plan. So now he rests with his head on his pillow for 30-45 minutes (obviously to encourage sleep if he needs it), then when the timer beeps, he can get up and play quietly in his room for 45-60 minutes. (The times vary slightly based on the needs of the day.)

Today, however, he read Coastal Living.

Digging for gold (again)

2010-09-16T13:27:00.005-05:00

(The older the boys get, the more I realize that these blog posts are slipping further and further into the abyss of boogers, farts, and legos.)

The other day at my mom's house, Sharks' finger was getting a little too clse to his nose, so my mom asked, "Why are you picking your nose, buddy?"

"I am picking my nose because mom picks her nose."

Oh. the. shame.

Soooo, I tried to salvage what remnants of dignity I could, and came up with a brilliant plan - Sharks and Mommy will both stop picking their noses.

(For the record, I am not a big nose picker. The way my child talks, you are probably thinking it's my new favorite hobby or something.)

Well. That plan didn't fly. Sharks said, "How about you keep picking your nose so I can keep picking mine?"

Sigh.

Bikes!

2010-09-14T13:41:00.003-05:00

In honor of the annual bike race in our neighborhood, the boys decided that they wanted to race each other. (Which means Sharks speeds away while I do my best to push Deeds as fast as I can without 1) him falling off, 2) crashing into a tree, 3) tripping and looking like a doofus.)

Guess which one I didn't manage?

I was really excited about Deedo's bike - I found it at a yard sale. It had some rust on it (ok, actually everywhere there could be rust, there was rust) but after a quick trip to Home Depot for supplies and a little scrubbing, the bike was as good as it could be (for an old - let's say vintage - bike.)

Here's a sequence of photos for you - can you guess what's about to happen?

They made up this game where they yell, "deek!" and stab each other with their fingers. Doesn't sound like fun to me, but they think it's hilarious. Only this time Deeds stabbed Sharks in the nose.

(And yes, I should have seen that coming.)

How (not) to pick your nose

2010-08-29T15:23:00.004-05:00

The other day, Sharks was picking his nose, so I asked him if he needed a tissue. His answer: No thanks, my finger is fine.

----

Moving on. Yesterday it was just time to trim the fingernails. You know what I'm saying. Sharks hates it when I cut his nails, but it's gotta be done.

So anyway, I did Deedo's nails, then the baby's, and finally Sharky's. He did this big, frustrated sounding sigh as soon as I finished clipping and walked away all mopey, only to sigh again, and say, "See? Now I can't pick my nose!"

Rainbow House Girls through the years

2010-08-24T21:54:00.008-05:00

The house we lived in senior year of college was called The Rainbow House because it was on Rainbow Road. SO creative.

Which made us - you guessed it - the Rainbow House Girls.

The trip I just took to Savannah made me want to look back at old pictures of us.

So without further ado, here we go:

The night Erin and Jared asked us to be bridesmaids - this pic is one of my all-time favorites of us all.

The night Chet and I asked the girls to be bridesmaids.

Anna's Cross Country meet

Beach Trip Senior Year

Something to do with graduation, I think.

Graduation!

Erin's wedding - she got married a month before I did.

Our wedding day (also known as "the night I got pregnant with Harkins")

Anna leaving for Senegal - we surprised her before she left!

Cindy's wedding (I was pregnant with Cedar)

Sometime between these two there should be a picture of us at last summer's reunion.

Megan's wedding (I was very pregnant with Finn)

Savannah Trip 2010

I can't believe we've been out of college for as long as we were in it! That means 8 years of friendship.

Girls' Weekend!

2010-08-24T21:06:00.005-05:00

This weekend, my hubs was kind enough to watch the boys while I headed to Savannah to spend a few days with my college roomies. It was a very spontaneous trip - we planned it exactly one week beforehand - so we were all thankful it worked out so well.

(Despite sitting on the runway in the plane with Finn for 4 hours. No biggie.)

Of course it was all worth it to see these ladies! We lived in a house together senior year (plus Cindy, who couldn't be there this time) and saved up for a beach trip before we graduated. So it was perfect to be able to head back to the beach and just be together.

This is Anna, who just arrived back in the States after a year in Azerbaijan. (I get bonus points if I spelled that right.) Needless to say, we were more than excited to see her and hear about her time in Eurasia, or as we like to say, YOURasia.

I am very thankful for wonderful friends who loved on Finn and were so willing to hold him. He, in turn, was thrilled to be the center of attention, and co-operated with our craziness by being sweeter than ever.

He even experienced the ocean for the first time. Not a fan, however. Ah, well. You win some, you lose some.

We spent most of Saturday at the beach, then got dressed for a night on the town. With a baby. So you know we partied all crazy. We even got FroYo.

Funny how a weekend with friends, though more physically exhausting than I had anticipated, was so emotionally and mentally restoring. I am so thankful for God's blessing me with friends who encourage, challenge, and laugh with (and at) me.

(Photo credit to Lindsey and maybe some of the other girls.)

Summer Reading List

2010-08-23T21:38:00.002-05:00

Because I have had the same list of books that I am "currently reading" along the side of my blog ever since I started it a year and a half ago - I figured it was time to update my reading list.

These are the books I've read this Summer, at least the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

I went ahead and linked to their listing on Amazon, in case any sound interesting to you!

Summer:
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, Rhoda Janzen, Great title, terrible book.

The Maker's Diet, Jordin S. Rubin A friend recommended this book to me, and I found it interesting, but a little too intense for me. (I like bacon.)

What Difference Do It Make?, Ron Hall and Denver Moore The sequel to Same Kind of Different As Me. This book is a collection of stories of how the first book impacted the lives of those who read it. I really enjoyed the first one, so this was a little disappointing.

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins I'm pretty sure this is young adult fiction, but Chet and I both loved it. Quick summary: Post-apocalpytic America is separated into districts run by a centralized government. Each year, one boy and one girl from each district are selected at random to compete in the Hunger Games - a fight to the death to win food for their district. I know, it sounds bizarre. But it is a quick read, and creative.

Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins Sequel to the book above. (Still waiting for the third to come out this month.)

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson Loved this one because of the intrigue, though it was very dark. Not a church book club kind of book, is what I'm saying.

Laura Rider's Masterpiece, Jane Hamilton I usually love Jane Hamilton's novels, but this one was too weird for me, and focused on adultery. Wouldn't recommend it, or read it again.

Infidel, Ayaan Hirsi Ali The autobiography of a Somalian woman, as she leaves Islam and her family and escapes to Europe. Very eye-opening, about a way of life that is unfamiliar to me. What is super cool is that she is now a member of Parliament in the Netherlands.

The Help, Kathryn Stockett Pretty sure everyone has heard of this one, so I won't say much, other than I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Honeybee, C. Marina Marchese This book is all about raising honeybees. I enjoyed it because it was informative and truthful about what life with bees is like. It details exactly how to go about installing and maintaining hives, which I am hoping to do next April!

How Green Was My Valley, Richard Llewellyn I loved this book. It is an absolutely beautiful book. There is so much beauty, both in the tale Llewellyn tells and in the language he uses that I by the time I finished it, I felt refreshed and glowing. Sorry for all the superlatives, but it is really wonderful. Definitely one of my favorites this year. From Atlantic Monthly, "Llewellyn's tale of a young man's coming-of-age in a small Welsh mining town--a beautiful story told in words which have Welsh music in them . . . a book which will live in the mind and memory of its readers."

There Are No Children Here, Alex Kotolowitz A journalist spends a year in the Chicago projects, chronicling the lives of two brothers, as they struggle to survive. Sometimes my jaw would drop open, because I almost couldn't believe it happened here, in our country.

Real Food, Nina Planck The title is pretty self explanatory. I found this to be a practical, easy to read, and informative book about the values of eating, you guessed it, real food. This is one I would recommend to friends who are interested in the topic, but haven't done much reading on it yet, because it's not overwhelming, even though it's packed with info.

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, Novella Carpenter I wrote my thoughts on this one here. Absolutely LOVED it.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, Maggie O'Farrell I honestly don't know how to describe this one - I wasn't really into the style of this novel - the prose was too choppy for me. Publisher's Weekly says it's "an intricate, eloquent novel of family malice, longings and betrayal...it maintains a high level of tension throughout, and the conclusion is devastating." True. But I wouldn't read it again.

What is the What, Dave Eggers I've liked what I have read by Dave Eggers before, so I checked this one out, not knowing what I was getting into. It is a fictionalized account of the Lost Boys of Sudan, based on the experiences of one boy in particular. It was particularly moving, because it is structured as a novel, which gave the author the freedom to create dialog, and be more creative in the telling. (This book was the first thing I read about the Lost Boys, and now I keep searching for more, if that tells you anything.)

Julie and Julia, Julie Powell Loved the movie, hated the book. 'Nuff said.

God Grew Tired Of Us, John Bul Dau The memoir of a Lost Boy of Sudan. Horrific and hopeful, all at the same time. The author's faith in the Gospel, despite all he went through is inspiring. (Why do words like "inspiring" sound cheesy? But seriously. It's worth reading - even if you cry the whole way through.)

Open, Andre Agassi Andre Agassi's autobiography. Fascinating, especially because I remember watching him play when I was little. Did you know that he dropped out of school in eighth grade, only to have his greatest work be the creation of a school? Good reminder of the tensions within each of us.

In The Sanctuary of Outcasts, Neil White
After being convicted of bank fraud, Neil White spends a year in a prison in Southern Louisiana that also houses the last leper colony in the United States. In the Sanctuary of Outcasts chronicles his time there, and how his perception of himself and life in general is altered by his interaction with the people he meets.

So that's that.

I am always on the look out for new books to read, especially if they are recommended to me. So what have YOU read recently? Or what do you hope to read?

Basement Office Makeover

2010-08-18T13:53:00.004-05:00

I've had these lamps for awhile, and Chet kept threatening to get rid of them since I had done nothing with them in over five years. They are the original lamps from the hotel that was turned into dorms at my college, so they are old, and definitely needed a bit of work.

Last time my friend Lindsey was here, she showed me how to polish the lamps (using baking soda), and we worked on them for awhile, only for me to take them back to the basement, where they sat for another year and a half. (Finishing projects is not my greatest skill.)

See the difference between the cleaned up lamp and the other yucky one? Crazy, huh?

Anyway, while Chet was out of town this past weekend, I decided to spruce up his office space (aka the most hideous corner of our basement), and use one of the lamps for his desk. I had gone down there to get something out of his desk the other day and was utterly disgusted. Not because of Chet - he is more tidy than I am - but just at the state of our basement.

Ok, this is embarrassing, but whatever. A bad before picture makes the after look better, right?

We are renting, and our landlord thinks he is handy and can fix things himself, but the truth is, he can't. I have no idea what is going on with the window-that-is-not-a-window covered in duck tape. Apparently that was a fix for something?

It would pretty much be a crime to let him study in that awful space, especially because he studies so much. So without further ado, here is the new office:

Really, all I did was paint it and make curtains to hide the window monstrosity, but I think it helped. I need to fix the curtains a bit (I want to make it all the blue fabric - I just ran out), and I have a different chair and a bookshelf from my parents that will complete the makeover.

I am glad I did it, but it was not very wise to attempt it while Chet was out of town. I was already exhausted, and to add painting and sewing to the schedule was a bit much. But at least it looks better now!

Redneck Swimming Pool

2010-08-17T15:23:00.005-05:00

You mean your kids don't swim in a cattle trough?

This is where I make up for my lack of blogging

2010-08-17T13:52:00.003-05:00

First of all, HELLO THERE EVERYONE.

(All one of you - Hi MOM!)

(Joking! My mom isn't into blogs, even the one her daughter writes. Perhaps especially the one her daughter writes, because then she'd freak out at all the personal information I am sharing with the world. On the other hand, mom DOES like paper shredders.)

Well, then.

We Hutchies of Hutchinlove are still alive and mostly well. Physically, tired-bordering exhaustion, some days. Mentally, mostly stable-ish. Spiritually, striving to grow.

Adding a third child to our family has definitely rocked our world. Yes, friends had warned us. I guess we thought we would just roll with it like we did with the other two. Not so much.

The thing is, Finn is literally the best, most sweetest baby ever (yes, I know "most sweetest" is the most worstest grammar ever, but he really is just that sweet), so it must be that simply adding another little person to the family is a BIG deal.

It's really not the baby that is the stresser. Not pointing any fingers in case you read this someday, Sharks and Deedo. My grandma did tell me that it wouldn't be the baby I'd need to pay attention to. True dat, grandma.

All that to say, I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to lay down my life in service to others, in this case, serving my children. The verse I have been thinking of a lot is this one, from Colossians 3:23-24.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

This is hard stuff for me. I don't think I realized the intensity of my selfishness until Finn came along.

In the past I could still mostly do what I wanted, and the kids would simply tag along. I could hang out with friends, I could read during naptime, I could go to the grocery store without having a panic attack. Now all of those things are more dificult. And sometimes I don't like the loss of freedom, which is ultimately my selfishness rearing its ugly head.

I just watched a documentary, God Grew Tired of Us, about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Some of the boys (really they were men by the time they arrived in the States) were working themselves into exhaustion with two or three jobs, just so they could send money back to their families to help them. (By the way, it is worth watching. I cried through the whole thing though; it was very moving for me.)

The Lost Boys worked hard for their families because they loved them, and because they felt it was their duty to help them. Yet, though I have an easy life in most respects, some days I can't be bothered to put my book down to play with the kids or do the dishes.

So, while I am experiencing the loss of self that always occurs with the arrival of a new baby, a lot of it is simply letting go of my selfish desires to do what I want, when I want. Instead of serving my children as I would serve Christ, too often I see them as barriers to what I want to do.

In the interest of directing my thoughts to the Cross, this will be my refrain for the days and weeks to come, from a hymn by Elizabeth Prentiss:

More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee.
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best.
This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

We're gonna baptise Finlay!

2010-07-15T19:14:00.003-05:00

Said Sharks, over and over, jumping into the air every time he said the baby's name. (And yes, that is how Sharks smiles whenever we whip out the camera.)

My dad prayed, Chet's dad did the baptism. (The perks of both dads being pastors - they alternate with each kid.)

It was a wonderful day!

Rapid Fire Questions

2010-07-14T18:51:00.004-05:00

(From Sharks, of course.)

(At the dinner table. With the in-laws.)

So, Mommy, why don't girls have a pee-nis?

(And we almost spat out our food in hysterics as we tried to answer.)

Immediately followed by,

How do you say "hello" in Spanish?

Wouldn't you love to know the mind of a toddler?!

Fun Fort Fridays 2010

2010-07-02T00:30:00.004-05:00

Playmat

2010-07-02T00:15:00.004-05:00

It seemed like Finn was ready for some toys. So here's what the boys and I came up with.

Inspiration

Invention

Impressive, no?

(Plus, now my broom will actually get some action.)

Baldy

2010-07-01T23:40:00.004-05:00

By the time Sharks turned one, I think he'd already had 2 or 3 haircuts. Then someone told me I was supposed to wait until he was one for his first haircut. Like it was a thing. One of those things like having six month pictures taken and making a baby book. Apparently, things aren't my Thing.

So when Finn's hair started falling out all across the front, and his large noggin began to look remarkably monkish, I had to do something. It was driving me crazy. Clearly the best solution was to shave his head.

So I did it. I shaved my 3-month old's head. I plopped him in the bumbo, pulled out the clippers, and buzzed it all off. (Later my friend told me that it's common to shave babies' heads in Russia. At least what I did is normal somewhere.)

And this is with almost a month of new growth - there is hair on his head, I promise. It's just very blond.

Unfortunately, I kept wanting to say, "Aww, look at his bald noggin." Which made me think of this. Creepy.

(Which reminds me of this: The other day, Sharks asked me what creepy meant. I told him it meant gross and weird. And he added, "And kind of a little bit dead?")

Can I play with him?

2010-07-01T23:31:00.005-05:00

Sharing what they love with baby brother.

Sharks

Deedo

Guess Finn's not much of a bookworm. (Yet.)

Things I am loving right now

2010-06-25T21:13:00.005-05:00

(Besides the family.)

(And sleep.)

Green and Black's Organic White Chocolate. Enough said.

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, by Novella Carpenter. Absolutely loved this one. She writes in a straightforwardly poetic way - how's that for a description - about gardening and raising animals in the middle of a city.

She just went for it. Already a proficient gardener, she also took up beekeeping (which I am now researching - perhaps a way to help Sharks overcome his fear of bees?), got some poultry for meat in addition to the chickens she already had for eggs, and finally went whole hog (hardy-har-har) and got two pigs.

I love that she never bought food for her pigs - instead she dumspter dived for ALL of it, which meant almost every night, she was scrounging around in the trash. Which leads to one of my favorite quotes of the book: "If we had had time to think about it, we would have realized that we had become these pigs bitches."

Sometimes books like this make urban gardening seem too easy or ideal. She didn't do that, but she does make it seem possible, and if not always fun, at least worthwhile.

And that left me feeling happy. A wonderful book, and definitely inspiring, if urban gardening/farming is your thing. She created something beautiful, both with her farm and with her words.

Mumford and Sons, thanks to my sister's kind gift of their cd. Not really sure how to explain their sound, except that I can't stop listening to it. My favorites of the moment are The Cave and White Blank Page.

Why did I not know about this before?!

2010-06-21T19:54:00.003-05:00

Have you ever tried a Woombie? (Minus points for stupid name.) I would totally try one for Finn, except that Chet is skeptical of, well, anything that costs money.

But aren't they oddly adorable?

I don't even know where to begin

2010-06-18T00:17:00.002-05:00

So for the first time ever, ok, well at least since writing all those miserable papers in college, I am feeling like there is no possible way for me to accomplish everything I need to each day. There is no way.

Someone always needs something. Even nap time is consumed because the baby might be awake, or Sharks might have sneaked (snuck? snickered?) his way downstairs, or I might need to eat (or read.)

Here's where the trouble lies - since everyone needs something, whose needs do you let slide so that the whole family can function well together? For example, my husband functions best when the house is in order (I'm not talking clean, just generally tidy.) I function best when I am well fed. Sharks likes to talk. Deedo likes to be held. Both like it when I read to them. And Finn, the sweetest little baby around, clearly likes to be held, both to eat and to be smiled upon.

Yet there are multiple times every day (actually most moments every day) when it seems like no one's needs are being met because I am trying to meet every one's needs all at once. I cannot hold Deeds while I'm disciplining Sharks. I cannot hold a screaming baby while reading. You get the idea. (As I write this, I am thinking that maybe I should focus on what I can do, instead of what I can't.)

I'll be honest, the easiest thing to set aside is tidiness. But then I feel like I am not loving my husband well, when he walks into our home after a long day to utter chaos. Or I can wait to cook dinner until he comes home, but then we don't eat until 7, which means the boys go to bed late, which means grumpy city the next day.

I understand that we are a family, and we live to serve each other. This means that we all have to give up some of our desires in order that our family members can receive. So I don't think it is a bad thing that we are in this learning process. I hope that this doesn't sound complaining or rant-y. It's just life at the moment, and I'd love your thoughts on how you maintain balance.

So, what are the things you choose to let go of when life gets crazy? Or maybe a better question is, how do you organize/re-organize your life to accomplish the necessities of daily living?

Potty training, Round 2

2010-05-24T22:55:00.005-05:00

I told myself that on the first warm day after finals, I would start potty-training Deedo. And today was that day.

(Though for the record, I had no idea how hot it actually was, only that it was over 85 degrees in our house and since I came up with this awesome plan not to turn on the a/c at all this summer, I decided that we would just deal with the heat.)

Let me tell you, there is nothing like sweating, keeping a squirmy toddler on a potty, playing legos, and nursing, all at the same time. One of those moments you just have to chuckle.

"Here you go, drink some more juice."

"No honey, don't put the lego in the baby's ear."

Is that sweat or milk running down my arm?

"You are doing great, buddy, just keep sitting there."

"Sure, I can rebuild your lego car. Again."

Whoops, the baby just pooped.

"Hold on a sec, I gotta get the baby situated."

"Ok, here's that lego."

"Careful, buddy, you knocked over my water."

I hope that's just water. Please not the potty.

"And legos do not belong IN the potty."

Yet somehow, it was a wonderful day. Sharks did a great job encouraging his little bro every time he peed in the potty. (Seems like just yesterday we were potty training him!) We did tons of high fives and jelly beans. Deeds is excited about his Elmo "U's" (that is what we call underwear in this house. I know. Bizarro.)

Mostly I just set the timer every 20 minutes, then Deeds would sit on the potty for 5. And pretty much every time he would do a little something. (I also let him go crazy with the chocolate milk.) Of course there were a few accidents. Par for the course.

Tomorrow we will continue. Hopefully by the end of the week we will no longer have two in diapers!! And won't that be a joyous day for all.

The Three Amigos

2010-05-17T15:50:00.003-05:00

...or the Three Stooges...the Three Musketeers...depends on the day, I guess.

For the record, it is tough to get a picture where everyone is happy. Or where everyone's face is at least showing. Sometimes you just gotta give in to the harmonicas and sippy cups.

And it continues...

2010-05-17T15:39:00.002-05:00

Just got back from a wonderful morning date with my husband - coffee shop, organic/local cafe for lunch, browsing through stores we would never attempt with the babes.

We really had a great time - time with just the two of is rare these days and it is great to know that we still have fun together. ;) Plus, it was a blessing after the worst night we have had with the kids in a long while.

We walked in the door to complete silence and thought my mom was putting the kids down for their naps.

Then my mom yells, "Chet? Erin? Help!!" Apparently, my mom and the kids had been locked inside the boys bedroom since we left three hours earlier. My poor mother. She even tried to take out the hinges but the door still wouldn't open.

(The inside handle fell off awhile ago - shame on me for not fixing it - and it is impossible to open from the inside. Unfortunately, we failed to mention this before we left, and Sharks slammed the door two minutes after we walked out of the house.)

Anyway, all are safely out now. We are thankful that all of them were stuck in the room together - just imagine if the baby had been downstairs or something!

God is good.

Lost: brain

2010-05-13T21:09:00.003-05:00

Tonight at our Kingdom Group, we were helping clean up when I noticed Deedo was missing. I got kind of panicky because I was afraid he had slipped out the front door unnoticed since I couldn't see him anywhere in the house.

That is when my friend said, "Erin, aren't you holding him in your arms?"

And whaddya know, I sure was.

Can't a woman get some PEEce around here?

2010-05-02T22:00:00.005-05:00

A few years ago, the ladies at our old church got together to talk about parenting. We all got to write down anonymous questions for a panel of moms to answer. One of the questions was, "Will I ever get to go to the bathroom in peace?" or something like that.

Sharks was probably just a few months old at the time, so I am sure I laughed to myself and thought, really? Can't you just shut the door? Or tell the kids to go somewhere else? Or hold it til your husband comes home?

Just another of those things I should NOT have judged before I experienced it. (Along with "I will not wear sweatpants every day.")

So now I'm the one wondering, "Will I ever pee in peace again?"

And I have the privelege of being asked questions like,

"Mommy, how do you do that all by yourself?!" - says Sharks, very impressed that I can wipe my own bum.

Kitchen Cosmetics

2010-05-01T21:45:00.004-05:00

For some reason, I have recently gotten interested in natural body products. Though "products" makes it sound more intense than it is. To be honest, my bathroom now looks like a mini kitchen cabinet. Most of my body products are also stuff you can eat. (Not that you'd always want to - castor oil, anyone?)

Awhile ago, I wrote this post about washing my hair with baking soda and vinegar. That was my first foray into the weird world of kitchen cosmetics.

I also started using coconut oil instead of lotion, and I absolutely love it! My skin is so smooth now. And I made and use this deodorant, which works great, though it took a little getting used to. I added a dab of lavendar essential oil to it since that's my favorite scent.

Then after reading my friend Brite's post about her face washing method, I figured it was time to give some natural skin care methods a try.

I have had acne-prone skin since I was in sixth grade, and I have tried pretty much every thing to clear my skin, mostly all horrible chemicals and antibiotics. Of course that all stopped when I started having kids, but my skin was still bad, bad, bad.

Nothing I've tried has produced long term results, so I decided to try the Oil Cleansing Method. Why not go crazy and rub oil all over my face? I won't bother explaining it - only to say that I pretty much exactly follow the method on the link. I did have to adjust my oil mixture because it was a bit too drying at first.

My face washing routine is now the Oil Cleansing Method every other day, followed by a swipe of tea tree oil. On the days I don't cleanse with oil, I use the tea tree and eucalyptus soap from Oil and Spice (thanks, Brite!) followed by a swipe of tea tree oil. If my skin feels dry, I rub on a dab of coconut oil.

After about a month of use, I am happy to say that I have never had better skin. Today Chet even asked if I had makeup on because my skin looked nice - and I wasn't wearing any makeup at all! If you have ever had troublesome skin, you know how awesome that moment was for me ;)

Love this face

2010-04-21T13:22:00.003-05:00

Finn is already getting so big. And smiley.

Though right now he's doing the whole growth spurt thing. It seems as though all I do is nurse, but it won't last forever, right? Right? Actually I don't mind it too much - it gives me a chance to sit down ;)