Bubbles and Butterflies

A Butterfly Birthday!  The Invitation 

 

 

For the cake, I made a strawberry lemonade cake (delicious!!) and I made four layers, alternating dark pink and light pink.  It turned out beautifully!

Pretty poof balls I made from tulle as decoration for the party...I also hung some in her bedroom

  

Caleb begged to open all the presents for Miriam...he knew she was too young to do it! (Notice he has had a costume change; from superhero capes with bows and arrows to the captain hook pirate costume and camoflauge)

  

It took her awhile, but she figured out how to blow at the candle...and devour the cake!

The birthday girl with Auntie Elaine

 

What is a butterfly party without butterfly nets?

 

We hung festive springy paper lanterns from the Gazebo (April is a beatiful month for a little girls' birthday!) 

The flowers

A bib I made for the occasion, incorporating the color theme

Miriam's very own cake

 

Awaiting the release of the butterflies 

Caleb gets zealous about the butterfly catching.  Incidentally, he was the only one that caught a butterfly.  It got away quickly though.

 

A marshmallow fight We had a bubble machine, a bubble pool (where the kids could stand inside a giant bubble!) We played with silly string, chased butterflies and had a marshmallow 'snowball' fight. It was loads of fun Happy first birthday little sweet potato!

 

Caleb crawled out of his crib at 16 months. He'd been trying for several months, but he just wasn't quite tall enough until then.  Once he figured it out, we couldn't keep him in his crib for even a second...he would just catapulted out.  So we had to move him to a big bed...at just 16 months!!  I know people who still have their 3 year olds in a crib and they've never attempted to crawl out!  So, we decided to be ready this time with Miriam.  For her first birthday, we decided to give her a big bed.  And while we were at it, we repainted and redecorated the room.  (it was still the same nursery from both of the boys...I was craving a  girly nursery!)  Pink and Lavender, with a few butterflies thrown in

 

Miriam's theme has always been butterflies.  It is crazy ironic all the butterfly things that have come up!  Her nickname is 'the screeching butterfly'.  So it's no surprise we chose Butterflies as the theme for her first birthday.  I thought this would be the perfect time to raise butterflies from caterpillars.  I thought it was sooo much fun!  The kids really enjoyed it, but I think Aaron and I were even more fascinated!  Here are some pictures of the different stages.

 

Stage 1: We received the caterpillars when they were tiny.  They came in this little container, with all the food they need to make it to the Chrysallis stage.

 

 

Stage 2. The caterpillars didn't stay tiny for long!  They doubled in size within a week.  Then they were ready to make cocoons.  They crawled to the top of the container and hung upside down.  Without any action on their part, the chrysallis/cocoon formed around them.

 

 

Stage 4: We then took the paper lining off of the lid of the plastic container and pinned it to the top of the butterfly tent, so they could emerge within the tent.  I thought they would be 'asleep' during this phase, but when we moved them, they begun swinging around like crazy, as you can see from the picture - they were so active! 

 

 

Stage 5:  After a very quiet 7-10 days, they began to emerge.  Painted Lady Butterflies!  10 of them!  they were beautiful.  They seemed to have trouble figuring out what to do do with their new bodies!  They kept tipping over and fluttered awkwardly about for a day and a half.  They have tiny bodies with huge 'sails' on their backs!  They eventually figured out how to fly and maneuver their way around, becoming very graceful

 

 

Stage 6:  We fed them orange slices - they suck the juice from the oranges with a little straw that remains curled up in their neck, until feeding time.  It was so fun to watch them eat!

 

 

Stage6: After about another 10 days, they started mating.  We witnessed 3 such encounters.  I hadn't realized that they would mate in captivity.  The female lays her eggs before she dies.  But they will only lay eggs on Thistle leaves.  I rushed out to the wildflower patches on the running trail near our house, but I couldn't find anything close.  I brought back several leaves, but they didn't buy it.  Two of the females died shortly after mating.  It turns out that these butterflies only live for two weeks! 

 

 

The Monarch.  On her birthday, this Monarch butterfly lighted on Miriam's head, where it remained quite content until her bedtime, a 1/2 hour later.  We put it in the butterfly tent with the others. I did some research...this is a female Monarch.  They can live as little as two months, but up to 9 months.

 

We released the butterflies at Miriams birthday party today (pictures to follow) But the Monarch was injured when one of the kids knocked over the tent.  She couldn't fly away, so we are keeping her

We purchased the butterfly larvae at www.insectlore.com I highly recommend doing this!! It was so much fun!! Next up, lady bugs and ant farms. 

 

 

 

Miriam just turned one on Tuesday, April 17th.  She was born Palm Sunday last year   At one year, she is 16 pounds 4 ounces and 28 1/2" long.  She has grown by 10 " and 9 pounds since she was born last year.  Most of that growth happened in the first four months!  She is nearly the same weight as her four month checkup.

 

 

She figured out how to play the recorder. It is adorable

She is such a climber!  She pulls out this drawer and climbs into it so that she can get on top of the train table.  So clever!

Our not-so-great-Easter photo

Going for a ride with the boys 

 She started crawling the day she turned six months. She started walking around furniture at 8 months. She doesn't seem interested in walking yet though. Crawling is so much fun! I'm in no hurry to have her walk...except for one thing; the dresses just get in the way!

 

A little angel! She started sucking her fingers at just a few months old. That little elephant has been her best friend.  The boys and I picked it out one time when we were at the Zoo; I was 7 months pregnant with Miriam at the time. When she was still only weeks old, the boys insisted on piling three stuffed animals in her bed all the time.  She picked the elephant as her favorite and looks for it first, every time I put her in bed. So cute!

My little butterfly!  We've decided that her theme is butterflies. We even picked it as the theme for her first birthday party! We are raising butterflies from Larvae now...more on that to follow! Ironically, a Monarch butterfly settled on her head the very day of her birthday.  It sat there for 1/2 hour, before we finally had to put Miriam to bed.  We put it in the butterfly tent with the others

She finally has enough hair to keep a bow in (yay!)

Here is a four month picture...she hasn't changed much!

Here are the words she can say now:

Mama, Dada, bird, balloon, butterfly, poop (yes! and even in the right context!) Coco, go (she LOVES to go!), bottle, woof (when she sees a dog) eyes, hi, bye-bye (she waves consistently now - and to every passing car)  I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting...she says around 20 words now.  Way more than the boys said at this age!!  She is bright, cheerful and eager to learn.  She has loved nursing more than the boys ever did and she will be the hardest to wean.  She is very easy to correct and discipline because she has such a close bond that she hates to disappoint us.  A simple swat breaks her heart and brings her to my lap for hugs and cuddles.  And so we seldom have to discipline....a simple 'no' suffices! She cries if a stranger gives her even a serious look and she seems to understand an enormous amount of what we say (ie, if we start to talk about bed time, she cries and protests)  She knows much more than she can say!  We are so delighted to have had her for one wonderful year!

Caleb turned 5 this past Thursday!  We had a fun and wild Pirate Party. (He picked the theme)  He has decided he wants to be a pirate when he grows up.  Caleb always says "pray that I will grow up to be a pirate Mommy!"  Somehow I always seem to 'forget' to pray for that   But we had a fabulous pirate party anyway!

"Cannonballs" (watermelon and grapes, in what was meant to be a 'pirate ship', but ended up more like a canoe...they didn't have any large watermelons at the store!)

 

 The birthday cake, deliciously homemade.

 

A birthday banner I sewed for the occasion...I thought it looked like ships' flags

The table, with burlap cloth, fish net, treasure chest, starfish and a ships' wheel

You can see the treasure map rolled up, ready for the treasure hunt

We had a very special guest drop by!  This peacock watched the party from the roof of the garage. 

I made a sailboat for Caleb, a playhouse type thing with a real sail and ropes.  It is made out of wood and painted with a good quality outdoor paint.  The floor of the ship is a sandbox.  I even put a bench in it.

The pirates!  Our first matter of business was to make them look like real pirates!  I gave them each eye patches and swords and bandanas to wrap around their head. Then we went inside and painted on mustaches and got tattoos. It was hilarious and so much fun! Lots of giggles

 

We had a tug of war...at least we tried! Evidently the concept was a little beyond this age group of 2-5 year olds!  Maybe next year...  We also tried to bob for apples.  Having never done it myself, I didn't realize that you were supposed to choose apples with stems!  Needless to say none of them were able to get an apple I also had them 'walk the plank'.  It turned out being a large wooden plank between two barrels.  The goal was to walk blindfolded across the plank and splash into the 'water'.  Then we tied 'cannonballs' (gray balloons) to everyones ankles and they went around trying to stomp eachothers balloons.  The winner was the last one who still had their balloon unpopped.  Unfortunately, the 97cent Wal-Mart balloons were very sturdy, and not one of them popped!  Eveyone's a winner in this game

I made little bags for them to collect their treasure in.  The treasure was mardi gras beads, plastic 'gold' coins and chocolate coins and nestle 'treasure' chocolates.  It was a huge hit!

 

Following the map to hidden treasure   We hid it over the bridge and behind the two hills...it was great fun!

 Filling their bags with Pirate booty

We also had bottles of 'Rum' (cream soda in glass bottles) and 'Seawater' (limeades with ginger ale).  On his actual birthday, we let Caleb pick all of his meals for the day.  Breakfast was cereal (a treat we NEVER have!!) We had Captain Crunch Cereal, of course!  Lunch was chicken nuggets from Chik-Fil-A.  Supper was chicken nuggets...the grocery store heat n serve type.  He ate on the 'Happy Birthday' Plate that I made last year for the birthday kids to eat on for their special day.  This party was Sooooo much fun!!  I had as much (or more) fun planning it than he did!  He is already making plans for another pirate party next year

I lay awake, eyes squeezed shut, hoping for sleep.  How can I be so tired and not be able to sleep?  Is it the gnawing realization that there is more to do than can possibly fit into my day?  Should I get up and get started now?  I look at the clock.  Two am.  Sigh.  Too late to stay up; too early to get up.  So I lay here...waiting for sleep to come.  I only barely dozed off, but I heard a noise and was awake again.  Really, I should sleep.  Morning will come, and then there will be noise and chaos and lots to do that I need energy for. 

Six am.  I wake to the sound of the shower running in the bathroom as Aaron gets ready for work.  I don't remember falling asleep.  It wasn't much sleep anyway.  And here we are, time to hit the ground running.  I pull the covers over my head, squeezing in a few more seconds of rest for my weary body.  But the door swings open and a sweet boy climbs in bed, cuddling his silky cheeks against mine.  Aaron is ready for work before I finally drag myself out of bed.  He kisses me, forages for his own breakfast in the kitchen, and is gone for the day. 

My three hungry offspring climb over me, clamoring to be fed.  Weary and groggy, I pad downstairs in my slippers.  I open the refrigerator and stare blankly at it's empty shelves.  Great.  Not many options there.  I finally decide on tortillas, pan-toasted with butter, spread with cream cheese and honey. The breakfast of champions. The kids aren't buying it.  I throw in chocolate chips to sweeten the deal...they melted beautifully on the tortilla and I folded it over like a warm quesadilla.  I thought it was a grand breakfast, but the kids wouldn't touch it.  Plan B.  The only  other thing in the fridge is last night's leftover pizza.  Yes, you heard me.  PIZZA!  So I serve up two plates of cold pizza.  It's not organic, definitely not Vegan, and the crust is made of *gasp* white flour.  But the kids love it.  Not my best mommy moment, but there's something to be said for the fact that the kids are full and happy...and a major crisis has been averted.  So my day is off to a great start.  Success is measured in such small terms.

 

This is Miriam, leg warmers on to cut the cold, crawling out the open back door. This is a favorite pastime of hers

Jackson, watching affectionately as 'Teddy' gets a bath in the washing machine.  Yes, there is a pacifier in his mouth.  My explanation is twofold:  first, because Miriam is obsessed with 'eating' everything- a dangerous venture- I keep trying to get her to take a pacifier, so that her mouth will be full.  In this way, I hope to keep her from chewing on everything else.  We've had limited success. Jackson, upon seeing his beloved pacifiers laying all about, couldn't resist the temptation and has taken up his pacifier habit, like an old smoker who can't kick the habit.  The only reason I allow it is because, in the abscence of a pacifier, he sucks on his bottom lip.  I'm concerned that this sucking habit will lead to serious orthodontic issues.  And so, he is 2 1/2 and still periodically sucks the pacifier. (though he will tell me, with a serious face, that it is only for bedtime

Is it Fall??!! Oh, wait...it's Christmas. Ha! 

Caleb, and his beautiful camoflauge eyes! 

Our Christmas tree - 2011 

Our Christmas presents - the boys got one gift each, plus stocking stuffers

Caleb got a remote control car, Jackson got matching Woody and Buzz figurines. Both boys got harmonicas and peppermints puffs in their stockings 

Another pacifier...and his beloved toys! 

 

Caleb weaving melody magic on his harmonica

Miraim Claire 

Her first Christmas!   

She was 8 months old for her first Christmas! 

She got the "Mary Engelbright's Mother Goose" book - with beautiful illustrations.  And she got diaper covers in her stocking

 

Miriam loves to help with the dishes! 

 

Crawling out the front door... 

My 'pirate' son.  He loves to dress up!  He frequently likes to put his pants on inside out, shirt on backwards, donn the eye patch, the pirate bandana, a pirate hat (on sideways) and only one boot (as a 'wooden leg')  It's only funny if it is not your son.  Self-expression at its finest  
 

Darling Jackson and his endearing smile!  This may actually be the only picture of our house decorated for Christmas!  Look closely..

Teddy-a sweet family member

 

I had meant to take Miriam's picture in the pumpkin, but forgot.  Fortunately, the pumpkins were still good after Christmas.  I went to take her picture in it but she was like "EWWW!!! Disgusting, slimy pumpkin!  I'm not going anywhere near that!"  So we had to just set her next to it!

  

As it turns out, December pumpkins are pretty tasty

 

We got a bird feeder.. (ahem...'squirrel' feeder) for Christmas.  The acrobats of these squirrels have been a real source of entertainment for us!

 

Some gingerbread men we decorated 

Miriam started crawling the day she turned six months.  She crawls on her belly, army style, when she has dresses on (because she can't get her knees up with the dress!)  And she crawls on her hands and knees all other times.  She started pulling up the day she turned 8 months...a skill that she is very proud of!  She is ahead of Jackson, he wasn't even sitting up or crawling until 8 months.  But she is far behind Caleb, who was walking around furniture at 6 months and taking small steps by 8 months.  Amazing how different all three of them are! 

My precious boys have started sharing a bed.  We often find them like this-snuggled in cute positions.  They really love each other!  Notice that the pirate bandana doesn't get a break, even at night.  Also note the cowboy vest and camoflouge gear....a pirate-army-cowboy.  People tell me that I should get ready for having a girl; 'she'll want to change clothes 8 times a day and play dress up' they warn.  So..umm...how is that different from my boy??!! 

 It was 4:30 on a lazy afternoon.  I was busy folding clothes, occasionally straining my neck out the laundry room door to see Miriam.  She has a bad habit of sticking everything in her mouth. EVERYTHING. So I seldom get much done around the house.  My sole purpose in life seems to be to keep her alive and breathing. Periodically, I discover that there are no clean underwear in the house and it becomes necessary to process a load of laundry.  A terrifying prospect that leaves my infant girl unattended for up to 8 seconds at a time.   A knock comes at the back door; it's my neighbor asking if I can watch their fish for a few days while they are out of town.  Excited to have company, I welcome her in for a moment.  Given my habit of forgetting to feed fish (our fish died about this time last year) I decided to stick the fish bowl in the middle of the dining table so I would remember to feed it.  Then we stepped to the door, chatting about how much Miriam has grown.  I heard delighted giggles and laughter from the dining table...which I assumed was the boys watching the fish swim around in its bowl.  Jackson peers around the corner "Mommy, Caleb won't give me a turn to hold the fish!"  *Gasp*  I look over at Caleb in horror; there in his palm is a very limp fish.  Not even 3minutes and we've already killed the fish!!  With my neighbor watching (and stifling laughter) I rushed to the fish bowl and dropped the tiny betta back in.  It sank to the bottom.  Oh yes, it's quite dead.  My neighbor, laughing, said goodbye and left.  I tapped the fish bowl in desperation, trying to get the fish to revive. Meanwhile, Miriam has snuck out the open back door and crawled across the patio, a rock in her hand and a clod of dirt in her mouth.  I rescued her and shoveled the dirt from her mouth. It was in the middle of this chaos that Aaron walked in the door, home from work an hour early.  He asked what was for dinner.  I stared back at him for a second; "ummm...Fish?"

 As Christians, we should be at the forefront of outreach to the less fortunate. This compassion is a great force in reaching the world for Christ.  So does this mean that we should welcome any immigrants who want to come?  Should we automatically extend citizenship to those millions already here? Personally, I don't believe that this can be the right solution. But I struggle with feeling that perhaps I am not being as compassionate and concerned as I ought to be for those struggling to survive in third world countries. Watch this video (gumballs of immigrationn) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM1YU-Ni_84 .  Keep in mind that this was filmed in 1999 and everything he said has come true since then. 

 Inviting the entire world's population into our country may sound like a kind and generous thing to do, but it is impossible.  It is not the best way (or even a good way) to care for the impoverished population of the world.  The most effective way to help these people, is to provide them assistance in their own country.  To give them the tools they need to succeed in building up the economic infrastructure of their native country so that it too is a wonderful and prosperous place to live. This year, for Christmas, we decided to buy some gifts for third world families.  We went through Compassion International (though World Vision and others have similar programs)  We let the boys pick out chickens, seeds, bibles, soccer balls, mosquito nets and blankets to bless a family with.  We raided their piggy banks to count out the money and see what we had enough for (we also contributed as well)  We are trying to teach them that Christmas means they get only one gift from Mommy and Daddy and that we will give the rest of our christmas budget to those who have genuine needs. (after all, which one of us really needs anything??)  The gifts you give will help a family both now and in the long term.  A cow provides milk for the family and enough to sell.  Chickens provide eggs and meat...and endless opportunities to sell more eggs and more chickens.  It's not just about feeding the hungry for one Christmas; it's about giving them a gift that helps them get a start.  To meet the basic needs of hunger and then provide them with a means of making an income.  It is a WONDERFUL idea and we are so excited to participate!  If you would like to see the options available to help change lives this Christmas, check out the links below.

www.compassion.com/giftcatalog

www.worldvisiongifts.org

 

I brush my makeup on quickly, doing my best to avoid actually looking at myself in the mirror.  I've sworn off mirrors for awhile.  No, I don't think it's vanity to use a mirror.  I'm simply trying to crucify my counterfeit god. A counterfeit god is anything you spend a great deal of time, energy, or money worshipping.  My self-image has been an obsession that has demanded far too many of my personal resources for far too long.  I am weary of serving this god...it has left me increasingly unsatisfied and empty.  The obsession must cease.

Does this obsession mean I am vain?  Surely not! I would think it is quite the contrary!  Vanity is primping in the mirror in pious self admiration.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Though I stare into the mirror more often than I'd care to admit, it is more out of self loathing than out of vanity.  I look in the mirror and I see fat; a belly stretched by three pregnancies and a waist that no longer sits where it used to.  I see brown spots smattering my cheeks and nose like paint splatters.  I see lines etching my forehead and eyes.  And I am sad.  The longer I look, the more faults I notice.  When I say something negative about my appearance, I am not fishing for compliments; I am simply stating the truth about how I see myself. 

 If I could just lose weight.  But the truth is, no amount of weight loss would make me perfectly happy.  At my wedding, I was 117 and the skinniest I'd ever been.  Though it felt pretty good, I still thought I needed to lose just a little more.  But with a BMI of 19.1, I was bordering on what is considered an ''unhealthy'' weight.  Nope. Weight loss doesn't solve all your problems.  My skin was nearly perfect when I married - I didn't even wear foundation for my wedding.  But I still saw so many things that I wanted to change about my face.  It's so much harder after having a baby.   I do not feel pretty or desirable.  I obsess and agonize over everything.  I diet beyond what is healthy for a nursing mom.  And I have actually made the mistake of eating too few calories that my body enters starvation mode and I cannot lose weight at all. 

How did I get to be so obsessed with my looks?  It started when someone said "you are beautiful".  And with those words, I heard: "You are valuable because you are beautiful".  Thus it follows that if I become less beautiful, I would also be less valuable.  But as a  child of God, I am not valuable to him because I am beautiful; I am beautiful because he values me.  

So here is the good news;  three days ago, I sacrificed this idol of self-loathing.  I am not going to linger in front of the mirror any more.  I am not going to weigh myself up to 8 times in a single day, expecting the scale to change.  It's depressing!  It's exhausting!  And being obsessed about my weight and my image hasn't made me lose an ounce.  So here is my path going forward; I will do the right thing by eating right and exercising.  But I will give the results to God.  I will not stop and stare sadly into the mirror.  I will spend more time serving my Omnioptent God than being a slave to the god of self. It's been an amazing three days already.  I already feel lighter in my spirit.