Jodilightful!

A funny thing always happens to the breakfast conversation when the oldest child sleeps in: the second oldest gets the opportunity to be the authority on *everything*.

Beatrix: (With conviction) First God made me, then you, Ro-Ro.

Romilly: No, no, no.  First God made Pippa, then me, then you, then Juniper.

Beatrix:  …And then MOMMY!

Romilly: (Big sigh.  It’s not easy dealing with ignorance.)  No, no, no.   First God made Adam and Eve.  Then Mommy, then Daddy.  Then Pippa, then me, then you, then Juniper.

*  *  *  *  *

Glad we got that all straightened out.

I may just have a new favorite photo ever.  Three girls + two grandparents + Amish country =

(Warning:  Mom, don’t do it.  Just stop reading now.  It’s not a good idea.  Step away from the laptop.)

Dear Baby Sister,

A little while ago (I don’t know, maybe like five years or so?)  Mom gave me the shock of my life by telling me that I was going to be a big sister.  I was fourteen, an only child, and had just been given the same news by my Dad and Debbie less than a week earlier.  I laughed and cried and rejoiced.  And we talked names.  Immediately.  (I know, you’re shocked.)

A few months later, on a Thursday afternoon, I was mad at Grandmom for letting me stay at school when I should have been at the hospital where you had been dragged kicking and screaming into the world.  Mom and I won the name debate.  More rejoicing!

You came to my marching band and choir performances (you stop that snickering right now, young lady!)  I loved taking you anywhere with me, despite the occasional shocked stare I would get (good practice for my life now toting a small herd of little ones everywhere I go!).  I was so proud of “my baby”.  You had sparkly eyes and made a ‘monster face’ on command.  You were the ultimate party trick.

Then you got bigger.  At 18 months you quoted scenes from Dumb and Dumber word for word through your baby monitor during nap time.  At three you could dance the Macarena perfectly.  We should have known then.

I went to off to college.  I blinked and you were six: reading and writing and riding the bus to school.  Nevermind.  Still plenty of time to get reacquainted before you grew up.

And then I moved to Scotland.  Another, slightly longer blink later, and my baby sister was thirteen years old.  Sure, I had seen you here and there over the years, but nothing could have prepared me for the shock that the spunky seven-year-old I had left at home had transformed into a beautiful, smart, thoughtful young woman of thirteen.  Nothing.

Once the shock wore off, I was excited about all the time we were going to have together.  Excited to really be in your life.  Excited to get to know this beautiful new version of my baby sister.  I had so much to teach you and show you.  We were going to be best friends.  And we were!  But life with babies was busy, and you never had a dull moment in your social calendar.  There were rich, sweet times together, but not enough of them.  (Could there ever be?)

And here we are.

In less than a week, you are leaving for college.  College! I know it isn’t the end of the world, but it is the end of something.  The end of your childhood, maybe.  The end of my chance to have any influence over the person you become.  At very least the end of the time when I can bribe you with popcorn and iced coffee to hang out with me on Monday nights for Bible study.

You may only be going an hour and a half away from home, but you are going into a world more amazing and more hostile than you could ever imagine.  A world that will embrace you and adore you if you can just keep the Jesus thing  to yourself.  ”Oh, you’re a Christian?” they’ll say.  ”That’s cool.  Whatever works for you.”

But if you choose to be different, if you choose not to conform to the pattern of this world, if you choose to speak the name of Jesus Christ boldly with both your words and the very person you are, then you will not be the most popular girl at school.  You will offend people.  You will step on toes.  You will make people squirm.  Jesus did, and He said we would, too.

But you will also love people with a love they’ve never seen before.  And as the integrity of who you are in Christ shines through, some, not all by any means, but some, will wonder what makes you so different.  Some will see the peace and hope and purity that you have in this crazy, messed up world, and they will want it for themselves.

But only if you’re different.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you will win anyone for Christ by living a life of compromise.  You will only remind yourself of what I know you already know: all the fun and pleasure and satisfaction that the world has to offer are empty.  The party life is really no party at all.

You have been so well prepared for this challenge, but it still won’t happen by accident.  If you wander through campus life with a see-what-happens attitude… well, you’ve already seen what happens.

Decide now who you will be, where you will be, whose company you will choose.  There are no rules for you in Christ, but there are choices to make.  Some that will leave you heartsick and miserable and others that will draw you nearer to the One who loves you enough to die for you.  Choices that will bring deep joy and  satisfaction, and choices that will satisfy for a moment and then leave you utterly empty.

These choices are made in a heartbeat.  You won’t have any idea how big they are when you’re facing them.  Make choices now.

I didn’t want to send you off with a sermon.  But whatever.  So much for that. I know you don’t need another mom (or do you?  Because Mom’s a busy lady… No, okay.  You don’t.) but please accept my appeal, my plea, as an older sister in the Lord.  Be who you know you are.  You are not your own; you were bought at great cost.

Remember that you are an ambassador.  Everywhere you go and in every decision you make, you are wearing the name of Christ.  Wear it well.  You are a charming girl, and you will wrap the world around your little finger just like you’ve wrapped me around it.  Use that gift wisely.

Baby sister, I am so proud of the woman you’ve become.  I can’t wait to see how God will use you in this exciting next stage of your life. I do not fear for you going out into the big, scary world.  You are rooted and grounded in Christ.  Just don’t forget to put on your armor.

I love you more than you’ll ever know, Paigie.

Love,

JLY

Ephesians 6:10 – 20

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ah, the Rabid Goats’ Annual 4th of July Party.  I don’t think I could top my post from two years ago if I tried, so I won’t.  This year’s festivities were much the same, except that there were eight girls under 7 instead of six girls under 5 and we stayed in a bigger house (Thank you Joy and Steve!).

Trevor vs. Root Beer

The smashing was bigger and better.

Jodi vs. Pineapple: Before

Jodi vs. Pineapple: After

The property we stayed at was *amazing* with two ponds complete with a paddle boat and two kayaks, eleven acres to roam, and the most perfectly decorated home I have ever had the privilege of being in.  (Did I take pictures of it?  Of course not.)

The company was excellent as usual.  For kids and grown-ups alike.

Guitar Hero was so 2008.  This year we played Rock Band, which meant I got to *sing*.  Granted, I only knew about six of the hundreds of available songs, and of those, I wasn’t willing to sing the lyrics of two or three, but I did do a pretty mean Gwen Stefani, if I do say so myself.  If only they would come out with Worship Band for Playstation.  ”God of Wonders”: me on Vocals, Trevor on drums… that would be something.

Pippa Young: Budding Rock Star

Ahem.

But anyway… it was a fantastic weekend.  We got away a little later than expected due to a flat tire which Steve graciously went with Trevor to get repaired while I stayed at the house with the kids, buying me a bit of extra time to hang out with Corrie and her girls.  Bonus!

We arrived at our campsite at Prince Gallitzin State Park (near Altoona, PA) at about 10:30 in pitch darkness.  Immediately three lovely gentlemen (an older man and two teenaged boys) swooped in to help Trevor pitch the tent.  We didn’t see them the next day, and wondered to ourselves if we had been entertaining angels unaware, but found out from one of the boys the next day that the older man and his son had left early that day.  That doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t angels, does it?

Our first morning in our new tent (by the way, our seven-man tent was positively palatial compared to the four-man we’d been camping in before now!) I awoke to something wriggling under the floor of the tent about two feet from where I had just been laying my head.  It was a decent size.  A frog, I wondered?  A… snake??  I didn’t want to let my mind consider the possibility it was a bug, because it would have been a much bigger bug than I could allow myself to believe exists in Pennsylvania.  I tried to block its path to the sleeping bags with some duffel bags and then forget about it while I got dressed.

Once I was up a while and tidying up after breakfast, I felt brave enough to investigate while Trevor had the girls down checking out the lake.  I thought I’d just give the tent a little wiggle near where I saw our little visitor and see if anything emerged.  I didn’t have to.  As soon as I got near the tent, a little vole poked his head out, his hair all wet and flattened from his time cooling himself under our tent.  After evading my attempts to take his picture, he went back under on the other side, and I resigned myself to a week of chasing rodents out from under our tent each night.

In fact, after that first day, we didn’t see him again, nor any of his furry friends, and I was surprisingly un-freaked-out by the whole affair and still able to sleep.  Trevor on the other hand… well, perhaps he wouldn’t like me to tell you.

God was incredibly gracious in other ways, too.  Though it was in the 90′s during the days, we kept cool in the lake for much of the hottest part of the day and the temperature dipped into the 60′s overnight where we were up in the Allegheny Mountains.  Perfect sleeping weather!

The girls made best friends, as little girls do, with another family of two little girls and a baby sister.  On our last morning we all held our breath to see if they would make it back from their morning shopping trip in time to say goodbye before we left the campsite.  Pippa was beside herself with worry that we would leave without saying goodbye, without getting their address, without making arrangements to keep in touch.  She prayed that they would get back in time.

As we were packing the very last items in our van, their car drove past, and our girls followed it sprinting to their campsite to say goodbye.  I thank God for His faithfulness in answering these seemingly small requests of my girls, because I know how it strengthens their faith.

Katie, Bea, Pippa Rylei, Ro - BFFs!

It was a perfect ending to a perfect week away.

Over dinner…

Pippa: Daddy, Morris the Moose is *so* funny!

Daddy: Good!  Maybe we can get another Morris the Moose book next time we go to the library.

Pippa: Maybe we could… buy one.

Daddy: (stunned silence…) Do you have any money?

Pippa: No.

Daddy: Maybe you should get a job.

Pippa:  Daddy, you have a job.  Maybe you should share your money with us.  We don’t have any money.  You have tons of money.

*  *  *  *  *

Well, you can imagine how *that* went down.  You know what he’s like.

And on a totally unrelated note, here is a little glimpse of my dear husband’s idea of a good time.  Seriously.

I had a look through the archives to see what I’ve said about my mother on Mother’s Days past, and the truth of the matter is that I’ve already said it all.  In fact, the photo above, which embodies everything I loved about my childhood and everything I love about my mom all in one picture, has already appeared on this blog at least twice before.  And you know what?  I’m posting it again anyway!

But today I am feeling especially thankful for having my mom nearby and involved in my life while I am finding my own way as a mother.   You are such a tremendous blessing and an encouragement to me, and I am thankful for you every day of the year.

Happy Mother’s Day to my own sweet Mama, my two wonderful grandmoms (the Alices!), my dear step-mom Debbie, and of course my mother-in-law Elaine, as well as to all the other wonderful mommies reading!

As I brought my tiniest girl downstairs this morning, early, before her sisters were up, I remembered doing the same thing with her a year ago today (shh!  Don’t tell my midwives, I was supposed to stay in bed for three days.  Who does that?!)

A year ago this morning, I gazed for the first time on this person I now can’t imagine our lives without.  For some reason I feel more nostalgic and reflective of this first birthday than I remember being with any of the others.  Maybe it’s because all of the events of that day and the night leading up to it happened right here in our home.

As I sat with her on the sofa this morning, I remember so vividly being in exactly the same spot a year ago, when she was first fully opening those giant eyes, and wondering ‘Who are you, little one?’  And I remember her looking back at me, in that way that only a newborn can, as if to say ‘Silly Mama.  I’m your Juniper, and I’ve known you all my life.’

This morning, she was full of smiles and giggles and silliness, and had little patience for my  nostalgic ramblings.  She was off crawling and exploring and looking for adventure, reminding me that she is no longer little enough for me to cuddle and stare at to my heart’s content.

She has grown into her eyes a little, though strangers still call her ‘Bright Eyes’ everywhere we go.  And she has grown into our hearts in a way that catches me by surprise every time it happens.  Was there really a time before we had our Junebug in our lives?

Happy first birthday, precious baby girl!

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, January 23rd, a new little girl entered the world and entered our life.  No, I didn’t have another baby (in fact, Juniper now holds the new record for Oldest Youngest Young, since she is 11 months old and has no little sibling on the way).  My cousin and his wife, who live right around the corner from us, but whom we don’t see nearly often enough, have just welcomed their first daughter, Ellie Elyse.

Ordinarily, the birth of a new first cousin once removed*  is not blogworthy.  I confess I’ve welcomed at least four others in the past two years and not mentioned a word about it!  But Ellie gets a special welcome, because she is going to be a pretty major part of our lives beginning after Easter.

After much thought, discussion, and prayer, Trevor and I decided a couple months ago that it would be wonderful to look after Ellie during the day when her mom goes back to work as a kindergarten teacher in the Spring.  Thankfully, her parents have deemed us up to the task and are willing to share her with us.

Since making that decision I have looked forward to this little one’s arrival almost as if it were one of my own.  We didn’t know her gender (quite right, too!), and   wondered if this might finally bring a bit of blue into our otherwise very pink household.  Isn’t God good for knowing better?  Can you imagine what my girls would have done to a little boy with so many princess dresses and tutus hanging around this house?  It just doesn’t bear thinking about.

I had also wondered, back in the dark corners of my mind, if it would be hard to care for someone else’s baby.  I know my way around a baby, and I knew I’d be okay with the logistical aspects of looking after her, but what if I couldn’t bond with her?  What if she seemed foreign to me, and I didn’t feel the same natural affection I have for my own kids?

Well, last night, I met her, and I held her, and every worry I had was banished from my mind.  Though she couldn’t possibly look less like one of my own children (a newborn with tons of dark hair, can you imagine?!), I am completely smitten, and am so looking forward to getting to know her and have her in all of  our lives.

Welcome to the world, sweet Ellie!

*If you’re not sure how the whole first-second-cousin-once-twice-removed thing works, you’re in good company: I wasn’t either.  I sorted myself out here.  Go ahead, learn something new today!

Yawn!

Well, I’m here.  I have woken up and stayed up (more or less) at 6 AM six times now.

I was hoping that at this stage in my rising-while-it-is-yet-night journey I would have something marvelous to report.  I thought my house would be clean and my demeanor calmer.  I thought I would be completely up-to-date on my Through the Year Bible reading program (what, you didn’t know you could already be behind by January 11th?  Oh, you totally can.)

Well, as you might have guessed, I don’t have any of those things to report.

But I do have all of these things to report, and I look forward to seeing what else God will work in my life through this new habit.

• I have a whole new respect for what my husband does for us every single day.  I have always known that he was a trouper for getting up so early and braving the cold, but now, I really get it (well, the cycling part, I still don’t so much get).  I get why he wanted to be in bed by 10:15 each night when I would have preferred a bit more time for us in the late evening.  Now, each night it’s a race to brush our teeth and be in bed first.  If this were the only good to come out of this whole thing, it would probably be worth it.
• I have been dressed and ready for the day when the girls wake up, which has mostly meant that they get a little more of me during the day.
• I was *on time* for a 10 AM appointment with all four girls in tow.  Wait… 10 minutes early, actually!  This was largely a result of the above.
• I have had more time to spend in the Word, and I’m not as sleepy while I’m reading as I thought I’d be.  Also, reading at the table seems to be better for my retention than reading in bed like I used to.  Can’t think why…

What I still need to work on:

• As always, the main struggle is still using my time well.  Just because I have more of it now doesn’t take away the temptation to fritter it away.
• I haven’t quite worked out how Juniper fits into my morning.  She doesn’t always wake up at the same time, so it’s hard to plan my time.  I have learned that feeding her lying down in bed like I used to isn’t real conducive to me staying awake.  That was Friday’s lesson, but if there’s a day to half-fall off the wagon, I guess it’s Friday.

How hard is it?

It is crazy hard until about 6:30.  Then it’s a little bit hard until about 7.  By then, the sun’s up and it starts to feel like a pretty normal day.  A normal day, except that my dishwasher is already turned over, and I am excited for my girls to wake up instead of closing my eyes tighter and pretending not to hear them stirring in their room.   By about 7:30, I begin to remember why I’m doing this.

I have to say a special thank you to my dear friend Emily, who has had a particular hand in urging and praying (yeah, she prayed for this, can you believe!?)  me toward this change.  You are a true and faithful friend.  (Now, don’t all fight over who’s next to be prayed for in this way.  I’m sure if God can get me up at the crack of dawn, He can do it for anyone!)