tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61271892024-03-07T18:11:35.560-06:00Life's AdventuresMy family has many adventures, big and small. I'll admit that most of them are small, but I do love to tell a good story...Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.comBlogger1424125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-82749073171705265582014-11-13T21:08:00.000-06:002014-11-13T21:08:22.032-06:00School, Horses, and a Story - Part 1I have, sadly, let blogging fall by the wayside (again). I am so busy during the day and I just don't want to make my brain keep working, after the kids are in bed. Meh.
Well, there are things that require more words than a Facebook update can accommodate. I finally built up enough of a backlog of those things to warrant a blog post. Now, Renee is on her way over, for our biweekly Walking Dead Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-37921384245614539312014-09-20T19:51:00.001-05:002014-09-20T19:51:54.481-05:00President
Lila for President!
During our pre-dinner prayer tonight, Lila thanked God for kittens and the President. That prompted me to suggest that we elect a kitten as President. Then she said that she should be made President. I quickly grabbed a piece of paper and began to interview her on policy issues.
If Lila were elected President of the United States:
1. She would move Bailey [Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-21467976244883299832014-09-16T20:46:00.001-05:002014-09-16T20:46:08.195-05:00Photos from Lila's Birthday PartyBetter late than never...
That's an awful lot of giggling princesses...
Train Princesses, out for some fresh air in Bertram.
That's some pretty savage gift-opening!
I love that smile!
The girls were playing Princess Memory in the floor and one of the Train
Princesses stopped to hang out. (That's Eli and Miss Kitty Whiskers at the
car window.)
And I believe this would be my Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-17119716114293667742014-09-04T14:47:00.000-05:002014-09-04T14:47:14.317-05:00Creative WritingHere are two bits of creativity from Lila's Writer's Journal (all mistakes included - 'cause they make it more awesome)!
8 - 28 - 14
Books interes me because some are filled with adventure
and some have misterys. they interest me beacause some
are calm and peaceful and oters are exiting. I love reading
books exiting or calm with mysterys or not it is fun to read!
9 - 4 - 14
my tree house homeRedpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-78548437702000127402014-09-01T20:42:00.001-05:002014-09-01T20:46:45.261-05:00ChinglishOh. My. Goodness.
The following is an actual email that Doug actually received, from an actual work-related acquaintance in China.
From: XXXXX
Subject: Linda-A blessing from a Chinese girl-Cheersonic
Dear friend
Live a happy heart is happiness, let others happy, the heart is also happiness,
happy is rich, only you intentions to experience, will feel happy!
Let my Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-92118537912126583202014-08-27T21:07:00.002-05:002014-08-29T22:02:33.437-05:00Pain
"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something." -- Man in Black, The Princess Bride
I'm not sure how you'll feel about this evening's post. It might not sit well with you. It's an uncomfortable subject. It is not lightly said, however, and I hope that you'll prayerfully consider my point of view.
Pain is the background of life. It is ever-present and unavoidable. ItRedpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-21122903038933349012014-08-25T21:23:00.001-05:002014-08-25T21:23:57.725-05:00Tornado
Alas, the end of school means less time to play with doodles.
For a week now, life in our family has been a tornado. I don't believe that the transition from summer to fall (such as it is) has ever felt this violent before! I think that we so successfully kept ourselves diverted this summer, we never had a chance to look forward to the start of school.
Both kids finished up their Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-82417536912989654632014-08-21T20:36:00.001-05:002014-08-21T20:36:08.996-05:00Grinning!My family is going to Schlitterbahn tomorrow. Yay! I (the opposite of) can't wait!
I mean, sure, we just spent an entire week at the beach. But going to a waterpark is in no way redundant. And, yes, this week is packed to overflowing with lessons and school and birthday activities. But what can it hurt to pile on a little more exhaustion, right?
*grins*
*twitches*
*Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-70383898516542289782014-07-26T15:31:00.001-05:002014-07-26T15:31:36.809-05:00Nature
Nature, as photographed by a 6-year-old
"The trees look like they're wrestling."
Selfie
"Oh look! A Rotten cactus!"
"Oh! Stay right dere!"
Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-78995072745916947902014-07-21T11:43:00.000-05:002014-07-21T11:43:48.151-05:00BlessingI've been chewing on something since yesterday's church service. The sermon was on The Art of Reconciliation, which, while meaningful and convicting, is not actually what got my gears turning. During an opening prayer, Pastor Brad said something about blessings.
That one word - blessings - is always of interest to me. The dictionary defines blessing as "a special favor, mercy, or benefit; a Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-65210339354320926312014-07-15T20:36:00.000-05:002014-07-15T20:36:59.441-05:00Graves
"All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust." (Ecclesiastes 3:20)
With the kids at VBS this week, I'm having a little fun in the mornings. Today, I decided to take my camera and go to Oakwood Cemetery. I've always been fascinated by cemeteries, especially old ones. The simplest reason is because they are peaceful and I find beauty in the old headstones.
Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-53791875152056726052014-07-02T19:41:00.002-05:002014-07-02T19:41:57.433-05:00Thunk. Bang!Thunk. Bang!
That's the sound that woke me at 4 o'clock this morning. It usually takes a pretty substantial noise to wake me, which is why I nearly always miss out on thunderstorms. This noise must have made it through to my brain because of its being so out of place.
Thunk. Bang!
Doug was still snoozing away. He is usually such an incredibly light sleeper that I'm pretty sure a fairy Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-41614659688520663162014-06-30T20:14:00.004-05:002014-06-30T20:16:04.820-05:00EKGFirst of all, I just came upon my son as he was about to ride a pillow down the stairs, head first. He tried to claim that he was just laying there - at the top of the stairs, with the upper part of his body hanging off the first step - but I'm not buying it.
When I told Doug what "his" son was about to do, he said, "That sounds about right," and then he told me the frightening stories of what Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-37005539073110851772014-06-22T20:23:00.002-05:002014-06-22T20:23:53.398-05:00Anxiety
Lila told me three interesting/concerning things this week.
1. On Wednesday night/Thursday morning, she woke me up around 1:30 a.m. She asked me to come downstairs and snuggle with her and she tried talking to me what was going on. Given that I was only partially awake, I couldn't figure out what she was trying to tell me.
The next day, when I was awake, I got Lila toRedpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-68434049975739505792014-06-19T21:20:00.002-05:002014-06-19T21:20:42.223-05:00MiceDoug has gone off on a short business trip. He's in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami for two nights. He gets home on Saturday evening, will be home for two nights, and then leaves on Monday to go to California for three nights.
When Doug goes on his overseas business trips, I get terribly stressed out. I've talked before about the reasons why it gets me in such a tizzy. His stateside trips are far lessRedpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-27354689280177284802014-06-16T21:17:00.000-05:002014-06-16T21:17:42.745-05:00ExpectationsIf you were paying any attention to the photos I posted to Facebook over the weekend, then you know that we took a last-minute trip to San Antonio. It was a sort of Father's Day celebration and a chance to get family time before Doug goes on a couple of short business trips.
The way the whole thing started, really, was with my Friday morning prayer time. I was sipping my coffee and musing Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-51249716924866734572014-06-11T20:32:00.006-05:002014-06-11T20:32:54.808-05:00SchemingI think my children are planning to run away from home.
At the toy store yesterday, Lila bought herself a new suitcase, for $10.82 (used). It's very cute - pink, with hearts and a monkey on the front. It's on wheels and it's about 30 years newer than the one they currently use.
She has been dragging it around behind her, wherever she goes, for two days now. This morning, she used it to Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-66251799743314853142014-06-09T20:25:00.000-05:002014-06-09T20:25:46.255-05:00MVPs
Lila + Friend = Smiles!
I think Lila and Eli are missing the regular time spent with their friends (and away from each other). They will play together nicely for a while and then turn on each other. That's nothing new, really, but they are spending more time together, so it's happening more often.
This is why I'm planning a couple of fun outings every week and inviting our friends to come Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-30070756705888205342014-06-05T20:35:00.000-05:002014-06-05T20:35:40.837-05:00DFDADBETDPOThat is the title of a book that Eli wrote this evening. He drew the illustrations, wrote his own title, and made boxes for the rest of the text. Doug helped him my transcribing his words into the text boxes. It's cute and creative and I told him I wanted to share it with my friends. :)
Front Cover
He was walking along.
Shot a tree.
He shot the tree. Walked along.
He had a scary Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-32771405961939691292014-06-03T20:44:00.000-05:002014-06-03T20:44:40.053-05:00PigeonsEli has developed quite the hair trigger lately. He can go from Happy Halfling to Ring Wraith in a matter of moments. For example, when we told him, a few minutes ago, that he could not have a fruit rope before bed (should have eaten your dinner, little dude), he turned red in the face and screeched, "I will never go to bed!"
Alrighty then. Let's hope this phase passes quickly. He has Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-31528221584913967322014-06-02T20:30:00.000-05:002014-06-02T20:30:23.621-05:0075%
Apparently, one week is the amount of time it takes for members of my immediate family to get on my nerves. Whenever I spend nearly every waking moment with someone... one week is where I start to get twitchy. I begin to feel a strong need to be awake and not in their presence.
That's the way it is with Doug and, as I'm discovering this evening, that's the way it is with the kids. I'm Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-86827919942244638002014-05-28T20:50:00.001-05:002014-05-28T20:50:56.933-05:00TimeAll school year, I felt incredibly busy. There was always so much to do and not enough time to do it. It was even worse at the end of the year because I was emotionally exhausted, from the work itself and from the ongoing battles with Lila's attitude.
So, for all that busyness, I never felt productive.
Now that summer vacation has begun, I feel incredibly productive. That seems sort of silly toRedpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-27893945292173833672014-05-27T20:52:00.000-05:002014-05-27T20:52:08.837-05:00Eli's Birthday Party Photos
Eli, decorating his own birthday cake. If you want a thing done right...
Posing with the coolest Iron Man balloon ever.
Photo-bombed by Brandon. This whole set-up
cracks me up!
So many LEGOS!
In Eli's opinion, it's not a birthday party unless
there's a piƱata.
Can you tell which children play baseball?
There's another one.
The Kill Shot.
Lila was the only one whoRedpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-40471152752261689072014-05-26T21:12:00.002-05:002014-05-26T21:12:51.051-05:00De-clutteringWow, it's been a week since I wrote a blog post. That would be because the past week was CRAZYTOWN! It was the last week of school, plus Lila's ballet recital was Saturday. Then we threw on some major de-cluttering and organizing, just to spice things up.
I spent hours - literally, hours - cleaning the playroom today. I should be exhausted, but I feel energized instead. Getting rid of things andRedpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127189.post-43446521453784428402014-05-19T20:45:00.001-05:002014-05-19T20:45:29.541-05:00CharityWe just had the following Talk with our children...
"I have a couple
of problems and an event I'd like to talk to you guys about. First,
you have probably noticed how much time Dad and I spend cleaning the
house, to make it a nice place for our family to live.
"As part of members of this
family, we ask you guys to be part of the clean ups. We know that you don't
really Redpeelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522705764656533596noreply@blogger.com0