three is company

Hattie is so proud to play with the big kids! They are so great with her.

Today we were outside sitting in camping chairs under the oak tree and I asked the kids what their favorite part of the farm was. I said, "Lately my favorite part has been the fireflies at night." Elsie said, "My favorite part is those bushes by the chickens with the hearts on them." (bleeding hearts) Ivar said, "My favorite part of the farm is Legos (the rooster) and the goats, and the barn." And then we tried to guess Hattie's favorite part of the farm and at that moment we watched Canvas the cat climb nearly to the top of our tallest Ash tree. And as we watched we decided that the cats are Hattie's favorite part of the farm. We'll confirm this with her when she is able to talk.

travel tips

I have a few travel tips that I think are worthy of passing along. Part of the success of a family vacations is keeping a few things in order, so here are my bits of learned wisdom...

+Pack with your three-year-old.
Elsie was packed for Mount Carmel four days before we were to leave. But upon investigation, her suitcase was very heavy on the board books and pajamas with very few outfits or underwear. So I got out index cards and wrote the days of the week and drew a picture if we were going to do anything special that day. (Tues had a birthday cake, Sunday had a cross, Friday had a car for going home.) Then I drew a card the moon and stars for pajamas and a card with the sun and waves for beach attire. I laid them on the floor and together we picked outfits for each day while we were away. She loved this system and so did I.

The plan was that we would leave her suitcase packed, as each outfit had a card on top of it. Unfortunately, my super-organized niece Sonna got to her suitcase before I could explain the system and had Elsie unpack all of her underwear into her dresser drawer. By the time I saw what was going on, Elsie's clothes were strewn across the room. I had to take a deep breath. And you know, she had clothes on each day. Just not the outfits we had planned together, but she was dressed! (I am discovering that I am growing in my need for control in some parts of my life as I age. Organization is one of those...which is hard with little kids!)

Also, just a side story on this organization theme. I told Rory when we moved into the lodge room that I really wanted to keep it tidy. That this mattered to me and my peace of mind. So you can imagine how hard we laughed when we came back from lunch the first day we were in our lodge room and found all birthday presents, linens and toys turned into one epic boat/fort.

Okay, on to more tips...

+ Pack your Room Darkening Curtains and Painter's Tape
This is basically genius. I said to Rory as we were about to leave, "What could we bring to use as room darkening curtains?" And he replied, "Room Darkening Curtains." Of course! I ran up to the kid's room and took the curtains off the rod and packed them in the car. Then I threw in a roll of painters tape and guess what?!! Their room was as dark as a cave. So even though they stayed up until 10 most nights, they slept in until 9 most days. I used the tape to adhere the curtains directly to the walls. People! Admit it. This is brilliant.

+ Thermarest in the pack-n-play
I don't know if our pack-n-play is getting old, or if we are just more compassionate for our third baby, but that little pad is so, so thin. No wonder babies don't sleep as great in there! We have been price checking foam pads to cut to size and even tried finding a couch cushion that would fit in there. But then I had an idea. I called my mom and had her measure her base-camp thermarest and wouldn't you know it was the exact width?!! And if it was folded in half it fit perfectly in the pack-n-play sheet and snug in the crib itself. Hattie slept well and we had peace knowing at least she was comfortable in there.

I think I had one more hot tip, but I don't remember it now. If I think of it, I'll add it. Until then, just trust me on that room darkening curtains tip. It's a real winner.

Brave Girls in the Bible

I saw this book at the Mount Carmel book store and was so thrilled. Elsie is into princess everything. I love that little girls know they were created beautiful and powerful.

I have wondered what to do with all of this energy towards princesses, because the Disney storylines all lack the actual values I want to instill in my little girl. So I was so excited when I saw this book. The women are not all royalty, but the stories are told showing how each one (over 30 women!) was brave. The writing is fantastic and Elsie has had us read ten stories to her already. (Rory likes the book too.) And the pictures are beautiful.

If you have a little girl in your life, I'd recommend this book as their next gift. It's part devotional, part story and ends with some processing of the story pointing out how that woman was brave and showed strong character. Here's a link to Amazon where you can get your own. :)

family camp

We spent most of our week at Mount Carmel down at the beach. It was a great week to be on the water, building rivers in the sand down to the lake, floating with noodles and sitting in camping chairs eating snow cones.

We lived in that yellow cabin below for the first half of the week. It's a duplex and Annika's family was on the other side. This thrilled all of the cousins to no end. The second half of the week our family moved into the lodge and shared a hotel-like room. The switch was due to our late registration, but in the end we sort of lucked out as we moved into air-conditioning for the hotter half of the week!

The camp looked great and most exciting was to see the Youth Chapel looking all spiffed up after a total overhaul by volunteers. This was my 33rd summer attending family camp. I've only missed two summers, both because I was working at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp in Montana. Which I think is a good excuse: one Bible camp for another.

My kids love Mount Carmel so much. It is such a joy to have their excitement match my own! I'm not sure I ever thought that would be possible, but it definitely does. They love this place like I do and as I told them on our last night, "one day I'll be a grandma, and you'll be here with your own kids and we'll all play at the beach together." I told that to my mom and she said, "and that is true! I was here with my grandma when I was their age. Just think of that!" It is a wonder to think about. If any reader is interested in coming to Mount Carmel next summer, PLEASE DROP ME A LINE! They already have their speakers and teachers and preachers lined up. You could get your week on the calendar (and get the best cabins! I'll tell you what you need to know!) even before this summer is over. :) Because Family Camp is the best!

back from vacation

This yearly picture of the back hatch all packed and ready to go is becoming one of my annual favorites. There's lots going on in that picture above: a certain 5-year-old's fishing pole, a certain 9-month-old's favorite animal pop up toy, a certain 3-to-turn-4-on-vacation-year-old's birthday presents. And the art supplies of a wishful mama that never got used during the entire week away. Which means it was a good and busy time.

We are home again now and had a fantastic time at Mount Carmel Family Bible Camp. This was the longest we have been away from our farm in the four years since we moved here. We were gone six nights and it felt just right. We loved every minute up there and were excited to come home to see our animals, sleep in our own beds and check out the garden. But oh, vacation. We all have an ache now that it's over. Vacation just feels so good. Only 51 more weeks until we go again. :)

three kids

Well, it seems blogging has taken a back seat... But mostly because motherhood is taking the front seat. And it's good. I'm absolutely in love with these three and my gig as their mama is so awesome. And exhausting. My friend Kari sent this thought written by Joanna Gaines to a group of friends today...I loved this thought and felt inspired. I hope you do too! Joanna wrote:

"There's an Adonis blue butterfly bush I planted by the girl's window almost five years ago when we were renovating the farmhouse. I wanted butterflies by the girl's windows that they could see and enjoy. I never told them about the bush and honestly I forgot about it over the years. This morning I found my little Emmie sitting by her window looking excitedly at the bush and saying "Here she is! My little hummingbird comes every morning mom!" First, I didn't know she looked out for her bird every morning. Second, I forgot all about the bush and never told her if she looked out the window she would see the prettiest butterflies and hummingbirds gathered around it. It's hard not to think this is a lot like parenting... You sow seeds early on and work hard to be intentional and then over time you move on to new lessons and challenges. Then one day you look up and the seeds you planted in your little children's hearts are now in full bloom. Be encouraged today to keep pressing in and tending to their hearts. It will be worth it."

playing possum

I read in a book recently about the whole "no girls allowed" phase and I thought naively to myself, 'boy, Ivar is so good at playing with his sisters. I wonder if he missed that phase.' I think it was the very next day I found this sign outside of his little fort. He told me it was a picture of Elsie and Harriet and that they were not allowed in his Possum House. And I couldn't decide if I was more amused by his awesome drawing or the fact that he was playing possum.

Then Elsie assured me, "it's okay because I am playing blossom over here!"

Harriet Joy: 9 months

I remember laughing hard, hard belly laughs throughout my pregnancy with Hattie. I don't know if it was the hormones or just an added measure of happiness, but I laughed deeper and fuller and was so aware of it. There was a bliss and a joy during those nine months, a sincere giddy expectancy, already over the moon for the baby inside of me. We named her Harriet Joy, sharing that middle name with her Grandma Marlene, and also because of those joyful months of hard laughs that filled my body. 

And now that she's here I know that those laughs must have affected her very being, because she is the embodiment of all of that joy. To know Hattie is to know a happy, contented, freely-smiling little baby. (...except for the recent babysitter...she might not say that! Hattie seems to be attached to her mom and dad at the moment...) But if you are her mama or daddy or big brother or big sister, you are certain to find a very charming, happy and ready-to-smile little sister ready to share her joy.

catching up on summer

Well I hardly know what to say. I haven't taken this natural of a break from my blog in a long, long time. But I suppose it has something to do with the fact that it is summer and this is the season that is packed full of farm projects. We have done a few house projects (big windows! natural light!), built a kitchen garden off to the side of our house, are finishing the upstairs of the barn and growing into the rhythm of farm chores every morning and every night.

Plus Hattie (9 months today!!!) is crawling all over and sticking stuff in her mouth all day long. She is in a much more hands-on season and this is likely why the camera is never handy to document the moment and why I am too spent to write much at the end of the day. I know from Ivar and Elsie that 8 months-18 months tend to be pretty demanding in terms of mobile babies that need supervision every moment of every day. And of course it doesn't end at 18 months, but just let me have my moment.

The whole concussion thing took it out of me for a few weeks there, so we've been making up for lost time! Rory and I are suddenly really into state parks. We have visited a few, checking out cabins and yurts to stay in, deciding what time of year would be best to stay, scoping out the beaches and bike paths. It has been a really fun summer project, sort of a "get to know your state" and has me so excited for adventures ahead.