'cause I'm three...

Ruth was having a conversation with Uncle Blake today. He looked outside to check on the older two kids and they weren't there. So Ruth came to look. She decided that they were in the garage. When Blake asked how she know that... her honest reply, "Cause I'm Three, that's how I know!"

Hannie loves presents. It's just a thing for her. She's so sweet about it, too. Grandma Sharon wanted to take her out to pick out whatever present she'd choose for herself and Hannie's first thought - pink boots. So sweet. So Hannie and Grandma drove all around town until they found the perfect pink boots. Happy Birthday, Hannie.

I love how both girls say, "han-satizer" when they're asking for Hand Sanitizer.

Benjamin is in basketball now and just after making a hoop, he looked over at me and told his coach, "That's my mom!" Love it.

Elijah loves to snuggle these days and will sit down between your legs when you're sitting on the floor and then pull your legs up close around himself so you're sitting almost chris-cross apple sauce. They he'll turn around and reach for your arm to place it over himself and reach back for the other arm to do the same thing. He snuggles in and smiles... then usually remembers he forgot his blankie so off he goes to get that, just to come back to set up the proper snuggle.

cinnamon roll morning

Cinnamon rolls smell so good. Especially in the morning. What a sweet way to wake up. I can remember waking up to the smell of cinnamon when I was a kid. Mom usually made them on Sunday, from what I recall. A pleasant aroma is a nice way to wake up. (Which reminds me that I just read about how we are supposed to be the aroma of Christ... Hummm, interesting.) Anyway. This is the tale of a missionary morning, including cinnamon rolls!

I wake up to Kevin stumbling around to get out of bed and into the shower. While he showers, I hear Elijah coughing (just like we heard around 4 in the morning...). As Kev gets out of the shower around 7:30, I hear Ruth up and talking in the hallway, loudly, as usual! Soon Hannie's up, too, and I'm thinking of the boys who could use the extra sleep. Good morning to me. So as Kevy says good bye to me and heads down to the church (we're speaking at our home church today), I remind the girls to be quiet for the others who are still sleeping or trying to be sleeping, including me! :)

The girls proceed upstairs to play quietly only to come down crying over a disagreement. Eli's awake, Benjamin's up, and I guess I am, too. So off we go. I make the bed, read a quick two verses, throw clothes in the dryer, look for something to wear, go to the bathroom and head to get Elijah out of bed. He has no clothes on. At least his diaper is still on, but I see he's been pulling at that, too. It's soaked! I bring him upstairs with me and get him changed and dressed.




As I get out my packaged cinnamon rolls... I button shirts and zip zippers. I solve disagreements and wipe noses. I watch the clock and try to keep things moving so that we're ready when Kev comes back to get us around 10. (Our second car doesn't work so all six of our coordinating life around the one van...) Quickly, I run down and pull out some of Kev's dress shirts and hang them on the door for when he comes home after church and packs to leave for Minot's service tonight.

The kids are getting dresses when I notice that Hannie has on a different dress than what we'd all agreed on the night before. She looks alright but everyone else pretty much has on matching outfits - browns, pinks, and blues. Hannie decided that now she wants to wear a long, brighter orange dress. So we discuss that for a while and she keeps the orange-y. While the rolls fill the house with sweetness, I comb hair and brush hair and make one pony tail for Ruth and two pony tails for Hannie. I tie bows and buckle shoes. I comb my own hair and try to get myself dressed.

The bell dings! Cinnamon rolls are ready! Time to frost those sweeties and hand out plates. While they cool, I empty the dishwasher and clean up the table some more from the night before and listen to a book or joke or something... okay, so I didn't listen too good! As I frost the rolls, Hannie wants to help and Benjamin takes the plates to the table. The kids sit down to eat after everyone comes to the table and Eli gets buckled in his booster. Before I get to my own roll... forks are needed by some and milk, by all. We're low on cups and on forks so we have a mismatched table and Eli's not happy about the little fork he gets! He is, however, happy about the milk! "malako!"

Kevin comes home and says we need to be ready in a few minutes... we're cookin' so it's okay. He asks me about the service and the order and the power point that we just changed. We're hoping to sing a new song in Russian and that's been playing on the computer all morning. I have not had time to warm up my voice or sing it, but it has been playing! As Kevin trys to print out our name and info on the pledge forms, the printer decides to stop working. (Which matches the prayer cards we tried to print the day before because our new ones won't be in until Wed...)

I continue to try to finish dressing while I try to finish eating my yummy cinnamon roll, remember those sweet, delicious treats? Mmm... The kids are done eating and on the run again... cleaning up and finding lost shoes and coats. Kevin gets out cereal (but I'm not sure if he ever eats any...) and I start trying to gather my things and look to see if the kids have gathered their things. Blankies, diapers, sippy cup, bags, Bibles, still one lost shoe... By now I'm dressed except for shoes when the kids are making noise out in the van... "Buckle up!!" Ruth needs help and doesn't like her coat on! Elijah is already trying to take his shoes OFF and trying to fill his pants. I'm helping buckle car seats and Kevin's ready to boogie! "Boogie!"

I grab my coat and my Bible and wonder what the speaker will talk about today and remember it's me and Kevy speaking! :) Then I sit down for the first time all morning as Kevin backs out of the garage. I take a breath and lick the cinnamon off my finger. In the middle of the whirlwind, it's good to enjoy the sweetness.