Happy Birthday, Little Man.

Today, Sterling turns four years old. He’s been waiting for this day since about May 26, 2010. He’s already talking about next year, when he turns five.

This year, Sterling has learned to jump off things he’d never dared before, climb up things (Provided they’re sturdy. He’ll be certain first.), learned to recognize most of his letters and some letter blend sounds, to recognize numbers 1-10, to spell his name out loud – and in the process, learn to spell Eden and Ruby too. Liberty and Charlotte’s spellings elude him still. He’s learned to keep his bed dry – most of the time, to eat food he doesn’t like  - and that he won’t die as a result – and he’s learned he’s the only boy in this crew of kids – and he’s ever so anxious to have a brother. He’s my sweet snuggler, with his shirt tucked in always and work boots on his feet, he’s ready to go. Sterling’s always coming up with hard-to-answer questions like “How will Jesus take us to heaven? In a car?” And “When will I be a grown-up?” and “Why can’t I marry you, Momma? Which special friend will I marry?” He’s full of questions of how things work and will be and struggles with impatience with the rest of us. He took great pride in reminding Ruby that she wouldn’t get to go to heaven if she was mean to him and was startled to learn that sin itself didn’t prevent us from going to heaven – anymore – now that Christ has died for us. Big thoughts for a little man.

He’s more like his father than I even realized. He changed his mind many times regarding what cake he’d like for his birthday. His final decision: pumpkin pie with whipped cream and cherry ice cream with fudge sauce. All of which are favorites of Blaine – without the fudge sauce. I’m hoping candles will stand in pumpkin pie. Blaine’s just thrilled he won’t be required (because that’s our deal) to eat the obligatory piece of birthday cake. I’ll have to let him know he doesn’t have to eat the pie… but somehow, I’m guessing he’ll oblige Sterling’s choice.

Last week, during a sewing project (on the curtains I still don’t know what to do with) Sterling found my folding sewing scissors. He offered to trade his school scissors for my oh-so-cool collapsible sewing scissors. When I declined, he told me he wanted them for his birthday. I didn’t get him any, but I had to laugh after a previous conversation with a dear friend (hi Jill!) about boys and such scissors.

For Sterling’s birthday: Monkey bread for breakfast, sandwiches for a picnic at the zoo, the zoo, pizza for supper, and pumpkin pie (with above mentioned fixings). He’ll get his very first tie (w/shirt), a belt like Daddy’s, a home-sewn super-soft pillow he’ll love, a round shovel just his size, a trowel to replace his old one that got spit out of the lawn mower last week, and a Melissa and Doug racetrack. And from Grandpa and Grandma, a big green box of clothes - he’s decided that’s what’s in there. Quite certain he’s wrong. Such the fun day.

I love you more than life itself, Sterling Blaine.

Back to 100%, just that fast.

We’re alive – and well again. And the laundry is almost caught up. In Ruby’s words, “Why Liberty not puke in her puke bowl? Why Liberty puke in her bed? I puke in my puke bowl.” Yes, dear girl, you are far more experienced in the art. I’m so sorry.

Sterling escaped the bug. He’s the only one who did. He’s oh so proud of his accomplishment. Hoping that lasts.

Joplin is about an hour from here. Tornado death count was at 116 last time I heard it. Feeling God’s protection right about now. How terrifying that must have been.

22 weeks along today. Starting to waddle, avoiding bending over. And here the fun begins. Baby’s quieter than most of mine have been, so far. It’s fun to speculate on personality.

Someone asked me today if I drive a “Jon & Kate plus 8” van. Nope. But given the “full” status of my 7-seat mini van, I can’t wait. More room. Oh, the glory of more room. I have the feeling, if and when that time comes, I’ll be the one parking at the far end of the lot, in the pull-through spot. Just a hunch, since Saturday, in the pickup, I was at the far end of the lot to avoid having to park it properly. But the story gets better…

I had Liberty and Eden with me, stopped at the store with the pickup and was then headed home. We’re headed past the nice-houses development (some of you know the one) on our homeward route when Eden announces she’s going to be sick. She’s my #2 carsick kid – not as bad as Ruby, but we’ve had our share of stinky moments compliments of Eden. The windows were down, an Escalade following a little too close for comfort, and I couldn’t stop anywhere safely. “Out the window, Eden!” I hollered, and, um, the Escalade backed off. Way off. And when we got home, the hose was necessary. Um, ew. But it certainly livened up the trip home.

Six down, one to go…

Last weekend, I was sick. Then Charlotte got sick on Thursday. Now, I have three more girls keeping bowls close by, Blaine’s sick, and Sterling is holding out to the bitter end, determined he’s not catching this bug. Ruby’s eyeing up the mess in Liberty’s bed and informing me that she hit the puke bowl and Liberty didn’t. Ruby’s an expert vomit-er due to previous experience in the car-sick department.

So here we are, skipping church and trading in our day of rest and worship for washing sheets and making toast. And cleaning up toast. And making more toast.

Gonna be a fun one, for sure.

I was sick Friday/Saturday last week. It took Charlotte throwing up last night to finally convince Blaine it wasn’t pregnancy related when I was sick. Apparently not getting anything accomplished besides sleep and vomit are things he chalks up to pregnancy. Really now.

Sooo not what I was going for.

I try to be crafty, clever, and make things I plan to be cute. But they never are. I can make things according to a pattern, with directions, and still they don’t look like they should. I’ve made dozens of pairs of curtains all without a pattern, but with a vivid image of what they’ll look like finished in my head. And still, they don’t look like that.

They typically look like a sheet draped over a curtain rod. Impressive, since I didn’t even start out with a sheet, but not quite what I was going for.

I have curtains in my living room that I love – that I did not make. But with three windows, the smaller ones on either side, what to do with the third panel in the middle? I only have three. I had a brainstorm, used a dozen straight pins, one diaper pin and one safety pin and made a valance of sorts. It worked, but I wasn’t crazy about it. So I brainstormed once again, got some grosgrain ribbon and sewed a strip to either side 8” from the ends. I’ll tie it up cute, make a valance that way. It worked. But it’s not cute. Unless you ask my six year old – but if you see what she chooses as cute clothes each day, you’d know that’s anything but a compliment.

I’ve had fabric – that I love, of course – in my sewing box for at least six months. I want to make curtains for the bathroom. I keep thinking that the moment I sew them I’ll see something I’ll wish I made instead. So I’ll wait. Apparently that won’t work – I need to make that first cut to find what I’m really looking for. Ones that, in theory at least, will be cute when finished. I’m starting to wonder if that’s possible in my world. My brain has forgotten how to communicate, it would seem.

Off and running again–and finding I didn’t miss much anyhow.

I’ve been offline for a few days. We decided to switch our ISP and that required waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive. Got it this afternoon – so far, so good. Much, much faster. $15 a month cheaper. Should have done that a long time ago. I’ll let you know next week if I’ve changed my mind…

I’ve written three great posts in my head. We didn’t have internet for any of them. So now, when I do, I don’t remember. Sometime around 3am I’ll wake out of the deepest sleep I’ve had in 21 weeks remembering what I was going to tell you all about. Until then, here’s a boring little update.

We got new phones too – with local numbers. Hooray for having a local area code on our cell phones for the first time in, um, 8.5 years. If you are trying to call, our old phones are disconnected. Try email.

Co-op is over. All of our schoolwork for the 1st/2nd grade school year is completed, recorded, and sitting by the door to get put in the shed tomorrow. My desk is cleaner than it’s been in many, many months. Ah, sweet relief. Time for summer.

We were given a microwave. You know, the fancy kind that hangs above the stove. Very cool. Haven’t had one for nearly a year now. I’m sure it will come in handy – when we remember we have it.

Sterling asked me today why I like flowers. He picks “flowers” from the yard just about everyday for me to put in a little salt shaker “vase”. I told him they both smell and look nice, and when he went to Lowe’s tonight with Blaine he asked if they could bring me more flowers after they got what they needed. I have five perennials to plant tomorrow. Sweet boy – and sweet Blaine.

Feeling a little out of sorts…

Yesterday, I had a whole post written, and then blogger was down to post it. I tried. Now, it no longer applies. Just an FYI though, in case your daughter falls asleep on open Laffy Taffy and it melts into her hair – a hot shower remedies all. No peanut butter necessary. Just in case that ever happens to you.

Blaine and Sterling are on a father/son camping trip with a group from church. It’s really quiet around here. Blaine does not talk that much, and Sterling is by far my quietest child, but it’s eerily quiet around here. I do not know how to cook for smaller groups anymore. Two pound of hamburger for walking tacos is not necessary with this smaller crew. I really missed Blaine getting up with Charlotte so I could sleep in on Saturday, as has become the norm around here. I missed his company too – but it was never so blatantly obvious that he was not here when Charlotte decided it was morning at 5:50 am. A good  hour and a half before her regularly scheduled morning begins. Of course.

My grand plans for last evening: girls to bed early, milk/feed the goats, then read until far too late. With ice cream.

What really happened: kids bed an hour and a half late, phone call postpones outside chores to two hours late, skip the ice cream since it’s 65 degrees in the house and spring has run away for the weekend, read less than one chapter before starting to fall asleep and giving in and going to bed. At 9:46 pm. Oh, so sad.

So far, for the morning: a triple batch of pancakes. Again - it’s too much. Since it’s usually a quadruple batch of my very-small-to-begin-with recipe, and I didn’t think Blaine and Sterling ate that many… good grief. We’ll have pancakes for lunch, too.