(bi)weekly 'what's up.'

i didn't post last friday since i'm a lazy bum, so we'll do a two-fer today, okay? okay.

atticus finally got a new fish to replace sad, deceased Gunnar the Fish (god rest his soul).  he named the fish Soldier.  and then he changed his mind and renamed him Sword.  Sword the Fish.  which i think is insanely clever, whether atticus realizes it is or not.  Sword just likes to lurk in the shady, corner-y spots, and hates being watched while he eats.  which sounds about right if your name is Sword.

shortly thereafter, atticus got to meet and shake hands with, not one, but three servicemen in uniform!  they were standing in line, buying huge cases of beer at walmart, which kind of made the exchange a little more awkward, but you know what?  if anyone has earned the A-OK to simultaneously wrangle a 24-pack of busch light and shake a preschooler's hand, it's a serviceman.  they were super great about it, and atticus was totally starstruck.  but he did wonder where their swords were, considering they're soldiers and all.

the kids finally got to plant some flowers.  penelope had been asking about it nearly daily since around february.  now she tells everyone she comes in contact with about the pretty flowers in our garden, and what color they are, and how to take care of them.  i have a feeling she's going to be my gardening buddy as the years go by.  (atticus also planted flowers, which he loved doing for the singular reason that he got to dig huge holes in some dirt and not get in trouble for it.  also, todd sweetened the deal by finding some cone-shaped flowers that he said looked like swords.)

in case you hadn't noticed the theme yet, Atticus + Swords = 2gether 4ever. (imagine it carved into a tree with a heart cut out around it. and maybe a sword through the heart, for good measure.)

we had a connection group social.

todd did laurelai's hair.  she was not convinced she loved it.

in todd-specific news, there are three noteworthy items.  ONE: he got glasses!

pretty soon we'll inevitably have one more tiny pair of glasses, and we will take another photo like this and i will have it printed on a canvas and hung in our house, because seriously, is there anything more Van Voorst?

TWO: we think he broke a rib while, in his words, 'playing football with the stupid elders.'  because his ribs hurt so bad, he's having a difficult time sleeping in comfortable positions, which means he wakes up all in pain and literally stiff-necked. (bible jokes!!)  so now he can't lift anything, or rotate his head without turning his whole body, or laughing without whispering 'ha ha oowwwwww ha-owww! stopit-owowow! unnnnnngh!'  i like to be a glass-half-full kind of person, though, and i find these side effects interminably hilarious.  he's lucky he got such a silver-lining kind of wife.

THREE: someone broke the egg.  (in van voorst lexicon, 'the egg' means todd's car, and 'broke' means 'backed into with a pickup while it was parked on the street.')  it turns out i knew the perpetrator from high school.  small world.  #justbecausewearefriendsdoesnotmeanwewillnotcontactyourinsurancekenny #jk #youareactuallyreallyrespectableforhowyouhandledthatkenny #mpchsforthewin

and three photos!!

one, in which all big kids are in focus and not crying:

two, in which all big kids are actually smiling:

three, in which my heart melts into a slimy puddle on the floor:

and clearly, THE VAN VOORSTS TAKE MANHATTAN!

happy birthday, Van Voorst Family of Cedar Falls!

yesterday, may 14, marked the one-year anniversary of the kids and i moving up here to cedar falls (or, as penelope has taken to calling it as of yesterday, 'super falls').  one year, you guys.  ONE YEAR.

it's kind of been like having a baby, in a way.  where you're all, 'how has it only been a year?! it feels like forever!' and also, 'HOW HAS IT BEEN A YEAR ALREADY?! that flew by!'  but really, it's so crazy to think about how faithful god has been to us through this whole season of life.  he sold our house for a profit.  he brought todd a new job.  and, when we were going to have to spend a bunch of time living separately and waiting for our house to close, god provided a free place for us to live while we house-hunted.

first, we moved into a condo, belonging to a woman who had never met us before, but who allowed us and our three tiny kids to live there for three weeks while she was on vacation.  who does that?!

home sweet temporary home.

the weirdly appropriate view from our back deck during those weeks.

i have a feeling i'll be spending a lot of time over the next couple of weeks thinking about those days.  how i was 28 weeks pregnant when we got here, and how i made millions of batches of fried zucchini to eat while i watched network television during naptime.  (it turns out pregnancy cravings don't stop, even in the midst of major life changes; if anything, they become more pronounced.)  how i sat in the rocker and read 'what is a family?' by edith schaeffer, which was so profound, i decided i wanted to name our kid after her (though that obviously ended up changing).  how penelope pooped her pants at the park.  how atticus kept wetting the bed, i think because of all the transition.  how finneas was still not walking yet.  how the kids could not get enough of PBS and 'it zwibble: the magical dinosaur fairy.'  how i had to blog from starbucks, since there was no internet connection at the house.  how i fell in love with that woman's miele vacuum and front loading washer/dryer, and i will never be the same.

it was such a weird time, and in a lot of ways, it was incredibly stressful, but it was such an awesome time of cocooning and rest in the midst of a huge life overhaul.

our first meal together in our new home.

and when i think about what god has brought us since then- our house, our church, our new daughter, our community - i can totally see his hand of blessing in all of it.  there is no reason that we should be here, doing what we're doing, other than because god has chosen it for good in our lives.  and we are so, so grateful, and excited to see what else he has in store for us!

video vednesday: i touch-a you and-a you die, 'cause i'm invincible!

party on, garth.

yesterday, my parents, my grandpa, todd's parents, and our nephew came to party with us in celebration of penelope's birthday.

we started the day by presenting penelope with a special party dress that she could wear to church and then to her party.  she was in. love.  girlfriend loves to dress up.

finneas, on the other hand, attempted to leave the house like this:

(mama holds 'veto' rights on sunday outfit choices.  i exercised it this morning.)

it was a full house, and we loved seeing so much of our family, including my grandpa, who is visiting from california.  (but will soon be moving to iowa!)

the boy cousins, especially, had a ton of fun together.

penelope had first requested a 'carrot applesauce cake,' which i was hesitant about making, since she'd never had one before and i didn't feel like banking all her birthday dreams on a vegetable cake.  i know that sounds like the opposite of good parenting, but i'm okay with that.  so luckily she changed her mind in the process, and requested a sprinkle cake.  so sprinkles on a funfetti cake fit the bill.

and the highlights of present time were her very own sword and shield (stained PINK!), her tinkerbell high heels, and her pink pickup with horse trailer (horses included).  much fun (and fighting over new toys) will be had in the near future, i can already tell.

she ended the day by wearing her new nightgown to bed.  and also dusting the living room for me.  so we all win.

happy (continued) birthday to my sweetest biggest girl.  i'm so in love with this lady.

POPCORN PARTY!

sometimes on cleaning days, i motivate (eh, let's face it, bribe) the kids with the opportunity to watch a movie and eat popcorn for lunch once their chores are done.  i don't know why i do it, really, as my floor ends up covered in popcorn mess and much of the previous progress gets thwarted.  but the kids have fun, so there's that, and that really does matter more than a clean house.  (it really does matter more than a clean house.  i'm a recovering Type-A and it really does matter more than a clean house.)  

ernawerrr.

i'm now realizing that allowing milk glasses to be set four inches away from the laptop is maybe less strategic than i would hope for.

ohp, finneas is losing his attention span for this.

this photo is probably the main reason i felt like posting these.  does he feel suspicious?  saucy?  like dancing?  who can even tell?!?!

so there's 'popcorn lunch' (lunchcorn? punch?) at the van voorst house.  it kind of reminds me of Cookies For Dinner Night.  i suspect i'm only a mediocre mother.

video vednesday: i was full-singing the blues traveler song.

1.  i'm sure you're one of the sixteen million people who have already seen this, but it's worth watching again.

2.  i would love this so much more if that horrific dress was not involved.

IT'S WATER FIGHT SEASON!!

oh, y'all.  it's nice outside.  which means evenings outside.  which means gardening.  which means getting the hose out.  which means water fights.

you know, water fights.  they start off awesome.

and then the five-year-old takes charge.  and it becomes a reign of terror.

(let's zoom in on that last picture, shall we?)

the oppressed voice their opposition.

and a cease-fire is called.

is there any other way a water fight ever goes down?  i'm pretty sure this is the basic schema for pretty much every water fight ever.  all-of-us-minus-finn are really looking forward to more warm weather.

they are a warrior and a princess, and tatters are enough.

i have seen so much beauty in my kids' playtime lately.  their imaginations are growing and flexing.  it's a remarkable thing to watch.

atticus is almost always pretending to be a soldier, with a sword stuck down the waistband of his pants, and this pink winter hat (passed down to penelope from a friend) on his head as his helmet.  his spear is a toy broom.  he has never once asked for a different helmet.  i don't think it has even occurred to him.  he's content; he's satisfied.  with a girl's pink hat with flowers on it.

penelope is almost always dressed as a princess.  she has only one true 'princess' dress to her name, which was handed down from a friend after it had been loved to near unrecognizability.  we accepted it, and i had plans to sew it and patch it and redeem it as best i could.  well, i never got around to it, but she loves that thing with every iota.  she has never once asked for another, different dress.  i know it hasn't occurred to her.  she's content; she's satisfied.  with a castoff dress that's barely held together by a couple of strategic threads.

how beautiful is that?  they don't want for more.  they haven't compared themselves to other kids and wondered why their stuff is so makeshift.  they're just... happy with what they have.  what a lesson to me!  as i look around myself and wish for new counters, or different jeans, or fancy highlights.  i wish for better skin and smaller teeth and a narrower waist and a more frivolous budget and fancier food.  and i have to work so hard to think, 'it's enough.  it's plenty.  it's wonderful just the way it is, imperfection and want and all.'

we got penelope another princess dress for her birthday, among other things, but we've decided not to give it to her now.  not until the current dress kicks the bucket.  because sometimes having more makes us less happy.  i don't think she'd be as satisfied with two dresses as she currently is with one.  i think, knowing that more dresses could be had, two will seem like not enough, whereas one is wonderful.  i think withholding the 'more' from her, at least for now, is a blessing to her.

there are so many things i think about in my own life when i zoom out.  i think god is being gracious to me in allowing me to want.  by confining our walls and restricting our budget and expanding my waistline.  i think i'm in a place of privelege, by the loving choice of god.  i want that to be enough.  plenty.  wonderful.

weekly 'what's up!'

this week was actually pretty eventful!  

on sunday, i started a weight lifting class!  which, if you know me at all, is hilarious.  resultingly, i couldn't even lift my phone up to my ear without extreme soreness until yesterday morning.  and then my second class session took place last night.  i have a feeling this is going to be an adjustment.  but totally worth it in the end if i end up looking anything like superman, who i aspire to look like, and whose full-body image may or may not be hanging on my fridge as a motivational tool.  (it's not.)  my superhero name will be rippedgurrrrrl, so prepare yourself to call me that in the coming weeks, after i inevitably fly to your rescue to save you from that savage dog.  (one of rippedgurrrrrl's superpowers is fortune telling, and another is canine mind reading.  they come in really handy in the event of future dog attacks!  lucky you!)  you'll be all, 'thanks, rippedgurrrrrl!'  and i'll be all, 'you're welcome!  but in all humility, i really couldn't have done it without the help of these incredible biceps.  so, thanks, biceps!'  then i will kiss each one affectionately and gratefully, which you'll be free to do as well, if you so choose.  up to you.

maybe i should call myself 'the hammer' instead.  idk, i'll let you know.

on tuesday, todd was so sick.  and he never gets sick.  he was all shaky and achy and hot-and-then-cold and sore-throated.  it was so sad.  he basically slept all day, woke up for a while, slept all night, woke up feeling the same, and then perked up a bit wednesday afternoon.  he's feeling better now, but wow.

tuesday was also a big day for the girls:  penelope turned four, and laurelai turned eight months.  this week, laur has also figured out how to crawl!  she's on the move, people.  once, she was crawling around under the table, and i caught sight of her out of the corner of my eye, and my first thought was, 'when did we get a yorkie?!'  considering she's about the size of a yorkie (no, seriously though), it was an understandable mistake.  now begins the vigilant watchkeeping for random pieces of plastic, trash, pretzels, broken crayons, etc., that are always littering the floor.  i swear that stuff must spawn asexually or have the gemino curse on it or something.

our big four-year-old!  while she'll have her party in a couple of weeks, we thought she'd enjoy a small gift on the actual day-of.  socks.  our girl LOVES socks.

laurelai turned eight months, and believe it or not, this was the absolute happiest she got about it.  or about taking the photos, at least.  she weighs around 12 pounds and is STILL in 0-3 month clothing.

this picture was taken shortly before i walked out of the room, returned when i heard screaming, and found her absolutely flattened and lodged entirely under that chair.

and some more photos, that don't necessarily have anything to do with the above mentioned items of note:

no, as a matter of fact, the kids don't really like getting out of the bathtub.  why do you ask?

i could just smooch this photo all the live long day.  just look at those swoony toddler hands!

he's hugging his lightning mcqueen ride-on, if you can't tell.  he kept saying, 'HUG! KISS! HUG! KISS!'  i think he likes it.

maybe all the torment todd's body receives is what made his immune system go all, 'out on holiday!  be back later!'

lastly, pray for our family.  i'm cutting refined sugar from my diet, and when mama's not choco'd up, ain't nobody happy.  (yep.  i'm just going to end this blog post by calling myself 'mama' and speaking of myself in the third person.  you're so very welcome.)

braang on the weekend!