John’s 5th Birthday Party

Yee-Haaawww, our little Cowboy John turned 5 last Saturday! We had so much fun celebrating his life, and thanking God for this great boy! He was very specific in telling me that he wanted a “wild bull head cake with smoke coming out of its nose” (which we accomplished, thanks to some pvc pipes and dry ice), a game of “pin the  horns on the bull’s head”, and a piñata. Another great touch was that our friend Ryan, who is a horse trainer, brought a saddle, rope and a red practice bull head to let the kids have turns “roping” the bull!

John had a smile on his face for 2 straight days, and has dressed in cowboy attire almost every day for the past week! It was so much fun watching him enjoy his party! God has blessed us so much with John. Some of our favorite things about John are his ability to figure out things that have buttons or need tools to fix them, his enjoyment in doing puzzles, his meticulous attention to detail as he colors pictures, his silly jokes and funny sense of humor, the way he helps his younger brothers accomplish tasks, and his enjoyment in biking, riding his scooter, playing baseball, and running. And it’s so great to hear him talk about the Lord, and the precious Bible stories he’s already hiding in his heart. He is such a joy and a blessing!!!!!

I’m so thankful that our nearby relatives were all able to drive and join us for the party, and thanks to all of our far-away relatives for waiting an entire week to see pictures! Here they are:

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Back To School

Seems that every summer I disappear from this blog for a couple months! Well, school is back in session, and I will hopefully be back to blogging a little more regularly.

This year we’ve got 2 in school! Evelyn started 1st grade, and John is in Pre-K. He just goes 3 mornings a week, but it’s a great adjustment for him and for me. And he is really enjoying school! The night before his first day, I could tell he was a bit nervous. So Brad and I both prayed with him, and encouraged him, and told him some things to expect. He is usually our most timid kid in new situations.

Well, God certainly answered our prayers for John to be brave and to be excited and to enjoy preschool! On the very first day, as we were driving into the parking lot of his school, he uncharacteristically said, “Can I unbuckle and go in by myself??” Of course, I didn’t let him do that on the first day—how could I??? But when I walked him up to his class door, and said goodbye, he just waved really big and said “Bye, Mommy!” then turned around and walked in. It is wonderful to see him adjusting so well!

Evelyn was excited about starting 1st grade, and enthusiastic about getting the teacher she wanted. I heard her talking on the phone to my mom, and say “I got the teacher I wanted, and I’m so glad, because otherwise I would have been terrified!!!” Now that the second week of school has come to a close, her “butterflies” at morning drop-off have finally subsided. Thankfully, I remember those feelings well from the first few weeks of school. So I was able to encourage her that soon everything would be fine!

Every morning, we pick up one of Evelyn’s friends and take her to school also. And thankfully, so far, our mornings have run quite smoothly. We’ve always managed to leave with plenty of time to spare, which makes for a much less stressful day for everyone!

On the first day, we had so much time that we were able to have a leisurely “photo shoot” before leaving home. Here’s a sampling:

A few days before school started, we took John to get him some new boots, because he had outgrown his other ones. He has worn them every day since—along with his belt! Don’t you love the look of a cute little Texas cowboy in the heat of summer? Good thing shorts have belt loops, just like jeans!

Decisions

Last week we took a little road trip, and hopped on up to Kansas to spend time with Brad’s family. True-- Kansas isn’t usually the hot spot for vacation destinations. But we had such fun! We all came in from different directions to see Great-Grandma and other Kansas relatives, including aunts, uncles and cousins. It was refreshing to see so much of our dear family!!!

 

Recently I read that on average, we make nearly 5,000 decisions per day. That’s just in our waking hours! I know I make lots of decisions in my dreams, too. (In my dreams, I usually possess some sort of super-human abilities, like defying gravity or incredible strength. So naturally, I have a lot of split-second decisions in my dreams-- about who to save, and how to save them!)

So anyway, back to our daytime decisions. Some decisions are no problem—like the decision to drive our family to Kansas to visit relatives. Other decisions aren’t quite so easy, though. For example: We stopped at the Cowboy Plaza truck stop in Oklahoma for a bathroom break on our way back home to Texas. As we pulled in, I noticed a sign that read: “Truckers! Free with the purchase of 150 gallons of gas, you can choose either: a BBQ beef sandwich or a shower.” Hmmm. That’s a tough one!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!

Brad’s mom just celebrated her 68th birthday yesterday. What a wonderful day! God has blessed us, and countless other people, through the life of this wonderful woman! Grandma, we’re all so thankful for you!

So I’ll use this special occasion to post a slew of random recent pictures for the enjoyment of all the grandparents (and anyone else who’s interested)!

Last Day of Kindergarten

Evelyn has been counting down the number of school days left for over a month now! I’m pretty sure they were doing it together as a class. Hearing that number get smaller and smaller was wonderful!!! I’ve been looking forward to having all my chicks together for a long time.

Here she is on her last day of Kindergarten:

 

And in her backpack, she has the clipboard that we made for her teacher. We came up with the design idea together, and then I made it after she went to bed. Here’s a picture:

I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the other gift she made. She said her teacher needed a new pointer, because the star kept falling off the end of the other one. So she came up with the idea and design of a new pointer. It looked just like a fairy wand—a slender wooden stick (painted purple) with a wooden star (painted pink with colored dots) on the end. We glued it together really well so it wouldn’t fall apart as easily as the other one. Evelyn really does a great job of putting a lot of thought and detail into gifts she gives others. I love her sweet, generous heart!

Little Monkey

Samuel is definitely our little monkey! If he’s not climbing something, he’s asleep. At 13 months, he was climbing the ladder of our outdoor playground, and sliding down the slide. Since then, he’s continued to conquer and climb many things: couches, beds, stairs, chairs, tables, and car seats.

A few days ago, he pulled a chair out from the kitchen table, pushed it across the kitchen up to the counter by the sink, and climbed up to see what was up there! He is very confident, which also means that he’s fearless. It’ll be exciting to see what that means as he grows older!

But for now, he’d rather sit on top of a table than on a chair, which is why I often find him in this position, taking snack matters into his own hands (raiding the fruit bowl).

Truman is THREE!!!

Around our house, choosing what kind of birthday cake you want is a big deal! The kids start planning the cake a couple months before their birthday arrives. Now that Truman is a bit older, he followed these footsteps of Evelyn and John. But he oscillated between Mater and a Brontosaurus (remember—“my yongneck!”) until 2 weeks before. I’m glad he landed on the  longneck!

 

Excitement! Love! Hugs! Truman tells Noni and Buddy thank you for his birthday presents. He’s an affectionate boy!

 

I love watching kids blow out their birthday candles! For some reason, this little series of pictures is really fun to me. The effect is a lot better as I rapidly “flip” through pictures on my computer, because it looks like slow-motion action. But you get the idea!

 

Here’s a happy boy, with a tummy full of cake!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Truman! You are such a fun boy! I love your big smile, your big laugh, and your big hugs. You say such funny things, and your creative imagination is spectacular! You are very physical—which is great (when you’re loving on someone!) and painful (when you’re mad at someone!). I’m so glad you let your thoughts and emotions show. And I love that you are quick to repent when you’ve done wrong. Truman, you are such a special part of our family!!!

The Nerve of That Guy!

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,

With several long hours before her flight.

She hunted for a book in the airport shop,

Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,

That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be,

Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,

Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene.

She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,

As the gutsy “cookie thief” diminished her stock.

She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,

Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye!”

With each cookie she took, he took one too.

When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do.

With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,

He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other.

She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother,

This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude.

Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!”

She had never known when she had been so galled,

And sighed with relief when her flight was called.

She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,

Refusing to look back at the “thieving ingrate.”

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,

Then sought her book, which was almost complete.

As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise:

There were her cookies in front of her eyes.

“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,

“Then the others were his and he tried to share!”

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,

That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!

 

Though this poem captures my sometimes indignant attitude at the wrongdoings of others, and my delayed realizations that I could actually be at fault, I didn’t write it. I found this poem in a book I’m reading right now: Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney. (A fantastic book, which I highly recommend!)

Have you been humbled like this before? Have you ever gotten so worked up about the awful things someone did or said, only to realize later that you were at fault, or really didn’t know the whole story?

I seem to be in a period of forgiveness right now. Me forgiving others, and others forgiving me. And there are some hurtful things that I’m experiencing in friendships, but God is continuing to remind me to forgive. Not out of my own strength. Not because it’s “the right thing to do.” Not because I want other people to think that everything is just peachy-good.

But because God, in Christ, has forgiven me. And the worst offenses that anyone ever has or will commit against me couldn’t even come close to my offenses against God!

Sometimes it seems like the easier path to just be “done” with a relationship. Or go into “peachy” mode, making sure appearances are good. And while those options might be easier, they are bad roads to travel. When you choose that path, you choose to harden your heart to God. You’re telling Him, “I don’t want to be like You, don’t want to be transformed into Your image. It’s more important to me to hold this grudge.”

Let me exhort you: choose the path of life! Your life will be richer, fuller, and more joyful when you choose to forgive, as God has forgiven you. Even if the other person doesn’t respond the way you hope they will, God is still at work in your heart. What a great reward… experiencing Him in a deeper way because of the trials He brings you through!

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32

Why Don’t She Write?

I watched Dances With Wolves a lot as a kid. And even though I haven’t seen it in years, some quotes from the movie remain in my head. Like this one:

[Dunbar (Kevin Costner) has found an old skeleton on the prairie, while travelling with the annoying, pickled-egg-eating, gross guide, Timmons.]
Timmons: I'll bet someone back east is going, "Now why don't he write?"

It’s crude, I know. But it’s in my memory!

So I figure that some people are wondering why I don’t write. Here’s your answer:

This is what happens when I don’t do laundry for 2 days. That’s at least 6 loads of laundry littering the floor!

And this morning, I had to dig through that pile to find Evelyn’s one and only pair of jeans. The jeans that needed to be clean for today’s Music Program at school. The jeans that we’ve been keeping clean (by her urgent request) for weeks, so that they’ll be ready when she needs them. Until now, when it really matters. At least they didn’t have any mud or dried food on them. I sprayed them with Febreeze, and handed them to her to get dressed. That is so disgusting! (Don’t you dare tell her they were dirty!!!)

Of course, that’s not my only reason for these long stretches of time between my blog posts. The kids and I have been going on great adventures of our imagination, reading books, playing outside, making crafts and messes all over the place.

Evelyn has learned to ride a bike without training wheels… I need a picture of that! John has graduated up from a tricycle to a bike with training wheels. I need a picture of that, too!

And our favorite recent event: last weekend, Brad’s parents came down from Michigan for a short visit. It’s always great to have them here! We love you, Grandma and Grandpa!!!

{John rarely has a normal expression in pictures! The boy cracks me up!!!}

Ilex Vomitoria

Is anyone out there current in your Latin studies? I know those Burgess kids are! Ready to tell me what this is?

Ilex Vomitoria.

I know it as the tree-shrub outside my front door. And also as Yaupon Holly.

Isn’t it pretty? Don’t those berries look good for eating? Well, Samuel sure thinks so… the kid still puts everything into his mouth that will possibly fit in there!!!

If only he knew the Latin name for this shrub. I think the Vomitoria part of it would keep him away! Thankfully, he did not vomitoria after snacking on these this morning. But I was certainly watching him closely the rest of the day, looking for weird side-effects.

We found out some pretty interesting history on this shrub today, as we were checking out how poisonous it is. The Native American Indians roasted the leaves and bark, which contain caffeine, and made a black drink out of them. (Now that I know this, I won’t have to spend so much money on coffee  at the store! We’ve got our own caffeine source right outside the front door!)

Not only did the Indians use Ilex Vomitoria to get their morning off to the right start, but also to induce vomiting, calm nerves, cause hallucinogenic effects, and treat nightmares and sore eyes.

Good news to you Texans: You, too, can have a plant with such amazing medicinal purposes growing in your very own yard! Yaupon Holly is native to our area. So you can go to your local nursery and pick one up today!

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

This is the story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den, as told by John Bradley Smucker (age 4):

“Daniel loved God and he prayed to God every morning and every day. And some mean men came and they told him ‘Don’t pray to God! Only pray to the king!’ But Daniel did not pray to the king; he only prayed to God. And that made the mean men mad. And so they went and they captured him and they threw him into the dandelions! But an angel came there, too, and the angel closed the lions’ mouths, and they didn’t even get to eat one single bite of Daniel. And then Daniel got out of there.”

10 Valentines

Yesterday, on Valentine’s Day of 2011, Brad and I celebrated 10 years of knowing each other.

We can both remember that day quite well. Some parts are vivid in my memory. Some things seem hazy and disconnected, like they must be someone else’s memories.

Before I met Brad, my whole family had already met him. Two of his roommates, Jeff and George, were friends of my family. These guys all lived in an enormous, disgusting, oddly shaped house that seemed to go on and on. I don’t even know how many guys lived there. The rent was cheap, and the rats didn’t mind sharing space with them!

Like I said, Brad had met my entire family before I ever even heard of him. One day, sometime in November or December of 2000, Brad and his roommates and some other friends went to my parents’ house to go coyote hunting. The next day, I got a call from my Mom: “Jenny, I’ve met the perfect guy for you!”

Me: “I’m not interested. If he’s a roommate of Jeff’s, I don’t want to meet him. There’s no way I would be interested in him!” End of discussion, I thought.

So a few months passed by, and I still heard his name mentioned from time to time. And I secretly enjoyed hearing things about him! He was a chemist, which is, of course, mysterious. So I knew he was super smart. And apparently, he also had some common sense. He helped my Dad hook up lights on a boat trailer that night they came over to hunt coyotes. And then there’s the 2-string guitar. He made music on that old, dilapidated thing!

Fast forward a few months. It’s Valentine’s Day, 2001. Jeff called me, lamenting the sad fact that he had no girlfriend to make him cookies or treats on Valentine’s. I had no patience for such whining, and told Jeff to quit his complaining… I’d make some cookies for him! So I whipped up some chocolate chip cookies, and took them over to Jeff in a gallon-size ziploc bag.

There was a part of me that kind of hoped Brad would be there, so I could finally meet the guy that was supposedly “perfect” for me! But every other time I had gone to their house, he was wasn’t there… always working at the lab.

Well, this night was different. He was there. My heart pounded, and I tried to remain calm. We engaged in some small talk, along with the others in the room. But all I remember is him.

Him and his persistent, annoying questions about my graduate studies. I was getting my Master’s Degree in Public Health at the time, and I had no idea what I would do with that degree once I graduated. I was frustrated about the unknowns in my life, and I had no desire to talk about them! But Mr. Inquisitive tried multiple different angles, and every time it aggravated me more. I kept telling him I didn’t want to talk about it, but he would try again. By the time I left that night, I was beyond-a-doubt POSITIVE that Brad was NOT the man for me!! I was NOT impressed!

Note: Brad was not impressed with me, either! He didn’t like the way I refused to answer his questions about grad school and job options! If you know Brad, you know that he’s interested in people, and interested in learning. I was refusing him both of those things that night!

Obviously, God had some work to do in both of us before we would be ready for each other. Over the next ten months, we would see each other occasionally, and we started to form a very slight acquaintance-ship (yeah, I don’t even think it was a friendship!). Faith and Jeff did some scheming, dropping subtle suggestions and hints and thoughts into our minds.

Then, ten months after first meeting on Valentine’s Day, we had our first date. And by the time I left that wonderful, long, marathon date, I was pretty much beyond-a-doubt POSITIVE that Brad WAS the man for me! Less than 9 months later, we were married.

I love being married to Brad! We have fun looking back and laughing about our first impressions of each other on Valentine’s Day!

My Soup Kitchen

We’ve had such cold weather here the past few weeks! Last week, 4 days of school were cancelled because of the icy roads. And this week, 2 days were cancelled. So the kids and I have spent lots of time indoors, with short bursts of time out in the cold.

This cold weather makes me want to eat soup. All day! So I’ve made soup fairly frequently, I suppose. (Though not as often as I’d like!) What could be better than soup? It really is a perfect meal! Delicious. Cost-effective. Warm. Who wouldn’t like all of that?

Maybe Truman. Yesterday, as I was preparing dinner, he came in the kitchen and asked, “Mommy, what is this food called?”

“Chicken enchiladas.”

“Oh. Does it have soup in it?”

“No, no soup is in chicken enchiladas.”

“Oh! Yipppeeee! Yaaayy! I don’t yike that soup!!”

Well, for those of you who agree with me, and not with Truman, I want to share a couple of my favorite soup recipes with you…

Tuscan Soup (this recipe is like Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana”, but much better in my opinion!)

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 5 links spicy Italian sausage
• 4-5 large potatoes, cubed
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and chopped
• 1 can evaporated milk
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Remove skin from sausage and crumble into large pot or Dutch oven. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, and cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
2. Add stock and potatoes. Boil until potatoes are cooked.
3. Add spinach. Continue boiling until spinach is lightly cooked.
4. Remove soup from heat, stir in evaporated milk, and season to taste.

Winter Lentil Soup (From Real Simple— this is my favorite healthy soup! It’s so colorful and delicious!)

Hands-on time: 20-30 minutes/ Total time: ~1 hour/ Makes 6 servings

• 4 leeks, white and green parts only (or use onions)
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 6 cups water
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
• ½ cup brown lentils
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 12 fresh basil leaves (optional)
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice each leek in half lengthwise, then slice each half into ¼-inch-thick half-moons (about 2 cups). Place in a large bowl of cold water and swish to remove any grit. Drain and pat dry.
2. Remove the stems and wash kale. Stack the leaves on top of one another and slice them crosswise into ½-inch-wide strips; you’ll need 3 cups.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook, breaking them up with a spoon, for 5 minutes.
5. Add the water and vinegar; bring to a boil. Stir in the kale, sweet potatoes, lentils, thyme, salt, pepper and basil (if using). Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes.
6. Spoon into individual bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Stuffin’ It In

Samuel turned one last Monday, so we went for a little family trip. What could be better than tracking some dinosaurs?!?

Here’s Truman and his favorite dinosaur. “My yong neck! It’s my yong neck!!”

And below, John, Evelyn and Samuel check out the big T-Rex. Both of these dinos were created for The World’s Fair in the 1960’s, and now they reside at Dinosaur Valley State Park.

We hiked around a river, too, and saw some real fossilized dinosaur footprints. Here’s Brad with our little crew:

That night at the hotel, the yuckies hit our family (in a bad way!), and we spent the remainder of the week trying to get over stomach bugs and head colds.

Last night, we were finally all well enough to finish celebrating Samuel’s birthday… with cake, of course!

Happy 1st Birthday to Samuel! Looking at the pictures, can you tell that he liked his cake? :) He loved it, but it took him a while to accept the feeling of the icing on his fingers. He definitely wanted no part in “diving in” to his cake! Even after Brad let him have a little lick of icing, he wouldn’t touch the cake. But once we cut him a small piece and put it on his tray, he stuffed it in!

 

Our good friends, the Dells, came to celebrate with us. After dinner and cake, Samuel opened a couple gifts. As most kids his age do, he really liked the wrapping paper and boxes! I think that’s one of the best parts about giving gifts to a 1-year old. They don’t know that the thing inside is the gift!!

Of course, if I had given him his most-wanted gift, he would have been so happy, and played with it exclusively!  But I didn’t get it for him. He’s hinted at it in every way that he can, almost daily. But I resisted. It’s for his own good! He doesn’t know what could happen, if I gave him that gift. I’m standing firm! This 1-year old has no business having his very own collection of sharpened pencils! I’ve come to this conclusion through observing him, almost daily, walking around holding one of Evelyn’s sharpened pencils—sharp side up! There seems to be an unending supply of sharp pencils in our house, and even though I think I’ve put them away from his reach, he somehow finds another one. So, as you can see, there’s no way I was going to give him what he really, truly wanted for his birthday. I think it’s better that way!