Z-Dog

In honor of Zekers' birthday, I've put up a few snapshots to give you a glimpse into the craziness that is our Mr. Beef. Most of them do not have captions because the photos pretty much speak for themselves. . . .





He finally got the webkinz crocodile and tiger he's been salivating over for the past 6 months. He promptly named them "Frocodile" and "Jungle jim".

A Doggone Good Time

About a year after birth of our fourth child, we decided to do away with "friend" birthday parties until the 5th birthday, and then go every other year from there. I guess Kari Bou and Mr. Moo get the short end of that stick, as both Rach and Zekers got birthday parties at age 4. I really enjoy having their friends over and doing "theme" parties, but 4 each year was seeming like a bit much.



We have been counting down the days until Zekers' 5th birthday (the 27th) for the last 40 days. I have never seen a child so excited about . .. anything! And for the past several months, he's asked to have a sleepover, of all things. I tried to persuade him Chuck E. Cheese's would be much more fun, to no avail. He's had his little heart set on a dog-themed sleepover. And I know it - I'm a total sucker when it comes to my baby boys!

Danny and I used this as an opportunity to instruct Zekers on how to be a good host -making sure everyone was included, sharing his stuff, being grateful for his gifts, etc. He was such a hoot: he insisted on personally coloring everyone a picture of a dog to include with the invitation we printed off; the day before the party he asked if we could clean up the basement in preparation for the party; he helped decorate the cake; and he drove us absolutely NUTS the day of the party, asking about every 20 minutes how much time until the party started.




He had 3 friends over for hot dogs, puppy chow, Scooby treats, and Space Buddies. They ate cake and ice cream out of real dog dishes and had fun running around the house yelling. What a difference between this and Rachel's princess party a few years ago! It was quite the entertaining evening. They "camped out" in the basement, in a tent Danny created out of old bedsheets, and everyone was asleep by 11. Not bad.

At this point, I absolutely must give a shout-out to Danny, who should be nominated for "Husband of the Year." He gave up an evening of watching basketball with a bunch of friends to help me out with a bunch of kiddos. Not only that, he helped all day Friday - running errands, helping with cleaning and laundry and dishes and muchkin control. I call that a good husband and Daddy!

The next morning, Rachel, Karis and I left at 8 and drove to Troy Christian School for her first ever Sparks-O-Rama competition. She's been practicing for weeks with her Sparks team, and had a blast at the actual event. I can't really even describe the different games they participate in - you just have to be there! It's not overly-competitive for this age group (K - 2nd), but their team did end up winning 2nd place (out of 3 teams - they had a group of 4 teams and a group of 3 teams competing against each other), so they were all thrilled.

Afterward, the three of us girls ate lunch at Taco Bell and then, for a special treat, we split a scoop of frozen custard (with sprinkles!) at Culvers. Good times.

Over all, it was an enjoyable weekend - especially the nap I took after we got home from Sparks-O-Rama!


Waiting for the games to begin


The "Sparky Crawl"


Proud as punch

WOO HOO!!

We are loving these warmer days. Even though our thermostat is set at 65, I've been flinging windows open to let fresh 60-degree (or less!) air in to the house. Yesterday the kiddos and I spent the better part of the day outside. We walked to the library, where we stayed just long enough to check out an armful of books and try to keep Malachi from sabotaging all the computers. We played in the backyard. We ate pb&j outside at the little picnic table. And last night, we officially took our first Wright Family Bike Ride of the season (Malachi is now old enough to sit in the trailer without falling over and getting burns on his neck from the shoulder straps). So . . . bring on the flip-flops!


Danny rigged up this ride for the boys when they went to get Rachel from the bus stop Friday. Genius!


Ready to go!


Malachi enjoys chillin' in the trailer.


He also thinks he's a little older than he actually is! One of his favorite things to do is to hang out on the tricycle or swing in one of the "big kid" swings.


Gettin' some sun

Pure Delight

Our little kiddos have been a lot of fun lately . . . How did we ever entertain ourselves before they came along??

Rachel and Danny attended their first Daddy-Daughter dance last Sunday - a school fundraiser held at a local banquet hall. When they got back they both had a glow about them: Rachel's was the glow of pure delight at being able to go on a date with her Daddy; Danny's was basically sweat-induced, but he did say he had a lot of fun with Rach.



Malachi enjoys "helping" around the house. He sweeps the kitchen floor, although this isn't as much about eliminating dirt as relocating it. He slam-dunks his dirty diapers into the trash can (after kissing and hugging them for a while). He almost always closes the dishwasher for me - as I'm trying to put dishes into it.

And lately he likes to help put clothes into the dryer. The problem is, it's always the load I've just removed! He puts the clean, dry clothes in at the same time I'm putting wet ones in, and then gets a big self-congratulatory grin on his face. Once he's placed several items into the dryer, he shuts the door and then likes to "talk" to me about his accomplishment. What is there to do but enjoy this moment of complete silliness?





There have been some pretty sweet times lately, when I suddenly realize it's been quiet for several minutes, the reason being that the kiddos are ALL playing nicely together!! I even let Malachi sit on the table for a good 20 minutes (something I'm usually pretty strict about) simply because they were all having such a good time playing with Polly Pocket dolls and NOT fighting!



And I finally found something I love about this time of year: CLEARANCE SALES!!

Memory Lane

Hooo Boy . . . . This Facebook thing is a riot. Old pictures (from the '80's no less!) popping up everywhere - most not-so-flattering! Anyway, I haven't seen or thought about this picture in YEARS, until a friend from this group posted it in an album. And if you haven't already seen the lovely pic of jr-high-era Danny, be sure to check it out via the link on his blog (Exalting Grace) . . .


(copied from Mick Audette's Facebook album)

My Canticle Divine

May the Name of the Lord be praised. ( Job 1:21)


God allowed me to sing this hymn over the weekend in an old, old church at the memorial service for a friend's brother. I cannot tell you how these words have impacted me today, as I've sung the first verse over and over; read and re-read the words of the other 14 stanzas online.

I've typed out (well . . . copied and pasted!) the verses which held special meaning for me; maybe they'll lift your heart as well. As I was singing, Psalm 103 came to mind: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" The next 5 chapters as well contain many, many verses of praise, blessing and thanks to the Lord.

(If you like to sing or listen to hymns, this site contains the written words and the background piano music to go with them.)

When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When you begin the day, O never fail to say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
And at your work rejoice, to sing with heart and voice,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Does sadness fill my mind? A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss? My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this at meals your grace, in every time and place;
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, when day is past, of all your thoughts the last:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When sleep her balm denies, my silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When evil thoughts molest, with this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

The night becomes as day when from the heart we say:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear when this sweet chant they hear:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

In Heav’n’s eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let earth, and sea and sky from depth to height reply,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing this eternal song through all the ages long:
May Jesus Christ be praised!