It’s interesting to think about how our brains process the passage of time—how time seems to speed up with each passing year, and how some spans of time seem disproportionately short while others are seemingly endless. I’ve read that doing new and novel activities can shake up our neural circuits, giving the perception that time is moving more slowly, which explains why a jam-packed month like the one I just had felt both fast (because I was almost too busy to register that we were in the month of May) AND slow (because we were doing lots of new and different things that my mind had to slow down to enjoy). I’m glad for this chance to step back and reflect on my month before launching into another (albeit less event-heavy) one.
|| READING LATELY ||
We had a busy month so I read far less than usual, but managed to fit in a good mix of books. The kids and I enjoyed this humorous but thought-provoking story and this heartwarming one. On my own I read one much-lauded book that wasn’t for me as well as three fantastic newer releases including the latest from a favorite author (beautiful), a sweet second-chance story, and an incredible family saga (that I could hardly believe was a debut!)—all three complete tearjerkers, and with some surprising overlapping themes (that unfortunately would be too spoiler-y to discuss).
In nonfiction, I listened to this book on a hot-button issue and this intriguing take on communication. And fitting with my one-word theme for the year, I read this parenting book on how to apply shepherding in our family life. I’ll have reviews of each title in a quick lit post next week!
|| LISTENING LATELY ||
A few podcasts that informed and inspired this month.
The Natasha Crain Podcast—53. Most Christians Don’t Understand Christianity, with Dr. George Barna
THINQ—The Masculinity Crisis: Jefferson Bethke | Episode 333
|| MONTHLY KID-ISMS ||
Fun things my kids have been saying.
CHARLIE-ISMS:
+ Charleston was looking sad one evening and I asked what was wrong. “Well, there is no death in Heaven, right? So that means there won’t be pepperoni. Or salami!”
+ Referencing Nico who was breathing heavily: “It sounds like he has IBS. That’s the thing when you need an inhaler, right?”
+ “I was just thinking, if all those thriller books were true, not a minute would go by without the world almost ending.”
+ After a conversation about modern conveniences: “People these days are really lazy. . . It’s kinda nice.”
+ “You know how sometimes people put quotes in a magazine? Mine would be, When you come across a problem, stop thinking of it as a problem and start thinking of it as a puzzle.“
+ “I’m glad Daddy came to camp. Without him there I would have felt like Harry Potter when Dumbledore was gone.”
SULLY-ISMS:
+ Enthusiastically, about the Mexican lasagna my mom had served while we were staying at their house: “This tastes a lot better than it looks!”
+ Charlie to Kali and Sully, trying to explain gun laws: “It’s kind of a big kid thing. It will make a little more sense when you’re older.” Sully: “Yeah, Kali, it kind of doesn’t even make sense to me.”
+ “I want four kids. I want one to be zero, one to be five, one to be ten, and one to be fifteen.”
+ When he asked if he could buy anything with the $1.25 in his wallet and I said he might be able to buy an ice cream cone. “You could get a cone, okay. But not the ice cream part, right?”
KALI-ISMS:
+ In the days leading up to camp, she told my dad: “This weekend Forest Home is my castle. Everywhere I go is my castle.”
+ Overheard in the back seat on our drive home from California: “Oh my goodness, I had the biggest wish. I wished that I could have a great, great time at Forest home. And it came true!”
+ When the librarian asked what kids in the group could do to keep their bodies healthy, Kali raised her hand and answered: “Eat cheese!”
+ Talking about various types of meat sources. Me: “And do you know what type of meat hamburger is?” Kali, confidently: “People!”
|| HAPPENINGS & HIGHLIGHTS ||
We wrapped up our fifth year of homeschooling! At the start of the year, I was nervous about what was ahead for us. It was our first year of doing any formal work with the twins, plus we were adding a baby into the mix. But it ended up being my favorite year of schooling yet! It wasn’t easy, and there’s no way we could have done it without Luke’s support (he spent many work meetings wearing Nico while I did lessons with the other kids), but I am so grateful for this opportunity to be teaching my kids—choosing what we study, seeing them grasp new concepts (and knowing I didn’t miss a minute of their learning), and spending our days together as a family. The kids all made amazing progress this year. The twins mastered their letters and sounds and are well on their way to becoming fluent readers. Charleston is working above grade level in every subject and is great at self-monitoring; he did well in his first year of studying Latin (though it was more fun for me than him TBH), and he’s an especially talented creative writer. Highlights for our family included memorizing more than thirty Bible verses, working through Biblical World View curriculum (in-depth Bible study skills for Charleston and God’s design for relationships and sexuality for the twins), exploring the Middle Ages (history) and the solar system (science), memorizing the full Night Before Christmas poem in December, and reading fifteen novels (you’ve seen all of our reviews in monthly Quick Lit posts!). We’re (mostly) taking a break for the summer but I’m already getting excited for all that’s ahead for our little home school this coming fall. What a blessing it is to get to be my kids’ primary teacher, in life AND in school.
Charleston got to be part of the play through his weekly extracurricular program. He chose to be part of the production team which involved helping backstage and designing props (including the image that was on the main screen throughout the performance). He also had a small nonspeaking role as a playing card. He did a great job and I was so proud of him when his teacher reached out to me a few weeks later letting me now how much she appreciated his positive attitude during rehearsals and the hard work he put into helping the play to be a success. He is such a talented kiddo and I appreciated her letting him be involved in his own unique ways.
This Mother’s Day was my first as a mom to four, which made it extra special. Every day with my kiddos is a blessing, but the kids and Luke made sure I was extra spoiled with homemade cards, flowers, decorations, and a lovely new charm bracelet. On Mother’s Day morning we went to church in the morning, and that afternoon we hosted Luke’s mom and sister. I got to feed people (which is something I enjoy doing), the kids had fun playing in the yard (on our newly reassembled backyard playground!), and we got to catch up with my in-laws after their three weeks out of town.
We kicked off our summer with nearly two weeks in California. We’ve made this trip at least a dozen times, but this was our first time traveling a long distance with four kids so we chose to take our truck rather than the van, which gave us more space for all of our gear but less space for spreading out on the 20+ hour drive. The kids did great with the drive: thankfully Nico slept through a lot of it, and the twins enjoyed movies on an ipad—road trips are the one time when we allow lots of movie time, and they make the most of it! Charleston sat up front with Luke and me, and though we were squished, it was fun to have this extra time with him and the three of us were able to have some good talks. We spread our drive over three days, spending the first night in West Texas and the second night at Kohl’s Ranch, located in the most beautiful spot in Arizona. We had plenty of time to enjoy our cabin and explore the resort. And Nico turned nine months (and also crossed the 39-week milestone, which is how long I was pregnant with him) while we were there!
We had five days in Huntington Beach with my parents, who live right on the water. We had a wonderful time hanging out at their house, exploring local parks, going to the pool, and making s’mores, and the kids crashed hard each night.
A highlight of the week was taking my parents’ electric boat across the harbor to a remote beach to walk and hunt for shells. The kids walked nearly two miles along the beach (I baby wore and learned what a workout sand-walking with a baby can be!) and we found tons of gorgeous shells, including six complete sand dollars!
While we were staying with my parents, we also got to visit Luke’s maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather and introduce them to Nico. And my aunt and uncle came over one day for lunch, it was great to catch up with them and meet their adorable dog, Molly.
We ended our time in California with family camp at Forest Home, which is a camp my family has been attending since I was Charleston’s age. It’s one of my favorite places and I love that a whole new generation of our family is getting to create special memories in this amazing place. We stayed in a large cabin/house with my parents, my brother and his wife Yessi, and Yessi’s three nieces who are 5, 6, and 10. This was the girls’ first camp experience and it was fun for all of the cousins to get to know each other up in the mountains.
Family Camp is always wonderful, and this year was no exception. We ate delicious meals (three cheers for a separate kids’ table this year!), hiked, did crafts, hunted wooden nickels and acorns, went on ropes courses, and went on a high swing (the twins were SO brave to do this scary adventure, and even though there were tears involved [them] and lots of anxiety on my part [I don’t tend to be an anxious mom, but high spaces are one of my maternal kryptonites], we did it and are so glad that we conquered our fears!).
Family camp is a lot like visiting an all-inclusive resort, but with Jesus added in. We had morning and evening church sessions for the parents, and the kids had their own spiritual activities as well as adventures with kids in their age group (including miniature golf, fishing, paint ball, and ropes courses). And in the evening, teen babysitters (called Child Care Assistants, or CCAs) came to our cabin to hang out with the kids while the adults had free time. Two of our CCAs were the same as last year, and my mama heart swelled with pride at hearing they requested to be with our family and that our kids were the most polite they’ve ever met. Our kids were pretty obsessed with their CCAs and even said they were their favorite part of camp.
Luke and I were able to trade baby-wearing duties throughout the weekend, and Nico did well, napping on the go and enjoying the outdoors. And he hit some pretty huge milestones at camp: while there, he started doing quite a bit more self feeding, and it was nice to have plenty of variety to offer him. He also had his first real drop-off experience at the babysitting room both mornings. I for sure cried, but he did well and even napped one morning on his own (which he NEVER does at home). I haven’t attended church without wearing a baby since last August, and appreciated the opportunity to worship without distraction—especially since our worship leader and speaking pastor were amazing.
We weren’t totally sure family camp would happen for us this year, between the long-distance traveling with a baby for us and a busy weekend for Austin and Yessi (she had her grad school graduation in San Jose the day before camp started, and he was celebrating his 35th birthday over the weekend), but I think we are all glad that we were able to be together for this special time in our favorite place.
We made it back from California in two days, returning just in time for Charleston to leave again for 5th grade church camp! He’s been so excited for this camp and worked hard to raise the money to pay his own way. This would have been Charleston’s first time away from home apart from us, and he would have been totally fine but I was pretty nervous about him being away, so I was grateful that Luke was able to go as a counselor.
It sounds like they had a really amazing four days hanging out at the lake and pool, doing obstacle courses and playing games, and of course learning about Jesus. Luke was the unofficial camp photographer and kept the parents’ group chat flooded with pics (how did my parents ever send me off to camp without having a steady stream of proof of life?!) They just got back yesterday afternoon and it is SO GOOD to have them home!
|| ICYMI: MAY ON THE BLOG ||
LIFE & REFLECTIONS
Bottle it Up “This is it, I thought. This is a moment I will remember in years to come, when my kids have grown and I want to recall what life was like with four littles.“
What I Learned This Spring About Bookshelves, Silliness, Parenting Opportunities, and Doing Hard Things “I’m certain I will face many parenting challenges that do not offer these blessings in disguise, but knowing the potential for hard moments to bring about great blessings has me less fearful of future challenges that will inevitably arise as I continue on my mothering journey.“
Nickelson Ryan || Nine Months Old
BOOK CORNER
Bookish Considerations: Let’s Talk Book Series
JUST FOR FUN
Vacate et scire (“be still and know”) and 28 Other Notable Latin Phrases
I feel like our family packed all of our summer adventures into the first couple weeks of the season! I’m looking forward to a slower pace in June. How about you? What were your May highlights, and what’s ahead for you in the coming month?