Easter Morning

Easter morning at our house is fairly low-key.  We celebrate the resurrection of Christ with very simple Easter baskets and family time together before we head to church.  We love to honor this day, but don't want it to be, well, all about the candy.  Each girl gets a few pieces of "healthy" candy (panda licorice, fruit leather) and a gift.  This year Joel helped me to make play dough...scents, sparkles and all!  Each little lady got 4 glass jars containing different colors, with pictures they had drawn cut out, glittered, and glued to the lids for a personal touch! (I could personally play with the lemon scented sparkly yellow for hours.)  We love this play dough..and the best part is that when it someday dries out, we can just cook up some more!

Motherhood Moments

 

I had a moment today that I completely attribute to motherhood, regardless of the fact that my children were barely involved.  I stood in the shower, fairly uninterrupted (the girls had all been in, but only one time each)  enjoying the relative silence.  The warm water felt lovely, so I decided to let the chlorine seep in through my pores for a few extra moments (after all, what is a little artherosclerosis in exchange for some peace and quiet.....some time with my actual thoughts?) and simply enjoy it.  I'd think lofty thoughts and actually finish them...something I remember doing once upon a time.  Then I began to realize that the two main items running through my head were: 1.  "Did I shave my armpits?  I can't remember if I shaved my armpits.  Let's see...I washed my, face, my hair, conditioned, shaved my legs....I just can't recall if I shaved my armpits."  It took me probably 5 minutes of being distracted by this thought off and on to think to check my armpits.  (Verdict: I had indeed not shaved.) and  2. The Disney song I believe to be entitled "Kill the Beast" (Through the mist, through the woods, through the darkness and the shadows, it's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride.....Say a prayer, then you're there....).  Now, I admit that this week I am exceptionally tired.  I admit that my mother must be right, and placenta is made up primarily of brain cells (hence the inevitable airheadedness that accompanies pregnancy).  But I also have to tell you that no amount of lofty thoughts could ever compete with coming out to find my children playing their own version of freeze tag (Somewhat like hide and seek, but instead the hiders "freeze" like a statue somewhere in the house and whoever is "it" has to decide if you are indeed a statue or really a person.  Haha.) and all, upon seeing me, drop what they are doing, yell "MAMA!" and run to throw their arms around me as if I had been gone 20 days instead of 20 minutes.  I may have time to complete a thought soon enough, but I have a pretty good feeling that said thought will involve missing the good ol' days when my children were young, everything was new through their eyes, and I couldn't finish a thought.

Fire Station Frenzy

Our field trip last week was touring a working fire station in Vancouver.  Everyone got to explore the ins and outs of a working fire truck and take a turn "driving" both the front and the back.  We learned the difference between a fire truck and a fire engine (an engine carries water, a truck does not.) and saw many "souvenirs" from past rescues.  We got to see how the firemen live at the station (Elora really liked the recliners), where they hang out, cook, exercise and sleep! The gracious firemen answered many, many questions and, as a very special treat, took the ladder truck to the parking lot out back and extended it to the maximum height.  (Wow!)  Seleia's friend Dani was there, so they got to have a lot of fun together.  Amarra was shy and would not let go of me at first, but warmed up as soon as they let them start climbing around in the fire truck.  Elora was one of a few that got to try on some fireman gear, and giggled the entire time she was walking around in it.  (She later told me, laughing, "When I had that stuff on, I was fat!!")  We love Home Schooling!

Seleia's Sewing

Seleia has taken up sewing lately.  All of my fabric scraps head to her "sewing basket" (a shoe box.  I'll have to remedy that.) to join her own personal needles and thread.  From there they become lovely outfits for the likes of Ariel, Snow White and Cinderella.  Here are two of  her designs!

I Pity The Fool!

                                     'Nuff said.

Easter Eggs

Every Easter weekend we, among countless others, color and decorate Easter eggs.  I love the symbol of new life and rebirth to illustrate Christ rising from the dead and the tomb left empty.  (Joel loves all of the deviled eggs he gets with Easter dinner.)  This year was no exception and the girls had a wonderful time!

Sleeeping Beauty

Here she is....Miss Elora Kay, sleeping soundly on her very last night as a five year old.

Spring at the Zoo!

 

Well, We hadn't been to the zoo in just over *gasp* a month, so last weekend we (along with the rest of the Portland Metro Area) packed a picnic and headed off for adventure.  It as the first time we'd been there with the Zoo Train was running again after winter, so we hopped on the caboose and enjoyed a lovely ride! (Seleia and Elora felt quite grown up with a seat to themselves.)  The girls got animal stamps galore, got to play in a little bit of water, and used their zoo keys at every opportunity.  (Elora carried her purse through the zoo all day and kept her zoo map out...consulting it at every exhibit to make sure she knew exactly where we were on the map.  Maps and Calendars have been quite the obsession lately.  A good gift idea for her: Portland area Thomas Guide.)  Amarra strutted her stuff in a pair of my shades since her sunglasses were temporarily MIA.  Seleia made about 50 new friends.  After a few hours of animals we headed down into Washington Park for a picnic and some time at the playground. (The only playground I know that even beats the ones in Central Park.  We were jipped as kids...wood, metal, and bark dust.  Ha!)   I quite officially am ready for SUMMER!  The sunny trip to the zoo did it.  Bring on the sun!

Ten Grands Concert

Today we had the pleasure of attending what Seleia enthusiastically called, "my favorite concert so far ever!!" at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland (the same venue we saw the symphony at 2 weeks ago).  Ten brilliant pianists, from age 13 to adult, on 10 grand pianos.  Ensemble pieces, solos, duets and medleys of all genres combined to make a show that we all enjoyed thoroughly.  Seleia liked the entire group playing the Charlie Brown theme song, Elora's favorite was Beethoven and Amarra's favorite?  "All of them!" (I think Joel liked a very boogie-woogie duet of The Chatanooga Choo Choo, and I was partial to a medley of Scott Joplin ragtime melodies, including but not limited to, The Entertainer played by four pianists on 2 pianos.)  Near the end, a 14 year old pianist with a beautiful voice sang (accompanied by piano, of course) Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and during the chorus I found myself welling up as I sat with my wonderful husband on my left, Amarra on my lap with her arms back around me, Elora on my right holding my hand and Seleia on her right with her hand on my arm....feeling overwhelmingly grateful for the myriad of ways in which God has blessed my life.  Granted, I'm a bit emotional these days, but I wouldn't have traded that moment for anything.

Ahhhhhhhhh Imagination!

I do have to admit, there really is never is much of a dull moment at the Juhala house.  Occasionally the gypsies take over.  Bring back memories, Mar?

Baby Update!

We got to see our little peanut dance around for us yesterday in a very fun ultrasound.  The girls all got to see the baby and the heartbeat, and then see little models of what size the baby is right now (a mere couple of inches!) and were verrrry excited.  And I am due....much to Heather's amusement.....October 31st.  It brought back vivid memories of my dad telling Mom to cross her legs when she was very due with my brother Mac, who to Dad's relief was born the morning of November 1st.  I, however, plan on having this baby early!!!!!!!!!  (At which I'm sure God is laughing right now.)  Main point:  Healthy baby!  Heartbeat of 167, 2 arms, 2 legs, and absolutely perfect.