A Clever Disguise

The birthday week came this year and like every year, we begged the question...  "What do we get these girls??"  

What do we get that they will not think is awesome for five seconds and then move on and that will last a while?  "American Girl" Dolls!!!!  

Skyla saved up for hers over the summer and loves every precious moment with her Claire.  But, the twins and Journey do not get an allowance or have the funds that that girl has been able to rack up.  Plus, honestly, do I think my five year old's and three year old need a $100 doll???  Ummm, NO!

Target has a great alternative.  The "My Generation"  dolls are the same size, have the same look and, besides the hair, I can not find a single difference on them.  The Genuine AG dolls just have hair that is easier to brush and manipulate, but we are getting along just fine.

I had the girls look through the new AG catalog the night before my purchase to see what each of them liked and hit target in the morning.  The loaded two carts I had was enough to get some looks in the store until I cried out, "I have three daughters birthdays in the next two days!" and then they understood.  It all came to a small fortune, but not nearly what it would have been had we gone with the name brand.

The twins have a birthday the day before my youngest and when they opened their packages they lit up!!!  They were SO excited to have "American Girl" dolls!!!  Do I need to correct them?  Do I need to have them think theirs are inferior in any way?  I don't think so.  We will just let them go on enjoying their dolls.

We have "Rose"

and "Mirabella"

It was torture for Journey to NOT have a doll and it was torture for us not to give it to her until the next day when her sisters were carting around theirs all night and day.  When we brought down Journey's packages after daddy came home, she bellowed "NOW, do I get my American Girl Doll?"  Wow, am I glad we got her a doll as well.  I am pretty sure there would have been a titanic sized melt down.  But, instead we had happy...

and "Holly"

Now, there are pajama parties, clothes swaps and all sorts of adventures in our house with these four, I mean eight, little girls.

Oh the fun!!!

The Three C's

A good small town parade rounds out any good weekend.  After a crazy Friday and Saturday this past weekend we headed down to Martinsville IN to visit grandparents, celebrate MORE birthdays and see the Fall Foliage Festival Parade.

If you mention Cousins  Candy and Cake you have the kids hooked.  No question.  The eager monkeys flew from the car and into the house.  It is always fun to see them play with their cousins and watch as they have grown.  The "big girls" sometimes do their own thing.  The 4-5 year old's hang out together and Journey just goes with whoever is around her because she thinks she is the oldest in the bunch.

Can't help but wonder what this picture will look like in five and ten years.  Oh, the years we have ahead.  Good thing my brother in law is IMPD... could come in handy!

We headed to the parade and during the long lulls between entertainment the girls would wrestle their Papaw.  He was loving being smothered by all those tiny hands.  

It was a fun time for all.  After the road trip home, showers for all we had approximately 10 minutes to spare before we had guests coming over for life group that night.  We were exhausted.  I don't even think exhausted is the right word.  I think sleep walking was more of our state.  But, it was a beautiful night of giving praise, hope, reflecting on relationships we all have with one another and building each other up.  It was a beautiful way to round out a chaotic and fantastic weekend.  

This past week was filled with a lot more cake as we celebrated actual birthdays with mine on Monday  the twins on Wednesday and Journey on Thursday.  This is always a memorable week every year and this was no exception.  

Thank you to all of those that celebrated with us, helped us, thought of us, read about us and were just there with us.  You all mean so much to me and my family.

Now I have to get used to saying I have a 7,5,5 and 3 year old!  Crazy how the years pass us by so quick, but the days can seem like a lifetime sometimes.

Triple Princess Birthday Bash

 

This is such a crazy time every year.  Four birthdays within four days of each other.  It is cake and ice cream coma for a week that, needless to say, strays from the normal quite a bit.  This Princess Bash kicked it all off this year.

Lana banana was all about the big Barbie cake, while Journey stuck with her favorite, Ariel.  Trinity chose Rapunzel this year, probably because she thinks she is growing out her hair to be that long in the near future. I couldn't deny them the fun of picking out there cake.  The result?  Days and days of cake eating!!!!  ugh...  I will grudgingly see you next week running shoes.  I will be the one collapsing after a mile.

We couldn't beat the fantastic service and price we had from Moe's Southwest Grill catering at Sky's baptism and so we went with it again.  It is the only place that is reasonably priced that has good quality food with organics, free range and grass fed beef and it is YUMMY!!  Everyone always seems happy with it and I would HIGHLY recommend them.

Decorations, Individualized goody bags for each family, food, desserts, bounce house and crafts were all ready to go at 4:30 when people started coming!

Crafts this year were water color painting stations with frames to decorate and take the art pieces home in.  We also had a pipe cleaner station where people made all sorts of creative pieces.  I had an emergency shrinkedink station ready to go with beads and things, but we didn't need it.  It turns out that hundreds and hundreds of toys and several children are enough to keep a party exciting.  Who knew?!

The weather was questionable at best and right in the middle of eating the rain came and everyone moved inside.  No problem!  What can a long hallway double as?  A banquet hall for 15 plus kids!

I don't even want to tell you what that hallway looked like afterwards.  It was even too much for Bella, our pooch, to handle.

Cake time with the birthday girls!  Brian is the only one here who didn't have a birthday in the next week!

There was bouncing, singing, eating and more eating, running, playing, gift opening, great conversation, laughs, hugs, smiles and a great time had by all.

It was a super long day and I have never seen the playroom look the way it did, but it was so worth it.  The girls all had a great time and it is always nice to spend time with great friends and family.  After everyone left and we spent a good long while cleaning this all up, this is what I felt like.  Not even balloons popping could wake this poor girl!

What a great day of serving, giving, family, friends and celebrating life!

Now, I know it is 1am, but you have to get up bright and early for pancake pajama day, saying goodbye to Grandma Doreen and heading to Martinsville.  The Fall Foliage Festival awaits!

Our Second Good Neighbor Weekend

Here we were again.  Good neighbor Weekend at Northview Church!  Early Saturday morning we gathered to celebrate and get invigorated with great worship at church before we all headed in different directions to serve the communities in and around Indianapolis this weekend.  In all there were 3500 people that gave their time and services this weekend.  It is truly such an honor to be a part of such a huge collaboration of people that want to celebrate what matters.

This year, my mom was able to join us for our adventures.  I loved that my girls were able to see their grandma being a part of something like this and having a servants heart.  

Our group headed to the Lord's Pantry in Indianapolis for a few hours of fun, laughs, a little work and a whole lot of heart.

We straightened bags, sorted through food, separated produce, moved palates, bagged up lettuce, cleaned and readied the area for the crowd coming.  There were so many great volunteers there and I was overwhelmed with gratitude that my children could witness and be a part of this day.  That they, at their age, could see their parents, their friends, their grandma and strangers being the hands and feet and doing this work with huge smiles on our faces.  I love that they are growing up surrounded by God's love coming into our family and watching as we all turn around and give it to others.   

Our life group is intertwined into our lives.  We share our ups and downs and help each other through life's battles and victories.  We are all together every week at our house and many times in between  The girls know them as family and our home is their home.  We we serve, we do it together.

When the hundreds of people from the community started pouring in Brian and I and the girls, along with my mom, were the first to see them, welcome them and help them grab a couple of cans of soup and a drink.  It was fun to see the smiles of happiness and gratitude on their faces.  There were tons of kids!  The families that came through with ten day old babies, or three and four kids, the elderly, and everyone in between were happy.  I didn't see a sad or grumpy face in there.

We teach the girls that money doesn't determine rich and poor.  Money only determines what worldly things you can buy.  It is nice to have and something to work hard for and be proud of so you can do good things with it.  Since we live in the world now we will abide by these conditions, but we do not live of the world.  Our spirits are not of this world and so a person is only truly poor if they have a poor spirit.  We have seen many out there, but none came through those doors that day. There were smiles, laughter, gratitude and love.  Nothing more to say than it was a joyous place.

Our group has decided to make this a monthly commitment and the girls are excited.  After all, being examples for our children to follow lives of selflessness and gratitude for the true gifts in life is what it is all about.

After this fun and busy morning we were headed back home to get set up for the 

Triple Princess Birthday Bash!

more to come...

It Starts...

The weekend that is.  This past weekend was filled with everything fantastic and some filler business.  But, wow!  What a few days it was.  This will take a few posts because it was THAT big!

Friday I woke up with a thundering voice in my head saying, "What are you doing?  You have 50 people coming to the house TOMORROW for a triple birthday celebration, you haven't started putting anything together yet AND you will be gone all morning serving in Indianapolis!"

Oh, yeah...  I better get on that.  So, Friday was a blur of running, organizing, putting together custom gift bags, Thank You's, making orange pumpkin and pink kitty soaps (So Trinity), confirming calls to bakers and food providers and...and...and...  You get the point.  It was a day of crazy.  My mom came into town that night and we headed to dinner where my youngest commenced in the biggest public fit of her life and then we went home for a late bedtime and to play the sleepover game.

What?  You have never played?  Oh, it's fun.  It is when you put four girls in a room with the youngest being the instigator of everything and see what happens.  The grand prize is usually a brilliant scream fest, followed by colorful moaning from other participants and a very tired crew who end up separated in the end.

Journey desperately wants a sleepover, but co-habitation is not her forte yet.  We will keep trying!

This girl is all sugar, spice and everything nice...  but I think she has more spice than anything else.  Love this girl!

A very tired group emerged from the Harden house Saturday morning headed to church and was ready to start serving for Good Neighbor Weekend!  More to come!

Let er' R.I.P.

The time has come.  The frost is here almost every night lately, the bitter cold days are coming and it is time to let the Tower Garden plants finish their summer course.

I have to admit, it is a little sad to see it so wilty out there and not do anything to perk up my little plants, but we are not going to throw blankets over our plant children every night.  We are mid-westerners, after all,  and our seasons dictate that our fruit bearing beauties have to be done for a while.

We are still picking tomatoes and peppers regularly, but the production has slowed drastically and with every night more and more stems are browning.

I know it is sad...

Look at those peppers and tomatoes still.... holding.... on....

This is also exciting, though, because now we can do our fall cleaning and take our tower apart piece by piece getting it ready for the Fall INDOOR trials!  I have never grown anything indoors in my life, so this will be truly a "trial" on my part.  We will work through kinks like we did with the outdoor growing and keep you all updated as to how things are going.

I was telling a friend last week that my husband and I have a lime green thumbs, but it is getting a deeper green every season.  Life is a learning process, right? (Though, I must say, the Tower Garden makes it much easier to look like a Master Gardener!)


That is Brian after a good day of farming!

Next Tower Garden Post will be on the Fall Clean Up!

Happy Autumn My Friends!!!!

Tales from the Second Grade UnNothing

This has been a big year of transition for our biggest of the littles, Skyla.  But, as always, she is taking it like a champ.  She loves the bus, the close proximity of the school, her teacher and her friends.  When she comes home and we ask what happened at school the answer is never "Nothing!"  There is always a grand story about chasing on the playground or someone getting in trouble or being funny.

The homework has probably been the biggest adjustment for us.  Everyday homework!  Can I just say that I DREAD when I have four girls in elementary school, especially with the level of frustrated drama that can occur with some.  Skyla is a great trainer for me, though, because she is a fairly independent worker, but man oh man do we run into problems with rushing!!!  She says she knows how and then just does it.  The functionality is there with no attention to detail.  Anyone else have that problem?  Some nights it feels like she has to do all of her homework twice because she rushed through the first time.  

The world of pop culture is creeping in and there is nothing we can do to stop it.  The Hannah Montana and Bieber propaganda we have been able to easily avoid all these years is becoming unavoidable.  She came home wanting to watch a Lady Gaga video the other day and then pointed out to me on the radio during dinner that Katie Perry sings the song that was on.  I DIDN'T KNOW THAT! "Friends on the bus talk about famous people all the time Mommy!" She says with a little sideways grin because she knows the hilarity of this new-ness. 

Her independence grows everyday and yet the hardships do as well it seems.  The poor thing seems to spend so much of her time being corrected because of choices she is making, especially with her sisters.  The "I am the BIG KID" mentality shows through vividly sometimes in voice and gestures.  I suppose it is all a part of the growing process, but if I could just skip the drama I would be so very thankful.  Any chance?  Any?

She is just teetering on the brink of big kid and small kid and honestly, as parents, we are too in how we react to situations with her.  Man!  Being a parent is tricky!

All we can do is hold onto our Skyla, guide her, love her through the drama and remember that we were all there not SO long ago.  

We love you sweet girl!!!

(Skyla made puzzibits people for all her sisters)

Endless Ponies!

WHAT CAN I SAY?

Some mornings hair time just calls for eight pony tails!

May these days live on in my memories!

ET Goes Home

My husband found a tiny chrysalis on our Tower Garden a few weeks ago.  To keep it safe he brought it in and then since we had no idea what we should do with such a tiny changing creature we did what anyone does and Google'd it!  Turns out, they just need a safe space and some cushion so that is exactly what we gave him/her on our mantle.  It was very fitting because I was doing a butterfly unit with the girls at home!

At the end of a very busy weekend Brian glanced over and noticed the chrysalis was gone!  He opened it up to find our little friend clinging to the top. 

 "ET", as Journey named our friend, was ready to be released.  We gently put our butterfly/moth friend outside and waited.  It took a couple of hours of waiving her wings around before she took off, but she did.

It was amazing that something so big and dynamic came from something to small (Brian has the old chrysalis casing next to the newly emerged friend.  We talked with the girls about how GREAT BIG things can come from very small packages.  That is a lesson we could all stand to learn again and again everyday.  Even as an adult I know I feel very small when those insecurities creep into my day.  

It was a great bio and life lesson for the girls!  Thanks for finding us ET and I hope your remaining days are filled with fun and beauty!