The fire is so delightful.

Our kids love the fireplace.  It's especially handy for warming up a bit after being outside or after a bath.  Recently, Isabelle (our budding photographer), decided a fireside photo shoot was in order, and they all had to pose in front of it.

And what could possibly be better than snuggling up by the fire while wearing your PJs at 11 in the morning?  Wow!  What a life.

We're not biased or anything, but have you seen a bigger bunch of cuties?!  Seriously! 

Time (or lack thereof)

Wow! I was finishing up some stuff on the Internet tonight, and thought I'd check out Blogger and my friends' blogs. After enjoying their stories, I clicked on my own blog and saw that very pathetically, my last entry was in March. It was fun going back and reading those entries that I made last winter, but I truly don't know where I found the time to write them! However, I know I loved writing them, posting the pictures, and just finding time to write--which in a former life I used to do quite often.

Life is busy. For some time I had decided to wipe that word from my vocabulary because most of the time we make the time for things we truly care about and sometimes "busy" can be just an excuse. The reason we haven't called a dear friend, yet still found time to read a book on baking bread in 5 minutes a day. The reason we haven't finished responding to e-mails, but somehow still found time to post comments on facebook. The reason we can't do our daily Bible devotions, yet made time to read several of the latest magazines.

"Time management" is really about making choices on how to spend the time we have, and we all have the same 1440 minutes a day to choose how to spend.

And so, I'm trying to have balance in my life. It's a daily struggle between playing with the kids, spending time with Mark, keeping the house kinda sanitary, doing laundry, baking and cooking, working for the church, and making time for me too (aka the stuff I loved to do before I had kids). I'm trying to have less "that was a waste of time" moments and more "I'm so glad I made time for that" moments. I'm trying to work efficiently at the stuff I dislike (housework!), and slow down enough to appreciate Isabelle's ballet steps, Henry's block towers, and Lucy's cuddles.

So, I'd love to promise that I'll be blogging more, but I just may be "busy" -- playing hide and seek.

Children's Museum Trip

Sure, you've got your treadmills, your TurboJam, even (I'm told) work-outs on the Wii, but if you REALLY want to get your heart racing, check out the Children's Museum with three kids in tow during peak hours! Last Thursday, the kids and I headed to the Children's Museum with our playgroup friends and their kids (5 moms and 10 kids). In two words: fun and CRAZY! In the morning, some Sesame Street characters were visiting, along with a number of schools. The exhibits were just inundated with kids (mostly under 5 years) and their parents and strollers. It was a constant, "Where's Isabelle? Henry? I've got Hailey over here! Where's Kasey?" Thank God Lucy was happily hanging out in the sling, so I always knew where she was!

Story time with Elmo

Henry meets Grover (Isabelle was scared)However, it was the first time at the museum and we did have a blast! There were SO many neat things to play with! Here are some pics of the Clifford exhibit that was there:

Henry LOVED putting Clifford's bones on the conveyor belt or into the bowl.

Henry & friend Jake driving the truck.

Isabelle manning the cash register at the store.

So, after the crazy, heart-throbbing morning, our playgroup friends had to go. We decided to grab McDonald's. There was NO way I was going to stay and eat in the standing-room-only restaurant, so we joined some other people who were picnicking in the hallway. Afterward, we saw this sign on the Ronald McDonald bench we were lingering on/near:

Whoops!

We hadn't had enough, so we headed back to the museum, where the crowds had decreased by about 80%. Thank goodness! Mom had been ready to have a breakdown herself. We enjoyed all the rooms again, and my heart wasn't beating nearly as fast. It was so neat to see the kids using their imaginations and just exploring like crazy.

Lucy even got to get out of the sling in the Habitot, where she picked some flowers and played on some lilypads.

Henry played with the mailbox for about 1/2 an hour!

Isabelle loved jamming for the music video. I didn't get many pictures of her because she was so busy most of the day that she wouldn't even pose for any pictures (very unlike her!)

After about 5 1/2 hours, we decided to head out. We got up the stairs, out the skywalk, across the other skywalk, up the elevator, to the parking ramp, to our van, and buckled in before I realized we had left Lucy's cute, handmade jacket in the museum. Well, I couldn't just leave it there, so I threw Henry in the backpack and we cruised back to get it. On the walk back (again!) to the van, Isabelle started crawling through the skywalk, she was so tired. She jabbered about the museum the entire way home.

The museum was incredibly fun, and now that we've learned how to beat the crowds, we'll definitely be back. At least I know I'll get in a much-needed cardio workout!

Our Little Lucy Loo

Lucy is already 7 months, and I just can't believe it! She's now sitting up, rolling over, scooting around the room by doing the "worm", laughing, pulling Isabelle's hair, and eating (or spitting out) all kinds of solid foods. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that she puts up with her brother and sister constantly kissing her, holding her, getting in her face, and trying to carry her. Yesterday, Isabelle was outside with Mark and I while the other two were napping. She went in about 15 minutes before we did. Upon opening the door, I quickly realized that Isabelle and Henry had gotten Lucy out of her crib, tried to prepare a bottle out of breastmilk from the freezer, and fed it to her. I was a little freaked out by all that, but Lucy didn't mind . . . she just sat there with a huge smile on her face. Give them another year and a half and they'll really be ganging up on us!






Here are some pics:

Lucy's latest trick is going up on her toes like she's going to do a push-up, then lunging forward.

In this photo taken by Isabelle, Lucy's all ready to crawl away.

And she loves the great outdoors too.

All wrapped up in a blanket.

Lucy just brings an incredible amount of joy to our lives. I know it sounds cliche, but it's just so darn true. Who could resist these bright eyes, chubby cheeks, and huge smile? Certainly

not any of us!

Life in the Great Outdoors

It was so gorgeous out today. On the way home from my folks' house at 3:00, our van read 56 degrees! That would be 60 degrees warmer than it was when we woke up on Wednesday morning. We're definitely not complaining.

After such a cold winter, we're loving going outside, exploring the woods, and playing in the remainder of the snow. Isabelle & Henry love snowball fights. Today Isabelle told Mark, "I know, let's have a snowball fight!" Then she ran into the garage for her umbrella and held it up to protect herself.

But, that snow is slowly disappearing (I'm not wasting any tears about that!), and lots of it is draining through the creek bed on the side of our house. Mark had this ladder thing from a different project, so we put that across the stream as a "bridge". Isabelle is very proud that she can walk it by herself.

The water running in the creek.

Isabelle & Henry sitting on the "bridge."

We also had a bonfire to burn some of the down tree branches on the side of our lawn.

Lucy just got to hang out in the backpack.

The acreage behind our house was recently logged. You can't really tell from our house (thank goodness!) but they did leave behind a mess of treetops. Mark has been cleaning that up--we'll have lots of wood for bonfires this summer--and burning some of the treetops. The kids love to help stack the wood and play nearby with their trucks. Last Friday, we packed up a picnic supper and went out there to roast hotdogs & marshmallows. It was a huge hit, and the kids are really careful around the fire. Isabelle kept exclaiming, "Good thing we have the fire. It keeps us warm and helps us to see, but it sure is hot!"

Other favorite outdoor activities lately: riding the 4-wheeler, checking out the barren gardens, just tromping through the woods, and trying to find the perfect place for the playhouse that Mark is building.

One thing is for sure: we love Mother Nature and our own big backyard. How very blessed we are to live here. We'll just keep loving it--frigid temps and all. (Oh, how much easier that is to say when the themometer's reading above 50 degrees!)

Where have we been?

Okay, so I know I've been really MIA lately. So, what have the Measners been up to?

Well, I've been subbing when Mark doesn't have work to do. Most days one of us is working, and sometimes the days I'm subbing are really hectic, especially if it's a Wednesday when I get home from school and turn around to go to Somerset by 4:00 for my office hours at the church. However, subbing does have its perks. On Tuesday, I read most of my book while subbing in the high school English room (the kids were reading too). And I get paid for that?!

I was going to write a list of things we've been doing, but I just decided I'd dole them out in small doses over the next week. Hope you enjoy them as much as I'm enjoying the Leinie's 1888 Bock I'm drinking right now! :)

Our Girl is 4: "We are so glad you've come!"

"On the day you were born the Earth turned, the Moon pulled, the Sun flared, and then, with a push [many, many pushes], you slipped out of the dark quiet where suddenly you could hear . . .
a circle of people singing with voices familiar and clear.
'Welcome to the spinning world,' the people sang, as they washed your new, tiny hands.
'Welcome to the green Earth,' the people sang, as they wrapped your wet, slippery body.
And as they hugged you close they whisped into your open, curving ear,
'We are so glad you've come!'" -- from On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier, which we read to our children on each birthday

(I started this post weeks ago. Here it finally is!)

Yes, Isabelle is officially four years old! She had her birthday and her party Sunday, February 22. In some ways it seems impossible that four years have gone by so quickly. In other ways, it seems like we've had kids forever!

For her birthday, Isabelle had her grandparents, great-grandmas, and many of her aunts, uncles, and cousins over. She had requested a "princess" cake, so we made the traditional Barbie cake (she picked out the colors), and we were all excited that it turned out so nicely! Isabelle just had a blast being the "birthday girl!" She would love to have that special title all year long, I think!

In celebration of my beautiful growing daughter, I'm listing Isabelle's Ten Favorites (in no particular order):

1. Oatmeal. Every morning, she wakes up, peruses the breakfast cabinet, and almost always decides on oatmeal sprinkled with brown sugar. She even passes up Marshmallow Mateys for it! In fact, she loves it so much, she requests it three meals a day, and sometimes even for snacks!

2. Crafts. Look for some of her projects in a future post. She just loves to glue, paint, sparkle, color, cut, and create.

Isabelle's self-painted nails.

3. Books. Yay! She loves to read, especially before bedtime, and the library is one of our favorite stops. The other day she declared that she was going to be a doctor and a library checker when she got older (many thanks to Susan at the library who lets Isabelle check out her own books!)

4. Playing doctor. Especially after a trip to the clinic, Isabelle gets infatuated with playing doctor. We have fevers, we've swallowed something, we're SO sick . . . and Isabelle patches us all up! :)

5. Baking. Just today we were making granola, and she concocted her own little bowl of gooey stuff (oatmeal, water, cinnamon???) She loves to dump the ingredients in and mix it all up (and of course, put the spinkles on it!)

6. Cousins. She's always talking and singing songs about her cousins, and playing with them is about as good as a big bowl full of brown sugar-topped oatmeal in her book!

7. Dancing. Heavily inspired by the UWGB dance team, Isabelle swirls, twirls, flops, and shimmies. She's quite the interpretive dancer, often inviting us to watch her "shows" in the living room.

8. Taking pictures. While uploading pictures from my camera a few months ago, I found dozens taken by our little photojournalist. Thank goodness she got a V-Tech camera for Christmas!

9. Lucy and Henry. I really thought the "mini-mommy" phenomenon would get old as quickly as her new toys. But, Isabelle still loves to hold, cuddle, and play with our little Lucy. And Lucy just eats it all up, allowing Isabelle to treat her like a little dolly. Of course, Isabelle loves her little brother too, especially when she's chasing him or playing with him. I hope they always get along this well!

10. Imagining anything. I'm so proud of my little girl's imagination. We really could throw out the toys, and she'd happily play with the recycle bin and a couple pieces of paper.