January happenings

Ah January.  So cold. So grey.  

Operation try and squeeze two kids into a small room has commenced... it required a fair amount of measuring and graph paper floor plans.  :P  Or maybe I just over think things.  There really isn't room for the rocking chair, but there's no where else to put it.  So far Miri refuses to sleep in her big girl bed, and the other girls think that they need to hang out in here all the time.

I am getting old.... guess what I spent Christmas/Birthday money on?  A restaurant size waffle maker!!  We all love waffles, but it takes so long to make enough for all of us and they get cold so fast.  Well, now, instead of only being able to cook 38 square inches of waffle at a time on my regular round waffle maker I can cook 144 square inches of waffle!!  So exciting, and yes, I am a nerd.  :D  Also, it's about the same size as a crockpot so it fits in my cupboards just fine. 

Emmy helped me add some fireflies to the mobile over the changing table- Miri calls them "Firebees," which I love.  And no, she's not potty trained yet.  I haven't had the energy and I keep hoping she'll just do it herself.  😏

We've gotten a little bit of snow a few times- Bob took the girls out to shovel because we needed them out of the house before they drove us completely crazy. 

I a back-ball star!  Except that's a football.  :D

Ok, so have I mentioned how 1960's houses can be so ridiculous?  Our ceilings are only 87 inches high.  7.25 feet.  (Why?????)  I would love to replace the dresser we've been using in the kitchen as our catch-all charging station-junk drawer-craft supply storage- etc. with an architectural salvage built-in from an old house like this.

They're so pretty!  And cool!  (Lets just ignore the price- ha!) However, they're also all at least 88 inches tall.  And we have stupid-short ceilings.  For some reason Bob didn't think that cutting out a section of ceiling was a good idea.  Or that vaulting the kitchen ceiling was a viable option.  Sigh.  Spoilsport. 

Since I can't replace the kitchen dresser and move it into the big girls room so two of them could share one dresser, we still needed to find a dresser for Cadence (Miri took her small one).  I've been stalking varage sale/marketplace but I had yet to find one that wasn't too big for the room.  I looked for sharable dressers too, but they were all really big and would take up more floor space than three medium size dressers.... hurrah for more graph paper and floor plans. 

So I took Cadence on an adventure to Bushart's because they always have a large amount of antique and used furniture for sale.  This was a cool bedroom set that we didn't get- There's a headboard, bookcase, mirrored dresser, chest of drawers, and desk in there that all look like dollhouses/buildings.  It's not in great shape, sadly.  

Cadence picked this one.  :)  It's in decent shape, although it's missing it's mirror, and it cleaned up nicely. 

Emmy helped her move all her clothes and "decorate" haha.

Bob was hinting around that he wanted cookies and I didn't feel like baking... so I told the girls that it was their job to make cookie bars.  I mean, they can read a recipe right?  Haha.  Other than not quite understanding what "three over four" meant, and one of them not understanding the difference between tablespoons and teaspoons (domestic goddess Emmy caught that one in time!) they did pretty good and it was not a disaster.  I feel like I have arrived.... :D 

We had potluck a few days before Sharon's 40th birthday. :D  So Janelle decorated and we all wore black and she got some interesting gifts.  The inflatable walker was great.  Bob and I got her some good old fashioned scented pink after-bath powder, complete with puff. :P 

'Oh, that's Miriel playing houses on-a piano.' 

Seriously guys, SO. MANY. WAFFLES.  It makes me almost giddy.  :D 

Can you put this a-gether Daddy, Daddy? 

 Other than the funeral in the middle of the month, and school, and doctor appointments every week, it's been a pretty quiet month.  It's going faster than I'd like; I finally feel like I'm mostly over Covid exhaustion and now I'm just normal late pregnancy tired. I still have a fair amount of organizing/purging of closets I'd like to get done before baby, and some sewing projects to finish before I have no time.    Also, the baby still doesn't have a name yet...... :P  That bothers some people *cough* Michelle *cough.* :P
Blessings.

To everything there is a season...

 It's been an emotional month.  Grandpa Wyss went to the hospital on Christmas with several issues going on, including being 96 and increasingly frail.  His health has really yo-yo-ed the last few years and this time there wasn't any bouncing back.  He died on the 8th.  

He was the Grandpa that I knew best, both because of proximity and longevity (Grandpa Schlipf died when I was in first grade).  It also helped that we lived on the farm and old farmers have a hard time retiring... :)  He came out from town almost every day in their big grey-blue van; fixing things, welding things, building sandbox backhoes for all of us grand kids.  I spent lots of time just watching him work.  He would always comment on my lack of shoes, and my ability to 'sneak up on' him.  :)  I mean, you can walk pretty quietly when you're little and not wearing shoes.  (Shoes and socks are overrated, especially when your callouses are so thick you can run a needle through them... haha #farmgirlproblems)  

I remember him fishing with a magnet for tools dropped in the hog house pits, working on tractor engines, completely rewiring a grain truck after mice destroyed the electronics, letting me try and weld a gate, riding in the trucks to the elevator during harvest, and giggling at his super fancy organizing systems in the shop- old coffee cans scrawled with "1/4 inch bolts and nuts," right next to "1/4 inch nuts and bolts." 

He loved music, thanks to Great Grandma Julia.  Legend has it that she loved music too, but someone told her once that she shouldn't sing so loud in church so she never sang in church again.  BUT, she paid for Grandpa to take voice lessons, and she had her kids learn an instrument at school.  Grandpa played the cornet (trumpet).  Best instrument ever.  His instructor, Mahlon Saxton, told him at one point to 'bend his cornet over his knee' ha.  But he kept at it and ended up being a decent trumpet player.  (and then when I was playing trumpet at the same HS I won the Mahlon Saxton award for 'most improved'.... and the irony cracked me up.)  They mentioned briefly at the funeral that he was in a dance band- the "Knites of Rythm." There's at least one old recording of them in existence and they play about as well as they spelled.... hehe, but here they are: they would hire a drummer, U. Roy was on baritone, Grandpa on cornet, neighbors (and my future bus driver) Bernon and Marta M. on sax and accordion, and  Eddie G. on piano. 

I remember going to their house a lot when Mom and Dad had plans.  We would mostly play in the basement or read comics, but when it was almost time to be picked up we would play Chinese Checkers with Grandpa.  Or he and grandma would tell us stories about when they were growing up.  He could not understand how I could read in the "dark."  Haha.  There would be overhead lights on, but he would have to turn on whatever lamp was closest so I could see better.  The older I get and the worse my eyes get the more it makes sense....

He bought my Grandpa Schlipf's 60 and taught me how to drive it one year while they were baling straw.  (Sadly, I'm not sure I could make it, or any tractor move... and I had to confess to a friend the other day that I can't drive stick shift... they let me drive the combine for some reason, but I really didn't do any tractor driving.)  The picture was his idea, and I'm so glad we took it. 

I can't remember if this was a birthday or anniversary, but here is the one four generation picture I have with Grandpa and Grandma.  Look at squishy little Emmy!

This was Thanksgiving 2020 I think, the kids were playing dress up and being a parade. 

I remember Grandpa being on the pulpit, but barely.  I was in middle school when he retired so I wasn't really paying that close of attention.  Sometimes when we were at their house, he would be back in his office doing Deacon things, or reading his Bible.  I don't know who had the idea to put the Bible on the casket, but.... yeah.... so fitting.

The kids joke about there being creases in certain chapters and verses he always opened to, but really, was it ever closed?  I mostly remember it always open; on the desk in his office, on the kitchen table, even on family vacation it was there.  I'm trying to do better about answering the girls' questions with one of theirs- "Well, what does the Bible say about that?"

He was not, of course, perfect.  He never could understand the difference between Chemistry and Biology, and it would annoy me so much when he'd ask 'How's the Biologist doing?' 😝

The visitation and funeral were Tuesday/Wednesday.  Selfishly, I was glad I got a chance to see everybody since I missed Christmas this year, and everyone was able to make it.  We took the girls to the visitation, but then sent them to school instead of the funeral. 

Funerals are bittersweet times.  And full of sweet moments.... Grandma and Clayton in the middle there... 😥

Miri was pretty good in church, and I, of course was weepy (I'll blame it on hormones).  I mostly was keeping it together, but then they had a 'final viewing' and had everyone in the whole church walk by again.  I'm told it's more common some places, but I did not like it.  Who wants to see them open the casket and watch everyone be sad again?? 

They had the Grandkids sing the song at the cemetery, and then all 22 of us had to take a picture, of course.  From Brent (who is actually 45 hehe) down to Cliff at 15.  We did not get in age order... :P

 Miriel was very pleased with her flower.

So. A time to be born, a time to die.

It was good.  I really need to go visit Gram and Pearline more often... talking to one of my cousins I realized that I maybe don't go like I should because when you don't see them every week at church the declines are more obvious.... and I'm not sure I want to be reminded?  I mean, I really can't remember the last time Grandpa could come up with my name without being coached by Grandma first; it's been a few years.  But still, I should.  

Blessings.

Things I didn't miss- Christmas, New Years, etc.

Once I got home I was pretty wiped out.  It kind of felt like my body and brain were waking up again and remembering how to function together.  :P  I definitely didn't feel comfortable driving for a few days and my Dad graciously drove me to a follow-up doctor appointment.

We sort of ended up celebrating the 12 days of Christmas instead of just Advent.... we started reading "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" after Christmas, we went to see the lights after Christmas.... 

The girls were very patiently waiting to frost the cookies they had baked.  Probably the first "cooking" I'd done in a long time was mixing up a big bowl of icing for them.  And then I just set it on the table with some other reaaaaalllly old icing tubes and food coloring and sprinkles and just let them make a mess.  haha.  Usually, I have a few colors mixed and try and keep most of the cookies nice-ish, but we let go of all expectations and have a large percentage of multicolored frosting piles with looooots of sprinkles. 😜

Miriel just wanted to eat cookies.

I made a few too.  And then we had Bob help us clean up the gigantic mess. 

I had ordered Christmas cards in plenty of time to send out before Christmas.... I think we finally got them mailed New Years Eve.  Oh well.  :D  Aren't they cute?

Koch Christmas was Christmas Eve... life size dutch blitz for the kids.

And Bingo with prizes.

Miri and I spent most of our time in the baby room... for the toys and the comfortable rocker because I was tired.

We did not attempt church Christmas morning.  It sounded really overwhelming, so we had a cozy day at home.  Starting with stockings.

Hehe.  Earmuffs for all!

And those fun magnetic hairdo toys I remember from long ago. 

We watched church, ate lunch, and then we opened presents. Somebody got a Paw Patrol sweatshirt.

While I was gone, Bob had them pick out presents for each other online from Walmart (signed in to my account).  I kept getting emails at the hospital about all of my different Walmart orders- what on earth are they buying!??  So they were all very pleased with their loot. 

New earmuffs, new bow and arrow set, what more could a girl want?

Sunday morning Bob took the older three to Sunday School- getting them ready (I hate tights! But I'm old fashioned and it's too cold for bare legs!) completely wore me out, so Miri and I watched morning church and came at noon.  BUT they finally got to wear their Christmas dresses! 

I needed a nap after church.  This recovering and slowly returning to regular life is exhausting.  

Bob's immediate family got together the next day.  I had another appointment (hooray for weekly appointments now...) and when I got back, Miri was working on a rather large pile of chips.  It was a quiet day since most of the adults were recovering from plague or other maladies.  

The girls got a cool fort building kit that has already been many things- a viking ship...

... a castle with a turret.  So fun. 

Susan took the older girls to Bass Pro one day for lunch and bowling.  I'm told they behaved and had a lot of fun.

New Years Eve we stayed in.  I wasn't up to getting everybody ready for church so we watched online (Seriously, what did we do before?  haha.  It's so much better than just listening.)  Then greasy snacks.  And the girls wanted to stay up late, so we let them watch Up.  Such a fun movie, but the first 10 minutes makes me cry. :P 

And then we got snow! Somebody didn't want to go outside, but she did want to try on half of her gear. 

There was barely enough to cover the grass, but they had fun, and we even got Miri outside for a few minutes (not as long as it took to get her bundled up, *sigh*)

By Sunday I had enough energy to make pancakes for breakfast!  Miriel's reaction when she saw them was the best-  *sharp intake of breath* "Woooooow!" 😂

We all went to church all day!  Hooray!  And then Dale and Meg invited us to come sledding after church.  I stayed inside with Miri, don't worry.  It was actually a really big day for me and I was really wiped out that evening.

Monday Emmy got to go with her teacher to school to work on Christmas present projects that she missed out on. The rest of us put away Christmas decorations. Then in the evening we were all ready to go back to tumbling... and the van wouldn't start.  Figures.  So Bob spent part of Tuesday replacing the battery.  Woot.  

The big girls went back to school today, some were more excited than others.  haha. I was not excited to have to set my alarm.  Also, Cadence switched to full day kindergarten, which kind of makes me sad.  It will make our schedule much simpler to only have one pick up time, but still.  She'll like getting to do more crafts and more play time at school.    

It will make scheduling doctor appointments easier too, if I don't have to be in town to pick her up.  Since I have to go every week *sigh* and it takes at least 2 hours each time (including the drive time).  ugh.  I am so not a fan.  

Anyway.  I feel like I can do a little bit more everyday, and I'm slowly regaining energy.  Although, the whole 3rd trimester no energy thing is probably going to limit things.  :P  I at least am feeling motivated about getting things done again, even if I am being overly ambitious. 

Blessings.     

Things I missed

Almost all of these pictures are from other people so they are not in any semblance of order.... and I can't get my computer to sort them into any semblance of order.  Oh well. 

Technically the girls were in quarantine.... but... since they'd been exposed to both of us for long enough that they would have been out of quarantine, we figured if they were going to get it and have symptoms, they probably already would have been sick.  They didn't go to church or school, but did get to be with people who weren't too worried about it either.  :P    Or had had it already. Or had been vaccinated. Or both.

They spent some time at the farm.

Aaand I can't get this one to turn, but this was going to be a Nutcracker Ballet year- I wanted to take Emmy and Cecily last year and then there were no live performances; this year Cadence was going to come too.  Instead, we sent friends with our tickets and Bob found an online performance for the girls to watch at home.  *sigh* Maybe next year.

Four cute girls... and oh goodness their hair is so long!  They usually request braids and pony tails so it's not quite so apparent how long it really is... until all these pictures with it down/in headbands!

I think they got plenty of screen time....

Bob and Emmy and their special omelet. :)

Aunt Micheline came over one day and helped the girls roll out cookies and bake them.  (I was so prepared this year!  Cookie dough ready to go in the fridge, cards ordered, presents bought...)  She also helped Bob sort through and wrap presents!  Such a blessing.  

Bob says Miri was super good the whole time.  Not whiny, played really well by herself, spent lots of time just looking at books over and over again.  

Haha.... the keep the hair out of the face/food methods amused me....

I'm told that the girls' teachers and principal brought breakfast over three different times.  We have such a great school.  

The girls were definitely extra spoiled this year- lots of extra treats and activities and Legos dropped off.

They had to miss their Christmas program at church and at school, sad news.

Christmas at the farm on my birthday- looks like grandma let them have goblets for their sparkling cider. 😜

Oh Miri girl. 

I should not be allowed to online fabric shop late at night.  :D  I saw this adorable panel with an illustration from a vintage children's book.... and had to find the book online and make my dad a quilt.... except I didn't get it finished, because sickness.  So I still need to do the binding, but then he'll be all set with a lap quilt for the nursing home some day. hehe. 

The following day was Wyss Christmas.  It was pretty disappointing to miss it since several of my cousins were there who haven't been able to make it for a few years. 

Aww.  Emmy and Troy. 

Bob said she was not interested in going to bed at all. 

The Beutel Christmas was the day I got to come home- Susan took the girls with her.  They got to give Grandma B. "Grandma's Grandpa Bear," another memory teddy bear I made out of one of Grandpa's shirts. 

Miri and her favorites, the tablet and her new pancake book. 

She got a doll bathtub at some point in all of the Christmases.  :D  They are all very clean now. 

They bounced me around a lot at the hospital, I think I was in 5 different rooms, and every time they moved me they put anything in the room in a bag and brought it to the next one.  So somehow I ended up coming home with an interesting assortment of syringes and swabs and lotions and things.

This is after I got home- they spent quite a bit of time making pipe cleaner creatures from a craft kit Tori dropped off.

I was pretty impressed.

It's been incredible to see all of the ways our families, friends, and church helped out... from food to cleaning to activities for the girls to helping with school work.  :P  I was expecting the house to be a disaster when I got back, I mean, it's a struggle to keep the Christmas chaos under control under normal circumstances.  But it really wasn't that bad.  Bob and the girls even did laundry!  (hehe Cecily is very motivated to help with laundry because she hates wearing jeans...)  Bob definitely deserves a little (or a lot) of praise for being all of the things and doing all of the things alone.  

Anyway. We feel very blessed and loved and I'll probably not be able to adequately express it.

Blessings.