Sweet tummy aches

super heros, princesses and bugs!

it sounds like a Disney movie, but it was actually just a cortez halloween! eight different costumes on four different children throughout the day...super man, lady bug, spider man, sleeping beauty, a doctor, sleepy mom of four kids, bumble bee, batman, buzz light year, and snow white! (thanks gram for a great dress-up box!)

we enjoyed our first ever door to door candy begging(can you tell i don't care for halloween!!)...after just 30 minutes of knocking on doors we had three HUGE bags of candy (and three quarters from a sweet lady down the street.) Just think, if every person had given us one quarter per kid...:)

it was a very fun first time for us all. ej started bartering, trying to trade what the first house had given him so he could have the second house's treat! imagine his excitement when he realized it was ALL for him!!!

samuel asked if halloween was about trying to scare people. i told him that everyone gave candy to kids in order to remind them how sweet the love of Jesus is for them.

not true, as dan reminded me...but not a bad response from a sleepy mom of four kids!

(the pooh bear and the snow princess are our neighborhood friends that we walked with.)

love you all,
c6

Autumn Leaves??

my heart keeps searching for Fall. i am seeking out crunchy leaves to step on, wood burning stoves to smell, crisp air to feel on my skin...you know, the kind of day that makes you crave a moment in the sun to warm you from the Autumn chill.







Ah! Seasons! This end of California doesn't seem to have them!






So, in an attempt to "look on the bright side of things", and "bloom where i am planted", we are enjoying our hose, the beach and popcicles way longer than i ever expected! We use way more sunscreen too!

sibling rivalry

it's quiet now, they are all asleep.

my mind is my own as i type these words. (no sooner did i write that thought, and my little blonde rebel squeaked in the night, reminding me it was time for a late night snack!)

where was i...oh, yeah, the days seem full of breaking up fights... "she hit me", "he is touching me", "he bit me!"...endless referee-ing.

i am heavy hearted with all the rivalry-ing in this house!

my biggest job, i've gleaned this from a book i am reading,
is to show these little tweeky siblings the rich and unending grace of God.

Perhaps they fight and scream and poke at ALL my buttons just so i have several chances
to show them the deep grace God has for us.

it is by far the hardest job i have ever been assigned!

of course, as i sit here now, with no bickering to distract my thoughts, it seems easy enough. "speak softly; respond, don't react; love much; discipline with kindness and firmness..."on goes the list.

as i look at these fotos the only "rivalry" i see is in which kid is the cutest.

i am sure there was screaming and fighting right before and after each shot was taken...but all the chaos and frustration fade away now. i'm left with only the sweet joy of getting to stare unblinking-ly at four absolutely beautiful creations of God.

He handles me with such grace...a perfect example to follow.

the finished product!

here you go....pumpkin carving at it's best!!!

one of them actually has a cat, a spider and a pumpkin carved in it!

the scary pirate one had like 20 teeth he carved out! we ran out of the right kind of candles though, so we are using big ones that don't work as well. :)

there is one more, in the background, but dan's hand started cramping up!

Fall festivities!!

i love this time of year! the leaves change, the smells outside change, cooler nights, crisp days that make you seek out the warmth of the sun...ah Fall!!














Of course, here in LA, none of that is currently happening...but we are wishing it was! (except for today, when we went to the beach!)





This is our second annual pumpkin carving...and as you can see, dan really gets into it! he may have been a really great surgeon!! :)The finished product is actually awesome!


the kids tried "helping" dan carve their own pumpkin after they had each scooped out all the slimy stuff. but after a few minutes, they lost interest in the intensely intricate design they had each picked! So, after four short hours, dan had personally carved up three very amazing pumpkins!!!

we took pics of them and have been lighting them at night! but, it has been so stinking hot here, they may not last till halloween!




















it is fun getting to have a front porch that actually gets frequented by people beside us! our neighbors came over tonight to see them all lit up...then they asked if dan would do theirs!!

soccer on a baseball field!

We have officially joined the ranks of soccer families! Every saturday morning we cleet up and race to find a parking spot amongst a sea of mini-vans and SUV's.

We are having a blast watching as both selah and samuel get their first taste of futbol!

They play on different teams which has made things extra challenging...some times their games are at the same time. Divide and conquer i guess. :)

ej is struggling through the season, desperately wanting to play as well. His life is one big, "not till your bigger,bud!" As you can see, he's the one in his cousin's old soccer jersey on dan's hip! Having two in soccer at once has caused us to consider making soccer a "once every four years" kinda thing. One kid gets to play each year and we'll rotate...you know, just like Leap Year and the Olympics!

i am sorry to say we don't yet have any fotos of selah in action, she has informed us that no cameras are allowed at her games...much like the rest of her life!!


We wish you were here to cheer them on! (ok, let's be honest...really, we wish we were there!!!)