Help Comes in All Forms

The Girls eating cookies just out of the oven.

Um...keeping our of Mama's hair while she cooks.

Yep, her too!

"Breaking up" pineapple while Mama makes the juice into syrup for our popovers.

You get the picture.

My girls want to help me. As the title of this post indicates, it could be ANY kind of help. When I am making supper after Josh comes home, Shalom will come over to me and tap my leg, and then use her head to position herself between me and the counter, oven, etc. The girls like to "help" with dishes, which usually consists of some of the plates, utensils, etc ending up in the strainer, but mostly it means Mama and the daughter rinsing will end up wet...me in the ever-growing belly, and the daughter all down the front!

The dish scenario started to irk me...I have been doing dishes for almost 15 years now, I can do the dishes faster, and get them done better WITHOUT help. So why mess with a toddler helping me? Good question.

My girls want to be a part of my day. They want to spend time with me. Sometimes, they are not content to just be in the same room with me...they want to be doing what I am doing. They WANT to help me. They enjoy it when I encourage them by telling them how strong they are, or what a big help they have been. More importantly, though, they are picking up by watching me, what it is that a Mama does. One day, my girls will be doing the dishes, cooking for their siblings - or future husbands, and they will remember the times they spent doing these same tasks with their Mama. Will they be good memories? Will they cherish their time spent with me?

It is my hope, goal and prayer that my girls will look back with joy on the times we have spent together keeping house for their Papa. I pray that they will want to be keepers-at-home someday, because of their time with me. (NOTE: I am not opposed to them getting jobs, etc.)

My Babies are a gift from God to me. I admit, sometimes I lose sight of that (i.e., dishes are piled high, I just want to get them done, and the floor is soaking wet because Shalom dumped water everywhere, etc.), and get frustrated at their lack of help! But they are only toddlers! They are supposed to make messes, and when we are done with the dishes, we all clean up the water (if you think of it, how many people do dishes in the sink and don't have to wipe the counter when they are done)! It is a part of the growing process, and teaches them to clean up after themselves!

Life is a journey - in so many ways - and it is my job as Mama to Ruth and Shalom to make sure they get as much out of their journey right now as possible! A big job...a Mama size job, and I pray I accomplish all that God wants me to!

The Results (see previous post)

A must for all helpers...a chance to lick the beaters!

Proudly showing off their cleaning capabilities!

The yummy cookies

The girls showing off their cookies.

The girls thoroughly enjoy the job of "putting away the cookies".

Saturdays in the Larson Home

I am happy. Very Happy. Josh works for a ministry that lets him have all of Saturday off. We have decided that Saturdays are for doing nothing. No grocery shopping, no housework, yard work, etc. We stay around the house or hang out at Cabela's or walk around the mall (in winter), and in the summer we will take nature walks with the girls around the 50+ acres the ministry owns. It makes for a VERY relaxing weekend. Sometimes, like today, we will all take a nap in the afternoon. Today, we actually took a 3-hour nap! VERY refreshing. That did, however, push "lunch" back until a little after 4pm. Then supper till...well, you get the picture.

Today, Josh decided that since we ate lunch so late, he wanted to do a "project" with the girls. So they took up making Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies! Here are some pictures of the process of making.

Some mistakes can turn out fabulous!

I made brownies today. No really. These are brownie...COOKIES! For those of us who love the crust...this is the best thing! So how did I do it? Keep looking at pics!

Shalom, making sure I got the recipe right.

She REALLY enjoyed eating the batter.

And wearing it!

Apparently Papa liked it too!

So how did I do it? All I did was accidently add COLD butter instead of MELTED to the recipe!
Try it!!!

Our Day in the Snow (from early in the week)

It snowed last weekend, and I think Ruth was having some cabin fever-like symptoms. So we put on their snow suits, and hit the snow.

Shalom is showing you her tasty morsel of WHITE snow. I made sure to warn them of the dangers of yellow snow! With three dogs, and a few farm cats that hang around, hopefully Ruth and Shalom will take the hint! Unfortunately, even our back yard isn't safe from animal waste.

This fall, CMTS was given two boy cows to raise for meat. Don't worry, we are talking two years down the road...No veal for us! This is a picture of Shalom looking at the cows.

Ruth was the one who wanted to see the cows. We were going to go show Papa their snow suits, but he had taken a car on a test drive. We checked out the calves and then went to find him. He got a kick out of our little snowballs!

By the way, I lost brownie points with the girls...I did not supply them with hot chocolate! Maybe the week we will hit the snow and follow it with hot chocolate. We will need it after a week of imprisonment...I mean sickness! ;)

My Girls are Better!

Thanks everyone who prayed for my girls! They are back to their normal, fun-loving, mischievious selves again! Last night, Ruth was even picking on Josh! It has been a couple days since she felt up to that.

Here are some pictures of Ruth carrying Shalom on her shoulders...just like Papa does!

My Big Girl is sick! :(

It all started Monday when a little boy came to CMTS to visit his Grandma. Two days prior he was puking followed by a high fever that made his other RN Grandma take him to the ER. Monday morning (at about 3 am) he got over it, and came to see his Grandma here (his parents were out of town). My girls barely talked to him, especially Shalom who sat the furthest from him - but she got sick first. Two days worth of fever hovering around 100. Miserable, clingy and crying. Good snuggles though.

Ruth now has the fever, along with a sore throat. Yesterday and today you would find her on the couch sleeping (see picture). Sometimes she would wake up whimpering, and I would go to her, only to find that she wasn't really awake! My tough girl has been reduced to whimpering and whining! I know she isn't well when she doesn't move from the couch unless she is going to the bathroom, and even then, she needs carried, and a lap to lay her head on while she uses the facility!

Shalom is now crying in a miserable way. I am going to take her temp...hopefully she isn't back to being a sick little lady! :( Please pray for the Larson home!