Change

Wow have our lives changed. After 7 years of having small children, we have moved on to new territory:
- Everyone picks out their own clothes and gets themselves dressed
- Elijah can make breakfast for everyone and enjoys doing it
- Everyone goes to the bathroom on his own and 2 out of 3 can wipe (well).
- Everyone gets their own drinks most of the time
- Everyone buckles his own carseat
- Elijah can watch his brothers while I mow the grass, take the dog for a short walk around the court, run over to the neighbor's for a minute etc.
- They can clean their own room really well at the end of a day
- They can play a game together with almost no adult help
- Everyone knows his alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, and basic Bible stories

It is a strange feeling to switch for child-care kinds of parenting to child-enrichment kinds of parenting. Now that so much of our energy isn't consumed by simply keeping them alive and healthy, there are all sorts of other things to think about. It is an interesting change and one I'm not wholly ready for, but who is ever ready for anything really.

Also, I've been trying lots of vegetable purees in foods that the kids like as a way to sneak more vegetables into their diets. I made up this recipe last night and they ate every bite- even Isaiah.

2 cups dry penne pasta cooked to package directions
While it's cooking make the sauce.
3/4 cup of carrot puree (I make these purees all at once and put them in the freezer then chop off blocks of veggie for almost everything we make- it's steamed carrots pureed really fine)
1/4 cup parm. cheese
1/3 cup cheddar cheese
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
Whisk it all together
Drain the pasta and return to stove on low
Stir in the sauce and a little olive oil or margerine. Heat through and stir until thick (so the eggs will be cooked)
Makes 4 small servings. The 3 boys ate all of it and thought they were eating mac and cheese with new shaped noodles.

We enjoyed Easter with the Crisp/Ledbetter clan in Indiana. thanks for a wonderful weekend family! We love you all!