Moved!

Agh!  Life has been so crazy...the new house is going up, the old house is up for sale, and we've moved into a rental in Pine Island.  Was it sad moving out of the house we lived in so long, and the house we brought our three oldest home to from the hospital, and the house our youngest was born in?  Really...the answer is no.  We have so much to look forward to, and our family is together, and healthy, and happy.  The rental is out in the country...so it's amazing to not hear the neighbor's lawn mower, to have cars zipping by, and to be able to let the kids go out and explore anytime they want.  We're surrounded by corn fields, and the most traffic we see is tractors...this is the life!  :)

The kids have adjusted beautifully to Pine Island schools.  Mason has never loved school before, and now he does!  The kids also weren't phased by the moved to the rental house.  They were, however, phased by how busy Mommy and Daddy were finishing projects at the old house and working to get things started on the new house.  Now that that's over and the house is on the market, and the projects are finished, we are settled in to a very nice routine.  The new house is started, basement walls are poured, and the floor trusses will be delivered on Monday.  It's unbelievably exciting seeing it all happen...surreal even.  I keep having these moments where I almost forget to breathe...the beauty of the land, and the reality of building a new home there just takes my breath away!  We are so very blessed...and God deserves the glory for it all!

The kids have had colds since school started, but nothing too serious.  They are good healthy eaters...and food is medicine!  We're really hoping our nutrition changes will keep us healthier this winter...really :)  Isaac and Maggie love preschool.  Maggie, most days, will forget to even say goodbye to me before she runs off to her classroom.  It's fun to see her having fun :)

I'm just so thankful for all that God has given us!

Mason turns 9!!

My Mason is NINE!!  I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday...the day I first became a mother....the day my amazing husband and my doula didn't leave my side...the day I swore I'd never want to see a sunflower ever again (I stared at one as my focal point as I pushed for 2.5 hours)...and yet I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.  I knew from the start that Mason would be special (doesn't every mother?).  Now nine years later he still amazes me oh.so.often.

He can do some math faster than me...and he has his own way of figuring it out.  He read Charlotte's Web in two days, and was able to tell me the girl's name was Fern, Wilbur was the pig, and that Charlotte wrote words like 'humble', 'radiant', and 'some pig' in her web.  He loves to read non-fiction...his latest is about edible plants.  His memory always amazes me, even his AWANA teachers marvel at how easily he can recite his verses.

Most of all, Mason, I'm so proud of the young man you are becoming.  You can be so polite...one morning you even said breakfast looks great when my new recipe for cinnamon rolls flopped.  You are so aware of what we are teaching you and you let us know when you come across something that contradicts the strong Biblical values we are trying to instill.  I love to see your huge heart for the Lord, and how gentle and caring you can be with your littlest sister.  You care about doing a good job at your school work (not so much about picking up your room though!)  :)  You're perfectly 9, and I love you that way.....forever and ever, to the moon and back.

Laundry

It takes me twice as long to fold laundry with a Maggie on my lap, but it's much more enjoyable this way :)

Just a few pics :)

Maggie and her L's

I've noticed that it takes kids a while to pronounce their 'llllll' sound.  Blue sounds like 'boo', lollipop sounds like 'wowwipop'...you get the picture.  But Maggie has for quite some time now pronounced her l's very well.  It surprised me at first and I thought it was an odd phase she would fly through and go right back to wicking her wowwipops like every other two year old...but no.

See here:

Name art...

These two have been up to lots of art today :)

Kombucha

I've started brewing kombucha...what is it, you ask?  When I say 'brewing' I realize people may think this is like beer, or wine...but it's non-alcoholic.  It is a fermented tea drink.  It helps immune function, digestion, energy levels, and aids you liver in removing harmful substances from your body.  See more here (http://www.foodrenegade.com/kombucha-health-benefits/ ).  You can make it in just about any flavor, and it gets fizzy!  The kids love it and it's a tasty alternative to drinking lots of fruit juice, pop, or other unhealthy beverage choices.  The kids even helped pick the flavors this time and watched/helped with the whole process.  You can buy kombucha in the store...but it's nearly $4/bottle (16 oz).  Brewing our own at home we can make it for pennies per pint...it's so easy, and fun!

Today we made blueberry, lemon ginger, raspberry, apple, and raspberry lemon.  I'm excited to try a cherry vanilla, but forgot to get any cherries...next time :)

Here's our latest batch:

SWIMMING!

Today we got to go to a pool party birthday party for a friend...in a pool that we've never been to before.  We were surrounded by friends and lots of kids, it was fabulous!  I'm amazed at how much easier it gets with the kids as their abilities gradually get better and better in the water.  This pool was much deeper than our usual pool, and it had diving boards!  It didn't take long before Isaac got reprimanded by the lifeguard for jumping off the edge and not landing feet first...and not long after that before Charlotte asked to go off the diving board.  I was a little leery, but she is a pretty good swimmer...so I made her jump off the edge as far as she could in 5 feet of water and swim back to me.  She did fabulous!  So off she went to the diving board...and this was her second jump...yay, Charlotte!  :)

Isaac turned FIVE!!

My big baby boy...5 years ago.  We called him our little tank because he looked so huge from the start :)

Now he's our rough and tumble, oh-so-sweet, spunky little man...with his dump truck birthday cake :)

The funny thing is, so often when I look at him now, I see the first picture above...my sweet baby...chubby kissable cheeks, and I feel that amazing falling in love feeling you get when you hold your baby for the first time.  Still.  After 5 years.  And it's not that I don't feel it with the others, but it's so different with Isaac.  As every child does, he holds a VERY special place in my heart.  

Sweet Isaac, you love to be goofy, especially with Maggie....but you certainly take turns buddying up with Charlotte and Mason too.  You get frustrated so easily, but I suppose that's part of being 5...so much emotion, so little control...we're working on it.  You love to do art projects, garage/tool/building/sawing projects most of all with Daddy, and you LOVE to swim.  The pool at the gym is one of your favorite places to be lately.  

You love to cuddle, you tell me a gazillion times a day how much you love me, and hugs are your favorite.  Most of all, you make us laugh...you are awesome.  

I'm so thankful God has given us YOU, to love, care for, and raise...I love you, sweet Isaac, with my whole heart, more than you will ever know :)

Charlotte gets baptized!

Last Sunday, June 10th, Charlotte Rose was baptized.  For those of you that remember...she was baptized as an infant too.  However, we've been attending a new church and we now believe that, Biblically, baptism is a sign of obedience to God once you have accepted his free gift of salvation.  It's a believer's baptism...baptism is not a conditional event we must do in order to get to heaven.  We go to heaven because we put our faith in what Jesus has done for us..."Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Acts 16:31


If we get to heaven by our own works (going to church, being a good person, etc), that means that Jesus' death on the cross was pointless...if we could save ourselves we wouldn't have needed a Savior.  And we DO need a Savior..."For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.  Also, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23  


He came, He lived a sinless life, He paid the price for our sins, and He rose again.  He LIVES!  By confessing our sins and accepting His free gift, we can KNOW with certainty our eternity in heaven is guaranteed.  "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." 1John 5:13


All these things, my 7 year old understands...and I will praise God forever for working in her heart the way He has.  Forgive the shaky iPhone video...but you'll get the picture :)

Charlotte's Baptism from Sonia Cushing on Vimeo.

Charlotte turns SEVEN!!

Oh Charlotte, sweet Charlotte...today you turn SEVEN.  I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone...people weren't kidding when they said you blink and your kids are all grown up.  It's happening before my very eyes!

I tried to make your day special with roses and window markers for a morning surprise, and we celebrated tonight with a rainbow cake and your choice of dinner...french toast, bacon, and smoothies...and of course, presents.

You are such a kind, loving, sweet girl...with a beautiful soul.  God has certainly blessed us when He sent us you.  You are so smart, your reading like a whiz now, and math comes so easy to you.  Your biggest passion is for the Lord, you love to read your Bible, and you're always thinking of what Jesus taught us.  You give of yourself so freely...helping me, playing with your siblings (especially Maggie!), even taking abuse from your brothers, ... and your kind heart always amazes me.  You are wise beyond your years.  We joked about maybe missing a year and that you were really turning 8...just because you seem so grown up for only being seven.  But, I'm glad you're only seven :) 

You had a project at school where you had to pick your favorite book, and write a persuasive argument to get others to read it.  You didn't have to think for a second before you knew you wanted to bring in your Bible.  I'm so proud of you and your love for Jesus!! 

You love to jump rope, dig in the dirt, climb trees, wear pretty dresses, ride your bike, read books, and be silly.  You also love rainbows and butterflies and hugs and cuddles and special goodnights.  Happy Birthday, my sweet baby girl.  I love you, forever and always with all of my heart...

A new way to think...and eat!

So the last few weeks, we've developed a new way of thinking and eating in our house. Why? A couple of reasons 1) some health issues, 2) an immense desire to stay healthy despite family history of diabetes, high cholesterol, etc, etc and 3) a desire to have a HEALTHY family...when we get sick, we get s.i.c.k....for months.

So I've been reading, and reading, and reading. And talking with and working with a nutritionist and group of seriously well educated professionals (that happen to be my friends!). And then reading some more. The basis of our new way of eating is this...eating whole natural food...meaning:

• we eat organic where it matters (see the list and app info here),
• eating grass-fed meat raised without hormones or antibiotics (see differences in nutritional value here...it matters!!!).
• we minimize grains...I've mostly cut them out, but we're at least going mostly gluten free (you've noticed the *mostly's* I'm sure...I've NOT mastered this yet!). Today's wheat is no longer the wheat of old and can cause many health issues. See here and this is a good list of 10 Reasons to Eliminate Grains
• These are my new Dietary Guidelines and Dietary Dangers
• Fat is NOT BAD! But current recommendations have the 'good' and 'bad' fats mixed up...see here...it's a long article, but so VERY good.
• we eat dairy that is not pasteurized or homogenized...I know many people have opinions about this, but when I read the research it was scary surprising to me! See here. In particular, the Milk Cure was AMAZING. And when I leave unpasteurized milk out for 5 days to make cream cheese and whey...I open the jar and it smells SWEET and GOOD and has massive amounts of healthful enzymes and good bacteria in it. Not like grocery store milk that smells sour and gagging awful...I just had to think...which would I rather put in my body?
• we stay away from soy...including soybean oil, and any animal fed soy products. See dangers of soy here.

A fabulous new cookbook (with a VERY informative introduction on the research behind it all) is Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon.

Yes, I could make a book out of this post...maybe someday I will. Changing a family of 6 (with 4 carb and sugar addicted kids!) over to a brand new way of eating is NOT easy. And if we successfully make the full transition it will honestly be one of the most difficult things I've ever done. It's not going to happen overnight...baby steps.

My body was made for a purpose, and it is not mine^..."Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[a] and in your spirit, which are God’s." 1Cor 16:19-20. In order to take care of myself and my children, now that I KNOW...and the research is astounding, and really, it just makes sense...it is my duty to take care of myself and my family in the best way I know how.

Do I sound a little crazy? I'm sure I do! But really, what do we have to lose? The research is there, but our food industry has been so industrialized, regulated, and money hungry that much of what we see in the stores and restaurants is definitely not NOURISHING our bodies, in fact disease has never been so rampant in our society...cancer, heart disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, etc. I have to believe that what we EAT matters. To clarify, these changes are NOT happening overnight in our family, but one step at a time. If it happens too fast we'll be overwhelmed and it will never work. Slowly but surely, we'll get there. :)

Miss Maggie Manners

Today while I was having a conversation with a friend...face to face, not over the phone...I hear a little voice next to me say "Moo keys, mommy"...it took me a second to remember that is 'Excuse me' in Maggie speak, and then another second to realize she was saying it since she saw I was otherwise engaged, but she needed me. When I looked at her and said "Yes, Maggie, what do you need?" She said "Firsty, need dink Mama". I thanked her for being so polite...then got her a drink. How on earth she knew to interrupt so politely I have no idea. I suppose from her siblings, but still...I was floored! She IS, after all, only TWO! Proud mama moment :)

Maggie turns TWO!

Oh Maggie, sweet Maggie....for some reason from the time you turned one until your second birthday seems like the longest year of my life! And I don't mean that in a bad way in the least! It's been a busy year, and I've just been so immersed in watching you grow, change, and just be so unbelievably CUTE, that I forgot to even think about time passing. When you soak it all up and live in the moment, the time nearly stands still long enough for you to enjoy every piece.

This next paragraph will bore anyone who probably doesn't have a specific genetic connection to you :)
This year has been amazing. You are talking a ton, and I couldn't possibly even count all the words you can say. You are a always pulling words out that I had no idea you knew. For instance, usually when you cup is empty you say "Mommy, fill up please!"...but just yesterday you said while handing me your cup "Mommy, EMPTY!" I just love moments when I realize how much you soak up. We are done with high chairs, cribs, and diapers (except for nap and bedtime)...yes, you are potty trained. An occasional accident still happens, but 99% of the time you do just fine :). You are interested in letters, their sounds (although you rarely get them right, but you LOVE to try!!) and LOVE books...your favorites right now are Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo!, and Roly Poly Pangolin. You are, however, not interested in learning your colors at all. You LOVE your Daddy and flock to him with the rest when he walks in the door after a hard day's work. You also love your Mommy, and your snuggles...that's right, you still nurse a couple times a day. You're a good napper and sleep about 11 hours at night. You eat just about anything, but your favorites are pizza, fruit (just about any kind), smoothies, and you beg for your vitamins every morning. You love to get and give hugs and kisses, and you are a pretty good listener most of the time...but, you are, after all, only (but already!) 2! :)

Maggie, there is no way I can put my love for you into words. God has blessed us with your little life and we are so grateful that He did. You are our sweet, so sweet, loving, beautiful, amazing, little girl...and I love you, sweet Maggie, you are my heart.

Other than painting your finger and toe nails the day was pretty uneventful since Mason was sick, but somehow I don't think you cared. :) For your birthday party we had some friends (Brian and Cristin) in town for the night that helped us celebrate, and Sarah came over too. The party was complete with a Hello Kitty cake and a bunch of presents. You blew out your birthday candles with little trouble...all two of them. You had a fabulous time...Daddy has video on his camera I'll have to post later, but for now...

Faith...

After two weeks of missing Bible study and Sunday school, I finally made it back to Bible study this morning. And my heart was SO hungry for it!!

We're studying Habakkuk, and today we talked a lot about faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

We talked this morning in about how faith is NOT a feeling, how it IS believing what God says and surrendering to it...and to live accordingly. I got to thinking, this is such a TALL order! How often in our world do we want to surrender to anything other than our human earthly wants and needs?

For our study we're using Kay Arthur's book "Lord, Where Are You When Bad Things Happen?", and I love how she says on page 140:
"Man is the center of his own world. What exists, exists for his pleasure. When he wants soemthing, he goes after it. He'll get it for himself. He will do it for himself. Self will be satisfied!
In a world like this, a man or woman who lives by faith is a rarity. Living by faith requires patience because the one who lives by faith becomes dependent upon God. You no longer call the shots. You no longer operate on your timetable. You don't just rush out to get, to do, to have, to satisfy. You pray. You ask. You seek his will, His counsel. Then you wait for God's leadership--His insight, His wisdom, His provision, His answer."

Oh how I long to be so patient! To give up my 'timetable'! I love how God has placed people in my life, to support, nurture, and feed me just what I need when I need it. A few years ago this would have gone right over my head...today my soul was filled with knowledge...with Truth...and with a desire to know my God more.

Feeling oh.so.thankful. :)

Cool kids :)

We've been sick lately (Isaac last week, Mason and I this week), so I've now spent 11 days home with sick kiddos. I'm just praying no one else gets it just as the rest of us are getting well!!

Just a couple reasons for the post, one...Maggie's prayer tonight at bedtime went something like this "Thank you, Jesus...for breakfast, cupcake, Mommy and Daddy." She had a cupcake after lunch, and it must have been good as I was surprised she remembered it! :)

Secondly, Mason has been reading this book called "Yo, Millard Fillmore!" and it has some apparently clever way to remember the order of all the presidents...and, you guessed it, here's the video. He's going to recite the presidents for a class project on famous people...an extension project they were supposed to use their special talents for. Memory is definitely a special talent of his :) Catch his thought process and use of phrases like "Ok...hold on...I need to access the other file."

Mason recites presidents from Sonia Cushing on Vimeo.

Last minute addendum to this post:
As I was tucking Mason in tonight, I gave him a kiss on the cheek...he grabbed a kleenex and I thought he was going to blow his nose. Instead, he wiped his cheek I had just kissed. I said playfully "Are you wiping off my kiss?!?!", to which he replied..."No, Mom, just the spit!" :)

Mason's brain...

Mason this morning was trying to figure out 37 times 2. He knows 45 +45 =90 off the top of his head. So his calculation to get to 37 x 2 was this:

45 x 2 - 20 + 4 = 74 (he did -20 to get to 35 x 2 and then added back in 4 since he needed 37 x 2)

He said it outloud and did the calculation in a flash, but I had him repeat it so I could figure out what he did. That boy amazes me :)

Maggie talk

Maggie talks a LOT, but there are a few words that are just too cute...I had to write them down.

Mac & cheese in Maggie talk sounds like 'monkey cheese'

Excuse me (which she uses appropriately when she is trying to get past someone, or when she burps) sounds like 'mo-keys'. And it's so cute because she just keeps repeating it and getting louder and louder if you don't hear her and move out of her way.

She is now fully potty trained except for nap and bedtime, and I never even have to ask her or remind her to go. She has been by FAR the easiest to potty train...I never thought I'd get so lucky!! All the kids have potty trained really easily!

And after a night out with some of my mommy friends, I realized too how nice it is to be able to sleep through the night. It has been quite a while I've been able to do this, but the transition was so gradual I didn't even realize when it happened and how nice it is to be able to go to bed at 11pm and still get a solid 8 hours of sleep!! I am so blessed with AMAZING kids and an AMAZING husband. Life.is.good. :)

No more diapers!!

I can't believe it, Maggie has potty trained (except for nap and bedtime...but that will come!). I started three days ago when she said "Potty Mommy!" and THEN she looked down at her pullup and peed in it. She then proceeded to take it off and get herself a new one. I thought to myself...'she's ready!'.

She has gone all three days now without an accident at all...I think this is the FIRST potty training kiddo I've had that has NEVER had an accident while in the training process (knock on wood). She even survived a trip to Sam's Club with me yesterday, and all morning at church sans diaper and had no accidents. I'm declaring victory!

This also happens to coincide with me running out of pullups, but hey, we all need a little push once in a while :)

She still insists on a treat every time she goes, but she's even doing much of the initiating. I make her go before bed and before we leave the house, but other than that I'm leaving it up to her, and she's doing fantastic!

I also realized that I tend to live in the "Won't it be nice..." mindset. You know..."Won't it be nice when I'm not getting up in the middle of the night with kids anymore...", "Won't it be nice when we're done with diapers...", "Won't it be nice when the kids are able to do more for themselves...", etc.

The fact of the matter is, I'm suddenly looking back and realizing...WOW...I'm not up in the middle of the night anymore (and I don't even remember really how it happened!), the kids ARE doing more for themselves, and guess what...I AM done with diapers! It's nostalgic looking back, not that I miss getting woken up in the middle of the night by a screaming baby...but those moments were sweet too.

I'm realizing it is all going by so fast...SO FAST. I'm doing the best I can to cherish the moments, but that won't stop them from passing just like they all do. Here's a blog post by a woman that is an AMAZING read...it says EXACTLY what I've been trying to say for years but couldn't find the words. She says it so perfectly, http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/. I love the sweet moments of motherhood...but that doesn't mean I have to love every moment in the trenches. I think it makes the sweet moments that much sweeter....

2011 Year In Review

Here's our 2011 Cushing Year In Review slideshow. Thanks to cell phones on top of our usual cameras we were able to capture TONS of amazing moments, but the quality of some of the photos suffers a bit...but it's a trade off I'll take any day! :)

Enjoy!