Tessa's fourth birthday

I have not blogged the boys parties it was not this convenient from my phone or I have not made time yet but, tomorrow is Tessa's Wonder Pets! Party here at home with some new friends from ballet and tap class.  I plan to do a full birthday craft photo update soon.  Finished play silk party favors last night...I have a sinus infection but we must celebdate!  I have two wonderful neighbors...well..more than that but one took all four children last night so Martin and I had a date party prep night last night and the lady next door, she is taking all four for popcorn and a movie for another work evening tonight.  Makes it easier!  My neighbors have great capacity and love.

This photo of he three was taken in the beautiful warm sunshine yesterday post p.e. and ballet/tap classes.  It was a great day!

Donovan George Jacob Mueller

I had planned some other things to post in my head.  Afterall, Christmas and New Year's have now come and gone and although very pregnant, I was still snapping photos and making memories but, as babies do, they come when they are ready and we were ready too I must say!  So, here he is, our brand new boy.  Oh, and yeah, "Mueller Five" won't work for the blog title anymore will it?

Donovan George Jacob Mueller

Born at home, surrounded with love, family, friends and midwives

January 3rd, 3:30pm, 7 lbs. 2oz., 20 1/4 inches

Witnesses:

Martin, Traci, Gunnar, Winston and Tessa

Sarah and Sophia Stokes/friends, Cheryl and Mia Amelang/friends

Rhonda Jones/sister, Leah Larson/midwife, Toni Kimpel/midwife/friend and Tillie Kimpel/photographer/knitting buddy

MealBaby is a meal registry if you would like to make and bring a meal to our growing family. Just click link here to access. We thank you for thoughts and prayers. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure!

My five year old

He turned 5 years old on Thanksgiving Day.  We celebrated at my folks house after Thanksgiving lunch with a huge Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake, the very thing I ate daily after he was born.  What a treat!  He got balloons, a bug box (that is now a jail for bad guys for the boys self designed Lego land on the train table) Star Wars Legos, a Star Wars pillow case, tee shirt, action figures..oh Star Wars... and lots of love and attention even though it was just his parents, siblings and grandparents that day..he did not mind.  He is so easy going.  He only acts difficult or takes issue if he sees his older brother do it but, it is not his nature, at this age anyway.  Its as if he 'tries on' attitudes, just to see what happens.

What Winston loves and who he is right now:

• He loves Chili's ribs he found out recently (my boy who will eat the entire family table green salad and very little meat on his dinner plate)
• He knows the perfect timing to give a hug and a kiss if needed.
• He says sweet things that you don't expect coming, just at the right time.
• He is excited to meet his new sibling soon.
• He plays victim if his sister, two years younger, hits him over a toy squabble.  He is a lover, not a fighter and would rather just let her have it even though, he does turn the tables at times and lets her have it! 
• He often says he loves me and his Mimi and that's all (I know better, he loves his family)
• He will copy almost anything his big brother says or does.




Cracking whole nuts with rocks is good fun!


• He will do almost anything to make you laugh.
• He is good with math it seems and eager to learn to read but not too eager, it will come.
• He can dress himself and even match most of the time..just needs help snapping his blue jeans.
• He loves his cat Boo and his brother's cat, Tom.



At his brother's birthday party as I did not take photos at his party..was busy serving up cheesecake, running the bubble machine and making merry in general that day.  My photographer, my Dad was busy with the Thanksgiving food and dishes, etc.  I do think he has some on his camera though and getting those to me is challenging...maybe they will come this week..c'mon Poppy!

• He wants to be a chief of a worker and build buildings in the desert when he grows up.  (that's a direct quote)

Daddy and I love you very much Winston and count you as one of our biggest blessings in life.  Happiest Fifth Birthday big boy!!

A Peter Pan Pirate Party::Would Charlotte approve?

***Do you ever compose a blog post, save the draft and then forget it? Here's one from last year..please enjoy reliving our literature adventures with us here!*** Tiger Lily (my niece Sky), Wendy(my niece Rhy), Captain Hook(Gun) who is holding a cardboard/aluminum foil hook and, Peter Pan(Win)..in our backyard. I think Hook has Tiger Lily captive here on his ship even though she is seemingly in charge at the bow of the ship and Pan is there to rescue her.

Captain Hook's Blood Red Punch (with a cool dry ice effect, thanks Mimi and Pop!)



pirate treasure

I planned a co-birthday party for our boys back in November, before Martin's surgery. The party was on the heels of finishing the unabridged, yes, unabridged, written play of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. It was not always easy to get through the story, I admit but, I try to keep the big picture in mind. How you read aloud matters, why you read aloud matters and, feeding upon ideas while cultivating the habit of attention...matters. (Please stop and read those links to expand further.) I should make a bookmark reminding me of these wonderful goals. Sounds heady but all of that good stuff is going on while reading great living books. Charlotte Mason believed in reading the original even if only a handful of sentences at a time (not easy to do I say!) to cultivate attention and to hear the vocabulary that does not "talk down" to the child. I cannot remember when I began it but I know it was last spring/summer so it took us maybe four to six months of reading during the week. That seems long doesn't it? It was frankly but I could remind the boys where we left off or backtrack a paragraph or so to remember more details so it was fine for a first challenge with a large work of literature.

The party included a pile of pirate cupcakes, blood red pirate punch, Tinkerbell and plenty of pirate booty and gear to dress up in and even take some things home like swords, pirate eye patches, bandannas, lost boys ears and play money with a pirate earring. I did a lot of sewing for these props and all in all, it was fun and a unique way to end the book for me..uh, well, and for them too I think.

I wondered how much they really retained since I am in competition with other media like "Dora and the Pirates". Something Miss Mason never had to contend with in her career. I do see that the children confuse some of stories and pirate details but perhaps with a re-reading, a little further down the road, they will appreciate the play as it was intended. Did you know that Tinkerbell was quite bitchy? She called Pan a "silly ass" often in the play due to her jealousy of Wendy. I have to say, I am constantly amazed how Disney pictures sanitize these adult stories, classic stories, for children. I understand that with repetition of a Disney movie where Tinkerbell says "silly ass" would produce a child who repeats it often and well is not desirable. As a side note: I also have to say, upon reading this classic and then watching on Netflix the theatrical version with Cathy Rigby as Pan, the whole relationship with Wendy and Peter is a bit.....odd. If you have read the play or viewed the play, you know what I mean. J.M. Barrie was phenomenally gifted as an adult to imagine this story..to let himself go and create these characters is a wonder to me. The subtle relationship dynamics of Wendy and Pan passed over the little ones heads but it kept my attention so that was a good thing.

Great books, art, etc. should keep your attention as well as the children's attention and interest as I have gleaned from Charlotte Mason philosophy. Again, regarding Walt Disney....On the other hand, the "sanitized" version (cartoons for children) leaves so much out that what you end up with is far from what the artist intended and that bothers me. The original or the book, is often so much better, richer and, more can be imagined than animated. I want to cultivate the classics first as the artist intended before Disney beats me to the punch but it is tough my friends, very tough in this media seduced world in which we live and we all are apart.

I wonder what our theme will be next year? Hummmmm.... (that would be "this year")

a happy birthday!

a recent self-portrait, ahem...extreme close-up!

He was much quieter in those days... ;-)

Sometime in 2004, I know for sure, he was our one and only at the time!

On this day, at this hour, seven years ago, I had labored effectively for 19 hours already. Little did I know, I would only be slightly less than half way through before meeting our boy! The wait was worth it and the time has flown by as they say.

Cheers to a great first year of home school, with all the ups and downs of learning to read, sharing most things with a little brother and sister, cleaning up messes without being told, losing several teeth with the help of a little brother, making creative toys, landscapes, music, games, cards, etc. Most of all, cheers to him for handling the adults with big challenges and skating along through it with us.

We pray he relies on the Lord when his storms hit one day as we reluctantly know they will.

Happy Birthday Gunnar!

We love you more each day!

love, Mom (and Dad too)

a happy birthday

On this very day, four years ago, the Lord gave to Martin and I the boy above and what a pleasure the time has been and we wait in wonder for what is yet to be for him.

Happy Birthday Winston!

Our memory verse:

"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Matthew 21:22 NASB

And we did....

Happy Birthday Oma and Opa! (belated)

To me for my 39th birthday from Oma and Opa..I love it!!

This past May, we received a multi-birthday gift package from Germany. What fun for all. For your birthdays, we share photos of ours from you to us! Musical German birthday cards are fascinating. Those are paper "bee hives" on the window behind G's head.

Who built the Ark? Noah, Noah....

I always remember my in-laws birthdays before the day, sometimes weeks before the day but rarely am I on time recognizing them. I tried to call Oma on her day and, the phone card was all used up so did not do it..got distracted and the day grew long (time differences matter) and then days past by...so is the way of many things I intend to do associated with a date. July 7th was Opa's birthday and May 17th Oma's.

I know with my loved ones, remembering too late for a birthday is totally forgivable. That is the comfort of a loving and close family. You are often in our thoughts and prayers.

We love and miss you!

"mommy, what's holding the ground up?"

I love that I am home to hear these things that are mused upon while lying on the couch before daybreak because we had a 'bad dream about a monster' from my dear three year old. If I were rushed to get him and his older brother to a school in another location, these things would be passed by, ignored because we need to eat, get dressed, get your sister up, get out the door! ...now!! I am well aware there will be a time for this rushing out to make practice, meetings, dates, etc., etc....these are the foundation days to enjoy like a hot cup of tea..linger and savor the time at home. We are feathering the nest in this season of our lives. Here are some shots over the Christmas and Birthday season.

I just insist upon vintage glass Christmas ornaments. Good news, several casualties but no glass in any one's feet, hands, etc.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Marionette Playhouse at our house! I don't think the children noticed much when the puppeteer passed out to them her business card...I was mortified. It took away some of the magic for me. I wish she had told me she was going to do that....otherwise, it was delightful.

First the original reading and then a marionette interpretation with all the bells and whistles. Think 'Sound of Music' except the children do not perform....yet. ;-) I have dreams of making puppets and a theatre for ourselves in time.

The birthday boys. W3 on November 24th and G6 on December 11th.


For T1's First birthday, January 10th, I made her my first knit hat. It has since been altered to an elf hat...it was lots of fun to make though!

This is my gorgeous sister Rhonda and the birthday girl on her birthday. That morning, I woke up early just knowing I had to make her a warm, new appliqued poncho. It was a cold January day. She looks good in pink, no?

W3 constantly steals her hat.

Driving with the brothers.

soaking in the sun

I love post holiday sales. I am not crazy though..I go after most things have been picked over and hope to get lucky to find something fabulous like these Santa mugs. The boys can't wait to use them next Christmas.

Celebration day at Mimi and Poppy's house with all the cousins. My premiere video blog post! The ice cube trays held gobs of M & Ms for the kids to decorate her cake. Thanks to The Pioneer Woman Cooks for the cake idea. Do you see the love in Mimi's eyes?