March (first half)

Merry March! This month kicked off with all kinds of fun and laughs. First of all, meet Edison...

One morning, Mattaya dragged this nearly-empty jug of vinegar from the pantry and began playing with it as if it was a person. It took me a couple tries to understand what his name was, but I eventually came to understand his name was Edison.

I really have no idea where she comes up with this stuff.

Drawing with Edison.

Caught red-handed.

You can't expect NOT to get caught when you don't know how to get DOWN off a stool, Makenna. ;)

This was hilarious to me. I was working in the kitchen; Mattaya was still napping. All was pretty quiet, so I peeked into the toy room. Makenna was just chilling, reading a book and pressing the bear's nose for some tunes. Whenever the music stopped, she'd look up from her book to push the nose again.

What a sweetie. :)

Fuzzy picture, I know, but I so love her belly laughs!

Yes, we do feed this blue-eyed girl plenty of orange veggies. ;)

So precious!

We kicked off the month with a bake sale, a benefit to raise money for some friends with medical expenses. LOTS of baked goods. LONG day. And the only picture I have is of the sign. Really?!

Daddy was on his own with the girls the day of the bake sale. He did have helpers who came and went throughout the day, however. Big thanks to Micah, Jason, and Jake!

Daddy really knows how to show the girls a fun time. ;)

(I'm just joshing--the girls LOVE to get out the swiffer and broom and rarely get to do so. It was a special treat.)

This look says, "Pleeeeeease pick me up!"

Oh, how she loves Edison.

Eating lunch with Edison.

Micah turned 21!

He loved the gift from his parents. :)

And celebrated with a New Castle.

She was so proud to have put the sweater on all by herself. :)

To Makenna, the mess isn't worth it if you can't EAT it.

Mattaya was STOKED. She'd been asking to do "footprint painting" for a long time. I told her to roll her pants up, and she had them hiked up so far that at first I thought she'd taken them off!

Makenna's prints.

Mattaya's prints.

Mattaya's Art #1

Mattaya's Art #2

Taking Edison for a walk.

Hey, sweet Piggie-tailed Girl!

Mmmmm, "hot" chocolate!

This was Makenna's first "hot" chocolate. And she doesn't really have the hang of drinking from a cup. So after she practically drowned herself...

...I gave her a straw.

Grampa Dave and Gramma Julie ran to MN to see Great-Gramma Mabel as her health was failing. They came back bearing gifts from Uncle Larry and Auntie Cindy.

Gramma Julie had tossed in some presents of her own as well. And Mattaya needed to wear them all SIMULTANEOUSLY.

And then she shared.

Red Fridays. So I thought it would be nice to participate in Red Friday by dressing the girls appropriately. AFTER I got them dressed, I realized that Mattaya looked like a Target employee.

Edison likes to play dress-up, too.

Oh, Kenna. She totally took advantage of my being elbow-deep in raw egg and raw chicken (homemade chicken nuggets in the making) and emptied the entire silverware drawer.

Miss Makenna sipping some air-flavored "juice".

Modeling her new apron from Larry and Cindy. She felt like such a big girl!

Cooking. For all her children.

She felt overwhelmingly accomplished when she was able to provide chairs, plates, and food for ALL her children.

Oh, Matt, I'm sure everyone has seen a SALAD before! ;)

On our way to a haircut.

Makenna had a bath right before we left, so her hair actually looks shorter in the "before" picture.

Mandie is a friend of mine from high school and is so good with our girls. :)

Here, Makenna is completely chill. Sitting so nicely, not complaining a bit as Miss Mandie works out the nemesis tangle. When MOMMY, tries to comb her hair, ALL KINDS of fits and screams. No joke.

She did, however, get to the point where she wanted that cape OFF.

So I distracted her by showing her pictures in the camera and taking pictures from between her knees. :)

Looking like a big girl.

All done!

Great-Gramma Mabel did pass away March 12.

She will certainly be missed, but we rejoice with her that she is no longer suffering but is instead completely healed and experiencing the most radiant joy in the presence of our Lord.

For those of you who are curious, here is the eulogy that Luke and I put together:

Mabel Viola Steen. An unmistakable woman. So unique. Unlike anyone else I’ve ever known. She didn’t so much like her name. “Mabel Mabel set the table” she would parrot in a high squeaky voice. “Viola” she’d say in a disgusted tone. But, while she may not have cared much for how her names sounded, the meanings of those names are entirely appropriate. “Mabel” means, “lovable”; and as we all gather here to celebrate her life, I think we would all agree that she was indeed lovable. “Viola” means “violet”, which many of you will see as appropriate if you happened to know that her favorite color of ALL TIME has always been lavender.

A mother, a sister, a grandma, a friend. I’m sure we all have something to share about how Mabel touched our lives. We are all grieving today because we all lost a great lady, but we find peace and comfort in knowing that where she is now she’s happy and healthy.

Mabel lived for 85 years. Her life spanned a vast array of significant events. She witnessed so many changes in history, so many advancements in technology. She witnessed several wars. Her husband even served in World War 2. She was always so proud of his service, his rank, and his dashing picture wearing his army uniform. From radios to televisions, from outhouses to indoor plumbing, from manual washing machines with a wringer to the fully automated washing machines we enjoy today—Mabel saw a lot in her life.

Some of these time periods and changes were defining for Mabel. Growing up during the Depression had taught her not to waste a thing. She never did lose her sense of frugality. If it can be re-used, it shouldn’t be thrown away. Even if food is plentiful or inexpensive, it shouldn’t be wasted. Even if you have plenty of money, you shouldn’t spend it carelessly. These are ideas that she not only embodied but also passed along to her children and grandchildren.

Mabel was a hard worker, but not just someone who worked hard—someone who ENJOYED hard work and never complained about it. She was not a woman to be seen with idle hands. Mabel would FIND something to keep herself busy. Out on the farm, if she managed to complete all tasks at hand, she’d head out into the yard to pick up sticks and often tried to talk US into coming along to help. “It will be fun to get some fresh air and do some work!” We weren’t necessarily convinced, but we’d go out with her and fill the wheelbarrow multiple times. Even after she moved to town, she kept herself busy with housework and yardwork, working ceaselessly until it was just right (especially those doggone windows).

Although Mabel eagerly sought out and enjoyed hard work, she also knew how to kick back and enjoy the people in her life. Countless have been the hands of rummy and Skip-bo, the games of Triominoes and Rumikub. She was always happy to take us out to Wendy’s or Arby’s or to go bowling. She even joined us in a game of softball just a couple summers ago! She really did love to spend time with family and was always generous toward us. Her gifts to her family members were very generous even though she was amazingly frugal when it came to purchasing things for herself. She was thoughtful toward and eager to please those she loved. It seemed EVERY time we went to the farm, she was making us fried chicken or porkchops. And any time she was expecting Luke, there was magically a pistachio dessert awaiting him (not to mention as much farmer’s cheese and as many pickles as he could possibly dream of).

In her own way, she was able to show us how important we all were to her. We may no longer see her, but we will always have these special moments we shared with her. She will always have a special place in our hearts.

Mabel is undoubtedly loved and appreciated for all the qualities she possessed as well as for the legacy of faith she passed along. She loved Jesus. She loved His Word. Most often we would find her Bible along with a few other good Christian books within easy reach of her favorite chair. Her continued study throughout her later years impressed upon us that there is always room to grow in our walk with the Lord and that we ought to be striving to know Him and to become more like Him.

Let us be thankful for the times we shared with her, the example she set for us, the Lord who saved her, and the peace we have in knowing she is now fully healed and experiencing more joy in His presence than we can even imagine.