Goofy Kids

Do they really have a chance at being "normal" with their parents?

Often times in church during the song service I will hold one of the boys on my lap and sing in his ear. On each verse I will sing a different part(BTW, I never try bass), when I switch to a new part I will tell him what part I will be singing, i.e. "now I'm going to sing the alto part on this verse". I hope by doing this, their ears will become used to listening for parts. I do the same thing with instruments as we listen to music. I will say, " do you hear that beautiful french horn?" or "wow, listen to that cello!" Anyway, the other day it all came back to haunt me. We were driving down the road listening to Brooklyn Tab and I hear Micah from the back seat, "Mommy now I'm gonna sing alto!" Josiah replies, "And I'm gonna sing wead, I wike to sing wead cause wead is the woud part, if you sing wead that means you sing woud." I tried my best to explain that Lead is not just singing loud, it just seems loud to them because it is the melody of the song. They just looked at me as if to say, "yeah, OK, anyway as we were saying". Then Josiah says, "let's switch, now you sing Wead Micah and I'll sing Alto, come on Mommy sing!" So I sang. (before you get impressed, they are not actually singing parts, unless they are following me singing a part.)

Yesterday we started officially potty training Micah. Ahh the joy. We took his bear and put underwear on it, then we showed the bear how to go potty and keep his pants clean and dry, then bear got a treat. Bear learns so quickly. Then we put Bob the Builder underwear on Micah and said, "Now Micah you don't want to get Bob wet, keep Bob clean and dry. Then we set the timer and did the stay off the carpet thing and go potty every time the timer goes off. He didn't do too badly, only 2 accidents, one was right after we had taken him potty though. While Matt and I were still eating lunch, we noticed that Micah was dancing around in a circle and then falling down, he really seemed to be enjoying himself. He did this 3 times before we figured out he had wet himself and the floor, and was having a great time slipping and sliding in it. Needless to say, Bob got wet and Micah got a bath. Anyway, as you can tell, the apple does not fall far from the tree. Below are some pictures of our goofy guys.

Yum chocolate ice cream!

I am told that this tree stump is the Titanic, and Josiah and Micah are trying to survive the sinking of it

.A little trick photography with Daddy and Siah. For just the price of a cup of coffee a day, you could help feed this child.

Never Alone

I feel as if last week were a blur. Monday was recital, Tuesday Micah had a check up, Wednesday Matt had another Toxo check up, Thursday my weekly cleaning job, Friday another weekly cleaning job, but Saturday was a special day. Saturday morning, Becca hosted a Mother/Daughter Tea at her home. For those of you who know Becca, you'll know it was very creatively done. She had a coffee theme, complete with special mochas, lattes, and carmel machiattos(sp?). Not to mention the great food and inspiring devotional. Matt needed to go into work Saturday morning to help get some chairs built, he could take Siah, but the Micahnator would be a bit much. So I sneaked Micah into a girls-only event. I'm pretty sure we tricked everyone with his disguise. (see photo)

Saturday afternoon was a special time celebrating with girlfriends. Here is a little background. Around here when any of the ladies from our church turns 40 or 50 we do it up big! The last lady was kidnapped by blowdryer-point from work and thrown into the back of a waiting van. We whisked her off to the city for a weekend of shopping and fun. This year two ladies(see photo) are turning 40 and they have received ransom type notes warning them that 4 - "D" things are coming their way. The first "D" was Drama and we all went to see "Lost in Yonkers" at a local college that has a theatre series. Saturday was the second "D" and it was Dirt Cheap Night. We had a progressive snack at three different homes, then we went back to the first house for chocolate fondue and a foot-spa party. We had such a nice time. By the end of the day, I was zonked, but oh what fun. What a blessing to have friends. I wish all of you had been here with us to enjoy it.

On a more serious note, I thought I'd share an experience I had a few weeks ago. I hope it encourages you, as I am sure I am not the only one who faces days of uncertainty. Not long ago I was feeling pretty insecure. I had a few days when I wondered if I was worthy enough to be the wife of such an incredible man. Days when I wondered if it was selfish of me to have had children. What made me think I could possibly mold two souls into the image of Christ? It's easy to have babies and feel all those warm fuzzies, but the reality is, as wonderful as children are, they are responsibility. One day we will stand before God and give an account for how we have or have not trained them. I know in the end the choice is theirs, but how I train them will greatly influence the direction in life they will choose. Their view of God will be influenced by the justice, love, kindness, and consistency they see in me. Just when I had about over-thought myself into despair, my precious logical husband talked some sense into me and also said, "tomorrow I want you to listen to uplifting music all day, music that will focus your mind on Christ." Well, I obeyed and I'm so glad I did. I took my CD player with us to "our" cleaning job and I popped in a CD I hadn't listened to in quite sometime. One of the first songs that came on brought me to tears and helped me come back to an eternal perspective. I thought I would share those lyrics with you. I hope this song encourages you like it did me.

You Will Never Walk Alone

by: Lowell Alexander

Verse 1: Along life's road

There will be sunshine and rain

Roses and Thorns, laughter and pain

And 'cross the miles

You will face mountains so steep

Deserts so long and valleys so deep

Sometimes the journey's gentle

Sometimes the cold winds blow

But I want you to remember

I want you to know

Chorus: You will never walk alone

As long as you have faith

Jesus will be right beside you all the way

You may feel you're far from home

But home is where He is

And He'll be there down every road

You will never walk alone.

Verse 2: The path will wind

And you will find wonders and fears

Labors of love and a few falling tears

Across the years

There will be some twists and turns

Mistakes to make and lessons to learn

Sometimes the journey's gentle

Sometimes the cold winds blow

But I want you to remember

Wherever you may go

Chorus

Bridge: Jesus knows your joy, Jesus knows your need

He will go the distance with you faithfully

Chorus

I pushed the repeat button and listened to this song over and over for about 2 hours. I cried out to God to forgive me for forgetting that the job is not mine alone. I don't believe God reaches down and takes tough jobs away from us, I think as a loving Father He makes us do some work too, so that we might grow and become more like Him. However, I do need Him desperately in able to do the job that sets before me. I was right in thinking the job of being wife, and especially Mother, is way too big for me...alone, but I am not alone. Yes, I am responsible, yes I must do my best to learn to be the greatest Mommy possible for their soul's sake. But I do not have to go it alone. As long as I trust Him, He is with me every step of the way, giving me wisdom as I ask for it and strength as I need it. What a precious Companion.

I'm so lost

OK, I was shamed by a dear friend for not posting pictures of Josiah's Recital. The problem was I couldn't find my camera before we had to leave, so it was go with a camera and be late or go without a camera and be on time. I chose the latter, especially since I knew there would be 3 good friends there taking photos and I thought I might be able to beg a few off of them. Anyway, all that to say that I decided to at least post a photo of Siah and Violin to make up for the lack of recital photos. Obviously it worked, but it is huge. I can't figure out how to add photos to a posting or how to make them a reasonable size. So forgive the Godzilla sized photo of Josiah, and try to enjoy it, in spite of how overwhelming it may be.

Rainy Days

Today is a gray rainy day. That's not always a bad thing. Josiah reminded me today that, "the rain is a good thing, it helps the plants grow." Boy that's a mouth full both in reality and metaphorically. I remember as a young person thinking The Apostle Paul had some real issues when he was always being so thankful and cheery about his trials. I think as an adult I can now see his point. Now before you put me in the category of Saints, let me say I don't ask for any trials and neither do I blame God for the ones I have, but I do recognize the potential for growth that each trial offers.

With so many blessings in my life, I feel a bit silly speaking of trials. I've not come close to experiencing some of the hardships Paul faced or even that some of you face daily. But I trust that it is in the everyday grind of life that I develop my perspective and grow in my knowledge of Jesus. Then when the devastating winds begin to blow in on my life, I will have a foundation firmly planted in my Heavenly Father.

Speaking of blessings, we are thankful for one small blessing. Matt did not have to serve on Jury yesterday and was able to attend Josiah's recital. The Jury-Chick did promise sternly that he would have to serve another month and would most certainly have to come in more than once. But we will take that as it comes. Having Daddy at the Recital was worth it. If you have never been to a Suzuki String Recital, you really are missing something. We even attended some before Josiah started lessons. It's so fun to hear children ranging form age 3 - 18 playing beautiful music. With the Suzuki Method all the children play the same songs as they progress. So the older students have already played and perfected the songs the younger children are just learning. So it is fun to hear all of kids play Twinkle together. As the music gets more difficult the younger students step out and by the end of the concert you get to enjoy an orchestra of young people playing gorgeous music. It sure was encouraging for me. After months of hearing the cat screaming sounds of a beginning Violinist, it's nice to see that in just a few years all those scratchings will actually make some pretty awesome music.

Well, we have church tonight and we like to hit the library before church so I will close for now. Thanks for being one of the many blessings in my life.

An Idea

Well, it's been a week since my last posting, and some are getting rather cynical about the number of comments on it, so I guess it's time for a new one. (Becca, you start the comments craze on this one and see if we can beat 33 )

Today I am only slightly bitter. Matt was on call for Federal Jury Duty this month, every week when he called in, he was not needed. Wouldn't you know that the last day of the month he gets called in. He just served on a County Jury two years ago. For those of you who know Matt, you know he is very thoughtful and conscientious, he feels like it is our civic duty to serve on Juries. He makes a good point that if all the moral people try to get out of duty what would happen to the system. However, with crunches at work and his Dr.'s appnts. for the Toxo, now is not a good time for him to serve. He has to go in this afternoon for Jury selection and may have to miss Josiah's end of the year recital, which is the greatest hardship of all. Of course in the grand scheme of things this little Jury Duty annoyance is just that, an annoyance.

So on to a brighter note. I have so enjoyed this cyber world of connecting. Not only is it a joy to keep in better touch, it is a challenge and encouragement. As I read your blogs, I find myself motivated to be more disciplined, Christ-like, creative, and I have laughed very hard.

Which leads me to a thought I had the other day as I was looking through a homeschooling catalogue entitled Timberdoodle. It is a really neat catalogue that sells all sorts of home education products including curriculum. The thing that makes it unique is that the family who publishes the catalogue reviews everything they sell.(And they sell a lot) It's so nice to be able to read a review on every product and learn how it works, what age it is appropriate for and how it compares to other items. This catalogue saves home educators time, in wading through everything that is out there and money, not having to try a dozen things only to realized they are not well suited to your family.

As most of you know school, for me in general, was a social phenomena. I did what I had to, to be considered "average" and then "enjoyed" the rest of the day socializing. So most of my real education didn't really take place in a classroom. My love for learning has been developed as an adult. I now thirst for knowledge and have even gained some through reading and experience. However, with two small boys the experience department has been narrowed down to mostly family experiences, and so it will probably be for the next several years. While reading is still a big part of my life, really it is a luxury. It seems more efficient to read only worthy books or bother with worthwhile experiences. This is where you come in. This really is an extension of Tara's idea. On her site she has a "recommendations section". It would be so nice to have a network of people you trust recommending helpful books, good movies, nice music, great food/recipes, or even the best place to buy whatever at the best price. Just your recent learning experiences that would save others time and money or help our families pick a good spot for vacation or read a book that will help us be better Servants of Jesus and those around us. We could make recommendations of things we found helpful and a brief review of why we like it on each of our blogs. So what do you think? This could be a way to get more "hits" on your site. ;) I will lead by example and see who joins in. I hope you will, because I know each of you have wisdom to share that would help me.

Well, the boys are outside playing and I need to bring them in and bathe them before we head to Carbondale. They look like the children you see in literature for the Christian Children's Fund. I'll post a picture tomorrow to prove it. :)

Spring

I love Spring! I love the fresh air blowing through our house. I love the bright green new leaves on the trees. I love my flowers blooming on the front porch. But what I love most is what's happening right now. I am sitting here typing this blog listening to my boys OUTSIDE playing. It's like a freedom pass. They will play out there on a dirt pile of two hours, with little whining or arguing. It's a beautiful thing. I just open all the windows in the house, so that no matter where they are I can hear them and keep an eye on them. They play hard and wear themselves out and then come in ready for a nap. Is life good or what? :) We didn't have this option when we lived in town. If they went outside, I was out there with them. We lived on a busy road and weirdos are a plenty in this world. But out here, in five acres of woods, there are no car or weirdo worries. We don't have a yard yet, just dirt, but they seem very happy with the dirt. Hopefully in the next month or so we will be seeding the yard, but I don't think the boys are in any hurry for that.

Well, we made it for one day of IHC. We didn't go at all last year, Matt needed to stay home and keep things going at work while Keith was away. As most of you know. We are very good friends with Keith and Rachel who are the owners of Take One Studios (as well as the Saw Mill/Rocking Chair business where Matt works). Well, for years now Keith has been running the sound at IHC and Rachel has been in charge of the Dayton Daily. As you can imagine, it takes a ton of people to accomplish all this. Especially, with IHC adding a web site and audio streaming. So Keith and Rachel take several people from our church to help them get everything done. To be honest, I don't really feel like we "attend" IHC since we rarely have time to attend a service. We pretty much work in a back room from morning till everything is done in the evening. Don't get me wrong we have fun and have some down time to visit with old friends, but IHC is work. We enjoy it though, it's fun working together and I often have opportunities to see old friends and I almost always get to hear the Mass Choir

Well, I suppose I should close. Mondays are the days we go to Josiah's violin lessons. He takes lessons in Carbondale which is an almost 1 1/2 hour drive. By the time we get there have his private lesson and then attend group lessons and then eat supper we are gone most of the day. So if I'm going to get anything done around the house it has to be before lunch. I suppose I'll go get some more laundry done while the dirt piles entertain the boys. :)

Update

I must admit, I'm a little bitter. I typed a whole update on my blog Monday and just before I published it my computer crashed. So here's my next attempt.

Life has been busy as usual, but I thought I'd share some of my mundane business.
Last Thursday I had a special treat. I got to go to dinner and Starbucks with my dear friend Jo. Jo is a missionary in the Public School System. She is the hands and feet of Jesus to her students. She is a terrific teacher. I know this because she teaches our boys in Sunday School and I am often blown away at how much they understand and can "teach" back to us when we get home. Of all the "ministries" out there that are worthy of accolades, I think Teaching is one that gets bypassed way too often. So needless to say, Miss. Jo is one of my heroes.

Friday was like any other Friday, except at the end of the day Matt's face got very red, hot, and puffy. We suspected that perhaps the Antibiotic he was on for the Toxo might be causing some side effects. All week he had pretty severe muscle ache and then with the red face, we were pretty sure he was having an allergic reaction. Why is it these things always happen on weekend nights? He didn't take anymore of the pills, but by Saturday he had a rash. We called the Dr. on call at the office where they prescribed the drugs. He said that Matt should take one more and see what happens. Matt thought the man was insane and refused to take another. (fortunately) Anyway, we went to the Pharmacy where the prescription was filled and they suggested not taking any more and see what happens. Matt thought this was a much better plan. So we fed him Benedryl all weekend. By Monday he was pretty much back to normal. However, he still needs to be on some Antibiotic for the Toxo so we headed back to St. Louis today to see the Doctor (not the insane one). He has a new Antibiotic and so far so good. What a mess. It is so weird that he reacts now after taking the antibiotic for 3 weeks.

Saturday we also hosted our monthly parenting class. We are not the teachers by any stretch, we all just watch a parenting video together and then have discussion afterwards. It is such a good way for us to stay focused on our job as parents and to be encouraged by others on the same journey. It is really easy not to parent on purpose. I can easily fall into the habit of taking care of their physical needs and not focusing on the most important job of nurturing their souls. What good is it to have healthy or even obedient kids who don't have a personal relationship with Jesus? So while meeting their physical and emotional needs I also want to focus on training them, so that some day it will be easier for them to trust Jesus with their whole hearts.

Sunday after Church, we went to be with Matt's family for a late Easter dinner. We were outside most of the afternoon, it was so beautiful. However, when we got home I found TWO ticks on me. (Tara, are you thinking Hondury thoughts?) Then Monday, I was cutting Josiah's hair and found one on his head. I really hate those nasty little things.

That about brings you up to speed on us. I really am enjoying staying in better contact with so many of you through this medium. I feel blessed to have such good friends.

On Eyes, Plungers,and Photos

I know many of you may not know that over the last month or so Matt has been having trouble with pressure and blurriness in one of his eyes. Matt was diagnosed with Toxoplasmosis. The Doctors think this may have been something he was born with and it has just begun to show itself in the last couple of years. (Two years ago he was diagnosed as having Optic Neuritis, now they wonder if that was actually the Toxo in it's early stages.) Anyway, Toxoplasmosis in the eye is not something that is curable, but is definitely treatable. We are very thankful that, outside of the blurriness he has when the Toxo flares up, it has not affected his eyesight. Anyway, that is a little update on Matt's eye condition for those of you who have kept up with us on all this.

Speaking of Toxoplasmosis, Matt and I had to go to his Retina Specialist in St. Louis this afternoon. It was so nice to get away alone for a few hours, even if it was to go to the Doctor. I will spare you the ooey gooey stuff about my hubby, but I must say he is so much fun to be with and I'm very thankful he is my friend. We stopped by the mall and Matt did the dutiful husband thing and sat by the dressing room door, while I tried on clothes. Then we went to Q'doba's for supper, if you've never been to a Q'doba's I am so sorry for you. (It's fast food Mexican at it's finest.)

On our way home, Matt told me that Josiah told him the other day what he was going to do when he grows up. My mother's heart swelled as I thought of all the things my little genius was surely planning to be. Perhaps a Doctor or Concert Violinist. My thoughts were interrupted by Matt saying that Josiah plans to marry our neighbor girl (who happens to be 9 years his senior) and become a Super Hero. (He recently watched Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed) I really like the neighbor girl so that part was OK with me, but I'm a bit concerned about my son running around in a mask, tights, and plungers on his head. But if it's the Lord's will.....

Well, it is insanely late and I must close. I really will try to get some photos on here soon, I hate to have Marty making me look bad. :)

Amusing

If you look for it, life is always amusing in some way. For instance, on a daily basis my identity may change. Today I am Emily the Tank Engine. I am here at home with James the "spwendid Red Engine" and Percy. Henry is off to work this morning. Yesterday however, I was the Mayor of Bumblyburg going to church with Alfred, Master LLLLarry (we are working on using our L's), and Junior. Not many days ago I was "Mrs. Wittle" from Stuart Little and depending on the mood, I get to choose who of the Box Car Children characters I'd like to be. This is all orchestrated of course by our first born, who is very much like his Daddy. On the other hand, there is our youngest who is very much like his Mommy (which is a little trick that God plays on people who deserve it). Last night, long after we had put him in his "big boy bed" (a recent addition to his room) I heard Micah yelling. Talking in bed or pretty much talking at any and all times is not unusual for Micah, so I let him talk for a while. Then the talking got pretty loud so I went in to tell him to hold it down. He was dangling off the end of his bed, one arm in the wet wipes box. He couldn't move, if he lifted his arm he would fall on his face, and he was too out of balance to climb back up on the bed. He looked up and said to me, "I falling off my big boy bed." Perhaps I'm a twisted parent, but I was amused.

Trust me though, sometimes I have to remind myself how amusing their antics really can be. It's easy to be frustrated by their immature actions that may inconvenience me. Parenting has been a good opportunity for me to recognize just how self centered I am. I mean really how dare anyone interrupt my agenda, life is about my comfort right? So as we are training the boys, I'm in training myself. I am reminded that for years I looked for "God's Will" for my life and I realize now His "Will" for all of us is to be a Servant. And the number one requirement for being a good caregiver is to be a Servant. So I try to live by the motto, "It's not about me." So if you think of it today, pray for your friend, who desperately wants to be a Christ-like servant to Henry, James the "Spwendid Red Engine", and Percy.

Just Another Day

Well, I've been inspired. I have put off adding another entry to my blog simply because I didn't have anything exciting to report. Then I read my friend Tara's new blog. I really enjoyed just reading about her day. Then it hit me, that's the point right? I'm doing this to stay in contact with my dear old friends and this is how we do it. We talk about the things we would if we were together, not all the "exciting" things in life, but the mundane. After all, that's what life is mostly made up of, lots of mundane with a few days of excitement. And thank God for that.

So here I am at midnight finally sitting down, with the melody of "Blessed Quietness" running through my brain. The boys have been in bed for hours, but there is much preparation for Easter Sunday, so I'm still up. The last few Easter's have been very special for me. The truth of what Christ did for us in coming to this earth, and the hope that is ours because of His resurrection becomes new once more as I am teaching it to two little guys. It's new news to them and they are pumped. I kept hearing as I walked out of their rooms tonight, "HE IS RISEN MOMMY! " to which I was expected to reply, "He is risen indeed!" I can understand why Jesus was so moved by the trust of children.

Well, it is late and I need to get to bed. But it is my prayer that you all will know the joy of celebrating His resurrection. HE IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED.