give me the good stuff

When Mike walked in the door this evening, I had our dinner already in the oven. "Are you cooking bacon?" he asked. I told him that while it indeed was part of a pig, it was tenderloin, and not bacon. He said, "No, I think mommy's cooking bacon." Caleb, standing still while I put a band-aid on his finger said, "No, but I wish she would." Which brings me to a question I have long since pondered: what is it with men and bacon?

Growing up, my mom could never make enough bacon. Even if she cooked 2 lbs, the scene at the breakfast table would inevitably end up the same way. The bacon plate would start out piled high, and by the middle of the meal my mom was quickly scooping up the last remaining pieces of bacon for my dad (she always made sure that he got the last pieces).

Today in our house bacon is just as revered. I feel like I can never make enough. So what is this phenomenon? Are men born with an innate love of crispy swine? Or is this behaviour learned? Do fathers pass on to their sons the manliness of loving bacon? I don't know why men are such fanatics about bacon, but I do know that I will continue to make bacon for the men in my life... and plenty of it.

family phrases

I've noticed lately that there are certain words and phrases that are unique to our family dictionary. Words that you would not find in Webster's dictionary. For example, the word ninky-pumper. This is a noun and it means a person who is acting in a very silly manner. Caleb is a ninky-pumper when he forgets to put underwear on under his clothes. Jonah is a ninky-pumper when he runs around yelling "like a girl." Parents are not often, if ever ninky-pumpers.
We also have a couple of phrases we like. Chill your monkey means calm down, relax, be patient. And the phrase cork your noodle means to be quiet, to stop speaking, to hush.

I'm not exactly sure how theses phrases came into existence, but I think they were initially used as alternatives to words and phrases we did not what to use around the kids. Words like stupid and shut-up. How they came into existence doesn't matter. I'm just glad that they did because I really enjoy using them. And they are catchy. My nephews have incorporated them into their own vocabularies. Who knows... you might use them one day yourself.

There are more phrases which I will share at a later time. Feel free to share your own!

little works of art

As I sit poised to type, Gid is playing with toys while Jonah is trying his best to not get frustrated at his younger brother for not playing the way he wants to play. Jonah sets all the toys up in a line, and they each have a purpose in his game, in his mind. Gid likes to pick up one toy at a time, make a noise with it and then dispose of it and move on to the next toy. It is interesting and wonderful to watch them play and I think about what implications their playing today has on their future.

I see Jonah's neat & orderly personality in the way he plays. And even though Gid is still very young, I see his personality coming out too. As they play with their toys, each learning to tolerate the other, what sort of foundation are they laying? Jonah is coming to realize that not everything can be his way, and that caring for his brother means that he has to sometimes defer. At the same time Gid is learning that playing together means you can't "steal" your brothers toys, and that when someone is upset with you they might show it by raising their voice.

As I watch them play, I realize that our little family is a reflection of life. Everything we do here in our home has an implication for them later in life. Chores teach them responsibility, punishments teach them consequences, doing activities as a family teach them the importance of enjoying life. Everything, everything, everything we do here has an impact on their future; on the men they become, on the type of students, athletes, friends, employees, husbands, and fathers they become.

This is an awesome responsibility that we as parents have been given. We are given these precious children as a bit of clay and God asks us to mold them into something wonderful for him. It is our job to create out of our children works of art. This task seems impossible and in fact I know that without the help and grace of God it is impossible. As I look at my children today, I will ask God for grace. The grace for Mike and I to mold them into the wonderful and beautiful works of art that they can be. For eyes to see the strengths not only the flaws, ears to listen without judgement, hands to help not to hurt, and words to encourage and not condemn.

And God will answer. His grace is always sufficent.

in laws

We all have them... we all love them..... most of the time.  Yes, I'm talking about my in-laws. My brother in law Joe, has been faithfully reading my blog, and giving me lots of guff about never mentioning him in any of my post.  So here is my shout out to him. 

Joe, I love you, but you can be a little bit annoying.  You are extremely persistent, which is a blessing...most of the time. Thank you for being so generous all of the time.  And for being really fun to hang out with, when you aren't too busy going to bed early, messing on the computer, or just doing whatever you want to do.  

This blog is for you. Enjoy it because it will probably be your last.

every new day

Every New Day
"When I was young, the smallest trick of light,

Could catch my eye,

Then life was new and every new day,I thought that I could fly.

I believed in what I hoped for,

And I hoped for things unseen,

I had wings and dreams could soar,

I just don't feel like flying anymore.

When the stars threw down their spears,

Watered Heaven with their tears,

Before words were spoken,

Before eternity.

Dear Father, I need you,

Your strength my heart to mend.

I want to fly higher,

Every new day again.

When I was small,

the furthest I could reach,

Was not so high,

Then I thought the world was so much smaller,

Feeling that I could fly.

Through distant deeps and skies,

Behind infinity,

Below the face of Heaven,

He stoops to create me.

Dear Father, I need you,

Your strength my heart to mend.

I want to fly higher,

Every new day again.

Man versus himself.

Man versus machine.

Man versus the world.

Mankind versus me.

The struggles go on,

The wisdom I lack,

The burdens keep pilling

Up on my back.

So hard to breathe,

To take the next step.

The mountain is high,

I wait in the depths.

Yearning for grace,

And hoping for peace.

Dear God...Increase.

Healing hands of God have mercy on our unclean souls once again.

Jesus Christ, light of the world burning bright within our hearts forever.

Freedom means love without condition,without a beginning or an end.

Here's my heart, let it be forever Your's,

Only You can make every new day seem so new."

This is a song by Five Iron Frenzy, that I have listend to many, many times. As I heard it again today I realized once again how powerful each line, each word is. Read it again. It gives me so much hope. I have countless memories of singing the last two lines as loud as I could with all of my heart, "Here's my heart, let it be FOREVER your's, only YOU can make every new day seem so new!" (Click here to hear the song.)

a good brother

I asked Jonah to take Gid out on the deck while I got dinner going (Mike & Caleb had gone to the driving range). At first I heard laughter and balls being thrown against the house and a truck being pushed around. But then, silence. Oh no! I went to investigate, and this is how I found them. Gid pointing things out to Jonah. And Jonah being the sweet boy that he can sometimes be playing along with jibber jabber talk. What a good brother.

my husband

I love my husband. For me, he is perfect. And there are times when we are going through the day to day stuff of life when I stop and realize what a wonderful man he is.

This past weekend we attended an event at which he was honored for his outstanding performance over the past year. I was so proud of him. Not only for his accomplishments at work, but for the way he carried himself around his peers, how he was genuinely respected by his employees, and how much he makes me laugh.

Maybe the best quality about him though is how comfortable he is in his own skin. The same man that was poised and polished can also mow the grass and grill out burgers for his family. He is such a good dad too. I love how he patiently teaches the boys to play tennis, how he wrestles with them right before bed time, how he can turn any job into a game, and how he's never too busy to kiss and cuddle them.

I am so blessed when God gives me little glimpses into how perfect this man is for me and for our children. I thank God for allowing us to find each other so early in life, so that the rest of our lives can be so full. I love my husband!

I am blessed

After my 4 day absence from blogging, I am happy to be returning. I've spent the past 4 days doing many wonderful things and have accordingly compiled a list of some of my favoriate events during that time:
-spending time outside with my boys
-Gid's hugs & laughter
-feeling beautiful on the arm of my dashing husband
-seeing the passion of my friend displayed in her art show
-overhearing the boys pretend Star Wars with Sam
-eating dinner on the deck
-enjoying day after day of beautiful weather
-having dinner with adults 2 nights in a row
-having wonderful family and the best neighbors
-watching baseball with Mike
As I recall the events of the past few days I realize how incredibly blessed I am. There is so much in my life that I have to be thankful for.

little black dress

I have an occasion this weekend to which I must were a nice dress. Every woman (and for those of us who are married, our husbands too) know how difficult it can be finding "the perfect" dress. I don't really like to shop. I have a shopping threshold. There comes a point when I have reached my limit, and I have no desire or will to try even one more thing on. I am done. I have heard the term marathon shoppers...I am NOT one of them.

So, Mike gave me the whole night to go dress hunting and I felt confident that I would be able to find something. I called my sisters and Mom and asked them to pray for me and then I said a prayer that I would find something quickly and on sale. I had only two criteria: I wanted it to be black, and I wanted it to be timeless. That's all.

The first store I went in was J. Crew. No black dress; no problem. I moved on to Ann Taylor. They had about 3 black dresses. I tried on the first one- no way. I tried on the 2nd one---this was the one!!!! Just for kicks I tried on the 3rd, but it didn't work. I couldn't believe it. I even told the sales women who was helping me, "I'm not sure." She asked me why and I told her that it was just too easy. I mean I'd only been shopping for 30 minutes or less!!! I thought about it long and hard and finally bought it. Still in shock I phoned my sister who gave me the great advice of going to a couple of other stores to be sure this was "the one." I did and it is!

I don't know why I ever doubted. Every time I pray before I shop, God ALWAYS allows me to find exactly what I need. He is so faithful and this was one more example of how much he loves me. He loves me enough to allow me to find a dress that I adore, that I feel pretty in, and that was even on sale: 50% off!!!!

my little blessings

There is something so special and sweet about the moment a child wakes up. Jonah was in our bed this morning and when he heard the alarm go off he asked me if it was time to wake up. I pushed snooze, and told him not quite yet. Then we snuggled down under the covers and he let me hold him and stroke his arm.

And then this morning, when Gid woke up from his nap, he had the sweetest expression on his face. He was so happy to see me, so glad to be awake. He had a little red mark on his cheek from where he had been laying and he reached for me with his pudgy baby hands. I held him and hugged him and kissed him. He rested his head on my shoulder and I felt so blessed to be his mom.

we might be obsessed

We found this video last night after the boys were singing this song loudly at the dinner table. They thought it was the best thing ever.

out of the mouths of babes

Jonah said to me this morning while he was helping me clean the bathrooms, "When I grow up I'm going to clean toilets and be a dad....so is Caleb." Then later, "Girls are different than boys because they have ponytails." If only life could be so simple.

Choices

I have come to the realization that so much of my attitude depends on the choices I make. When faced with a situation I can choose to get upset or I can choose to just accept. Mike went to play golf this afternoon with some colleagues, and instead of sitting around the house, the boys and I headed off to the zoo.

The weather here was perfect, and we weren't the only ones who had noticed. The zoo was packed out! I almost decided to skip it, but instead I made the choice to go in and just enjoy the time with my boys. I'm so glad I did. We had a fabulous time. I went in with no agenda, no time that we had to leave, no anything. I let Caleb & Jonah decide where to go and how long to stay at each exhibit. It was so peaceful, and I found myself relaxing. Even as I write that last sentence, I can't believe it. The zoo has never been a relaxing place for me. But today it was, and I know that it has everything to do with the choice I made at the beginning of the outing. The choice to
enjoy the time.

I realize now that me taking them to the zoo near the end of the day could have really been a disaster had I not made the choice to enjoy it. I thought of other times when my response has not been a good one because I made the choice to let my anger determine my reaction to a particular situation. I thank God that today he gave me the grace to make the right choice. And that he gave us such a beautiful day together!

boys will be boys

I love to watch my boys be boys. We went to The Preserve yesterday and they had the best time getting wet and dirty. The picked up sticks and made them into light sabers, they crossed stones to get across a river (intentionally "falling" in), and they whooped and hollered. They had a wonderful time, and I had a wonderful time watching them. There are times when I find myself ready to chastise them for being too wild, too loud, or getting too dirty, but then I step back and realize that they are merely exploring the world around them. They are LIVING.

Lately they are very carnal with one another. If boy 1 has something boy 2 wants he just goes and takes it, which in turn makes boy 1 very angry and then they proceed to pull, push, punch, and wrestle each other for the thing. If it gets really violent I'll break the skirmish up, but part of me recognizes their need to work it out. And they usually do- in one way or another.

And yet I still find them snuggled together reading books, or laughing like crazy while they are taking a bath. There behavior can be so dramatically different from one moment to the next. Its is fascinating to watch.

the Preserve

Hiking

We love to be outside. And right down the street from us is the most beautiful place to hike, The Preserve. There are wonderful trails with rocks and logs to climb over, rivers, huge rocks for climbing and even a waterfall. When my brother visited us a couple of weeks ago we took him there and had the best afternoon. He even free climbed! There is something so peaceful and yet invigorating about being outside in nature. And it helped that 2 of the boys favorite guys were there to guide them into doing crazy stuff like climbing onto rocks that Mom thought might be a bit too big for them.

a day in the life

this is a typical grouping in our home:

sippy cups, some type of medicine, and light sabers

the power of RUN

I love to run. I know some people, my husband included, don't really get running. He says that there is no reason to run, unless someone is chasing him. But for me it is therapeutic. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I'm done, I love the changes I see in my body the longer, faster, and more I run. And I love to be outside. So when I skip a day I really feel it.

This past week I skipped 2 days in a row. Sunday we did family things all day, and Monday Jonah was sick so I stayed with him. Needless to stay that by Tuesday afternoon I was really not feeling like myself. I was feeling like a frustrated, tired, and irritable version of me. We were supposed to go play family tennis yesterday, but my wonderful husband, knowing the state I was in let me go for a run, all by myself, instead. Around the last mile, I suddenly realized that all of the junk that I had been feeling the past couple of days was gone.

I felt transformed. I went from being Frankenstein's monster to my real self again. I love running!!

A good nights sleep??

There are many different schools of thought about letting your child/children sleep in the bed with you. Rabbi Shmuley says that the parents bedroom should be like Fort Knox. While a good friend of mine and mother of 5 says that you must ask yourself the question, "Will they be doing this when they are 14?" If the answer is no, then let it be. So what is the correct thing to do?

When Caleb was born I was still finishing up college, so whenever I wasn't studying or in class, he was with me. This included nighttime. However, when Jonah came along Mike and I decided that we would do it differently. From a very young age he slept in his crib. We had a lot of success with this, and even to this day Jonah mostly prefers to sleep in his own bed.

Having shared all of this we now come to our present day situation. Here is a quick snap shot of what I woke up to this morning. (from left to right) Mike barely hanging on the bed, Caleb spread eagle in the middle of the bed with his left foot somehow wrapped around Mikes leg, Jonah clutching his blanket next to me, and finally me. I am pushed all the way to the very edge of the bed.

As I continue to slowly wake up I recall what happened last night. I remember falling asleep just Mike and I, and then around 3am, Jonah coming in complaining about his ear hurting. But I don't remember putting him in the bed. And how in the world did Caleb get in? And not only get in, but why does he get the most space? This is what I woke up to. Questions about the nighttime activity and a sore neck!

Sadly, this is not the first time this has happened. So what do we do now? Is there a remedy for children in the bed? Will they really grow out of this? Do I have to wait 14 years until it happens? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I hope that sometime in the very near future I can wake up one morning with everyone waking in the same place they fell asleep in.

Hair raising

As I mentioned yesterday, I cut the boys hair. Well today, upon closer examination, I realized that Jonah's hair was a bit too "poofy." In order to remedy this problem, I decided to give him his summer cut early. In other words, I buzzed him. The poor child had to sit through not one haircut, but in the end 3 of them. After the first buzzing, Mike made the observation that the sides weren't quite even. So Jonah sat down in the hot seat again. He was really very good...mostly.

When he was done, I held him up to show him how it looked. "I look like Anakin," he proudly said. Of course, everything in someway or another always seems to relate back to Star Wars. I then asked Caleb if he wanted his hair in the Anakin style. His response, "No, no, no, no....no."

Not So Lazy Sunday

In order to shake off some of the dreariness of the morning, I loaded the boys in the car and headed off to Krispy Kream. (Every now and then I will give Mike a glorious morning of sleeping in until he can sleep no more.) We watched the doughnuts being made, picked out our favorite ones, and then went home to enjoy them with a glass of milk.

I was really worried that we would have to spend the whole day in Lego Star Wars land, but fortunately the sun appeared and our day went from dull and gray to beautiful. Haircuts on the deck, mowing the lawn with Daddy, moving rocks around, and cleaning out the garage. I know that it sounds like a lot of work, but it was really so much fun.

All that time out in the sunshine getting the yard cleaned was so satisfying. And as we drove past the house on our way to and from church tonight there was a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Our hard, but extremely fun work made a difference that we can not only see, but be proud of. And having everyone pitch in meant that the whole family shared in the pride of a job well done.

Spring in Full Swing!

We recently had our Spring Break here, which always gets me thinking that there are only a few weeks left until the summer. With this realization I am immediatley excited. I love the summer time. I have so many wonderful memories of vacations, swimteam, library programs, pool time, lake trips, and just hanging out with my family.

Our summer will be filled with a regular morning prayertime, plenty of time at the pool, the summer reading program at the library, a weekend beach trip, and plenty of hanging out with friends and family. Along with these activities and in anticiapation of the upcoming season, Caleb and I have begun planning some "classes." Here are a few we have thought of so far, but the list continues to grow...

~ a shoe tieing class
~ a painting class (thanks Tricia!)
~ a swimming class
~ a tree climbing class (Caleb's idea)
~ a chores class (obviously MY idea)

I can not wait until summer gets here... we are counting down the days.

meet the gang

Here are our 3 boys:
Caleb- 6, sensitive, majorly cuddly, almost always obedient
Jonah-4, wild, meticulous cleaner, can do everything by himself
Gideon-1, cute, teething, loves his older brothers

Creatively challenged

Man... creating a blog is no easy task, especially when Caleb is desperatley trying to read what I'm writing. And for a nearly 1st grader, this is a bit challenging.

In the beginning

My good friend Trisha told me that I should start a blog...so here it is. To anyone who reads it, enjoy!