Betime Fugitive

Anna has seamlessly taken to sleeping in her big girl bed. It's a good thing, too, because we sold her crib the day we took it apart. No looking back.

Except several times now over the last few days when I am looking back ... longingly ... at the bars which kept her in place. She just keeps climbing out of the bed! And stealthily opening her door, and pulling down the gate, and coming down the stairs. Oh my.

Noah never did that. That boy stayed in his bed like it was a crib. And you may remember my blogging about how we had to coax, beg, teach, and bribe him to finally start getting out of bed on his own instead of calling us to come get him. He was 3 years old at that point.

So, yes. Anna climbing out of her bed early during nap, right away after bedtime, and before the sun is up is a new experience. I think the escape attempts numbered 7 just yesterday alone. That video monitor we have is paying off in a big way right now, and I loved that thing before this happened. We've had it since Noah turned 1, and it's been in her room for awhile now. But now, NOW, it is even more handy. I am sure she wonders how in the heck I know she is out of bed before her feet even hit the floor.

Anyway, I ordered this little device called My Tot Clock and I am praying that she catches on quick. Wish us luck. I don't want to have to lock her in her room to keep her safe inside, but I am prepared to do it if I have to. Sometimes a mommy has got to be ruthless. Here's the little fugitive's mug shot. If you see her taking off down the highway late at night you'll know what's up. Anna.

Quoting Noah

Like most preschoolers, Noah talks and talks and talks. And if he's not talking, he's whispering, singing, shouting, or making strange noises. So there is just no shortage of funny things that get said in our house in a day. Some of my favorites quotes from Noah this month:

• Holding up several colorful plastic coins, he said, "Look what you got - You got 5 monies! You can buy a pirate ship!"
• While Josh was gone on one of his longer trips this month, he said, "I miss Daddy all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all day."
• I walked in the playroom and gasped in surprise and relief that I caught this before someone got hurt. Noah had wrapped the beading string around Anna's neck several times and, leading her around, was saying, "C'mon, puppy. Let's go someplace else."
  
• As he watched me wash, slice, salt, pepper, and place cucumbers on a plate for him, he admiringly said, "You kind of wike a chef, Mom." Apparently, it doesn't take much.
• We were discussing what sort of dog we could get one day and were throwing around ideas for names. Noah didn't care for anything Josh and I suggested. No. He piped in, " I fink we should call him Papa John." (this was funny b/c that's what he calls Josh's dad)
  
• Preschool starts in a couple weeks now. Last week we bought the uniform he has to wear (choke, gag) on chapel day. The whole way there Noah kept asking if we were almost there yet to buy his unicorn.
• We were plotting what we might get Josh for his birthday.

Me: What should we get Daddy for his birthday?
Noah: A BuzzBob (Spongebob) and a Spiderman cake and I can eat the cake!
Me: Those are things you would really like, but this is Daddy's birthday. What is something that Daddy would really like?
Noah: Ummmm ... Me!

• As Josh put Noah to bed one night, he pouted, "My froat hurts and my feewings (feelings) hurt." When Josh asked why, he answered, "I ate bird poop in the back yard." Josh and I are still scratching our heads about that one.
• While I cut open a grapefruit, Noah asked me if it was a dead tomato. After I said no, he asked if it was an orange. I said no, but it is closer to an orange than a tomato. Then he said, "It has a belly button!"
  
• As we looked at some of Anna's baby pictures, Noah got excited and said, "Let's get a new baby wike dat!" Um, no.
  
• Noah and I want a poodle. But I must admit, my vote is for a poodle because the way Noah says it is so precious and hilarious. He can't pronounce his l's that well, so it comes out like this: I want a pooder!
• Overhearing a song I was listening to, Noah asked who was that girl singing. When I answered "Ashlee Simpson," he replied, "I not know dat wady (lady). I not see her in a wong (long) time."
• Overhearing another song I was listening to, he asked, "Dat guy named Eric?" I said I didn't actually know what that guy's name was. He said, "I fink he goes to the bad guy store." (short pause) "Where is dat store?" I said I didn't know. He said, "I fink it's far, far away."Sounds like a good place for that sort of store to be, I say.
  
• Noah and I bought his 8th fish this weekend and apparently he bonded with this one on the way home because it is the first one he has bothered to actually name. It's an algae eater. I heard Noah ask where his fish is and I thought I heard him call it Alfie in an effort to say "algae". He said, "No. I call him Spiderman."

(footnote - the boy has never seen an episode of Spiderman, or Spongebob for that matter, and yet these are the names he likes to use and ask for - I know not why- it just cracks me up how he has fixated on them)

Song Lyrics Noah likes to improvise on...

• He's got the whole world in His ear, He's got the whole wide world In His ear...
• Up above the world so high, Like a belly button in the sky...
• If you're happy, and you know it, Clap your Anna...

07-27-02

8 years,
6 jobs,
4 moves,
3 dogs, 8 fish,
3 grandparents' passing,
2 graduate degrees,
2 children,
1.5 adoptions,
and 1 pregnancy ago,
Joshua and I tied the knot.

It amazes me to recall how little I really knew about Josh when we got married. A young bride just has no idea the treasure she has in her husband til she's partnered with him in big life events (and survived together), built a life of daily things (appreciating them as they come), and seen him kill it when it comes to being a hands-on daddy (when she really falls in love with him).

Some daily/daddy things I love about Josh lately:

• Again and Still, how handy he is
• How hard he works at his job and at home
• How he makes breakfasts of bacon, eggs, french toast, fruit, etc. when he gets up with the kids
• How he gets up with the kids every other morning
• How he always overshoots his estimates of what time he'll get home - I'm always pleasantly surprised when he pulls in earlier
• How he knows to salvage a giant box so the kids can play puppets in it
• How he's on a blueberry pomegranate juice kick
• How he's on a popcorn kick
• How he listens to NPR to get to sleep each night
• How he enjoys calling his parents every week
• How he does every one of the kids' baths and all of Noah's bedtimes
  
• How he plays with Noah and Anna as soon as he's home from work, before even changing from his shirt and tie
• How messy his side of the bed is
  
• How he takes both the kids upstairs with him to change when he's just gotten home
  
• How he brushes Anna's wet hair off her neck after a bath because it bugs her
• How he invites me to come sit on the back porch with him after the kids go to bed
  
• How he breathes so loud while he's eating
• How he's like a kid again when he plays video games w/Noah
• How he calls Anna "Toodles"
• How he roots for the Japanese whalers on "Whale Wars"
  
• How he sewed Noah's favorite bear a new nose after he bit it off - because Lord knows I didn't know what to do with that needle and thread
  
• How, as we talked about how stinky divorce is, he said, "When we're old, I wanna be sittin' at an Applebee's with you."
  

Loving you.
Loving the life we've made together.
Loving where we're headed still.

Happy Anniversary, babe!

Adopting Feels Like Fishing

"The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." ~John Buchan

In our adoption journey so far, navigating between those "occasions for hope" and that increasingly "elusive" match for our family keeps me teetering between a number of different emotions. I am not going to lie. I am feeling faint-hearted right now, but there are other moments where I am sure the Lord, with a smirk and wink, is encouraging me to keep on ... at least for a little while longer.

Not counting the 7 months of paperwork, appointments, training classes, and home study visits, we've been an approved adoptive home for 3 months now. In that time we have inquired about 25+ girls, I'm sure. For awhile we were sending out home studies by the handful each week. Now that we have exhausted all our available possibilities, it's more like once every week or two when a new profile is posted and doesn't already say the child needs to be the youngest in the home. Nothing, obviously, has panned out yet. There are 4 profiles for whom we have not heard back since they requested our home study, but with every passing week that we hear nothing, I expect more and more that we won't. I was encouraged, however, at seeing a new face on the Alabama site this week and have already had our home study sent to her case worker. We also left a message with the only contact we could find about a sibling set that I have been eyeing for awhile, but that is really a long shot anyway, so I won't hold my breath. Still, I check the AdoptUsKids site and many, many Heart Gallery sites every day for any new faces, new possible matches.

I have come to the realization that this would not be such a difficult undertaking if we didn't have Noah and Anna. And it would really help if we were foster parents as well. Foster parents do most of the adopting that goes on apparently. So as an adoptive-only family, with two little ones in tow, we are low man on the totem pole.

Sigh. What can you do? Lose faith or keep it.
We are keeping it, but I feel like I am losing my grip.
I feel guilty for feeling faint-hearted. And a little embarrassed to admit to it, as well. But at least no one can say I bother with pretense.

So that's where we are. Still looking (fishing), and keeping discouragement at bay.

Turnabout

It was all fun and games when Noah sloshed water on Daddy and even when Daddy gave chase, but Noah was not diggin' the whole "turnabout is fair play" theme tonight.



Oh the drama ...

22 Months

Just for the fun of it since Anna marks 22 months today.

Pictures of Anna at 22 months



Memories of Noah at 22 months



Coincidentally, when Noah was 22 months I was sick as a dog every day... already several months pregnant with Anna. We thought Noah was such a big boy when we got pregnant with her. Looking at these pictures, we both wonder what in the world we were thinking; he was still such a baby. I can't imagine even THINKING about having a baby with Anna at the age she is right now. She's such a baby in my mind, too. Growing up a ton every day, but still, a baby. I cannot believe she is almost two.

Record of Wrongs

I know love does not keep a record of wrongs. I know that.
But when love is a blogging mommy, it does. Sometimes, it just does. (but even then, only after it's had a chance to calm down and see the humor in it all)

I found these little tidbits in the cheese box today. Either I have a very large rat to contend with or my first born baby has done some more sneaking around and then concealing the truth.


My prayers that he be found out when he is guilty have been answered in quick succession this week since Josh has been out of town. It's just me and Noah (and Anna, of course) and all his misbehaving from sun up to sun down and it's plain old wearing me out. His rap sheet from just the last 4 days includes:

• screaming outbursts
• meltdowns
  
• lying
• talking back
• wildly resisting his spankings
• incessant harassment of Anna
• sneaking out of his room during his rest time
• hiding in my bed after he disobeyed during his rest time
• disobedience x 1000
• peeing on his bedroom floor
• peeing and pooping in his pants
• peeing in the trash can instead of the toilet
• repeatedly sneaking food without asking
• pouring his milk in his lunch and doing it AGAIN at dinner
• locking me out of the house and then disappearing upstairs
• mumbling "Mommy's mean!" on his way to time out or his room

This is all so not Noah. I can't tell if it's him going stir crazy from the heat, his missing his daddy while he's out of town, the lack of routine during the summer months, or his crashing down now that all the company and fun have left the building. He's a pitiful thing right now. Which makes me pitiful, too. I have had some less-than-stellar parenting moments in response to all of this where I have let my emotions get the better of me, leaving Noah with the worst of me. We've both had a chance to calm down and regroup with Josh coming home for a night last night and playing hard with him all morning before he left for another trip. Noah and I have prayed together and communicated again what we can expect from each other for various situations. And it's been a much better day as a result. But still, I think we will BOTH be feeling even better when he starts school in a few weeks. The space and the steady, 5 half-day a week routine will be very balancing for us all.

How interesting - I found this very similar post from around the same time last year. Must be a we're dying-to-get-back-to-school fever or something.

Amens: Beatitudes

This translation (The Message) of this well-known portion of the Sermon on the Mount in the book of Matthew was particularly encouraging to me. I couldn't help but echo it here.

You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

You're blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

Not only that - count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What is means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens - give a cheer, even - for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Amens: Matthew

More of the my favorite translations from The Message. Oh my word, I loved these.

• Matthew 3:17 - "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life."
• Matthew 5:3-12 - (the entire Beatitude section - so good!!)
• Matthew 5:13 - "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?"
• Matthew 5:16 - Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
• Matthew 5:22 - The simple moral fact is that words kill.
• Matthew 5:32 - You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
• Matthew 5:44,45 - I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves.
• Matthew 5:48 - In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
• Matthew 6:1 - Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it.
• Matthew 6:9 - With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.
• Matthew 6:31,33 - What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. ... Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.
• Matthew 7:3,4 - That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt?
• Matthew 11:30 - "Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
• Matthew 12:7 - "I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual."
• Matthew 14:29,30,31 - He said, "Come ahead." Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!" Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?"

Dawn of a New Day

Anna has run into her toddler days with guns ablazing! Besides her new bed I posted about a few days ago, she has a number of new things going on these days.

New style. She still insists on wearing her hat when we go outside, but now she turns it around backwards.


New potty. I have referred to this before, but I would be remiss in my listing if I did not highlight it here. We are still a good long way from her being potty trained, but every day she gives it a go, and often all on her own. If she is successful in her potty attempt, she and Noah both get candy and she has begun making that connection so I expect the rewards and the positive peer pressure to start taking effect. This past week she has produced actual potty results 3 times. Not a bad start for a 22 month old girl who is pretty much taking matters into her own hands. I was, and am, certainly impressed by her initiative. (Must be more of that second-child syndrome that is to blame for my not taking a picture of her first potty pee-pee and poo-poo like I did with Noah's. It was no less precious though. )

New shoes. Her first pair of non-baby brand tennis shoes. She loves them. And she lusts after them when she isn't wearing them.


New brush. Yes, it has taken me this long to get the girl a real brush. But, in my defense, it has taken her this long to grow an amount of hair that needs more than a baby brush can tame. And since I retired her baby brush, I passed it on to her dress-up bin. Now she walks around the house, brush in hand, whether she is using it or not.

New tooth-brushing routine. Once she finished the toddler toothpaste a week or two ago, I stopped brushing her teeth while I change her diaper at night and moved her up to the actual bathroom for that routine. This means that now she uses fluoride toothpaste, actually spits it back out, rinses all by herself, and gets to drink from a bathroom cup afterward. All quite a big deal to her. She adores this new part of the day. She even says "bye-bye" to her Dora toothbrush and the water cup when we leave the bathroom.

New blanket. Somehow we are still putting the girl in a sleep sack when she sleeps - which is only weird when I think of how old she is. She likes it fine and we like knowing she is covered at night. But last week, when I thought it might be awhile before we shopped twin bedding for her, I ordered her toddler bedding to use in her crib so we could phase out the SleepSack while we waited to phase in the bed. As you know, the big-girl bed moved up in the timing queue, so this toddler bedding is a moot point now. But Anna digs it just the same. So maybe we can use it for nap times or something. It came with a decent, toddler-sized, really soft pillow with two covers, though, so I guess it was not a total loss. Plus I got it cheap on eBay.


New nap. Now she reliably naps just once a day - usually around 11:00 for about 2 hours.

New diapers. We are just about done with our stash of size 3 diapers for her. And we have a Sam's-size box of size 4 diapers that we bought awhile back for Brandon, so today I tried one of those bad boys on her and they fit well enough. Size 4 it is. If we are lucky, we'll never have to move up to the next size diapers. She will be potty trained by then!

New accessory. Her sunglasses. She would not tolerate wearing them before. And now, suddenly, she gets them out herself and wears them for periods of time, indoors or out. They must only be cool if they are NOT mommy's idea. Oh, teenage Anna, I see you coming.


New bikes. She can reach the pedals now. And, to my surprise, she picked up the pedaling within minutes. But she isn't so committed to putting the muscle behind it, so she usually needs to be pushed. But still, she grins a heady grin when she does pedal Noah's big wheel and the tricycle that has been waiting on her from Noah's bygone toddler days.

New vocabulary. Oh my word, all the new words. Just some samples of the speech explosion she has undertaken lately (not including all the basic words I have listed before):

Way! Me! (Wait for me!)
Daygo (Diego)
Doe (Dora)
Whoa Uh (Noah)
Mil (milk)
Chee (cheese)
BawBehBee (strawberry)
Ishee (fish)
Caw (card)
Moe (more)
TD (TV)
Doo? (two)
Bad (bread)
Wat (wet)
Ott, Ott (hot)
Tay Oh (tomato)
Wuh (look)
Weddy (ready)
Tay (cake)
Tah (truck)
Doodee (dirty)
Wuh Whoa (pillow)
Boodee (booger)
Wana (running)
Buhsh (brush)
Chesh (trash)
Jean (drink)
Daw (stop)
Balt (ball)
May Mow (Mickey Mouse)
Wooyee (Woody)
Aw (off)
Mote (remote)

Words she has mastered pronunciation of: no, gone, shoes, Daddy, Mama, done, boo-boo, eye, bed, knee, on, down

WPTM #22: God's Patience

What Parenting Teaches Me #22: God's Patience

I am at a loss for words about a certain situation with Noah. A situation that happens every day. A situation for which we have had to correct, punish, scold, redirect, explain ad nauseum, threaten, withhold things, spank, try multiple new solutions, and pray for and with him about, etc. You get the point. We have laid it on thick (and repeatedly) about what is acceptable in this certain situation and what is not. And he continues to blow it day after disappointing day. And it's not like he doesn't care about us and/or the consequences. He does. He cries, he wails, he apologizes, he begs, he promises to obey the next time. And then he promptly doesn't. WHY? Why does he do the same wrong thing over and over and over again? It's infuriating.

It is so frustrating to me that I want to beat my head against the wall. It is so maddening, in my weakness I yell at him over it. Yesterday I think I literally scowled at him for the rest of the day and reminded him of his poor decision making about every 30 minutes until bedtime, which I made an hour earlier as an extra consequence. To my shame, I even shared a cookie with Anna just so he could see he was not getting any, so he would see how unpleasant his disobedience was. I know. I know. Boo on me. I feel the same way. Boo. Ugly Boo.

I can't help thinking that it must be the same way with us and the Lord. Do we not sin and sin and sin again? Forgiven or not, we are going to sin again. And the Lord knows it's coming again. Praise God he doesn't deal with me scowlingly! How is it he doesn't just strike us all dead and save himself the trouble? When I read the story of the faithlessness and forgetfulness and selfishness of the Israelites in the desert, I marvel that the Lord didn't wipe them all out. How could they (and I) DARE to question Him, defy Him, mistrust him, disobey Him, forget Him? It's astounding that any of us are left to stand another day on this earth.

As astounding as Noah's situation is to me, in that moment the Lord's patience astounds me all the more. It brings me to tears really - to think of His patience with me and my repetitious shortcomings while I struggle to accept Noah's reliable disobedience of the day.

Oh heaven help me. Help me, Lord. Help me draw upon your patience. Have patience with me while I master my impatience. I am going to need it again tomorrow probably. And the next day, and the next.

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Today my hubby turns 32. And while it's sort of been a downplayed birthday, it is no less notable. He's gone for the week for work, so yesterday we all picked out a cake together. It was a Buzz Lightyear cookie cake if that at all tells you who the real "we" was. Never mind that, though. It was chocolaty, it fit the bill. It was so tasty it even made Anna chuckle and grin so hard the vein in her neck was bulging, which is sort of a rare occasion. It got Josh and me laughing at least.


Happy 32nd, Josh! Here's to still being able to check the "25-34" age range box, right?

The Go-Ahead

I have been getting antsy. Chomping at the bit. I'm itching to reorganize and redecorate Anna's room. I have been looking at color schemes, bed spreads, girly decor, and planning a new layout for her in preparation for when she's ready for a bed instead of a crib. I've known for awhile it could be any day now. She is fully capable of climbing out of that bad boy. It just hasn't occurred to her to try yet, so we've let it be. But I have been so there, just waiting for that girl to give any signs of readiness to move out of her crib.

Yesterday, I had to actually force myself not to make Josh go ahead and move the twin bed into Anna's room. It was a close call - we had the down time, it's on my mind, I have the excuse of calling it transition to just get the bed in her room so she can warm up to the idea and so it's there when we need it. In the end, I held off, telling myself there was no hurry. Don't rush these days, Kimmie. Move at her pace. Don't force this milestone just because you're in a decorating kind of mood. So we didn't move the bed. But let the record show that I have been waiting on pins and needles for the go-ahead to upgrade Anna's sleeping arrangements.

And today, today, the girl gave me that go-ahead. It's like I knew in my bones it was coming. She got her leg stuck in the slats of her crib while jumping and clamoring around after her nap and pulled the rail on that side half off. Not good, and certainly not safe. That's all I needed to hear. Go-ahead received!

And now, oh joyous now, there is a new (albeit old, really) bed in her room.
Before:


Semi-After (because the crib is still there):


This week we will count down her last days in the crib. As soon as Josh gets home from his trip this weekend, we will move that girl into her first big-girl bed. In the meantime, I will watch her like a hawk on the video monitor. And I just might go ahead and start officially shopping for a sweetie-pie bedspread to base her color scheme off of, too. What fun!

Baby girl gets a new bed...


... and Mama gets the go-ahead!

Prayers For My Babies

A friend shared this prayer guide with me months ago (thanks again, Elizabeth) and I just love it. I couldn't agree with its prayer points more. It really helps me offer exact words to the Lord for my babies regarding what is and will be most important in their lives.

Ways to Pray for your CHILDREN

SUNDAY

1. That they will know Christ as Savior early in life. (Ps.63:1; 2 Tim.3:15)

2. That they will have a hatred for sin and evil. (Ps.97:10)

MONDAY

3. That they will be caught when guilty. (Ps.119:71)

4. That they would be protected from the evil one in each area of their lives: spiritually, emotionally, physically, etc. (Luke 2:52)

TUESDAY

5. That they will have a responsible attitude in all their interpersonal relationships. (Dan.6:3)

6. That they will respect those in authority over them. (Rom.13:1)

WEDNESDAY

7. That they will desire the right kinds of friends and be protected from the wrong friends. (Prov.1:10-11)

8. That they would be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one. (2 Cor.6:14-17)

THURSDAY

9. That they, as well as those they marry, will be kept pure until marriage. (2 Cor.6:18-20)

10. That they would learn to totally submit to God and actively resist Satan in all circumstances. (James 4:7)

FRIDAY

11. That they would be wholeheartedly sold out to serving Jesus Christ. (Rom.12:1-2)

12. That they would be hedged in so that they cannot find their way to wrong people, and so that wrong people cannot find their way to them. (Hos.2:6)

SATURDAY

13. That their children and grandchildren will know Christ as savior and serve Him with their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Matt.22:37-38)

14. That when they leave home it would be with an eternal perspective and Christ-like values and characteristics. (Is.40:8, Col. 3:2)

On Noah's Mind

What's on Noah's mind lately?
Two Words: Video Games.

Video Games, Video Games, Video Games. He is flat-out desperate on a daily basis for his precious minutes of game play, especially since we got a new game in the mail this week. If he's not asking me every 10 minutes how much longer til he can play video games again, he is telling me which game he will play when the time comes, which character he will be, how he will beat Daddy when he gets home, and how he will be obedient when his time is over. It's just all he can think about.

An example:

After a session of Candyland, Noah was fit to be tied that I had beaten him in a last minute stroke of luck. I waxed philosophical and said something about "you just never know - it's not over til it's over." Then I said something about how "sometimes you win and sometimes you lose - that's part of the fun!" He said with mock pout on his face, "Dat NOT part of the fun, Mom." I laughed aloud and asked, "What's the fun part then?" Shyster grin emerging on his falsely innocent face, he said, "Playing video games?!"

Uh, no. Nice try though.

Another day this week, video games got taken away as punishment for something disobedient he had done. As I went about my business (catching up on House Hunters on the DVR, of course), he climbs up next to me real close. I love a good Noah snuggle so I grabbed him and hugged him. Then he laid it on real thick. He said, "I still, still, still wuv you. Much." There followed a heartfelt pause where he looked me lovingly in the eyes, stroked my cheek, breathed sweetly and quietly only inches from my face. Then he laid it all out there. "I play video games now?!"

Um, no again.

This Week's Proud Moments

Noah is proud of: learning to write his name. He has the O and H down great. Nevermind that they are in the wrong order.

Anna is proud of: Basically potty training herself one day at a time. Nevermind that sometimes she goes through the whole routine of taking off her pants, her diaper, backing onto the potty, grabbing a book to read, and then only tooting. That's it. Show's over. Warrants a heartfelt giggle from me every time.

I am proud of: Revisiting my New Year's goals and recommitting to the one about exercise and diet. This week I have exercised every day. I am also trying again to be very intentional about what I eat. Watching portion size and eating slower. And guzzling a glass of water before every meal.

Josh is proud of: After waking up late for work Tuesday morning, showering, shaving, dressing, packing, and getting out the door in 12 minutes! He is also proud of locking in a great new interest rate for our mortgage - 4.5%. I'm pretty proud of his watchdog skills on that one, too.

Quote: Pretense

I read this quote today on The LPM Blog, but I think it came from the movie Steel Magnolias. Wherever it comes from, I love it. It cracked me up.

"An ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure."

When Browns Come to Town

This past week, we had Josh's parents in town along with two of our nieces, Holly and Hannah. They are a Florida bunch, so they are accustomed to the heat. But the Nashville weather we suffered while they were here really took them by surprise. It was hot, hot, hot, and dry, dry, dry. Nevertheless, we packed our agenda full of good stuff and just thoroughly enjoyed our visit with the Browns from outta town.

We enjoyed a morning at Monkey Joe's (sadly I forgot my camera that day). We went to a couple matinee movies and worked our way through all the Harry Potter movies each night. We went to the lake. The kids played in the pool and sprinklers daily. Josh took his parents to an Amish market he recently discovered on his travels. There were a number of short shopping trips. We also hit the zoo - or did it hit us - we don't remember - we were wiped out by the heat! The only other big hitter of their week with us, for me, was watching in awe how many cokes my nieces could down in a day and how much popcorn was consumed by all. No family get together is complete without a heavy dose of coke and a truck load of popcorn, I say! And ice cream. Ice cream is a must, too. :)


Without question, though, the best part of the week was Noah's delight at being with his cousins day in and day out. Holly and Hannah were good company and the boy is counting down til he sees them again at Christmas.

Kinda-like Married

Usually when Josh leaves for work, he hugs and kisses the kids like crazy. Today, Noah noticed that I got kisses, too.

Noah: Mommy, guess what? You kinda-like married!
Me: What makes you say that?
Noah: Cuz you kissed Daddy!

Flashbacks of our Fourth

We are home alone again. Josh is back to work again. The washing machine is seriously churning away again. And all is quiet again. Now I can get back to some blogging again.

We spent the Fourth of July in Huntsville visiting with a number of people from my side of the family. We sat. We ate. We laughed. We melted in the heat. We played with cousins. We spent a couple nights flying high at the Kiddie Carnival. We also spent a couple nights taking in fireworks as well. There was pool playing and slip-n-sliding going on big time. We even fed some ducks at the park. There was not much sleep happening, but there were smiles and silliness and special moments to excuse the lack of routine. There's really just no other way to do family and holidays anyway, is there?

I took a million pictures with my new camera (a Nikon Coolpix P100 - love it!) and was able to whittle this post down to 20 of just the basics from that weekend. That, in itself, is a big deal. Even bigger, is the fact that I managed to make it into a couple. :)