Sick Pup Report

Well, we had a good run, Elderberry.  Almost two full winters with nary even a cold, thanks to your sweet help.

And then this weekend hit. :(  Anna came home from school Thursday mentioning a tummyache at lunch.  I heard it but didn't worry too much.  I hear many little things in the course of Anna's daily, "Reasons it was a Good/Bad Day" rundown.  But within about 30 minutes, she comes and says she feels like she is going to throw up.  We were at a friend's house at the time so I grabbed her and BOLTED for home.  Sure enough, there was a slight fever ... but nothing else for hours.  Just enough hours for Josh and I to leave the kids with our favorite sitter (Anna grounded to the couch of course) and go complete another night of training for Jonah's Journey.  We got home that night at 9:15 just in time for the marathon of throw-up to begin.  As my sister the nurse predicted ... it lasted about 12 hours.  Just for fun, here's my list of reasons it was a bad 12 hours - Throw up on the floor, throw up in the sink, throw up on the floor again, several times in the potty, always in her hair and just for perks, once in the car. :}  Throw in a couple changes of clothes for diarrhea and you have a sick, sick pup, whose fever continued to rise through it all.  I like to let a fever do its job of killing the germ, but when she got to 100.7, I relented and got some Motrin in her. 

Luckily, last night (Friday night) was uneventful with the girl only sleeping fitfully because she was so thirsty and kept getting up for a sip of water.  Today, Saturday, she is episode free, but her fever is still up at 100.  So we are staying quarantined for another day or two at least.  As a homebody, I don't mind hunkering down and chillin' out at home.  Poor Noah is another story. He is getting antsy and misses his Daddy (who is out of town this weekend) and it doesn't help that he lost his Wii privileges earlier this week.  Still, Noah has been a really patient and good sport - playing quietly in his room for hours when Anna needs to nap, bringing her crackers and refilling her drink in the morning before I got up, and even sharing the iPad with her and letting her pick the shows they watch. :} Bless his heart - I think I might relent and let him play Wii tomorrow after all.

So we had to cancel Anna's paint class yesterday, which broke her heart because she was going with her favorite school friend, Luci.  We also had to cancel on some friends from church we were gonna go watch the Super Bowl with.  And we will miss church, too, of course.  We'll stay home and I will rub my cold hands on Anna's hot belly and back because it makes her feel better and, heck, it warms me up.  Ha!  Anna says she wants to decorate her Valentines Box for school if she feels better tonight, so I got that bad boy wrapped and ready for action.  Hoping our sick pup is back in working order by Monday so she doesn't have to miss another day of school or gymnastics.

For the record, I will still swear by your benefits, Elderberry.  One bad weekend doesn't undo two rockin' winters of perfect health when all the world around us was dying from every germ under the sun. :} This was bound to happen.  She IS in a kindergarten classroom, after all, where the boys do all manner of nasty booger things in plain sight.

My Memorizing at the Moment

I am memorizing this little chunk of scripture at the moment, in accordance with my promise to seek after and embrace humility this year especially.  I just have it by my toothbrush and read it and meditate on it every time I am in the bathroom.  And repeat Amen, amen, amen every time, too. 

Jeremiah 9:23-24 

This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
    or the powerful boast in their power,
    or the rich boast in their riches.
But those who wish to boast
    should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
    who demonstrates unfailing love
    and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!"

Amen!

100 Days

To celebrate the hundredth day of school this past week, all the kindergarteners dressed up to look 100 years old.   

Here's a close-up of our little old lady with a bun hairdo, corn starched to look white, pearls, old-fashioned floral dress, and button-up sweater only buttoned at the top, and some spectacles courtesy of Noah's Harry Potter costume.  

I was kinda half-hearted about pulling together any sort of details for this dress-up event - so much so that I didn't even take a pic that morning before she left for school.  So I am thankful (again) for a great teacher that covers those corners for us in her plans anyway. :)  Three cheers for Mrs. White! 

Psalm 19:7 on the Wall

Another installment of chalkboard widsom...

This summer Noah and I are going to memorize this verse ... and the whole chunk of verses that follow.  I drink in these words, these promises.

Blast from the Past

So my sister sent me this shot today from awhile back .... Wow! 

 This must be from when Josh and I were dating?

Look how young Josh looks!!  

It's too bad my smile comes off as a grimace all the time.  Ha!

Day at the Park

The sun warmed our world these last three days and people came out in droves for it all over town!  Lucky for me, that meant some of MY people (Kristin, Cindy, Susie and almost Cathy) came out to enjoy the bright and warm air, too ... and more than once this weekend.  ♥

We treasure how all our kiddos play so easily together ... just like cousins.  Always feels like home with these friends. 

Thankful!

Juicing and Kale Chips and Zoodles, Oh My!

Y'all.  It's getting crazy up in here.

Besides all the fruits and veggies I am juicing these days...

I have even gotten acquainted with KALE. I turned these bad boys into Kale Chips. Krazy. But good!

I also broke out my new spiralizer and made ... zucchini noodles.  Zoodles!  They were a big hit.

What will I try out next?
Thinking about meeting my first ever artichoke ...

Anna at BAM

This character conquered a big physical challenge and a big fear all at once last night at gymnastics.  Climbing the rope all the way to the top!  It's taken her many months to get strong enough to pull it off.  And it's taken the last couple months for her to push past that 3/4-of-the-way-up mark where she is afraid just because it's so high.  But last night she was determined to push past that spot and she was so confident she would do it that she arranged for me to bring the camera to capture it. 

Watch and you'll see where she stops (the spot where she usually comes back down) but we call out to her to keep going and SHE DOES IT.  Proud of that girl!

And she was super proud of herself, too.  Precious moment.

Her splits are so awesome and all the way to the floor, so last night they put mats under her feet to raise her up and her splits - brace yourselves - went BELOW THE FLOOR.  Anyone besides me cringing, but also grinning, at that kinda talent?  They have invited her to start practicing with the lowest level of the competitive team now.  Josh and I are debating it.  Anna, too, when I described the offer to her was excited but also judiciously answered, "I will have to think about it."  Ha!!  So think about it we shall.

Jonah's Journey

I promised myself 4 years ago, when we didn't get to adopt like I was so sure that we would, that the next time we got back on the scene I would not be so outspoken about the process.  That I would keep our steps and twists and turns on the down low.  And I do fully intend to maintain a lower profile of this next foster/adopt effort.  But I wanted to go ahead and mark today as the day that this got real.

And by got real, I just mean we attended an informational meeting with Jonah's Journey (and their new-ish partner of Palmer Home) and that Josh and I were quickly of the same mind that this is a go for us and that now is also a go for us.  The more we heard and witnessed tonight, the more this felt like a clear-as-day glass slipper sliding on for a perfect fit ... especially after having admitted to ourselves in the fall after a different informational meeting that fostering with Sumner County DCS was not gonna pan out for us just yet. 

Being the more emotional of the two of us, I am feeling so optimistic and quite pumped.  Like, really excited at the thought that we know what we are doing next now.  But I am also gonna take my cues from Josh more this time and keep it tempered and realistic as we take the next steps forward.  Even more, I will take my cues and timing from the Lord and his movement in this process and less from my dreamy-eyed hopes and emotional wishes ... even if that should lead us to another closed door for the moment. 

I mean it, I am gonna be cool and go with the flow. Mark my words.

But still, eeek! :}

Retreat on a Friday/Saturday

Yesterday, Anna went home from school with her good friend and carpool buddy, Claire.  Noah was dropped off to spend a couple hours at work with Josh. And I beelined it to my friend Suzanne's house to hitch a ride with her to our Brentwood destination - an overnight retreat with a big group of women from our church.  I had my usual anxiety before going and almost didn't make myself see it through.  But I knew better than to give in to that self-indulgent fear and I, as always, am so glad I went!  It was another great investment in the community of friendships I am plugging into there...

 

... and I was really interested in and challenged by the discussion topics covered in this book, of which we all got a copy and participated in several break out sessions together.

Looking forward to practicing some of the "heart AND mind" bible study approaches we uncovered.  Looking forward to what the Lord will show me about Himself more fully as I do!

Novelty on a Thursday

Know what's novel?  Schools being closed because ... it's freakin' cold outside.  Nothing else.  Just realllllllly cold. :}

In other novelty news, we spent the day off from school getting all productive in the kitchen with my new ... drumroll please ...... juicer!

Bought it used last night for $20 and whipped up some apple-carrot juice within minutes of getting it home.  Then this morning, Anna and I made more apple-carrot juice, but this time we added strawberries we picked back in May.  It was delicious.  And it was made even more delicious for my girl when she used her portion of the juice in her slushie maker cup, which is relatively new to her (bought with birthday money) so we will count that in the novelty category, too!

Also novel, and also in the kitchen gadget category with the juicer and slushie cup, but not yet broken in because I am still a little unsure of how to proceed, is my new veggie spiralizer.  I have friends who are turning out to be very good influences on me ... or I would have never cared about using veggies in place of noodles.  Ever. 

Here's hoping Novel turns to Normal round these parts.  More fruits and veggies would be so good for us!

Bookish Bravo on a Wednesday

Usually, I let Noah read through a chapter book of his choosing during his 20-30 minutes of silent reading every day.  Over the holiday, he finished up his chapter book and we haven't been back to the library yet to get him a new title. So I took the opportunity this week to assign him some non-fiction books to read from instead.  One on Vikings and another on Knights & Castles, as these are perfect supplements for what we are discussing in his History text. And it's funny how much more talking he does during his {silent} reading time than before.  Stuff like ...

"Hey, mom!  Did you know....?"

"Oh, wow.  Listen to this! ..."

"I just read that... "

"Mommy, guess what!!"

This sort of interaction with the text is just music to my teacher ears.  The comprehension checks it provides, the motivation it builds for more non-fiction reading, the curiosity it develops, the confidence with non-fiction text it bolsters, the love of learning it builds and the extra tid-bit supplements that support other learning we are doing.  I almost hate that I haven't assigned more non-fiction books sooner this year!  Might have to start staggering one book of my choosing after one chapter book of his choosing from now on. 

Hilarity on a Tuesday

The rambunctiousness I referenced back in December has spilled over into January.  My children wrestle a lot. I love it actually.  And, bonus, they are burning off some serious energy when it's too cold to go out. Anyway, I hear a number of funny things when this goes on. Today it was Anna's smack talk as she forced Noah's face to the floor, "Now it's YOUR turn to feel the shame!"

Wha?  Who?  Wha?  Hilarious, but still, who is this girl?  And how did she learn and use a phrase like that in perfect context?  She is in KINDERGARTEN!

So I asked her.  It all makes sense now.  Along with wrestling, we love to quote movies in this family.  Much quotage of The Lego Movie happened over Christmas break and it leaves me in stitches every time Anna does it.  THIS time, however, she was quoting Night at the Museum 3.  :}  Can't you just hear the miniaturized cowboy Owen Wilson now? "It's YOUR turn to feel the shame!"  Hilarious.

Sweetness on a Monday

Not much to say, just some sweetness to save that came home from school with Anna today.  Was there ever a brighter "sundown" than this?

And this little snippet of a love note on another paper. 

Kindergarten rocks ... in a sugary sweet way. ♥

Skating into the New Year

When we were kids, my father would always tease us after we tripped or stumbled by saying, "First day on a new pair of legs?"  Well, that would really have applied in Anna's case this past weekend when we threw her out on a rink with her cousins for her first ever attempt at skating.   

That floppiness about her that we so adore was out in full strength. It took the girl quite awhile to get her footing.  Took her a whole new pair of skates (trainers) and a Skate Mate frame, in fact.

 

I kid you not, she felt sick to her stomach after half a lap and had to get off the floor for a bathroom break, but after that she gave it another try and met sweet roller success ... ever so carefully.  Isn't it precious how she's hanging on for dear life? ♥

One or two of those stiff and wobbly rounds and Anna was off to the races all by herself!

Look at her go!

 

Brooklyn, who is quite the skater and was the leader of the pack in terms of skill and experience, was stunned at how fast Anna was.  Ha!

Eventually she wanted to try a lap without the help.  That went ... ok ... for a couple laps.  But in the end she stuck with the Skate Mate for the most part.

By the day's end I was convinced that I could take Anna skating again and not have a heart attack after all.  Then again, I might still, since our rink here at home doesn't have anything of the Skate Mate variety for our wee wobbly ones. :S Here's a fun, "Look Ma, no hands" moment.

 

Noah, who's been skating a couple times before, was a little unsure of himself at first because it has been almost a year since he last tried. 

 He did a number of laps with his own Skate Mate and concentrated reeeeeeeally hard to remember how to work the wheels underneath him.  Ha!

 

Then he was ready to go it alone, however stiff and choppy and slow it had to be.  Adorable!

Natalie stuck close to Noah the whole time and before they knew it, he was able to skate without watching the floor. These two held hands until they wiped out and decided it was better to keep those hands free for balance.  Ha!

What fun to spend the afternoon on wheels burning mucho energy with the cousins.  Emily and I marveled at how relaxing even this activity could be ... which was saying a lot because I was sure someone would break their face when we first got there.

Beyond the skating, the kiddos kept super active the whole GA visit long with chalk and bikes and chatter outside.

And timed cup stacking, 

and all manner of electronic device sharing,

and, duh, LEGOS, Legos,

and more Legos.

And Nerf fights and swings and getting silly in the rain.

 

Blessed to share these days with my sister and her family!

Oh yeah, we grownups were there too and did grownupy things like talk theology, church, family, football, and ran a round or two of Risk.  We really just relaxed from start to finish. :}  And, bonus, we already planned our next visit to a cabin in the mountains in a couple months.  Hurry up, Spring Break!

2015's Wise Word

Welcome, 2015!  I have a good word for you ...

But first, a shout out to last year and Mercy.   2014's wise word theme/challenge/project for me was Mercy.  Sweet Mercy. And, man-oh-man, did I really mean it and go after it.  I made great gains in the Mercy department and it has felt good.  It has been freeing.  And it has meant a lot to me to hear Josh testify to having seen the change in me himself.  That's not to say I have it entirely mastered however.  I would like to know it in my life more naturally and with less concentrated effort. So I am gonna keep Mercy high on my heart's priority list in the coming year even though it is time to add another discipline.  The next wise word I am coming at really goes hand-in-hand with mercy.  It's one that, again, I sense the Lord calling me to stare down and choose and get real with .... and that is Humility.

Besides the book Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges that I just finished and will go through again, these are some scriptures that have and will continue to inform my steps toward humility:

And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  1 Peter 5:5

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Colossians 3:12

 He has shown you, O man, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.  Romans 12:3

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

I picture my pursuit of humility fleshing itself out in any of the following ways and then some: Lifting others up. Talking about myself less.  Resisting the need to be heard. Using less words in general. Seeking out others' attention less.  Keeping a lower profile online. Minding my own business.  Not trying to influence other people's affairs. Accepting contradictions and correction cheerfully. Passing over the mistakes of others. Accepting insults and injuries. Accepting being slighted, forgotten, and disliked. Being kind and gentle even under provocation. Not pursuing the win in an argument. Letting go. Yielding. Viewing things through the lens of God's will and not my own. Choosing gentleness beyond what comes naturally to me right now. Quieting my thoughts. And relying on the strength of the Holy Spirit within me more than my own strength or will power. Worshipping, worshipping, worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth!

So here's to 2015's spiritual wardrobe upgrade:  clothing myself in humility. ♥