Three Year Old Theology

While making banana bread with Jonah this afternoon I was singing "This Little Light of Mine." I really didn't know I was singing until Jonah asked, "Who's satan?"

I was a shocked until I realized I was singing another verse to the song, "Don't let satan blow it out, I'm going to let it shine..."

"He's bad, " I said. I know, it was a terrible response. His question surprised me.

Jonah paused. "Where does he live?"

At this point I didn't really know what to say so I just said, "He lives in hell. "

"Help?"

"No hell." I quickly changed the subject. "Let's talk about Jesus."

He paused. "Where does Jesus live?"

"He lives in heaven."

Mike corrected me later, telling me I should have said, "inside your heart." So my theological response wasn't completely appropriate, but c'mon, I was baking bread, trying to keep Jonah from making too much of a mess with the flour, and stepping over Lydia as she was scooting herself backwards across the kitchen floor; I wasn't exactly prepared to give the best answers to my inquisitive three year old.

We immediately started singing again... saving theology for another day.

Just when I thought it was over...

We've been overwhelmed the past few days with the van-load of items Mike brought back from Indiana. We thought the house was mostly cleared, but we had forgotten about a room we filled with family heirlooms. Here are some of the items we've recently added to our basement:

- Linda's wedding dress. It's GORGEOUS.
- A steam engine
- Grandpa Keith's coat from the Navy
- A few lifesize portraits of Mike as a child
- An antique highchair
- A few large framed pictures of ancestors
- Eyeglasses, pajamas, coins, a globe, hangers...
- A garbage bag full of women's vintage clothing
- ...and a host of other things I was too overwhelmed to view

Of course, none is as interesting as the statue of Jesus that Alex brought to their house that's "good for hiding money in."

Any one have any desire for some lifesize pictures of Mike? He actually suggested using them for our next white elephant gift exchange.

Just the Boys

After two years, the house where Mike grew-up finally sold. They're closing this week so the boys (including Jonah) took a trip to get the few remaining items in the house and spend one last night reminiscing of childhood. I know it will be emotionally hard, but I think Mike was also very anxious to have fun with Jonah, allowing him to create some of his own memories of walking in the woods and playing games next to the fireplace.

In honor of their trip, we dressed Jonah in Mike's Southwood Little League t-shirt we found when cleaning out Mike's old room. It even has our last name on the back.

I trust it will be a special time for all of them.

Buddies

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The Power of Words

My brother and I have always been good friends. Although I remember being occasionally annnoyed, I can't remember a time when I was truly angry at him. Now that we're adults, we think we've discovered why:

We had no choice.

Our parents, for as long as we can remember, always told people, "Traci and Troy don't fight. They always get along." I guess we grew up believing it. And after a while, we had a reputation to uphold.

We joke about it with our parents now, but it does cause me to ponder the power my words will have on my children. Jonah is obviously difficult, but I never want him to hear me say it. I never want him to hear me say that he "drove me crazy today" or that he's a "wild man." I want him to hear me tell other people that "he was a good boy today" or that "I'm so proud of him."

I hope my words are powerful.

My parents' words were.

This Week

This week Jonah loves:
- maze books
- his Grammy (some things never change)
- chewing gum
- playing on the computer
- naked "hot laps" around the house before bathtime
- studying maps from our December vacation to Orlando


This week Lydia loves:
- her Pop
- biting on board books
- cottage cheese
- zerberts on her tummy
- watching Jonah do just about anything

A New Hobby

For the past month, I've been mildly obsessed with looking for kids' clothes on eBay. After the kids are in bed, I can't wait to get online to "shop" for good deals. The irony is that I've only won three items after spending countless hours navigating through the site.

I'm looking for truly great bargains. After placing my maximum bid, I stop if the price goes any higher. That's why I haven't won too many!

I'm trying a new technique tonight-- it's a free sniping service that will place my first bid 10-20 seconds before the auction is over. I'm hoping to win a lot of 4T shirts in EUC (that's Excellent Used Condition for those who are unfamiliar with eBay acronyms). We'll see if it works.

So pardon me...

I've got some shopping to do.

Picture This

There are two loud screams as we both duck to the ground. The evil creature circles the living room at no less than 45 mph (I never exaggerate). I dodge into the bedroom, peering through a crack in the door. Mike jousts the air with a dustpan. He hits the bat; it's still flying. Now he holds the dustpan in the air. The bat hits it during its maddening loop around the room. It's still flying... but slower. Mike fans the air with the dustpan weapon. The bat pummels to the ground, looking like a wad of wet tissue paper--lifeless and rabid, lying on my floor.

Mike, a.k.a. my hero, picks up the beast with the edges of two newspapers and tosses it in the outside garbage can. I'm repulsed but I laugh. Another one bites the dust.

Perhaps we need to try Dwight's garbage bag approach next time.

Hibernation is almost over. Scratching sounds in our ceiling will commence.

So who wants to come visit?

What's on Your iPod?

Here's what's on mine:

A Special Day

We'll always think of February 14 as more than Valentine's Day. Today is Larrie's birthday. He would be 69. We were reminiscing this morning about his last birthday party. Mike had planned a gathering at the nursing home with his best friends. He died eight days later.

My how proud, overjoyed, and ecstatic he and Linda would be with the addition of two beautiful granddaughters this year. I'm sure he'd be planning several trips to teach Jonah how to fish and probably wondering when he could get Lydia and Davy in camouflage.

So we celebrate Papa Larrie (that's how we refer to him with Jonah) today.

What Not to Wear

When I have the chance, I love to watch What Not to Wear on TLC. As I stood in front of my barren closet this morning, I wondered, what would Stacey and Clinton say about me?

"I see 6 pairs of black or grey yoga pants in this closet. This girl needs to learn that she can be comfortable and still wear tailored, stylish clothes."

"Look, Clinton, she's got a white t-shirt for every day of the month."

"While fleece is comfortable and warm, cashmere can meet her needs too."

"No, you don't have to wear your tennis shoes everyday. Try paying for a pair of comfortable shoes."

"This girl thinks jeans and a t-shirt are dress-up clothes."

I need help.

A Rare Moment, Indeed

Before school this morning...

Our Little Miss Sunshine

My Brain

I think I'm a fairly smart person; I feel I have a good mind. But when it comes to certain things, my brain just doesn't work. Let me give a few examples:

federal taxes
car parts
stocks
medical insurance

My brain can't comprehend them.

I get to a certain point and then, POOF, my mind literally goes blank. I can't make any connections and nothing makes sense.

This becomes a problem when I'm trying to talk to a mechanic or the insurance company. I told a woman today that "what you just said was Greek to me."

I actually said it. Why pretend to understand? She explained it again, and well, I still didn't understand. Of course, at that point I felt the need to say, "Oh, okay."

I have no idea what she was talking about.

I believe there are certain things that I should handle and certain things that Mike should handle. Taxes, cars, money, and insurance are four things Mike should handle.

He thinks it's a learning opportunity for me to take care of them--

Just wait until I make a mistake.

So Proud

Since 2000, Mike has poured his heart into the new student center. Many of you have been involved in the process from a distance so I thought I would post some recent pictures.


Picture 2: You can see the mezzanine in the distance. The mezzanine houses the gaming room with couches, a Nintendo Wii, and other gaming equipment that I'm too old to know anything about. You can also faintly see the light of the kitchen on the other side of the gym.


Picture 3: On the left side, there are pool tables, ping pong tables, etc. The unfinished stage is in the distance.



I am so proud of my husband. Not only did he raise the money for this 1.1 million dollar facility, but he used the money wisely and gave this community more than I think many people ever thought possible. Of course, he would be the first to tell you that God made it happen. And while that's very true, I also believe that Mike's vision and business sense were instrumental in the process.

We've already enjoyed letting Jonah run wild at "Daddy's work" on cold Sunday afternoons. He puts on his Lightning McQueen helmet and pads, and we have a little daredevil in the skatepark!

A Simple Request

This was our conversation this morning.

Me: So Jonah, you know I'll buy you a big present when you start going poop on the potty all the time. What do you want?

Jonah: A pogo stick

Me: That's what Pop and Grammy are going to buy you. What do you want from Mommy and Daddy?

Jonah: New socks

*******
Hmmmmm....
I think I can manage that.

Message

Ray

While labeling Lydia's six month pictures this morning, I became overwhelmed with her name. Lydia Ray is named after my grandpa, Raymond Edward. All of a sudden, I had tears streaming down my face with a huge grin, just thinking about how proud he would be of my kids.

Grandpa died eight years ago, and a little before that time at a point when he was "complaining" that none of his grandchildren were named after him, I promised him that one of my kids would be his namesake.

You see, there was something special about him. He was manly. He was big and strong. He was strong-willed. He was set in his ways. He was the patriarch, and he was respected as such.

Yet he was never intimidating to me. I knew he would give me the world-- which to a 10 year old that meant Lucky Charms, Pepsi, or a buck for a "Big Mac."

He was a fisherman. He wore a handkerchief behind his neck and tucked in his ears to keep the gnats from bugging him. He hated pizza. He taped Young and the Restless when his bowling league interfered with it. He constantly worked in the yard. He liked to wake us up by tickling our lips with paper. He smoked cigars. The employees at Wendy's knew his order when he walked in the door.

These are some things I remember about my grandpa.

I so wish he could put Jonah "in the vice" or Lydia could sit on his lap.

He must smile everyday just watching his family. We surely smile when we think about him.

My Dear Jonah

After two exhausting days with my dear Jonah, I've been thinking a lot about my parenting. Until Lydia was born, I think I doubted that I was a good mother. Jonah was so difficult that I often wondered if I made him that way. Did I give in? Not much. Did I baby him too much? No. Did I let him control me? Not really. It wasn't until I had Lydia that I discovered a lot of Jonah's behavior wasn't because of my parenting but because of his temperament.

As parents, I think it's really easy to judge other moms and dads. It's easy to say, "That kid needs more discipline" or "Man, that child needs some attention," or even, "Those parents need to be more strict." But I've learned that you can be a wonderful parent and still have a difficult child.

I do have an official diagnosis from therapists and psychologists (see Sensory Integration Dysfunction), but I still feel like a bad mom at times. Why can't my child behave like others? Then Lydia came along. She sleeps. She's content. She eats well. She plays well. And besides relaxing a little, I'm the same mom I was three years ago.

I know I can be a great mom, and he'll still throw tantrums, he'll still have difficulty with transitions, he'll still have trouble concentrating on his toys, he'll still have trouble sitting still, and he still won't respond well to discipline. I'm not trying to make excuses, but that's the way God made him.

It's hard. I try not to worry about the mom looking at us in the grocery store or the mom staring at us in the hospital waiting room. They don't know the whole story...

I guess it's a good lesson for all of us-- the homeless man, the screaming child, the defiant teenager....

We don't know the whole story.