She is so calm

As of late, everytime I change my sons poopy diapers he says, “Taaaaaank too.”

That’s how he says thank you.

It is about time that I got a thank you for hundreds and hundreds of diaper changes over the span of several years. It feels good to hear thank you…even if the gratitude is in one year old language.

I can’t believe that it is June already. 

I got up like usual this morning. We have a playroom next to our bedroom (the third bedroom in our home-all the boys share a room). If they wake up before me (they usually do) they are to QUIETLY play in their playroom. The ‘quietly’ part never happens. This morning I woke up to my six year old and four year old arguing the following:

“Optimus Prime is the mom this time.”

“Nooooo! He was the mom last time. My guy wants to be the mom. Optimus can be the dad.”

I’m trying to picture any of the transformers wearing high heels or an apron.

They got me ARCEE-the female transformer last year and proceeded to argue about who would be able to marry her and start an autobot family. I found all of this hilarious.

There have been a lot of things that the children have done that show me how much they are growing up this past week. We only have a limited amount of time to teach them. I cherish these days, as I have heard so many older women say that they miss the years of little children underfoot.

My one year old usually just climbs out of bed in the morning. This morning I hear, “Mommmm. Mommmmm?” I was trying to figure out which of the older ones were calling me. It was the youngest. I know he can say words…but it was the way he said them this morning. He ‘grew up’ a little and I didn’t see it coming.

I praise God that when he saw me, He did not see me as a barren woman; he heard my cry and blessed us with these sons.

“No one is holy like the LORD,
      For there is none besides You,
      Nor is there any rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2

Babies are adorable…especially when the hold their breath, turn blue and then pass out.

My first born did this. I used to freak out. “Ahhhh! He is not breathing. He’s blue! Ahhhh!!!! He passed out. What do I do? I forgot CPR!”

What excitement :) Well, several children later I find myself with yet another ‘expressive’ child. Today he was mad at me for putting him down. Nothing tramatic, I just needed to wipe my potty training two year old’s butt. I just thought (out of the love I feel for the nearly one year old little peanut in the deep recesses of my heart) that he would like to opt out of the proceeding activity.

Nope. He turned a light blueberry hue and took a little nap on the floor.

I had to laugh (after reviving him, of course). I’m a ‘been there, done that’ kind of mommy. He just doesn’t realize it yet.

It snowed today. For a long time. In light of this, I thought that I would post some summer pictures to, you know…encourage all of you out there who don’t particulary enjoy the cold wet stuff. The first pic is of my oldest peanut and his homemade slingshot. Following the creation of his magnificent weapon, I nervously watched as he tried to hurl stones in the air like David (did to Goliath) in the general direction of his younger brothers. Thankfully, his task didn’t succeed. Boys will be boys.

The above (middle picture) is our very beautiful, very knotty old tree in the front yard. A little bit of absess growth. Why can trees have absess growth and everything’s just peachy? If a human has any excessive growth, it is considered a bad thing. Hmmm…

The last picture is of our thriving cherry tomato plants. We successfully grew ten ripe cherry tomatoes. When I said ‘thriving’ I was hoping that you would pick up on the sense of sarcasim in my voice.

My idea of the perfect house has changed over the years. It use to be that I just wanted to ‘own a home’ with the perfect exterior, an extra bathroom and just enough backyard. Then, all I wanted was a clean house. That is understandable right?…Now, all I want is a house that is inhabitable.

I was loving myself and the impression people got that I ‘had it all together’. 

I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate a new appliance or a spotless living room; it’s just that my priorities have changed. Cleanliness is not next to Godliness…Enough people have seen our old farmhouse on it’s worst days to convince me that perfection doesn’t bear any importance.

It is sad that I wasn’t willing to maintain the status quo for my family-but had no problem getting everything all squeaky and shiny to impress guests. I was loving myself and the impression people got that I ‘had it all together’. 

Expect the Christmas tree to be leaning like the tower of Pisa and three days of laundry still waiting to be put away.

Sooooo….if you come over, expect clean enough with some glue on the floor from homemade picture frames and  g*ldfish cracker crumbs on the rocking chair. Expect dirty dishes in the sink and sometimes on the counter and the table, too. Expect the Christmas tree to be leaning like the tower of Pisa and three days of laundry still waiting to be put away. Also expect a joy filled husband, wife, children and (it is my hope that you experience) the love of Christ permeating our house. 

Last night, the wind was blowing so hard and howling so loud that you would of thought that a tornado was going to blow through the house at any minute. 

Today, while I contemplate the thoughts that went through my mind during the wee hours of this morning (when I thought again that the roof was going to blow away), I think of all of those who have absolutely no shelter or blankets to keep them warm. I wonder what they were doing last night on the streets of Philadelphia, while I sat in fear of the loss of creature comforts. (more…)