Eli’s working on his new Lego set…
Eli: Grace and Ada, stop it.
No silliness.
Don’t play with that!
Ada, I’m watching you…
No singing!
Stop singing Pinky Dinky Doo!
No craziness.
Guys, I’m concentrating.
Ada, I mean it, don’t touch that.
NO SINGING!!
Me: Yikes! Ada, your feet are stinky!
Ada: (smells them) AH!! How did I get that smell??
The kids are jumping on a bouncy castle…
Grace: Holy shoot! My head hurts!… Read the rest
Imagine, if you will, me at the age of 15. I had my eye on this cute drummer. He was tall and skinny with black curly hair. He wore a long sleeve shirt under a short sleeve shirt most days (this was winter) and his black Oakley hat. He drove a blue Blazer. He was the lead snare in the drumline (of which he was also the captain), and played the set in the jazz band. *insert dreamy sigh here*
I loved watching him play, whether it was the snare or the set. He made my little heart go pitter-patter. … Read the rest
Men and women are just plain different, particularly in the way their brains work. This difference is described in many ways. Some say men are like waffles, women are like spaghetti. Others say men are like a dirt path while women are like a major highway. Chad and I use the term “boxes” – when his work box is open the others are closed and I can’t close the box for him. On the flip side of that, my boxes don’t even have lids. The book “Love & Respect” uses the word picture of twinkle lights (like Christmas lights) – … Read the rest
Grace: Ada is half girl, half squirrel half carrot.
Grandpa: Are you a good boy?
Eli: Yes. Why would you ask that?… Read the rest
Do you ever feel that way as a parent? That you’re making it up as you go? Your kids spring something on you, and you’re left speechless and scrambling for some sort of consequence that is suitable for this offense you never thought you’d have to deal with.
For instance.
Eli was in a phase (PRAISE JESUS that I get to use the word was) where he got this horrible attitude whenever he disagreed with me and would be downright disrespectful and rude to me. He did it in the car one day while I was driving, and I … Read the rest
Ada cracks me up, and she gets more fun all the time.
But when I run across certain pictures at certain times, they make me miss those little people I used to know.
This is Ada, three years ago. She had all the attitude she has today in an even smaller package. She wasn’t potty-trained yet (I don’t miss that part), she held just one finger instead of my hand, she slept in a Little Tikes toddler bed, she only liked toys that she could hold in their entirety in her teeny hand, and when she was mad she would … Read the rest
Ada: Mom, can you help me?
Me: I can kiss you!
Ada: That doesn’t help.
Ada: Mom, I need a napkin.
Me: OK, well, you can probably get one.
Ada: OK. I’m going to listen. I’ve never done that before.
Grace: I’m not trying to be mean, but I don’t really like this supper you made.
about 30 minutes later…
Grace: I’m not trying to be mean, but I’m not really learning anything from this consequence.
I’m not trying to be mean, but I will LOSE IT if you say that ONE … Read the rest
Chad and I are starting a study on Acts together, and something I read the other day stood out to me as though it was the first time I ever read it (I do love that about the Bible). In Acts 5, the Sanhedrin is bringing various apostles before them at various times, threatening them to stop teaching in the name of Jesus. Then they send the apostles out, and a Pharisee named Gamaliel sort of takes a breath, and remembers that this has happened before – someone starts teaching things they don’t like, they kill them, and their followers … Read the rest
This may sound terribly, horribly selfish to some. I’m ready for that. These are my feelings right now, and I’m going to put them out there in case there are others who are feeling the same and need to know they aren’t alone…
I work part-time at our church and love it. I work three days a week while the kids are at school, and it helps me stay sane. I’ve had the most incredible baby-sitter for a few years now, and last Thursday was her last day with us as she is now 39 weeks pregnant. This week I’m … Read the rest
Ada: Mom, I will give you a sticker whenever you don’t yell at me.
Me: I had to get a cap put on my tooth.
Ada: A CAT?!?
Ada: I got a little cheese on the floor.
Me: Grab the dust pan.
Ada: Can you show me where it is.
Me: Yes.
Ada: Oh, thank you, mom. You’re a good helper.
One of Grace’s new chores is sweeping under the table after supper. While working on this chore…
Grace: I hate sweeping!
Me: I know, I do too.
Grace: … Read the rest