Crocodile Dock ...

Last week, in J How's mind ... was PERFECT!  He was so excited to go to VBS he could hardly stand it!  I found music videos online in an attempt to get him even more hyped!  Um ... not necessary.  By the time we arrived at his classroom, he asked his teacher where his friend Mr. Crocodile Dock was?  She pointed to a cardboard croc.  "That's not him," How said.  "He looks different on the video."  I apologized to the teacher for showing him the videos and snuck out the door! 

If you did you homework all week long ... there was a SPECIAL surprise on Friday.  It was a bit embarrassing that I couldn't find his homework the first night ... but alas ... it did show up and How got to work.  At 9pm - no less.  

J How and Miss Laura.  On the last day, we pulled into the parking lot and J How said, "We've got to hurry.  If we're late the other kids will sit by Miss Laura and I want to sit by Miss Laura."  And on a side note ... I attempted to take TONS of pictures of them both looking at me but Miss Laura said this was more accurate.  I think that was her kind way of saying How has lots of energy :)

The night of the big performance.  He'd been practicing his song for DAYS!  The whole family could do the motions in their sleep.  He was so excited and at the last minute ... 

El Stage-O Fright-O ... or as we like to say in our family ... things didn't go just the way How had them envisioned in his brain and he "freaked out " a bit ...

Eli ... on the other hand ... was getting his groove on!

And finally ... the big finale to the week .... meeting Tuesday!

Who came on Friday.  How wanted to take her home.  Bummer I have a strong hatred towards reptiles.

And just proof that he really does know the songs ... I give you How's car performance!

It was a incredible week.  Joshua still talks about the lessons he learned.  FEAR NOT - God is ALWAYS with us!  What a treat to see him learn about the Lord!

I'll Be Right Back.

It's J How's newest game consisting of running down the hallway - at full speed - yelling, "I'll be right back!" The only problem. Our hard. Tile. Floor. Joshua and the tile floor met up the other day and let's just say ... the floor won.
But J How reasoned ... the whole chin "boo boo" could have been prevented had he been wearing a super hero cape. And who am I do tell a kid that flying is reserved for planes, birds and a whole lot of people in the 1960's?
So ... we found a nice little cape ...
Tied it it on real tight. And just as he was prepared for lift off ... he stopped, in all seriousness and said, "Mom. You NEED a cape. Want me to get you one?" And since I was pretty excited about the possibilities of flying ... I agreed.
Unfortunately, How brought me a tiny blue t-shirt and gravity just didn't work in my favor.
Looks like somebody else isn't super impressed with our skills.
In the end, we had to go for the 'ol fashioned ... "just pick me up" flying approach and chat about the dangers of hard floors.

Happy. Happy.

As far as fathers go ... I certainly believe that our boys got the best of the best.  He's "Dada" to Joshua and "Daddeeee" to Eli.  He is kind, compassionate and oh so even tempered.  He balances out our parenting partnership.  What I lack in truckloads ... he graciously provides.  He shepherds our boys - cheering on their accomplishments and curbing their crazy tendencies with well-explained boundaries.  And I ... love him to bits!

And on Friday night ... we spent the evening together.  At a restaurant.  Able to finish a complete thought.  And then follow that up with another one.  It was lovely.  We then headed off to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Our neighbors, the same ones had our house cleaned last month, gave us their INCREDIBLE seats!  We had a great time!

And then, after a morning of French toast, church and a LOT of US Open ... we had dinner guests, who brought the boys a treat ... 

Matchbox cars.  E has a thing for "blue cars" these days. 
And apparently, the cars (the blue one and his friends) joined E for dinner.
Nothing like cleaning out a little rice pilaf from the steering wheel of a 2 inch car.
And then it was present time.  J How graciously offered (okay, insisted ... er ... demanded) that he be involved in the opening process.
But who could turn down an offer like that from a boy that snugly??
More presents.And more.  And then ... something never before attempted in our six plus years of marriage most likely because I am a firm believer that pudding should be reserved for the later years of life when one's teeth aren't up to the challenge of chewing ... I crumbled.  I made Ben's favorite dessert.  Banana pudding with Nilla wafers.    
His plate was clean ... mere seconds after being served. 
And it didn't take long to convert this one to a pudding lover.  
Then it was outside to watch the boys hit golf balls and get their "wiggles" out.  And a photo op with one of the best father influences a girl could want, my Howie.
And what Father's Day would be complete without a picture of the crew ... 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, Benni!

There's a Whole Lot of Initials Going on Over Here ...

I was laying down on the not so stylish green, pleather dentist chair.  I heard a mixing bowl behind my head get flipped on.  "She's locked," said one nurse.  "Ohhhh, she's locked," said the other.   Before I had time to shout, "I can HEAR you!  You know, referring to people by their given names instead of their symptoms is learned in Bedside Manner 101" ... giant plates of goo were stuck in my mouth and thus ... I remained silent.  That is until ... they couldn't get the bottom plate out of my mouth.  Wiggle, wiggle.  Nothing.  You see ... it gets a bit tricky when you stick tray of goo in one's mouth that is twice as wide as my mouth can currently open.  Live and learn people.  Live and learn.  

So ... what was the result of my MRI and CT Scan ... besides seeing my brain, the inside of my eyeballs and my fancy little out of place jaw?   A diagnosis of CLOSED LOCK JAW.  Again.  Really?  I could have told them that.  But they have the initials after their names ... so I let them proceed.

The short of it is ... next Thursday, I will be having the great pleasure of being sedated and having well trained professionals "pop" my jaw back into its rightful home.  I will be on some lovely pain medication afterwards and better yet ... be wearing a splint, 24 hours a day for three solid weeks.  (I know you're secretly chuckling to yourselves  and picturing me on the beach with my headgear!)  

In all seriousness ... this doctor is incredible!  He has been doing this for 30+ years and I feel completely comfortable with his plan of attack.  I might not feel that way next Thursday morning ... but it's nothing a little pain medication won't fix!  My jaw bone is under a severe amount of pressure and the bone is beginning to deteriorate otherwise, we could have postponed the surgery and waited until after I graced the beaches of CA and the mountains of CO.  

I'm very thankful for an answer.  For a knowledgeable doctor and PT and for that delicious looking In and Out Burger that may yet again pass through my lips without being cut up into 1/2 inch morsels.  It's my dream.  I can't wait!

Practically Perfect.

Perfect weather. Perfect morning. A perfect chance to lay on the charm.
That is. Until.
The other brother got wind of this private conversation ...
And plopped smack in the middle of J. How's perfect plan! Better luck next time, How!

...

Goggles. $4.
Rescue Backpack. 25 cents.
Child who thinks he looks fabulous and announces he's now ready to go to the park ...

PRICELESS.

The Proof is in The Pudding ...

I started here. 

Organic tea.  See how it says "stress relieving and energizing" ... I had such high hopes.

But, alas ... I quickly moved on from the organic tea to plastic.  Hangers, that is.  I walked into our closet one afternoon and noticed the plethora of mismatched plastic hangers.  And while I'd never noticed our hangers in the two plus years we've lived in this house, all of the sudden it became sizzled in my mind as something needing to be resolved!

So, I had a date at Costco.  Walmart.  OfficeMax.  I hit up Joann's and ended up with ...

Sameness.  Order.  Way better than the non-working stress relieving tea :)

And then ... I let J. How in on the action.  You see that art piece on the shelf.  The hand prints.  His special touch.  

And then I made the top of a quilt.  For what?  For where?  For who?  All really great questions without many answers.  I decided, one day, that quilting would be my newest hobby.  If only we lived in a place where snuggling under a blanket was necessary!

And then ... an early birthday present from my mom.  A chandelier in our bathroom.  I'm in love.  Because really, with all boys in the house ... there needs to be a little sparkle to offset all the bugs and dirt!

And then ... more painting.  A garage sale find.  $5.  I added a wood medallion "of sorts" to add a bit of interest and it now has a new home in our hallway ...  

And finally ... 

Two new white pillow shams.  Thanks in part to the "As-Is" section of IKEA .. (they used to be a lonely curtain panel) and my mom ... the sewing QUEEN!  Then a trip to TJMAXX for a green something to toss at the bottom of the bed ... and I'm done.

For this week.  Or for today.  Or for the next twenty minutes!!

And in in case you're curious.  I've stopped taking the organic tea.  I've moved on to the good stuff.  Muscle relaxers!  They're not really working either ... but if you call about 45 minutes after I take them ... you might get a good laugh!

The Mess

In 1984, I was seven.  I had a gap between my two front teeth that was large enough to stick a pencil through and made it equally impossible for me to whistle.  My mom always said that gap gave me character.  I hated it.  I wanted it fixed.  

When I turned 13, my hair turned curly.  My mom used to run her fingers through my hair,  wanting to steal a little of my Shirley Temple look for herself.  She said I was lucky.  People would kill to have hair like mine.  I hated it.  I couldn't find enough hair products in the kingdom to make my hair less huge.  I wanted it fixed.  

Now I'm 31, quickly closing in on 32.  My gap is fixed and my hair is less curly than ever (thanks in part to a flat iron) and I've realized something about myself.  A pattern.  I like things being fixed.  I'm not so fond of things being messy and unresolved.  I'm great at projects.  Projects have a beginning, a middle and an end.  I like looking at rooms in need of help.  I can't take my eyes off a couch or a wall until I find the perfect thing to fix the glitch.   

This year has been challenging for me.  For a person who likes life to look a certain way, this year has been anything but "pattern friendly."  I like things being fair.  I like "rule followers" to be rewarded.  And since you live in the same world I do, you can imagine that I have lived many of my days a bit frustrated and disappointed that the "good guy" doesn't always finish first.

April and May were hard months for me.  Each day had an uncharted path.  There was no equation for how the day was going to go.  No medical website to give me comfort and peace.  Medical specialists disagreeing on the images they saw.  One day, up.  The next day, down.  I was so torn between hearing the mixture of good and bad that my mind needed a retreat.  

Couldn't it all just be fixed?   If only things in the "grown up" world had such simple solutions like braces and hair products.  Trust me.  I've tried my own type of fix-it remedies.  I have tackled more house projects in the past month than I ever thought possible.  Truth be told, there's nothing like a good house project, but more than that ... I found myself scurrying to find numbness.

On May 7, we were told our baby's heart had stopped beating.  Our second miscarriage in three months.  On May 8, I went to the hospital for surgery.  On May 9, my jaw locked.  On June 3, I spent my morning in an MRI machine.  The results of the MRI - the right and left TMJ meniscus have been dislocated leaving me with very limited range of motion.  The treatment.  A bit unknown.  You can imagine my response to hearing my chiropractor telling me he can't FIX this.  What?  Isn't that what is supposed to happen?  You have an issue and it gets fixed?  You get answers.  You get resolution.  You move on.  That's life, right?  

Not mine.  Not lately.  My life, as of late, has been a bit messy.

But tonight, I saw these pictures of Eli.  I looked at his face and his eyes.  Joy in the midst of the mess.  As I shuffled through these images (there are about 20 in all), I began to pray that I might begin to delight in all of this.  That my eyes would have the same reflection as I process loss and the unknown.  Because Eli does not doubt for one minute that his mommy is going to clean up the mess and I, too, can have the same confidence that my Father has great plans to turn what I see as a mess into something much greater.  

Dear Aunt Irene,

Thank you VERY MUCH for the Pittsburgh Pirates shirts.

We love them!

Love,

J. Howard and Eli