Eat More Chickin ... Do Less Thinkin

So ... yesterday was a great day.   We went to Tia Rosa for lunch and devoured their green salsa and salmon enchiladas.  And then, since I guess Ben needed his fill of Americana before trekking across the seas, we hit Chick-Fil-A for dinner.  Ahh.  Chick-Fil-A on Family Night.  An experience really like non other.  Just driving in the parking lot and seeing the endless stream of minivans will comfort your soul with the knowledge that the reproduction rates in our neck of the woods are alive and well.  

I guess we weren't the only ones wanting to ditch a night of cooking ... 

We saw this crew.

And this crew.

And this crew.

It was like a random meeting of the blogging world.  All together ... in human flesh.

And this one was a bit confused.  Is it a problem that he kept "baa-ing" at the cow?

And this one.  It's his latest thing.  "I'm going to give you a BIG kiss!"  Really sweet but each time I just keep my fingers crossed that his eyeballs stay firmly secure in his noggin.

And J How giving the cow a little post-dinner LOVE.  I'm loving the ketchup on his face!  

I've been at this parenting thing for three years now and I've tried, people ... really I have.  But I'm not a diaper bag kind of girl.  I don't bring hand wipes with me.  Nor to I remember extra diapers or clothes.  What you put on in the morning is what you wear ALL day long.  I apply my makeup one time.  I don't comb my hair throughout the day.  If so, it would be bigger than ever.  I buy clothes in multiples so when I get a spot on the "A Team" shirt, the bench warmer gets ready for action.  This shirt below, I have it in 8 beautiful shades ... really, it keeps my thinking to a minimum.  To be thought-free.  That's what I'm aiming for. 

I guess what I'm saying is ... if you want to see us beautiful ... you've got to get to us early.  But .. not too early ... or we're still looking a bit weathered from the morning rush.  Oh heck.  Just come see us whenever.  Just don't mind the smudges.  Or the repeat shirts!

Getting Spiritual?

Tonight ... Joshua thanked God for his trains, the John Deer video and Angels.

I'm guessing he meant baseballs throwing ones ... not the harp playing ones?

So Many Reasons Why Not To Leave Eli With A Box of Cheerios ...

1.  The boy has intense curiosity.
2.  Paired with a desire to dump and shake.

3.  Mixed with a drive to follow a task through to the end.
4.  Added to the need of finding new ways to express his inner-drama. 
5.  Then of course there's the fun of crunching ... 
6.  And smooshing ... 
7.  And tossing ... 
8.  And squashing every little last ounce of Cheerios into the fibers of the couch ... 

9.  Until he spots the camera and stops all his activities to say ... CHEESE!  

Now all I have to do is teach him how to vacuum!

Back To The Boys ...

Can I have a drum roll?  With all the business of the past two weeks, I forgot to mention ... WE HAVE A WALKER in the house!  Yes, Eli Bennett decided - after 16 LONG MONTHS - that he'd like to view the world from an upright stance!  Eli has found that walking has many advantages and it didn't take long for J. How use E's walking to his benefit ... 

Joshua is explaining ball retrieval strategy to Eli ... making sure E understands that Joshua won't be moving from his position at the plate ...

His plan seems to be working well so far ... 

They kept this up for a good twenty minutes ... and even more impressive, Eli never got smacked with the bat.  I guess Joshua figured that if he took out his bat boy ... he'd actually have to move.  

Does it appear that the batter is suffering from a superiority complex?  Or is it just me?

At least for now, J How ... you've got it made. Your very own ball boy!  Enjoy it while it lasts!

March 20, 2005

Four years later and I still miss my Gracie Anne. I still have the email I sent the school staff. I still have a devotional my dear friend’s mom emailed me. Four years later and my images of Gracie sparkle with clarity. I imagine blonde curly hair. Blue eyes. Ribbons and bows. I imagine a free spirit. An artist. Rolling down grass hills and skipping to her own beat.

Four years later, I still have a box. A box filled with pinks and purples. Dresses and shoes. I have yet to part with many of her things. I keep holding on. Perhaps it’s my tangible way to remember what might have been. That box sits right next to another box. A box filled with condolence cards, prayers, genetic test results and a death certificate. Together, those boxes cry out the bittersweet mixture of our reality.

Gracie Anne would have been four today.

As a small girl, I sat beside the Christmas tree and planned out my future. I began collecting dinner plates by the time I was twelve. I gave my children names and selected house plans. I’ve always been a planner.

And yet, in all the countless afternoons I mentally sketched out my future, I never accounted for loss. I dreamed about the possibilities. I was full of unwavering hope. I trusted.

Loss. A seemingly unwelcomed jolt.

Today, I went back and read part of the devotion sent to me right after we received news of Gracie’s condition:

Little one, loved before knowing,
Precious one, in dreams so fair;
My empty arms ache to be holding
My rosebud who blooms "over there."

if you had come to be with us
I'd have shown you the stars and the sea;
But your eyes see them eternally clear …
One day you must show them to me.

How precious that one of Joshua’s favorite things to do with Ben is lay under the stars and watch. And wait. And listen. Last week, it was under that huge blanket of God’s majesty that Joshua asked Jesus to come live in his home. I watched Ben interact with Joshua that night, not knowing the details of their conversation. I watched them point and gaze as Joshua listed off the countless creations of God. That night, creation spoke of His majesty. Spoke right into the heart of a listening three year old.

That very same night, Jesus welcomed another baby into His arms. Ours for only a moment. His for eternity.

Many times this week, I have pictured myself beside that Christmas tree. Presents wrapped. Music playing. Me, all alone, with my thoughts and blank paper. A future ahead. Full of hope and expectation.

My blank paper has been filled with many things that were not to have been. Not in MY plan. Not me, please not me.

And yet this thought continues to invade my mind – Bringing back what is His.

An opportunity to trust. To loosen my grip. To offer back what is already His. To hand over my Gracie Anne and the four years of anger that I’ve held tightly. To allow Him to walk alongside me as I grieve this new loss.

To listen to Jesus, as Ben asked Joshua to do last week, in my heart. What is He saying? And to be comforted, that two of my sweet children are blooming, over there.

Entire devotional on Christianity Today website

Green Eggs and Pancakes.

I promised How that we would make green eggs and pancakes for St. Patrick's Day. I figured dying ham green was a bit of a stretch ... and thankfully, Joshua was just as happy to make green chocolate chip pancakes!
My little leprechaun chef ... ready for the coloring process ...
Joshua was in charge of adding the chocolate ... until he used 1/2 a bag in the first two pancakes.
Green eggs. Really ... I just always had a secret desire to go on Nickelodeon's Double Dare and this is my version slime. Not bad, eh?Our masterpiece ... (I first had the meal on white plates but it did nothing for the green eggs ... so the blue plates made a special breakfast appearance!)Totally blown away from our taste sensation!
This is Eli's version of "food moving." You know ... that trick you used when you hated what your mom was serving for dinner and you spread it out all across your plate ... to give the appearance that you'd actually eaten something. E does this with everything. He spends very little time eating and a lot of time making it appear as though he had.
And then this is the look I got at the mere suggestion that we take a St. Patty's Day photo? What is How doing, you ask? A tantrum. Bummer I missed the part where he falls to the floor and stiffens his legs. That's the really exciting part.
Thanks for playing along boys. You know ... it's not as though this is torture!!!
That's better! (Okay ... I bribed them. People ... I told you. Bribing is an everyday parenting technique of mine. I LOVE it!)
Feel the GREEN LOVE ...
And finally ... corned beef and cabbage. A tribute to my people! And ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Dad!

Joshua. Check. Eli. Unavailable.

Our church has a fancy check-in system for the kiddos. Keypads and computer monitors. You punch in your code and up pops your child's name. A room number is listed and off you go. And fancy systems are great and all ... but for our little guy, there has been a bit of glitch. You see, I punch in our code and up pops the kiddo's names. Joshua. Check. Eli. Unavailable. Hmmm? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that after E's name pops up, you can select from the following: crawling, walking confidently, or potty trained. For reasons we have discussed NUMEROUS times on this blog, I select CRAWLING. And E comes up UNAVAILABLE.

Today, after church, I went to get the "issue" resolved. A volunteer in the children's building typed in our name and before the gal could even answer my question, I blurted out, "Is this because he's not walking yet? You know ... he can walk. He just chooses not too. He climbs furniture. Bungie jumps. Rock climbs. Is totally into motor sports but he just prefers crawling. And I wouldn't want to lie and mark walking confidently ... because after all ... this is church and you'd find out sooner or later that I was ... ahem ... stretching the truth." "Oh," she says. "I'll just clear the system and next week, you punch in walking confidently. Then just explain your situation to the teacher and they might make a room adjustment."

And the moral of the story: Um ... we'll be putting in serious walking workouts this week or maybe we might just skip the workouts and go straight for potty training. After all, I strive for over-achievement!!