"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" - A Rant

I am frustrated. Today my children decided that obedience is optional.

Brenna took a stand this morning over GETTING SOCKS OUT OF A DRAWER! She was repeatedly disciplined because she would not do it. I finally had to walk her through it. This was actually only one of the several issues she fought for today. Two is rearing its ugly head (I'm sorry, that's two-an-half as I am repeatedly corrected).

Nathan spent the day challenging my directions. For instance, he asked me if he could trap Brenna in a box. I said no. Then he asked me if it would be okay if she said it was okay. I said no. Then he asked what if she comes and ASKS him to trap her inside the box. Aaarg! I asked him who is in charge, Mom or Brenna. So if I give one direction, and Brenna gives another, whom should he obey?

We've been reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and all day long I have wanted to scream "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

The End of My Favorite Lipstick

This girl cracks me up!

Cute Quote

We were driving in the car and Nathan and I were talking about parks in out city. I was trying to describe a particular park, but Nathan and I weren't on the same page. Finally Nathan said in exasperation,

"I can't use my imagination 'cause my imagination isn't working right now!"

Spring at our house

Our other family

Tomorrow Isaac will be dedicated at church. We’ve had each of the kids dedicated, waiting until we came back from SC to do Brenna’s.

The dedication ceremony is special to me. I know that it doesn’t provide assurance of their salvation, but of something still very special: community.

Brian and I were blessed to grow up with wonderful church families. I think there comes a time for every kid when there is something that can’t be taken to parents, but an adult is needed. We both had that. We had adults who walked with us through immaturity and burgeoning independence. People who poured into our lives a faith in Jesus while we were still figuring out what our own looked like.

When I look at the people at our church, those who will say, “I do” when asked if they will walk along side us in the raising of our kids, this is what I think of. Who among them will be the ones my children run to for guidance when they can’t come to me? I don’t mean that to sound fearful; I think it’s healthy for them.

I pray that when the time comes, this family takes the job seriously, knowing that they may make all the difference.

Serious

I asked him to make a serious face.

What's for Breakfast?

Yesterday morning at the crack of dawn, Brenna came pitter-pattering into our room with her usual morning greeting, "I so hungy, Mama, I so hungy. I so hungy, Daddy, I so hungy."

Brian rolled over and asked her, "Brenna, what are you eating?"

Big grin, "my BOOGERS!"

Guess she couldn't wait.

Crying like a baby

When Isaac, my mellowest infant so far, woke from one of his 18 naps today, I smiled as I listened to his mewling little cry. If I could put words in his mouth, I think he would have been saying:

“Excuse me, could someone please help me?"

His sister, the ruler of the house? Her infant cry was more like:

"Come GET me! I'm AWAKE! How DARE you leave me in here! COME! GET! ME! NOW!”

And then there was our firstborn, the little spaz:

“OH. MY. GAAAAWD! I AM DYING! DYING! THE TORTURE! I’ve been ABANDONED! HELP!

It’s funny, their personalities haven't changed much.

Burrito Baby

Misbehavior

This morning, I sent the kids to the car while I grabbed Isaac. From the house I heard:

“it’s mine!” “no, it’s MINE!” “no, IT’S MINE!!!” “MINE!” “NO, MINE!” and so on and so forth.

Let me note that I could hear this clearly from inside, and the kids' door faces away from the house. They were LOUD. I stormed out there to add to the yelling... um, I mean see what was going on; the object in dispute? A temporary tattoo (it was Nathan’s). Ahhh, the domestic harmony.

Are you religious?

Last week at my Bible Study, our group had an interesting conversation about being called "religious". We talked about how using that word to a Christian is sort of a big ol' flag that tells you the other person was not brought up in the church. We also spoke briefly about when people say, "I'm spiritual". I would love to start asking people who tell me that what it means to them to be "spiritual". These words have such a negative connotation within the church, as though the person asking if one is religious is really asking, "are you a pharisee? are you a hypocrite?" (which they most likely aren't)

As I've spent the last week thinking about that conversation, I've come to realize I am religious. There are parts of the daily practice of my faith that really don't have much to do with relationship with God. For instance, frequently, when we have finished our prayer before dinner I think was God really glorified by that? What if we had just said, "rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub... yay GOD!"

I guess it really comes back to the meaning of the original question. “Are you religious?” Coming from someone who is fairly new to the faith, or not a part of it, who doesn’t know that our hackles rise just because they use the wrong word, how would I answer? Ultimately, I want to be able to be confident of my answer, whatever it is. And maybe, the connotation really doesn’t matter at all. Yes, I am. I love Jesus. I try to honor him in my actions. I’m a work in progress, but he loves me.

Cute Quotes

Nathan: "I'll have to wait until I can find my Away in the Manger humming, 'cause I lost it somewhere in my body".

Where my treasure is....

Warning: if you can't deal with messes, you shouldn't read this!

Today when we got home from church, Brian and I did our usual walk of the backyard to see what changes the rain and sun have brought. It's one of our favorite times to just hang out together, and we started pulling some weeds (we've found this task much easier right after the rain). After 15 or so minutes of playing outside, Brenna decided to sit smack in the middle of the dirt pile. In her black velvet church dress. A very dirty child was summarily escorted back to the house to stay out of the mud. Brian and I went back to pulling weeds, commenting that we really ought to go back in and make sure the house was still standing.

When we finally went back in, I noticed my jewelry bag, the one I use for travel, on the floor. Not good. Yesterday we took my diamond studs and necklace to the jeweler to be checked for the warranty. The bag was empty, of course. We stopped everything to find the missing jewelry. One earring and the necklace were easy (as were the other items in the bag, nothing of actual value) but one earring was still missing. Want to see where we finally found it?


Can you see it?
That would be under Brenna's chair at the dinner table. It's been a couple days since i've swept!