School Days

Yesterday we had "school time."  Ella was really excited, as was James.  He eagerly brought a bucket of markers to the living room.  I eagerly took away the ones with the easily removable tops.  

We started with letters.  Ella does a really good job writing capital letters, but she doesn't work on lower-case letters that often.  She is aware of this and wanted to practice the lower-case "n."  

Look at that last "n!"

Ella was so proud of her perfect "n," as she called it, and then you know what happened?  James picked up a crayon and very excitedly colored vigorously all over the page, even on top of her perfect "n."  Ella cried and pushed James away, and James continued to color.  He was so happy doing what the big people do.  I sent Ella to her room to find an old coloring book that James could color in and tried to direct his artistic energies to that quarter.  He did a good job.  I can't believe my baby is coloring.

I just noticed he is using his left hand in this picture.

He does have a crayon in his right hand, too, though.

Memorization

I've been having so much fun memorizing the book of Philippians.  Not only is God's Word food for my soul, it's also intellectually satisfying to quote through an entire chapter of great writing while I'm washing the dishes.  It's been so satisfying that I was thinking today that I would like to memorize other things as well.  Before there was television or the internet, people got together and played musical instruments and recited excerpts from the classics, am I right?  My question  for you twenty-seven followers is:  "What should I memorize?"  If you were at a party and were forced to listen to me recite something, what would you like to hear?  Just wondering.  

Celebrate good times...C'mon!

This year marks the last year in my 20s as well as my seventh year of marriage.  These two facts are going to be the cause (and probably the excuse) for a whole lot of celebrating around our house.  If anything good happens to me, or if there's anything in particular I want to do, I'll just smile and say, "It's the Year of Jubilee." (To be accurate, both KJ and I did some reading and were reminded that the year of Jubilee was actually the 49th year and not the seventh; however, all debts were forgiven during the seventh year.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can catch up on your reading in Leviticus later on tonight.)  But putting accuracy aside, we're celebrating our seventh year in a big-time way.  I think it's worth celebrating.  So far, we have painted the kitchen, and today I got a DSLR camera!  


I am extremely excited about learning how to use it.  Sadly, it was a rainy day here, so I couldn't go outside, but here are my favorite pictures from today.

My lovely girl

James woke up from his morning nap giving 

sweet kisses to his sister.  Precious.

I couldn't go outside today, 

but here is the view from my front door.

And this picture?  I'm not sure if there are words.

But this is my boy.

Our Weekend

The kids and I just returned from a weekend trip to my parents' house, otherwise known as B.P. and Debbo's.  Upon arriving the kids checked out the main attractions.

The Stairs

The Treadmill

Debbo found some treasures up in Uncle Jesse's closet.

And this was only the beginning.

Ella abandoned the Disney castle...

for this little guy and the figurine we found inside him.

"Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi.  You're my only hope."

We also found a case with no less than twenty Batman figurines.  It brought back such memories of life at home with little brothers.  Uncle Josh and Aunt Nicole came up for dinner Friday night.  It was so good to see them.

I stayed home from church with James on Sunday since the blooming of flowers outside has caused his head to be stuffy and his nose to be snotty.  But I was able to go to a tea for a friend of mine from high school (and Junior High) who is getting married next month.  It was fun to see all her new, pretty things and to share in her excitement.  The tea was held at the home of one of Ella's favorite people in my hometown, Shelby Grace, so Ella was so excited to be there, too.

Uncle Jesse and Aunt Sandy came up late Sunday night, so we were able to spend time with them yesterday morning, as well.  Thankfully the kids traveled well on the journey home, and thanks to KJ, we arrived to a spotless house.  Since we immediately brought in our bazillion travel bags this was an especially good thing.  We're glad to be back home and excited about the week ahead.  There is much to do and much going on around here, so I'm off to the work!

P.S.  It is 8:07, and Ella is still asleep.  She must have been exhausted by our travels.  James, on the other hand, has already had breakfast, and has shut himself up in my closet.  Should I let him out or not?

Growing, Growing...Gone?

My girl was 4 1/2 on Wednesday.  Four and a half years-old.  That's mighty close to five.  Oh, dear.  But I won't think about that now.  I'll think about it in six months.  Right now she's still four.  Sweet four...but growing so quickly.  


I started thinking about all her "half" birthdays.  Here she is at six months.  She's such a scholar, reading her books.

18 months, dancing with BOZ

(The tablespoons in her hands were used as drumsticks.

She's also a musician.)

2 1/2 with Aunt Nicole

3 1/2

And here's my 4 1/2-year-old girl at the park last Saturday.

The Best Maker of All Marriages

Yesterday was a long day.  It's a good thing I started off with Bible reading.  Whew.  Constant is just a really good word to describe what life is like for me these days.  Some days I handle the constant round of diaper changing, nose-wiping, drink-fixing, meal-making, cleaning up the toys, and then cleaning up the toys again, better than others.  And by handle it, I mean handle it better emotionally.  My outward behavior is probably not too different on days like yesterday, but inside I am barely hanging on to my sanity, mostly from the lack of one moment of solitude. I took a moment yesterday to make myself think logically (shocker), and I thought, "Okay, what are my other options here?"  Actually, I said, "How did I end up here?"  Answer:  I fell in love and got married.  Oh.  Okay.  Well, what if that had not happened.  Where would I be?  Working somewhere, wanting to fall in love and get married.  Well, then.

What if I lived anywhere else in the world or at any other time in history?  Misery.  So, why am I complaining?  And truly, to me sharing the trials of the day doesn't really fall under the category of complaining.  It's simply sharing the trials of the day, knowing that I am not alone in them.  

When both children were tucked in their beds last night, I pulled up a group of e-mails sent across the mysterious lines of the internet way back in the summer of 2002 and remembered how I ended up in the season of life I now find myself.  After reading just one letter from KJ written from China, I had a smile on my face.  And as we tucked our own selves in bed, I said, "Sometimes I think I just got really lucky.  I didn't know how good I was getting it when I got you."  I didn't know what I was getting, but the best maker of all marriages did.  And I'm so thankful.

June 2002

The last time I saw KJ before he left for China

I would say this was the beginning, but the wheels had been set in motion long before that day.  I love that man.

Day by Day

Yesterday I was preparing to teach a Bible study about the way we spend our time to a group of college girls, so the topic of discipline was on my mind again.  And I was thinking that I really should go back to my old discipline of meeting with the Lord first thing in the morning.  I at least need a few minutes to get my head on straight before the day begins.  Mothering feels very constant these days because James has reached a point of needing constant direction for his day just as Ella does.  If I'm not coming up with something for him to do, he's finding plenty to do on his own, such as throwing away various and sundry items, losing the tops to his sippy cups (Where are those things???), flushing toilets, ordering pay-per-view, etc.  

So, I thought about how that was something I should do, but by bedtime I had totally forgotten about it.  But the Lord was kind, and I woke on my own at 6:43 and was able to check my e-mail, drink my Diet Mountain Dew, and read in peace.  James was stirring by 7:06, and Ella came out of her room at 7:30, but it was enough.  I wish it could have been longer, but it was enough.  Maybe I'll remember to set my alarm tonight.  

P.S.  I just looked down at the open page on my Bible, because I thought I might share something I read this morning, and my eye fell on this:

Awake, sleeper,

And arise from the dead,

And Christ will shine on you.

HA! If that's not a promise about the blessings of rising to meet with the Lord, I don't know what is.  

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best--

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

-Caroline Sandell-Berg-