Traveling with a 6 year old

The following quotes were all said by Stephen this morning to various travelers or airport employees as we were traveling to Austin, TX.

Did you know my mom got her toes painted yesterday?

I think I have a pretty good brain.

Did you know that Joe Mauer has the best batting average even though he hasn't hit a homerun?

(Playing a game with headphones on where he has to get various jewels for points)
Shouting: Hey! I got such a high score! And I didn't even get any red boobies! (he meant red rubbies)

Mom - I can sing like a computer would sing. Meeeeep, beep, meeeeeeep, etc.

Girls with Scissors

It's too bad our camera broke.  

I caught Clara giving Abbie a haircut this morning.  It was in exchange for the cut Abbie had already given her.  I think they were going for the inverted bob look.  

Fortunately, it's not bad enough to need a corrective haircut.  

Memorial Day Weekend

This past weekend was a blur of fun activities.  We had a neighborhood party — where we got to meet many in the neighborhood.  An open house for my cousin — am I really that old?  And friends over for a chilly grill out.  

Unfortunately our camera broke this week so we don't have any fun photos of the events — so you'll have to use your imagination.  One of the really fun things that spring is bringing with its occasionally warm temps is the blooming of our many gardens.  It's a new surprise every day!  My very favorite so far are the red/pink blooms on our rhododendron by the front porch.  

I've been praying for HOT weather.  This spring seems especially cool.  Seems that God's answer is to send Stephen and I to Texas!  We found some crazy cheap tickets yesterday and will be able to get down for David's HS graduation on Friday.  I'm looking forward to the weather, the family, and especially some one-on-one time with my buddy Stephen.  

HUGE blessings

The other day Brian asked me "hey - what happened to your blog?"  Good question.  The short answer is "I've been dealing with my blessings."  The following is the long answer ...

When we began the process of moving last year I started a sort of 'request list' of the things I was asking God for.  At first, it was the things I wanted - and mostly the reasons we were moving.  A room for each of the kids, a house where we could have friends and neighbors, a family-centered neighborhood, something that we could move right into, something close to a major road for Brian's commute.  Then, I decided to really send in the requests.  All those things I wanted in my heart but dare not ask.  I felt like God said "Go ahead - try me."  So with a little trembling, I did.  I asked for an automatic fireplace, for a bar for my kids to have breakfast at, for a front porch, for a master bathroom, and maybe, if it's not too much, for a nice mud room (MN code for a place to take off all your snow gear when you walk in the house)?  As we were prepping our house to move - mostly painting and staging, I prayed that someone would be doing the same in the house we'd be going to.  

Sheesh.  Be careful what you pray for!  God granted my prayers in such a huge way.  We were prepared to purchase a house that was within my 'wish list' and be very happy.  God squashed that and provided us the one we have now.  He answered EVERY prayer request - and then some.  You honestly wouldn't believe the size of my mud room - it's part of an addition the previous owners did.  And the front porch is a dream come true.  Even Brian's commute was taken care of - we live within 2 lights of 35E, no light to 77 - AND our backyard neighbor has asked to carpool!  Every detail about our wonderful house is a blessing - and it's so obviously a gift that we're often just giddy - like kids in a candy store. 

So what does this have to do with my blog getting the shaft?  Well, it seems the previous owners liked to be outside because this yard is FILLED with stuff.  The backyard we actually don't have to mow because it's all landscaped - including - get this - a putting green.  Yes, a putting green.   It has me wondering - does God know we don't golf?  :)

Since it's been SO nice out the kids and I are loving being outside and weeding, weeding, weeding.  We've worked for days and days and are still only 1/3 of the way there.  We're putting weed-stop down, planting some annuals, pulling out leaves, putting out woodchips, and did I mention the weeding?  

So here are some photos of our wonderful gifts and some of the work we have done and some yet to do.  

This is one we've weeded ... and since this photo we've put down 3 layers of newspaper and weed-stop.  We just have woodchips left!  (Which our city gives out for free, btw!)

Here's one of the backyard gardens.  You can see we haven't weeded it yet.  Brian's gotten almost all of the nasty leaves out, though!

Wilco

Date night!

Last night Brian and I drove about 1 hour south to Rochester to see one of his favorite bands, Wilco.  He was so excited!  And I gotta confess, I was pretty thrilled to be getting out and enjoying the life of an adult.  

The concert was great.  I was impressed by the quality of the musicians.  Sometimes you hear a CD of someone and then when they are live it's a little bit of a disappointment.  Not the case here.  Brian had made me a CD of their music, so I was able to recognize some of the songs ... but I would have liked it anyway.  They are a pretty good group.  

I guess Brian has good taste in many things.  :)

Stephen

As a mom, I feel a huge part of my job is to be an A+ student of my kids.  And this isn't my original idea, I'm copying my heavenly Father as the best parent out there.  He knows every detail of every kid of His (Psalm 139).  So as I study my kids, I find it helpful to find a Biblical character to match them up to, and then see how God deals with them.  

Stephen is a "Paul type".  :)  He's a by the book kind of kid.  Type A, competitive, spirited, quick to learn, quick to speak - and will push, push, push.  As an example, I asked him to set the table the other day.  

Stephen:  Mom, what do we need?

Me:  Forks.  Just forks tonight.

Stephen:  I think that the adults might need knives.

Me:  Yeah.  Ok.  2 knives.

Stephen:  And the kids will need spoons.

Me: No.  We don't need spoons.

Stephen:  Well, I'll just set them out.

Me:  I said no spoons.  

Stephen (after a while):  Spoons would be just right for this dinner.

Me:  No!  Stop asking about the spoons!

(a while into dinner)

Clara:  Mom, I really like to eat my rice with a spoon.  Can I get one.

Me:  *sigh*  Go ahead.

So when I look at how God dealt with Paul, it is spectacular.  He hit the guy with a blinding light, spoke to him with conviction, sent him to one he might have persecuted before to be healed.  Sheesh!  But look at Paul.  He got it.  In a major way, he got it.  He turned his life around completely - in 3 days! 

Since God has not given me the power to make a blinding light, we use flashlights.  Just kidding.  It is apparent that Stephen needs quick, decisive, reasoned answers to his questions.  That the right parenting for him would be to directly assess his heart issue and speak to it clearly and with purpose.  Anything else frustrates him and he swiftly looses his sweet and tender spirit.  

The other parenting tip Brian and I have gotten from God's dealing with Paul is to be sure that Stephen is being taught truth.  When Paul was Saul, he was taught truth with a twist.  All the truth of God, and the elimination of Jesus as the fulfillment.  Saul seized the twist and became one the most eager persecutor of Christians ever ... to the point of watching and ordaining stonings.  Saul makes me tremble in fear as a parent.  Brian and I are diligent watchers of what Stephen *thinks* he knows, helping him to process the millions of pieces of information thrown at him every day.  

Of course there is not a 1 to 1 match up for our kids with biblical characters.  It's just a tool we like and helps our story orientated minds.  We're still learning ... and as soon as we get it, they change!  Here's to trying!

Coming next ... Clara.

Dandelion Wine

A friend of mine recommended the book "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury.  I'm finding it an absolutely beautiful book.

Today, as we hung out inside because it's SNOWING - yes, snowing - I found a passage that brought me some hope.  

Who was the fool who made January first New Year's Day?  No, they should set a man to watch the grasses across a million Illinois, Ohio, and Iowa lawns, and on that morning when it was long enough for cutting, instead of rachets and horns and yelling, there should be a great swelling symphony of lawn mowers reaping fresh grass upon the prairie lands.  Instead of serpentine, people should throw grass spray at each other on the one day each year that really represents the Beginning.

In our Precepts class we've moved into Hosea.  As I long for the beautiful weather of summer, I find I'm looking at the nature verses a little harder.  A few years ago in a conversation with my brother Scott, I remember him saying something like "there's just something about the land.  I don't exactly know what, why, or how, but there's something about the way God loves the land."  He's totally right.  

Therefore the land mourns, 

And everyone who lives in it languishes

Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,

And also the fish of the sea disappear.

Hosea 4:3

Oh the land.  Sometimes it's the lack of something (in this case sunshine!) that makes me really appreciate it.  I love the relationship that we have with the land - and I'm sad that the relationship has resulted in its downfall.  I can't wait to see how wonderful it will be when it's back to it's original form.  Until then, I'm certainly convicted to be a better steward, and to be truly thankful for the sun when it shines, and the precipitation (let's just call it that) that helps the grass grow to mowing length.