T.G.I.F.

I've recently started letting the boys have a whole small apple rather than slices. Elijah bit into his apple this week but not all the way. His teeth marks were left in the skin. After looking it over quizzically and discovering the "smile," he exclaimed, "Look, Mommy! It's a apple punkin'!" Guess he thought it looked like a jack-o-lantern!

Having had a few very windy days lately, it gave Judah opportunity to ponder wind. "Mommy, where does wind come from?" Ah, an age old question, my son. We don't know, sweetie, and even the Bible says that we do not know where it comes from or where it is going. He quietly and solemnley added, "Maybe it's God's breath." So beautiful to watch his mind work.

The other night at dinner I told Matt that Eden is now up to about three cubes of food. Such a witty man I have. He replied: "One cube, two cubes, three cubes....game cube, cube-icle... We live a squared life."

Judah and Elijah were discussing what fireworks were at lunch.

J: Do you know what fireworks are?

E: No.

J: They're things that pop in the sky.

Later on, I heard them still talking about fireworks, the sounds they make, and how they work.

J: When the balloons go up and pop, it's a firework. Red balloons make red fireworks.

E: And purple balloons make purple fire trucks... I mean fireworks.

J: Green balloons make green fireworks...

And on and on they went about which balloon color made which firework color. Sometimes it's so cute to hear the perspective of kids.

I was feeding Eden her first cut-up pears rather than pear babyfood. For the life of me, I don't know what her problem is. It's perhaps the most grimaces I've seen from her when it comes to food. She'll eat pear babyfood mixed with infant cereal. Texture, maybe? Anyway, I told the boys I had no idea why she didn't like it. Without a beat, Judah assured me, "Maybe when she grows up." Yes, thank you, my son of four years. ;-)

T.G.I.F.

When Elijah was going downstairs to get a car to play with, I said, "Make sure to be shy...err...quiet." Where did that come from?

As the boys were playing, I heard them singing a medley of Christmas songs: "JingleS bells, jingleS bells, aaaall the way..." and "Go tell it on duh moooount-uhn dat Jesus Christ is born..." I should get video.

The other day, we learned about the sense of smell. I asked the boys what smells good: cakes, cookies, candles, Mommy's perfume. I asked what smells bad. Boys will be boys. ;-) However, after having fits of laughter over what boys think smells hilariously awful, Judah stopped to think for a moment. Finally, he said, "Atural gas. That smells bad. And if we smell it, we should get away." He means natural gas. And lest you think kids don't remember things you tell them... Matt had the boys sniff this scratch 'n paper that came in the mail explaining what to do if you smell natural gas. I thought it was pretty clever of the gas company -- and now we have more than just adult noses on the look out for "atural gas."

Instead of yelling, "Eden has a runny nose" or "She needs a tissue," Elijah just frantically yells "SICK! SICK! Eden has SICK!" Hilarious! Until I see just how icky the "sick" is...

Wordless Wednesday: Letting Go of Perfection + Toys = Creative Fun

Monday Meditation: One of the Best Analogies

Last week was kinda rough on me because I felt like there were days I was doing so well spiritually but then all of the sudden would snap at the smallest thing. This weekend was very busy and stressful (in a good way), but I found myself not responding with my usual "on-top-of-it-all" and "roll-with-it" mentality. I was floundering on the inside, easily overwhelmed and frustrated, feeling like many things were getting the better of me -- like the serious lack of 9 month dresses at both Kohls and Target (as just one minor example). Or how about the two people that approached me at random in Kohls -- while I was frustratedly trying to locate just ONE 9 month dress -- to convince me that there are two images of God, male and female. Don't even get me started on the conversation that took place. Or the mix-up with Elijah's inhaler medication, which meant my very first time to be truly anxious about his night coughing knowing I had no albuterol to give him. I could give you a long list of things that I felt didn't go well for me this past week and weekend. But I won't. I'll just focus on why I felt like a little mouse trying to stay afloat in a raging river. And one analogy that became precious to me in my weakest moment last evening.

Hormones. Ugh! It's been a long time since I've had to undergo the normal routine of the ever fluctuating female hormones. The farther Eden's birth plummets all too quickly into the past, the closer my body is to being back to it's normal mode of operation. And I don't think I'm ready to battle the moodiness, the quick temper, the pin-drop tears. (I mean, come on. Colts' Collie got injured and lay on the field not moving for a minute or so -- and I found myself quite choked up with tear-filled eyes. It was all I could do to not melt down!) I may not be ready, but the Spirit within me is ready to help me relearn how to fight this battle as it comes round and round again for years to come. That is a great comfort to me. And you wanna know what else is a great comfort to me?

My hubby. Last night, I came VERY close several times to cancelling my attendance at a ladies' cookie exchange. All who know me know that it would be extremely unusual for me to 1) not attend a social event, 2) not show up to something I committed to, 3) not take cookies I've already baked to share with others, and 4) cancel at the very last minute. But I came oh-so-close. Even while driving to the party, I came dangerously close to turning around and going home. I hated my cookies. I knew my home was a "wreck" (though I'm assured that's not possible...by other people). I missed my husband since we'd had such a busy weekend. I just wanted to be with him. Even if we were straightening, cleaning, and having a financial meeting, I just wanted to be with him. My Love. The man who brings me much comfort, laughter, security, warmth, and the like. He makes everything seem all right even if there is much turmoil within. (Boy, I'm getting all choked up again.) My hubby is my compassionate companion who gives of himself for me.

And then I got a double dose thought...

How utterly beautiful that my husband serves as an analogy of Christ. Christ is the ultimate Groom. The best Comforter. The One who has given me this abundant life. The One who has made all things right with my soul despite the turmoil it feels. He's the One who holds me eternally secure in the warmth of His embrace. He compassionately accompanies me on this journey through life -- which includes the rough spots. He gave His life so that winning the battles with my flesh is even possible!

God has given me both! An earthly husband AND a heavenly Husband. A double blessing and sure-fire aid during my weakest moments as a woman. Will I still have to do battle over and over again? You betcha!! But praise be to God for the reminder that I am not alone spiritually or physically. I've got two companions to cover both those bases!

To finish the story, I did end up going to the cookie exchange and had a pleasant time. Precious moments were shared with a dear friend as I was finally able to see and hold mementos of Eden's heavenly friend Avery. Excitement was shared as we learned of a new life on the way for another friend. Bittersweetness was also shared. Praise the Lord He made us to be relational. Friends do wonders for the soul. And when I got home -- the kitchen, dining room, living room, and bedroom were all spotless, Christmas cards hung, chandelier reworked to be much better looking... Like I said. God has given me a companion who knows how to ease my battle. What a blessing!

T.G.I.F.

Judah: "Mommy, can I show Elijah how the world works?" Wow, son. Can you show me that, too?? Then I found out he was referencing the globe sitting atop our bookshelf and wanted to show Elijah how the "sun and dark work."

Elijah came down from his nap with a mischievous grin and sing-song voice. "Mommy, wanna see what I can dooo?" Uhh, do I? He then proceeded to unbutton and unzip his pants and shove one of his stuffed monkeys down his leg, hysterically laughing all the while. Wow. Sometimes I will never understand the male sense of humor.

Judah was explaining to me what he wanted to happen when we were finished with dinner. I have no idea what he said. Why? Because as soon as I heard him say, "And in the meantime..." my brain shut down to mull over whether or not my 4 year old just used that phrase in a proper manner. Did you just say, "And in the meantime"?? "Yes, I did. ::proceeds to talk about his plan::"

Wordless Wednesday: Girl, we've got work to do!

Tippy Tuesday: Bacon!

Mmm, bacon. I have a love-hate relationship with it. Smoky, salty, meaty goodness. Splattery, burny, greasy clean-upness.

Enter: Alton Brown. One of my culinary heroes.

Bake yer bacon, folks!

That's right. Slap an oven-safe cooling rack in a shallow sheet pan. Lay those bacon strips right on top. Crank 'er up to 400 degrees. Stick 'em in. Turn occasionally. Remove when nicely darkened and crisped to your preference. Takes about 10-15 minutes.

AMAZING! Smokey campfire bacon smell will waft through your kitchen -- delicious! NO greasy grime on your above-stove microwave. NO grease freckles on your stove or kitchen floor. NO pops and forearm stings or grease pricks on your shirt. Simply glorious. Bonus 1: the fat renders off into the sheet pan rather than your bacon drowning in its own grease. Bonus 2: your bacon stays flat (so long as you turn it a few times) which makes for easy use in my family's favorite bacon dish...

Breakfast burritos! Back at TMC, the student center's lil' restaurant would make the "California Burrito." We're talkin' one HUGE breakfast burrito stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon, and tater tots. Those cafe ladies sure knew how to start your day! I remember Matt always trying to get one of them to smile -- and it worked on a few occasions.

Anyway, you really should try your hand at a hearty breakfast burrito at home. Tortillas, eggs, bacon, shredded cheddar, and tater tots. That's it! I've gotten it down to a science thanks to my two new sheet pans (I'm becoming less of a stone person by the minute...). The great thing about baking bacon for your breakfast burritos is that you can bake your bacon AND tater tots at the same time WHILE making your eggs atop the stove. No baking your tots, frying you bacon, then attempting to use the same (or another) pan for eggs. Scrambled eggs go down the center of your tortilla, cheese, a few strips of bacon, then a nice line of tater tots (salted if desired). Roll up gently so there is no breakage. Let sit to allow the cheese to get all ooey-gooey. In the fashion of Emile on Ratatouille, HORK IT DOWN! (Personal Experience Note: they taste just as good without cheese for my fellow can't-have-dairy-right-now people.)

Ok. Now I want one. Good thing it's on the menu for this week! And last week...and the week before that...

Monday Meditation

"This is reality, not religion." - Pastor Leake

Such a powerful statement. The world without question lumps "Christianity" into that general realm we call religion. But for the Believer in Christ, it is much more than "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs" (dictionary.com). We do adhere to a set of beliefs etc. and in a superhuman agency (God Himself!), and we do devote ourselves to Him and have the "rituals" of the Lord's Supper and baptism (which by the way do not save us but are expressions of obedience by a heart already justified by Christ). We also have a code of conduct we go by, not a code we made up, but a code given by Almighty God Himself and preserved through the ages. But to us, Christianity is more than rote religion.

It is TRUTH. Which means it is REALITY.

Especially during this Christmas season, it's so important to remember this fact. How easy it is to spout off to your young sons, "We celebrate Christmas because it's Jesus' birthday." Or to sing with your husband carols you've sung since you were a young tyke. Or to get lost in dreaming of opening your daughter's hair bow bands on Christmas morning -- so she can finally have some head decor since her hair follicles are taking their sweet time. Rushing here and there finalizing lists. Attending wonderful Christmas parties and gatherings to celebrate the season. But is all of that reality to you, or just something warm and fuzzy to do every year? Lots of extras come with the Reason for the Season. And unfortunately, the extras are the grit and grime that often muddy the pristine snow.

REALITY: something that constitutes a real or actual thing, as distinguished from something that is merely apparent.

So instead of picturing baby Jesus and His nativity scene as that of your Little People Nativity set, remember...

Mary was a real young woman living her own life, like many of you may know (or be!), when the most glorious being she'd ever seen burst into sight. She heard an angel straight out of heaven tell her she was going to be pregnant -- her life of purity gone in an instant to outsiders looking in but not believing in God's plan. Joseph was a real man who loved this girl Mary, wanting to live his life with her and start a family, when his dreams were suddenly dashed as she told him she had a real baby in her womb with an outlandish story as to why. He also heard the angel tell him of God's plan; and in obedience, he instantly tarnished his own reputation among the outsiders by still taking this "impure" woman as his wife and the "illegitimate" Child as his own. When He was born, Jesus was a real tiny baby with a floppy head, teensy fingers, and little grunts and cries. He nursed, cooed, peed, slept, burped, probably even went cross eyed a few times. Creator-God became the most helpless, precious being on His own earth. He had to learn to walk, talk, eat, play, count, read, dress Himself, trim a beard...all of the things boys grow up doing. All of this was REAL! Just as real as the water He turned to the best wine. As real as the fish and bread that fed 5,000 people. As real as the kiss Judas gave Him. As real as the splinters in His back and thorns on His brow.

As real as His dead body coming back to life, having opened the door for us to enter into His real heaven.

It's too easy for us to tell the "story" of Christmas. Why not first internalize the reality of Christmas? When you hold your baby or play with your kids, think about how Mary did the same with Jesus. That should blow your mind right there -- she KNEW He was God's Son sent to save herself and the world, and yet she was charged with raising the God of the Universe from birth?? That's just one example of the realities we should be focusing on. Oh, what a mysterious majesty this Reason for the Season is!

There's a reason we celebrate. This Christmas, commit to making Christ not just a religion to you, but a reality.

"Mary did you know...when you kiss your little Baby, you've kissed the face of God!"

Tippy Tuesday

While I hope none of my tips are been-there-done-that for my readers, I do realize that there are some things that are obvious to many or have been done a jillion times. Today's tip just might fall into that category, but I offer it anyway since I had to discover it on my own.

I don't have a lot of money or space to spend on a bunch of seasonal decor. Now, if I did have the space, I probably wouldn't fill it. I'm not huge on decorating every nook and cranny for any holiday. Personal preference -- I feel like the more decor I put out, the less tidy things look. (NOT to say that things are always tidy around here, but lots of decor would only add "stuff.") I suppose I think it looks like I've left things laying around. But then, I also suppose if I had unlimited finances to spend on such things, what I would purchase would be lovely and flow all together. Hmm. But I don't. So it doesn't.

All that to say, I have a total of two wreaths. One is a gorgeous fall wreath a dear friend gave me last year when she found out I didn't have one but wanted something for my door. The other is a simple branch wreath. I came up with the idea that if I had a simple branch wreath, I could then purchase a couple sets of flowers to stick in the wreath according to the season. That way, I'm only storing a few gallon ziplocs of flowers and one wreath at a time. The branch wreath stays on the door the entire year except for October-November. I have purple hydrangeas, daffodils, sunflowers, and red black-eyed susan flowers plus their greeneries to use for the rest of the year in whatever combination fits my fancy. But...

Winter is my favorite wreath. I have no idea why. It's just a bunch of sticks wrapped with a small piece of ribbon and one snowflake ornament hanging in the middle. Perhaps it is the simplicity that I am drawn to. Or the cool, icy feel that makes me think of a pristine winter scene graced by a beautiful snow queen. Or the sparkle of the ornament mixed with the rustic texture of the branches and the silky smooth ribbon. (Can you tell I've thought this through on multiple occasions?) Practically, it is also the cheapest wreath I "make." I already had the ribbon from making a pair of garters for a friend years ago, and the ornament is from my dear sister Hope who knows me very well in the Christmas snowflake department. This one fits my cooking mantra: "Cheap 'n easy." The beauty is a bonus!

Snowflakes on Sunday

It was so fun to come out of church today to a flurry (if you could call it that). Even just a few white dots floating in the air is good enough for me. Instant thrill of winter and more intense Christmas spirit! And, of course, the boys went wacko. I think they still want a snow like Snowmageddon. Please, Lord, not even half that. I love my boys, but please...no. Maybe in 10 years?

Something "funny" happened tonight. Bless my little 'Lij. That child. Wow. He is so loveable and snugglicious and cute to boot. But good gracious can he be curious and/or mischievous. Yesterday, Matt caught him investigating the Neosporin night lip balm I keep on my nightstand (first mistake on my part). After the lid was put back on and Elijah's fingers wiped, Matt discovered blotches of it all over my nightstand. So he cleaned that up to. We thought that was the end of the episode.

Nuh-uh.

Tonight, I did the duty of washing my face, quenching it with Vitamin E oil, brushing my teeth, flossing...all even though I really wanted to just crawl in bed. But I knew my eyes would regret leftover make-up in the morning. They've had a lot of trouble as of late. Anyway, I climbed into bed and reached for my lip balm to sooth my troubled lips. When I opened the tub, I noticed that the cream looked like it had been stirred up and toppled somehow. Ah well, no harm done. So I put some on my lips, recapped it, and sat back to let my face soak in the E and relax for a few minutes. After a few seconds, I started smelling something familiar and soothing. But at the same time, my lips started feeling dry rather than moist and slick. Hmm. That's odd. I licked my lips -- boy, that doesn't taste right. What is going on? So, while trying to pooch out my lips and smell them to see if they were the source of the familiar smell, I looked over at my night stand. There, sitting next to my little Neosporin tub was my tube of Gold Bond ultimate healing lotion. ::puts two and two together...:: AHA! No wonder the tub looked more full than usual and more full of a not-as-white substance. And has a smell like the what I use on my hands. And dries like lotion rather than balm. The child had seen fit to refill Mommy's tub of lip balm with hand lotion. Um...thank you?

Several finger, tissue, and Q-tip swipes later, I do believe I salvaged about half of my Neosporin lip hero. And, note to self, at least I now know that lotion doesn't really do it for lips.

Curious little monkey. I love you!

T.G.I.F.

Sunday is Football Day around here. The boys are getting into the cute tradition of choosing which team they are for whatever game is on. While watching Redskins vs. Giants, Judah called out, "I'm the Redskins!" Elijah answered, "I'm the Blueskins!" (Note: For non-football fans, the Redskins have red jerseys while the Giants have blue.)

While eating some BBQ potato chips, Judah said, "These are stingy, but I still like them!"

I've had a problem with freezing feet all week long -- to the point that I'm really irritated by it. I figured out one of the problems was my socks. I suppose the moisture from my feet (though not much) was just enough to keep my socks cool rather than warm. So I've opted to start wearing my flip-flops around the house. While my toes are still icy, my feet are not AS chilled. Still irritating though. But, I did manage a smile when I looked down at my feet today to discover that I have two black flip-flops on...but they don't match. One is my from my nicer pair, and the other from my 'round the house pair. Glad it's not warm enough to accidentally go out in public like this! :-P Not that anyone would really notice... And what's funnier is that I have no idea where the other two flip-flops are! I couldn't make a match even if I cared enough!

T.G.I.F.

Along with Tippy Tuesdays, I'm gonna try to throw in regular T.G.I.F's (To Grin is Fun)-- collecting all the kidisms that happen throughout the week and having one post of hilarium a week! This week's will be slim since I've not been keeping track except for today.

Judah, counting in a sing-song fashion: "...sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twun-hundred!"

At lunch, Eden has been practicing her dexterity with some Puffs. It's so amazing to watch the brain gears working to get those tiny fingers to do what she wills. She's getting better even after just a few days. But, I still occasionally give her a break and put one in her mouth for her if she seems to be having extra trouble. Apparently, she gets that mixed up with the times I hold up a Puff for her to easily grab from my fingers rather than chasing it around the tray. Today, when I'd hold one up for her to take with her fingers, she'd dive for it with mouth open wide. Pretty average reaction for a baby. But when it's YOUR adorable baby, of course it's cutely worthy enough to post about. :-)

Outside during our frigid 20 minutes of play, the boys called me over to look at something. "Look, Mommy! A milk splash!" I looked down to where they were pointing. Uh, that's not a milk splash, boys. "What is it?" That's bird poop. Their stunned expressions and worried glances to the ground were priceless. Did you touch it? "Not with our hands." With your gloves?::pause:: "No, not with our gloves." Hmm. I'll be washing their gloves.