Here's another!
I'm not sure where we came across this particular video, but I laughed till I cried. Oh to be like Gladys when I am old!
Trying out a newly acquired skill.......
Okay, at MOPS yesterday, I was talking to my computer brain, and I think I finally figured out how to embed a YouTube video. This is just a totally random one, but for some reason, I find it hilarious. It makes me happy!
A New Day
It's amazing what some time spent with the Lord, two naps, a teary conversation with my Mom, a change in the weather, sweet comments from friends, a morning out at MOPS, and some good, quality time spent with my little family can do for the soul! It doesn't hurt that our plan to come HOME for a bit is finally solidified, as well! Seriously, I feel so much better today. Wow - if I neglect my time with the Lord and if I get overtired, it's a pretty overwhelming place to be.
I so badly want to start my day before the rest of my family - just to get ready for the day and have my quiet time first. But, I am really having a hard time figuring out how to do it in this space. Jesse is such a light sleeper, that whoever gets up first - even to use the bathroom - he's up right along with them...even if they had full intentions to go back to bed for a bit! He sleeps in a pack 'n play in the kitchen to be as far away from any noise as possible, the two bedrooms are obviously occupied, and the living room is not an option because it opens right up into the kitchen. And like I said before, if anyone uses the bathroom, he hears it because the kitchen wall is attached to the bathroom wall. So, I'm a wee bit stumped.
Anyway, I've got some plans for implementing more structure for both of my boys, but I'm not going to introduce anything new until we get back from vacation. Then, we shall start afresh. I'll keep you posted on the plans!
P.S. Did I mention that we're coming home on MONDAY?!!!! Whoo-hoooooooooooooooo!
I so badly want to start my day before the rest of my family - just to get ready for the day and have my quiet time first. But, I am really having a hard time figuring out how to do it in this space. Jesse is such a light sleeper, that whoever gets up first - even to use the bathroom - he's up right along with them...even if they had full intentions to go back to bed for a bit! He sleeps in a pack 'n play in the kitchen to be as far away from any noise as possible, the two bedrooms are obviously occupied, and the living room is not an option because it opens right up into the kitchen. And like I said before, if anyone uses the bathroom, he hears it because the kitchen wall is attached to the bathroom wall. So, I'm a wee bit stumped.
Anyway, I've got some plans for implementing more structure for both of my boys, but I'm not going to introduce anything new until we get back from vacation. Then, we shall start afresh. I'll keep you posted on the plans!
P.S. Did I mention that we're coming home on MONDAY?!!!! Whoo-hoooooooooooooooo!
In a Funk
I don't know what's going on with me these past couple of days, but I feel like I'm in a bit of a funk that I can't seem to shake. I can't even really put my finger on why I feel the way I do. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's because I haven't gotten good sleep lately, maybe it's because Jesse is SUCH a handful, maybe it's the stress of the future and the unknown, maybe it's because Kev's stressed with finals, maybe it's because we haven't been on a date for awhile with just the two of us......maybe it's everything combined!
Regardless of WHAT it is, I feel like I've been somewhat of a crapola Mommy as of late. I'm short with the boys, I don't feel peppy and inspired to do cool crafty things, I get frustrated when THEY frustrate each other, and I'm feeling like they both are needing more structure of which I haven't quite figured out how to give them. Today, I was so tired of them being aimless and crabby that I put them in the stroller and we all went for a long walk in the rain. Jesse had a rain canopy, but Kaden and I got quite soggy! It was actually quite nice to shake the cobwebs off and get some fresh air for a bit.
Here's an example of my "crapola-ness": Last night Kaden came into our room at like one in the morning and wanted to sleep with us. He dropped his sippy cup on the floor with a THUD on the way in which woke me out of a dead sleep and made me instantly grumpy. Then, when I looked at the clock, I told him that it was way to early to come snuggle with us and he had to go back to bed. He started to pucker up and I just said: "No, Kaden. Back to bed you go." About two minutes later, he's back in beside me and tells me that he had a scary dream. Well, crapola Mommy didn't believe him and thought that he just had another excuse to get in bed with us, so I told him to go back to bed. Poor little thing just silently turned around and sadly walked back to bed. Yup. Jerk I am. I know.
Kev, being the good Daddy that he is, got out of bed, went and tucked Kaden back in, and listened to his scary dream that he really did have, and they ended up snuggling together the rest of the night in Kaden's bed. Apparently, he had dreams of "all kinds of animals that bite who were trying to get him." Kev heard it in great detail while crapola Mommy slept.
So. Yeah. That's been me these past couple of days. To make it up to my wee son, we're having a p.j. day and playing whatever he wants to play. When they go to nap, I'm shutting off the phone, I'm NOT checking out anyone's blogs or email, and I'm going to go and be with Jesus for awhile. I need Him. And I need my Mommy.
Regardless of WHAT it is, I feel like I've been somewhat of a crapola Mommy as of late. I'm short with the boys, I don't feel peppy and inspired to do cool crafty things, I get frustrated when THEY frustrate each other, and I'm feeling like they both are needing more structure of which I haven't quite figured out how to give them. Today, I was so tired of them being aimless and crabby that I put them in the stroller and we all went for a long walk in the rain. Jesse had a rain canopy, but Kaden and I got quite soggy! It was actually quite nice to shake the cobwebs off and get some fresh air for a bit.
Here's an example of my "crapola-ness": Last night Kaden came into our room at like one in the morning and wanted to sleep with us. He dropped his sippy cup on the floor with a THUD on the way in which woke me out of a dead sleep and made me instantly grumpy. Then, when I looked at the clock, I told him that it was way to early to come snuggle with us and he had to go back to bed. He started to pucker up and I just said: "No, Kaden. Back to bed you go." About two minutes later, he's back in beside me and tells me that he had a scary dream. Well, crapola Mommy didn't believe him and thought that he just had another excuse to get in bed with us, so I told him to go back to bed. Poor little thing just silently turned around and sadly walked back to bed. Yup. Jerk I am. I know.
Kev, being the good Daddy that he is, got out of bed, went and tucked Kaden back in, and listened to his scary dream that he really did have, and they ended up snuggling together the rest of the night in Kaden's bed. Apparently, he had dreams of "all kinds of animals that bite who were trying to get him." Kev heard it in great detail while crapola Mommy slept.
So. Yeah. That's been me these past couple of days. To make it up to my wee son, we're having a p.j. day and playing whatever he wants to play. When they go to nap, I'm shutting off the phone, I'm NOT checking out anyone's blogs or email, and I'm going to go and be with Jesus for awhile. I need Him. And I need my Mommy.
Family Days & Life Lessons
It was kind of scuzzy and cool out today, so we opted to stay close to home for our family day. After breakfast, we all climbed into our car and decided to go scope out the local neighborhoods and see if there were any yardsales or fun things going on today. We hit two yardsales where I was able to score a few clothes for the boys and some really fun toys. And we also happened upon a free "kids day" at a local high school. There was free snacks, an amazing little petting zoo, a blow up bouncy tent and slippy slide, and a "lizard guy" who had all kinds of cool reptiles. It was a little boy's paradise!
So, that was how we spent our morning. Then we came home and all the boys crashed while I just putzed around in the silence! Here is where today's life lesson came in: One of the really cool things that we purchased was a really fun little tupperware picnic/play food set. Kaden is always wanting to feed his animals snacks and such, and I always just use a bunch of hodge podge stuff, so it's really fun to have some cool things to use now. Anyway, one of the things that came with the playset was this little plastic cake that you could put plastic chocolate or strawberry frosting on, and you could cut it into slices etc. We have no play food, so Kaden thought this was the coolest.
Anyhoo - when he woke up from his nap and was totally psyched to play picnic with his animals, we found all of the dishes but no cake. Kev thought he remembered putting them on top of the car when he buckled Kaden into his seat, so most likely they blew off as we drove home, and they were probably long gone. We drove all over tarnation today, so they could have ended up anywhere. Anyway, we still had about an hour of daylight to kill this evening, and it wasn't Jesse's bedtime yet, so we decided to take a little drive back over to that neighborhood to see if we could find them. Before leaving, we prepped Kaden by telling him that we very likely may not find them, but "let's pray about it and ask Jesus to help us. He cares about the little things as well as the huge." When Kev prayed, he thanked Jesus for listening even to our small little prayers, and he prayed that even if we didn't find our treasure we know that He still loves us and we still love Him, as well.
Anyway - long story short - we ended back up at the lady's house, and the cake was sitting right there on her table! We hadn't even brought it to the car with us after all! And to top it all off, she completely loaded us up with about $20 worth of loot for free, because she hardly sold a thing today! It was SO cool and just a really really neat lesson for Kaden to experience in seeing that his Creator cares about the smallest of details in his life. And for me, a door has been opened for a witnessing opportunity and a friendship. How cool is that?
So, that was how we spent our morning. Then we came home and all the boys crashed while I just putzed around in the silence! Here is where today's life lesson came in: One of the really cool things that we purchased was a really fun little tupperware picnic/play food set. Kaden is always wanting to feed his animals snacks and such, and I always just use a bunch of hodge podge stuff, so it's really fun to have some cool things to use now. Anyway, one of the things that came with the playset was this little plastic cake that you could put plastic chocolate or strawberry frosting on, and you could cut it into slices etc. We have no play food, so Kaden thought this was the coolest.
Anyhoo - when he woke up from his nap and was totally psyched to play picnic with his animals, we found all of the dishes but no cake. Kev thought he remembered putting them on top of the car when he buckled Kaden into his seat, so most likely they blew off as we drove home, and they were probably long gone. We drove all over tarnation today, so they could have ended up anywhere. Anyway, we still had about an hour of daylight to kill this evening, and it wasn't Jesse's bedtime yet, so we decided to take a little drive back over to that neighborhood to see if we could find them. Before leaving, we prepped Kaden by telling him that we very likely may not find them, but "let's pray about it and ask Jesus to help us. He cares about the little things as well as the huge." When Kev prayed, he thanked Jesus for listening even to our small little prayers, and he prayed that even if we didn't find our treasure we know that He still loves us and we still love Him, as well.
Anyway - long story short - we ended back up at the lady's house, and the cake was sitting right there on her table! We hadn't even brought it to the car with us after all! And to top it all off, she completely loaded us up with about $20 worth of loot for free, because she hardly sold a thing today! It was SO cool and just a really really neat lesson for Kaden to experience in seeing that his Creator cares about the smallest of details in his life. And for me, a door has been opened for a witnessing opportunity and a friendship. How cool is that?
Kaden's "Pet" News....
and other such grossness.
Well, as of this morning, Kaden is pleased and proud to announce that one of his wax worms has fully and completely turned into a beetle, and two are in process. He is also equally interested in the one that "drowned" in his salamander's pool. Also - we caught two different spiders this morning (in our apartment, no less) and put them in a little plastic container. The bigger one is a jumper, and we had the privilege to watch him catch and suck the juices from the other for a tasty lunch. Oh my sickness.
Kaden is waiting on pins and needles to share all of this excitement with Daddy when he gets home.
Well, as of this morning, Kaden is pleased and proud to announce that one of his wax worms has fully and completely turned into a beetle, and two are in process. He is also equally interested in the one that "drowned" in his salamander's pool. Also - we caught two different spiders this morning (in our apartment, no less) and put them in a little plastic container. The bigger one is a jumper, and we had the privilege to watch him catch and suck the juices from the other for a tasty lunch. Oh my sickness.
Kaden is waiting on pins and needles to share all of this excitement with Daddy when he gets home.
Quick Update
Okay. It's been a crazy, super long day and my brain is fried, but I just wanted to give a quick update on Jesse. We left for CHOP at 8:30 this morning and did not return home until almost 3:00. A very long day to be in a hospital with two wee ones.
Jesse is going to have to have skin grafts on his left hand, after all; and the date is set for May 23. Our doctor measured the skin on the fingers of both hands to compare. On the fingers of his hand that healed properly there are 10 millimeters and 11 millimeters of skin, but on the fingers of his left hand there are only 3 and 4 millimeters of skin; the rest is scar tissue. So, he really did lose a significant amount of skin to scarring. We can see that he already doesn't have full range of motion with his fingers and he favors that hand over the other - keeping it somewhat curled when he crawls and when he claps his hands.
Sooooo - we're not surprised. It's been my gut feeling all along. The great thing out of this whole yuckiness is that fact that we are at the greatest children's hospital in the nation with one of the best plastic surgeon's around who specializes in - get this - HANDS! Coincidence? I think not!
We'll be at the hospital for an entire day, but Jesse will be able to go home with us at night. He'll have a cast clear up to his shoulder, but it will only stay on for two weeks, and he should not have to have any physical therapy afterwards. If minimal skin is needed, they'll take the graft from the crease in his arm; if more is needed then it will come from the crease where his leg attaches to his groin.
This whole drama has been the most traumatic thing that we have ever been through as parents, but I think we have it in perspective now and we completely trust our doctor. Most importantly, though, we have full faith and peace in The Great Physician who loves our little Jesse far more than we could ever even begin to fathom. He is good, He is safe, and He is ultimately in control.
Jesse is going to have to have skin grafts on his left hand, after all; and the date is set for May 23. Our doctor measured the skin on the fingers of both hands to compare. On the fingers of his hand that healed properly there are 10 millimeters and 11 millimeters of skin, but on the fingers of his left hand there are only 3 and 4 millimeters of skin; the rest is scar tissue. So, he really did lose a significant amount of skin to scarring. We can see that he already doesn't have full range of motion with his fingers and he favors that hand over the other - keeping it somewhat curled when he crawls and when he claps his hands.
Sooooo - we're not surprised. It's been my gut feeling all along. The great thing out of this whole yuckiness is that fact that we are at the greatest children's hospital in the nation with one of the best plastic surgeon's around who specializes in - get this - HANDS! Coincidence? I think not!
We'll be at the hospital for an entire day, but Jesse will be able to go home with us at night. He'll have a cast clear up to his shoulder, but it will only stay on for two weeks, and he should not have to have any physical therapy afterwards. If minimal skin is needed, they'll take the graft from the crease in his arm; if more is needed then it will come from the crease where his leg attaches to his groin.
This whole drama has been the most traumatic thing that we have ever been through as parents, but I think we have it in perspective now and we completely trust our doctor. Most importantly, though, we have full faith and peace in The Great Physician who loves our little Jesse far more than we could ever even begin to fathom. He is good, He is safe, and He is ultimately in control.
Here's One for the Competitors....
Check this little addictive ditty out!
How many words can you type per minute? I did it three times while waiting for my bread to cook - and almost burnt it I was getting so caught up in the need for speed! My first and best time is 104 words per minute with 4 mistakes. My last two times were 99 words with 4 and then 5 mistakes. My goal is 105 with no mistakes.
For another day and another time however........the rest of my home sleeps and I must join them.
How many words can you type per minute? I did it three times while waiting for my bread to cook - and almost burnt it I was getting so caught up in the need for speed! My first and best time is 104 words per minute with 4 mistakes. My last two times were 99 words with 4 and then 5 mistakes. My goal is 105 with no mistakes.
For another day and another time however........the rest of my home sleeps and I must join them.
Sand and Grass and Grubbiness...
Oh my!
My place is officially trashed! No not really - it just got wicked sandy and grassy in a matter of moments, and I had to vac through the entire place because it was driving me crazy. We went to the ocean today for the first time since Jesse's been born, and then when we came home the boys swam out back in their kiddie pool. So, between sand from the beach and a freshly mowed lawn out back with all the little loose pieces of grass to track in, my floors were quite gritty!
Ahhhh, but sooooo worth it!
Last night, our dear friends, the Cook's, came and had a wee visit with us on their way back home to Maine. It was SO nice to see them and to see Shannie once again "with child!" Thank you guys for coming to see us even though you were fried! So nice to have a taste of home.
They left a little earlier than originally expected this morning, so VERY spur of the moment we decided to hit the road along with them and head for the beach! It was Jesse's very first time, and he absolutely loved it. I was actually very pleased with the minimal amount of sand and bits of shells that he consumed! He kept flinging his hat off of his head, but other than that and the fact that every single crevace of his body had sand in it, we had a really great time. We dug for sand crabs, built sand castles, waded in the FREEZING water, and got a yummy coffee for the road home. Once we got home, it was still so nice that we all went out back and did a little swimming in the kiddie pool and finally finished the day off with a little bit of swimming in the bathtub!
A lovely day indeed!
My place is officially trashed! No not really - it just got wicked sandy and grassy in a matter of moments, and I had to vac through the entire place because it was driving me crazy. We went to the ocean today for the first time since Jesse's been born, and then when we came home the boys swam out back in their kiddie pool. So, between sand from the beach and a freshly mowed lawn out back with all the little loose pieces of grass to track in, my floors were quite gritty!
Ahhhh, but sooooo worth it!
Last night, our dear friends, the Cook's, came and had a wee visit with us on their way back home to Maine. It was SO nice to see them and to see Shannie once again "with child!" Thank you guys for coming to see us even though you were fried! So nice to have a taste of home.
They left a little earlier than originally expected this morning, so VERY spur of the moment we decided to hit the road along with them and head for the beach! It was Jesse's very first time, and he absolutely loved it. I was actually very pleased with the minimal amount of sand and bits of shells that he consumed! He kept flinging his hat off of his head, but other than that and the fact that every single crevace of his body had sand in it, we had a really great time. We dug for sand crabs, built sand castles, waded in the FREEZING water, and got a yummy coffee for the road home. Once we got home, it was still so nice that we all went out back and did a little swimming in the kiddie pool and finally finished the day off with a little bit of swimming in the bathtub!
A lovely day indeed!
Four Under 4 in the Great Outdoors......
is surely a CHORE!
Oh my - I surely earned my wages babysitting today! I'm beat! Since the weather has been so gorgeous these past few days, I thought it would be fun for Kaden and the 2 year old that I babysit to play outside during the babies' naps, and then we could all be outside for the last little while before their mommy came home.
Well - the idea was GREAT in theory! And I actually, honestly, do think that it went fairly well - looking back; it was just a heck of a lot more work than keeping them all contained in our wee apartment! And seeing as how I am the ONLY mom in the ENTIRE complex of newlyweds, I'm sure that if anyone had their windows open this fine morning, they surely would have experienced some lovely birth control!
I can say that 100% of the time, three of them were happy; but 100% of the time, one was usually crying or in Jesse's case - screaming, as well! Oh, and neither baby slept for more than 45 minutes for their morning naps, either, when they both usually give me an hour and a half each. Joy.
So anyway - we lugged out Kaden's tent and set that up, we brought out some fun snacks, I pulled their trikes around back, got both boys a dump truck, set up the slide, and we brought out books and crayons....which was nice and fun....but took a thousand trips to do so.
And then, pretty much my morning consisted of this: fishing a kazillion rocks out of Jesse's mouth, keeping Meg rotated so that she stayed out of the sun and everytime I moved her she would freak out, wiping off Meg's perpetual reflux that kept gushing out of her, keeping Reid out of the tadpole pool, getting Kaden's arm unstuck from the tree he was trying to climb, keeping Reid off the tops of the picnic tables that he kept thinking he could just step down off of, finally giving up on Jesse and just praying that he wouldn't choke, changing two poopy diapers, building a "worm house" for Kaden and consoling him when they all escaped, kissing scraped knees from diggers and falls of the trikes, keeping Jesse from attacking Meg who was laying on the ground, and referee-ing snack thiefs! Whew!
Kudos to all of you who have more than two! Maybe we'll try again when Jesse's sixteen......juuuuuuust kidding.
Oh my - I surely earned my wages babysitting today! I'm beat! Since the weather has been so gorgeous these past few days, I thought it would be fun for Kaden and the 2 year old that I babysit to play outside during the babies' naps, and then we could all be outside for the last little while before their mommy came home.
Well - the idea was GREAT in theory! And I actually, honestly, do think that it went fairly well - looking back; it was just a heck of a lot more work than keeping them all contained in our wee apartment! And seeing as how I am the ONLY mom in the ENTIRE complex of newlyweds, I'm sure that if anyone had their windows open this fine morning, they surely would have experienced some lovely birth control!
I can say that 100% of the time, three of them were happy; but 100% of the time, one was usually crying or in Jesse's case - screaming, as well! Oh, and neither baby slept for more than 45 minutes for their morning naps, either, when they both usually give me an hour and a half each. Joy.
So anyway - we lugged out Kaden's tent and set that up, we brought out some fun snacks, I pulled their trikes around back, got both boys a dump truck, set up the slide, and we brought out books and crayons....which was nice and fun....but took a thousand trips to do so.
And then, pretty much my morning consisted of this: fishing a kazillion rocks out of Jesse's mouth, keeping Meg rotated so that she stayed out of the sun and everytime I moved her she would freak out, wiping off Meg's perpetual reflux that kept gushing out of her, keeping Reid out of the tadpole pool, getting Kaden's arm unstuck from the tree he was trying to climb, keeping Reid off the tops of the picnic tables that he kept thinking he could just step down off of, finally giving up on Jesse and just praying that he wouldn't choke, changing two poopy diapers, building a "worm house" for Kaden and consoling him when they all escaped, kissing scraped knees from diggers and falls of the trikes, keeping Jesse from attacking Meg who was laying on the ground, and referee-ing snack thiefs! Whew!
Kudos to all of you who have more than two! Maybe we'll try again when Jesse's sixteen......juuuuuuust kidding.
Decisions decisions....
Oi vay!
In four short months Kev will be done with his classes, and we will be closing this chapter of our lives. It's hard to believe that we're almost done. The time really has flown for us here, and I can honestly say that I've actually enjoyed it! It's been a really fun adventure, and we've come out the other side still just as much in love - if not more - and very stable and happy....with a little Pennsylvania souvenire named Jesse to boot! Kev has had really amazing "balance" and priorities throughout this entire process, and we have never suffered as a family, despite my initial concerns coming into this!
So, now we stand at the big question of: "What do we now want to do with our lives?" There has been many a long walk while we've discussed this, and many a late night staying up wrestling through options, ideas, and dreams. We're getting pretty close to crunch time, but amazingly enough, we are both completely at peace with whatever the next step may be. We know that this is totally from the Lord because I usually freak out whenever a big change is about to take place, and I have yet to see a more detailed planner than Kev. In just a few months, we have got to make a decision...yet, we are resting and we are waiting. In our hearts we know what we want to do and where we want to be, and there are some options and ideas floating around....but, for now, we are just waiting to see what the Lord wants to show us.
Proverbs 28:25b - "He who puts his trust in the Lord shall be made fat." Although I do not really want to "be made fat," I know that there is no better place to be right now, and we are trusting.
P.S. - I know that I spelled "souvenire" wrong, I just can't find the spell check on this thing, and I'm too lazy to look it up. "souvenier?" "souveneir?" You got me.......
In four short months Kev will be done with his classes, and we will be closing this chapter of our lives. It's hard to believe that we're almost done. The time really has flown for us here, and I can honestly say that I've actually enjoyed it! It's been a really fun adventure, and we've come out the other side still just as much in love - if not more - and very stable and happy....with a little Pennsylvania souvenire named Jesse to boot! Kev has had really amazing "balance" and priorities throughout this entire process, and we have never suffered as a family, despite my initial concerns coming into this!
So, now we stand at the big question of: "What do we now want to do with our lives?" There has been many a long walk while we've discussed this, and many a late night staying up wrestling through options, ideas, and dreams. We're getting pretty close to crunch time, but amazingly enough, we are both completely at peace with whatever the next step may be. We know that this is totally from the Lord because I usually freak out whenever a big change is about to take place, and I have yet to see a more detailed planner than Kev. In just a few months, we have got to make a decision...yet, we are resting and we are waiting. In our hearts we know what we want to do and where we want to be, and there are some options and ideas floating around....but, for now, we are just waiting to see what the Lord wants to show us.
Proverbs 28:25b - "He who puts his trust in the Lord shall be made fat." Although I do not really want to "be made fat," I know that there is no better place to be right now, and we are trusting.
P.S. - I know that I spelled "souvenire" wrong, I just can't find the spell check on this thing, and I'm too lazy to look it up. "souvenier?" "souveneir?" You got me.......
A FANTASTIC Resource!
I have found - thanks to a friend - an awesome awesome blog with some awesome awesome links and resources out there specifically directed to teens and college age youth. However, I think it's awesome for any age as it is so jam packed full of great stuff. (I really wanted to say "awesome stuff" but felt that I had already overused that word). :0)
Joshua Harris (the guy who wrote the book I Kissed Dating Good-bye) has two twin brothers who share a blog that has essentially become a full-blown website. You can check them out here. They have called themselves the Rebelution and this is why:
"The official definition of the 'rebelution' is "a teenage rebellion against the low expectations of an ungodly culture." When you look around today, in terms of godly character and practical competence, our culture does not expect much of us young people. We are not only expected to do very little that is wise or good, but we're expected to do the opposite. "
Anyway, they write about anything and everything from sex to character to doing hard things, to becoming men and women to leadership etc. etc. etc. They even conducted a modesty survey awhile back that got 500,000 responses in just a few hours! So, go check them out - and check out all of their links on their sidebar, as well.
Good stuff. LOVE it.......it's awesome.
Joshua Harris (the guy who wrote the book I Kissed Dating Good-bye) has two twin brothers who share a blog that has essentially become a full-blown website. You can check them out here. They have called themselves the Rebelution and this is why:
"The official definition of the 'rebelution' is "a teenage rebellion against the low expectations of an ungodly culture." When you look around today, in terms of godly character and practical competence, our culture does not expect much of us young people. We are not only expected to do very little that is wise or good, but we're expected to do the opposite. "
Anyway, they write about anything and everything from sex to character to doing hard things, to becoming men and women to leadership etc. etc. etc. They even conducted a modesty survey awhile back that got 500,000 responses in just a few hours! So, go check them out - and check out all of their links on their sidebar, as well.
Good stuff. LOVE it.......it's awesome.
Bwaaaaaah!
Do you ever have one of those days where you feel a smidgin smothered and almost claustrophobic by those precious little creations of joy called your children? Whew! Today, I feel like both of my boys are resembling two little leeches - wanting to stay perpetually attached to Mama without the slightest idea of how to entertain themselves.
While drying my hair this morning, they both chose to stay in the teeniest room that we have that has absoutely no toys - our bathroom - and they just kind of sprawled across the floor...and then they drummed on the toilet lid with MY toothbrush......then one tried to climb my leg....you get the picture. And that's kind of how our morning has gone! They have just felt like using me as their own personal jungle gym all morning!
I just might FREAK out! Oh my! As a mom, there are just days where personal space does not exist! Usually, I love it, but then there are other days.......
So, I'm now going to give Kaden some quality Mommy time while Jesse sleeps, and then as soon as the Jester awakens from his morning slumber, we are headed out to the great outdoors where we can all get a little fresh air and run wild.......myself included!
While drying my hair this morning, they both chose to stay in the teeniest room that we have that has absoutely no toys - our bathroom - and they just kind of sprawled across the floor...and then they drummed on the toilet lid with MY toothbrush......then one tried to climb my leg....you get the picture. And that's kind of how our morning has gone! They have just felt like using me as their own personal jungle gym all morning!
I just might FREAK out! Oh my! As a mom, there are just days where personal space does not exist! Usually, I love it, but then there are other days.......
So, I'm now going to give Kaden some quality Mommy time while Jesse sleeps, and then as soon as the Jester awakens from his morning slumber, we are headed out to the great outdoors where we can all get a little fresh air and run wild.......myself included!
Some Wee Updates
Whew! It's been awhile since I've last posted. As it becomes more summer-like here, I tend to "sit" less and less.
We are outside most of our waking hours doing lots of walks and bike rides, lots of looking for new little critters, and lots of exploring and park visiting. Our polywogs have now moved to their luxury suite in the backyard and are happily swimming around in Kaden's old kiddie pool. And I'm seriously thinking of trying to sweet talk Kaden into releasing his little salamanders. I'm just starting to feel bad for them all cooped up in their tiny cage. What sort of life is that? We could always look for new ones to take their place! And just today, he found a long "thousand legger" centipede thingy at church that bites, so I'm told. Sick-aroo, but I said he could keep it. So, maybe this could take "Ant-Ant" & "Joshua's" place???
I've never been a fan of keeping things caged. No matter how little something may be. Even when these tadpoles start to get huge, I plan to release them at the school's pond. And someday I want chickens - but only if they can roam free! My brother thinks that is a numb idea, but that's what I want someday....
So let's see...what else.....Every once in awhile on a Saturday family day, we just kind of head out for an adventure with no particular destiny in mind. Yesterday was one of those sorts of days. We ended up going out to breakfast where Jesse acted absolutely WILD, but it was still fun and yummy. Then we came home so he could take his morning nap. When he woke up - only a half hour later because he's back to napping REALLY horribly - we hit the road again, and went to a fun little Amish market and then.....oh my heart palpitates just writing about this......we found FOUR yard sales! Whooo-hooooo! Tis the season! I was so excited! We didn't even find any great treasures, it was just so much fun to poke around.
Okay. That's all for now. I have lots of things that have been on mind to write about lately, but all in good time. Happy Sunday, all!
We are outside most of our waking hours doing lots of walks and bike rides, lots of looking for new little critters, and lots of exploring and park visiting. Our polywogs have now moved to their luxury suite in the backyard and are happily swimming around in Kaden's old kiddie pool. And I'm seriously thinking of trying to sweet talk Kaden into releasing his little salamanders. I'm just starting to feel bad for them all cooped up in their tiny cage. What sort of life is that? We could always look for new ones to take their place! And just today, he found a long "thousand legger" centipede thingy at church that bites, so I'm told. Sick-aroo, but I said he could keep it. So, maybe this could take "Ant-Ant" & "Joshua's" place???
I've never been a fan of keeping things caged. No matter how little something may be. Even when these tadpoles start to get huge, I plan to release them at the school's pond. And someday I want chickens - but only if they can roam free! My brother thinks that is a numb idea, but that's what I want someday....
So let's see...what else.....Every once in awhile on a Saturday family day, we just kind of head out for an adventure with no particular destiny in mind. Yesterday was one of those sorts of days. We ended up going out to breakfast where Jesse acted absolutely WILD, but it was still fun and yummy. Then we came home so he could take his morning nap. When he woke up - only a half hour later because he's back to napping REALLY horribly - we hit the road again, and went to a fun little Amish market and then.....oh my heart palpitates just writing about this......we found FOUR yard sales! Whooo-hooooo! Tis the season! I was so excited! We didn't even find any great treasures, it was just so much fun to poke around.
Okay. That's all for now. I have lots of things that have been on mind to write about lately, but all in good time. Happy Sunday, all!
It's Official....
Spring has sprung in these here parts!
It's true what my friend wrote the other day: "Winter, I hardly knew ye!" I think we maybe got an inch of snow over here this winter, and I like that just fine. My family, however, up in "The County" of Maine has broken a record that's been held since the 50's for the amount of snowfall. They're still buried! And that, my friends, is where I am a hypocritical "Maine-iac."
As of just a few moments ago, I dug out my capri's and my Keen's; I packed my sweaters away, and there is NO going back. Sheer bliss.....for me, anyway. Sorry, Shay. You belong in Maine, Girl! I was sweating on my walk today - true beads of sweat on my forehead. Yup, it's true. And by Thursday, the weather is supposed to hit close to seventy degrees. Glorious!
BUT.....then in just a few short months I shall be dying from the humidity and complaining that I'm melting, and I will be craving my Maine weather then. It's rough. What's a girl to do? :0)
It's true what my friend wrote the other day: "Winter, I hardly knew ye!" I think we maybe got an inch of snow over here this winter, and I like that just fine. My family, however, up in "The County" of Maine has broken a record that's been held since the 50's for the amount of snowfall. They're still buried! And that, my friends, is where I am a hypocritical "Maine-iac."
As of just a few moments ago, I dug out my capri's and my Keen's; I packed my sweaters away, and there is NO going back. Sheer bliss.....for me, anyway. Sorry, Shay. You belong in Maine, Girl! I was sweating on my walk today - true beads of sweat on my forehead. Yup, it's true. And by Thursday, the weather is supposed to hit close to seventy degrees. Glorious!
BUT.....then in just a few short months I shall be dying from the humidity and complaining that I'm melting, and I will be craving my Maine weather then. It's rough. What's a girl to do? :0)
Happy Birthday, Aaron!
Well, my baby, six foot five inch brother just turned twenty-seven yesterday. Crazy. Crazy. I don't even know how often you read my blog, baby bro, but this one's for you. I tell you every time I see you or talk to you, and I'll tell you now: You're the best LITTLE brother in the whole wide world. (Clay is the best BIG brother, right?) :0) You guys are the reasons why I've always wanted boys. Thanks for being one of my best friends, thanks for all of our crazy memories, and thanks for being you. I love you and I miss you tons. Happy Birthday!
Our Newest Acquisition
As of this afternoon, I have yet another new centerpiece for my kitchen table to go right along with our two salamanders. We have now acquired a small bucket filled with a few hundred baby polywogs! This is very exciting as some of them have not even hatched out of their jelly! I have a very cool book that teaches all about tadpoles and frogs, and hopefully some of them will live long enough for us to be able to see them grow into full-fledged froggies. We shall watch and see. The book says it'll take about twelve weeks. It's not looking too hopeful with all of the handling that they are getting.....
We'll keep 'em on the table for a week or so, but then we're going to move them to a luxury suite in the backyard - their very own kiddie pool. Kaden can't resist holding them and giving them snuggles, and I've already scraped several off of the table and rescued others from his chair. I have visions of them landing on the floor for scrumptious little Jesse snacks. So, very soon, they shall be moved.
For now - there's a whole lotta' creatures starting to take over my domain.......
For those of you who were wondering - "Ant Ant" and "Joshua" seem to be getting along famously, and our wax worms have yet to become beetles....although one has shed his skin. Disgust-o.
We'll keep 'em on the table for a week or so, but then we're going to move them to a luxury suite in the backyard - their very own kiddie pool. Kaden can't resist holding them and giving them snuggles, and I've already scraped several off of the table and rescued others from his chair. I have visions of them landing on the floor for scrumptious little Jesse snacks. So, very soon, they shall be moved.
For now - there's a whole lotta' creatures starting to take over my domain.......
For those of you who were wondering - "Ant Ant" and "Joshua" seem to be getting along famously, and our wax worms have yet to become beetles....although one has shed his skin. Disgust-o.
Oh Happy Day!
Seeing as our time here is quickly drawing to a close, we are trying to visit and re-visit all of our favorite spots as much as we can during our family days, and to also conquer all of the places that we've been meaning to check out ever since we've been here.
So, today - we totally conquered!
We put the boys in the car at 9:30 in the morning, just in time for Jesse's morning nap, and we did not get home until about 7:30 tonight! We drove all over tarnation and explored different parks, we got happily lost a couple of times, we found a fun little coffee shop in a funky little town, we caught salamanders and worms - none of which we brought home thank you very much, the boys went fishing, we drank camp coffee by the river bank, and the boys went wading in their wellies! The weather was GLORIOUS, and we just had an awesome day doing what we love to do. We threw Jesse in the backpack and let him nap on the fly. He is most happy outside, anyway; and Kaden got to run free and wild for hours on end.
Places we scoped out: Ralph Stover Park - one of our absolute faves. Here we did the fishing, the catching of salamanders, the wading, and the drinking of camp coffee. Ringing Rocks Park was next. This is a fun little place that is just a huge field of rocks out in the middle of nowhere. If you hit the rocks with a hammer - they make different fun ringing noises. Alas, we did not come prepared and had only a large stick. It didn't quite give off the same feel, I am sure, but we had fun whaling on the rocks anyway. And then we also happened upon a fun little town over in Jersey called Frenchtown that is very old and beautiful and had delish coffee. And all along the way, we also drove through a couple of other little state parks here and there and just enjoyed the country and the woods and the water.
Aaaaaaaaah! My soul is refreshed and rejuvenated!
So, today - we totally conquered!
We put the boys in the car at 9:30 in the morning, just in time for Jesse's morning nap, and we did not get home until about 7:30 tonight! We drove all over tarnation and explored different parks, we got happily lost a couple of times, we found a fun little coffee shop in a funky little town, we caught salamanders and worms - none of which we brought home thank you very much, the boys went fishing, we drank camp coffee by the river bank, and the boys went wading in their wellies! The weather was GLORIOUS, and we just had an awesome day doing what we love to do. We threw Jesse in the backpack and let him nap on the fly. He is most happy outside, anyway; and Kaden got to run free and wild for hours on end.
Places we scoped out: Ralph Stover Park - one of our absolute faves. Here we did the fishing, the catching of salamanders, the wading, and the drinking of camp coffee. Ringing Rocks Park was next. This is a fun little place that is just a huge field of rocks out in the middle of nowhere. If you hit the rocks with a hammer - they make different fun ringing noises. Alas, we did not come prepared and had only a large stick. It didn't quite give off the same feel, I am sure, but we had fun whaling on the rocks anyway. And then we also happened upon a fun little town over in Jersey called Frenchtown that is very old and beautiful and had delish coffee. And all along the way, we also drove through a couple of other little state parks here and there and just enjoyed the country and the woods and the water.
Aaaaaaaaah! My soul is refreshed and rejuvenated!
Ten Months Old Today!
Hard to believe our wee one is almost a year old. Crazy! Where has the time gone? Jesse is THIS close to walking, and I do believe that we are going to be in for one wild ride! He scoots along all of the furniture, and he can stand by himself for a couple of seconds before falling over. He is VERY proud of these new accomplishments.
He is also standing up in his bed whenever it's time for naps and screaming bloody murder before crashing to sleep, and he yells LOUDLY whenever he wants something....and he wants it NOW! I tell you, there is nothing that is mild mannered about this child. He may just send me into an early grave! Even his "lovies" are rough. The other day, he literally took a divet out of my cheek with his fingernails when he was giving me his love pats! No joke. Heavenly day!
On the flipside of this intensity, though, is the fact that when he is happy and silly - which is more often than not - he is also intense about this, as well. So, for the most part he completely delights us. A whole lotta intense delight and intense exasperation going on around here these days!
Happy ten months, sweet wild child!
He is also standing up in his bed whenever it's time for naps and screaming bloody murder before crashing to sleep, and he yells LOUDLY whenever he wants something....and he wants it NOW! I tell you, there is nothing that is mild mannered about this child. He may just send me into an early grave! Even his "lovies" are rough. The other day, he literally took a divet out of my cheek with his fingernails when he was giving me his love pats! No joke. Heavenly day!
On the flipside of this intensity, though, is the fact that when he is happy and silly - which is more often than not - he is also intense about this, as well. So, for the most part he completely delights us. A whole lotta intense delight and intense exasperation going on around here these days!
Happy ten months, sweet wild child!
Charlie Bit Me
Okay, I can't for the life of me figure out how to download a YouTube video to my blog, so if anyone could kindly help me that would be great. I thought I had it figured out. It said that it might take "several minutes" to download. Well, four hours of several minutes later it's still telling me that it's downloading, so I finally cancelled figuring I didn't do something quite right.
Anyway - there is this video on there that someone in Kev's class showed for some reason, and he came home and showed me. Seriously - we both just about died laughing. I had tears rolling down my cheeks. This little 55 second clip between two little British brothers fits our Kaden and Jesse like you would not believe.
Those of you who know our boys, just watch it and see if you agree with us. Those of you who don't - well, welcome to our lives! Just go to YouTube and type in "Charlie Bit Me." It should be a 55 second clip of two little brothers sitting on a chair together. It's my fave!
Anyway - there is this video on there that someone in Kev's class showed for some reason, and he came home and showed me. Seriously - we both just about died laughing. I had tears rolling down my cheeks. This little 55 second clip between two little British brothers fits our Kaden and Jesse like you would not believe.
Those of you who know our boys, just watch it and see if you agree with us. Those of you who don't - well, welcome to our lives! Just go to YouTube and type in "Charlie Bit Me." It should be a 55 second clip of two little brothers sitting on a chair together. It's my fave!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)