Rachel is currently trying to talk me into letting her have a "bath party" - an event which would involve all her friends coming over and taking one big bath together, apparently for an extended period of time.
Danny & I were actually thinking that this would be an excellent "ice-breaker" for our life group.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Celebrating 150 Years of Swine
And rabbits. And goats. And greasy, overpriced food. And outrageously expensive rides. And annoyingly long lines. And teeth-rattling, ear-shattering tractor pulls. And dust-covered strollers. And dust-covered children. And our neighborhood turning into a giant parking lot. And not being able to walk 10 yards at a time without running into someone you know, because everyone who lives within a 100-mile radius is there. In spite of, or - dare I say it? - perhaps because of, all these things, THE GREAT FAIR in this county is the highlight of our summer! We actually went six out of the nine days it ran. What a blast - the kids are at the age where everything they saw delighted their little eyes, ears and mouths. They ate corn dogs, a new favorite (which, unfortunately, they'll have to wait a year to eat again).
They petted cows, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits and dogs. They got colored helium balloons from the Republican and Democratic tents (We're raising non-partisan kids, apparently). They went on "The Hurricane" with Mommy & Daddy (yes, it's every bit as bad as it sounds, and actually made Daddy sick). They watched a goat-showing. But THE most memorable part of their fairgoing experience: they rode the now-infamous "Dragon Wagon" roller coaster. 
The first time Zekers rode the Dragon Wagon, he had a look of absolute terror on his face, and Rachel clung to the bar for dear life. By the last day, Zekers was laughing through the entire ride, while Rachel stuck her hands into the air the moment she was strapped in and left them there for the duration of the ride, yelling for everyone else to do the same. 
And where was Karis all this time? Let's just say that when she hears the word "home" she goes straight for the stroller! Haha. She actually did very well. Now I'm trying to figure out how to hold her off for a few more years so that next year I don't have to buy three ride bracelets. So, farewell to THE GREAT FAIR. It was expensive, greasy, dirty and loud. And, come next August, I will once again count the days until it reopens.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The Meaning of Family
I just had to share this with whoever in the blogosphere cares to read it, because it's too funny to keep to myself.
Rachel has been using the potty for nearly 2 years. She does everything herself, including washing/drying her hands and flushing. But the one thing we're still working on is getting her to do her own "paperwork" after doing her business. She's finally gotten to the point where she will wipe herself after a "baby poopie" so I started thinking the end is in sight. Until this afternoon.
I came upstairs from doing some laundry, and heard Rach yelling for me from the bathroom. She was sitting on the toilet, asking me to wipe her. "Sweetie," I said calmly, "You know how to do that yourself now."
She looked up at me in frustration. "Mom, you know I can wipe myself after a baby poopie, but look - there's a whole family in there!"
Rachel has been using the potty for nearly 2 years. She does everything herself, including washing/drying her hands and flushing. But the one thing we're still working on is getting her to do her own "paperwork" after doing her business. She's finally gotten to the point where she will wipe herself after a "baby poopie" so I started thinking the end is in sight. Until this afternoon.
I came upstairs from doing some laundry, and heard Rach yelling for me from the bathroom. She was sitting on the toilet, asking me to wipe her. "Sweetie," I said calmly, "You know how to do that yourself now."
She looked up at me in frustration. "Mom, you know I can wipe myself after a baby poopie, but look - there's a whole family in there!"
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Murphy's Law at its Finest
Why is it that when you're in a hurry, you encounter nothing but red traffic lights; and when you desperately need a red traffic light, every last one of them is green??
I was just out running some errands with the kids when Karis let out 2 sneezes in a row. I glanced back at her and saw that she had hard core snot shooting out of BOTH nostrils (I know that sounds disgusting, but there's really no other way to say it). Naturally, I was dying to bring the car to a screeching halt and immediately clean her up, but do you think that the entire way from our house to Walmart we encountered even ONE red light? Normally, I spend at least five minutes sitting at the stinkin' things, but not today! I finally pulled into the YMCA parking lot, but by that time, of course, she had effectively covered her entire face with slime, and even slicked some into her "hair".
We got it all cleaned up, of course, but I'm still bitter about the lights.
I was just out running some errands with the kids when Karis let out 2 sneezes in a row. I glanced back at her and saw that she had hard core snot shooting out of BOTH nostrils (I know that sounds disgusting, but there's really no other way to say it). Naturally, I was dying to bring the car to a screeching halt and immediately clean her up, but do you think that the entire way from our house to Walmart we encountered even ONE red light? Normally, I spend at least five minutes sitting at the stinkin' things, but not today! I finally pulled into the YMCA parking lot, but by that time, of course, she had effectively covered her entire face with slime, and even slicked some into her "hair".
We got it all cleaned up, of course, but I'm still bitter about the lights.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
My Name is Zekers
Today is a day to celebrate!
Around April we noticed Zekers was getting lazy in his speech. "Please" became "plz" and "Zekers" became "Zkers"; basically, he wasn't pronouncing certain vowels. Several weeks later, it became apparent that some major regression had taken place. He spoke almost entirely through his nose and most of it sounded like jibberish. Even Rachel, his expert translator, couldn't understand him. (Of course, rather than admit defeat, she invented all kinds of interesting phrases, claiming that was what he meant to say.) His speech continued to worsen and was so bad during July that friends and family began really noticing the change and wondering what was going on.
We used to laugh at him because when he began talking at 18 months, it was always in complete sentences, and always with perfect enunciation. It was comical watching him try so hard to say every word clearly. Now, he'd cry, mumbling incoherently, so that we couldn't understand what it was that he needed.
I thought, it must be something simple like water in his ears or some kind of health issue impairing his hearing. A trip to the pediatrician, however, only revealed that we had a little boy in great health, with above average hearing, who couldn't talk anymore. The doctor himself was baffled, and referred us to a spech therapist at Children's. The appointment was scheduled for August 23.
I tried not to worry, but this nagging doubt kept tugging at my mind. What if something's wrong with him? What if this is irreparable? My dad suggested that maybe it was psychological - some kind of family dynamic thing. This really upset me, because it made sense. But it also made me feel incredibly guilty. Zekers has been the "neglected one" of the family. He's so low-maintainance: he entertains himself and doesn't demand a whole lot of attetion, unlike his sisters. Sometimes I realize he's still at the breakfast table, just sitting there talking to himself, when the rest of us have been in the living room playing for 30 minutes!
Anyway, all these fears were going through my head - making me think I'd somehow damaged him for life. And then yesterday he started talking.
We were out running errands and he told me he wanted something. I told him he needed to say please, and he said it. I grabbed his shoulders and almost screamed, WHAT DID YOU SAY?! And he said it again, clear as a bell. For the next five minutes, all the poor kid did was answer a litany of questions fired at him by his hysterical mother. What is your name?(Zekers) What comes after 2? (threeee) What does a cow say? (Moooooo) I couldn't believe it! I even called Danny and had Zekers say his name over the phone so Daddy could hear. His speech had been slowly improving for a couple of weeks, but this was the first time he'd pronounced some of these words clearly in months.
I guess the good thing that's come from all this has been a heightened awareness that my son needs my attention even though he doesn't demand it in obvious ways. We've made such a big deal over Karis, especially during the spring and summer when she's been hurdling so many major milestones like crawling and walking, that sometimes our sweet little Zekers goes unnoticed. I've been making sure to give him extra hugs, and snuggle with him a little longer at bedtime and sing to him more.
And now that his speech has pretty much cleared itself up, I can turn all my energy to fretting over the fact that he's still not potty trained!
Around April we noticed Zekers was getting lazy in his speech. "Please" became "plz" and "Zekers" became "Zkers"; basically, he wasn't pronouncing certain vowels. Several weeks later, it became apparent that some major regression had taken place. He spoke almost entirely through his nose and most of it sounded like jibberish. Even Rachel, his expert translator, couldn't understand him. (Of course, rather than admit defeat, she invented all kinds of interesting phrases, claiming that was what he meant to say.) His speech continued to worsen and was so bad during July that friends and family began really noticing the change and wondering what was going on.
We used to laugh at him because when he began talking at 18 months, it was always in complete sentences, and always with perfect enunciation. It was comical watching him try so hard to say every word clearly. Now, he'd cry, mumbling incoherently, so that we couldn't understand what it was that he needed.
I thought, it must be something simple like water in his ears or some kind of health issue impairing his hearing. A trip to the pediatrician, however, only revealed that we had a little boy in great health, with above average hearing, who couldn't talk anymore. The doctor himself was baffled, and referred us to a spech therapist at Children's. The appointment was scheduled for August 23.
I tried not to worry, but this nagging doubt kept tugging at my mind. What if something's wrong with him? What if this is irreparable? My dad suggested that maybe it was psychological - some kind of family dynamic thing. This really upset me, because it made sense. But it also made me feel incredibly guilty. Zekers has been the "neglected one" of the family. He's so low-maintainance: he entertains himself and doesn't demand a whole lot of attetion, unlike his sisters. Sometimes I realize he's still at the breakfast table, just sitting there talking to himself, when the rest of us have been in the living room playing for 30 minutes!
Anyway, all these fears were going through my head - making me think I'd somehow damaged him for life. And then yesterday he started talking.
We were out running errands and he told me he wanted something. I told him he needed to say please, and he said it. I grabbed his shoulders and almost screamed, WHAT DID YOU SAY?! And he said it again, clear as a bell. For the next five minutes, all the poor kid did was answer a litany of questions fired at him by his hysterical mother. What is your name?(Zekers) What comes after 2? (threeee) What does a cow say? (Moooooo) I couldn't believe it! I even called Danny and had Zekers say his name over the phone so Daddy could hear. His speech had been slowly improving for a couple of weeks, but this was the first time he'd pronounced some of these words clearly in months.
I guess the good thing that's come from all this has been a heightened awareness that my son needs my attention even though he doesn't demand it in obvious ways. We've made such a big deal over Karis, especially during the spring and summer when she's been hurdling so many major milestones like crawling and walking, that sometimes our sweet little Zekers goes unnoticed. I've been making sure to give him extra hugs, and snuggle with him a little longer at bedtime and sing to him more.
And now that his speech has pretty much cleared itself up, I can turn all my energy to fretting over the fact that he's still not potty trained!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Entitled
I've been thinking about myself a lot lately - in more ways than one!
Amid all the egocentric self-serving thoughts continually swirling about in my cranium, an occasional moment of true introspection peaks through - a painful but necessary moment in which Christ Jesus extends to me a glimpse of my own heart. Any more would be unbearable, for this one glimpse reveals just how far I am from His perfection - the standard I should be striving, by His grace, to attain.
Allow me to explain (confess). As far back as I can remember, I have struggled with contentment; many sins I have wrestled with and continue to wrestle with, I have recently discovered, spring from this core issue. I was actually beginning to think I had finally arrived with this one: I love my family and friends and am truly grateful for all that God has chosen to entrust to us. I don't lie awake nights wishing we lived in a mansion or owned a llama or had our own helicopter. So I can finally shelve that prayer request, right? Dream on . . .
Danny & I have had the privilege of facilitating a group study on the book, "Love and Respect" (which I plan to review in a few weeks) on Sunday nights. Last Sunday, the 2nd week of the study, we asked each couple to bring a wedding picture and share about their wedding or honeymoon. I couldn't believe it - out of 7 couples, we were the only ones who had a honeymoon consisting of more than one or two nights! Several couples had no honeymoon at all.
You're wondering if there's a point to all this. The point is, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the whole honeymoon thing all week. To be honest, I took ours for granted. I would have felt robbed had we NOT spent over a week in another state following our wedding.
And it's been dawning on me slowly this week how many other things in our lives I just expect God to provide, with no basis for this expectation. Instead of thanking Him profusely for allowing us to create a third bedroom in our house just before Karis was conceived, I groan and complain because our 3 bedrooms are smaller than I'd like them to be. I go around with the attitude that God owes us 2 working vehicles with ample trunk space; He owes us an abundance of food and clothing; and of course He's allowed us to purchase furniture and get away for a week to Wisconsin this summer - don't we deserve it, after all?
The bottom line is, I have an attitude of entitlement. The apostle Paul says, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Whoa! Is it actually possible to be content even while lacking food, one of the most basic human essentials? And Paul's idea of living "in want" is undoubtedly much different than my own. The man lived much of his adult life out of a suitcase (or whatever the 1st century version of a suitcase would be), and that was on a good day!
God owes me nothing but eternal damnation; praise His holy name He's given me the promise of eternal life! Instead of living my life feeling entitled to all that He's graciously provided, I should be living in a mindset of continuous praise for His many gifts - and I'm not talking just material things. He's given us health, and family, and friends, and a wonderful church body, and the list goes on. . .
It's pretty easy to sit here and write all this out, and pretty difficult to live it every day. I will probably be fighting this attitude of entitlement until the day I die. But I want to keep fighting it. Maybe if I do, someday down the road, as Danny preached yesterday, I may look a little more like Christ. That's definitely worth the effort.
Amid all the egocentric self-serving thoughts continually swirling about in my cranium, an occasional moment of true introspection peaks through - a painful but necessary moment in which Christ Jesus extends to me a glimpse of my own heart. Any more would be unbearable, for this one glimpse reveals just how far I am from His perfection - the standard I should be striving, by His grace, to attain.
Allow me to explain (confess). As far back as I can remember, I have struggled with contentment; many sins I have wrestled with and continue to wrestle with, I have recently discovered, spring from this core issue. I was actually beginning to think I had finally arrived with this one: I love my family and friends and am truly grateful for all that God has chosen to entrust to us. I don't lie awake nights wishing we lived in a mansion or owned a llama or had our own helicopter. So I can finally shelve that prayer request, right? Dream on . . .
Danny & I have had the privilege of facilitating a group study on the book, "Love and Respect" (which I plan to review in a few weeks) on Sunday nights. Last Sunday, the 2nd week of the study, we asked each couple to bring a wedding picture and share about their wedding or honeymoon. I couldn't believe it - out of 7 couples, we were the only ones who had a honeymoon consisting of more than one or two nights! Several couples had no honeymoon at all.
You're wondering if there's a point to all this. The point is, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the whole honeymoon thing all week. To be honest, I took ours for granted. I would have felt robbed had we NOT spent over a week in another state following our wedding.
And it's been dawning on me slowly this week how many other things in our lives I just expect God to provide, with no basis for this expectation. Instead of thanking Him profusely for allowing us to create a third bedroom in our house just before Karis was conceived, I groan and complain because our 3 bedrooms are smaller than I'd like them to be. I go around with the attitude that God owes us 2 working vehicles with ample trunk space; He owes us an abundance of food and clothing; and of course He's allowed us to purchase furniture and get away for a week to Wisconsin this summer - don't we deserve it, after all?
The bottom line is, I have an attitude of entitlement. The apostle Paul says, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Whoa! Is it actually possible to be content even while lacking food, one of the most basic human essentials? And Paul's idea of living "in want" is undoubtedly much different than my own. The man lived much of his adult life out of a suitcase (or whatever the 1st century version of a suitcase would be), and that was on a good day!
God owes me nothing but eternal damnation; praise His holy name He's given me the promise of eternal life! Instead of living my life feeling entitled to all that He's graciously provided, I should be living in a mindset of continuous praise for His many gifts - and I'm not talking just material things. He's given us health, and family, and friends, and a wonderful church body, and the list goes on. . .
It's pretty easy to sit here and write all this out, and pretty difficult to live it every day. I will probably be fighting this attitude of entitlement until the day I die. But I want to keep fighting it. Maybe if I do, someday down the road, as Danny preached yesterday, I may look a little more like Christ. That's definitely worth the effort.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Curly Dimpled Lunatic
With Danny back home after a week in California for Brethren National Youth Conference, our church's week of VBS now behind us, and summer travels at an end, life is finally beginning to resemble something "normal" (whatever that means). But how we've changed over the course of just 2 months! Zeke has thinned out and grown taller; his hair has turned white-blonde from days in the sun. Karis has undergone the most obvious transformation - our helpless infant has become an independent toddler almost overnight.
But it is Rachel who has changed the most significantly over the summer. As I replaced last year's picture of Rachel with her current one, I was struck by how fast she's growing up. She looks so much older than she did a year ago - but it's more than just her looks. Every aspect of her little person has gone from chubby toddlerhood to bright, energetic preschooler. It makes me sad to think about, but also grateful that God is allowing me to guide, develop and love her in these early years. So, I'm dedicating this post to Rachel, our almost-4-year-old.
Ralph Waldo Emerson defines child as "a curly dimpled lunatic." There couldn't be a better description of my firstborn daughter! I mean, what can you expect from someone who begs to watch "The 101 Salvations", who thanked God for paper towels one night at dinner, and who cried inconsolably when I shared with her tonight that even though her party was Saturday, she's not going to be 4 for another 2 weeks? I admit it - I lied just to make her stop crying, which she did the moment I told her I was only kidding and she really is 4.
Since we're on the topic . . . Rachel had her very first "friend birthday party" over the weekend, with her friend, Alia. Since their birthdays are a month apart, Alia's mom, Erin, and I decided to combine forces and have a big princess party (the girls insisted on this theme) on August 5th - 2 weeks after Alia's birthday and 3 weeks before Rachel's. Rachel has been anticipating this party, by the way, since January.
It was fabulous. Each little princess, in full regalia, was announced, had her picture taken, and got to walk the red carpet, across the deck and out into the yard. They sifted for jewels and precious stones in boxes of sand, they searched for Cinderella's lost slipper, they played on the swingset and the "inflatable bouncy thing", as we've come to call it, in the yard. 
Erin read "The Princess and the Kiss" to them, the two birthday princesses opened gifts and we ended the whole shabang with fairy castle cake and ice cream. I was rather proud of the cake, which looked oh so simple but took over four hours to make. There were 11 princesses at the party, and 2 fully outfitted queens - one of whom was 8 months pregnant (not me!). I did feel a little sorry for poor Zekers, who, consumed by jealousy, begged to be dressed as a princess like his sister. We've simply got to get that kid a cowboy outfit or something.
In June I signed Rachel up for summer ballet classes. She goes every Tuesday and Thursday for 10 half-hour sessions. I tell you what - she's about 10 kinds of cute in her little leotard and skirt, practicing her "first potition" and "releve" with the other 6 or 7 girls in the class. Although she matter-of-factly shared with her dance instructor last week that she wasn't "in the mood" to dance, she usually does pretty well and even asked Miss Barbara today for an extra sucker to take home to her brother. What a sweetheart.
Also for the first time, Rachel has attended 2 Vacation Bible Schools - one at Camp Forest Springs in July, and the other at our church last week. Ours had a "reaching the nations" theme, highlighting Brazil, the Dominican Republic, South Africa, India and the USA. As a part of the team that put together the USA night, I had the privilege of dressing as a fashion-challenged frontier-woman. Rach did look adorable in her cowgirl outfit - if only the bottom half would have stayed up. Apparenly her jeans AND underwear were a mite large on her, as her group leader told me afterward that she mooned all 150 VBS-ers during the teaching time.
There are so many things I pray she never loses. Her belly laugh. Her impy smile. Her spiritual sensitivity. Her compassion for those in need. Her generosity with kisses, hugs and affection in general. Her crazy curly hair. Her love for asking questions (although I wouldn't mind if that one diminished a little). It's been an amazing four years, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the next four!
But it is Rachel who has changed the most significantly over the summer. As I replaced last year's picture of Rachel with her current one, I was struck by how fast she's growing up. She looks so much older than she did a year ago - but it's more than just her looks. Every aspect of her little person has gone from chubby toddlerhood to bright, energetic preschooler. It makes me sad to think about, but also grateful that God is allowing me to guide, develop and love her in these early years. So, I'm dedicating this post to Rachel, our almost-4-year-old.
Ralph Waldo Emerson defines child as "a curly dimpled lunatic." There couldn't be a better description of my firstborn daughter! I mean, what can you expect from someone who begs to watch "The 101 Salvations", who thanked God for paper towels one night at dinner, and who cried inconsolably when I shared with her tonight that even though her party was Saturday, she's not going to be 4 for another 2 weeks? I admit it - I lied just to make her stop crying, which she did the moment I told her I was only kidding and she really is 4.
Since we're on the topic . . . Rachel had her very first "friend birthday party" over the weekend, with her friend, Alia. Since their birthdays are a month apart, Alia's mom, Erin, and I decided to combine forces and have a big princess party (the girls insisted on this theme) on August 5th - 2 weeks after Alia's birthday and 3 weeks before Rachel's. Rachel has been anticipating this party, by the way, since January. 
It was fabulous. Each little princess, in full regalia, was announced, had her picture taken, and got to walk the red carpet, across the deck and out into the yard. They sifted for jewels and precious stones in boxes of sand, they searched for Cinderella's lost slipper, they played on the swingset and the "inflatable bouncy thing", as we've come to call it, in the yard. 
Erin read "The Princess and the Kiss" to them, the two birthday princesses opened gifts and we ended the whole shabang with fairy castle cake and ice cream. I was rather proud of the cake, which looked oh so simple but took over four hours to make. There were 11 princesses at the party, and 2 fully outfitted queens - one of whom was 8 months pregnant (not me!). I did feel a little sorry for poor Zekers, who, consumed by jealousy, begged to be dressed as a princess like his sister. We've simply got to get that kid a cowboy outfit or something. 
In June I signed Rachel up for summer ballet classes. She goes every Tuesday and Thursday for 10 half-hour sessions. I tell you what - she's about 10 kinds of cute in her little leotard and skirt, practicing her "first potition" and "releve" with the other 6 or 7 girls in the class. Although she matter-of-factly shared with her dance instructor last week that she wasn't "in the mood" to dance, she usually does pretty well and even asked Miss Barbara today for an extra sucker to take home to her brother. What a sweetheart. 
Also for the first time, Rachel has attended 2 Vacation Bible Schools - one at Camp Forest Springs in July, and the other at our church last week. Ours had a "reaching the nations" theme, highlighting Brazil, the Dominican Republic, South Africa, India and the USA. As a part of the team that put together the USA night, I had the privilege of dressing as a fashion-challenged frontier-woman. Rach did look adorable in her cowgirl outfit - if only the bottom half would have stayed up. Apparenly her jeans AND underwear were a mite large on her, as her group leader told me afterward that she mooned all 150 VBS-ers during the teaching time. There are so many things I pray she never loses. Her belly laugh. Her impy smile. Her spiritual sensitivity. Her compassion for those in need. Her generosity with kisses, hugs and affection in general. Her crazy curly hair. Her love for asking questions (although I wouldn't mind if that one diminished a little). It's been an amazing four years, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the next four!
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