Bath Time Buddies

100 Things About Me

This may be full of things you already know, but maybe there's something new in there somewhere. I'm going to try not to state anything too obvious to everyone.

1. I love writing whether it's blogs, letters, e-mails, or anything else.
2. I've thought of writing a book and know exactly what it would be about and how it would start.
3. My friends and I used to sit around and write stories all the time
4. I am still in contact with every close friend I've had since I was six.
5. I have had and do have the best friends anyone could ever ask for.
6. I've never had a fight with a friend.
7. I love to read.
8. I can remember staying up late reading things like Anne of Green Gables when I was seven.
   
9. I walked into a wall once while reading a book.
10. I didn't play sports because I was always reading.
11. I've played the piano for 23 years.
12. Piano recitals made me nauseous but I can sing without getting nervous. I used to play so fast that you could hear people let our their breath when I finished.
    
13. I have one piano student and enjoy spending time with the piano again.
14. I took sewing lessons from age 5 to 16.
15. I made my graduation dress.
16. I graduated at 16.
17. I was homeschooled all through my school years.
18. I loved every minute of it.
19. Growing up I never had another child or teenager say something negative to me about that but heard many adults do it.
20. Just goes to show you that we are not born threatened by other people who do things differently than we do. It's something we learn.
21. Because of this, it has been a goal of mine to always look at other people's choices and decisions from their point of view and not mine.
    
22. I had never been inside a school while classes were going on until I started working in the Oklahoma City ISD.
23. I thought many of the teachers and principals I met during my work with the schools were absolutely amazing. I have the deepest admiration for what they do.
    
24. I started traveling doing ministry when I was fourteen.
25. When I was fifteen I went to Mexico and Australia teaching a children's program.
26. The kids in Australia thought I rode a horse everywhere because I was from Texas.
    
27. I've been on stage in front of hundreds of kids and never get nervous but put me in front of fifteen teenagers and I'm slightly terrified.
    
28. I didn't go to college and neither did John.
29. Neither one of us have ever regretted it.
30. I knew I was going to marry John when I was 17.
31. He's the only guy I've ever kissed and I always tell him he's the best kisser in the world. :)
    
32. We got married a month after I turned 21.
33. We invited over 1,400 people to our wedding and still had to leave people off the list.
    
34. I hand addressed each invitation in calligraphy.
    
35. That took a very long time.
36. John stuffed the envelopes with my sisters. He was very involved in planning our wedding.
    
37. We had already known each other for 16 years when we got married.
38. Before and after we got married we taught kids at church together for years and this led to many great discussions about how we wanted to raise our kids before we ever had them.
    
39. I've been pregnant five times.
    
40. I have no idea how many children we're going to have.
41. I start hoping for another baby about the time mine turns six months but God has had other plans so far.
42. God has taught me a lot about patience over the last five years.
    
43. I think God makes better decisions than I do and always provides the energy and resources for His plans (which is the reason for #40).
44. I love roller coasters and thrill rides.
45. I hate scary movies.
46. I love strawberries and birthday cake.
47. I really love my Bimi's mac and cheese, my Mema's chocolate cake, and both of my grandmothers' turkey and dressing.
    
48. I hate raw onions and tomatoes.
49. I love having people over and we usually do two or three times a week.
50. I love board and card games.
51. In high school all my friends would come to my house and play games for hours.
52. Sometimes my mom would play with us and that was usually the most fun.
53. My friends and I knew each other's parents almost as well as we knew each other. This probably prevented a lot of problems.
    
54. I used to cry a lot and wear my heart on my sleeve.
55. My dad was the most influential person in helping me overcome that tendency.
56. Now it's pretty hard to hurt my feelings.
57. I love hugs but I never know if other people like them as much as I do.
58. I love snuggles and think that may have something to do with how much I love babies.
59. I grew up on old movies and my favorite actors/actresses are the classic ones like Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, the Marx Brothers, and many others.
60. I love history and historical fiction.
61. I like jobs where I know exactly what to do and when I'm finished.
62. So I like cleaning and ironing.
63. I like laundry because of the piles of dirty clothes disappearing but don't like that I can't get it all cleaned at once.
64. I grew up on a 2,400-acre ranch
65. I lived across the pasture from my grandparents
66. I used to get my school done as quickly as possible so I could get outside and go feed the horses, ride bikes, or just play.
67. When I was seven we lived on a golf course.
68. I was going through a major Anne of Green Gables phase and named places on the golf course things like Angel's Shining Lake.
69. I still believe in kindred spirits.
    
70. I kept a journal during that time and it is dramatic and hilarious.
    
71. I think I must have really annoyed my brothers doing things like that.
72. In spite of that, my brothers were my best friends.
73. My mom used to make us sit in the corner and hug after we fought.
74. That taught us a lot about dealing with our issues instead of running away from them.
75. Since I was the only girl for 11 years, we played a lot of guy things like Batman and Robin. I insisted on being Batman because I thought Batgirl was ridiculous. Cameron was Robin and Kyle was the bad guy.
76. When the boys played girl things with me it didn't work as well because they would eventually throw something in like robbing my restaurant or terrorizing my family of dolls.
77. I played with dolls until I was thirteen. Then I only stopped because I got too busy.
    
78. I am very competitive.
79. Another girl told me she wanted to marry John.
80. She didn't. : )
    
81. I have always had a hard time doing anything I didn't feel I was good at (which is a lot of things).
    
82. I'm really good at crosswords, word games, and puzzles.
83. My IQ is in the top one percent but I can't catch or hit a ball to save my life.
84. This was frustrating when playing volleyball with friends seemed more important than being smart.
    
85. Fortunately I have grown a little more coordinated and can at least play catch with my son.
86. My shoes used to have names and I would play with them.
87. When I shop, I like to shop quickly. In the store, scan, leave.
88. I always end up waiting on John when we shop. Especially if we're somewhere where he can smell things like candles or lotions. : )
89. I love lists.
90. Sometimes I add things to them after I've done them so I can check them off and see that I did them.
91. Yes, I'm aware that I am crazy.
    
92. I get excited about making a plan.
93. We have decided it is physically impossible for us to go to bed early.
94. On a regular basis John and I will be in bed at a decent hour and talk until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning like kids at a sleepover.
    
95. Fortunately, our kids sleep late.
96. We have seriously considered packing our family up at some point and traveling around the world doing mission work as we go.
97. We want to make it a high priority for our kids to understand how other people live and to have a heart for people everywhere.
98. My life is wonderful!
99. My family is amazing!
100. My God is GOOD!!!

I Like It!

I just realized that I completely missed "I Like It" Friday! So, here it is belated.

Tada!The food mill has been an invaluable item with Kailey. I had it with LJ but rarely used it. This time I have used it constantly. I have been getting organic produce through a co-op for a while now and I pop those organic peaches, blueberries, or other fruits or vegetables into the grinder and then feed her out of it. Practically as easy as opening a jar but fresher and Kailey much prefers the taste. As a matter of fact, she's kind of on a jar boycott because she only wants the fresh or frozen. If you do a taste test yourself, you can definitely see why. I know I've seen them at Babies R Us before or you can get them online. Definitely worth the $12.95!

6 Years and Counting

Yesterday was a full and busy day. We were getting ready for Christine's shower today (which was wonderful, by the way) and then last night we had two weddings. Well, a reception and a wedding. The first was at 7:00 in Dallas, then we loaded in the car and drove to Benbrook to be at the second reception for a wedding that started at 8:00. We had both kids with us. Little John had a piece of wedding cake at the first reception and at the second he had so many different people passing him around that I'm not sure how much cake he had. All I know is that at 10:30 he sounded like a windup toy on speed. He was talking ninety miles an hour in a very high-pitched voice. It was HILARIOUS. I have never seem him like that. Then we stuck him in the car and he crashed and didn't even stir when we put him in bed.

Being at two weddings yesterday seemed rather fitting since it was our sixth anniversary. Two of my bridesmaids were bridesmaids again yesterday for the second time on August 18th. Our kids slept on all three car rides so we did lots of reminiscing of our wedding day and what we were doing six years ago. Sweet memories of a wonderful day. I probably told him ten times how glad I am that I married him. I'm sure he got it after the first time but I just want him to understand HOW glad I am that I married him!!! With God's help and leading that was the second best decision of my life, only topped by my decision to give my life to the Lord. John is everything I thought he was going to be and so much more. I knew that I was going to be committed to him and that I was going to choose to love him for the rest of my life, the bonus has been that I wasn't prepared for how in love with him I was going to be six years down the road. I thought I was in love with him when we got married. That was just playing in the baby pool. Six years and two kids later, there are things about him I am just discovering. I have the feeling that while I'm a little deeper, I still have years to go before I truly understand the depth of love that is possible after a commitment of 30, 40, or 50 years. Now that's swimming in the deep end. I eagerly anticipate what God has in store for us together.

Speaking of commitment, my parents celebrated their 35th anniversary yesterday. My heart is always full when I think of everything they have done to give the six of us unconditional love, security, and an example, not of perfection, but of God's grace. Thank you, Mom and Dad. I can never express my gratitude for your faithfulness to God, to each other, to us.

Fishing

After the helicopter ride, we went down to the fishing pond my grandfather built and stocked with fish. I hadn't been down there before and it is absolutely beautiful. Little John's face when he came around the bend and spotted it was priceless. He got several nibbles on his pole but we couldn't manage to get a fish all the way in with the Cars pole so we had to go for a heftier one. We didn't stay very long since we needed to get home for small group but we're definitely going back soon when we can stay and watch the sun set over that water. A ranch sunrise or sunset will always top my list of beautiful things I love. I'm definitely thinking fishing birthday party in the next few years.

Fishing with Grandpa

Fishing with Dad (how great is this picture?!)

Checking out Caitlin's fish

Carli caught a big catfish

I never seem to have a picture with my beautiful sister-in-law so I thought we would find few better backgrounds than this!
Da with two of his five granddaughters (I think he looks just like Spencer Tracy)

Helicopter Ride

My grandfather just got a new helicopter. Sunday was it's big "debut" with the family there. The pilot, who is a wonderful, godly man, gave us some instructions and prayed a blessing over the helicopter and that it would be used safely and for God-honoring purposes. My extended family has not always done things like that together and seeing my grandfather become the spiritual leader of our family is something that was only in my wildest dreams at one time. God truly gave us so much more than we were even praying for all those years. If you have loved ones you have prayed for year in and year out, NEVER give up! You have no idea what could happen.

Little John thought the ride was great! He was so excited about everything. For me, the ride was wonderful. Looking down and seeing my childhood home full of happy memories was better. Having a precious moment with my grandparents and family was the best.

Kyle, Brittany, Kyndall, John, LJ & I got the first ride

It's a beauty

The kids checking out their new ride. LJ was excited to see a remote control, DVD player and headphones. Believe me, he never thought about them once we got in the air.

Da gathered us as a family to share his special moment

We could talk over the headsets to each other and the pilot

Home, sweet, childhood home

The Rolling V Ranch

August Birthday Party

Sunday we celebrated the August birthdays with my mom's family and my dad's mom out at the ranch near Rhome where I grew up. It was such a fun day for all of us, but especially for Little John. He loves to be with family and having a lot of them in one place is a little piece of heaven in his book. He really missed my cousins Brianna and Brittany but they were out of town. Hopefully we'll see them soon. He hasn't stopped talking about being with Bimi and Da, Vicki and Greg, and Mema since we were there. He also went fishing for the first time and on his first helicopter ride!!! Is that a big day or what? Believe me, more pictures are coming.

The August birthday crew - Brittany, Christopher, Bimi & John

Trying out the new "Cars" fishing pole complete with a tire-shaped floater on the end

Practicing in the pool with Dad before going down to the pond

As LJ was practicing, Uncle Kyle dove in, grabbed the end in his mouth and started tugging

They "reeled him in" and he started flopping around like a fish. The look on LJ's face was priceless. It was hilarious! I love the way my siblings interact with my kids. They are tremendous blessings in our daily lives! I thank God for each one of them!

Happy Birthday, John!

On John's birthday we made him snickerdoodles and took them up to his office after lunch. Getting two kids and a plate of cookies upstairs to his office was quite a feat, especially since Kailey really wanted the cookies. Afterwards we helped him pick out a new watch and enjoyed a cold drink at Starbucks. During this little outing, LJ decided to tell Dad what we got him for his birthday. I think he missed it, though. When John got home that night, LJ was standing at the door holding his gift ready for him to open it. Since it was candy and a new Wii game, LJ was slightly excited about partaking in the goodies. One cute thing about this birthday was that it was the first time LJ picked out his own card for Dad. He picked one with pool balls on it after considering one with transformers and one with a G. I. Joe. : )

That night we went to dinner with Ryan and Meredith at Texas de Brazil. All four of us have birthdays within a month - the girls turned 27 and the guys turned 28. We decided we would have a little birthday party together and it was a fun one. They are so much fun to be with and so easy to talk to. We loved having a chance to hang out and laugh a lot!

There are no words to express how glad I am that my husband was born 28 years ago to his wonderful parents and that he grew into the incredible, godly man he is today. Just when I think he would be difficult to improve, he gets better and better. Each year he grows more mature in things of the spirit and yet stays fun and young at the same time. His leadership of our family is wise, his discipline of our children is loving, his caring, considerate love for me is Christlike, and that is only the beginning of a list that goes on and on. I get so excited for my kids as they continue to discover just how great their dad is! I'm still learning about all the ways he is wonderful and I've known him more than twenty years! So, happy birthday to my hunky husband (a little late)! I can't wait to get to know you even better as you continue to grow and change into the image of Christ! I better get to work keeping up with you!

Taking cookies to Dad

Presents!

Two kids who ADORE their daddy (and look a lot like him)!

Yummy dinner!

Birthday Week

I'm going to get caught up on all of our busy week now that I'm feeling a little more blog motivated. Thursday was Big John's 28th birthday. We started celebrating Wednesday night by going to the Ranger game with all of his family. It was LJ's first Ranger game and he had been talking for days about going to see baseball with Nonnie and Poppie. It was a fun way to celebrate our baseball-loving guy!

Such a cool stadium

Watching the game

LJ and Caden

$1 hot dog night

Daddy and LJ got new hats. LJ's been wearing his everywhere.

I Like It!

And today for your reading pleasure from your not-motivated-to-blog-this-week friend. . .

Boynton Books!If you haven't read these with your kids, they are a must. Funny, cute illustrations, easy and quick to read. Big and Little John have a special tradition of reading Blue Hat, Green Hat together that always ends in hysterical laughter. Moo, Baa, La La La has all the different noises the animals make and at the end it asks, "Now what do you say?" Then I look at LJ and he says, "Duuuude." Hilarious.

I Like It!

Since I missed my product review yesterday, I'll catch up today. My vote for this week goes to

Our friend, Matthew, recently recommended this to us. It is a beautifully done dramatization of the Bible with music, talented voice actors, and sound effects. You will feel like you are in the middle of the story with Jesus and his disciples. They will soon be releasing the Old Testament as well. Amazon has a good price - we downloaded it on iTunes. It will be a fantastic way to listen to the Bible with kids!

Just A Moment Alone, Please

Yesterday was a crazy day. A crazy day where we stayed home. Kailey decided to stay awake in her crib through her morning nap so she was a little crabby around lunchtime. Since I didn't have that opportunity to take a shower, I decided to hop in while she was playing in my bathroom and closet. We have one of those showers without a door and I had just started washing my hair when she crawled in, fully dressed. For a minute, she played in the water and then started screaming and pulling on my legs looking like a soaked kitten. Seriously? Just when I thought mommyhood couldn't get any more 24/7, I can't even shower by myself. : )

Later, she was playing with LJ. I left the room, came back and she was on the 4th step of the stairs. Not crawling, STANDING on the stairs! So, the stair gate is making its return at our house for a while.

Last night LJ had some crackers that Kailey wanted. When she reached for them I heard him say, "No, Kailey, you can't have these. Now I need you to say, yes sir." Hmm. She was probably thinking, "Who made you the boss of me?" It is so funny to hear him repeat the things we say to him. Funny moments are certainly a part of the daily routine around here.

Zoo Again

We made a spur of the moment, quick trip to the zoo on Monday afternoon. It was one of those unusual outings that began with the power going at the restaurant where we ate lunch and ended with us barely making it to the car before it started pouring. Still, it was tons of fun. Any time we hang with Ches and Garrett, it makes my kids and I happy!

This is LJ's "cheese" face. I think Garrett is wondering why his mom keeps insisting he hang out with this crazy kid.

LJ took this picture of Garrett. Not bad for a three year old's budding photography skills, huh?

Feeding the birds is one of our favorite zoo activities and usually affords the best photo ops.

Garrett was a little less sure about the birds after one flew in his face but decided to check out the ones LJ was feeding.

LJ loves the carousel! He always asks to go "ride the horses" and when we get there he always picks the little cart instead of a horse. Kind of random.

A Little Date with Tim and Faith

While I know we are going to be severely mocked for this, I have to tell you that John and I had a BLAST last night at the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill concert! We have been listening to them for ten years together and it was such a blast through the history of our romantic relationship. A fun thing to do as we rapidly approach our sixth anniversary. Sometimes we can't pretend to be adults any more and while we usually contain those episodes to when we're at home with our kids, on nights like last night we are just two teenage best friends who fell in love. I love having a good time with my man and Tim has nothing on him, even in person.

The concert was great! The energy was fun and seeing one of the few high profile couples who actually maintain a relationship is neat. It does sadden me a little when I see the people who are SO into the concert that it almost looks like they're worshiping, feeling every word and getting very emotional. First, I wonder why we're less enthusiastic about praising the Most High God than they are about singing along to a favorite country anthem. Second, I want to say, "Do you know Jesus? He can fill that void that causes you to become so emotional when a song about love and loss is sung." Third, I am reminded why I don't drink. Oh my goodness, people can be incredibly stupid after three beers. Yikes. It's hard enough to try to bring every thought, word, and action captive for Christ without help being out of control!

All in all, great concert, nice people, fun night, and the BEST husband ever!!!

Swimming with Small Group

We went swimming with our small group the other day and had such a great time! The kids were great, gave us lots of laughs, and we always love being together. We did miss Randi and Cason, though! Let's do it again soon, girls!

Product Review Day

I have decided to declare Friday, "Product Review Day" until I can come up with a better name. I love hearing about things that other moms use so I'm going to share any I find with you guys. It's not like we have much time to be checking out the latest these days. So, to start.

Bible Touch and Play Cards!

We have the alphabet and number cards and there are also opposites. Little John loves playing with them and telling the stories. It's a great way to learn both Bible and the basics at the same time for a hands-on learner! They have them at Lifeway and online at CBD.

Prayer Update

I received an e-mail this morning with this note from the family of the triplets. Their faith and the grace poured out on them is something you can almost physically feel through their words. I thought this would bless those of you who have been praying for them.

Sweet friends and family,

We want to thank all of you who prayed so faithfully, and we are sorry to bring sad news. But although our hearts are broken right now, we know that heaven is a little richer this morning. The triplets were born this morning in the wee hours of the morning, and within about an hour, Frances Grace, Charles Robert, and William Michael had all found their places in the arms of Jesus.

The doctors and Becky did everything they could to save them, but Becky's own safety was at issue with some complications due to the medications. They were never able to stop the contractions in any case.

Beautiful, beautiful babies :-) :-) :-). Mommy and Daddy were able to hold them for a short time to say their goodbyes. Becky said, "I will still say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

To Gracie, Will, and Charles:

When we prepared to give

Three "Welcome home's" one day,

You flew away to heaven -

God did not let you stay.

You lived and smiled in dreams we had

Before you went away,

We sang and spoke our love to you,

For there was much to say.

We had to end the conversation,

For the dreams did not come true:

The Father called, "My little ones!"

And to His arms you flew.

What is this love we cannot give,

The things we cannot say,

The treasures of our hearts locked up

Until one far-off day?

Like presents for a birthday

That never seems to come,

A story that's untold to us -

A song that's still unsung.

But treasures of such love are worth

The pain we must endure,

For love is grief's best remedy,

Its blessing and its cure.

It is better to have loved and lost,

Despite the grief and pain.

We know it's true; we still love you;

You are not loss, but gain.

Prayers

My heart is heavy tonight for a family I learned of through my produce co-op. All three of the triplets she was carrying went to be with Jesus last night, born too early at 22 weeks. Please stop wherever you are and pray for Becky, Scott and their son, Jackson. I can imagine only a little of what they are experiencing. I have been there and seen the grief of those I love separated from their child so soon and only by the grace of God is it survivable. Thank you for praying with me.

Kailey Update

Now Kailey gets an update. She is a constant delight to us, especially because she's back to sleeping good. We had to let her cry it out some, but we are all feeling much better now that she's back to a long, deep sleep at night. Usually it's eight or nine hours, a feeding, then another couple of hours. I can do that. I was feeling a little bad about letting her cry until she started waking up super happy in the mornings. Then I realized that if I need better sleep, she does too.

She continues to get faster and faster crawling. She's all over the house and will follow me from room to room. She hasn't seemed to even notice the stairs yet which is very nice. I think they're just off her beaten path. As soon as she finds anything slightly raised from the floor, she pulls up on it or uses it to push up. She loves to stand up, raise both hands in the air and squeal in excitement before she falls down. She's getting steadier and steadier both standing and sitting back down from a standing position. She cruises around the couch well and can let herself off the couch into a standing position. She continues to amaze me.

Her most recently acquired skill is a lot of verbalizing. She is saying, "mama," "dada," and "bubba" indiscriminately but definitely knows that the "dada" stands for John because she starts rapidly repeating it when he gets home. She's starting to repeat sounds that I make. Little John never really did that. He just listened and then one day said the word. He was always a studious one. Kailey's a little more hands-on and wants to play the game with you. Both ways are fun. I can already see big differences in their learning styles. John has to have repeated correction and daily setting of boundaries. Kailey figures out you're not going to let her do something and figures it's a waste of time to keep trying. I feel quite sure she will grow into some of the other behaviors with time but he was already showing that tendency at this age.

Speaking of Bubba, he is still a favorite person. She thinks he can do anything! He helps me in the car by entertaining her and I will hear lots of giggles back there while driving. He asks where she is as soon as he doesn't see her for a few minutes and gives her lots of kisses. Precious, precious moments.

Kailey's hugs and kisses are precious, her babbles delightful, her smile sunshine, her laugh contagious, and her love that unconditional baby kind that gives us a glimpse into the heart of God. I think there are few ways that God reveals more of Himself to me than through a small child and what is revealed about my heart when I'm around one.

Happy 80th Birthday, Memaw!

One wonderful thing I was taught growing up is that friends come in all packages. All colors, sizes, personalities, and ages. One of my best and sweetest friends has been a big part of my life for 22 years now and this week she turned 80! She doesn't seem a day older than when I met her - if she's changed at all it has only been to grow better with time. Our relationship began when I took a class making a doll at her house. That then turned into sewing lessons each week until I graduated from high school in '97. She has continued to be an important part of my life. She has had an even longer relationship with John, praying for his parents to be able to have children during some of their twelve years of waiting for that blessing. She has now prayed for us to conceive our children. I really think she prayed for us to get married and had much to do with our relationship. I can remember countless times that she asked me what I thought of John Martin. : ) She has excellent taste. She has taught hundreds of girls how to sew, encouraged us to memorize Scripture each month, and modeled for us how to speak and live with grace and honor. She showed us what it meant to love a man faithfully until death parts you. Still to this day she is memorizing God's Word and has books of the Bible she can recite. Her home was and is a place of safety where ugly words are not tolerated and lifetime friendships are made. On Wednesday when we stopped by her dining room table was full of cards from many of the people she has touched. Sometimes God's faithfulness astounds me that He would give me not only two of the most wonderful grandmothers in the world, but also this spiritual grandmother, mentor, and friend. So to Memaw, may this year be a wonderful one! I love you!

Little John Update

I guess it's about time for a Little John update. He continues to surprise us with his constant hilarious thoughts and actions. His favorite things are having people over, playing Wii, playing any sport, being outside, any activity that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and/or cousins, playing with cars, and pretending. I hear him in his room a lot talking in different voices and someone will be grandpa, someone will be the baby, etc. So cute.

I am loving the behavior changes as we get further into this year of being three. He is listening more, understanding our instructions, being more cooperative, and having fewer and fewer episodes of temper and defiance. We definitely still have our moments, but they are the exception now instead of the norm. All that work is starting to show and we are so proud of him and so grateful to God every time He shows us ways to make things a little better for all of us. We've been working on speaking to adults respectfully with some success, although we're still a little confused on who's a sir and who's a ma'am. Whenever I say, "Yes, sir" he says, "Mommy, did you say sir? I'm so proud of you!" in a high voice. Pretty funny.

Today I heard him in his room with a picture of Noah and the ark saying, "And God told Noah not to be afraid of the animals." I don't remember that part of the story but I'm sure that's true! He would have had to not be afraid of the lions and bears. Tonight John was telling us about the story of Goliath and said that Goliath was big like Daddy and David was small like Little John. Then he told the story like he was David and kept saying that he would get Goliath. At some point he mentioned going outside and getting him with his shoe or something like that. We need to continue working on our Bible stories, I think.

Today I got a text message from Amanda and realized that he had been text messaging her on my phone. He sent her a picture of himself! Amanda gets the benefit of his electronic prowess because she's the first entry in my phone address book. I think he was doing that while I was in the shower.

He just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Where does the time go?

Fun Day

We had a great play date with Jack today. Since John knows several Jacks, he decided to specify this one by calling him, "Mickey Jack." They both have the same Mickey Mouse croc shoes, hence the name. I was very excited because instead of doing housework, which my guests could testify definitely needs to be done, I got to have my friend over too! My bed stayed unmade today and Christine and Baby Sam joined Jack for a few hours here. They got out of the house and it was so much fun to talk! It's amazing to me how much the boys have changed and how they can go off and play with less and less intervention from us. They are going to be such good buds because they love all of the same things! I am richly blessed with the best girlfriends in the world and through them wonderful friends for my children! God certainly knew what He was doing when He encouraged us to be part of the community of believers and have those who could walk with us and support us in this journey.

I like doing housework but I will take a good visit with a friend over most things any day. Thanks for coming to play, Christine, Jack and Sam!

Unmotivated & Shocked

I'm feeling very unmotivated lately. I don't feel like blogging, doing housework, doing laundry, or really anything else for that matter. I'm really not sure what's wrong with me. We have house guests coming this weekend so I need to get a move on. So, I'm going downstairs, putting on some good music, and getting to it! We'll see how that goes.

For your entertainment, my friend Summer's blog and my sister reminded me of two classic lines I've gotten from young, male cashiers at the grocery store on two separate occasions.

I was buying baby food for Little John when we lived in Hurst. I would drive out to Market Street and buy the organic kind so I would stock up for a few weeks when I was there. As the guy was ringing up all those little jars he said, "What do you have, a BABY FARM???" What is a baby farm? What in the world? If you don't want to ring up what I'm buying, get me another cashier.

I was buying quite a few things at the grocery store on another occasion and had a pregnancy test among my items. Obviously you're hoping that one slides on by. Not this time. First, he had to get it back from the bagger because it didn't ring up right. Then, he says (and I'm not kidding), "Would it be too personal to ask you who this is for?" WHAT???!!!! WHY??!!!! What difference does it make to you, Dude?!!!! I calmly answered and then started talking about something else.

PEOPLE. Did your mother never tell you, if you can't think of something good to say, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!