Sweet Friend,
Thank you for the adorable header.
It looks great on our blog.
Now
Quit Procrastinating.
See you in the morning.
Save me a spot next to our "junk seat".
Saturday, April 26, 2008
A Collection of Randomness...
We had a playdate at Thatcher's house yesterday, and Ethan was inseparable with the rifle and the car pumper. Thankfully, nobody else wanted them, so Ethan was at peace with all friends.
Chris brought me Godiva truffles and Ethan chocolate covered pretzels. He is just that sweet.
Last night, Ethan was most excited to get to wake up and play with the baby powder he found in the cabinet just before his shower.
This morning, he remembered he was excited about the baby powder.
Ethan spent a lot of time in the backyard throwing baby powder on Ranger. She still stinks. Ethan smells good.
Ethan: "Mommy, your eyes are black just like Ollie's!"
Me: (in my head: Not sure how I feel about having my eyes compared to the chihuahua's).
We found a grasshopper:
Ethan likes gourmet olives from the olive bar, and also snacking on fresh herbs from my herb garden.
I worked out today for the first time in about a month. I'm sick of all my workout DVDs, but also can't find one to buy that I think I will like. Loosing motivation for summer.....
Lunch is ready: Fish sticks, carrot sticks, and peas.
What a normal, normal life we lead....
Chris brought me Godiva truffles and Ethan chocolate covered pretzels. He is just that sweet.
Last night, Ethan was most excited to get to wake up and play with the baby powder he found in the cabinet just before his shower.
This morning, he remembered he was excited about the baby powder.
Ethan spent a lot of time in the backyard throwing baby powder on Ranger. She still stinks. Ethan smells good.
Ethan: "Mommy, your eyes are black just like Ollie's!"
Me: (in my head: Not sure how I feel about having my eyes compared to the chihuahua's).
We found a grasshopper:
Ethan likes gourmet olives from the olive bar, and also snacking on fresh herbs from my herb garden.
I worked out today for the first time in about a month. I'm sick of all my workout DVDs, but also can't find one to buy that I think I will like. Loosing motivation for summer.....
Lunch is ready: Fish sticks, carrot sticks, and peas.
What a normal, normal life we lead....
Saturday, April 19, 2008
When being a good mom means saying, "No"
I'm picking up the house this morning, when Ethan finds my purse:
He says, "Hey, I want to wear your purse!" and laughs. I try to rid myself of a rush of anxiety by offering up a quick prayer, "Lord, help me not to worry. I know he's just imitating what he sees", and take this as an opportunity for a life lesson: "OK, you can try my purse, but do boys wear purses, or just girls?" (yes, he knew the answer).
Then he straps it over his shoulder and exclaims, "Look! It's like a firefighter radio!"
Oh phew!...thank goodness it's a radio, and not a place to hold lipstick! He learned how firefighters strap a radio over their shoulder from a kids documentary about firefighters.l
Then comes the question of the day: "Can I wear this to the store?"
I look down at him, and he's looking quite.....less than masculine...unmanly....the opposite of boy. In a quick flash, I'm thinking about how we are not supposed to worry about what others think of our children when they are making independent choices (plaid with stripes, self-induced hair style with gel, etc...), but then again, what am I teaching my son about social boundaries? I would certainly know that my son was obviously carrying a firefighter radio and not a man bag, but everyone else would think, "That boy is....odd" (to say the least). And I could just imagine the whispering comments, the sly pointing, the downcast eyes... So, instead of instinctively yelling, "Yeah...NO!", I gently reply back to him, "Ummm, don't you think that one would be more fun to play with at home with all your other firefighter gear?" I'm glad it went over well. We had a great day, and now we are back home and he is one happy firefighter, radio and all...
It's a firefighter radio, folks. No need to stare.
What, your child doesn't have a Coach over-the-shoulder firefighter radio?
He says, "Hey, I want to wear your purse!" and laughs. I try to rid myself of a rush of anxiety by offering up a quick prayer, "Lord, help me not to worry. I know he's just imitating what he sees", and take this as an opportunity for a life lesson: "OK, you can try my purse, but do boys wear purses, or just girls?" (yes, he knew the answer).
Then he straps it over his shoulder and exclaims, "Look! It's like a firefighter radio!"
Oh phew!...thank goodness it's a radio, and not a place to hold lipstick! He learned how firefighters strap a radio over their shoulder from a kids documentary about firefighters.l
Then comes the question of the day: "Can I wear this to the store?"
I look down at him, and he's looking quite.....less than masculine...unmanly....the opposite of boy. In a quick flash, I'm thinking about how we are not supposed to worry about what others think of our children when they are making independent choices (plaid with stripes, self-induced hair style with gel, etc...), but then again, what am I teaching my son about social boundaries? I would certainly know that my son was obviously carrying a firefighter radio and not a man bag, but everyone else would think, "That boy is....odd" (to say the least). And I could just imagine the whispering comments, the sly pointing, the downcast eyes... So, instead of instinctively yelling, "Yeah...NO!", I gently reply back to him, "Ummm, don't you think that one would be more fun to play with at home with all your other firefighter gear?" I'm glad it went over well. We had a great day, and now we are back home and he is one happy firefighter, radio and all...
It's a firefighter radio, folks. No need to stare.
What, your child doesn't have a Coach over-the-shoulder firefighter radio?
Friday, April 18, 2008
Day O' Ethan
It wasn't intentional, but today ended up being pretty much all about Ethan....
We started this morning with plans to head up to Children's Place to get some shorts for summer. I told him where we were going, and he came back with, "I don't need new clothes! I like my clothes!" Unlike some kids, he's not all together particular about what he wears on any given day, so I let it go and didn't think he'd think twice about it. After Children's Place, we had plans to meet up with friends at Chick-fil-A to play.
On the way to the store, Ethan comes out of dead silence with this:
"Weeeellll....I am going to be a firefighter, and so I have to wear my firefighter jacket and THAT'S why I don't need new clothes. Now I can go to Chick-fil-A to play, OK Mommy?
A simple rebuttal about how he had to have some clothes to wear while he's NOT fighting fires was sufficient.
Here's how the Day o' Ethan looked:
Wake up, Sprinklers are on (that's a whole post in itself...)
New clothes
Play date with Jacob, Chick-fil-A for lunch
Intermission (fell asleep in the car on the way home)
Super cool wooden park with best buddy, Jace, for several hours
McDonald's dinner and play area with Jace
Shower and konk out.... Why am I so exhausted, too??
Here's one of the pair of shorts he got, which I think are so cute :)
We started this morning with plans to head up to Children's Place to get some shorts for summer. I told him where we were going, and he came back with, "I don't need new clothes! I like my clothes!" Unlike some kids, he's not all together particular about what he wears on any given day, so I let it go and didn't think he'd think twice about it. After Children's Place, we had plans to meet up with friends at Chick-fil-A to play.
On the way to the store, Ethan comes out of dead silence with this:
"Weeeellll....I am going to be a firefighter, and so I have to wear my firefighter jacket and THAT'S why I don't need new clothes. Now I can go to Chick-fil-A to play, OK Mommy?
A simple rebuttal about how he had to have some clothes to wear while he's NOT fighting fires was sufficient.
Here's how the Day o' Ethan looked:
Wake up, Sprinklers are on (that's a whole post in itself...)
New clothes
Play date with Jacob, Chick-fil-A for lunch
Intermission (fell asleep in the car on the way home)
Super cool wooden park with best buddy, Jace, for several hours
McDonald's dinner and play area with Jace
Shower and konk out.... Why am I so exhausted, too??
Here's one of the pair of shorts he got, which I think are so cute :)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I love nights....
when Ethan is asleep by 8:00! It doesn't happen often, but we had a busy, fun day because of school and best pal, Jace, coming over to play :)
Now I'm going to settle in, relax, and obsess over the weather. I can hear the wonderful thunder rolling in, and the sky looks like this:
Now I'm going to settle in, relax, and obsess over the weather. I can hear the wonderful thunder rolling in, and the sky looks like this:
Monday, April 14, 2008
Angels and Air Mask
Ethan LOVES, LOVES his firefighter air mask! Here he says it's "perfect" and can't stop giggling at himself! Also, when I ask him a question that ends in "or what" (for example, "Are we hungry, or what?!), his response is always "WHAT!" Here I ask him, "Is it cool, or what?" The answer, of course, is, "WHAT!"
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Makes my heart glad
On the way home from church tonight, Ethan requested one of his favorite worship songs, "Beautiful One". We sang it over and over and over again, but I could never tire of hearing words of worship come from my son's mouth:
"Bootiful One I wuv, Bootiful One I a door, Bootiful One my soul must sing!!"
(Beautiful One I love, Beautiful One I adore, Beautiful One my soul must sing!)
(Beautiful One I love, Beautiful One I adore, Beautiful One my soul must sing!)
I asked him some questions about what he was singing.
Who is the Beautiful One?
--GOD!
What does it mean to love God?
---PRAY!
What does it mean when you say, "I adore?"
--A way out! :)
What do you know about God?
--God can do anything and God can heal me! (One of his favorite characteristics about God--God is great at making Ethan feel better when he has an owie!).
Who is the Beautiful One?
--GOD!
What does it mean to love God?
---PRAY!
What does it mean when you say, "I adore?"
--A way out! :)
What do you know about God?
--God can do anything and God can heal me! (One of his favorite characteristics about God--God is great at making Ethan feel better when he has an owie!).
Wonderful, so wonderful
Is Your unfailing love
Your cross has spoken mercy over me
No eye has seen no ear has heard
No heart could fully know
How glorious, how beautiful You are.CHORUS
Beautiful One I love
Beautiful One I adore
Beautiful One my soul must sing!Powerful, so powerful
Your glory fills the skies
Your mighty works displayed for all to see
The beauty of Your majesty
Awakes my heart to see
How marvelous, how wonderful You are!Beautiful One I love
Beautiful One I adore
Beautiful One my soul must sing!
You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew
You captured my heart with this love
Because nothing on Earth is as beautiful as YouBeautiful One I love
Beautiful One I adore
Beautiful One my soul must sing!
***On another note, as I was writing this post and getting so moved about how Christ has already begun to reveal Himself to our son, Ethan was on the toilet. Just as I published this, he is yelling out to me, "Hey! I'm pretending to eat some poop! Peee-ewwww!" Kind of changes the mood around here.... :)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Growing up
Our perfect Spring Day (kite flying, the smell of fresh cut grass, Ethan exclaiming, "I like relaxin'!, and a walk with the two dogs), also included this conversation:
A boy across the street, maybe 10 years old, is walking his dog. Ethan is in his stroller and I'm pushing him, along with the dogs.
Ethan: Look, that boy is all by himself.
Mom: Yep, he sure is. I guess he's old enough so he doesn't have to walk with his mom or dad.
Ethan: silence for about 5 minutes. Then out of no where, turns to me and says: I wish I was old to not have to walk with you.
Mom: Really?! But I LIKE walking with you! Don't you like to walk with me?
Ethan: yeah.
sniff. my baby boy will not be my baby forever. We will proudly send him off and praise him for his independence along the way, but boy, statements like this make me want to grab onto him and kiss his soft little cheeks until they are raw. I think I will take extra time to rub his little head tonight while he is sleeping.
A boy across the street, maybe 10 years old, is walking his dog. Ethan is in his stroller and I'm pushing him, along with the dogs.
Ethan: Look, that boy is all by himself.
Mom: Yep, he sure is. I guess he's old enough so he doesn't have to walk with his mom or dad.
Ethan: silence for about 5 minutes. Then out of no where, turns to me and says: I wish I was old to not have to walk with you.
Mom: Really?! But I LIKE walking with you! Don't you like to walk with me?
Ethan: yeah.
sniff. my baby boy will not be my baby forever. We will proudly send him off and praise him for his independence along the way, but boy, statements like this make me want to grab onto him and kiss his soft little cheeks until they are raw. I think I will take extra time to rub his little head tonight while he is sleeping.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
You know you're old when....
You know you're old when the following take place on your birthday:
4. One of your most exciting and favorite gifts is a Sonicare toothbrush and you just can't wait until the next time you get to brush your teeth.
3. Your uncle calls you and describes you as being "just like one of us" (speaking of himself, his wife, my mom, etc.....these people changed my diapers, folks!).
2. You need to take a nap on your child's bed while he plays on the floor beside you because he doesn't need a nap.
1. Your extra special birthday wish is partying it up at the Rave. And by "RAVE", I mean the movie theater up the street. And by "partying it up", I mean wearing comfy sweats and being escorted by Sweet Hubby and Dear Son to an ultra private viewing of "Horton Hears a Who".
What a great day! Thanks for all the birthday well-wishes!! It's 9:45 and I'm beat. Think I'll call it a night......Call me "old".
Go on. I can take it.
Now, what did I do with my toothbrush... ?
4. One of your most exciting and favorite gifts is a Sonicare toothbrush and you just can't wait until the next time you get to brush your teeth.
3. Your uncle calls you and describes you as being "just like one of us" (speaking of himself, his wife, my mom, etc.....these people changed my diapers, folks!).
2. You need to take a nap on your child's bed while he plays on the floor beside you because he doesn't need a nap.
1. Your extra special birthday wish is partying it up at the Rave. And by "RAVE", I mean the movie theater up the street. And by "partying it up", I mean wearing comfy sweats and being escorted by Sweet Hubby and Dear Son to an ultra private viewing of "Horton Hears a Who".
What a great day! Thanks for all the birthday well-wishes!! It's 9:45 and I'm beat. Think I'll call it a night......Call me "old".
Go on. I can take it.
Now, what did I do with my toothbrush... ?
Monday, April 7, 2008
Women's Retreat
I just saw a news report about how blogs can make people get stressed out and lose sleep because they feel the pressure to update them! I won't let that happen here :) It's been super busy the last few days, so I'll just post some pics from the Women's Retreat, and then later I'll try to get some pics up from Ethan's Spring Recital last night.
Here's our retreat. The theme was JOY. I could write forever about what I took away from it, but it really came down to two verses for me:
1. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21
We did an exercise where we filled in the blanks: For me, to live is _____ and to die is _____. I realized that where I am right now, living for me is all about one particular issue, and in the end, it really is not going to matter what happens with that. This exercise changed my perspective, and I was able to move closer to letting it go.
2. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. The literal translation is "Cease striving, and know that I am God." Sitting on the bathroom floor staring at another stark white negative pregnancy test, I heard God clearly speak these words to my heart. I've known this truth and have chosen not to listen to it, but with the way my heart was impacted from this weekend, I'm ready to lay it down and let it go. Life is too short and too precious to obsess about what may or may not happen.
Thank you to my mom for coming out and watching Ethan for me! He had a great time! Thank you, Papi, for coming, too...for a few hours ;) It was great to see you!
Quiet time on the dock.....ahhh, tranquility :)
The Shores of Pine Cove
Jennifer and Michelle getting ready for the Zip Line. Hearing Jennifer scream so loud, then laugh so hard, she cried = priceless.
Prayer cloth. Everyone traced their hand and wrote out what they would like prayer for. After you wrote yours, you placed a hand on someone else and prayed over them. Someone in the church is taking this home and will pray over each lady throughout the year.
Here's our retreat. The theme was JOY. I could write forever about what I took away from it, but it really came down to two verses for me:
1. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21
We did an exercise where we filled in the blanks: For me, to live is _____ and to die is _____. I realized that where I am right now, living for me is all about one particular issue, and in the end, it really is not going to matter what happens with that. This exercise changed my perspective, and I was able to move closer to letting it go.
2. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. The literal translation is "Cease striving, and know that I am God." Sitting on the bathroom floor staring at another stark white negative pregnancy test, I heard God clearly speak these words to my heart. I've known this truth and have chosen not to listen to it, but with the way my heart was impacted from this weekend, I'm ready to lay it down and let it go. Life is too short and too precious to obsess about what may or may not happen.
Thank you to my mom for coming out and watching Ethan for me! He had a great time! Thank you, Papi, for coming, too...for a few hours ;) It was great to see you!
Quiet time on the dock.....ahhh, tranquility :)
The Shores of Pine Cove
Jennifer and Michelle getting ready for the Zip Line. Hearing Jennifer scream so loud, then laugh so hard, she cried = priceless.
Prayer cloth. Everyone traced their hand and wrote out what they would like prayer for. After you wrote yours, you placed a hand on someone else and prayed over them. Someone in the church is taking this home and will pray over each lady throughout the year.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Bed Time Prayer
"God, please help me to be a firefighter. I do want to be a firefighter in case somebody calls 911. Thank you, God. I love you, God. Amen."
Lord, please fulfill the desires of our son's heart, and whatever he does, may it be for Your glory.
Lord, please fulfill the desires of our son's heart, and whatever he does, may it be for Your glory.
We're going back to Cali, to Cali, to Cali
(****This was posted as an April Fool's joke! Word has it, our "move" is still getting around town as legit info! Now I know who reads this blog for detail and who scans it for the gist! ha,ha!!)
Big news :) We've decided to go ahead and take up an opportunity for Chris to be transferred back to our old stomping grounds. We're not sure how all this will look, exactly. We will certainly miss all that God has given to us here, but it will be so wonderful to be back with family. To say the least, we are super excited!!
Can't write much now......
For National Atheist Day*, it sure looks like it's going to be a pretty one---breezy and 70's!
*"The fool** has said in his heart, "There is no God." Psalm 14:1
**Happy April Fool's Day***
***And for those who still haven't caught on, we're staying right here where the stars at night are big and bright :)
Big news :) We've decided to go ahead and take up an opportunity for Chris to be transferred back to our old stomping grounds. We're not sure how all this will look, exactly. We will certainly miss all that God has given to us here, but it will be so wonderful to be back with family. To say the least, we are super excited!!
Can't write much now......
For National Atheist Day*, it sure looks like it's going to be a pretty one---breezy and 70's!
*"The fool** has said in his heart, "There is no God." Psalm 14:1
**Happy April Fool's Day***
***And for those who still haven't caught on, we're staying right here where the stars at night are big and bright :)
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