On Sunday afternoon after church I took Princess and Big Man to a nearby theme park for an afternoon of fun. Miss Bee stayed home with Daddy since she had a case of allergies combined with needing to recuperate from her slumber party. We met Nana at the park and rode some of our favorite rides - shooting star, bumper cars, and swings - ate at the pizza parlor (an absolute favorite and must-do every trip) and planned on ending the day with an ice cream cone. Before leaving, though, Big Man decided he needed a "prize". There are children's games with a guaranteed prize of a cheap stuffed animal. Instead of "winning" a prize, I talked him into using some of his Easter money to buy a snake at one of the gift shops. He loves the snakes there and the added bonus is that the smallest snakes cost less than playing a children's game. So we headed to the gift shop where Big Man proceeded to analyze each of the snake bins and compare the snakes one by one. He had to choose between the "tiny" snakes, "medium" snakes and "big" snakes. In addition he had to choose which color snake he wanted. He already had a medium orange snakes and a tiny purple snake, so those choices were eliminated. His favorite color is orange, so he considered the tiny orange and big orange choices. He also considered the lime green tiny snake, the irridescent orange medium snake and the red big snake. As he went from bin to bin looking at the snakes he talked about the pros and cons of each choice. For example, the big orange snake would really scare his friends, but the tiny lime green snake would fit into his backpack so he could take it to school to show his friends or take it to Disneyworld or on trips. Princess tried to talk him into the big orange snake, and one of its pros was that he could use it as a jump rope. Finally after 15 minutes of serious deliberation he chose the tiny orange snake. It won out because 1) it's his favorite color and 2) he could take it with him anywhere he went. It was fascinating to watch him consider and reject choices, then go back to them and reconsider one more time. He took the decision very seriously. If he spends at least that much time choosing a major in college he will be on the right track.
After buying the snake, we all went for ice cream - except Princess got a funnel cake on a whim (which she thoroughly enjoyed). I got to finish off Big Man's ice cream as we rode the trolley (one of the kids' favorite rides) back to our car. All in all it was a great day for creating memories.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Hay Day
I was outside with Big Man on this beautiful spring morning and as I walked through the freshly cut grass it occurred to me that we haven't had a "hay day" yet this year. Hay day is a special day created by Princess and is celebrated every time the grass gets cut. It consists of tossing handfuls of cut grass into the air and shouting "hay day!" We've celebrated hay day several times each of the past two summers. As I watch the kiddos get older I know they are gradually becoming more "sophisticated" and "mature" and eventually will be much too old to enjoy activities like hay day. So will this be the summer that hay day ends? Or will it continue to be celebrated in our house? The children still seem so young and yet I know that every day brings us closer to the day we take each of them to college. I'm just not ready to celebrate the last hay day yet. I pray it continues for at least one more summer.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Shot-In-The-Dark Career Predicitons
Since the first time I held each of my babies I wondered what their lives would be like - their likes and dislikes, their friends, their spouses, and of course, what careers they would choose. As they have gotten older I know a lot more about their unique personalities, their likes and dislikes, and I'm using that knowledge to attempt to deduce their future careers. So I figured, for a good laugh later (when they're all settled into their careers of choice), I would commit to print(?) my predictions for each of my kiddos' careers:
Miss Bee, the oldest, is the toughest for me to predict at the moment. She has told me at different times that she would like to be a teacher and a veterinarian. I think I'll go out on a limb, however, and say that with her drive (if we can ever focus it in a single direction) she might possibly choose to be a missionary. Either that or a professional wrestler - after all she gets lots of practice with her brother.
Princess is a true middle child. She's creative, the family peacemaker, and has been completely self-sufficient since she was two. Honestly, at this point she would be thrilled if I let her prepare all her own meals - that way she would always get to eat exactly what she likes. My prediction of her career choice is so easy - she will undoubtedly be a physician. I say this not only because she is a nurturer but also because she is absolutely drawn to all things medical. She loves to watch MASH just for the medical scenes. DH caught her watching a typical (graphic) episode of ER the other day and instead of being repulsed she was fascinated with how they were treating the "patient" on the show. She loves visiting the hospital for any reason. So unless she gets burned out before medical school she will go into the medical field.
Big Man is still somewhat of an enigma for me since he's just five. But he is very particular about keeping things in order and doing things the "correct" way. Because of that character trait it is so easy for me to predict he will follow in his daddy's footsteps and be an engineer. I think I can safely say he will choose a career where things are black and white - where there is a definite right and wrong. Then again, he could also own a confectionery since he is always looking for something sweet to eat. Yeah, on second thought, I could totally see him creating his own sweet confections to sell - that is if he learns how not to eat everything he makes. Right now self-control is not a virtue he possesses. But that will come with maturity.
I've written these predictions down mainly as something to look back on and laugh about. There's no way to predict what your children will choose to do with their lives. However, since they were tiny I've been praying that they will seek God's guidance and direction in choosing their career paths. Because if they do that I know they will find themselves fulfilled and at peace with their choices.
Miss Bee, the oldest, is the toughest for me to predict at the moment. She has told me at different times that she would like to be a teacher and a veterinarian. I think I'll go out on a limb, however, and say that with her drive (if we can ever focus it in a single direction) she might possibly choose to be a missionary. Either that or a professional wrestler - after all she gets lots of practice with her brother.
Princess is a true middle child. She's creative, the family peacemaker, and has been completely self-sufficient since she was two. Honestly, at this point she would be thrilled if I let her prepare all her own meals - that way she would always get to eat exactly what she likes. My prediction of her career choice is so easy - she will undoubtedly be a physician. I say this not only because she is a nurturer but also because she is absolutely drawn to all things medical. She loves to watch MASH just for the medical scenes. DH caught her watching a typical (graphic) episode of ER the other day and instead of being repulsed she was fascinated with how they were treating the "patient" on the show. She loves visiting the hospital for any reason. So unless she gets burned out before medical school she will go into the medical field.
Big Man is still somewhat of an enigma for me since he's just five. But he is very particular about keeping things in order and doing things the "correct" way. Because of that character trait it is so easy for me to predict he will follow in his daddy's footsteps and be an engineer. I think I can safely say he will choose a career where things are black and white - where there is a definite right and wrong. Then again, he could also own a confectionery since he is always looking for something sweet to eat. Yeah, on second thought, I could totally see him creating his own sweet confections to sell - that is if he learns how not to eat everything he makes. Right now self-control is not a virtue he possesses. But that will come with maturity.
I've written these predictions down mainly as something to look back on and laugh about. There's no way to predict what your children will choose to do with their lives. However, since they were tiny I've been praying that they will seek God's guidance and direction in choosing their career paths. Because if they do that I know they will find themselves fulfilled and at peace with their choices.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Ask-A-Nerd
I work as a math tutor at a local community college. Today at work I had my most unusual request to date. Now, as a mom I'm quite familiar with the "Ask-a-Nurse" concept whereby after-hours non-emergency medical questions are fielded to an RN who helps panicked parents and other hypochondriacs. Today, however, was my first foray into the newly emerging field of "Ask-a-Nerd" whereby panicked college students phone math tutors with impossible-to-answer-over-the-phone math questions. Actually, I think I did a pretty fair job answering the questions I received considering I couldn't see the graph of the function I was trying to create the equation for. You know, on second thought maybe this could be the business model for a whole new concept in tutoring. Yeah - I can see it now - "You've just dialed 1-800-math-geek. If we don't know the answer we can make one up. Using our amazing powers of E.S.P. we will visualize your math problem and telepathically send you the answers to your questions." Honestly there are plenty of math questions you can answer over the phone, but I really don't know how this girl thought I could come up with the equation of a function that she had a graph of but that I could not see! Ya know, sometimes it does help to be able to see those pesky graphs. After all, that's what they were printed on the paper for.
I love my job!
I love my job!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Adoption Non-news
Since I was 16 years old and read a magazine article about a family that adopted I have been drawn to adoption. Before DH and I were married we discussed adoption and the place it would have in the creation of our family. Now I find myself 18 years after my initial decision to adopt and I am feeling incredible internal urgings to begin the adoption process NOW. About eight years ago DH and I started the process and had our passports, I-171H, homestudy, and fingerprinting finished. All we had to do was choose our country (Guatemala) and agency (never got that far). Before we received our homestudy paperwork in the mail I got a positive result on a pregnancy test. This was our second child. I still wonder how our lives would have been different if we had continued to pursue that adoption even after discovering I was pregnant. It would have been difficult to adjust to two new children in our house in such a short amount of time (estimate to adoption completion of an infant from Guatemala at the time was 12-18 months). I don't regret not continuing with that adoption since we hadn't reached the point of being matched with a child. I don't think I could've stopped the process, though, if we had already had a match.
Now that our third child is five years old, I realllly want to begin the process to adopt our fourth (and final?) child. Guatemala is currently out of the question, but there are several countries DH and I can agree on, particularly the Philippines and India. DH is onboard to begin again - after we save $10,000 toward the adoption. International adoption appears to have become exponentially more expensive since the first time we started the process. So the problem becomes where to find the $10000 needed plus the $5000 we also need to replace the roof. I know, know, know that when the time comes for us to begin the process God will provide the means. We will not borrow the money, so my current thought is that I (as the keeper of the household books and spender of most of the household money) should start saving as much as I can find out of our household budget. Since I love having financial goals that are attainable within a reasonably short time frame, I am fired up to start working on this one. (Unlike paying off the house which won't happen for years...). It also makes me feel like I'm working toward welcoming our second son into our home. Is this wrong? In leaving the timing for our adoption up to God should I back off and just assume the money will magically appear? I just can't see doing that. For one thing I feel that God expects me to be faithful to the direction He is calling me by being a good steward of the financial resources He has entrusted to us. For another, if He wants us to adopt I don't think He's just going to drop a child to adopt on our doorstep (although He certainly could if He chose to). I believe He expects us to invest some effort in following the plan He has directed us to. And that includes setting aside a portion of our income to go toward the expenses. Does that mean I know exactly how things will turn out? Does that mean He couldn't choose to provide the money in a miraculous way next week or next month? Of course not! But it is my belief that He also expects me to be a good steward of what He has already entrusted to us and that we shouldn't do irresponsible things with our money then say, "If God wants us to adopt He will have to provide the money". Maybe He has already provided the money and we just can't see it because we've chosen to spend it on other things...
This has been a rambling post, but it helps me when I can put my thoughts down on cyberpaper so I can organize and clarify them. And I know it will help years from now after we have completed this adoption to see that God was faithful to provide. I just don't know yet how He will choose to do that!
Now that our third child is five years old, I realllly want to begin the process to adopt our fourth (and final?) child. Guatemala is currently out of the question, but there are several countries DH and I can agree on, particularly the Philippines and India. DH is onboard to begin again - after we save $10,000 toward the adoption. International adoption appears to have become exponentially more expensive since the first time we started the process. So the problem becomes where to find the $10000 needed plus the $5000 we also need to replace the roof. I know, know, know that when the time comes for us to begin the process God will provide the means. We will not borrow the money, so my current thought is that I (as the keeper of the household books and spender of most of the household money) should start saving as much as I can find out of our household budget. Since I love having financial goals that are attainable within a reasonably short time frame, I am fired up to start working on this one. (Unlike paying off the house which won't happen for years...). It also makes me feel like I'm working toward welcoming our second son into our home. Is this wrong? In leaving the timing for our adoption up to God should I back off and just assume the money will magically appear? I just can't see doing that. For one thing I feel that God expects me to be faithful to the direction He is calling me by being a good steward of the financial resources He has entrusted to us. For another, if He wants us to adopt I don't think He's just going to drop a child to adopt on our doorstep (although He certainly could if He chose to). I believe He expects us to invest some effort in following the plan He has directed us to. And that includes setting aside a portion of our income to go toward the expenses. Does that mean I know exactly how things will turn out? Does that mean He couldn't choose to provide the money in a miraculous way next week or next month? Of course not! But it is my belief that He also expects me to be a good steward of what He has already entrusted to us and that we shouldn't do irresponsible things with our money then say, "If God wants us to adopt He will have to provide the money". Maybe He has already provided the money and we just can't see it because we've chosen to spend it on other things...
This has been a rambling post, but it helps me when I can put my thoughts down on cyberpaper so I can organize and clarify them. And I know it will help years from now after we have completed this adoption to see that God was faithful to provide. I just don't know yet how He will choose to do that!
Monday, April 13, 2009
On Becoming a Mom/Birthday Happenings
At about this time on this day 10 years ago I held my first daughter for the very first time. I remember the room was dimly lit (ambiance lighting!) and I'm pretty sure I was in shock as I looked into that perfect little face. I couldn't fathom being responsible for that tiny life for the rest of MY life. Those first days and weeks lasted foreeeever because I was so tired, and at times I didn't think I'd ever have a "real" life again apart from diapers and feedings (but what new Mom doesn't feel that way?)
Fast forward ten years. Where has the time flown? That tiny little creature now has a unique personality that I've become intimately familiar with. She is quite a tomboy, loves roller coasters - the faster and more loops in them the better, plays soccer aggressively and is especially good at goalie ( she hates to let a ball get by her and loves to dive in front of them). She's a typical firstborn in that she orders her siblings around (do this, you aren't allowed to do that...) and is type A about following the rules. She enjoys helping my clean house and cook, especially when there's a commission in it for her and wants to learn all my recipes so she can cook on her own (she's still supervised for now, though). She's a voracious reader and loves mysteries, sci-fi (trying to discourage that one), and biographies. She can tear up a ski slope and is currently the unofficial mascot of our local ski patrol. I have no doubt that in 5 years she will be a full patrol member.
How could I have known all that 10 years ago when I first held her? I couldn't have imagined the new worlds she would introduce me to - asking me the tough questions, forcing me to really think through my beliefs as I answer, at times pushing my patience beyond where I thought it could go, challenging me to become so much less self-centered. Today may be Miss Bee's birthday, but in so many ways it's my birthday too - my birthday as Mom.
On a less introspective note, we spent Miss Bee's birthday at a local(ish) aquarium. It was so much less crowded than last time we went and we got to spend time talking to the volunteers about the fish. After watching the divers in the tank Miss Bee decided that she wanted to learn to scuba dive. No problem, we'll just get Grammy and Papaw to teach you since there's no way on earth I'M going to learn. On second thought, maybe she and Daddy can learn together - hmmm, might be a good birthday present in a few years. For lunch we ate a nearby restaurant and Princess decided she was going to get herself on the kid's hamburger wall of fame by eating a half pound hamburger (Miss Bee did this the last time we ate at the restaurant). I knew there was no way my little 6 year old Princess could eat that much, but we let her try anyway and guess what - she did it! Don't know where she put all that food?! I teased her the rest of the afternoon asking her if she was still hungry and she would just grin and say "Yes!".
All in all this was a great way to spend my 10th birthday as a mom - enjoying our family and making memories (I'll leave out the minor squabbles in the car - kind of like the labor pains, no one really wants to have a permanent record of them).
Fast forward ten years. Where has the time flown? That tiny little creature now has a unique personality that I've become intimately familiar with. She is quite a tomboy, loves roller coasters - the faster and more loops in them the better, plays soccer aggressively and is especially good at goalie ( she hates to let a ball get by her and loves to dive in front of them). She's a typical firstborn in that she orders her siblings around (do this, you aren't allowed to do that...) and is type A about following the rules. She enjoys helping my clean house and cook, especially when there's a commission in it for her and wants to learn all my recipes so she can cook on her own (she's still supervised for now, though). She's a voracious reader and loves mysteries, sci-fi (trying to discourage that one), and biographies. She can tear up a ski slope and is currently the unofficial mascot of our local ski patrol. I have no doubt that in 5 years she will be a full patrol member.
How could I have known all that 10 years ago when I first held her? I couldn't have imagined the new worlds she would introduce me to - asking me the tough questions, forcing me to really think through my beliefs as I answer, at times pushing my patience beyond where I thought it could go, challenging me to become so much less self-centered. Today may be Miss Bee's birthday, but in so many ways it's my birthday too - my birthday as Mom.
On a less introspective note, we spent Miss Bee's birthday at a local(ish) aquarium. It was so much less crowded than last time we went and we got to spend time talking to the volunteers about the fish. After watching the divers in the tank Miss Bee decided that she wanted to learn to scuba dive. No problem, we'll just get Grammy and Papaw to teach you since there's no way on earth I'M going to learn. On second thought, maybe she and Daddy can learn together - hmmm, might be a good birthday present in a few years. For lunch we ate a nearby restaurant and Princess decided she was going to get herself on the kid's hamburger wall of fame by eating a half pound hamburger (Miss Bee did this the last time we ate at the restaurant). I knew there was no way my little 6 year old Princess could eat that much, but we let her try anyway and guess what - she did it! Don't know where she put all that food?! I teased her the rest of the afternoon asking her if she was still hungry and she would just grin and say "Yes!".
All in all this was a great way to spend my 10th birthday as a mom - enjoying our family and making memories (I'll leave out the minor squabbles in the car - kind of like the labor pains, no one really wants to have a permanent record of them).
Saturday, April 11, 2009
First Post!
I've unsuccessfully attempted two times to start blogging, so I'm hoping that the third time's the charm! To my credit, I did keep a blog for the 8 months I was pregnant with my third kiddo, so I know I CAN do this if I just WILL. This blog is mainly for my own personal enjoyment, so it has no real purpose other than being a vehicle by which I can record memories of my children. You know, things you think you'll NEVER forget, but which two weeks later all you can remember is that they said/did something you thought you'd never forget....
A bit about the family to start... For the past 10+ years I have been a SAHM. This past school year I took a part time job as a math tutor at a local college (yes, I'm a math geek! I can't help it - I love numbers). DH and I have three beautiful kiddos Miss Bee(10), Princess(7) and Big Man (5). Big Man will start kindergarten next fall and it has recently occurred to me that my kiddos won't stay kiddos forever. Yes, they'll always be MY BABIES, but reality is that they will some day leave the nest. Thus, this blog. So that one day, too soon, when they enter the teenage years at least I can look back at the cute things they said, the funny stuff they did and remember why I chose to have these kids!
Since today was a pretty typical weekend day in our family's life and nothing noteworthy occurred, I'll make this post brief. Something did happen last weekend, though, that I want to record. Big Man and Princess spent Saturday night with grandparents and on Sunday after church they went to their great-grandfather Pa's house. They played with a cousin and found their way to the creek - not unusual since they seem to have a magnetic attraction to dirt. In the creek they found (f0r the first time? not sure) the small snail-like creatures that live in freshwater streams in the area. As kids we always called them pennywinkles (kinda like periwinkle - don't have a clue where the name originated). Anyway, Big Man misunderstood the name and started calling them teeny winkles. They are very small and he is currently fascinated with all things small, so the name at least makes sense. As much sense, anyway, as penny winkle! I love observing how my kids (and all kids) try to make sense of their world, and when something doesn't quite fit, they alter it to fit in with their sense of order.
A bit about the family to start... For the past 10+ years I have been a SAHM. This past school year I took a part time job as a math tutor at a local college (yes, I'm a math geek! I can't help it - I love numbers). DH and I have three beautiful kiddos Miss Bee(10), Princess(7) and Big Man (5). Big Man will start kindergarten next fall and it has recently occurred to me that my kiddos won't stay kiddos forever. Yes, they'll always be MY BABIES, but reality is that they will some day leave the nest. Thus, this blog. So that one day, too soon, when they enter the teenage years at least I can look back at the cute things they said, the funny stuff they did and remember why I chose to have these kids!
Since today was a pretty typical weekend day in our family's life and nothing noteworthy occurred, I'll make this post brief. Something did happen last weekend, though, that I want to record. Big Man and Princess spent Saturday night with grandparents and on Sunday after church they went to their great-grandfather Pa's house. They played with a cousin and found their way to the creek - not unusual since they seem to have a magnetic attraction to dirt. In the creek they found (f0r the first time? not sure) the small snail-like creatures that live in freshwater streams in the area. As kids we always called them pennywinkles (kinda like periwinkle - don't have a clue where the name originated). Anyway, Big Man misunderstood the name and started calling them teeny winkles. They are very small and he is currently fascinated with all things small, so the name at least makes sense. As much sense, anyway, as penny winkle! I love observing how my kids (and all kids) try to make sense of their world, and when something doesn't quite fit, they alter it to fit in with their sense of order.
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