Merry Christmas

I sent out nearly 80 christmas cards this year, yet I am still receiving cards from folks and wondering if I sent them one. If you didn't get one from us this year, please accept my apologies and my good wishes. I was cramming in the writing, stuffing and stamping during naps and after 9 pm, so it was a bit harried and I think I missed a few people. God has been so good to us and we have so many great friends around the world.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday! If we don't cross paths this season, I hope we'll see you in the new year!

Random Musings

Here are my thoughts for the day (so far). Try not to be alarmed.

You know how you sweep the floor and are shocked to see the pile that accumulates. I look at the pile and think, "I didn't realize it was that bad.". Micah looks at the pile and thinks, "I didn't realize there was that much to eat around here." Seriously, he makes a run for the pile when he sees me pull out the broom. Kids are gross.

Katie has assumed the greatest responsibility in our home these days. She frequently checks the bathrooms to be sure the "toilet doors" (aka lids) are closed so that Micah won't play in them. I like her names for things and if she can't quite describe something, she adds "thingy" on the end.

I think I have decided to quit commenting on blogs that are about anything serious or intelligent. I think I have twice posted an opinion and both times been blistered and ripped apart by complete strangers that disagreed with my thoughts. Both times were about spiritual things and the slayers professed to be Christians as they tore my comments to pieces, attacked my character and said things you would (hopefully) never say to someone in person. Why do they think it is any more acceptable to destroy someone in print than to actually say horrible things to their face? I think all of us at times need to get up and take a drink or something and then reread what we write before we hit that unforgiving "send" button!

I think God could have come up with a better plan than for leaves to die and fall on the ground every fall. There are just too many of them. If we could eat dead leaves or if they would just vaporize, that would be much more convenient for me. Even if they would shrink to one fourth the size when they died, I'd be cool with it. But then, he never asked me!

I need to buy some cokes at the gas station. Why are they always so much cheaper at the gas station?

That's all I got!

Micah : Rascal Fan

Wow - the third day in a row! I must be really with it these days! I'm not sure what motivates me to blog on certain days and then neglect it for a month. It may be that I really like reading blogs, especially people like P and J who blog every day. It helps me feel more a part of their lives. So I am motivated to have something new for the 3 people who may check this blog!

Anyway, I frequently reflect (a.k.a. mull) over the deficiences in my parenting. Currently, I have been feeling somewhat guilty that my son is obsessed with Rascal Flatts (that's a country group, mom and dad!). Whenever he is whiny or fussy, I put on the "Me and My Gang" album and he is so contented. Therefore, since he is a pretty whiny kid sometimes, we listen to that album a couple times a day. I guess it might be the fact that my husband is a music minister, but it makes me a tad guilty that my son isn't quite as attached to Christian music. You would think that we would have that playing in our home, and we do periodically. He just doesn't like it as much. And, being the loudest person in our family, we get to keep our sanity if he gets to pick the music!

But amazingly, after having heard that entire Rascal Flatts album at least 400 times, I noticed a song that I have never really "heard". Truly, I could probably sing along with the song, start to finish, word for word, but the meaning has never sunk in. Here are the lyrics. See what you think....

They tried their best to drag him out

Of a courthouse down in Montgomery

And now they wanna kick him out of school

And take him off our money

They can take those words off of paper and stone

But he ain’t gone, no

Chorus

He ain’t the leavin’ kind

He’d never walk away

Even from those who don’t believe

And wanna leave him behind

He ain’t the leavin’ kind

She stayed mad at him for a lot of years

For takin’ her husband

Started losin’ her faith

And thinkin’ that her life meant nothin’

But when she looks at those kids she raised all by herself

She knows she had some help, yeah she knows

Chorus
He ain’t the leavin’ kind
He’d never walk away
Even from those who don’t believe
And wanna leave him behind
He ain’t the leavin’ kind

No matter what you do

No matter where you go

He’s always right there with you

Even from those who don’t believe

And wanna leave him behind

He ain’t the leavin’ kind

Cool song! Too bad I haven't noticed the message before. I guess that is how life is a lot. The same words buzz around you and it takes a certain time or circumstance for them to have real meaning. God must get pretty frustrated with us - he has provided the answers to our hardest questions in the Word but it still seems to miss it's mark, even though we read and read it! Things we say to each other are the same - if you are a parent, you know exactly what I mean. I guess the point is the same as me continually listening to this album - hopefully the words will sink in at the right moment!

The second point is for you, Tiffany - how cool is country music!

Thought for the day...

As we face the holiday feeding-frenzy, here is a thought to inspire you...

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention

of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body,

but rather to skid in sideways,

chocolate in one hand, real coke (not diet) in the other,

totally worn out and screaming,

"WOO HOO what a ride!"

WOW - 2 posts in one day...

I must be on it today! No posts for a month and I hit it twice today!

I just thought I'd post some new pics of the kids. Katie cracked me up yesterday - we have been telling her that when she conquers a certain bodily function (I'll spare you the details), she can start having sleep-overs. In an attempt at motivation, I asked her yesterday who she thinks she'll have for her first sleep-over. She said her friend Trevor. I gently explained that girls only had sleepovers with other girls. She said, "Oh yeah - I guess if I had a boy sleep over it could get pretty stinky!" Glad she is learning young!

The second picture of Micah is his infamous "scary face". Despite our efforts to turn him into a circus monkey, this is the only trick he will perform on command occasionally!

Don't you just hate those split-second decisions? We had a major one today. Katie has discovered that if you ask the ladies in the bakery at the grocery store for a cookie, you can have one, which has in turn taught Micah at the tender age of 1 to start hollering "a-geee" (which we believe means cookie) when we enter the store. So today, cookie in hand, we are cruising the frozen food section when the inevitable happens. He drops the cookie. In the 2 or 3 seconds that passed immediately after the drop, our eyes meet and a wealth of information is communicated in just a glance.

He thinks, "Crap - I dropped the cookie."
I think, "Crap - he dropped the cookie."
He thinks, "It was only a small bite."
I think, "Yeah - really only a crumb."
He thinks, "But I think I want it anyway."
I think, "There was hardly anything left to it."
He thinks, "I am pretty sure I want that piece of cookie."
I think, "Maybe if I kick it under the freezer he'll forget about it."
He thinks, "I will not forget."
I think, "Maybe I can just keep walking and he will be distracted by his sister who is inside the freezer right now drawing on the fog inside the door."
He thinks, "I may just have to start screaming if you don't give me the cookie."
I think, "Maybe we don't need to eat this week and I can make a break for the door."
He thinks, "We do need to eat, staring now and starting with that cookie on the floor."
I think, "Oh wow - that's a great price on frozen waffles."
He thinks, "Focus mom - here it comes."
I think, "Okay - okay - have mercy on me."

And so I pick up the cookie, wipe it on my jeans, put it back in his sticky little fist, say a prayer for his health, and get rewarded with a big 13-toothed smile! And then begin to have second thoughts. He is smart though - he shoved that cookie so far back in his head, I'd need to head to the kitchen utensil section if I decided that I'd made the wrong decision and decided to take the cookie back.

Oh well. You win some and lose most with kids. I guess that is why God said to pray continually! I'm still praying about the cookie!