Sunday Morning

Nathan really hurt his lip. I mean, really hurt it. He was playing on the floor pushing a race car. Somehow the plastic bugs were involved in this particular race. Unfortunately, Mr. Grasshopper got caught under the car that he was pushing and made his arm stop. Well, when Nathan pushes a car, it's serious business. He had so much momentum going that when his arm stopped, his whole body continued forward until his lip met the ground. I saw the whole thing happen, but it's one of those things where you don't comprehend what's happening until it's done and there's blood on the floor and fat lip. I felt so bad for him. He hurt his two front teeth, cut the gums, and talked with a big fat lip for 2 days. Anyway, Sunday morning, Daddy was going to be talking in church to the people about London. Daddy asked Nathan if he wanted him to pray for his lip before church started. He said yes. Then Daddy asked Nathan if he could pray for Daddy while he talked to the people. He said yes he would. He also said he would ask his teacher to pray for him. Then he came to me and asked me, "Mommy, do you want me to pray for you today in class?" It was so sweet! I see things that he does and hear things that he says and I really think that he is beginning to understand salvation and that God is real and prayer changes things. I love that boy!

Secret Recipe

I made mashed potatoes tonight. Rylan was hesitant to eat them. Apparently, he explained, he's tried them before and he doesn't like them. Well, that doesn't fly in our house....so needless to say he tried them. After his first taste he said, "You know, I've tried these before, but didn't like them. And this time they're really good." I told him that's because I make them a special way and use a special ingredient. And he replied, "Oh, I'm going to need to figure that one out before I have kids!"

I Don't Even Know You Anymore

One of the things that I guess I will be facing for the rest of my life, at least while the 3 boys are in the house, is burping at the table. (Among other bodily functions that are not allowed.) Rylan, in particular, has become very robust with his burps. He can even do them on command now. This is a problem at the table. We understand that sometimes things slip out, but we expect an "Excuse me" to be said and for him to acknowledge that he should have tried a little harder to keep that one in. Tonight, Rylan let a burp come tumbling out and didn't say anything about it. Daddy said, "Rylan, you don't even say excuse me anymore. You're getting bad at that." Nathan, seizing the opportunity, said "Yeah, Rylan. I don't even know you anymore."

Lunchbox Letters

Today is Rylan's first day of school. As I lovingly prepared his peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a favorite of Rylan's, I wrote on the napkin "I love you. Have a great 1st day of school," as so many moms that have gone before me have done. Since he's not reading everything yet, I showed him the note. I told him what is said. In the background, Ryan said, "My mom used to write notes to me in my lunchbox." I told Rylan that my mom did the same thing for me when I was a little girl. He said, "And now you're doing it for me!" And he looked at me and smiled and said, "I like it!" Aww...my heart melted. Good luck on your first day Rylan! I love you!

Exercise Time

So lately I've had two girlfriends come over in the morning and we've been working out in the living room. They come early, usually about 7 am. The kids usually sleep later than that, so we try to be quiet. The first day, I didn't tell the kids about them coming over. Nathan came out with his sleepy eyes, squinting at the bright light then looked like he thought he was still dreaming. He looked so confused. He wouldn't talk to any of us, just went over to the table and started coloring. That's usually how he deals with things, by ignoring them. The two other boys slept right through the whole thing. Later, when the girls were gone and after Rylan woke up, I told him that they were over and we exercised. He had a look of shock on his face and said, "So I missed the whole thing." "Yep," I said. With a look of relief on his face he said, "Good! Because that would be gross!" :P

Glimpses of a First Date

Our niece, who is almost 11 years old, was sleeping over our house for the night. It's been interesting to see my 5 year old interact with her in a one-on-one situation. When I just sit back and observe, I can see a lot of the things that we have been teaching him, directly and indirectly, at work. One of these things gave me a glimpse into what his first date might look like, or maybe the conversation starter to get the first date. We were sitting down for dinner and Rylan asks Taylor, "Have you been enjoying your summer so far?" The question in and of itself is not funny, but the five year old asking the question in such a grown-up way made me chuckle inside. He's been picking up on these things and is putting them to good use. Wish I could be a fly on the wall when he has to start "that" conversation so far down the road.

Staff Brat

Rylan's Grandad is the pastor at our church. So over the years he has clocked some serious time at church, most of which were non-church days and no one was there, so he really had run of the building. His Grandma lets him ride bikes and scooters in the building and so on. So Rylan is feeling very comfortable about his position at church. In other words, he's becoming a staff brat. Here's the evidence: At a gathering the other night, Rylan's Me-ma was watching him in the back. He was trying desperately to sit on top of a table that kept tilting and threatening to fall. She told him to get down and not to do that. He looked at her and said, "You don't go to church here," with a scowl. He was clearly marking his territory and letting his Me-ma know who's in charge. Me-ma stood her ground and handled the situation, but she had to turn away and laugh when it was all done. I think it's because her dear little children were once called staff brats as well. (Although I don't know why!)