Unexpected Reunion

The other night after returning from volunteering at our church's relay center for OCC, the kids and I drove home to find a minivan in our driveway.  In the few seconds between seeing the van and opening the door to our house, we were frantically trying to guess who was here visiting with Brad.  I didn't recognize the van...at first I thought maybe my sister had stopped by but upon a second glance I knew that wasn't my sister's van so I was completely stumped. 

I opened the door to the best surprise we've had in a long, long while.  Our good college friend had stopped by with his family in tow.  They had come to town for an appointment and had looked us up.  Wow!  What a great surprise! 

We had a nice visit with the four of them.  Poptart enjoyed playing with their almost-2-year-old, and I enjoyed holding their 2-month-old! 

You know, that's the great thing about friends.  No matter how long it's been since you've last heard from them or seen them, when you get back together, it's like you've never been apart. 

Thanks guys for looking us up, and we promise, promise, pinky promise to not let that much time go by between next visits! 

The Most Used Words or Phrases in My House

A few nights ago, I believe we were on the way home from church, a random conversation started, the kind of conversation that can only happen with the people that live with you day in/day out and know (almost) your every thought. 

If we made a list of the most used words or phrases in our home, what would it be?  Funny, serious, sad, happy, and sometimes maybe embarrassing, here's what we came up with in that oh-so-random conversation. 

In no particular order, mind you: 

• What?  Sometimes said with sarcasm, but mostly just said when you weren't really paying attention to the conversation until you hear something that piqued your interest.  Sometimes the person talking answers the question, but mostly we say something like "I'm not repeating myself." 
• I'm hungry.  If I ranked this list, this would probably be on top.  And will someone tell my children that repeating this phrase over and over does not magically make food appear in our cabinet or refrigerator or a wonderfully prepared meal appear on the table?  Gogurt's favorite time to repeat this phrase is first thing in the morning, especially Saturday and Sunday morning when he comes to cuddle in the bed with us but ends up repeating this phrase numerous times and ends up angering his mother. 
• I'm thirsty.  See above. 
• Stop.  Well, this is used lots and lots between siblings and parent-to-child. 
• Be still.  Unfortunately, this is not used in the context of one of my favorite Bible verses, but rather in the context of my son who is possibly the most fidgety human being on the planet. 
• I love you.  We do say this a bunch to our kids.  Brad and I probably should say it more, or at least I know I should, but my kids hear it several times a day.  Hopefully, this is the phrase they will remember from their childhood and not one of the others. 
• Are these clean or dirty?  Dishwasher, clothes in the floor, etc.  It always amazes me how my family members will walk across the length of the house to come find me and ask me if the dishes in the dishwasher or clean or dirty.  Why can't they just open the door and look?  Hmmm......
• This room is a mess.  Self-explanatory.
• Is it hot or cold today?  'Cuz we have to know what to wear to school. 
• When are we going to Disneyworld?  We've brought this one on ourselves because we've been discussing the possibility, so now our kids, especially Poptart, asks this question at least a few times a week. 
• Have a good day!  I yell this every morning as I watch my kids walk to the bus. 
• Do you have any homework?  Sometimes this question works, sometimes it doesn't, like the other night when Gogurt only remembered he did in fact have homework after he had already gone to bed. 
• No/not right now.  Used to answer questions about whether we will buy them something at the store, whether or not we want to play Candyland for the 80th millionth time, whether their brother/sister will let them have a certain toy, etc.  I don't like using the word no too much, brings upon too much guilt for me to handle, but I have gotten better at it as my kids have gotten older.  For instance, if one of my children asked me this question today, "Momma, will it traumatize me if you do not stop what you are doing (i.e. working to put food in your ever-hungry little mouths) and watch me jump off the couch?"  I could answer guilt-free, "NO".  Now, in my mind, there has to be a balance in your house between your yes' and your no's.  I don't say yes all the time, but I certainly don't say no all the time either.  It's that balance I've been searching for for the past 10 (almost 11!) years of being a mother.  Too many yes' and you have a spoiled child who thinks they get and deserve a parent's attention more than anything else.  Too many no's and you have a child who thinks they are not important to their parents at all.  Yikes.  I don't know if I've found the perfect balance, but for the purposes of this list, I'm just sayin' I finally know how to say No to my kids without worrying about it for the next 10 seconds minutes.  And may I just add that I've never worried about saying no to material things - I really could care less about what they have...it's the emotional things I worry about.  Saying no when what they want is me and my t-i-m-e.  That's the tough one. 
• Someone say the blessing.  Fortunately, my family is all home in the evenings to eat dinner together around the table.  Unfortunately, this is a time that usually falls apart with Brad irritated at Gogurt's smacking or messiness or Poptart's pickiness as to what is on her plate.  I'm usually tired by this time of the day and have no patience for any irritability.  Can't we all just get along?!?!?!
• Go get in the tub.  What ages are children when they self-initiate their bathing?  I would be curious to know how long my kids would go before they themselves said, "Whew, I think I need a bath."  I'd probably be embarrassed to find out...
• Can I play the Wii/the computer/Daddy's iPhone?    I wish, wish, wish I had a dime, a nickel, even a penny for every time I've heard this! 

Okay, so there it is.  A list of the most used phrases or words in my home.  Is it just me or is it a little sad?  I think I should try to say more uplifting things in my home, go around quoting scriptures, speak in a British accent or something so my next list will look and sound a little more "perfect."  Yeah, right. 

Think about what you say in your home.  Are there phrases you repeat every day almost without fail?  It's an interesting thing to think about, a very convicting thing to think about actually. 

Happy Monday - have a good week!

COURAGEOUS

I haven't seen this movie yet, but I plan on seeing it very, very soon.  If you've seen it, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

So We Went Shopping

I wasn't going to post about Brad's new job at all.  But I just can't help it - I've got to. 

HE GOT AN INSIDE JOB!!!!!

The important part of that exclamatory sentence is the word inside.  You see, for the entire close-to-20 years I have known Brad he has been an outdoorsy working man.  A take-care-of-the-grass man, whether golf courses, athletic fields, or as in the current case, the city parks.  His nickname in college was "Turf Daddy."  Giggle,giggle. 

Turf Daddy has always made a good living for his family, but it hasn't always been pretty. When he arrives home he is sometimes covered in dirt, sometimes covered in mud, and sometimes covered in that lovely green pipe glue after working in an irrigation hole all day.  And on a really, really tough day, he might be covered in all of the above.  During the summer the heat is brutal, and I honestly don't know how he's done it this long.  It has never been easy to watch him come home completely zapped of all energy during the summer months, but it seems to have been getting worse over the past couple of summers. 

Contrast dirty/outside job with clean/inside job.  That's what is about to happen.  He, with the help of a friend, found out about a job opening.  He applied not thinking much would happen and here we are a couple of months later awaiting his start date.  So what did we do when we found out he got the job?

We went shopping, of course!  Someone who has worked outdoors in khaki shorts and t-shirts his whole life is a little short on dress clothes (save the funeral/wedding suit) so we had to go shopping.  

I'm not a big shopper but going alone with my husband to outfit him in dress pants, collared shirts, and ties happened to be a lot of fun.  I rarely see him in a tie, and I told him it would take me a week of him walking in the door all dressed up before I wouldn't wonder to myself "Who died?"

During the shopping session, there were those surreal moments we would look at each other and think, "What the heck are we doing?"  But then we'd notice a cool tie and get excited again.  I'm sure the dress code will be one of the things he comes to dislike about this new job (maybe he could talk the office into implenting Friday bluejean day or something), but if that's the only thing he dislikes about this career-changing move, I think we'll call it a success!

An Important Vote for Mississippi

Have you ever set in a room and heard the conversation go down the path of all the social ills we are facing today?  And have you ever heard someone say, "If only the Christians would have stood up against it....."

Well, my friend, we are about to get a rare 2nd chance. 

On November 8th we will vote on Amendment 26, better known as the Personhood Amendment. 

I will not attempt to explain the amendment, although I'm sure you know exactly what it is about. 

Visit this website:  http://yeson26.net/  and get all the info you need. 

Especially visit the "Real Answers to the Scare Tactics" section.  It has some good answers to questions I had wondered about myself. 

Please vote Yes to Amendment 26 and tell all your friends/family to read about it then do the same. 

I don't want to be sitting in a conversation later in my life and be forced to say, "If only the Christians would have stood up....." 

Mommas Can Be Wrong Too

We signed Poptart up for tennis lessons, and her first lesson was this past Monday.  The lessons are being held at some tennis courts in a neighborhood near our home.  In this particular neighborhood lives one of Poptart's favorite friends, Kinsey.  They were in preschool together for two years.  They go to different elementary schools, but we still get them together every now and then to play. 

From the day I signed Poptart up, she started asking if Kinsey was going to be at her tennis lesson.  I explained to my eager daughter that Kinsey would definitely not be at her tennis lesson.  And I also explained that just because the lessons were being held in Kinsey's neighborhood did not mean Kinsey would be at her lesson.  Besides, Kinsey is involved in soccer, not tennis. 

Everytime we would bring up the upcoming lesson, Poptart would bring up Kinsey again.  And I would again try to explain to her that out of all the thousands of children in this county, the probability of Kinsey being at her tennis lesson was slim to none at best.  Besides, the tennis coach had already told me there were only 3 children signed up for this particular day and time.  Poptart was one so that only left two spots in her class.  It just wasn't going to be her friend, Kinsey.  Sorry, hon. 

On the way to tennis Monday (and after Poptart asked AGAIN if she would see her friend there), I was trying to boost Poptart's confidence since she gets pretty shy around kids and adults she does not know.  I was assuring her with things such as "Remember when you took gymnastics this summer, you didn't know anyone in your class, but by the end you had made friends?"  "This will be the same way so don't be nervous." 

We arrived.  I sat down to write out the check to the coach.  Poptart is bouncing around and looking around taking in this new scenery.  Then she looks at me with this look on her face.  I look up. 

Kinsey's walking up with her tennis racket. 

The class consists of Poptart, Kinsey, and Kinsey's younger brother. 

That night I was sitting in the bathroom talking to Poptart while she was in the tub.  We were talking about the lesson and how funny it was that Kinsey was actually in her class.  She smiled and said,

"Momma, you were sooooo wrong!" 

Yes, darling.  Mommas can be wrong too. 

But not that often. 

10th Annual

We realized on our "camping trip" this year that this was our 10th annual family camping trip.  My parents, my sister and her family, and my family (10 total) have set aside one weekend a year to get together and enjoy each other's company away from the hustle and bustle of life. 

This year we visited a place close to home.  I have many, many good memories of going there as a child to swim.  Lake Tiak-O-Khata, like our original family of 4, has grown over the years.  Cabins, tennis courts, a nature trail, and of course the lake/swimming area are all beautiful.  Unfortunately, the swimming area was closed but no worries-before we left we booked a weekend in June for the 11th annual camping trip!  My kids will get to enjoy the same swimming hole I used to (but with a bigger, better, and safer slide!)



As usual, I took lots of pictures and as usual, Blogger is giving me a frustratingly difficult time getting them on here like I want them to be!  I have not the time nor the patience to post all the pictures today.  If anyone knows why Blogger is rearranging my pictures at random, please tell me!  I'm sure it is something I'm doing, but it's driving me crazy.  Really. 


So, I will leave you with just these few pictures....



If you will look closely, you can see Gogurt in a kayak.  This was by far my kids'number one favorite thing to do. 

The four grandkids sitting down for a brief rest on the nature trail.  Notice Gogurt's boots.  His tennis shoes were back at the cabin drying after an accidental but funny fall off the pier.  Note to self, jumping from a pier into a kayak doesn't work. 

And here's the whole crew posing for our group shot before we left.  We have done this every year and every year it is alot more difficult than you would think.  Picking out the spot, setting up the camera, getting everyone positioned, Brad running to make it into the picture.  One year we need to make a video of us just trying to get this shot.  It would be very entertaining. 



 There's several more pictures I wanted to share, like the one of Gogurt with the shorts he split down the rear-end after sliding down a bank and getting hung on a rock.  Bless his heart, his rear hurt for several hours, but we all got a good laugh out of it. 


All in all it was another successful trip.  Good food, good family, good weather.  Looking forward to June already!