Take My Children, Please

On Sunday after church, a friend asked me if she could take my children to a family birthday party.

It's not often people volunteer to take four children, so I said, "Sure!"

Normally, in this situation, I would ask, "When do I need to pick them up?" I'm hoping that's what came out, 'cause what I was thinkin' in my head was more like, "How long can you keep them?"

Don't get me wrong. I love, love, love my boys, but a girl can only handle so much noise (and dirt)!

Honestly, at times, these boys are just a mystery to me.

Could someone please tell me how a child with shoes on his feet can come in from playing outside with socks that look like he walked through a muddy garden?

My laundry looks like we're in the landscaping business.

Why do they feel the need to get the bat when they see a mouse in the yard and go screaming like a maniac? And why must they stomp on harmless little caterpillars?

And finally, why after I've just fed them a fabulous dinner twenty minutes ago do they come looking for something to eat, whining about how starved they are? Where do they put it?

I'll probably never quite "get it", being a girl and all.

After a week of soccer games, noise, baseball practices, laundry, school plays, soccer practices, dirt, soccer pictures, fighting, baseball pictures, and baseball games, this mommy just needs a little break from all the testosterone in the house.

So, yes, please! Take my children - anytime!

I would feel remiss not to mention the proud mommy moments (the little drippings in my day) that help me see past all the craziness of my week, that help the noise not seem so noisy and the dirt not quite so filthy.

Bennett sat on his first bike and beamed from ear to ear. He didn't even care that it didn't go anywhere. (We still have some work to do on pedaling.)

Ellis was "Herb" in his school play. He had all his lines memorized. He made mommy very proud.

Aidan narrated his class play. He did an excellent job!

Siah mowed the yard all by himself for the first time. He used the tractor and did a great job.

(He also volunteered to mow our Youth Diretcor's yard for free while he is on sabbatical this summer. He said he just wanted to do it for them to be helpful.)

There really are bright moments among all the chaos. So to be truthful, if you took them, I'd have to hunt you down.

A Perfect Day to Turn Two

Here are some pictures from Bennett's 2nd birthday I shot a few weeks ago (just for you grandparents).

Those Eyes

This photo is the wallpaper on my computer desktop.

I love this photo.

I look at it every time I go past my computer.

Personally, I think he is one of the most beautiful children I have ever seen.

He's not my child.

When I sit down to my computer everyday, I see the same eyes that looked at me 25 years ago across the table in the cafeteria.

He spoke his first words to me, and all I could say was,

"Don't look at me with those blue eyes."

It's true. I thought them, but somehow, I spoke them out loud.

I was not a forward person. I just think I knew if he didn't stop staring at me with those big blue eyes, I'd have to marry him.

So I did!

He had a birthday yesterday.

Happy Birthday, Ken!

I love you!

I love my life with you,

and I still love those blue eyes.

When I look in your eyes, I see the wisdom of the world in your eyes

I see the sadness of a thousand goodbyes

When I look in your eyes

And it is no surprise, to see the softness of the moon in your eyes

The gentle sparkle of the stars in your eyes

When I look in your eyes

In your eyes, I see the deepness of the sea

I see the deepness of the love

The love I feel you feel for me

Autumn comes, summer dies

I see the passing of the years in your eyes

And when we part there will be no tears no goodbyes

I'll just look into your eyes

Those eyes, so wise

So warm, so real

How I love the world, your eyes reveal

By the way, could this man possibly be the father of this child.

I think the "eyes" have it!

~ An Iced, Cold Soda Can Heal Your Heart

He's the one they all look up to, that first-born of mine.

He loves them. He bosses them. He leads them and teaches them.

He is the one they want to be like, the one they want to notice them, the one they are proud to call brother.

He is smart, funny, responsible, determined, and confident.

(No shortage of confidence here.)

He's growing up so fast.

And yet, there's that small part of him that's still a little boy. A little part that still says, "Watch me." A tiny piece that still needs to know you're there and that you notice.

Last night, he had his first soccer game of the season.

He knew dad had a meeting, and I had rehearsal. He wanted to know how much of his game we would see. I told him I'd be there for the first 15-20 minutes.

"Then I'll score in the first 15-20 minutes."

I smiled. (No shortage of confidence here.)

As I was leaving the game, my friend arrived to watch the rest of the game for me and take him home. I said goodbye and walked to my car. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, my phone rang. I saw her name on the caller ID.

"Please don't tell me he just scored."

"HE SCORED!"

I went to rehearsal wearing a great big smile on my face but sad that I had missed his first goal of the season by just seconds. Was he just thrilled to have scored, or was he sad when he glanced over to the sideline only to see that mom and dad weren't there? I pictured his little beaming face, excited and proud. I pictured his disappointment, that look that breaks a mom's heart. Does a mom ever get passed the worries for her children?

Rehearsal went great. It ended late. I knew he would be in bed when I got home, but I wanted to know how the game went. On my way home, I called my friend.

"How did it go?"

"It was great. They KILLED 'em!"

I beamed proud. That's just what a mommy likes to hear.

I got home. They were all tucked in snug. It had been a long day, a busy day. No lunch. Dinner on the run. I wanted a glass of milk. I opened the fridge to the best gift in the world.

That sweet one of mine, the one with the sensitive heart, had left me a little present.

My friend had taken him to McDonald's to grab some dinner after the game. Normally, I'd come home to find a half-finished drink melting on the counter. But for some reason, he saved the rest of his drink for me. He knows I have a weakness for an ice-cold soda, but I think he knew it had been hard for me to miss his game. I think it was his little sensitive heart saying, "It's o.k. Mom." My heart melted and puddled at my feet. That boy loves his mommy!

The white piece of paper and those two little words healed my disappointment and chased all my worries away.

I went to bed content, knowing he had survived another day with me as his mom. I hadn't broken his heart or shattered his dreams. He'd be o.k., and I'd have more opportunities to be the screaming mom on the sidelines. Next time, he may wish mom had just stayed home!

Today, I'm unwrapping the gift of a boy's love for his mom @ Chatting at the Sky. Read what others are unwrapping today.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.

It was a sunny day.

My hubby made a yummy lunch, and we headed outside.

We didn't do anything extraordinary.

We didn't go anywhere.

We didn't spend any money.

We spent the day together, my family and me.

They puttered and played and did boy stuff.

I spent the whole day in this chair.

I read, I napped, I sunggled.

I read some more, and I napped some more.

The later it got, the chillier it got. My oldest built a fire. We huddled close to warm our toes and faces.

We roasted marshmellows and pudgy pies and hot dogs.

We lingered around the fire as long as possible, until the first one had to go in for a bath. They all filtered inside one-by-one.

Hubby said, "Why don't you stay out and enjoy the fire." (I love that man.) So I did.

It was quiet, peaceful - the perfect ending to a perfect day.

I hope your Mother's Day was special!

OK, I promise this is my last post about Door County. It's just such a special place for our family that I wanted to share it with you. Here's what I love most about it.

First, it's quiet and peaceful. If you've been there, you might be saying, "What are you talking about? That's not been my experience." And it's true, in the summertime, people come in droves from all over. The beaches are crowded and all the stores are full and people are bustling about. You can enjoy everything from fish boils to live theater. It's alive. Experiencing Door County like that is fun and exciting, but my favorite way to experience "The Door" is in the off-season. I love it in the fall when the shorelines are washed in autumn's colors. The crowds have returned to the cities and store owners are preparing to close up shop for winter.

And I love it more in the spring before the crowds arrive, when shop owners are busy preparing their stores and restaurants are getting their places ready for their season openings.

It makes finding an open shop or a place to eat all the more special, and you find that people are more willing to have a chat. Speaking with those who make Door County their home all year is a treasure. You find out a lot about the area that way.

Traveling from village to village is so much easier because your car is one of the only ones on the road. Exploring all the county has to offer in the off-season is relaxing, enjoyable, and peaceful.

Second, I love "The Door" because it's simple and charming. It's like stepping back in time. I love the little vintage touches everywhere. They remind me that life doesn't have to be complicated.

Third, I love "The Door" because it is a place that inspires the imagination. It is full of artists and their art. Everywhere you look there is a gallery...

or an artisitc expression. There is nothing that inspires creativity more than standing on the bluffs overlooking the beautiful bay...

or relaxing on the peaceful sand beaches along Lake Michigan...

or driving through the beautiful countryside...

It makes me want to be an artist, too.

All in all, Door County is a great place to lose yourself or to find yourself, if that's what you need.