Total Humiliation

Remember these?

Photo from here

I'm thinking about gettin' me one of these.

If I don't, someone may get hurt.

Someone has a habit of running away.

Remember this troublemaker cutie.

At church today, I sat in the Parenting Room because this young man had a hard time letting go of daddy's neck in the nursery. There were tears. There was drama!This Parenting Room is set aside for moms and dads of little ones who may disrupt the service and is located just off the main corridor where our auditorium and cafe are.

Little man, the twins and I were enjoying watching daddy preach on the TV, and he kept saying, "I want see daddy," (said just like that). When someone opened the door to go out, he saw his opportunity, and he shot out of the room like a cat with his tail on fire. He ran straight through the cafe where a smattering of people had chosen to watch the service and all the way through the lobby past those that had lingered after 1st service, laughing and squealing all the way. One of his brothers yelled, "I'm on it," and took off running to go catch him. When I finally caught up to them (in my high heels), I practically had to drag little man back to the room while he screamed in a loud voice, "I want daddy!" And yes, I had to walk back through the lobby and the cafe with all the smiling faces. There were snickers. There were giggles.

I'm so grateful the auditorium doors were closed because he knew exactly where daddy was and was determined to get there. I had visions of him sprinting down the aisle in the middle of the service screaming, "Hi, Daddy," all the way to the stage.

If that wasn't bad enough, he did it again at lunch. We took a guest pastor friend of ours from Romania to lunch after church. We were enjoying our lunch when all of a sudden he took off again. Our dear friend from Romania sprinted out of his chair to chase our little one all the way to the front door. Welcome to America, Mihai!

Anybody have any ideas on how to cure a runaway habit?

'Cause I'm not sure my ideas are legal!

Photo from here.

This post is part of the Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge.

Remembering

Today, my baby celebrated his 12th birthday.

Please indulge this mommy for a moment.

I'll only be a minute. I promise.

Okay, I'm back!

Where has the time gone?

I remember that round face,

those chubby fingers,

that silky black hair,

and, oh, those lips...

I remember it all like it was yesterday.

It occurred to me today that I have finally held him and loved him for longer than I ached for him. After eleven years of infertility, God brought us one of the greatest gifts of our lives. I remember every detail of that first day with him.

I remember the anticipation.

I remember getting a glimpse of him before they whisked him off to customs.

I remember how it felt to hold him in my arms.

I remember how he smelled.

I remember how he felt.

I remember how tired he was from his flight.

I remember how loud he cried when daddy couldn't figure out the carseat

I remember it all.

As for the eleven years of waiting, I remember that there were bad days and lots of tears, but the moment they put him in my arms, my heart was full.

Twelve years -

of loving,

of laughing,

of being mommy to an incredible boy!

You were my first.

You made me a mom.

I love you, Siah!

Happy Birthday!

Beauty Everywhere

I woke this morning to a fresh blanket of snow.

I found myself longing for spring,

for life,

for warmth,

for beauty.

I took a drive.

I needed a remedy for the winter blues,

the gray skies,

the bleak mood that creeps over me this time each year.

I think I found it...

beauty everywhere...

I console myself...

spring always comes...

birds will sing again...

everything will be new again...

In the meantime, I will breathe deeply,

wait patiently,

and learn what this season wants to teach me.

There is beauty in the "grayness",

joy in the "bleakness",

peace in the stillness.

Linked to Tuesdays Unwrapped at

http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2010/02/22/gifts-on-a-tuesday-2/

Basketball Lullaby

This morning, before I even had time to shake off the night, I heard the sound of the basketball hitting my wood floor. Someone was anxious about his double header tonight and was practicing his dribbling.

After school, I spotted him in the kitchen practicing keeping his foot planted as he pivoted on one foot with his ball in his hand.

Tonight, I watched him score his first basket - ever! The smile on his face was priceless. He got a taste of success, and I think he liked it. It was a nice way for this mom to end the day!

Let the Little Children Come To Me

One of my boys got baptized at church today.

(Daddy got to do the honors!)

Here's his faith story for all you grandparents, aunts and uncles who couldn't be there.

(Sorry about the poor photo. I'll post better ones when I get them.)

My name is Aidan, and I am 8 years old. Before I decided to follow Jesus, I was sad because I had not met Him, and I knew I would not be happy without Him. During church one Sunday, I wrote a prayer saying that I want to follow Jesus my whole life, and then I showed it to my mom. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to forgive my sins. I prayed in my heart.

My life is happy now because He forgave me. He will not leave my heart. I read the Bible a lot now. So far, I have read the books of John and Philippians and I am reading Matthew now. I like to read it because it teaches me about God. I want to follow what the Bible teaches me so I can be more like Jesus.

We are so proud of Aidan. He is growing into such a fine young man. He reads his Bible almost every night and is quick to remind us if we don't say our prayers. He is very perceptive about spiritual things, diligent to always give his best, compassionate toward others and always strives to do the right thing. His teachers give outstanding reports concerning his academics and his behavior. He is a delight, and we are constantly reminded what a gift he is to us.

We love you, Aidan!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

We wanted to do something fun for the kids tonight, so at 8:00 p.m., just when they would normally be headed to bed, we asked them if they wanted to go have custard. After the screams of delight died down, we all piled in the car. I'm not sure if it was the late hour or the cover of darkness, but my children say the craziest stuff. For example, one of them was complaining that he was cold, and another responded, "Take it like a man if you want to get a pocket knife." This from the child who tries to sneak out of the house on a 15 degree morning with no coat.

Then, as we are sitting at the custard place, one of them blurts out (in a really loud voice), "Hey mom, can teenagers have babies?" After picking my jaw up off the floor and trying to shush him discreetly, we explained God's plan for marriage and children. Speaking of babies, a few moments later, another one says (in a really loud voice), "They're supposed to come out head first, right?" Thank heavens for the (almost) two-year-old that doesn't allow us to stay on any one topic for too long.

Who are you and what have you done with my children?

I caught the boys watching TV like this today.

(There are two other chairs in our living room.)

Can someone explain this to me?

Thank you, Lord, for the extraordinary way you knit this family together and for the brief moments when they let brotherly love shine through.

The Beauty of Childhood

To explore...

to discover...

to wonder...

to imagine...

to learn...

to be free...



to delight...

...that is the beauty of childhood!

Resolving Conflict

Our church had a marriage retreat this weekend. Since it was happening on the weekend of the opening of the winter Olympic games, the retreat was planned with an olympics theme. It was called "Inspire the Fire", and all the breakout sessions were the names of winter olympic events. Ken and I led the Curling Team or the Conflict Resolution Session.

We've been married for 22 years (11 years without kids and 11 years with kids). From day one of our marriage and for the whole of our married life, we have lived far away from our families. We were forced from day one to figure it out on our own. During the first eleven of those years, we had newlywed struggles, seminary struggles, infertility struggles, establishing a counseling practice and all the struggles that go with that, just to name a few. The last eleven years have seen adoption struggles, job and home balance struggles, ministry struggles as well as the everyday struggles of life we all face on a daily basis. We have had ample opportunities to learn about how to deal with conflict in marriage. Here are six things we've learned about resolving conflict and having a strong marriage.

You have to...

...find the truth in the conflict.

...face the conflict head-on.

...fight to reconcile - not to win.

...filter the outside forces that will derail your marriage.

...fall in love all over again.

...focus on the spiritual side of your marriage.

I love this quote (not sure who said it):

"What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatability."

All marriages have conflict, and every conflict is an opportunity for God to show you something about yourself and something about who He is. Every time you weather one well, your marriage grows stronger. I am grateful for every conflict that has brought us to where we are today in our marriage.

He Wears Them Well

He had a mouth full of teeth before I was ready for teeth.

He could run and kick a soccer ball at 11 months old.

At 18 months, he could communicate clearly.

It's no surprise he mastered walking in high heels before most little boys have it figured out.

He thoroughly enjoys the click clack of the heels on the hardwood floors, and he's really good at it (better than mom).

I just pray it is only a passing fancy.

Chasity's Story

I have a young friend. She is 18 years old, and she is raising her two children by herself. She lives at least 15 hours away from her family. Until last summer, she had no home of her own, and when she did finally get her own apartment, she had to catch the bus everyday to take her children to daycare, to get herself to school and to go to the grocery store. She did this in sunshine, in rain, in snow and in the freezing cold. (And to think, I was just whining about my hard life yesterday! I am humbled!) She is an amazing young woman - brave, determined, strong. She is an example of how grace transforms a life. She and I both have two-year-olds, but I am almost three decades older than her. It is a strange relationship. I could be her children's grandmother. I find myself wanting to mother her, protect her, teach her. Mostly, I am just glad she is my friend.

This morning, Ken's sermon was about loving one another in Christ. She shared her story as a part of his message. You can hear it here. Just click on Caring For One Another on 02/07/10. Her story is near the end of the message.

A Good Cry

Today, I had a melt down. Ministry has been "full" lately, and the boys haven't seen much of their daddy these last two weeks. It is always a struggle to balance time with the boys and house responsibilities in the few moments of "spare" time he has. Quite frankly, the boys usually win out which is as it should be. So I do what I can with laundry, cleaning, meals, dishes , etc... Somehow, nothing seems to get finished. (That's life with a two-year-old and a pastor husband.)

Usually, just as dad sees a light at the end of the tunnel and is about to have some time off, the boys begin to make it pretty clear they're tired of "just mom" and mom is ready to say a big DITTO!

This morning Ken left to go speak at a "No Regrets" men's conference. The kids and I were just hanging out at home, but they had spent the morning pestering each other and Bennett had spent the morning destroying what little bit of housework I did manage to accomplish. By afternoon, I'm sure my blood pressure was through the roof. When I discovered a Bingo game scattered all over the upstairs, down the staircase and all over my kitchen floor, I thought I was going to lose it! (Do you remember how many little red circle markers there are in a Bingo game?) I calmly walked into the living room where all four of the boys were watching TV and said, "Apparently it doesn't bother any of you that the Bingo game is all over the house. I'm going to my room." The look on their faces told me they caught the depth of my meaning. I walked into my bedroom and burst into tears. A few minutes passed. I had a good cry. And then my oldest son knocked quietly on the door, slipped in the room and whispered, "Mom, I cleaned up the mess." Then he looked at me, saw my tears and asked if I was ok. He has such a tender heart. I told him sometimes mommies just need a good cry. Ain't that the truth!

Before he left my room, we were laughing together, and by the time Dad finally arrived home, we had put together a great plan. Dad took them all to an indoor activity center an hour away and gave mommy almost five hours alone in my own house. That never happens! It was a great gift! I sang at the top of my lungs. I played the piano - loud! I scrubbed my tub. (Who knew it was white?) I folded laundry without Bennett tossing me the clothes I had just folded. I took the Finding Nemo tape out of the VCR (it's the only thing I've watched lately) and caught the end of a chick flick (and cried some more). It was just what this mommy needed!