This is life with young children

Twas the week after Christmas, the snow's softly falling;
all the boys are resting, for once no one's calling.

-I was about to write a poem. As soon as I got that line down I hear:

"Momma... Momma..." -It's Ty.

He's calling.

Merry Christmas

There are:

3 in the kitchen,
5 in the dining room,
4 around the game table working a puzzle,
3 wandering around looking for something to do,
2 upstairs taking naps,
and dad is at church borrowing the projector.

It is a typical Christmas afternoon.

Everyone is home this year.

So far it has been a success.

The tree is still standing and coffee is constantly being brewed.

The fire has refused to successfully light but Hannah isn't quitting.

Dad's home now. He walked in with a plate of goodies (thanks Carolyn S!).

The roof on the gingerbread house has split and is sliding down toward the table.

Last night Jack was asked what he wanted for Christmas he said: A sled and a hippopotamus. I told him he wasn't getting a sled for Christmas. He very contently said, "OK."

I then informed him that we couldn't have another pet in base housing. He tried to come up with a solution. I just told him to take it up with the hard-to-get-along with housing lady.

I suggested that he hope for a couple of toys.

He did.

My seat here at the table is getting a little warm and I'm getting tired of sitting up I think I'll go look for an empty couch.

Merry Christmas

Jack's first Christmas program vs. AWANA caroling night

Which should win?

Should I go see Jack sing "Away in a Manger" with all his fellow MDOers

or

Should I drive the AWANA girls over to an assisted living home to carol and deliver handmade beaded bracelets to the elderly?

Support my child or teach the next generation how to minister to the widows?

hmm...

Let me add that Jack's daddy could not be at the program, so no one would be there to see him.

Let me also add that I am the director for the AWANA girls and that I planned this whole thing a couple months ago.

Both events were tonight.

Want to know what I did?

At 5:00 I took the boys to First United Methodist Church to eat the meal that was provided before the Christmas program.

They started serving at 5:15. And it was the most delicious baked ziti I have EVER had. It was so good that my boys ate all that was on their plate and asked for mine.... They also asked for my ice tea.

I cleaned them up real good (red sauce) and after a little discipline session Jack was good to go.

Jack went to his class, I ran to the van with Ty, we made it to church 5 minutes late.

My friend Sarah kindly became responsible for Jack after I left.

Jack sang beautifully --I'm told. He actually SANG! I was thinking there would be a "deer in the headlights" look on his face the whole time.

He got delivered to our church after the program.

Back to Ty and me.... Ty to his class and I jumped in the driver's seat of the running church van and headed to Royal Estates with the girls.

The girls (AWANA students at church) have been working the previous two weeks on bracelets. They came out beautifully. Our talented leaders wrapped them in Christmas boxes with ribbons. It was a wonderful gift.

We wanted to take these women presents. They don't get a lot of visitors and they sure don't get many Christmas gifts. Our girls also made homemade cookies for the men.

We made small, medium and large bracelets. Some were red and green, some different shades of blue, some amber colored and some were all colored.

We looked at the women's wrist before we gave each one the bracelet. We wanted them to fit.

God blessed these ladies tonight, he blessed me by being able to witness something that I'm sure He was responsible for.

It was this:

Every bracelet fit the recipient, all 25 that we gave out --with one exception (and we swapped hers).

Not only that, but the bracelets matched what the ladies were wearing! And two of the ladies commented on how those were "their colors." our boxes were wrapped. We did not know what the bracelet inside looked like, only the approximate size. What a God we have, that He matched up the gifts with each little old lady.

He cares.

He loves us.

He let my girls see the delight and appreciation on the ladies face when they heard the singing. He let my girls see the surprise on the ladies faces when they saw that we had a gift for them.

Some put the gift aside so they could focus on the ones who came to bless them.

Some let the girls help them open the presents.

It was so fun.

I feel like I'm rambling on here, that this post is not smooth.

Now that the evening is over, I think Jack doesn't mind too much that both his parents missed his program. I'm pretty sure he knows we love him.

I think that if we constantly demonstrate (and verbalize) our love for him that he will not be bothered if we sometimes miss his programs. I want him to learn from us how to serve. I don't want him to think our world revolves around him. I want him to learn that our world revolves around loving God by serving people. I want him to join us in serving.

I think he'll get it.

Chris and Sarah, I'll be over SOON to watch the video of Jack and Noelle's program.

Shoe update

Well, I thought I'd struck gold with my "buy Stride Rite on ebay plan."

Here is the update.

Ty's shoes came in. Turns out, I hadn't bought Stride Rite... In a moment of humility I decided to purchase cheaper shoes. No, I'll call it a "moment of pregnancy brain" cause I consider it an investment in my children's feet when I buy them shoes that fit them correctly and don't hurt their feet.

No don't everyone get all upset with me and think that I'm looking down on you for buying your kids affordable shoes. I'm not. You do what you want to do. What I'm saying is, my children don't communicate well enough with me to convey that the shoes they are wearing are rubbing them or too small or hurt or whatever. And I'm not sharp enough to look at their feet and the shoes and figure out if they are wearing the right size.

I want to be sure I'm not crushing their toes so I usually take them to a shoe store with a clerk who is paid to know whether or not the shoes hurt my children's feet... I'd say their job is not unlike that of a veterinarian. They've got to figure out the problem without the patient giving them any verbal clues as to what's wrong.

Next.

I ordered Jack a pair of Stride Rite 9.5 wide leather Velcro shoes.

Jack's shoes came in. They WERE Stride Rite. Just like I ordered. They WERE size 9.5, just like I'd ordered. They were NOT wide....

Just like I'd ordered.

That will be credited to pregnancy brain for sure!

So, the kid has been wearing thin socks, and he says they don't hurt (not that I really trust him).

He wore the shoes, which had a few little scuff marks on the toe (as advertised) for about three days.

End of day three, the leather on the toe of the right shoe was torn open. It has a whiteish line across it where he tore it open. Another week goes by, the left shoe is matching.

Wow!

Either that last child was gentle on the shoes and didn't break the leather or wore them to the border of the breaking point or... Stride Rite has disappointed me by their "un Jack proof" shoe.

Right now I'm not in the market for new shoes.

Ty is toughing it out and Jack will be getting thin socks for Christmas.

Photo cards anyone?

Who knew?

HEB is your source for photo cards this year.

They have the cutest / coolest designs.

And you can edit them an unlimited number of ways.

Plus.

Enter the code: NewCustomer

and get $5 off your first order.

So if you buy 20 photo cards at $7, enter the code when you check out, you will end up with a total of $2.

I bought 40 for less than $10.

I haven't seen a better price anywhere, and

you can pick them up in an hour!

Crazy

Mike and I have lived oh... 8 or 9 different places in the past 7 years. It seems that most places we live, the people geographically closest are the neighbors we know the least.

Did that make since? I am experiencing brain loss so if you don't understand what I'm saying it's not you, it's me. In the last post I spelled the word "wear" (as in you wear clothes) "ware". And I knew that was wrong. I thought and I thought and couldn't come up with the right way to spell it. I tried "wair" and that looked even worse so I just stuck with "ware." whatever. Ya'll are sharp. I thought you'd figure it out.

So anyway, about my neighbors.

It's possible they think I'm crazy.

More than likely they think I'm crazy.


I'd think I was crazy.

Take our current duplex mates for example, every now and then when the kids are asleep and we are resting on the couch (next to the stairs) we hear their footsteps. That's all, their footsteps. They are a little younger than Mike and me, have no kids and a couple of dogs. They are pretty quiet.


We...

...are not quiet.

I've asked "J" (neighbor) if he can hear us, he told me no. I can't imagine that being correct.

He probably just didn't want to have to ever admit that he thought there might be child abuse in the house and failed to report it.

I'd go into all the ways we make noise, but if you have ever been around preschoolers, you can imagine. It's loud. I discipline. Children cry. I sometimes use an "outside voice" when trying to get through to the kids. Jack jumps. Ty falls down stairs. Mike plays guitar hero. Dogs bark.

I'm just always too embarrassed about what our neighbors might think of us already to invite them over. "Oh, no... we're not going over there. We'll stay on our safer side of the building." Is probably what they'd say.


Here, I'll give you a story from this week:


Our yard needs mowing. It's got dry grass that is a little scraggly looking and needs to be trimmed for the winter. I decide I'll let the boys ride their vehicles across the street on the sidewalk while I mow. I can watch them just fine and it will only take me about 5 minutes to be done. The street is not busy.


So, Jack gets on his helmet and then his tricycle and heads across the street. He turns left and starts to ride. I stay back and help Ty get his Cozy Coupe across. By the time Ty and I make it to the sidewalk, Jack is at the next to last house on our street.

I holler for him to turn around now.

He doesn't hear.


I watch to see if he will turn around on the driveway of the last house.

He doesn't.

The only thing I can do now is run his direction till I'm in shooting (I mean shouting) range.

So I do. Remember I'm pregnant? Just checking.

I jog/sprint down to the end of the street. Jack's turned the corner and is heading around the block.

I yell again.

He hears this time.

"Jack, come back!"

He says something back to me that was not able to make out. Then he turns his head away from me and...

keeps riding.

I look back down the street toward my house. I see Ty.

He's in the middle of the street --bawling.

I've run off and left him. Ty's worst nightmare (he's a bit of a mama's boy).

So here's our status:

Jack's speeding toward the second busiest street on base, Ty is in the middle of our street, crying. I'm standing halfway between both of them, and "J", my neighbor is on his roof putting up Christmas decorations.

I'm sure he saw it all.

Crazy?

You be the judge.

Confessions

"Hi, My name is Rebecca. I'm a middle class shoe snob.

I've been a shoe snob for about 8 years now. I'm not exactly sure how it all started, but one day I found myself at Payless Shoe stores. I needed a pair of dress shoes. I walked out empty handed and with my nose a little too high in the air.

I had reached a point where I couldn't buy cheap shoes any more.

After that found myself buying Clarks, Born, Asics, Sanuks...

And hasn't just affected me.

It has affected my family as well.

My sons in particular.

They have never worn a pair of shoes purchased at Walmart, Kmart, Payless, any grocery store.

They ware brands like: Crocs, Stride Rite, Buster Brown.

If I haven't heard of the brand, it doesn't go over their socks.

I'm not proud of this.

It's something about myself that I'd like to change.

I see how it has hurt my family... financially.

I'd like to tell everyone that even though I turn my head to affordable footwear, I am not a germophobe. I didn't freak out yesterday when I saw my sons putting their mouth on the cart at Walmart. I was ok when the cute old lady kissed Jack on the mouth in the beginning of flu season. I didn't pass out when Ty ate a skittle off of the floor at Old Navy.

And. I am ok with used shoes.

I've started my recovery process by buying the boys shoes off of ebay.

Yes, they are still $50 Stride Rite shoes. But I'm paying way less then that for them. It's been a pretty good place to buy Jack's wide shoes and just fun to find Ty some cute leather shoes.

Ty isn't able to wear Jack's shoes. Otherwise I probably would not see any problem in spending $55 on a pair of shoes that would be worn by both kids. That's only $27.50 each!

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

And thanks to all of you who have supported me through this process.

Potty Training?

Apparently we are potty training.

The one year old.

Ty's been intrigued with Jack's ability to pee on command. He's been known to stand beside Jack at the toilet and watch. That's not weird is it? The kids got to learn about this sort of thing right?

Then he started pulling up his shirt and looking at his belly.

Next in his broken English, he'd say: "Go potty, go potty Mommy."

So we'd put him up to the toilet like Jack (He's stand on my feet in order to reach) and he'd just grunt and push... sometimes he'd pass gas. --That was really funny.

Then one day, a few drips came out.

Today, on the way home from Greenville, he told us he needed to go potty. We told him to go ahead and go in his diaper. We were on the road and didn't want to stop. He kept whining and telling us he needed to go pee-pee. Jack had to go too, so we pulled the car off the road. Mike and I exit the vehicle. Door simultaneously slide open. Out come the boys, we line 'em up on the side of the road. Mike has Jack, I have Ty. Jack does his business. Ty farts. Then, get this. He goes... and goes... he really had held it. His diaper was dry! This was a for real attempt at bladder control.

So.

I have no choice but to go with it.

I'll keep letting him think this is his idea and won't push it at all. I've got a feeling that he might decide to rebel after the new baby gets here. So I'm not going to let him think I care about where he does his business. Cause if I don't care why would he poop his pants to get back at me?

haha!

I feel like I'm one step ahead of the game...

today.

"Happy Birthday Dear Chrissy, Happy Birthday to you!!!"

Words are not necessary to express how deeply we feel about Chrissy.

A-typical trip to the grocery store

He was being sweet.

Sitting on his knees in the shopping basket.

Not sneaking grapes.

Not squashing my tomatoes.

Not standing up.

Not whining.

It was a moment that is so rare, I took a picture of it.

I wanted to remember it.

So when I'm old, I will look back on my blog and wish the boys were this age again. I'll wonder where the years went. I'll think about all those perfect shopping trips to the Commissary. The little boys that filled my cart and left little room for groceries. The free coffee that looked so good, but made it impossible to continue shopping till that little cup was gone. Those are the things I'll remember.

Only because.

I'm not going to write about the rest of it.

I plan on being one of those "old moms" one day. The ones who look at young moms who are accompanied by a screaming baby and toddlers running rampant. I will smile lovingly at the "sweet children" then look up to the mother and tell her: "I remember when mine where that age. Enjoy them cause it passes so quickly." Then she will look at me with those tired eyes and force a smile. All the while thinking, "humph... doesn't seem like it could go much slower."

Me?

I'll honestly not remember. After 3+ kids, I can't remember much anyway. But I will erase all the memories of rough trips to the store, poop exploding everywhere, and boys who just want to be ugly to each other.

Cause I just won't write about it...

Cubbies Thankfulness List

I hope you can see this well enough to make out the words. Jack's class at church put together a list of the things they are thankful for this year. On the left is a name and on the right is the thing each person is thankful for.

Thanks Amanda for sending this home for us to enjoy.



(Jack is "Jack" not "Jackson" on this list)

It's good to have a dad around

I'm in the kitchen making supper. This is what I hear:

(Mike --deep tone in his voice)


"Boys.

Come here. I need to tell you something very important.

Do not put toys on your brother and then try to walk on them."

What I like about you!

Dustin Jenkins

First time EVER a guy is featured on "What I like about you."

I sort of have a policy that I don't speak highly of men other than my husband. But I've let Mike proof this before it was published and he has given me the OK.

So the question that is on everyone's minds:

Why Dustin? What has he done to deserve this small honor on Becca's blog?

No small feat has earned him this post. As some of you know, Mike is out of town again this week. I had planned --for about two months now, to go on an overnight retreat with the ladies from our church. In fact, I was on the team that was organizing it. (I ended up doing very minimal work, as Mike's schedule didn't allow me to participate more.) The retreat was Friday night - Saturday afternoon. Mike was slated to return home Sunday.

The retreat was out. Mike tried hard to arrange things with his schedule so that I could go, but with the shortage of Navs in the squadron, it just wasn't possible.

Till...

Dustin offered to watch the boys, so I could go.

What a guy.

We bought him Lego's.

Nothing says thank you to Dusin better than Lego's. Well, maybe a new TV or a truck payment or some night-vision goggles...

But could any of those things really express enough thanks to a man who is willing to give up his weekend... to spend with two preschoolers, two toy poodles and two Westies?

No.

Who does that?

I mean sure, we have trains and cool matchbox cars, but there's no way that can compensate for the stinky diaper, wiping Jack's rear, cleaning out eye boogers, making breakfast, lunch, cleaning up toys, reading books, swatting flys, looking for toothbrushes, putting on PJs and waking up to a loud voice saying: "AWAKE Mommy, I AWAKE!"

All for kids that aren't your own.

After Dustin left Jack spelled out "D-U-S-T" with the fridge magnets and called it Dustin. Ty picked up my phone and said, "Ha-Woa! Ha-Woa Dutin!"

Dustin, thanks for loving my boys. Thanks for serving Mike and me. Thanks for not allowing Jack to bully Ty. And thanks for not leaving the house a wreck.

Jesus Blesses the Children

was the title to a story I read the boys tonight before bed.

It is about Jesus allowing the little children to come to him.

Here are some lines from the book.

Wait. Can I do that? Am I allowed to copy paragraphs of someone else's work and put them up on my blog? Hmm.. I figure as long as I give them credit. I'll just cite it.

Ok. The title pages has this on it:

ARCH Books
Copyright 1996 Concordia Publishing House
3558 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118-3968
Manufactured in Colombia

Now that that is out of the way.

Here is what some of the lines are:

To His disciples Jesus said,
"Do not get in their way.
Let the children come to Me.
I tell you, let them stay."

When Jesus spoke those caring words,
The little children stayed,
Then went to Jesus, full of trust --
They weren't a bit afraid.

When Jesus took them in his arms,
He patted them and smiled,
Then lovingly He blessed them as
He prayed for each young child.

What would you say to Jesus if
He came to visit you?
Would you smile and welcome Him
And say, "How do you do?"

Now if you really knew He was
The Lord to whom you pray,
I'm sure you'd thank Him for the things
He gives you every day--

Like sun and rain to make plants grow
And loving folks who care;
For food and clothes and cuddly pets
And friends who say, "Let's share!"

We finish reading the book.

I turn to Jack and ask him, "Jack, what would you say to Jesus if he came to our house?"

Jack thought for a second, takes a breath like he is about to answer my question, then releases it without any words coming out. He's staring down at some books so I ask him again.

"If Jesus came to see you, what would you say?"

He finally answers. "I'd say, 'It's good to see you.'"

"What else would you say?"

"I'd say, 'It's REALLY good to see you.'"

"Ok, that's good, but what else would you say?"

"I'd say, 'It's GREAT to see you.'"

I told him that was good. At least he's learning some manners. He was still thinking about the question a second later and told me that he'd say: "It is good to meet you" to Jesus.

Jack's thoughtfulness was probably not an uncommon response.

It's not an easy question to answer. It's one that should be very seriously considered.

Rev. 3:20 says:
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

What would you say to Jesus if He came to visit you?

Summary

I've got a lot to say.

I've got lots of people I need to respond to.

Yes, Lawson, I do remember when I used to post on here.

Mema, the pictures are coming. Soon. I got out of bed a few minutes ago (and yes I was comfortable and ready for sleep... regardless if it is not yet 8 o'clock) because I promised I would try to get Halloween pictures up.

Thank you to all who have congratulated us on the pregnancy.

And I know I sounded a little bit overwhelmed on the post where I told ya'll I was pregnant. I was. I'm better. Today I got to see the little one for the first time. I'll admit, this one's a little funny looking. But I'm sure he/she will grow some hands and feet, and I think the hunchback will disappear.

Here is what we learned from the sonogram:

I am 10 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Ten weeks. Know what that means? It means that I'm 1/4 of the way through with the pregnancy. Sounds too easy doesn't it?

We now have an official due date: June 6, 2010

Baby is 34 mm long from head to rump. (1.33 inches)

Heart was beating. This is good because I've had a sonogram that was as cool as could be, you could see the spine, the brain, lungs, arms, legs, chest, head... but no heartbeat. At that point I didn't know we were looking for a heartbeat so I got to enjoy and be amazed when seeing the little baby.

Heart rate: 170. I asked if it was a boy heart rate or a girl. The tech said that this early both sexes had fast heart rates. We'd have to wait to get a good guess on that one.

So the last few weeks? What's going on you say?

Well...

This baby has been by far the most difficult first trimester. I've been nauseated and exhausted. That's why I haven't made it up here to the computer. The boys have been living off of empty carbs and PBS kids. I've felt like a neglectful mom. The couch has been my friend. As of a few days ago 3/4 of our family wear blue jeans with an elastic waist. Hot cars make me want to vomit so does water. I've lost 3 pounds...of muscle. It was quickly replaced with 2 pounds of fat. I wake up 3 times a night, at least. I can smell feet from three doors down. Last night my kids ate TV dinners for the first time in their life. They liked it. Ty's hair is getting really long. It hasn't been cut since I shaved his head this summer. My front yard hasn't been mowed in 3 or 4 weeks. Mike is gone again to Little Rock, this time it's just a week. We'll see him Sunday.

I'm going to load the pictures now. Just as promised. And then hit the sack. I'm tired and my stomach hurts a little.

We spent Halloween weekend in College Station, TX watching the Aggies beat up on Iowa State.(whoooop!)

Chrissy (my sister) came with us and we hung out with my friend Amanda almost the whole time we were there. Halloween night we all got to spend time at a fun party. We met up there with Shannan and Chris -Chris was our deacon when we went to church at Living Hope. Shannon is in one of the pictures dressed as the cat in the hat. It was a fun weekend. I want to publicly thank Chrissy and Amanda for taking the boys when I wasn't feeling well and for watching them while Mike and I went on a date. You two are incredible servants and I'm so blessed by both of you. You are really two of the most kind and thoughtful people I know.

Now, I'm going to bed.

Things I never thought I'd hear my self say

Me:

"Ty, do not do the washing machine on the stairs."

"Ty, don't do it. You could fa...."

"Do you see why you are not supposed to do the washing machine on the stairs? It's dangerous."

"Now go all the way upstairs before you do it again."

"Uhh-uhh!!"


Mike:

"Ok Ty, now you can do the washing machine."



**washing machine is this dance that the boys taught us tonight. Arms in front of the body, bent at a 90 degree angle. Hands made into fists. Rotate torso at the waist. Possibly from Veggie tales??? Anyone know where they picked this up?

Yes, I know...

it has been weeks since I have posted.

Sorry.

And I am not getting on here tonight to type something awesome. Nope. Just to apologize. Sorry you have come here and there is nothing new. Mike, as most of you know, is in Little Rock still. Should be back home this weekend.

I'm so glad.

Jack and Ty are so glad.

You should all be so glad, because: Mike said that he misses the blog when I don't put anything on it and when he gets home we are going to make time for me to get on here and be funny.

And. I've decided that I am going to start doing punctuation my way. I'm going to toss out most of what Mrs. Greiner taught me all through high school and write like I'm thinking. If my brain stops mid sentence, then I will put a period before the thought is complete. It will look. Sort of. Like that. If it is too hard to follow, give me some feedback and I'll consider going back to using standard grammatical rules.

Tonight I'm feeling a little bit ornery. I had to look that word up to spell it and I had no idea it started with an "o" not an "a". Huh. Still looks weird.

Jack, I think, just turned 15. He's been speaking ugly to me. He has this aggression or rebellion or something inside him that comes out at all the wrong times. He'll be walking by Ty and stick his arm out to close line him, for no reason. I'll ask him something and this deep (as deep as a three-year-old can muster) voice growls at me "Yes, 'MAM!!!"

Excuse me?

The other day Ty was sitting on the floor in front of him, Jack was in a chair, and Jack kicked him in the back. I don't think he knew why he did it.

What do I do with this?

I know, I've been doing the same thing I normally do for disobedience, but it doesn't seem to make any difference in the behavior of this wild man.

Maybe it's just me. I've been a little on-edge the last 3 weeks or so.

I'm not crazy, I'm pregnant.

Yes, we're excited. I'm a little overwhelmed right now with my two wild boys at home. And Ty? Ty is my favorite age: 18-24 months. He's sweet. Come January, a two-year-old will replace my sweet Ty. Then what? Then I will have a 3 year old and a 2 year old and be 4 months pregnant.

Lord help me!

What have I done.

Good news. Mike will be here. (maybe)

I'm on the last 48 hours of Mike's 6 weeks of training in Arkansas, and going a tad crazy. Talk to me next week and I'll sound normal again. I'll be thrilled about having another little one on the way and my boys will once again be sweet and my man will be here taking care of things.

Aren't you glad men don't get emotional like women? I AM.

I don't think I could handle living with someone as nuts as me. And! Imagine if we were both hormonal at the same time! The divorce rate in America would quadruple.

One of my favorite things about Mike is his stability.

So.. to recap... I'm pregnant. (Not exactly the way I thought I would announce it, but ya know.)
Mike will be home soon and the blog will get updated more frequently.

Pretty good for not posting tonight.

Hide and Seek

We are back and moved in at the camp house. Jack fondly nicknamed Mike's temporary living quarters, "The Camp House" when we were here three weeks ago. I decided to go with it instead of calling it "Dad's house" or "The house that Daddy is temporarily living in while he does his work in Arkansas." The former seemed like it could be confused in the little boys' minds as a permanent separation, and the latter was too many words.

We did not bring any toys with us this time except for the two Buzz Lightyear action figures (dolls) we got at a garage sale last week. On the way out of town we acquired two plastic beakers with our kids meals from Chickfila. That's it. That's all we came up with.

We left Lego's and a toy construction set with Mike so we have that. Jack wasn't treating the toys well this morning and had them taken away from him. So... that leaves us with either TV or creative play.

Here we are playing hide and seek. Mike was hiding (sort of) we were seeking.

We are about to head out to the library on base, then home to read books, lunch, nap and then out to dinner and a football game. We are going to watch Pulaski Academy's homecoming and Coach Kevin Kelley -the coach who never punts.

I'll let you know how it goes.

BIG NEWS!

OK here it is... the big news.

You can go to Wendy's buy a coupon book that contains 10 coupons for free Jr. Frosties.

The Jr. Frosty is 6 ounces. The perfect amount of ice cream for the American.

We don't need any more than that!

How much does the coupon book cost?

$1

What???

One Dollar.

So... here's what I'm saying. You can have a frosty every day for a month. What should you budget?

$3.00

Yep.

A frosty every day for a year (at this rate) will be only $36

For $1 you can mail a coupon book to a family and the could have two ice cream nights on you.

Or... The entire Hutchins family -counting the married-in ones and the babies could go out for Frosties for: $2.10

Uncle Robert, are you hearing this??? Two dollars and ten cents to be an even bigger hero than you already are.

(I hope I counted that correctly.)

So... go to Wendy's. Hand them a dollar. Take home a coupon book and for ten cents a piece go out between now and Feb. 1st and eat Frosties.

Think:

Stocking stuffers

Trick or treaters

Awards at school

Payment for babysitters

Cheap dates

Let me hear your other awesome ideas with ways to bless people with ice cream. Post comments here.

Ty eating a burrito

Biting

Jack had to come hang out with me tonight at church because he had a little misunderstanding with a nursery worker.

Ok. What really happened? He bit her.

I told him he could not go to Cubbies until he learned to act right.

So. We packed up his bag and he came and sat on the floor, in the corner of our room where I was teaching... he sat there for about an hour. He did pretty good. Stayed in one spot and was quiet.

I told him AFTER church we would go apologize to his teacher (the one he bit). I wanted to give him some time to think about it.

He was pretty somber for the rest of the evening until we got in the car. Then he started talking to me. He said:

"Mommy, if you say 'stop biting the people, I will stop biting them.'

If you say, 'Stop biting the cars, I will stop biting.'

If you say, 'Stop biting Ty, I won't bite him anymore.'

If you say, 'Stop biting the teamwork, I will stop biting it.'

If you say, 'Stop biting the airplanes, I will stop!'

Is that cool Mommy?"

-every word is true.

I told him that I preferred if he would just not bite anything but his food --period.

Teamwork? Where did he get that?


On a serious note, it is really cool to see the change of heart he has. He's really a very sweet boy. Sometimes he just loses it.

Happy Birthday Mike!

Hope you are having a relaxing day!



There's nothing like spending your birthday in Jacksonville, Arkansas... nothing.



Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday. We celebrated Mike's birthday at Mom and Dad's house. He said he wanted cupcakes so I made him some.



There was quite a flame on top of that cake!!!

Fall is coming!

It's almost here! We've had several days where the high temp for the day was in the 70s. That's right. It was 52, Fifty-two! This morning. I love how this plant is changing colors. I don't know what it is, but it must be hardy cause I kept it alive for about a year in a pot before moving it to the flower bed. Now it's thriving.

Our driveway has recently become a street. Ty's vehicle of choice seems to be a matchbox car travel case... whatever works.

At least I don't have to push him.

"Hi Mom!"

He must have been tired...

I'm pretty sure his last words were:

"I do it Mommy!"

Praying makes me hungry

This evening, after bath time, the boys and I laid down on my bed to read books. Reading to my boys seems to be the best way to kill a little time before bed on days when neither one can be good any longer. Today Jack didn't have much nap at MDO. He has a stuffy nose. He gets one every time he sleeps cold. The first night in Little Rock I neglected to check the thermostat before going to bed. Poor Jack will pay for that for a couple of weeks.

Ty is always tired on days he goes to "school." His teacher, Mrs. Amanda, might possibly accept a teaching position at a local elementary school. Please pray for her and her husband as they make the decision. I am confident that Ty and the other children will get yet another exceptional teacher for their class. Mr. Irvin, the MDO director at First United Methodist Church, has done an excellent job getting teachers for their program. I love how they love my kids. I am thankful for the way they minister to my family.

So, tonight, lying on the bed. We finished 5 books, my voice is tiring. I tell the boys that the next thing we are going to do is to pray together. I tell them of so many things that we can give thanks about. I ask Jack what he wants to tell God.

Jack, without much thought, starts praying a routine prayer.

"Dear Jesus, thank you for the food. (pause)

Umm... (short pause)

How about we go eat somethin?"

Archeologists

Earlier this week the boys and I found the remains of an ancient park. What a discovery! We're assuming it was from the 30s... It has all the characteristics of one made by the CCC after the depression.

And yes, We did make it out without any major injury.

Probably won't be going back to visit that one any time soon...

The Trolley

Little Rock had a trolley that runs from North Little Rock, across the river, around the river area and over to the Clinton Library. It's a pretty cool deal. The kids were free and for a dollar (each way) adults could ride. How fun does this look?

The river crossing was the main attraction for the big guys.

Don't you love how Mike is sitting in the next one? How cute is that? It's like he is eight. He doesn't know I took this picture. It will be a surprise to him when he reads the blog... surprise Mike!

We stopped at the River Market and had a snack. I have some EXCELLENT coffee. The boys ate cupcakes (with sprinkles) and Mike and I split a cookie.

See these bright eyes? Yes. The cupcakes were glorious.

Jack looks like he needs a booster.

This is the River Market. If you ever come to Arkansas, this is the place you need to stop at. They have little stands with all kinds of ethnic foods. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Robert and a few of my cousins came here last time we were here. Hutchins, notice how they have new tables and chairs? It looks much more contemporary and clean in here now.