…Call KJ, he understands.

And THEN go try try again.

I’m so proud of our biggest boy!
He FINALLY learned to ride a bike without training wheels.
I say finally because he has taken the training wheels off of his bike twice before and then requested that they be put back on. 
But this time was different.

Because we love you, so much!

Momma

Just for fun, here are a couple of videos.  Totally laughing at myself as I listen to my voice. 
Here is one of the process (including the funny…but not…wreck with Lou.)

And one of the finished product.  A confident (and THRILLED) bicycle rider!

In January our congregation celebrated all of the babies born or adopted in 2012.  Our sweet Little Bear was among the honored and we were so blessed by this evening.  It is our fourth time to share the rituals of “baby blessing” night and while the traditions, the gifts, and the people look much the same- it certainly never gets old.

Note: This Bible Study schedule has been updated.  Please go here for part 2.

More than a year ago, after I finished studying my way through Nehemiah, I started praying about how to intentionally continue Bible study.  I loved the personal nature of reading and journaling through verses in the Bible so really wanted to continue that type of studying.  But, what made the Nehemiah journey so compelling was that I felt so CALLED to it.  It so closely paralleled the struggles of my real life at the time that I felt like I was drawn into the book in a personal and intimate way.  I think I was waiting for that to happen again.  So, as 2012 started and I decided I was going to study the Gospels (Matthew-John), I waited to get “motivated” …and in the mean time, I just let life get in the way.  I could give lots of reasons (excuses) why I didn’t pursue the study more, but just know that by the middle of the year I’d nearly forgotten about it.

Do you ever find yourself saying “ALRIGHT ALREADY, I’ll do it”, in response to being nearly beaten over the head with a message? Am I the only one that sometimes has to have things practically written on the wall before you act on it? I mean, really, sometimes I can be so HARD headed.
Commence head beating.
I’m not exaggerating that event after event over the last couple of months have said “Allison, you really need to KNOW Christ, know more about Jesus, who he was, what he taught, how he lived.  STUDY THE GOSPELS already.”   So, I’m gonna try again.  Studying the Gospels.  But this time I have something that was lacking in 2012…a (super simple, easy to follow) plan.

So, here’s my plan:

1) READ the GOSPELS (in parallel)
I’ve done some research on parallel Gospel tables and this is the one I like best:
http://parallelgospels.org/
I like it because it is really easy to use and its just the WORD, no commentary (although you can click on links to commentaries very easily from the home page).  And the links for each section work (and are still easy to read) from my ipod touch.  Making the study, like me, very mobile. 
I will say- I don’t know anything about this site.  I’m not getting anything for recommending it.  And please click on any advertisements or other links at your own risks, or better yet just don’t.

I’m going to do about 4 sections of this breakdown a week, but have divided it up so it flows based on the story and length of the sections (for example the whole Sermon on the Mount is only one section so I left a whole week for that).

2) JOURNAL/STUDY
Because I’m specifically wanting to read and study about Christ, I’m journaling through in a very intentional way.  I’ve got a spiral divided into the following categories:
– Characteristcs
– Teachings/Commands
– Miracles
And I’m sure as I go I may add other sections.

3) MEMORIZE the Word with my family
Our kids are young, but they can already memorize scripture.  We are thinking about doing 1 verse a month.   Because we hadn’t started the reading yet in January, we chose a “prophetic” verse about Jesus to start

JANUARY FAMILY VERSE
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ISAIAH 9:6

Why am I telling you my plan? You know, I’m not really sure. 
I guess I hoped that saying it out loud will help me commit to it.
But I also hope that maybe some of you will join me. 
Adding an element of community perspective to a personal Bible study.

As a busy working mom, I’ve been frustrated with the structure of Bible Studies I’ve been part of.  PLEASE DON’T HEAR ME WRONG ON THIS.  I love/need the perspective of community while studying, and I’ve had some awesome opportunities to be part of those kinds of studies.  However, with 4 kids aged 6 and under, it is very difficult to have something specifically scheduled into an evening, that requires me to drop my children off (yet again) in childcare, and work my way through a workbook that may or may not be at all relevant to where I am right now.  Not that there is anything wrong with that kind of studying AT ALL, it works great for some people, it just doesn’t fit into my lifestyle right now. That said- I BELIEVE that the WORD always has/needs a place in my life.  And maybe some of you feel the same way.  If so, you are exactly who I feel called to encourage in this.  Together, we can find a way to dive into the Word in a way that lets it resonate with us where we are. 

If that is what you need right now, do you wanna try this together?

Like I said, I’m following the chart below and I’ll let you know each month which verse/verses our family is memorizing (probably one from the previous month’s studying).  But feel free to move at your own pace, do what works best for your family, and share what you are learning on your own blog, on facebook, with me via email/text/comment- or don’t share a bit.  Totally up to you.  The journaling, especially, will probably look totally different for different people.  If you are looking for a model or triggers for journaling, I’ve used the “Discovery Bible Study” method and “S.P.E.C.K.” prompts and liked both.  I’ve also just journaled verse by verse.  Do some research, there are lots of good suggestions from others on how to just read and study the Bible without a workbook, so to speak.

 Its only four books of the entire Bible.  Over the course of an entire year.  So, the idea is for it to be SUPER SIMPLE and accomplish-able.  However, the idea is also for it to be very purposeful and intentional. AND to involve our families. 
Because this whole thing may be a huge learning curve, but here’s what I DO know for SURE.  The Word is ALIVE, it is TRUE and it is RELEVANT.  And I have to believe that as we study about Christ- his teachings, his life, his characteristics, his miracles- we will know Him in new ways. 

Lets stand there together at the end of 2013.  Because that is the real goal.  Whether you join me in this kind of personal study, whether you attend organized Bible Study, or whether you are attending Church regularly for the very first time.  No matter how different our experiences are as we read and study The Word this year- Let’s all arrive at December 31, 2013, and say we know CHRIST more fully, more deeply, and as a result our hearts and lives are changed.  And that, folks, is my New Year’s Resolution!

ABL

Here are the first six months.  The numbers coordinate with the numbered sections on this link:
http://parallelgospels.org/

January (I’ve spent this week praying and planning.  I’ll start this specific plan next week, Jan 6th)
Wk 1: 1-5
Wk 2: 6-9
Wk 3: 10-14
Wk 4: 15-18
 
February
Wk 1: 19-22
Wk 2: 23-26
Wk 3: 27-30
Wk 4: 31-35

 March
 Wk 1: 36-40
Wk 2: 41-44
Wk 3: 45-47
Wk 4: 48-52

 April
Wk 1: 53-56
Wk 2: 57
Wk 3: 58-63
Wk 4: 64-67
Wk 5: 68-70
 
May
 Wk 1: 71-73
Wk 2: 74-76
Wk 3: 77-79
Wk 4: 80-83

June
Wk 1: 84-89
Wk 2: 90-93
Wk 3: 94-98
Wk 4: 99-101 

We don’t know much about Joseph.
At least I don’t.
I know he was a carpenter.
But I can’t think of one other thing I know about him other than-
His son was Jesus.
Yet, this Christmas I find myself thinking about him and his role in THE story.

The story of a baby.
A baby King.
A baby King that was born in a manger inside of a stable, because his parents had traveled for miles and miles to a city that was too full for them.
A baby King, both God and man.
Who would save the world.

I’m always amazed when I think about the humble beginnings of our Lord and Savior. It doesn’t get more meager than spending your first hours in an animal feeding trough. It is amazingly incomprehensible that He was completely GOD as he nursed, as he cried, as he had his diaper changed. And He would grow up to save the world. He was worshipped from the beginning yet in the beginning, he was completely reliant on his parents.

His parents, Mary and Joseph.

I’m always amazed when I think about the delivery Mary endured. She found out from an angel that she had conceived a baby without ever having slept with her fiancé. She faced certain ostracization and there would always be those who wouldn’t believe her, or believe in Him. And THEN she got on a donkey. A DONKEY at 9 months pregnant. She endured the ride and then lay down in a bed of hay to deliver her child. A child she knew would grow to be Lord, Savior, KING. Knowing he was completely GOD, she would nurse him, rock him when he cried, change his diaper. And she would worship Him from the very beginning, while he was still completely reliant on his parents.

His parents, Mary AND JOSEPH.

But to be honest, I haven’t ever really been amazed by Joseph. Maybe never even really considered him. A carpenter. A carpenter who knew that his son was completely God as he lead the unborn child’s mother on a donkey, as he watched his new wife nurse him, as he rocked him when he cried, maybe even when he changed his diaper. And he would worship him from the very beginning. Worship him knowing that this baby, though not his blood, was entrusted to him, to his ancestors, to all of those that had come before him.

And this Christmas I find myself thinking about that carpenter. A carpenter to whom I’ve never really given much thought. And it turns out, he’s kinda significant to the King’s presence in this world. Because in the gospel of Matthew, the lineage of Christ comes through Joseph and his father and his fathers’ father. From David, down through a baby king. A baby king that was his son, but not his. Not by blood or conception. I’ve heard about the significance of those in the lineage of Christ, the imperfect people who paved a perfect path for a savior to enter the world. But I’ve never considered that the heritage of Christ, in Matthew at least, comes through Joseph.

And for Christmas, that means a lot. Because in many ways, Joseph CHOSE to be the father of Jesus. By faith he married a pregnant virgin. By faith he led a donkey to Bethlehem. By faith, he took on the role of protecting the King before he could take care of himself. He fled more than once to find a safe place for the tiny King when Herod hunted him. And when the pre-teen king went missing, he scoured the roads and towns to find him.

His blood was not in the boy, but the boy was his son. His sweet tiny adopted son. Who would save the world!

I cannot imagine the faith that took. The faith to take on that role, explained to you by an angel, knowing it would not make sense to much of the rest of the world. The faith to marry a woman and commit with her to raise the Lord they would worship. To be so determined to spend every once of your being protecting this King. No matter what.

And I wonder. What in the WORLD did Joseph’s parents think? How did he explain to them- THIS is what I was made to do. This is what I’ll be remembered for. And that is what I know about Joseph. He WAS the father of Christ. He chose to be the Daddy to a baby that needed to be protected, like no other baby ever was.

And because of that choice, and because of the lineage in the gospel Matthew, I also know something about Joseph’s father and his father’s father and those that came before him. They created a legacy of faith that would ultimately give one man the strength to accept the responsibility of adopting and protecting the Son of God.

This Christmas Eve, I find myself praying for a legacy like Joseph’s father. And Joseph’s father’s father. Oh sweet Lord, give us strength. Strength to encourage and teach our children in a way that will allow each of them to do what they were made to do.

2) KJ came home from school on Friday after TWELVE kids had been at our house for a playdate.  He looked around at the mess and informed me “Mom, if there are going to be a lot of kids here, I think its a good idea if they practice the ‘only get one toy out a time’ rule, don’t you?”  yeah, that might have been wise.

3) While a friend was visiting, KJ was showing her his kite.  The kite he got for his birthday. In May. That his parents still haven’t let him take out of the package (in our defense WE WERE MOVING).  I thought bemoaning that he hadn’t gotten to fly it would be the extent of the conversation, but he had something more urgent to talk about.  He read her the kite safety instructions.  Like “don’t retrieve from power lines”.  After going through the list with her, he commented “don’t you think they are forgetting a few things.  They should have put ‘don’t fly kites in the house’ and maybe should have said ‘don’t fly kites in fire’. Those would be good rules to add.”  I think I see a future for him in this!

1) Cbug got in the van after school one day as the “interrupting robot”.  Only we didn’t know it.  While some of my children would have announced “I’m an interrupting robot.” and cracked themselves up at the idea, not Cbug.  He just climbed into his seat, took out a book and started looking at the pages.  UNTIL.  Lou tried to tell me something.  Midway through each of her sentences, Cbug (while not looking up and still turning pages) would blurt out “IN-TUH-RUP-TING.” in his best robot voice. She’d try to tattle and he’d just say “IN-TUH-RUP-TING”.  I’d try to correct him, but he’d interrupt me, too. I was laughing so hard, I nearly had to pull the van over.  His delivery was impeccable.  I don’t know where he comes up with these things.

1) Our little Lou is getting pretty smart when it comes to working people. At her preschool each semester they do a little assessment for each kid, just showing the parents wheat we can work on at home, what they have learned, etc.  Last time Lou did one they asked her to count and she said she could only make it to 9 and then “forgot anything after that”.  This time, she apparently couldn’t remember some of her letters.  When I got the sheet, I didn’t make a big deal out of it, but I pointed to a couple of the letters and said “Lou, what is this letter” and she told me.  So I said “when your teacher asked about that letter, did you tell her what it was?”  She grabbed the paper out of my hand, studied it up one side and down the other and then with a wave of her little princess hand declared “I do NOT know WHAT this is talking about!” and went back to playing. 

He’s six months old and I’ve finally chosen a blog name for baby C, Little Bear.  (which you might see as “bear” or “lb” or “little b”. who knows.)  It is a tribute to his playful baby bear throaty growl with which he pleasantly communicates.  Its also a discrete shout-out to the middle name that our oldest two wanted to give him- Robin.  And because he’s snuggly bear adorable, of course. Except in the middle of the night.  Around September he decided sleeping through the night was overrated. Which might have to do with the fact that he just cut his first tooth.  I hope that’s what it was, but if so, it took 2 months for him to get that tooth through.  He’s started eating more foods and loving anything we give him, so maybe he was just hungry.  He really likes to pull hair and eat jewelry.  He loves for his siblings to play with him and their current favorite game is to sing “trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat” until he laughs so hard he nearly chokes.  He’s learning to go with the flow, but really prefers to be in his bed for naptime.  His happy place, though, is being outside either in the stroller or sitting in the grass (trying to eat it, of course).  Fun times for our littlest man!

I was up much of the night on Saturday night.
Partly thanks to the cutest 6 1/2 month old on the planet and his little bear growlings.
But largely thanks to my own brain. The brain that would.not.quit.

It had been a long day.  A day that left me at a crossroads and unsure how to navigate it.  I feel like much is expected of me, but there is little left to give.  Primarily, I feel like my heart will EXPLODE if my intententios are misunderstood one more time.  I try to communicate love and grace. And yet it comes out as self-righteousness. I strive to offer answers and it comes across like I have them all.
And the thing is, it is not entirely “their” fault. 
I’ve been responding.

And that’s what I lay awake praying about.
I’ve spent my life responding.
Responding to others’ expectations.
Responding to others’ time constraints.
Responding to others’ words.
Responding to others’ behaviors.
Responding to others’ choices.

The response itself isn’t always negative.  It makes sense to respond to compliments with pride, it makes sense to respond to high expecations by thriving, it makes sense to respond to inspiring life choices by living differently.

But what about how I respond to words that are meant to hurt me, how I respond to behaviors that might hurt my husband or children, to choices that are destroying families.  My strong responses to these attacks is likely justified, but that isn’t enough for me.  I want to correct it, make it right, undo the hurt, respond to the words in a way that brings clarification. And many times, my response just isn’t enough to do any of that.  I was deep in prayer and thought about how I could respond differently, how I could speak diffierently, how I could communicate the love and grace that were keeping me awake.

And driving to church Sunday morning, amidst a van full of children, I thought.
“Don’t respond to people.  Respond to their needs.”
Honestly, at the time, those two things didn’t seem that much different to me.  In the moment I was thinking “that’s some clever semantics there, ABL”.

So I continued through the day.  Half listening to class (sorry Rick), half listening to the sermon (sorry, other Rick), half heartedly participiating in lunch with my family and guests.  My heart was aching to respond differently to those I encountered, especially those that would rather not encounter me at all.

And again a tug.
Don’t respond to people.  Respond to their needs.

Thank you inner-voice-that-won’t-shut-up.  Honestly, if I respond to one more person’s NEEDS, I think I might come crumbling down.  Ask me to write a check. Ask me to go on a short term mission trip. Ask me to teach a class or deliver a meal.  Great.  But don’t ask me to invest in anyone else or to try to meet their needs today. they don’t want what I have left to give. I.AM.TAPPED.OUT.

And then I went driving.  Sunday afternoon, I had a long road in front of me.  Both the miles and the difficult destination were looming in front of me.  My passengers fell asleep, it was quiet, and still my brain would not stop.  Suddenly, I looked out at the horizon (which is a strage thing to say considering I was driving straight into it).  It was gorgeous.  The sun beams literally bounced from cloud to cloud, reflecting from the center sphere of the sun and then darting down and out.  The clouds nearly acted like prisms. It was gorgeous, different than anything I’ve seen before. The power was from the sun, but the beauty came from the clouds reflecting the light..

others’ choices.
And as a result I often find myself reflecting their anger, their frustration.  I find myself responding to their choices and behaviors in a way that reflects who they are, not who I want to be.  Its true with my children, its true with my husband, its true with just about anyone I encounter.  Its especially true when my heart is so tied to wanting more for them.

Quit responding to people and respond to their needs.

Ask ME what their needs are.  Respond to ME as I show you their needs.
REFLECT ME.

*i wish the pictures had turned out better.  so weird that they are blurry…from my old ipod, while driving, with birdpoop on the window.  crazy.

You know I’m going to say it.  I feel strongly enough about this to not back down until the fundraising ball gets rolling.  Would you check out my previous post about the 5K and consider helping us reach teenagers in our community?

NOW, for the point of this post…

Just in case anyone miss-perceived my “Mom confessions” to be a self deprecating post, I wanted to take one more shot at getting to the heart of the matter.  As a coworker (and good friend) and I were talking this morning, we emphasized that SHE was the best mom for her girls and I was the best my for my four kiddos.  Because we are both the very best people to teach them about Jesus.  It doesn’t matter if we do a single other thing the same way.  It doesn’t matter if we even agree on any other parenting choice, we are each loving our kids and teaching them to love Jesus.

And, to get that job done, we each have our own skillz.
MOM SKILLZ.

When my kids ask (a million times a day):
How do you know that?  Where did you learn that? How did you do that?
Sometimes I provide a detailed explanation, give credit to my teachers or parents, throw out a”practice makes perfect” or “when at first you don’t succeed”.  But most of the time the answer I give is simple:
“Mom skills”  And they nod their understanding (that I like to think is full of admiration).

You know, those skills that you have completely mastered that make you their mom.  The skills that would be completely useless in any other venue, but are completely essential to your survival as a mom.  The skills you didn’t dream about when you played house as a young girl.  Mom skillz are as different as each mom, but we all have them.  Its the identifying them, taking pride in them and using them that counts!

And here are a few of mine…

I can feed a baby while playing cards with my three big kids and talking to their Daddy on the phone. 

I can separate ANY two Lego pieces that happen to get stuck together.

I can turn anything into a game.  And convince my kids that it is more fun when it is a competition. (pennies for bribes, optional)

I can walk into a room and convince the kids that I have completely figured out what just happened.  Even if I don’t have a clue.

I can count to 4 (and locate the corresponding child to that number) without missing a beat in a conversation.

I can identify princesses by the color of their dress, Thomas trains by their engine number and superheros by their masks.

I can come up with a song for just about anything my kids say
(some might call this a quirk.  I call it a skill)

I can completely change a conversation (and an entire mood) mid-breath.

I can (usually) remember which kid likes which foods prepared which ways.
( for example: one likes mashed potatoes, one likes baked potatoes, one likes sweet potatoes)

I can pray while driving and listening to “Silly songs with Larry” or Raffi’s silly “Sing-along-songs”

I can interpret the foreign language of “kid-speak”.  The language that has words which do not mean what you might expect, sometimes completely leaves out important facts from a story, and is filled with words pronounced quite differently than English.

I can hide and eat treats without getting caught so that I won’t have to share.
*at one point in their lives I even mastered getting their chick-fil-a toy and driving through the drive through after lunch to get myself some icecream, without them being any wiser.

I can identify the location of lost shoes, the man from a favorite plane, a missing pacifier, a favorite shirt, all without even leaving my chair.  And the directions often sound something like “Yeah, I saw it last Tuesday.  Upstairs, in your brothers closet, under the blue blanket, in the back right corner, inside his white shoe.”

And just this week, I discovered that I can conquer fears, use cat-like reflexes and impress my 6 year-old by catching an illusive grass hopper.  All while holding his baby brother.

So, maybe its just me.
I see pictures on facebook. Read blogged stories. Watch families in the grocery store.
And compare.
I assume everyone else has everything figured out.  Their houses are clean. Their children behave. They pintrest their lives from top-to-bottom. CERTAINLY they keep their amazing topiaries that the previous home owners gifted them ALIVE. (ok, maybe that last part is just a personal battle)

Its probably just me.
But, I’m having to really struggle through learning to balance setting high standards with having unreasonable expectations.  Its only taken me 6+ years of parenting to come around to the notion that maybe it is a bit unrealistic to think that I can have four children, work part-time, keep my house clean and laundry done, decorate new home, keep social commitments, volunteer for EVERYTHING…and STILL keep the stinkin’ topiaries alive.  Yet, I still find myself getting emails asking for help (meals, volunteers, hostesses, etc) and immediately see flashing red lights that say EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT.  THEY’LL HATE YOU FOREVER IF YOU DON’T SIGN UP. QUICK. WRITE YOUR NAME. NOW.

This may sound completely ridiculous to you.  If so, I congratulate you for your ability to self-manage.  I applaud you for recognizing where your real priorities are.  I’m glad you don’t feel the need to compare yourself with others. I really am. And its something I’m working on releasing.

But. Just in case.
Just in case there are others of you that find yourself with the same conundrum…
I have a few things to confess.

I prefer my kids eat fresh fruits and vegetables at dinner every night.
But sometimes we eat cereal. FOR DINNER.

I love coming up with creative and intentional things to do with my children on our days at home together.
But sometimes I let them watch a movie.

I want to teach my kids to be responsible for their own belongings.
But sometimes I prefer to clean-up and organize the playroom myself.

I like to keep my home neat and organized.
But I’ve been paying someone else to do much of the actual cleaning for the last 4 years.

I like for my children to be clean and neatly dressed.
But there are times when I can’t remember the last time we bathed the baby.

I like to hear about the things my kids are learning at school and the people they are interacting with.
But sometimes after a long day at work, I just ask them to tell me something they like about ME.

When I’m with my kids in public, I like to maintain an appearance of being calm, cool and collected.
But typically I’m taking deep breaths, giving myself pep-talks and PRAYING (on the inside).

ALL that and…
I’ve mowed grass exactly NEVER.
I (still) occasionally drink straight out of the container.
My husband is usually the one who wakes up first when a child needs us in the night.
I nearly ALWAYS have a bag of peanut butter M&Ms hidden in the refrigerator.
AND I rarely wash my face before I go to sleep.
Gasp. I KNOW!

But the most recent amazing mom moment. And the real trigger for this post.  Is this:
I took my kids to the dentist this week.
For the first time.
EVER.
And KJ is six.
And if you think I didn’t beat myself up one side and down the other knowing I was going to have to face the DENTIST and tell him that I definitely BRUSH my children’s teeth, but have never actually been to visit someone in his profession. You’d be wrong. 

While my children played innocently in the waiting room, I felt like I was waiting outside the principal’s office.  I just knew I was going to be chastised. 

Because heaven knows I needed something else to forget to do.
And assume EVERY other mom IN.THE.WORLD is remembering to do it.
Making me…

And that’s when it hits me.  I already am.  I absolutely am the very best mom for KJ, Cbug, Lou and their baby brother who still doesn’t have a blog name.  And when I allow myself some freedom to learn and grow and improve, I actually enjoy the process.  So, starting with this less-traumatic-than-expected Dentist visit. I’m releasing myself to not be perfect. I’m releasing myself to live in this season of craziness and just be the best ME I can be.  And doncha just know it.  I happen to like myself better this way.  Tonight, we might even eat cereal (before we floss).

Shew, that feels better. Maybe, just maybe, if moms would do a better job of sharing what we are learning and not doing perfectly.  Maybe, if we join teams instead of competing. Maybe if we would tell about the time we forgot to (fill.in.the.blank)…
We might just be able to encourage each other along the way. 
But maybe, its just me.

ABL

HOWEVER.

10:30 Home. Watch a movie quietly. Until boys break out in full out wrestle and we have conversation number 28462984 about how we will (and won’t) behave in tuxedos later in the day.

5:55 Everyone ready to line up and KJ has to go to the bathroom.  Of course.  But he manages to make it out just in time.

6:00 Wedding about to begin. Leave kids with bridesmaids. Pray they’ll behave. Sneak to my assigned seat on the front row, where I join RRL and baby C- who is performing his wedding role brilliantly by being fast asleep.

6:45- Couldn’t see boys walk back down the aisle and make it out of the sanctuary.  But word has it they made it 3/4 of the way without racing. Success. 

It makes for a crazy day, but I love that my kids have had such fun opportunities to be apart of weddings at such an early age.  I love that they are learning, by watching, what it means to make this huge commitment.  Thanks, Mark & Rebekah, for setting such a beautiful example for them.

ABL

Well, folks.  They’ve been on a roll again.  And I’ve actually remembered to write a few down.

To the left, KJ and Cbug love to play pretend together.  After I showed them how, they made no less than 27 eye patches.  Because, as I’m sure you know, if two are great then 27 would be better.  They only stopped there because they ran out of pipecleaners.  So, they had to move on to actually playing pirates. Nearly everything they pretend leads to wrestling each other to the ground.  Is this normal?

  This isn’t really something KJ said, but I’ll throw it in here anyway.  I think the title “family-fun-homework” is a bit of a misnomer.  I’m not sure how it can really be FUN.  I tried.  Really I did.  But when I’m a realist to the nth degree, and the directions are to create a “self-portrait” and he wants it to look like this… Its just not fun for me.  I’m learning.  Really, I am.   I mean, I let him do it.  That’s huge.  So, Here is KJ.  See the resemblance?

Lou also LOVES to read to her babydolls.  She props them up and turns the book one-handed-teacher-style toward them while she “reads it”.  A few nights ago, she was sitting on the stairs reading Cinderella to them- one of her favorite princesses.  In her most serious teacher voice she told them to “listen carefully to the story of Cinderella…dressed in yellow…going upstairs to kiss a snake.  But HOW many doctors would it take?” Um, yeah.

We also had quite a conversation about the groom getting “adopted” by the brides parents at the wedding he was in.  But I’ll save that for another post.

Cbug, apparently, has already named his (future) five children.  And his monologue to us at dinner went something like this:
“The first will be Moses.
And then Mary.
and I’m going to pray that God gives me them together so they can be twins.
Next will be Joseph.
And last, Adam and Eve.
I know they were the first people ever created.  But they can be born after me, too.”

And later when RRL asked about the twins, Cbug said “Yeah, but I’m going to be the daddy.  So I’m going to be praying for God to give the mother twins for me”  Oh, Heaven help his sweet wife!  He’s making me take the parent’s prayer for future spouses to a whole new level.

That’s it for September, folks.  Can’t wait to see what comes out of their mouths this month!
ABL