Odd Week

You know how some weeks just have a strange feel to them? This one certainly did, at least to me. The whole fire thing put a few grey hairs on my head for sure. But it was definitely a week of ups and downs.

UP:

Jason (sort of) surprised me with a new camera. It's my Christmas present (for the next 5 years probably). I don't know how to use it. I'm not a naturally good photographer. But dang it, I might actually get a few good pics of my kids, pets, and plants with this baby.

UP:

Started baking our own bread again after a six month long hiatus. Yes, just in time to quit again in a few months when The Baby arrives.

DOWN (waaay down, like a rock at the bottom of the sea):

My mother is doing very poorly. I talked to her a few times this week and it's hard to have a conversation with her. The Mom I knew is mostly gone. I don't know if it's the morphine, the disease, or a combo but she is very much out of it. She's on hospice care now. I can't imagine it will be more than a few weeks before I get The Dreaded Call. My sister has been visiting her the past few Fridays and said there is a marked difference from last week and this week. Hurt, hurt, hurt. I guess this is really happening.

UP,DOWN, AND ALL OVER THE PLACE:

My child flew to California without me. Yes, she is with Jason. She is having a great time. She is seeing her great-grandmother and all sorts of fun relatives that live out west (they really are a great bunch). She loved the plane. Loved looking out the window at the tiny cars and houses(more power to you kid!). Her little heart is overflowing with adventure. But I miss her and it's not the same without her. And I miss Jason. Even though I'm happy to assimilate his pillow into my collection for a few nights.

Ending on an UP:

Over the past few weeks I have noticed that my two year old has been drawing faces! Love this picture: her little rectangular foot, the sleep mat in the back of her hair, her pudgy arm. Love, love, love!

Fire, Fire, Everywhere

The awfully hot and dry summer has finally reached its breaking point. For the past week our area has been plauged by fires. It's a pretty crazy situation and I think most people around here have been un-nerved by it all. Seeing what has happened with the fires down in Bastrop has given me a new respect for wildfires. Previously, whenever the weather service would issue a "fire danger" alert I wouldn't pay much attention to it since we live a few blocks from where the wilderness starts. I'm not sure any of us in Central Texas will be non-chalant about such an alert again--I know I won't be.

We had our own little evacuation scare but thankfully we were able to return home after a few hours. We had no idea how serious or where the fire was when we made a mad dash for our irreplaceables last Monday afternoon. All I knew was that we had billowing smoke coming up our street and ash raining down around us. Jason and the 2 older girls had just gone out for soccer supplies when I became aware of the situation. I saw that smoke and ash and did not need any more information to know that it was probably time to grab our junk and get the heck out! About fifteen minutes later we started getting reverse 911 calls and that really threw me into a lather! Jason and the big girls were stuck in the "fire traffic" and I had no way of knowing how close the fire was.

Jason and the big girls got home and while he helped finish loading the car the girls ran around collecting the pets. We threw the three big chickens in a Rubbermaid container and tossed a towel over the top. That went in the trunk of the van on top of the pet porter that held one of our cats. The dog was on a leash in the front seat. I grabbed our lizard, Gus, and deposited him on Paige's lap. Hailey and Reese sat with towels on their laps with our two little chickens in their arms. We had no carseats in the car because we had cleaned out the car that morning. I strapped Penny into a regular seat and prayed to God that He would protect us as we drove. We couldn't catch our indoor cat, Skinny, and after flipping couches and nearly killing ourselves in the process of trying to catch her decided we had to leave her and hope for the best. The girls were crying hysterically because we were leaving their toys behind. I lost everything I owned to a fire when I was nine years old. I remember that pain. Which is why Jason and I ran back in and spent two minutes grabbing the girls' Webkinz off their beds and anything else we knew was particularly special to them. He piled his car with his large family of guitars and amps and we drove out into the traffic heading away from the fire.

We went to my friend, Alison's house. They live nearby but were not in the danger zone. They kindly welcomed us and our pets and we hung out there for a few hours. What a blessing they were--their family's calm and kind nature brought peace to our family during a nail biting few hours. Alison and her husband ran around getting water for our pets and helping us keep kids and animals under control. The kids were ecstatic to see each other and they all had a blast.

We made it home around 9/9:30 that evening. Thankfully, our neighborhood was ok. Our house smelled awful from the smoke and everyone had red eyes for a day or so. But our house was still here unlike nearly a dozen families on the other side of the road who lost their homes. It was particularly terrible to learn that our local fire was caused by arson. What a horrible thing for someone to do.

There isn't any rain in our immediate forecast. The place is still as dry as a bone and temperatures are climbing back to the 100's this week. This summer needs to end and we need some flooding rains to help with the situation around here. Fires are still burning all around Texas and it's heartbreaking to hear the stories coming out, especially in Bastrop. 1,400 homes lost, at least 2 lives, and who knows how many pets. So sad :(

Kids Suck the Life Out of You...If you Let Them. And Why That's a Good Thing.

A few months ago I read an article written about whether couples with kids are happier than couples who choose to be childfree. Since it was on CNN's website I should have known better than to be optimistic. But I took the bait, opened the article, and was really sad about what I read. But I can't really say it surprised me.

Our society typically regards children as burdens. It's everywhere. Children are to be dealt with as quickly as possible so parents can get back to the "important stuff". The more that children require, the more they are treated with disdain. Handicapped children usually aren't even wanted if the handicap is found before the child's birth. A mother with a "difficult" baby is pitied. An insecure toddler who refuses to part with mom is considered a real drag--a "momma's girl/boy". Normal childish behavior irritates the heck out of parents, family members, strangers, etc. When parents have to "give up" their time, money, energy, perfect home, perhaps a second income, social life, etc, many of them seem quite resentful of their children.

One of the most difficult lessons of parenting for me has been to change the way I see the daily (seemingly constant) interruptions that go hand in hand with having children. The selfish side of me wants to snap impatiently at the child who just dumped cottage cheese all over the floor. I don't particularly like having to get off the phone with Jason, who I haven't talked to all day, to deal with someone's lousy behavior. Not a huge fan of redressing the toddler because she drenched herself with the hose while "helping" me water the plants. Usually I am not opposed to being called outside to see crazy chicken behavior but with the unbelievable heat of this summer and my advancing pregnancy, truly I'd rather not move more than is absolutely necessary.

However...

Jesus said this to his disciples in Luke 9:23-25: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?"

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I don't see a whole lot of "denying of self" in our current culture, particularly when it comes to being parents (ok, in any area but I'm talking about parents). Parenthood has turned into this thing of convenience. Few people seem to see the value in spending the great majority of their time and energy training up their children. They'd rather delegate it to someone else and pursue what the world considers worthwhile (their dreams, unnecessary employment and/or preoccupation with their employment particularly with very little ones, education, fitness, friends, even ministry). And yep, I'm going to say it (who reads this blog anyway?? lol) but it's as rampant in the church as it is in the rest of the world. The same selfishness that is valued in our culture is frequently praised in the church.

Who realizes that Jesus was a huge disappointment to the Jews? They wanted a kick-butt-and-take-no-answers-king who would drive those Roman dogs to their knees. Instead they got this guy who let people slap him around, was flat broke, and encouraged people to do the exact opposite of their human nature. The mother of Jesus was a lowly unmarried teenager. Jesus was born in a dirty stable to poor parents.

However...

God's ways are not our ways. Matthew 23:12: "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

When we humble ourselves and take on the nitty gritty task of really parenting and discipling our children, we are going to lose our life for His sake. We'll be tired. We will have to deny ourselves. We might not get to follow our dreams. We might not have the things we want, look the way we wish we could, go the places we want to go. And we probably aren't going to get much accolades for all of our hard work. But He promises that our life will be saved! True life! Gaining all that this world has to offer will matter ZIP in eternity. It's quite plain in the Scriptures.

Closing thoughts: Children were made the way are (imperfect, LOUD, destructive, needy, etc) for a reason. I truly believe that God made them that way to challenge parents to drop their selfishness. As a parent, you have so many daily opportunities to grow as a person in the areas that really matter (patience, wisdom, discernment, love, selflessness, among other things). When your kid(s) is driving you crazy, there is your chance to rise to the occasion and work on your attitude and character(oh yeah, and don't miss the opportunity to disciple your little one(s). Romans 5:3-5 says "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." So, the next time your kid gets a hold of the permanent marker or throws an enormous tantrum, make sure you rejoice in your suffering. It's really a blessing ;)

Flood of Memories

Last week I was mildly preoccupied with checking on Hurricane Irene. I am a weather nerd. Always have been. Growing up on the eastern seabord definitely prompted my interest. Most years we would have a storm scare--schools shut down, board up the windows, stock up on the storm supplies, and hope and pray no trees would fall on the house. We lived in Norfolk, Virginia which is either below sea level or like 3 feet above it (actually, the Experts have determined the city is slowly sinking...). It's pretty much a swamp. Most people live within walking distance from some creek, river, or bay.

All of the Irene coverage made me homesick. I saw so many familiar sights and pretty soon nostalgia took over. Even the storm surge maps made me recall the different houses we had lived in, my old schools, the library, etc.

The thing about Hampton Roads (the area including Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and other surrounding cities) is that it is perched north of the part of the North Carolina that juts out into the ocean (the Outer Banks). The Outer Banks usually seem to catch hurricanes and then deflect them from Hampton Roads. So we would get rain, some flooding, heavy surf, and wind but would be spared the disaster that has occured with the more southern states. No matter though. When I was a kid I would literally stay up all night staring at the radar watching the storm inch closer and closer to us. I'd run outside and watch the clouds race by. If I could have sneaked by my mother I would have ridden my bike down the three blocks to the waterfront. Truthfully I was a little afraid of being outdoors during a storm though so maybe I was secretly glad my mom was on watch.

When I was six years old, Hurricane Gloria visited the east coast. I got up before dawn, at the height of the storm, and decided to go out and experience hurricane force winds first hand. I literally was blown off our porch (I weighed around 32 pounds at the time)and had to crawl back to the door which was nearly impossible for my weakling self to open against the gale force wind. "My dad is going to beat me!" kept going through my mind.

My dad probably would have beat me if he had known about my super smart decision to personally check the weather conditions during a hurricane. But he really didn't have a leg to stand on. You see, he was guilty of dragging our family through very rough seas trying to haul tail home due to the approach of Hurricane Charley in 1986. It went like this: before we actually lived on a boat we used to take one of my granddad's boats, the "Moonlight Sonata" out on weekends and vacations. It was summer, we were out fishing and cruising around (I don't remember where, just that it was at least a full day's cruise from port). We had spent a few days and nights out and I do recall there was some real good fishing (I was a fishing fanatic as a child). Apparently we were having such a good time that no one remembered to check the weather (I'm guessing...). Well, one morning I was up before the rest of the family and I turned on the radio to discover that a hurricane was coming our way. I'm pretty sure I wasn't allowed to be messing with the radio because I didn't say anything about my newly discovered information for a few hours (again with the "Dad is going to beat me.") Finally, I told my mom who immediately freaked out and told my dad who promptly checked the forecast and had the Moonlight Sonata turned around before he'd even had breakfast.

I don't recall the waves being anything to be excited about when we started out towards home but I do know that by the time we got near the naval base my dad had donned a yellow slicker and my mom, sister, and I were sequestered in the cabin. The boat was positively rolling at this point and waves were splashing over the deck. The wind had definitely picked up. It was impossible to walk around in the cabin without holding on for dear life. I was pretty sure we were going to die (I think my mom was too--she made us put life jackets on which never happened). I peeked out the door at one point (to see if my dad was still steering the boat or if he had been washed overboard). He yelled at me to shut the door and I was glad to because it was terrifying to see all that water. Plus you could tell just how much we were getting tossed around because of how close we were to land--I saw the bay, the land flashed by, and then there was sky, quick glimpse of far away land, then the bay again. Not good.

Anyway, we made it home in time and Hurricane Charley came through. Pretty sure my dad kept up on the weather report after that. I know I have. Ever since that time, 25 years ago, I have been quite in tune with the forecast. If my dad were still alive today he would most definitely have WeatherBug on his computer and the Weather Channel app on his Iphone.

(Thanks to anyone who endured reading this! Rambling old 32 year old fool, haha!).

Want to See Your Kid Squirm?

Ask them this: "If you had a choice between saving me (your mom), and saving ______ (favorite pet or toy)which would you choose? Remember, you can only save ONE."

These are my two oldest answers:

Hailey: "That's hard..." squirming around in her seat "Uh probably Melody..."
Me (laughing): "Hailey! You mean you would save your pet chicken before your mother?!"
Hailey (trying to disappear into the couch cushions):"Well, it's hard Mom and I don't want to think of Melody dying. That makes me sad. I guess I'd save you..."

I asked Reese the same question a day later while we were coloring. As soon as Hailey heard me ask the question she covered her face up and said "Oh no..."

Reese (after pausing with her coloring and short moment of thought): "I'd save you Mom. But I'd be really sad about Butterscotch."
Me: "What about a stranger? Would you save a stranger or Butterscotch?"
Reese (no hesitation): "Butterscotch."
Me: "Reese! You'd save your pet chicken before you saved a person?!"
Reese: "But Mom, not all strangers are nice."

Random Things I've Learned During the First and Second Weeks of School...

--Which way the "greater than/less than" symbols go. Why didn't someone explain to me that the pointy end always points towards the smaller number? Huh? Really? Fifteen years after graduating high school I finally understand.

--My 5 year old still likes to cut hair (hers and her baby sister's).

--It's possible for a really cute 5 year old to cut her own hair and look like Rod Stewart (70's Rod Stewart). And 24 hours later, after her mom takes her to get her hair fixed, the same 5 year old now looks like Maria from The Sound of Music.

--I still hate getting up at 7 a.m.

--I don't have to set my alarm because Hailey wakes up at the crack of dawn. She sits on the couch petting the cat until 7:00 and then she joyfully crawls into bed with me. Hailey (breathing right into my face): Mom, you really hate getting up this early don't you?. Me: Yeeeessssss. With all my heart.

--School goes infinitely more smoothly when you have your older kids take turns playing with your toddler. Thank you "Managers of their Homes" for that tip (among others).

--If you put a band-aid on a chicken's toe, it will leave it there.

--If you feel that yourself or someone else is in danger of heat stroke, put bags of ice on their crotch and under their armpits. Fastest way to cool down. Similiarly, if you are working on a near-drowning victim you need to hit them in the crotch in addition to CPR. My midwife shared that with me today. Who knows when those two bits of info could come in handy?

--Our baby is head down and posterior. My uterus is so malleable that you could almost palpate facial features on this kid. You can certainly feel knees, feet and elbows.

--There is nowhere in the house I can safely place freshly glued papers to dry. Nowhere.

--If one of the girls loses an earring, the sure fire way to find it is by Jason walking around the house going about his buisness. Even though the women-folk have traipsed here and there and everywhere from 7 a.m. (UGH) on, all it takes to find the lost earring is for the Family Man to take his shoes off at the door and walk thru the house to the bedroom. Trust me, he'll step on the earring, it will stick all the way into his foot and voila, you've found that 14K gold ear jewelry. Hooray for Daddy!

New Year!

There's the brand spanking new kindergartner herself! Paige officially joined us in our studies today. She's always been on the fringe of course, but now she's an official student. I think she had a pretty good first day.

Miss Reese started her first day of second grade by losing one of her front teeth. FINALLY! That thing had been hanging in there for far too long! The sister tooth isn't far behind. I forsee this week having more than one visit from The Toothfairy (TF is setting a reminder for herself in uno momento). Reese did great with her lessons. She worked hard on her reading over the summer and has made major improvements.

No picture of the fourth grader starting her day. She was off reading "The Tales of King Arthur" while I took these pictures. I managed to get a picture of her later on though(see below). Hailey's day went well. She was happy that she remembered how to spell.

First day went well, everyone (mostly) behaved and we were ahead of the schedule all morning. No disasters. The Family Toddler seemed happy and kept busy. Totally forgot that I signed the 3 older girls up for a one time afternoon art class about Medieval Times. Got the e-mail reminder LAST NIGHT around 9:00. Freaked me out for a moment because there went my well-planned day. But it ended up working out great--girls had fun, I got a nap with Penny and time to work on some school stuff. We didn't start our math lessons or Hailey's cursive session but everything else got done before the class. I think I can live with that :)