Spaghetti
I almost titled this one spaghetti with ketchup, because, you know, we need to catch up.
Thought that might be a little cheesy.
[Insert crickets]
I can't keep up with life, folks.
And it's frustrating because, comparatively, summer really ought not to be so hectic. After all, we spend four months out of the year hardly seeing Brandon at all, running to basketball games, Awana, preschool, juggling holidays, umpteen winter doctor visits...
You'd think having Brandon home all the time and far fewer obligations would allow us to slow down a little.
You'd think.
Yeah.
And honestly, I don't have an entirely clear memory of all the hullaballoo because I haven't had time to blog about it. I'm an out of sight, out of mind kind of gal. Which is why I hate not being able to blog much.
The corn is starting to come in from the garden. Can't beat fresh corn. Only thing that would make it better would be a working grill to cook it on. Maybe next year.
I don't know the exact word, but there is just something about walking outside, picking some veggies, washing and cooking them, then eating them for dinner. Peaceful, gratifying, humbling... It's a good thing.
Got a speeding ticket this past weekend, whole family in the car, going to the DMV to get my license renewed, as a certain birthday ending in zero is coming up.
Only my second speeding ticket ever. Which in itself speaks volumes to the mercy of the Lord. I am a horrible driver. You have likely called me a name somewhere on the road.
I've never been entirely certain of what my spiritual gift is, but over the last few years, it seems that my gift must be doing whatever no one else wants to do. Haven't yet found that one specifically listed in the Bible, though I have spent much of my service time at church mentally quoting Colossians 3:23.
Next week is VBS at church. Love me some VBS. Figured I'd stick with my spiritual gift and repeat what I have done in the past, and fill in where needed. So last Sunday, upon finding out that the 1s and 2s had no one signed up to work with them, I immediately signed up to help. Help. Help.
Then started counting in my head, to figure there are probably about 15-20 one and two-year-olds currently in our church. Of course with VBS there are always visitors. So it's not out of the question that there could be 30 kids to help with.
Then I was handed the leader's pack, and hurriedly told if I needed any craft supplies, to let the director know. Then left alone.
Then sat down and thought about one-year-olds and two-year-olds. Aden is one. And not really capable of paying attention to a story, or doing any sort of craft, or participating in some variety of organized activity.
Of course two-year-olds can do all of those things, and will desperately need those things to get through two and a half hours of VBS each night.
Comfort zone demolished. I am going to need some serious help.
I hope Trey will participate. We're struggling with him and participation. Yes, at the ripe old age of four he appears to have inherited every cell of his mother's social anxiety. Fine around adults, even outgoing. Put a kid around him and he shrinks into a corner or suctions himself to the leg of the first trusted tall person he sees.
The doctor said shyness is normal for this age. However I imagine normal shyness does not involve a kid crying until he throws up because his parents took him to a kids' summer program at church.
Sigh.
Another Trey anomaly - his measurements at his checkup were 41 inches tall and 40 pounds. He is in the 90th percentile for weight, and yet the kid has no fat. At all. His belly is kind of rounded, but there is no squeeziness to his body. He is just solid.
Aden's vocabulary is growing. He talks a lot and thoroughly enjoys screaming at the top of his lungs for entertainment. He is trying to learn, as he'll hold up an object and look at me, I'll name it for him, and he'll say, "gagoo" and then laugh. I suppose it sounds right in his head, as he always seems very satisfied with himself, but there are a lot of things called "gagoo".
We also have "goo" (juice, or any drink), the ever popular "nanana" (banana), "nahnah" (night night), "tegoo" (thank you), and various names for family members. Trey's name is "deh", and is always shouted.
We had a bout with sickness just after Trey's birthday, Aden with an ear infection and Trey with some sort of virus that gave him fevers and ulcers in the back of his mouth. They are over it by now. And I can't complain too much, as we had almost three completely healthy months.
Though I had hoped we might get through the summer unscathed.
A long string of unlikely interruptions led to me missing my new recipe for June. I have tried two new recipes so far this month, but neither was really worth jumping on here and doing a big writeup over. Don't know if I'll have time to try any more for July.
And so the new monthly recipe resolution has fallen prey to life. Lasted far longer than most of my resolutions.
My July 1 SSMT verse, as appropriate as ever to my faith walk right now:
"Repent, then, and return to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Acts 3:19
Oh, that the refreshing may come. Spiritual and physical. Beach trip will be here soon. Cannot tell you how excited I am about this.
Brandon had to have the talk with Trey.
No, not that talk.
The talk about what to do when another kid is mistreating him. Apparently Brandon walked by Trey's classroom last Sunday to, surprise surprise, see Trey sitting by himself while his classmates built a train with chairs. Brandon, um, coaxed Trey to join in the play, but when Trey took a seat on the train, a boy pushed him away.
Trey started crying, and Brandon took him out of the class to tackle a very teachable moment.
I want to cry. Kids are mean. I know this - I lived it. A lot. Kids are mean. And I tell myself this every day in hopes that I can survive the boys' growing up years.
I can't believe we're already here. To the point of having to tell Trey that kids are mean. Of having to specifically nurture him to not base his identity on those kids' actions. Of having to show him the best way to handle a disagreement. Of having to teach him to stand up for himself, if that is what it comes to.
My heart is just broken.
I will ask for your prayers for my Pawpaw. My only remaining grandfather was diagnosed with cancer this past week. And as I do for my Mom and various other people every day, I quote to the Lord James 5:15 and pray for their healing, but above all, His perfect will.
Thanks for sticking with me through this one.
Thought that might be a little cheesy.
[Insert crickets]
I can't keep up with life, folks.
And it's frustrating because, comparatively, summer really ought not to be so hectic. After all, we spend four months out of the year hardly seeing Brandon at all, running to basketball games, Awana, preschool, juggling holidays, umpteen winter doctor visits...
You'd think having Brandon home all the time and far fewer obligations would allow us to slow down a little.
You'd think.
Yeah.
And honestly, I don't have an entirely clear memory of all the hullaballoo because I haven't had time to blog about it. I'm an out of sight, out of mind kind of gal. Which is why I hate not being able to blog much.
The corn is starting to come in from the garden. Can't beat fresh corn. Only thing that would make it better would be a working grill to cook it on. Maybe next year.
I don't know the exact word, but there is just something about walking outside, picking some veggies, washing and cooking them, then eating them for dinner. Peaceful, gratifying, humbling... It's a good thing.
Got a speeding ticket this past weekend, whole family in the car, going to the DMV to get my license renewed, as a certain birthday ending in zero is coming up.
Only my second speeding ticket ever. Which in itself speaks volumes to the mercy of the Lord. I am a horrible driver. You have likely called me a name somewhere on the road.
I've never been entirely certain of what my spiritual gift is, but over the last few years, it seems that my gift must be doing whatever no one else wants to do. Haven't yet found that one specifically listed in the Bible, though I have spent much of my service time at church mentally quoting Colossians 3:23.
Next week is VBS at church. Love me some VBS. Figured I'd stick with my spiritual gift and repeat what I have done in the past, and fill in where needed. So last Sunday, upon finding out that the 1s and 2s had no one signed up to work with them, I immediately signed up to help. Help. Help.
Then started counting in my head, to figure there are probably about 15-20 one and two-year-olds currently in our church. Of course with VBS there are always visitors. So it's not out of the question that there could be 30 kids to help with.
Then I was handed the leader's pack, and hurriedly told if I needed any craft supplies, to let the director know. Then left alone.
Then sat down and thought about one-year-olds and two-year-olds. Aden is one. And not really capable of paying attention to a story, or doing any sort of craft, or participating in some variety of organized activity.
Of course two-year-olds can do all of those things, and will desperately need those things to get through two and a half hours of VBS each night.
Comfort zone demolished. I am going to need some serious help.
I hope Trey will participate. We're struggling with him and participation. Yes, at the ripe old age of four he appears to have inherited every cell of his mother's social anxiety. Fine around adults, even outgoing. Put a kid around him and he shrinks into a corner or suctions himself to the leg of the first trusted tall person he sees.
The doctor said shyness is normal for this age. However I imagine normal shyness does not involve a kid crying until he throws up because his parents took him to a kids' summer program at church.
Sigh.
Another Trey anomaly - his measurements at his checkup were 41 inches tall and 40 pounds. He is in the 90th percentile for weight, and yet the kid has no fat. At all. His belly is kind of rounded, but there is no squeeziness to his body. He is just solid.
Aden's vocabulary is growing. He talks a lot and thoroughly enjoys screaming at the top of his lungs for entertainment. He is trying to learn, as he'll hold up an object and look at me, I'll name it for him, and he'll say, "gagoo" and then laugh. I suppose it sounds right in his head, as he always seems very satisfied with himself, but there are a lot of things called "gagoo".
We also have "goo" (juice, or any drink), the ever popular "nanana" (banana), "nahnah" (night night), "tegoo" (thank you), and various names for family members. Trey's name is "deh", and is always shouted.
We had a bout with sickness just after Trey's birthday, Aden with an ear infection and Trey with some sort of virus that gave him fevers and ulcers in the back of his mouth. They are over it by now. And I can't complain too much, as we had almost three completely healthy months.
Though I had hoped we might get through the summer unscathed.
A long string of unlikely interruptions led to me missing my new recipe for June. I have tried two new recipes so far this month, but neither was really worth jumping on here and doing a big writeup over. Don't know if I'll have time to try any more for July.
And so the new monthly recipe resolution has fallen prey to life. Lasted far longer than most of my resolutions.
My July 1 SSMT verse, as appropriate as ever to my faith walk right now:
"Repent, then, and return to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Acts 3:19
Oh, that the refreshing may come. Spiritual and physical. Beach trip will be here soon. Cannot tell you how excited I am about this.
Brandon had to have the talk with Trey.
No, not that talk.
The talk about what to do when another kid is mistreating him. Apparently Brandon walked by Trey's classroom last Sunday to, surprise surprise, see Trey sitting by himself while his classmates built a train with chairs. Brandon, um, coaxed Trey to join in the play, but when Trey took a seat on the train, a boy pushed him away.
Trey started crying, and Brandon took him out of the class to tackle a very teachable moment.
I want to cry. Kids are mean. I know this - I lived it. A lot. Kids are mean. And I tell myself this every day in hopes that I can survive the boys' growing up years.
I can't believe we're already here. To the point of having to tell Trey that kids are mean. Of having to specifically nurture him to not base his identity on those kids' actions. Of having to show him the best way to handle a disagreement. Of having to teach him to stand up for himself, if that is what it comes to.
My heart is just broken.
I will ask for your prayers for my Pawpaw. My only remaining grandfather was diagnosed with cancer this past week. And as I do for my Mom and various other people every day, I quote to the Lord James 5:15 and pray for their healing, but above all, His perfect will.
Thanks for sticking with me through this one.
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