No Talk; Let's Fight!

I was stunned the other day when I sat down on the couch with T (2). I was hoping for a little snuggle or a quiet book reading with him on my lap. No. He quickly assumed what looked like a familiar position to him: facing me while sitting on the arm of the couch (which isn't generally allowed). He looked a bit like a tiger ready to spring.

I shouldn't have been surprised, then, when he shot out: "No talk; let's fight!"

But I was. Shocked. And then he barreled into me, picked himself up and ran to the other arm of the couch. There, he repeated his call to war: "No talk; let's fight!" and repeated his assault. Convinced that he would continue this indefinitely, I jumped from the couch and asked, "Who taught him THIS?!"

Yes. Who, indeed? And where was I when they were practicing this game? For I am sure that it is too late to nip it in the bud. Good thing I don't usually have time to sit down.

Interesting Reading

There have been some interesting articles showing up in my email lately. I thought I would share some with you:

If you are curious about probiotics, this article is a basic overview, relevant to products on the market today. My note, however, is that you can find LOTS of friendly bacteria in kefir.

Here is an article about a mother in MI who is in trouble for watching her friend's children before school each day. It's relevant to me because I've talked to other moms about this over the years. The definition of "daycare" can be sticky.

If you have heard me talk about nutrition and disease prevention, then you won't be surprised by this article. I find it sad that this makes it sound that eating two fruits/day is acceptable. I know it may be overwhelming to hear that we really need 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. . . but it is TRUE that our bodies need FUEL and God has given us the correct fuel IF only we will eat it. My note: eat MORE than everyone else!

Quick Application

It's amazing to me how quickly my young children pick up new words and phrases and put them into use. One day they have never heard the word and the next day (or minute!) they are injecting it into their conversation. Take, for example:

On viewing the downstairs toilet yesterday (upon our return from IL), I exclaimed, "This is GROSS!" A few moments later, Liv (4) leaned over and sniffed the toilet, then declared, "You're right. This smells GROSSLY."

The big boys and I were listening to The Luke Reports on our road trip back. L and T had fallen asleep. During one dramatic moment, there were shouts and a sword, and cries. . . followed by the boys' anxious questions: "Is he dead? Was that Luke's blood? Was Luke run through? Did he survive?"

A moment later I heard a wee voice (T) pipe in, "Blood? That Luke's blood? Luke dead? He dead, Mommy?" And so he continued for the next 20 minutes home. Quite impressionable.

More Wedding Photos

I Find It Endearing

To see a stack of towels O (7) folded. They aren't quite lined up and stacked up the way I would do it. . . but I'm so thankful that I didn't HAVE to do it and grateful for HIM. It warms my heart to see those towels.

To see my Dad's boutonniere from my sister's wedding sitting in the refrigerator. He wanted to preserve it (no matter that it was silk!). It warms my heart to see his tenderness toward his children.

Happy Us.

Today, B and I celebrate 10 years of marriage. It is a celebration of joys and sorrows, of the uphills and downhills and twists of the journey. It is a recognition that we are choosing love, learning more about Christ's love.

In our first year of marriage, a dear friend (Louise) told me over and over that our marriage would somehow be a reflection of Christ, that through the process of doing life together our sin would be evident and our need for grace would be desperately apparent. We would actually have the opportunity to love as Christ loved us. She said so many things to me that year, ringing preciously true in my ears even now.

I am so thankful for my husband. For a marriage that is broken and imperfect, and also filled with grace, forgiveness, and revealed healing. B has seen me and loved me (and not!) and I have seen and loved him (to be fair... and not). What a blessed adventure.

After 10 years I still believe that God prepared us for each other. I still believe that we can do all of life together, and that is a good plan. I still believe that every moment we share makes life richer. I am so very, very grateful.

Sidebar Logistics

My mother complained that even though the new sidebar look was cute, it made it difficult to read the text. I didn't really know what she meant until I saw the blog on her computer; it's not pretty! Do YOU have text that is off into the sidebar graphic? If so, I need to spend some more time figuring this out. (And I was so excited that I finally had a more ME look to the blog!)I'm looking for feedback, please.

I Should Have Expected

That one bag of purple slime from the high school chemistry teacher would lead to a massive kitchen clean up.

It Made Me Laugh

This morning we met with my long-time friend Becky and her two boys. Becky is in charge of a Mom's group, with childcare provided, so I enjoyed listening to Jill Savage with other adults while the children were supervised elsewhere. Afterwards, we went to Becky's for an outdoor lunch and time to romp.

After so much play time I noticed that the boys were meandering around, seemingly in search of something to do. Becky and I both made suggestions that weren't met with enthusiasm. Then the boys asked if they could do water guns.

After Jill's talk this morning on "being a YES Mom," I had to really think about the reasons I was going to say no to the water gun request. Was it reasonable?

"I'm sorry," I said. "I WOULD let you use the water guns, but there aren't enough for everyone to play and unfortunately, I didn't bring extra clothes for anyone but T (2)."

"I know, Mom!" R chimed right in. "We can take turns using the water guns to squirt T!"

Interesting Excuses

L (4) today, on why she disobeyed and left the couch (where she was supposed to be resting): "Mom. I can't stay there; it's just too comfortable for me!"

R (5) today, on why he was unable to hold still for correction: "It's my shirt. It's just too slippery." I told him he could remove his shirt, to which he replied: "Yes, but my belly is even MORE slippery than my shirt!"

O (7) today, on why he was sitting in Uncle Zach's G3000: "I forgot that I had to ask."

T (2) today, on why his pants were wet: "No want to go potty!"

Griffith/Lamoreux Wedding

Here are a few of the photos we have from my sister's wedding. What a special celebration!

Unloading Bales/Real Work

This afternoon all of our children are out "working" on the farm with Grandpa and Uncle John. I'm so thankful for these men who take delays in stride.

Grandpa took the three youngest children with him to load bales on the trailer, bringing them back to his farm to unload into the shed across from the house. He backed the trailer into the cattle yard and got on the tractor to unload the bales, but then there was an unexpected lull in the action.

I walked out to see what was happening about the time that he was headed inside for a drink. "Someone turned the key to my tractor," he said, "and the battery is dead. We'll give it a few minutes to charge."

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, with regret for the holdup my children caused my hard-working father.

"That's okay," he replied with a smile. "At least they left the key IN the tractor."

When he came back out and commenced working, I noticed the front tire seemed awfully low. Grandpa agreed, and took the tractor to the shop to fill it. These kinds of delays often bother me, when I feel that my REAL work isn't being accomplished according to schedule. What a good reminder it is that HOW we work is often much more important than how MUCH work we finish. May I do all things as unto the Lord!

Wedding Day Walmart List

My sister was married yesterday evening (more on that later!). She is not a list-maker, but I am. As matron-of-honor, I was trying to help keep track of what needed to be taken care of. Here is my list of things to get for her on the day of the wedding (at her request):

1)Double sided tape
2)Size 4 wedding band
3)Underwear
4)Snacks for bride and groom
5)Drinks for bride and groom
6)Flowers for hair (flowergirls)
7)Gum and mints
8)AA batteries for camera
8)Waterproof mascara
9)Foundation
10)Earrings
11)Necklace or bracelet
12)Eyebrow pencil

Elevate Minds, Exalt Courage, Animate Industry, Exact Service

B and I had a lovely 3 day anniversary retreat in Galena, Illinois. It was an opportunity for deep (uninterrupted!) discussion on a wide variety of topics. One of the things we discussed at length was our desire to foster in our children a willingness to do humble work, to do all things with excellence, to apply themselves in pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. This quote from John Adams sums up our thoughts succinctly:

"It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives." --John Adams, Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, 1756