a new week

Today I am digging out from under the layer of mess that is spread over just about every room of my house. Last week was vacation for our family, a vacation at home with lots of family fun, and I didn't cook all week - yay! There is a big change in our family right now, and I will (hopefully, probably) tell you all about it soon, but not today because I must remove much filth, and I promised Joey we would start doing "school" again and he is not letting me forget it. I hope you have a terrific Monday with this beautiful summer weather.

Ta-ta!

flip

As a little girl, my mom always made a point of getting us excited when Daddy would come home. Soon, we were excited without any encouragement from mom. The sound of Daddy's car pulling in the driveway was the signal for a daily ritual that continued for years. If I heard him soon enough, I would bolt out the front door, run to the driveway and leap into his arms. He would then flip me around backwards while holding my hands, and I would sail to the ground, landing on my feet in what I believed to be true gymnast fashion. Then I would spring up to a standing position, and throw my hands in the air with a "Ta-da!"

If Daddy made it inside the house before I heard him coming, this same run, jump, and flip would take place in the living room. I loved our daily flip, my chance to be the gymnast I was sure I really was. But mostly, I just loved that Dad was home. When I think of my childhood, one of the strongest emotional impressions left on my mind is how much I loved my dad. He nurtured that love and made it grow.

I can remember him being proud of me, enjoying the girl that I was. During field day in the third grade, I jumped over six feet in the standing broad jump, and that just thrilled my dad. I won the blue ribbon for the girls in my grade, jumping even farther than most of the boys, and he got the biggest kick out it. He loved that I was this powerhouse of a nine-year-old girl, and I was so pleased that he was there to celebrate with me.

What is neat though, is that 22 years later, I see him get that same pleasure out of my children. He delights in who they are. Dad has always been thoroughly entertained by Joey's zest and excitement. He has always said Joey has "no lack of enthusiasm." And as he watches Katie go about in her rough and tumble way, her adventurous spirit brings him all sorts of smiles and laughs. Watching my children love my dad, and seeing my dad love my children, has grown a whole new aspect of love in my heart for my dad.

And how sweet is it to see Katie run over to him, wrap her arms around his legs, and ask for a flip. He picks her up, and together they perform the same acrobatic display of love, that I shared with Dad so many years ago. She doesn't always stick the landing, but she has a great "Ta-da!"

I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day!

a princess and a toad

Katie may love being my beautiful princess, but timid and dainty she is not. On Monday, when Joey, Kate and I were finally getting the last of the vegetable seeds in the garden, Katie enjoyed finding all the worms wriggling around in the dirt. She then walked around with a bunch of worms in both hands -- big, fat-from-living-in-a-compost-pile worms. She was undaunted.

She also didn't mind picking up and carrying around those crunchy, brown centipede-ish bugs (the ones the curl up into a coil when they die), although I did mind just a tiny bit when she brought them into the house to show them to me. I don't really like touching those things, but my sweet girl, was intrigued and pleased to handle all the creepy crawlies.



Today, when I found a toad in the lot next door, I thought she would be interested to check it out, but I soon discovered she was more than interested. She was in love.

(I do believe that is what a toad looks like when he is fearing for his life)

She was in tears when it was Joey's turn to hold the poor little guy. And when it was her turn to have a chance to make the toad's life flash before his eyes, she loved every second. He survived all the extreme girl-handling and the occasional squeeze-and-drop.

But he got a few kisses out of it, so I think it was worth it.

Even if he didn't turn into a prince.

a picnic dinner

a day off and other stuff from inside my brain

My mom is taking care of Joey and Katie today, so I have the day off. I had a doctor appointment this morning which presented the opportunity to see the new baby again. Yay! There was one view where I could see all five of the little fingers on the right hand. I love seeing the fingers and toes. I think they are the best part of an ultrasound. The baby is so tiny, it is amazing how tiny those little toes and fingers are!

It was my first appointment with my new doctor, and I liked him, so that was a blessing. He was very friendly and able to joke with me (especially when I told him he can't yell at me when I get big and fat because I always lose the weight after I have the babies).

After that, I took myself shopping, in search of a brown shirt to go with a skirt I got at Ross a couple weeks ago. I found the perfect shirt at Ann Taylor Loft, but it was $39, and well, I just don't pay $39 for a shirt, so I will have to keep searching. I would like a shirt with buttons, in a cute, feminine style, with short sleeves of any sort, so if anybody sees anything like that let me know. (You see, I really don't like the hunt, so I will take any assistance I can get.)

Then I took myself out to lunch at the Pita Pit. I enjoyed a club pita stuffed with all sorts of yummy goodness, a raspberry iced tea, and some Sun Chips. I finished up my shopping trip by purchasing Katie a swimsuit on sale at The Children's Place, and two pairs of flip flops at Old Navy, which is how most of my shopping trips go - I think I will buy myself something, but instead come home with something for the kids or the house. But if I must come home with something for the kids, you can't really get higher on the cute scale than little girls' swim suits and flip flops.

I had to go to Weis for a few things I needed, and somehow a box of Drake's coffee cakes wound up in my cart, and some how when I was having my afternoon coffee, a pack opened up and I had to eat them. And it may be possible that a second pack opened up and was eaten, but I am not ready to confirm that information at this time. I did manage to check the ingredients, and they contain no partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, so that allows the guilt level to remain pretty low.

While I was drinking my coffee, I was reading the Psalms and was blessed by the message of Psalm 40:5. Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

There is never any excuse to not have something to praise or thank the LORD for. Ever. There are so many wonderful works that my mouth should be filled with them. Just last night, Adam took us out to eat and while our waitress was waiting on another table, he pointed out that her shirt was stenciled on the back in very big letters "PROUD ARMY WIFE". Later during our meal I asked her if her husband was on active duty, and she told me he was stationed in Iraq. She has a calendar at home counting down the eighty-five days until he comes home to her. Her face was bright with pride as she spoke of him.

I thought how every night, my husband comes home. He might come home late, he might come home weary from a day of work, but he comes home. He is safe and he is here and I do not have to worry that he might be killed, and I do not have to cross off the days on a calendar until I see him again, because he comes home.

Today I praise the Lord for my husband and the gift from God that he is to me and that he is to our children. I thank the Lord for a husband who is my best friend, and loves me like crazy, and is patient when the kitchen gets really, really dirty when I am feeling icky-pregnant. I thank the Lord that I do not fear for my husband's safety, and that when I kiss him good-bye in the morning, I know he can't wait to get back to me that evening. I thank you, God, for Adam.




Well, you might not be in the middle of a day off, and maybe you are even having a bad day, but I hope you have many wonderful works of the Lord to think about today. Share one with me if you want to. I would love to hear it.

escape

Katie has figured out how to climb out of her crib by herself. So now when there is a thunderstorm at four o'clock in the morning she can get out and come in to my room when the thunder awakes her. Or if she is not feeling particularly sleepy at nap time, she will get out and come downstairs and see if I will reconsider. Or when she wakes up in the morning, I can rise to the sounds of her calling my name downstairs while I am still upstairs in my bed.

"Helloooo, Mommy! Where are you?"

If you ask Katie what she does when she wakes up she will say, "Outta crib. Open door. Go outside." Thankfully only the first two statements are accurate. She has not gone outside after letting herself out of her bedroom. Yet.