Ryan's Big Day

We recently celebrated Ryan's big day! He is now nine years old and is glad about that. Nine is a fun age to be. One of the things he absolutely loves is animals so a trip to the zoo was a perfect idea but it had to wait until the next day due to the weather. Ryan is absolutely thrilled that his number nine birthday is finally here because he is a man now. Arm pit hair is just around the corner as this is something he is looking forward to. Why do kids always want to grow up faster than they are?

One of the highlights of the day was the downpour of rain that made ginormous puddles in the parking lot which we zoomed through with the car making huge waves. This apparently humored him to great lengths. His older brother ran through them soaking his shoes and shorts which left Ryan not wanting to be left out of that fun. It became a fun sport between the two of them and as I watched them enjoying their rascally moment, I tried not to think about the wet shoes. They'll dry, right??!!

One of the items he wanted for his birthday was a paddle ball so we went on the search. I didn't realize how many stores I would have to go to to find such an item. Believe it or not, we finally found it at the grocery store. Crazy. Perhaps now he'll practice hard and become the world paddle ball champion which is his goal. Ah, I love that kid.

He wanted bratwurst and lemon cake for his special dinner and that is what he got. All in all, it was a fun day with a very fun boy (I mean man).

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

God's Gifts

As I look back over the past few years, I am once again reminded of how much God has provided for our needs. There are many promises throughout the Bible that speak of provision but when situations arise in such a fashion that your control is taken out and you have to rely on God, do you really believe that? Are you able to rest in those promises or are you out there trying to make things happen in your own time, on your own terms?

I have to admit that it's been tough for me. I've known people who are able to just trust in God's promises, that can rest and trust in such a simple, unquestioning way. My husband is one of those people. I, on the other hand, struggle with it, wrestle with it and have this overwhelming desire to fix things in my own way. Believe it or not, there are situations that call for you to just wait because YOU can do little to nothing to make the changes yourself. Sometimes all you can do is wait on God to move.

I do not know how people who don't have the Lord struggle through this life. Even though He doesn't promise to remove tough situations and circumstances, He does promise to be with us through it all. I've seen this, felt this and continue to be amazed at how much God is working in and through this situation. I wish and hope that He would heal my husband because it is agonizing to my heart to watch him suffer but that is not what God's plan is at this moment. That doesn't mean it won't happen here in the future but for now, I have to be willing to just wait and trust that God will work this all out.

Through it all, I have been amazed at what God has done. I look at my little Ryan. His heart was so heavy with fear because of a bad situation just a few months ago but God moved on the hearts of our neighbors providing us with a home that was safe for him. A place where he could heal and grow. Just the other day, it occurred to me that his laughter has even changed. God has answered the cry of my heart for healing for Ryan. He is once again a happy little rascal whose love for life is returning down to the twinkle in his eye and the rascally dimple on his cheek. Even the nightmares which plagued his sleep are becoming less and less. God is so good.

This past Christmas, God moved on the hearts of so many Godly people, some of them we had never met before. Our tree had no lights and God provided. We weren't able to buy presents for our kids but God provided even more than what we would have purchased for them had it been us doing the buying. Our car was in bad shape, God provided by fixing it and filling the trunk up to overflowing with gifts and groceries. I am just amazed at the hearts of those who dropped by. People listening to the voice of God to come and help other believers in need and us being able to give voice to hope through our testimony. God is amazing.

I don't know how this situation is going to end up but I do know after enduring so much that I know without a shadow of doubt that God's promises to provide for our needs is true. He doesn't just provide the mere basics but God provides even for things you enjoy on this earth, like Starbucks coffee or gift cards to your favorite store. God cares about those things as well. We need not limit Him because His ways, thoughts and plan is far better than anything I can imagine. I'm only to trust Him with my life.

I am looking forward to what this new year has in store for us, the good, the bad and the ugly because I know in all circumstances God will be right there with us providing for us, giving us wisdom in our steps and leading the way to a better life in Him.

Moving forward...

I can't believe we have been in this home for a month now. We are still unpacking and settling in but it feels like home. The kids have resumed their happy noise making and are easing into somewhat of a routine. I feel like I can breath a sigh of relief once again.

We recently scheduled an appointment for Ryan with a psychologist. The appointment went really well and I thought the doctor was wonderful with him and with me as I explained some of our concerns. The outcome was that he didn't really want to get Ryan on a regular counseling schedule. He thought that Ryan was working through all that he has faced while we lived up north really well. The only problem that he saw was that Ryan was having a hard time processing through the stuff at night and it's getting stuck in his dreams.

So we have to encourage him to talk about his nightmares when he's up in the middle of the night. I thought this could be fun trying to form coherent conversation at 3 or 4 am. But it is important for him to talk about it so that this monster can get smaller and smaller. So that is what we are trying to do. So far, he hasn't been able to talk about them. He is afraid that it will keep happening over and over again so he refuses to say a word about it. However, the other night he did let it out that all his dreams were of my nephew coming after him. I guess that is progress. Baby steps.

He also keeps checking with me to make sure that they don't know where we live. So we have to do lots of reassuring and lots of reassuring. The doctor indicated this could be a lengthy process and to make sure he feels safe and loved. Big indicators that he does need regular counseling would be if he withdraws from the things he normally loves including the people around him, if he becomes sullen and does things out of character for him. If he starts hurting himself. So far, he's a happy little kid with great adventures to unfold as he continues to grow and learn with some horrible, horrible nightmares thrown in there.

We are continuing to pray that God will heal his heart and his mind erasing the terrible things that brought him to this point. I know that God will do that for him and we as his parents can love him and support him through this. With God, ALL things are possible and we hold onto that promise.

Safe Haven

I've sat here for about half an hour trying to decide how to write this post, restarting it over and over again. It's not one I ever wanted to write about. My heart is heavy and it is hurting in so many ways.

A few weeks ago, I was scheduled to take my mother to a doctor's appointment first thing in the morning. I got up, got myself ready and headed out the door. My 8 year old son discovered that I was about to leave and became hysterical, clinging to me as if his life depended on it which is quite out of character for him. He has really loved having 40 acres to explore along with the animals he's been trying to tame and become friends with. He usually asks me if he can come along but if the answer is no, I get a kiss and off he goes on one of his adventures.

This time, though, was very different. The more I tried to leave, the more he clung to me, to the car and was sobbing uncontrollably. I finally got out of the car and took him inside to have my husband help me so that I could leave. Once things were a bit more settled or so I thought, I got back into my car to head out. Ryan came running for the car crying and crying and stood in front of it so that I couldn't get the car out of the driveway. At this point, I was getting quite concerned and quite irritated but thought that we would deal with what was going on after I got home. So in my irritated voice, I firmly told him to step aside so I could get by.

At this point, he finally listened a bit, enough for me to get the car onto the road and started heading down it. Then I hear this awful, heart-wrenching, blood-curdling screaming going on. I looked in my rear-view mirror and there he was. My dear son was running down the road after my car begging me not to leave him home. I immediately stopped the car and ran to him. I knew at that point that something was dreadfully wrong.

I ended up taking him with me. While my mother was in with the doctor, I took him for a walk and we talked. He told me about some pretty bad things that had been happening to him to the point he did not feel safe, he felt betrayed and he was terrified. Let me just clarify that at this point, no sexual abuse has come to light but instead, Ryan felt his life was in danger. That is a terrible, terrible thing for a young child to ever experience.

When we first moved to my mother in law's home, we were the only family there at that time. However, a short time later, my two nephews moved in and then eventually their mother came to live there too. They haven't come from a good home situation which led us to have concerns from the beginning. We immediately put rules in place for our children to help keep everyone safe. No matter how many rules you have, or how safe you try to make things, sometimes bad things happen anyway.

My 14 year old nephew had been hurting my son to the point that Ryan thought he was going to die. My heart is aching and hurting for Ryan who is still struggling with awful nightmares and having problems sleeping through the night. We immediately began praying that God would provide for the situation and HE did.

God provided a tiny two bedroom home, a safe haven, for us to move into. So we moved quickly to get Ryan out of that situation. We are so thankful for the ones who helped us move again, for those who helped clean, for that crazy painting lady who loves to buy cleaning products and are rejoicing at God's provision of a home to rent. I am still in awe at how the events moved into place at just the right time for us to move and the provision that was poured out onto us to get us there. So we say thank you, thank you and thank you not only to you, dear friends but to our Lord Jesus Christ who is our Provider, our Comforter and our Deliverer.

Another Year Older...

We recently celebrated Ryan's 8th birthday. Eight sounds so very grown up and he is trying to do that too fast!

In the process of moving and not being able to find a thing, my sister came to my rescue and threw a little birthday party for him. She cooked him up one of his favorite meals, hot dogs. She purchased a yummy cake and of course, ice cream too.

He was thrilled with his presents which were superheroes, another favorite. He's not too picky when it comes to superheroes. He likes just about all of them. Believe it or not, one of his favorite gifts was socks and his new Spiderman tennis shoes. Wonder what walls he's going to try to climb this year?

He is enjoying being out in the country where there is lots of places to run. He was thrilled to play with Grandmom's dog, Diego. I asked him the other day why he wasn't playing with the dog as much and he told me that he was a working man now. One of his most favorite things in life is to do projects around the house with his Dad, his Uncle Tim or anyone that comes over to do repairs. He asks lots and lots of questions and amazingly, does quite well when given the opportunity to help. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty or dive into cleaning out the chicken coop filled with old nasty stuff. He, in my opinion, is an amazing kid!

We pray that this new year is full of adventure, lots of exploring and growing in the knowledge of God and how much He loves all of us.

Happy 8th birthday, Ryan!

Cake...it's not just for birthdays

We love to celebrate the accomplishments of our kids. Sometimes they are planned out and sometimes they come by surprise.

This past week, our Ryan was out and about playing with his good friend next door like he usually does. Only this time, their dad was out playing around with the kids. Ryan expressed an interest in riding his bike just like his good buddy Stephan was. Lo, and behold, after a couple tries of our neighbor giving him advice and helping him, off he went riding into the wind. Hi Ho Silver!

I must admit I was a little sad that it wasn't Ryan's own dad helping him but right now, he isn't able to bend over like that to help him balance nor can he run along side of the bike. It made me a little sad and a bit mad. I guess I was having a selfish moment and after being slightly miffed and letting my poor husband know of my great disappointment, I had to swallow my words and admit that it wasn't about what I wanted but it was about the excitement of the moment for Ryan.

So we watched with great enthusiasm at this wonderful accomplishment that our seven year old has conquered. After his riding adventures were done for the day, Ryan proudly walked into the livingroom and announced that we should have a party to celebrate him being able to ride his bike. I, teasing, asked him if we should make a cake. With the biggest grin you would ever be able to imagine, he answered with a yes!

The first thing Ryan asked me this morning was when I was going to bake that cake. Aaron, of course, informed me we could not have cake without ice cream. God provided the ice cream and it was the perfect shade of rainbow colors which the boys announced looked like playdoh. I think they might have been more thrilled with the ice cream than the cake but it was a grand ol' celebration either way.

I heard murmurings in the background mentioning that I hadn't made a certain older child a cake when she learned to ride so I guess I'll be baking another cake next week to celebrate previous accomplishments in this area. It was also mentioned that when she gets old and forgets how to ride a bike and at the age of 80 she relearns this skill....I'll be baking another cake then too. It's only fair, you know! Apparently, my job as cake baker is far from over....

The Dino Dig

Homeschooling is not for the faint at heart. It takes patience. It takes time and more time. It takes the strength of Goliath to meet each and every day with the curious minds of children and all their questions, not to mention what happens when someone is feeling particularly cranky. I have to laugh when I hear someone comment that homeschooling is 'safe' and that what my choice for education for my kids keeps them sheltered. It is not a 'safe' thing to do by any stretch of the imagination and they most certainly are not kept in a dark basement with out the hope of the light of day to shine forth. When I see them in action at a field trip or when they conquer a concept, or even when one of them is laying their head down on the table in agony because of a math problem, I know that they are just right where they are suppose to be...

Dinosaurs. There is something that is endearing to many elementary children about that topic. They are a bit mysterious. They are adventurous and they are BIG. From my seven year old's perspective, they look cool, they are so strong and it would be super awesome to ride one.

It happened to be that a field trip was formed and I signed the two younger boys up to participate. It was a beautiful sunshine-filled day. A perfect day to be outside digging for dinosaur bones. There were over 140 kids who were signed up for this trip. They were everywhere. I did notice a steady trail to the 'cookie' table which was a highlight for my two boys as well.

The mama Myasaura dinosaur bones were what were buried for the kids to dig up and clean off with a brush. They all had a chance to dig in the sand and to discover 'a treasure'. The instructor went over how to properly unbury a fossil so that nothing was broken off in their excited attempt to grab it up. After all the bones were discovered, the kids took them inside for the instructor to talk about the dinosaur and to put it together so the kid could see the skeleton as a whole.
The instructor had asked the kids how a mama takes care of her children. Aaron raised his hand and proudly announced that his mother took care of him by giving him food as he was rubbing his tummy and licking his lips. He also knew what the mystery bones were...the shoulder blades.
He is a pretty smart boy, if you ask me. It was neat watching them attentively interact with the instructor and what was being taught by her. Now if only they would do that at home....


You can't force all of your learning into four walls but need to provide moments for them to experience all that you are teaching them outside of that, to experience the adventure of it, to touch it, to see it, to feel it. It brings education alive and makes it real so that it not only is expanding their minds but also wrapping around their hearts.

The One Kid Rule

A long time ago, I made a new rule. It's called the one kid rule. It only applies to going to the store with Mom. It's for my sanity. It is for productivity. It is for safety. It's for budget control. It is for the opportunity to have one on one time with whichever child is with me at the time. It has been a beautiful thing in my life. It's just so....priceless.

Recently, though, I made an exception to the rule. One time. Here are the results:

Ryan is an energetic child with the attention span of a squirrel. He's usually good and obedient but he get's a little squirrely if we are gone for more than hour. So I make sure the store attending adventures he is a participant of is short and of quality.

Aaron is lovingly nicknamed 'houdini man' because he likes to disappear. Not a good thing when a certain parent is looking at the yogurt trying to decide which flavor and how many would be sufficient for each family member. Poof...he's no where to be found. Then a certain parent is yelling out his name running up and down the aisles in a crazed panic trying to locate and put an end to the disappearance act. At which point, her energy is all used up and is ready to go home. Very unproductive. Usually a trip to 7-eleven is about the right store trip for him. Small store. Small aisles. Slurpee machine. Need I say more?

I needed a few things for dinner. It was going to be a quick trip to store. It was a great time for Ryan to come along. As we were headed out the door, I caught a glimpse of the sad eyes of a five year old who has been getting left behind too often as of late. His plea to come along pulled at my heart and I gave in. How bad can it be with such a quick trip to the store, I asked myself.

As all three of us walked into the store, I was feeling pretty confident that this was going to be painless and easy. I grabbed the cart and off we went. We cruised the hot dog bun aisle. Each boy had to grab their 'own' package and then Aaron said we needed a third one because we always run out which I agreed was correct so it went into the cart. As we headed over to the hot dogs, each boy ran to them and announced that they were getting them, shoving the other aside. I settled that as we need two packages...one for each boy. I had a painful thought that a pattern was being set right before my eyes.

As we headed over to the chips, guess what happened? Yep, each boy was in desperate need of a different flavor and since they had about crushed the bags in their little hands, I felt responsible to purchase both bags. (Grace thinks I bought faulty bags of chips but really it was a five year old and a seven year old that had a hand in crumbly them up properly.) Then, we headed over to the juice aisle. Yep, we ended up with two.

Now let me tell you about the ice cream which I had promised the children we would get since I made them pass up the first ice cream truck cruise down our street this season. We took the cart down the fun aisle, the land of rainbows and lollipops. One boy wanted ice cream sandwiches, the other wanted Jell-o pops. The next thing I saw was both boys on the floor in a scuffle. One in a headlock and the other with his arms wrapped around his brother trying to break free. (Note to self: do not ever, ever, ever bring both boys at the same time to store ever, ever, ever...again unless one needs to remember how much fun it REALLY is.)

As I lovingly and gently took them by the arm to break up the cute little squabble. I told them since we were going to purchase two packages, each would get to choose. Perhaps, mommy should have thrown something darkish, chocolatish Hagen dazish into the cart or maybe twoish for me to eat before I got home!

We, then, went to the cashier to check out. Both boys started grabbing things out of the cart to throw onto the conveyor belt before the other one could grab it. The buns were a bit more mangled, the chips were more crumbly and so on. As I was trying to save the merchandise from any more evidence that is was handled with such care, I heard the lady behind me softly say in a relieved sort of way that she was glad she left her boys at home.

It was quite an eventful trip. One I won't forget for a long, long, long time. It's always an adventure with two very lively boys. Now to explain to my husband why we have two of everything....

A Rascally Rabbit

As I was busy getting coffee made and trying to see my way around the kitchen to get breakfast started yesterday, Ryan mentioned that his stomach hurt. In my most sympathetic tone, I told him that I was sorry that it hurt, rustled his hair and told him I loved him.

When the first round of pancakes was finished and ready to be eaten, Ryan came running into the kitchen yelling...me first...me first! I looked him in the eye and said, "I thought you said your stomach hurt. Are you sure you want to eat?" Of course, I was just giving him a hard time because I was thinking it hurt because he needed to eat.

He responded to me with this...."Mom, a man's got to eat, you know!" With a shake of my head, my thought was yep, that's my little man. (oops...there I go again calling him little. He hates that...sorry, Ryan!)

Ryan's Day

We recently celebrated Ryan's birthday! I can't believe the little man he is turning into. Oops...I mean big man. He informed me that he is not little and I needed to quit calling him that.

He ended up with three days of celebration. The first day was a personal party with Grandma. They had Burger King for dinner and then of course, cake and ice cream to which he had two or three pieces. Call me crazy, but I agreed to it only on this one occasion. As you can imagine, he was bouncing off the walls. Come to think of it, he was that way before we even got to Grandma's apartment. I think she mentioned something to me about giving someone a tranquilizer but I can't remember if I was suppose to give her one or Ryan? They had a grand time together.

Day two was his actual birthday. We celebrated by going to the park with friends. I did let him open one of his presents in the morning because he wore me down with his nagging question of can I, can I, please, please, PLEASE just open one????? We came home from the park thoroughly tired from running around...oh wait...that was me, not the kids. We had cake and ice cream and presents. For some odd reason, he didn't want us to sing or put candles on the cake. Perhaps he didn't want to waste any time or perhaps he doesn't like our singing. I'm not sure which was the case. He went to bed with a skip in his step and a smile on his face. It was another good day.

Day three was celebration time with Grandmom. She ended up having to buy more cake and ice cream to help with the third celebration. Can you have a party without cake and ice cream? Not in Ryan's opinion. This time he even got to blow out candles and he allowed us to sing to him. Now his birthday is complete and was properly celebrated to the max.

He got a Spiderman skateboard, and Ironman costume, nerf guns and a game for his DS. Now if I only can convince him to take that costume off....at some point, you need to change your underwear....at least that is what my motherly advice is telling him. I don't think he sees it my way.

Family Time

While my aunt was still in town, we decided to all meet up at a family favorite restaurant, Zehnders. Some of my fondest memories are of eating there as a family since way back when. So it really was an appropriate place to dine. I love their homemade noodles and their vidalia onion soup.....yum-o!

This year my kids were all happy to see the walking chicken named Drumstick. A couple years ago, Ryan, just loved that chicken so much that he didn't want it to go. I do think he would have invited him to sit and eat with us but alas, a chicken has to do what a chicken has to do. So upon our perusing the little stores they have beneath the restaurant, we found a stuff one and bought it for him. A few months later, that very chicken left this world for chicken heaven. Ryan was trying to help me cook and he threw that stuff thing on my gas stove. Thank goodness I have a quick hand. It left a nice little burnt spot and the smell......well, have you ever smelled stuffed animal material singed? Not a pleasant smell. It didn't remind at all of the chicken we eat at this wonderful restaurant.

My aunt's visit has come to end and I'm sure she will need a nap when she gets home. I know she wore my Mom out but in a good way. We have some new fond memories to cherish.

Springtime

I got a glimpse of Spring yesterday. The sun was out warming everything it touched, the breeze was a balmy 50 degrees and my backyard was full of m-u-d.

For whatever reason, a love of that mucky, squishy, let's see what it does if I put it all over me m-u-d was placed in the hearts of all my children. Every Spring, I think perhaps, perhaps I'll eek by and they won't notice that lovely stuff calling their names. Once again, my hopes and dreams were dashed.

Ryan begged to go outside. Please, please, Mom. I just love it out there. As I took a gander out into the yard, I cringed. Can you wait till perhaps the end of May when it dries up, I asked him. He looked so incredibly sad. He slumped over and put his head down on the table. He just wanted to be able to ride his bike. So I caved. What parent would deny their child the opportunity to get some fresh air?

A little while later, Aaron came to me wanting me to help him put his shoes on because he wanted to go outside with Ryan. Total amnesia must have hit me at that point because all I could think of was both the rambunctious boys being outside leaving a semblance of quiet in the house.

As I was sitting on the couch relaxing, I got a glimpse of a mud-caked child, through the open door. A groan of pure misery escaped my very being. I just don't want to look....I just can't look....I refuse to look. So I sent Brad out there in a scurry to get those boys out of the mud. As I removed my hand that was covering my eyes, what appeared before was something that resembled a couple of snowmen only instead of snow, they used mud.

The words, get-to-the-bathroom, rang out through the house. What was I thinking, I scolded myself. As I gathered my composure and tromped off after them, I realized they had left a wake of mud all over the floor, along side my furniture as they dragged their hands on it while heading where "I" told them to go, caked the bathroom knob and covered the bathroom floor.

I promptly put them in the shower and scrubbed them down. After we were finished, I looked as wet as they were because boy, is it fun to watch the shower spray and boy, is it even funner (yes, I used that word) to see what happens when the shower spray hits Mama.

After changing into some dry clothes, cleaning up the mess on the floor, on my 'cream' colored furniture, wiping down the knobs on the doors and sink, and listening to how way cool that was, I was so thankful it was bedtime for them. I was in need of a serious chocolate fix and I was in no mood to share.

Off to bed they went, laughing all the way. I ran into the kitchen to pop a caramel treasure in my mouth. As I turned to head upstairs to tuck them in, I noticed the mud caked shoes that were thrown in the laundry room leaving yet another mess and I also noticed the beautifully decorated garage door that exhibited a mud painting that Picaso would be proud of. This is going to take some more chocolate or it's not going to be pretty.

Past mud fun

A Date With My Son

We like to do 'dates' with our children. It gets them away from everything at home that could distract them from paying attention to us. It also gives them the opportunity to get out what's on their mind with our complete attention on them. It has filled many a love tank in our household.

Yesterday I was noticing that Ryan seemed quite a bit out of sorts. I don't know if it was the coming down from the sugarfest he's had this week or if it was just one of those days. This is usually a good indicator to me of all my kids when a 'date' is needed.

However, I was tired and he was tired and I thought maybe we'll do it tomorrow. Well, after I fed everyone dinner and he just wasn't interested, I thought maybe I just needed to put my tiredness aside. This was important. I don't ever want to miss the silent cry of my child for my attention. This is especially important in bigger families.

Ryan is the exact middle child and I think sometimes in all the chaos life brings us on a day to day basis, he feels like nobody hears him. What he doesn't realize is that even though his mama is being pulled in a million different directions, I have a sense of when things are out of alignment. It's what we mama's know.

So off we went in the car. A trip to McDonalds was what he wanted. As we were driving along, the gates were opened and out came what was on this tiger's mind. He's tired of living in our current house. He needs a change, he says. I asked him what kind of change that would be and he responded with the desire to move to a hotel. He thought that would be really fun because it's just not really fun at our old house. I asked him why he chose a hotel. He said it was because they have those snack machines. Well, I guess I now know what our home is missing. Hopefully, a vending machine is not on his birthday list.

He had a great time getting his hamburger and chocolate milk and I had a great time driving through the Starbucks drive thru for me. On the way home, he said, Mom, I would like to fly a rocketship to the sun. If I don't make it back, tell Dad I love him. Then he said, maybe he should just tell Dad that he loved him before he left. Oh the things that go through his mind.

He seems back to his happy, hyper self today and I know it's because he is feeling the love. I am so glad that I took the time to spend with him, to yet again get a glimpse of what those wheels are thinking about inside his cute little head. Who knows what he'll come up with next.

Randomness

I have writer's block. I'd love to write a hysterically funny post right about now but I got nothing. Perhaps it's the dreary weather or perhaps its my dreary state of mind. So here I sit before my screen hoping that something is going to just inspire me. So I guess I could do this: I'll share a couple of random things the kids have done or said....

A couple weeks ago, I purchased some popcorn chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken. Ryan decided he was full so I told him we could save the rest for the next day. A baggie would do the trick to save those yummy little morsels for later. Well, just the other day I was rummaging through my cupboard looking for something and I came across this baggie with something kind of furry and green in it. I thought to myself, what in the world? Then it dawned on me. Those are Ryan's popcorn chicken he's was trying to save. Ooops....I guess I forgot to make it known that they were to go in the fridge and not the cupboard.

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Our little 22 month old has discovered the world of nakedness. She just loves, loves, loves to take her clothes off and now she's added the removal of the diaper too. She thinks that if she's in need of a diaper change, she can just take off her clothes and her diaper and run around the house stark naked occasionally leaving a little puddle. Who needs a puppy? She also thinks that she should have a clean set of clothes to put on after each diaper change. Oh, she's such a little stinker. The other day when she was done with her nap, off came the clothes and the diaper. When I sent Grace up to get her, I heard squealing. Grace came running down the stairs yelling I can't do it! I asked her what in the world was going on. What I found was a naked baby who had tinkled all over her bed. That's my little pee pot....cute as can be.

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Ryan's been quite caught up in marrying his mother lately. He says when he gets older and taller, he's going to marry me. I told him that I was married to daddy so that kind of wouldn't work. He thought about that for a little bit and then he says to me, well, when you are through with dad, I'll marry you then.

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I was sitting on the couch having a good ol' conversation with my four year old. We were chatting about this and that...whatever came into his cute little head. He was sitting on my lap facing me and loving every moment he had my undivided attention. All of the sudden he decides to look down the inside of my shirt. He looks up with a googly look on his face and he says, "those are beautiful, Mom". I about fell of the couch in shock.

Explaining...

Trying to explain death to children is so very difficult. I'm pretty sure Brad and Grace understand it as they are a bit older. We told Aaron who is four. I'm not sure about him. His response was oh, ok. I thought to myself, Hmmm...I wonder what's going on behind that statement. Later that day, I found out.

Ryan in particular was upset about Grandpa's death. He kept saying that he was so upset because he never got to say goodbye and now it was just too late. He did get to go to the hospital but I guess he wanted to be there when it actually happened and wave goodbye. At least, that's what I got from our conversation. Bob explained to him that he was sure Grandpa was very happy with Ryan's hello and he wouldn't have wanted to say goodbye. That seemed to settle him down.

Since Ryan wanted to say goodbye so badly, I tried to get the kids to write/draw a goodbye picture to Grandpa. Aaron is my perfectionist. If he can't do it right according to the rules of Aaron, it's just not going to happen and it upsets him immensely. The picture didn't go so well no matter how much he tried. Perhaps he thinks that the minute his crayon or marker hits the paper, it should look like something that Van Gogh or Monet created. I don't know...it's just a guess.

So I sat him down and had him explain what he was trying to write. I'm not sure how one would draw this on paper so I'm glad he wanted to explain instead. He said that when Grandpa died his heart went down, down, down and out moving his finger down from his heart to show me that it went out his feet. But then he got a big grin on his face and started jumping up and down. He said when his heart starts to 'beep' again then he'll come back to life. I gather from this we are just not getting it and since my father in law is being cremated, I'm sure he won't get where Grandpa is either. Some day....the dawning will come.

Then Ryan drew his picture. Him, with his big round head and bulging eyeballs with Grandpa looking strangely identical, holding hands. Ryan then put a Hallmark gold crown sticker on his own head. I asked him also to explain his picture. He said that they were in heaven. I had to hold my 'aaaccckk' in and remember to breathe since it is so not his time (right, God?!!) but allow him to calmly continue as I practiced my breathing. He said he was going to see his Grandpa to tell him goodbye. Then he was jumping up and down the rest of the day all excited like yelling, I can't wait...I can't wait. I'm thinking to myself, slow down there little fella. I'm glad you are excited about going to heaven but NOT before I do. I calmly told him to hang on to that excitement because Grandpa would love to see him but not for awhile yet. I can only assume what the crown on his head was for. Perhaps because Ryan means "little king" which by the way, fits him perfectly. The other assumption I have is that we were talking about God giving us jewels for our crowns to lay before the King, maybe it came from that conversation. Why Grandpa didn't get one...who knows. I just got a shrug from Ryan and off he went to play...probably nagging God about whether it was time yet or not.

I have many pictures to give Grandpa. They thought we were going to see him personally and give them to him but I explained that he wouldn't be there to receive them. You should have seen the slumped over shoulders that were going on in this house. I quickly told them before I had a mutiny on my hands, that maybe we could give them to Grandma Loretta and maybe that would make her not feel so sad. They liked that idea and I was wiping the sweat off my brow....whew!! This explain' stuff is hard work.

Let It Snow....

Last year we got a big snowfall early in the season to which Ryan begged and begged for one of his parents to go outside and make a snowman with him. For the life of me, I can't remember the reason why I put him off....maybe because it was cold out there or maybe it's because it takes me an hour to find all the accessories the kids need to go outside in the cold only to have them done with all that fun in just five minutes flat. That's just enough for me to procrastinate. So we passed on the opportunity to make the snowman BUT I did promise that I would with the next snowfall.

Well....that never happened. Everytime it snowed, it was either the really light, dusty, fluffy snow that will not pack into a snowball or it wasn't enough to make one bigger than a pine cone. This dear child of mine has not, for the last year, let me forget that. Even in the middle of 90 degree weather, he had not forgotten for one second that I promised him I'd make a snowman with him and I didn't. He just would not listen to reason.

He spent the entire year muttering about when the snow fell this very next time, that there would be one mother and one son outside making that very important snowman and it was going to be F-U-N. Of course, the mother was muttering about what she could do with the snow when it fell this very next time but I suppose that wouldn't go down in our family history as one of my finer mother moments.

Well, as many of you know, the snow has fallen and it was just the right kind....wet snow that packed into a wonderful snowman. Ryan was the happiest kid around. The moment had finally come. We happened to have a carrot for his nose. He tried using animal crackers for the mouth and eyes but the wet snow kept making them into a sort of paste which was frustrating him so we found some rocks and then it happened. Ryan had his snowman.

Bobby

Ryan, our six year old, has taken a liking to crickets. This is quite a switch from earlier this year when on our camping trip, he had a complete melt-down because of all the bugs. I'm pleased to see that, as he has stated to me, that he decided to not be afraid of them anymore.

The boys were playing outside yesterday and Ryan found his new friend which he named Bobby. He's a cricket whose home is now the pink Easter pail that use to hold candy for Grace's Easter basket. He made sure Bobby had some nice grass to rest in. He was so excited about his find that he brought it in the house to show me.

I was trying to act like that was really a cool thing but inside I was thinking, Mommy really doesn't like bugs. Then I realized that the only thing that was keeping Bobby inside this cute little pink pail was Ryan's elbow pad that was gently angled over top of him. Of course, when he moved the elbow pad to show me his find, the cricket happened to be attached to it and jumped out onto our floor. Ryan had fun chasing the cricket across the floor before finally catching it. I suggested maybe he keep it outside.

I assumed since I didn't see the pail in the house (believe me, I checked!) that it had indeed gone outside. On one of my many trips upstairs, I glanced in the boy's room and what do you think I saw sitting there on Ryan's bed? The cute little pink pail with the spiderman elbow pad in it. The name Ryan came loudly out of my mouth. As he came running up the stairs, I, calmly, informed him that Bobby REALLY needed to go outside and not be anywhere nears Mommy's room. I really, really don't want something that has four legs, antennae, hops and is in the insect category meeting me in the middle of the night. It's just one of those things on my no-no list.

Later that day, Ryan found Bobby a friend which was another cricket named Bobby, Jr. I happened to be gone that evening for 'pie' night with a friend but from what I hear, one of them escaped. After the kids had been in bed, Bobby or Bobby Jr. (hard to tell them apart), decided to hop out from under the couch. What a surprise that was! Brad chased after it and caught it making him my hero. There is no place better for a cricket then the great outdoors.

If I hear a cricket singing again and I can't find him....someone's going to the moon.

Follow That Red Suburban to The Romeo Peach Festival

We decided to pack the kids up in the 'burb' and head for the Romeo Peach Festival. It's an annual event that has been going on for like 76 years. I grew up there and attended them year after year. Now we bring our kids to it and they get to hear me walk down memory lane as we drive into town.

Just as a side note, as we were getting ready to go, Ryan comes running around the corner with paper attached to his feet. He was quite delighted with himself. I had to ask, though, how he got the paper to stick. His answer.....glue, of course! Silly me...why didn't I think of that.

We arrived in town, parked the car in my cousin's driveway, loaded up the stroller and off we went, to find a place to watch the parade. We hooked up with some very dear friends and settled in to see what this years parade would bring. Within two seconds, our oldest found the hot dog stand and had his order placed and half eaten before I could even get my camp chair out of it's bag. Silly me....I should have figured that!

One of my favorites is the school bands. And they have them from all over. Grace loved the cheerleaders. Ryan and Aaron loved the candy that was being thrown. And Brad....he loves the food. It does taste better there, doesn't it??? It's like going to Home Depot on a Saturday just for the Hot Dog's. Whoever heard of that?

We mentioned to the kids that maybe, maybe we would go to the carnival. Why I do this to myself is clearly questionable. I forget from year to year what this means. This is what happens.....

....we got to carnival, fighting big crowds of people. Stand in long line to get tickets for rides. Freak out at cost of rides, elephant ears, pop, games, etc. Lose Aaron. Say to ourselves, "what were we thinking"! Promptly leave with kids whining that they only got to do one thing. Husband reminding wife that she forgets what happens with our carnival adventures. Wife pushing stroller frantically fast to get the heck out of there while husband is reminding her of such mentioned heretofore.

Quick give that man $100 (ok, so it was like $9 but it seemed like a $100) so they can whack the bell with a big hammer so we can say they did something so they can get those 'prizes' (since we don't have enough at home to hit mommy in the head with) at the carnival and let's get the heck out of here before we lose Aaron (again)!

We arrived at my Aunt's house in town where we were to have dinner. Ryan and Aaron met my cousin's boy who happens to be about the same age and they, together, hit the dirt pile. Between guns and sand, they were happily playing. The rest of us were entertained by Kara's fascination with a 13 year old dog whose name is Cinders. Kara loves dogs. She even tries to talk to them in doginese. I think they might just understand each other. She had her (the dog) following her around. Much to my shock, the dog was licking her face and mouth and boy, was she loving that. The dog kissed her! She squealed with delight. She pulled, patted, hugged and tried to pick up that dog. He was probably glad when we left~!

After a wonderful meal and a lovely time together, we headed on home. Bedtime was finally here!

We give the Romeo Peach Festival a seven thumbs up! It's parade and festivities around town make it a great adventure for the whole family.

Follow That Red Suburban to Greenfield Village

Ryan talked about riding the train at Greenfield Village for a month before his birthday arrived. That is what he wanted to do, nothing more...nothing less. Can we go now, Mom? Is it time yet, Mom? When are we going to ride the train, Mom? This is what was being said over and over.

The day FINALLY arrived and he was just about jumping out of his skin. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday, perfect for a train ride. (sshhhhh....don't tell anyone, we skipped church so we could get an earlier start. I'd hate to think word got out on the street that we weren't there.) We all loaded up in the 'zurban' and headed on down there.

Ryan thought we were going to ride the train right when we got there so it was very hard for him to wait until a little later in the day. Especially since the train was the first thing we came across as we entered. He did get a good look at it though! We were trying to pace ourselves just a bit and not do everything all at once.


We ventured forth and ran into a beautiful horse whose brown fur glistened in the sun. As Grace was petting his nose we asked what his name was and was met with..."Her name is Grace!" So now our Grace has met a fellow Gracian. How cool was that?! I'm not sure she was as amused as I was.

We visited many of the little houses, watched glass blowing, pottery molded into mugs, paid attention as class was being demonstrated at the old schoolhouse, asked questions in the courthouse and saw a bit of a live play. We even took a break and had an ice cream.

And.....Ryan got to take his train ride! He was grinning ear to ear when he got off displaying how pleased he was.

Greenfield Village is one of our favorite places to visit. The people who give their time there are always willing to answer your questions. I love the fact that there is a lot of interactive things to do that draws kids and adults in and only adds to a wonderful experience. We've visited also at Christmas time and it's really beautifully decorated along with an old fashioned holiday feel, it's a must-do. We give this place a seven thumbs up!

It's A Heavenly Party....

Ryan is my little chatter box. He will talk to who ever will give him their undivided attention. He also is a inquisitive little bugger. He is curious about just about anything that you are doing whether it be construction, mechanical or cooking.

Today while I was making lunch and he was explaining his many observations about the world around him, he asked me just how exactly he was to go about asking Jesus into his heart. I was so totally unaware that, that question has been plaguing him. He's not indicated in anyway that he was remotely curious about that. Our family talks about it all the time but he has just been taking it in stride.

He asked me if I would help him pray because he didn't know what to say. I, in my exuberance, told him I would love the opportunity to do that with him. His response...."I need to eat lunch first, then we'll pray."

After finishing up his lunch, he told me he was ready and we prayed right there at the kitchen table with Spongebob playing in the background and the remains of the left over pizza before us. He gave his heart to Jesus.

The angels are rejoicing and his mother's heart is so proud. I thank God that I've had the opportunity once again to bring one more heart of my children's to his feet.