Say It Enough, You'll Start to Believe It
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For those of you keeping track – okay, I’m probably the only one keeping track – Sloan has now lost six teeth. Two on the bottom and four on top. Every time he smiles I crack up a little.
For the record, she still has all her teeth. She wanted to show me.
This post is going to be a random conglomerate.
Landon got his permanent cast on yesterday. He picked a fiery red cast. They decided to cast him all the way up above his elbow even though the fracture was in his wrist. Otherwise he might be able to pull the cast off. I saw the X-Rays. He broke both the ulna and the radius just above the growth plate. We’re thankful the growth plate wasn’t affected at all!
He’s proud of his cast. And Steve the monkey got a cast too because his arm was hurt. So everyone is healing.
Tia seems to be a little jealous. She told me she wished she had a ‘puwple tast’ for her arm. Here she is pretending she has a cast like her brother. Landon’s trying to figure out how to navigate the world left handed. Watching him eat brings a smile to my face. Half the time he misses his mouth, the other half the time he shoves the fork down his throat.
Lee has found the silver lining in this whole broken wrist ordeal. “He’ll get tons of practice dribbling the ball left handed,” Lee said, his eyes getting all glassy and dreamy. So, you know, he’s got that going for him…
My kids, like all kids, wear me out daily with their constant fighting, whining, tattling and arguing. But it’s moments like this one that we had last night…
…that energize me and give me the strength to get through one more day. I am writing this at 7:48 in the morning and the kids are screaming at each other behind me. I keep looking at the picture to remind myself that there are sweet moments to look forward to.
Speaking of being energized, you can read my latest post over at 5 Minutes for Mom. It’s all about how I’m actually NOT supermom.
Tia had her last day of perschool yesterday. I’m so excited for summer break. I have all sorts of lofty goals and plans for the kids. We’ll see if I can stick with it or if I cave and let them watch TV all day long. Just kidding, I would never do that…
Lee and I started the P90X workout this week. I can’t move anything from my neck to my ankles without gasping in pain and I’m walking like a ninety year old woman with a hunchback. It’s intense but so far we’re enjoying it. Except for the Abs workout, which I’m fairly certain was developed by Lucifer himself. Seriously, if I cough or sneeze I have to hold onto something to offset the pain. Fun…
I had a whole paragraph (or two) written about the Arizona Immigration bill and my horror at the President’s audacity to stand up next to a foreign President and publicly call out another State. I’ll save you my rant, but will say that we are the United States of America. We don’t need a President who’s a man of all Countries. We need him to be the man of the People, which is what we elected him for.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Now I’m going to hobble my way to the bathroom to start getting ready for the day. I will attempt to brush my hair, but given that it hurts to raise my hands above my shoulders I may have to lay a hat down on the bed and shove my head into it…
We spent a lovely, relaxing week in Arkansas last week where we kicked off our time celebrating the graduation of Lee’s youngest brother from the University of Central Arkansas. Zach was thirteen when I first met him. He was fourteen when Lee and I got married. And now he’s all grown up, has a job and is such a great guy. I’m so proud of him.
I’m getting verklempt. Talk amongst yaselves. I’ll give you a topic. The Partridge Family was neither a Partridge nor a family…discuss.
We heard rumors that Kris Allen (also a UCA alum) was at the graduation. Actually, it wasn’t a rumor – Zach’s girlfriend got stuck behind the mob of young fans wanting his autograph. I didn’t see him, though, and it’s too bad because I think he’s a doll. I would have stared. I’m not afraid to admit it.
My son is a goofball. Seriously, where does this kid get his over the top personality? Lee and I are so reserved and shy…
My sister-in-law, Becke’, photographer extraordinaire, sat down and gave me some great photo tips. I learned about ISO (they’re like worker bees. Trust me…), f-stop, shutter speed, and how the three work together to create the perfect exposure. I learned how to shoot in Manual mode and, while I need a lot of practice (I still can’t take a decent picture indoors) I came away taking better pictures from just one session. I’m telling you – Becke’s good.
(She is equally skilled, incidentally, at killing mutant Arkansas wasps that better resemble a hummingbird than a wasp using nothing but a Steno Pad and sheer force while others, who are less brave than she, look on. Don’t ask me how I know this.)
Flowers are the best practice subject. They have vibrant color, unique shape and they’re still while you take their picture. Not like my kids who are apparently allergic to sitting still.
See that blurry background? I set that! I determined how much blur I wanted (the f-stop, if you will) and adjusted my shutter speed and ISO to match. Me! Let’s all do the happy dance together, shall we?
Now I just want an editing software. I am hereby entering every contest I come across for Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I need Lightroom or Photoshop, but my want is riiiiight on the border of a need.
Besides photo lessons and graduation, we enjoyed an abundance of family time. We ate out every night – and when I say every night, I mean every.single.night. My stomach is in rebellion. I’m on a bit of a detox today of dried fruit, water and green tea.
We watched the kids soak up as much cousin time as they possibly could. From putt-putt to Wii, those kids relished every moment together. I loved playing with my cousins growing up and have so many cousin memories, so I’m excited to see my kids building the same memories.
The lone girl. She held her own with all those boys, even trying to convince her older cousin that she had boy parts. We’re still trying to get her to understand that she is, indeed, actually a girl.
The baby of the family was so thrilled to be invited along with all the big kids that I thought he might actually jump out of his skin on the way to play golf.
Sam – the concentrator.
Cade – the sports nut. Feel the emotion.
Eli – the cut up.
Sloan – the one who’s here to have fun.
We are officially back to life, back to reality. But – glory! – school is almost over. Tia has three days left. Sloan has ten. I can’t wait for summer vacation.
How long do you think it will take for me to wish school would start up again?
On May 13, 2009, my children successfully completed a rite of passage for childhood. They did it with reckless abandon and fully confident that what they were doing was brilliant. They were proud of this accomplishment.
But alas, their pride was short lived and shattered the minute I gasped, shrieked and cried, “NOOOOOOOO,” before bursting into tears.
The home done haircut. We all did it as kids. I cut my bangs to the scalp when I was five and my mom reacted with similar shock, horror and anger to mine this day last year. But you see – my kids, they never do anything small. Oh no – they go full in, balls to the walls, after life. It’s a quality that will serve them well in life.
Provided that neither one of them ever decides to become a hairdresser, of course…
I give you – the haircut: Before and After.
Before:
One year later:
Before:
One year later:
Before:
One year later:
Before:
One year later:
In the midst of my grief last year, so many people were sweet enough to remind me that I would one day look back on that moment and laugh. They were right – I do. But I also still remember that horror and the heavy pit in my stomach. So while I may laugh, I also cringe.
For Sloan’s sake, however, I have lifted the ban on his usage of scissors. This time last year he was forbidden to use them until he was 104. So as you can see, I have come a long way…
Sloan and an Ape made nice at the Zoo last week.
This weekend we:
Were feeling motivated and inspired so we took advantage of the rarity and tackled a few major yard projects. First, we took down the swing set, much to the kids dismay. They really loved playing on it, but after nearly five years we felt like it was getting a little old and unstable. Why did we feel that way? I think it was the fact that it shook perilously every time one or more children climbed on it…
We let the kids cross the monkey bars one last time before dismantling their beloved swing set.
After taking don the swing set, we decided that it would be nice to completely open up our backyard. And in order to do that, the chain link fence would need to go. So we took it down. And we are both wickedly sore after doing so. But the yard? Looks awesome.
Notice the dog in the corner who is now leashed to a tree. She is the only one not impressed with our hard work.
We also took advantage of the great weather and planted flowers. Have I mentioned that I love spring?
A few other weekend activities included:
– Lee and I attending the wedding of a friend. I was her counselor at a children’s camp when I was in high school. And she’s married now. I feel old…
– My sweet friend Lindsey (who is also sister to the above mentioned bride), and I went to visit with the man who forever altered the course of my life when I was fifteen and he took me on my first mission trip to the former Soviet Union. He is now battling a cancer that is extremely aggressive and is ravaging his body. For almost three hours we sat and talked with him, laughing, reminiscing and soaking up his wisdom. I would like to write more about Gary, but I need some time to process all that we discussed yesterday. But I would like to ask that you join me in praying for him and his family.
– Tia asked me to braid her hair so that she could look “woody pitty” for daddy. So I did. Then I took pictures.
– I cleaned the wall after Landon played Picasso.
What we did NOT do:
– Go to Sloan’s first baseball game due to muddy fields.
– Go to Tia’s soccer game due to lack of motivation.
What did you do and NOT do this weekend?
Yesterday we had the first of what I trust will be many incidences where a crushed and devastated child came home after experiencing the hurtful behavior of a so called friend.
I will not go into the details of the incident here, except to say that it bordered on bullying and it broke Sloan’s heart. It wasn’t physical, but he was emotionally crushed and, as his mom, I hurt for him in a way I’ve not yet experienced. I get teary just thinking about it.
My sweet Sloan. I’ve chronicled some of the wonderful, funny, immensely blessed characteristics that make up this remarkable boy. He is kind and tender hearted. Remember his love for our older mailman, Mr. Herman? A couple of weeks ago he came in after retrieving the mail and told us that Mr. Herman’s wife was sick. “We should pray for her,” he said. And so we did. And the next day Sloan made sure to tell Herman we prayed for his wife. That’s the kind of boy he is.
Sloan is precocious, to be sure. He’s very confident in a lot of ways, but also becoming more aware of what others think and some of his innocence is slipping away. He’s becoming a little more self-concious, which makes me a little sad.
One of Sloan’s best qualities, however, is his loyalty and his ability to make and love on friends. This is a quality that cannot be taught. It is inborn and innate to who he is and I love that about him. He loves his friends with every fiber of his being. Even if they hurt him.
That’s not to say he isn’t willing to fight back. Sloan’s mouth can be his downfall at times. We’re working on helping him learn to control his words because that’s how he fights. It’s not constructive and it gets him in trouble. But at least he’s not hitting anyone, right?
As we walked home from his friend’s house yesterday after “the incident,” I talked to Sloan about how important it is to choose friends who build you up; friends who make you feel good about yourself; friends that make you smile, not cry. And even though he had just been ganged up on, his immediate respone was to look me straight in the eye and say, “But mom, I love them. They’re my best friends.”
Sweet, sweet boy.
There were no tears, but I could tell his spirit was crushed. We returned home and I began dinner and then I heard a few sniffles. I looked over and he had his head buried in his arms. I scooped him up and the dam broke.
“Why did they do that to me?” he sobbed.
Oh, it broke my heart. I let him cry for a few minutes then set him down and reminded him that he was a child of God and he was incredibly special, kind and good. I then thanked him for being such a good friend, even when he was hurting. I refrained from saying anything nasty about the kids who hurt him, but I will confess that some very un-Christian monikers crossed my mind.
Points to me for holding back…
And after dinner we walked to a local ice cream place and got ice cream cones. It did his heart good to get out and run off some steam. And ice cream does wonders for healing the soul, does it not?
I remember how I felt as a kid when a friend hurt me. I remember the devastation I felt and the confusion. But I must say, the devastation I felt as a kid doesn’t even compare to the hurt I felt for my own child yesterday. It cut to my core and it still aches. I know this is only the beginning as I’ve got a little girl coming up behind him and if you think boys can be cruel – oh my!
Lee and I work hard to instill in our children the confidence that they will always be loved and accepted in our home. And when the days of disappointment come, I want them to know that they can run home and cry and find comfort and healing.
I also want to teach Sloan that it’s okay to just walk away. That’s hard for him. He depends on friendships, thrives on them. So teaching him to protect his heart without crushing that natural and precious loyal spirit will be our challenge.
And now I’m going to go wipe my eyes and blow my nose. If only I had some ice cream to calm my nerves!
Tia had school yesterday – Sloan did not. So I went back and forth about whether or not we should go to the Zoo after Tia went to school or whether she should just skip school and we could go in the morning.
I decided that it wouldn’t kill her to miss a day of preschool, so we headed out to the Zoo around 8:30 yesterday morning. Best. decision. ever. The Zoo was virtually empty when we arrived, which is a good thing when you have three kids who all like to run in different directions.
By 12:15 when we left, however, the Zoo was…well – a zoo! I knew it was time to leave when every time I turned around to check on Landon (who insists on walking about 15 paces behind us at all freaking times) he was out of my line of sight due to being swept up in large groups of people. After my third heart attack, I decided to call it a day.
So we bopped out of the park and jumped in our car, which was parked right up front and headed out past the endless line of cars waiting to park.
There's nothing like picking your nose on a train ride. You should try it sometime...
Becke', I tried to get a picture of his bootie for you but he wouldn't turn. 🙂
After selling much of my childhood and pieces of my parents souls on Craig’s List, I finally made enough money to purchse the one thing I’ve desired for awhile now. A good camera.
My parents are moving from their home of 13 years into a small condo. It’s a good thing. It’s the right decision. But it means getting rid of many of the items that I grew up with. Furniture and decorations that have graced the houses of my parents different homes for most of my life. It’s hard – not as hard for me since I have been living on my own for a long time – but definately hard for them.
My mom was sweet enough to let me post and sell her stuff and, as a reward, split the money she made fifty-fifty. And thus my brand, spanking new camera. My magic camera that actually takes the pictures I want it to take. And I’ve had a good time taking said pictures this weekend.
Yesterday we went to my parents house for one last holiday meal. And we all tried to keep it light when discussing their move, because if we started talking too seriously, the tears would begin to flow. So we laughed and joked, but inside we were all feeling a bit sentimental. Change is never easy, even if it’s necessary.
Despite the emotions, however, we had a wonderful day. The weather was perfect, the kids were well behaved and I was able to document it all just the way I wanted to…
Here is a little collage of our Easter Sunday:
Click on the image to see a larger view.
And, of course, here are a few more pictures from the weekend. The camera has been practically attached to my hand…
Blurred background! That was the one thing I wanted in a camera - the ability to actually focus on what I wanted to focus on.
We had a crazy week with several nights of late bedtimes. Which means Landon did a lot of this Saturday morning when we went to Forest Park.
Poor boy. His parents need to get him a haircut. He's looking like a mushroom head...
We’re going to the Zoo today so look forward to more pictures tomorrow!
Today’s post for STL Family Life is up. Go check it out and let me know what you think!
I came across these sweet videos the other day and my heart melted. My babies are growing up too fast. I never thought I’d be the type of person to say that and get all weepy, but it does make me a little sad. Those stages go by so fast. How is it they are aging so quickly and I am staying the exact. same. age?
Weird.
As I lay in bed this morning, trying desperately to pry my eyelids open, I couldn’t help but correlate the emotions I feel about my children aging with the emotions that this particular day bring about. Happy and Sad. Good and Bad. Gratefulness and Humility.
Today is the day we remember and observe the sacrifice of Christ. It is heavy. It is hard. It is “the sad part,” as Sloan told us this morning. In fact, he got up early and drew us a picture:
Notice the top corner says "Sad Port"
If you look closely, the picture shows Jesus on the cross. The two people on the right are the soldiers who crucified him and they are laughing. On the left are Mary and Joseph and they are crying. And on Jesus’ head is the crown of thorns.
This day makes me reflect and ponder. It’s something that occurs deep within the recesses of my heart and I often want to run from these reflections because they often uncover the worst of myself. And it is sad. It’s the sad port, erm, part.
But balancing out the sad is the joy in knowing the end of the story. And it just so happens that Sloan depicted that as well. He called it the “Good Port.”
Jesus was not defeated and the grave did not hold him forever. Notice the “sparkles” surrounding Jesus in Sloan’s drawing. It’s because Jesus rose and “He was so shiney when He came out of the grave, mom, because His body was new.”
That really is the Good Part, isn’t it?
So as I look at these videos, I’m reminded again of the preciousness of life. I remember how quickly life happens. We blink and the moment is gone. And it’s sad. But it’s also good.
Happy Easter.
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