If you've ever had young kids, you know how often they open the door to tell you all kinds of nonsense while they play in the backyard.
The door opens and I hear, "So and so hit me with the ball." The door closes, only to be reopened every 2.9 seconds for comments and questions such as these: "So and so threw the ball at the dog." "Are we allowed to dig in the garden?" "I hit a home run and the ball went over the fence! Can I go get it?" "Mom, do you like grub worms?" "Marshall's eating from the garden." "What are we doing today?" "What are we eating for lunch?" And two seconds later, "What are we eating for dinner tonight?"
Admittedly, I'll sometimes lock the door to stop the nonsense. Or I'll throw out the threat, "If you open that door again, you're coming in for a nap!" That one works like a charm.
Anyway, as I was cleaning my bedroom this morning, the boys and dogs were playing in the backyard. I believe they opened the door 52 times before I heard a new statement. Jackson yelled, "MARSHALL LOST A TOOTH AND I FOUND IT!"
"Okay, great. Yep, he's teething. SHUT THE DOOR," I yelled back. (I should always say 'Slam that door', since that's what they do.)
Jackson went back to play, and I didn't give Marshall's tooth another thought, until I walked through the kitchen 30 minutes later to find the lost-and-found tooth in a baggie on the kitchen counter.
I carried the tooth to Jackson and asked if he thought the tooth fairy should visit the pup. He laughed and said "No! I thought we could make a collection of his teeth."
Oh. Hmm.
Raising boys often leaves me scratching my head.
Things That Make Me Go "Hmm"
Jackson's Math
As we drove home from an eye appointment yesterday, the boys were talking about how many kids are in different families around us. "So and so have 3, so and so have 2, so and so have 5,...."
I simply listened and didn't add anything to the conversation.
Suddenly Jackson became very animated. "Mommy, we only have boys in our family! That's not fair to you," he exclaimed.
I laughed and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You're the only girl in our family. That's not fair. We need four girls to make it even."
"Four," I asked for clarification.
"Yes, four. Because Daddy has 4 boys and you need 4 girls."
I guess he's counting Winston as one of Daddy's boys. It's either that or we need to work on JMan's counting skills.
He's All That
Our middle man, Jackson, is all boy. Actually, ALL of my boys are all boy. But Jackson is ALL BOY.
He's rough. He's wild. He's impulsive. He's a mess. He's funny. He's cute. He knows it.
We've wondered for some time if martial arts might be a good sport for him, since the field touts the teaching of focus, respect, and self-control. In January, we asked JMan if he would like to skip baseball this Spring and try Jiu Jitsu instead.
He was on board as soon as he realized he would have a "costume like karate people".
That would be a uniform, and it's called a Gi (gee).
Rick told Jackson to "show the camera a move", and this is what we got:
That's not exactly a Jiu Jitsu skill. And neither is this:
But we are pleased with what he's learning. After only two months, he's gained three stripes on his belt for the skills he's gained. Take down is his favorite move so far. He's also getting stronger. He can give us 10 properly formed push ups now, which is a big improvement over the zero he could do before.
We would love to see him really succeed in this sport. Who knows? Maybe he'll even compete at some point. If nothing else, he'll be able to defend himself if/when the need arises.
In other news, he recently lost his fifth tooth and his two front teeth are finally peeking through the gums.
Cute little toothless stinker, he is.
I better be careful what I call him. He might be able to take me down soon.
My Little Cowboy
For a long time, Jackson has asked for cowboy boots. It was around Halloween that Rick told him he could get his first pair for his 6th birthday. I patted my husband on the back for such a wonderful idea, because Jack's birthday falls only twelve days after Christmas, and I'm typically OUT of gift ideas by then.
True to Daddy's word, we took J-man to Cavendar's the night before his birthday to pick out his boots and hat. Rick's parents met us there to buy the cowboy a shirt and belt.
He chose black ropers, a black felt hat, a two-tone Longhorn belt, and a shirt that he calls the "Stampede shirt".
He dressed up for school on his birthday the next day and looked cuter than any cowboy I've ever seen.
And he hammed it up BIG TIME.
I wouldn't let him take his cowboy hat to school, but his teacher gave him a party hat for the day.
My mom took him Subway for lunch, and Garrett couldn't be left out of a good meal.
After lunch, I brought cupcakes to his class.
He stood on a chair while his classmates sang "Happy Birthday" to him.
He loved every ounce of the special attention.
When I went to bed that night, I was reminded that a cowboy lives in my house now.
On his birthday, the Lord kept reminding me of how far we've come with this little man. This time six years ago, I was still grieving the loss of Jack's failed adoption. I wondered where in the world he was and what would come of his life. Just a few months later, we were elated to finally be able to adopt him and bring him home. But the emotions were bitter sweet, as he came home with many needs. The Lord's grace carried us through some really tough times during Jackson's first year of life. Now that he's six, he's a silly little man with great potential.
Jackson, I love you, cowboy!
Decking My Halls
Today was a glorious day in which I got to stay home all day to decorate my house for Christmas. It was a cold and windy day, so I thought it a perfect day to deck my halls. I played Christmas music throughout the house, too.
I still have a few areas to tweak in decor, such as that pitiful bow on top of the tree. I have wanted a new topper for years, and this will be the year. Oh, yes, it will.
No, there aren't any gifts under the tree. I'm definitely not finished with shopping, and I'm learning to not stress over it. I'm typically finished by December 1st, but I will not hyperventilate if it takes me an extra two weeks.
I will not hyperventilate. I will not hyperventilate. I will not hyperventilate.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions with our little family is to sing Christmas carols in our living room while Rick plays the guitar. Because our wonderful friends loaned us their piano last spring and it has become Rick's favorite pastime, it is only fitting for us to move our Christmas carols to the piano. I snapped this picture of my men tonight.
The boys were already dressed for bed. Garrett enjoys the caroling the most, as he is our most musically-inclined child. Liam will sing the first couple of lines, and then he squirrels around. Jack usually moves around, but he was mesmerized by a picture frame I put out today.
My mother-in-law gave us this photo of my father-in-law last year, and I put it on top of the piano today for this holiday season.
I've forgotten how old my father-in-law was, but he's not so sure about Santa handing him a peppermint stick.
Since I just put the picture out today, the boys noticed it as we were singing tonight. Jack was completely distracted by it and could hardly take his eyes off of this picture of his Pop.
After several minutes of studying the photo, Jack asked, "Why is Pop Santa?"
"Pop is the boy, not Santa," Rick explained.
"Oh," Jack said, but I could tell he was still confused.
"Pop was a boy before he was a man," I said.
"Oh," and I could tell by his tone that he didn't realize that fact. Isn't it funny that we assume kids know certain things, such as grandparents once being children? It's never even occurred to me to explain that to them. Well, now he knows.
Clearly we need to show the boys more photos of their grandparents' childhood. Maybe that will become a new Christmas tradition.
Signing off to gaze at my Christmas tree. I want to enjoy this season.
Merry Christmas!
The Carrots Make Him Do It
"Finish your carrots. They're very good for your eyes," Rick told the boys the other day.
"Carrots help my eyes to stare," Jack added.
Maybe we should cut back on his carrots.
Jack's Friend
Rick wanted me to update everyone on Jack's hand-holding friend. We met her at lunch the other day, and we can see why he's drawn to her. She's as crazy and WILD as he is. After sitting with the two of them for 25 minutes at the lunch table, I was sufficiently worn OUT. And if he were to marry someone as hyper as this little girl, Lordy, I don't know that I could recover between family gatherings.
So when I pray about Jack's future spouse, not only do I ask the Lord to give him a God-fearing wife, but I need to be certain I ask for a girl that can calm herself.
Amen.
Jack and Garrett's baseball season ended over Memorial weekend. The Tigers were an average team, and I can't say I cried a tear over telling their team goodbye. I suppose that sounds bad, but my little boys were given so so coaches, and we're just ready to move on.
But my boys sure are cute in uniform.
Garrett was chosen as one of the four Tigers to go onto the All Star tournament.
Look at his hands on his pants. Poor baby! He was so nervous to play on a team where he only knew 3 other kids. The All Stars were put on a team with coaches they've never played with, and my boy is still suffering from the shyness. He didn't play too swell, but he had a good time. By the end of the tournament, he was finally beginning to hit the ball like himself.
And a word on Jackson... When I told him that G was chosen for the All Stars but that he wasn't, he handled the news quite well. He was happy for his brother, and he understood why he wasn't chosen. As he put it, "I don't focus very well on the game." Perhaps another year of maturity will help him to focus on where the ball is.
Look Out World, Jack is FIVE!
Yesterday was Jack's 5th birthday! I am having a HARD time believing it. Time flies for me, but the big day couldn't get here fast enough for him.
I guess waiting for his birthday is a lot like waiting for his cupcakes to bake the night before. (Tick, tock, tick , tock....)
And, of course, Garrett was right there with him. He has a hard time allowing Jack to have a birthday first. He has to wait a mere 26 days for his 5th birthday, which is an eternity in his mind.
Those two are quite the characters lately.
On Jack's actual birthday, Daddy snuck (Or is it sneaked?) out of the house early that morning to bring home donuts for breakfast.
Gee thanks, Daddy! Bring home the sugar and leave me here to defend myself.
After taking Liam to school, the littles and I headed to a fun bouncehouse to burn off some serious sugar highs.
Our little friend, Reagan, met us there.
Finally, we ended the day with dinner and cupcakes with the grandparents and two cousins.
And Jack scored some loot.
Naturally, his brothers were right there to assist him with his gifts.
He took care of his own candle though.
Currently, I have a 6 year old, 5 year old, and 4 year old. And that's a wrap.
(For my newer readers, Jack's adoption story is an amazing testimony of God's work. Please see my sidebar for links to his story.)
SuperJack
I am a lucky mama. Do you know why?
I had a super hero follow me all. day. long.
SuperJack to the rescue!
Everywhere I went, there he was. He assisted me with walking Liam to school, washing my car, borrowing books from the library, accomplishing small tasks around the house, and picking up Liam.Yes, Jack wore his cape everywhere.
I even had to turn him away when I visited the restroom. "No, SuperJack, I can handle this on my own."
But I sure did chuckle over the cuteness of his imagination at work during our regular living. Do you think he turned a few heads while we were out and about? Oh yea!
Friday Funny
While receiving dilating eye drops at the eye doctor this week, the nurse asked Jack if needed a tissue. "Yes, I need a tennis shoe," he whimpered.
Time Flies
Well, hello there, internets. It's Thursday, and I'm just now sitting down to blog. The week just got away from me. I hate it when that happens!
I need to blog about Jack's 4th birthday, now that it's nine days after the fact. Otherwise, I might open my eyes to find he's already turned 5.
Time...you really need to get on my side.
We don't have a "friend party" but every other year. That would be because I hate planning parties. I'm just being honest.
I'm not that cool mom that comes up with great party ideas. My friend is, and she's the reason we had a firemen theme last year.
Anyway, this is not the year for "friend parties", so we just celebrated a little all day long.
The day began with donuts.
A sugar-filled breakfast might make me a cool mom.
When it came time to dress for the day, I convinced him that he would look like a four year old in this sweater. He fell for it and looked really cute.
He broke his glasses the night before, so I got to see his luscious lashes for a few hours before the eye glasses store was open.
We ran a few errands that day, which to most people sounds like a boring way to spend the day. But my boys love running errands. They enjoy getting out and about. Who wouldn't, when you get to sit back and enjoy the ride while chewing gum and listening to the Beatles?
Later in the day, Jack helped me bake his cake. He was thrilled to help me without having to share the baking duty with his brothers.
Don't turn me in for breaking child labor laws.
Both sets of grandparents came over for pizza and dinner that evening.
Daddy spent the evening quarantined to our bedroom with a stomach bug. He stuck his head out to see the festivities occasionally.
He especially couldn't miss Jack opening his gifts. Speaking of, Jack's favorite gift was this:
Man, did I score BIG with that one! He loves his guitar!
And my boys are now officially 5, 4, and 3. For two more weeks. Until Garrett turns 4. Man, time is flying!
It's Jack's Day
Today, January 6th, is Jack's fourth birthday.
For those new to my site, he is our middle child, but we adopted him last, as he was closing in on four months of age. We were supposed to adopt him at birth, but his birth mom had a hard time relinquishing him and decided to parent him. By the time he was nearly 4 mos., she decided it was best to relinquish her rights. His adoption story is an amazing revelation of God's sovereignty, and I invite you to read it in its entirety when you have some time. All four parts are located on the right sidebar.
As I was looking through old pictures for this birthday post, I realized one of my worst fears. We have lost some photos. And those photos are of Jack's first few days of life with us. It saddens me greatly. Not only do I not have photos of the first 4 mos of his life, but I've now lost photos of our first few days as the fabulous five.
My mom has a copy of the first picture of he and I together. The quality is horrible, but I have to post it anyway.
That is moments after our attorney's secretary handed him to me. What I remember about those first few moments is how BIG his eyes were. And his 'fro cracked me up.
For those familiar with attachment issues, you'll pick up on how stiff he was in my arms and how he's avoiding my eyes. I picked up on it right away, and I was immediately nervous.
When we took him to our hotel room, he refused to let me rock him or feed him. He only wanted Rick. For some reason, we have this one photo of that night.
Look at his sweet eyes and clinched fists. He was probably so confused by all the change taking place in his little life.
This is a photo of the five of us the next day. When people see this photo, they usually say, "Ami, you look so tired." Oh my word, I was beyond tired and scared out of my mind.
Moments after this photo, Jack began crying inconsolably. I took him to another room and held him close and cried right along with him. And prayed like I've never prayed before in my life. "Lord, I know you brought Jack to be our child. Please, please help him to attach to me."
And I continued that prayer for a long time.
God was faithful. Jack has attached and is a normal member of this family. He can be my most challenging boy, but he keeps me on my knees.
Not every moment in those first months were rough. Here's a shot of his bright eyes along with a grin.
Man was life crazy with two infants and a 2 year old! But look how cute they were!
(Jack, Liam, Garrett on the night of baby dedication)He is my best sleeper. Night, day, bed, car, glasses or not...almost anywhere he allows himself to be still for more than 5 minutes.
He is my most imaginative child. He can turn the most simple of objects into a game of almost anything. He is also the one to be most macho in his play...always wanting to fight, hunt, or repair something.
In public, he will sit and watch strangers for hours. In this next shot, he had been staring at passengers on a train. I called his name, and he knew it was time to stop staring.
And then, it was time to be a ham. He is our class clown.
He is often more entertained with everyday objects than normal toys. An umbrella kept him from staring on the train.
Notice the "I love you" sign on his left hand. He is frequently found telling us he loves us. Now, if that's not healing from the Lord, then I don't know what is.And this is one of my favorite recent photos of Jackson.
So handsome. Bright eyes. Beautiful smile.Happy 4th birthday, Little Man! I love you,
Mommy
A Good Reason for the Ugly Cry
I'm glad we're not talking in person, because I might cry the ugly cry on you today. You know the one where my face turns beat red and my nose forces me to blow my foghorn. I'd rather you not see me that way.
We're using the What God Wants for Christmas nativity set again this year. In this set is a booklet that parents read to their children for 7 days leading up to Christmas in order to help young children understand the true meaning of December 25. Each day refers to one or two scripture references, and a child can open a numbered box that contains that day's character. For instance, day 1 uses Luke 1:26 to explain Gabriel's role in telling Mary that she would carry and give birth to Jesus. The child opens a box containing Gabriel.
We sat down as a family to go over day two yesterday, which explains Mary's role and uses Luke 1:26-38 as its reference. Rick had my bible open to Luke 1 on his lap, while he was further explaining what he had read to us. Jack was sitting next to him and fighting the wiggles that creep up on him after 2.2 minutes of listening to anyone.
Suddenly, Jack shouted, "THAT'S MY NAME! JACK! SEE?!"
Indeed, it was his name written next to Luke 1:45 in my bible. A verse that spoke to my heart on September 9, 2004.
Luke 1:45 (NIV) "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
What the Lord had said to me at that time in my life was that Jack was going to be our son. Jack was not yet born, but we knew that his birth mom was pregnant with him. At that time, she had asked us to adopt him, and we were anxiously preparing his nursery for his December/January birth.
But my heart told me that his adoption would not be an easy ride. I believe the Lord was preparing me for what was to come...the roller coaster ride that we would have to take in order to get Jack.
(For those new to my blog, you can read Jack's adoption story using the links at the right of this page. It's a long story and you, too, might cry the ugly cry, but it's a great story that will point you to God's goodness in the form of his sovereignty.)
Because I felt that his adoption was not going to be easy, when I read that verse in 2004, I had to underline it and add his name to it. I knew that I would someday need to be reminded of God's promise to put Jack in my arms. And I knew I would need to be encouraged to believe that this child was to be mine.
Back to 2008, Jack saw his name in my bible. Even though I couldn't see the bible from where I was sitting, I knew exactly what he was seeing. I've seen it numerous times throughout the last four years. Each time I see it, my heart flutters to remember that God truly accomplishes what He sees fit for me.
As my nearly four year old read his name in my bible this weekend, the tears welled up in my eyes. I could not explain to him the meaning behind it, because my voice becomes unpredictable with the ugly cry. Rick doesn't cry the ugly cry, so he was able to explain it to him. And he then told Jack to climb up in my lap for some love.
It was a hug that he and I both needed, as Jack has been especially challenging lately. It was a hug that refreshed my soul.
That moment reminded me the Lord is not going to leave me alone to parent this child that pushes every limit. It reminded me that there was a time in my life when my heart ached for this baby to be mine. And it reminded me that not only did He fulfill His promise in handing me that baby boy, but He will continue to fulfill His promises in this child's life.
Jack's Idea of Dinner
I'm happy to be back in the saddle of blogging again. I can't exactly say that I have come out of writer's block unscathed, but at least I have some photos to share. I'm hoping that posting those photos will get the writing wheels of my mind rolling again.
Two nights before Thanksgiving, Rick was expected to come home late, which I used as an excuse to skip cooking dinner. The kids don't care how long I slave in the kitchen, so why bother?
Around 5:30pm, I asked Jack ( age 3 11/12), "What do you want for dinner?" He responded with, "Hmm, wet me see. I'w be wight back."
A moment later, I could hear some scrounging around in the refrigerator. I thought I better check on him, and this is what I found on the counter:
From left to right: a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes with 2 clementines, a bag of sliced bell peppers, bread, a lemon, an apple, feta cheese, shredded colby/monterrey jack cheese, and sour cream.
"J-Man, whatchya doin'?"
"I'm getting dinner weady."
"Well, that looks delicious, but I was thinking of grabbing some burgers."
"OKAY!" [insert scampering of three boys' feet to see who could get shoes on first]
"Don't worry, Jack. I'll just put this food back in the fridge by myself. No, really, I got it. No problem."
I feel certain that the energy I put forth on cleaning up that mess negated the burger, fries and cherry limeade I devoured that night. I also feel certain that Sonic meal had nothing to do with the 4 extra pounds on my scale this week.
Hope you're having a good week and remaining sane with the holiday rush. I hope to be back in another day or so.
Kung Fu Fighting
Jack discovered a karate outfit in our dress up clothes the other day. Apparently a wig was also necessary.
Jack, the Patient and the Clown
Jack's surgery and the first 36 hours of recovery went remarkably well. When the doctor reported to me in the waiting room that his tonsils were too big for his throat, his adenoids red with constant infection, and his ears in need of those tubes due to "thick goop" (her official doctor term), I was mighty glad that I signed him up for the torture.
Saturday night through Monday night were rough. He felt puny and forcing liquids down him was a full-time job, especially yesterday. But today does seem better. He's willingly drank most of the morning, and he's tried to keep up with his brothers in at least a half-hearted way.
He hasn't felt like joking much in the last few days, but a few days prior to surgery, he cracked me up with a comment.
Setting: The boys and I were playing in the backyard. Liam was helping Garrett learn a "new trick" on the swings, and Jack was sliding at rocket speed. Here is the conversation that took place....
Me: Liam, I really like how you're playing so nicely and helping Garrett.
Liam: I'm doing a good job?
Me: Yes, you are. I'm pleased.
Liam: I'm babysitting?
Me: [giggling] Well, I don't know that you're babysitting yet, but you're being a good big brother.
Jack: You're not babysitting! You're MANsitting!
I laughed so hard that I literally tripped over my own feet.
