Here I sit on New Year's Eve updating my blog....We are celebrating quietly this year. Dh is going out in a little bit to get us Outback Carry Out. We'll have steak, watch football games, and just enjoy a quiet evening here at home. Actually, I am planning to catch up on some much needed "crop time".
Two of the boys are going out. DS 1 and his girlfriend are going to a concert nearby and will be back just after midnight. DS 2 is going to his girlfriend's house for a party and will join us at church tomorrow. DS 3 is playing a computer game online. DS 4 is just playing...
It's quiet...and I'm glad. I think I like going quietly into a new year.
I wish you all a wonderful New Year's Eve and Peaceful 2006!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
You Can Do This Too!
OK here is another nature photo that I took earlier this year. This lizard was shedding its skin on a bush outside my Dad's house. I couldn't resist the urge to photograph it.
I am reminded when I see it, though, that we can do that too. We can take off the old and put on the new. It's scriptural. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
This is especially appropriate as we head into the New Year. It's that time of year when we make empty promises in the form of resolutions. It's that time of year when we learn that most of us don't have what it takes to keep a resolution.
And yet, God (who always keeps His promises) made a promise to us long before the ball was falling in Times Square. It's time to shed the old and put on the new.
May 2006 bring each of us HOPE and NEWNESS of life!
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Isn't this cool?
The boys took this photo when we were in Ohio this fall. I just thought it was so neat.
Just Wait...
I was struck emotionally at the tragic loss of Tony Dungy's son, James. In one article recounting the funeral message Tony shared some of his daughter's comments about their loss: "My daughter Tiara said it best the other day. She said: `I just wish he could have made it until he was 20. Because when you're 17 or 18, sometimes the things you guys say to us don't always make sense. ... When I got to 20, they started making sense again."' This is such a wise statement.
I was reminded just how many times I tell my teenagers, "Believe it or not, your parents do NOT sit around at night and think 'how can we make their lives miserable.'" Parents, in general, try and do the best they can with the information they have. We truly DO make decisions and suggestions based on trying to guide our children on the best path. We also try and help them avoid the same mistakes that we made. It's easy to see on this side of it.
Coach Dungy noted: "As he got a little older, like all teenagers, he was searching for who that person was inside of him. Who he was going to be. ... And like most of us, I think he went through a time as a teenager that he wasn't sure his parents always had the best advice. He wasn't sure that we always had his best interest at heart," the coach said.
My dh often says that while he was in college his parents went to "smart school".
I remember being 17 and 18 and being in the conflict of having a foot in my childhood and trying to open the door to my adult life. That is where my two oldest are right now---at the threshold of their adult lives. I continue to pray that we will be able to help them enter it with grace and dignity. So far, it's going pretty well.
Rest assured boys, we DO have your best interest at heart.
I was reminded just how many times I tell my teenagers, "Believe it or not, your parents do NOT sit around at night and think 'how can we make their lives miserable.'" Parents, in general, try and do the best they can with the information they have. We truly DO make decisions and suggestions based on trying to guide our children on the best path. We also try and help them avoid the same mistakes that we made. It's easy to see on this side of it.
Coach Dungy noted: "As he got a little older, like all teenagers, he was searching for who that person was inside of him. Who he was going to be. ... And like most of us, I think he went through a time as a teenager that he wasn't sure his parents always had the best advice. He wasn't sure that we always had his best interest at heart," the coach said.
My dh often says that while he was in college his parents went to "smart school".
I remember being 17 and 18 and being in the conflict of having a foot in my childhood and trying to open the door to my adult life. That is where my two oldest are right now---at the threshold of their adult lives. I continue to pray that we will be able to help them enter it with grace and dignity. So far, it's going pretty well.
Rest assured boys, we DO have your best interest at heart.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Welcome Nephew!
My third nephew was born yesterday! He joins his two sisters C-almost 4, and K-2. They LOVED their new little brother. He is absolutely adorable...but then I think that about all of our nieces and nephews.
As I was holding him last night, my Dad, my Brother and I were reflecting just how much he looks like my Grandfather. He definitely has features of that side of the family. It was kind of amazing.
I thought though...we DO pass so much along in our families. We pass genes down from generation to generation. We also pass down our personalities, our stories, and pieces of our lives. It IS our job to leave a legacy in the lives of those who come behind us.
I pray that God would continue to help me stop and think about the young people in my life. May He help me pass along those things that I want to continue. And may He also help me stop the stuff that needs to stop and not be perpetuated.
May each little child remind us that we are sowing into their lives. And they will reap what we sow. Let's sow well!
Welcome, little Z! You are a blessing!!
As I was holding him last night, my Dad, my Brother and I were reflecting just how much he looks like my Grandfather. He definitely has features of that side of the family. It was kind of amazing.
I thought though...we DO pass so much along in our families. We pass genes down from generation to generation. We also pass down our personalities, our stories, and pieces of our lives. It IS our job to leave a legacy in the lives of those who come behind us.
I pray that God would continue to help me stop and think about the young people in my life. May He help me pass along those things that I want to continue. And may He also help me stop the stuff that needs to stop and not be perpetuated.
May each little child remind us that we are sowing into their lives. And they will reap what we sow. Let's sow well!
Welcome, little Z! You are a blessing!!
Monday, December 26, 2005
And Speaking of Time....
Ds 4 met a new friend last week. We'll call him "K". K is quite outspoken and articulate. He doesn't hesitate to tell you exactly what he wants and when he wants it...but in a very polite way. They are the same age. K just moved from Chicago and France with his family. The boys hit it off right away.
Today, K and DS 4 are on a marathon play day (after all they have been two whole days without seeing each other due to Christmas activities). They have been back and forth between our two houses all day long. They have played hard and had fun. About 4:15 they came back home and DS 4 got in trouble for something and had to do some work and a timeout before proceeding his play. K cried. In fact, I think he was more heartbroken that ds 4! K did not want DS 4 to have to stay inside. He wanted him to be able to continue whatever it was they were doing. DH talked to K and explained that DS 4 had to do this and that he would be able to come back out at 5:00.
About 4:25 I was surprised to see K just walk in the front door just like he lived here! He said, "Is it 5:00 yet?" Then he told me he would "just wait outside". Knowing how six year olds work, I know that 30 minutes can seem like a lifetime. I wondered for a minute how he would pass the time. I showed him on his new watch how long it was going to be and sent him back outside.
At 4:45 he knocked on my door because there was a "five" in the time. I explained once more that it had to be "5-0-0". And he returned to our sidewalk to wait. At 5:00 sharp...he knocked on the door and said, "I kept the numbers on the sidewalk come see!" He did not let up until dh went out there to see what he had done.
In HUGE chalk numbers starting at the bottom of our sidewalk and leading right up to our front door, we saw:
4:51
4:52
4:53
4:54
4:55
4:56
4:57
4:58
4:59
You have to admire that determination and stamina, don't you? K and DS are outside playing once again and I think all is right in the world...at least in their world.
Today, K and DS 4 are on a marathon play day (after all they have been two whole days without seeing each other due to Christmas activities). They have been back and forth between our two houses all day long. They have played hard and had fun. About 4:15 they came back home and DS 4 got in trouble for something and had to do some work and a timeout before proceeding his play. K cried. In fact, I think he was more heartbroken that ds 4! K did not want DS 4 to have to stay inside. He wanted him to be able to continue whatever it was they were doing. DH talked to K and explained that DS 4 had to do this and that he would be able to come back out at 5:00.
About 4:25 I was surprised to see K just walk in the front door just like he lived here! He said, "Is it 5:00 yet?" Then he told me he would "just wait outside". Knowing how six year olds work, I know that 30 minutes can seem like a lifetime. I wondered for a minute how he would pass the time. I showed him on his new watch how long it was going to be and sent him back outside.
At 4:45 he knocked on my door because there was a "five" in the time. I explained once more that it had to be "5-0-0". And he returned to our sidewalk to wait. At 5:00 sharp...he knocked on the door and said, "I kept the numbers on the sidewalk come see!" He did not let up until dh went out there to see what he had done.
In HUGE chalk numbers starting at the bottom of our sidewalk and leading right up to our front door, we saw:
4:51
4:52
4:53
4:54
4:55
4:56
4:57
4:58
4:59
You have to admire that determination and stamina, don't you? K and DS are outside playing once again and I think all is right in the world...at least in their world.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
As we are in the final frenzied hours before Christmas Morning, I had to make a run to Walmart. Upon my arrival home, the boys and my dh were having a conversation. They wanted to "do Christmas" this afternoon. Well almost everyone. DS 3 was adament that you cannot "do Christmas" unless it is the 25th.
His argument, "Do you dress up for Halloween on the 30th?" To which DS 2 replied, "You might." He was obviously passionate about this plan. DSs 1 and 2 did NOT agree and the discussion escalated a bit.
Of course, I know that you can "do Christmas" anytime you want and it would be the joy, the giving, the being together that makes it Christmas...not the fact that it is the 25th of December. But, you know what? I agreed with son 3, I didn't want to do it today either. I love waking up on Christmas morning with the anticipation. I think somehow on the 25th, I am still a kid. I love it. I love all of it.
The result of our discussion? DS 3 won. We will open gifts early tomorrow morning before we go to Church. We will give dh the remainder of this presents tomorrow morning...we went ahead and did some this afternoon.
Whenever you celebrate...I hope that this Christmas is as magical for you as it might be for DS 3 and for me.
His argument, "Do you dress up for Halloween on the 30th?" To which DS 2 replied, "You might." He was obviously passionate about this plan. DSs 1 and 2 did NOT agree and the discussion escalated a bit.
Of course, I know that you can "do Christmas" anytime you want and it would be the joy, the giving, the being together that makes it Christmas...not the fact that it is the 25th of December. But, you know what? I agreed with son 3, I didn't want to do it today either. I love waking up on Christmas morning with the anticipation. I think somehow on the 25th, I am still a kid. I love it. I love all of it.
The result of our discussion? DS 3 won. We will open gifts early tomorrow morning before we go to Church. We will give dh the remainder of this presents tomorrow morning...we went ahead and did some this afternoon.
Whenever you celebrate...I hope that this Christmas is as magical for you as it might be for DS 3 and for me.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Holiday Peace?
Today I went to the mall again. I went to pick up the last couple of things that I needed to finish gifts so that I could come home, sit in the pile, and wrap!
It was relatively calm there. There were the usual last minute shoppers trying to find the perfect gift. I noticed Dads with their sons out shopping for Mom's and other girls in their lives. Perhaps the funniest was the man in Bath and Body Works who noted that you could buy a gift and you didn't even have to wrap it because they have such pretty gift sets! The teenage boys behind him were wide-eyed as they learned how to "shop like a man" (sorry for any of you who are great shoppers).
Most disconcerting though were the number of people I watched bickering. Blood pressure obviously up...I saw grown Daughters yelling at Mothers. Grown sisters at odds over what gift to buy for Mom. Sons and Mothers who differed as to who had spent more money on a gift so far. I heard one Mother explode at her teenager and say, "If you don't get me out of here righ this instance, I am going to lose it!" I thought: "Toooooo Late!!!"
It was sad. These same people are going to sit together most likely on Sunday and share gifts. They are going to try and be cheerful about a holiday that obviously was causing them much stress.
Yet, didn't the angels proclaim "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men" at the birth of Christ. Peace. Goodwill to all. I pray that it happens in each of our lives in a powerful way that sends the message that we serve the "Prince of PEACE"! Maybe, just maybe, it will make the difference in the eyes of someone who is watching.
Peace.
It was relatively calm there. There were the usual last minute shoppers trying to find the perfect gift. I noticed Dads with their sons out shopping for Mom's and other girls in their lives. Perhaps the funniest was the man in Bath and Body Works who noted that you could buy a gift and you didn't even have to wrap it because they have such pretty gift sets! The teenage boys behind him were wide-eyed as they learned how to "shop like a man" (sorry for any of you who are great shoppers).
Most disconcerting though were the number of people I watched bickering. Blood pressure obviously up...I saw grown Daughters yelling at Mothers. Grown sisters at odds over what gift to buy for Mom. Sons and Mothers who differed as to who had spent more money on a gift so far. I heard one Mother explode at her teenager and say, "If you don't get me out of here righ this instance, I am going to lose it!" I thought: "Toooooo Late!!!"
It was sad. These same people are going to sit together most likely on Sunday and share gifts. They are going to try and be cheerful about a holiday that obviously was causing them much stress.
Yet, didn't the angels proclaim "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men" at the birth of Christ. Peace. Goodwill to all. I pray that it happens in each of our lives in a powerful way that sends the message that we serve the "Prince of PEACE"! Maybe, just maybe, it will make the difference in the eyes of someone who is watching.
Peace.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Power Shopping!
Every year we do it. We brave the mall during this, the last week before Christmas. The boys really seem to enjoy it. Usually, the group includes my extended family and us. Occasionally, though, it has just been the boys and me. Today was the latter.
The boys and I left for the mall around 1:00. We divide and conquer. I am pretty much done with shopping...so today was my day to help them.
Round 1: Ds's 1 and 2 go off alone to do whatever teenage guys do when they shop. Ds 3 decided HE (at 11) is quite OK going out on his own. (So I gave him my cell phone with strict orders to call dss 1 and 2 if he needed anything.) DS 4 and I went shopping...for the brothers and his Dad. I am not sure how I drew the short straw in this round, but I did. (I say that with love, really I do.) It's just that ds 4 wants to stop and look at all the other 6 yr. old distractions that are in the mall. He actually tried to convince me that he needed to just take the money that he had budgeted for today and put it in his bank...then everything would be OK. One hour later, round 1 ended.
Round 2: DS 2 takes DSs 3 and 4 to shop for Mom and Dad while DS 1 and I go and find a gift for his girlfriend. This is no picnic either! He is conflicted because she has put parameters on the gift. She wants "no jewelry"..."no cheesy stuffed animal" and yet wants him to find something meaningful. DS 1 tells me, "Her favorite color is yellow..." NOW THERE'S a lot to shop on! During this round, I realize just how FEW YELLOW meaningful gifts are in the mall! We found something though and Round 2 ended.
Round 3: DS 1 and I get caught in the food court getting a bite to eat by all other DSs. They join us and DS 1 and 3 go off together. DS 4 now needs to shop for me and so DS 2 helps. I WIN this round as I get a few minutes of quiet time to browse a few stores in the mall. DSs 1 and 3 are done in record time...but I still win because the oldest drives and they call me and tell me they are heading home. During my quiet browsing...another call comes in. It's DS 2 who calls and says, "Mom, can you talk to DB 4 and tell him that you DON'T want a football for Christmas!" So, I am in the clothing store talking loud because of a bad signal saying, "NO son, I DON'T want a Buccaneer football for Christmas!" It took a bit of convincing...but I think it worked. I did notice a few snickers from the people around me, though.
Round 4: DSs 2 and 4 and I are done and we make our way to the mall exit. On the way, DS 4 announces, "Mom, DB2 wouldn't let me get you a Gator football blanket." No offense to you Gator fans, but I don't even LIKE the Gators. DS 4 proceeds to tell me that he tried to tell his brother, "it doesn't matter the team...because Mom just likes football." That is true...I DO like football....
As we leave the mall, I whisper a prayer of thanks. Thanks for four wonderful sons who can even spend time in a mall without fighting. Thanks that they are helping steer each other in the right direction. Thanks that ds 4 knows his mother well enough to know that she likes football (I'll report on what I ended up with after the big reveal)! And thanks that THIS powershopping trip came to a successful end!
Happy Shopping Everyone!!
The boys and I left for the mall around 1:00. We divide and conquer. I am pretty much done with shopping...so today was my day to help them.
Round 1: Ds's 1 and 2 go off alone to do whatever teenage guys do when they shop. Ds 3 decided HE (at 11) is quite OK going out on his own. (So I gave him my cell phone with strict orders to call dss 1 and 2 if he needed anything.) DS 4 and I went shopping...for the brothers and his Dad. I am not sure how I drew the short straw in this round, but I did. (I say that with love, really I do.) It's just that ds 4 wants to stop and look at all the other 6 yr. old distractions that are in the mall. He actually tried to convince me that he needed to just take the money that he had budgeted for today and put it in his bank...then everything would be OK. One hour later, round 1 ended.
Round 2: DS 2 takes DSs 3 and 4 to shop for Mom and Dad while DS 1 and I go and find a gift for his girlfriend. This is no picnic either! He is conflicted because she has put parameters on the gift. She wants "no jewelry"..."no cheesy stuffed animal" and yet wants him to find something meaningful. DS 1 tells me, "Her favorite color is yellow..." NOW THERE'S a lot to shop on! During this round, I realize just how FEW YELLOW meaningful gifts are in the mall! We found something though and Round 2 ended.
Round 3: DS 1 and I get caught in the food court getting a bite to eat by all other DSs. They join us and DS 1 and 3 go off together. DS 4 now needs to shop for me and so DS 2 helps. I WIN this round as I get a few minutes of quiet time to browse a few stores in the mall. DSs 1 and 3 are done in record time...but I still win because the oldest drives and they call me and tell me they are heading home. During my quiet browsing...another call comes in. It's DS 2 who calls and says, "Mom, can you talk to DB 4 and tell him that you DON'T want a football for Christmas!" So, I am in the clothing store talking loud because of a bad signal saying, "NO son, I DON'T want a Buccaneer football for Christmas!" It took a bit of convincing...but I think it worked. I did notice a few snickers from the people around me, though.
Round 4: DSs 2 and 4 and I are done and we make our way to the mall exit. On the way, DS 4 announces, "Mom, DB2 wouldn't let me get you a Gator football blanket." No offense to you Gator fans, but I don't even LIKE the Gators. DS 4 proceeds to tell me that he tried to tell his brother, "it doesn't matter the team...because Mom just likes football." That is true...I DO like football....
As we leave the mall, I whisper a prayer of thanks. Thanks for four wonderful sons who can even spend time in a mall without fighting. Thanks that they are helping steer each other in the right direction. Thanks that ds 4 knows his mother well enough to know that she likes football (I'll report on what I ended up with after the big reveal)! And thanks that THIS powershopping trip came to a successful end!
Happy Shopping Everyone!!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Watch, Weep, and Wish
I'm weepy lately. I don't know why. It could be strictly that I'm a female in my forties. On the other hand, it could be holiday stress.
I've decided that it a good portion of my weepiness has to do with all that I have been watching lately. I'm watching my boys become men (at least the oldest two). I am watching them trying to make their own way in their own worlds. DSs 1 and 2 both have girlfriends that they are pretty serious about. I adore both girls. They didn't pick girls that are totally wrapped up in their teenage worlds and whose lives are filled with drama. No, they picked girls that have their heads on their shoulders and are excited about their futures. They picked girls who are down to earth and unafraid to try new things. I am proud of both of them.
Of course, with their focus on school, developing their relationships and extracurricular stuff, we get squeezed to the bottom sometimes. That's just kind of how it works I think. My priorities can't always be their priorities. I think I'm OK with that.
As I watched them today, I wept. I wasn't ready for them to change so quickly. I wept because there are things to do and they are busy. I wept because I am learning that I will not always be in control of my world. I wept because I can.
I also wish. I wish that I could have more time. I wish that they would each always know how much they are loved. I wish that they will continue to refine their characters into Godly young men.
I know that they are growing. I know that life will go on for all of us. And I know that God will hold them in His hand as they experience this phase of their lives. I also know that He will hold me in His hand as I watch, as I weep, and as I wish.
I've decided that it a good portion of my weepiness has to do with all that I have been watching lately. I'm watching my boys become men (at least the oldest two). I am watching them trying to make their own way in their own worlds. DSs 1 and 2 both have girlfriends that they are pretty serious about. I adore both girls. They didn't pick girls that are totally wrapped up in their teenage worlds and whose lives are filled with drama. No, they picked girls that have their heads on their shoulders and are excited about their futures. They picked girls who are down to earth and unafraid to try new things. I am proud of both of them.
Of course, with their focus on school, developing their relationships and extracurricular stuff, we get squeezed to the bottom sometimes. That's just kind of how it works I think. My priorities can't always be their priorities. I think I'm OK with that.
As I watched them today, I wept. I wasn't ready for them to change so quickly. I wept because there are things to do and they are busy. I wept because I am learning that I will not always be in control of my world. I wept because I can.
I also wish. I wish that I could have more time. I wish that they would each always know how much they are loved. I wish that they will continue to refine their characters into Godly young men.
I know that they are growing. I know that life will go on for all of us. And I know that God will hold them in His hand as they experience this phase of their lives. I also know that He will hold me in His hand as I watch, as I weep, and as I wish.
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