THE GRADUATE

OH MY HEART!

I am not a huge country music fan but HERE is one singer that just might change my mind. This little guy's blond hair, pouty lips and dance moves has made me a huge fan of this song. You have to check out my co-worker April's handsome son Nikolas singing "Chicken Fried". I have lauged and lauged at how stinkin' cute he is!

PUT ON YOUR GAME FACE...AND KEEP IT ON TIGHT.

ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME WELL KNOWS I HAVE A HARD TIME KEEPING IN A GOOD LAUGH WHEN THE SITUATION CALLS FOR SERIOUSNESS. WELL, I KNEW ONE DAY THIS PERSONALITY TRAIT WOULD CAUSE PROBLEMS IN THE PARENTING DEPARTMENT. THAT DAY WAS SUNDAY. WE WERE IN CHURCH WITHOUT DADDY WHICH ALREADY IS A TOUGH GIG SINCE I START OUT THE SITUATION OUT NUMBERED. AS USUAL, I WAS ARMED WITH COLORING BOOKS AND CRAYONS TO KEEP ANDREW BUSY DURING THE SERVICE BUT HE INTENDED TO USE THESE ITEMS TO ENTERTAIN HIMSELF MUCH DIFFERENTLY THAN I HAD INTENDED. WHILE THE CHOIR WAS SINGING, ANDREW WAS MAKING SILLY FACES TO HIS BROTHER. HE PLACED A CRAYON UNDER HIS NOSE TO MAKE A MUSTACHE TO COMPLETE THE CHARACTER HE WAS PORTRAYING. MASON, WHO NORMALLY KEEPS HIS COMPOSURE, CRACKED UP LAUGHING. I DID A GOOD JOB OF MASKING MY APPRECIATION OF HIS HUMOR. I SCOLDED BOTH OF THE BOYS AND TOLD THEM TO SETTLE DOWN AND BE RESPECTFUL AND MOVED TO SIT BETWEEN THEM. WE STOOD WHILE SINGING AND I TURNED TO LOOK BACK AT MASON JUST IN TIME TO SEE HIM BREAK A CRAYON TO MAKE "ANGRY EYEBROWS" TO MAKE A FACE BACK TO ANDREW. I LOST IT...AND COULD NOT KEEP A STRAIT FACE. THE SMILE AND GIGGLES I WAS TRYING MY BEST TO HIDE WERE OBVIOUS AND THE BOYS GIGGLED LOUDER ONCE THEY SAW THE DING IN MY ARMOR. I FINALLY CONTAINED MYSELF AND FOUND MY STERN VOICE AGAIN WHICH MASON QUICKLY RESPONDED TO BUT ANDREW WAS ANOTHER STORY. ONCE HE SAW ME CRUMBLE UNDER THEIR SILLINESS HE WAS NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT. I FINALLY HAD TO TAKE HIM OUT OF THE SERVICE AND TO THE BATHROOM FOR SOME DISCIPLINE TO SETTLE DOWN AND BE READY TO RETURN TO THE SERVICE.

PARENTING THESE BOYS BRINGS JOYS EVEN IN THE TOUGH LOVE TIMES. I'VE MADE A COUPLE OF MENTAL NOTES FROM THIS SITUATION. EVEN IN THE TIMES THAT I AM TEACHING THE BOYS THAT THERE IS A TIME AND PLACE FOR EVERYTHING, I AM LEARNING THAT THERE IS EVEN ROOM FOR A GIGGLE FOR ME IN CHURCH SO THE BOYS SEE THAT SIDE OF ME TOO...AND WE WON'T EAT CAPTAIN CRUNCH FOR BREAKFAST ON SUNDAY MORNINGS. WE WILL STICK TO SATURDAY'S ONLY!

ENJOY MORE TINY TALK AT MARY'S. IT'S ALWAYS FUN TO SEE WHAT ALL THE KIDS ARE SAYING AND DOING.

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!

I now know I could not live in Seattle. It has rained or been overcast here for 12 of the last 13 days and I AM GOING CRAZY! STOP ALREADY! Give us just a couple of sunny days to perk me up again. My family is getting tired of my droopiness.

HELP WANTED

As a working wife and mom I quite often feel there is not enough of me to go around. There is just so much to be done that inevitably somethings must be left undone. It makes me crazy when I feel so many things are starting to pile up. Sometimes we ladies need help to get everything on the list checked off. So here are the jobs I am quite OK with outsourcing!

• grocery shopping...but I make the list of yummies.
• trips to the bank
• trips to the dry cleaners
• returning books to the library
• folding laundry
• ironing clothes
• take the car in for servicing
• loading the dishwasher
• unloading the dishwasher
• organizing closets
• culling out old toys
• organizing pictures
• reconciling bank statements

I'm sure there are many more tasks like this you could think of that we do out of love for the family and the order we need daily to make things work but none of us truly enjoy. But I have another list of jobs that I do not want to have anyone else handle on a regular basis.

• Putting breakfast on the table and greeting the morning with my boys.
• packing lunches complete with their favorite flavor of yogurt and a note telling those babies how special they are to me.
• Rushing home to get Andrew to the t-ball field for another fun night of hot dogs, snow cones, and little boys in baseball uniforms.
• helping build volcanoes for science class.
• cooking dinner and feeding the family as we hear all the days adventures.
• catching a warm, wrinkly little boy in a soft towel as he jumps to me from the tub. OH I LOVE THAT SMELL!
• making up bedtime stories and partner reading chapter books.
• bedtime prayers
• one more kiss...snuggle...and drink of water.

I guess that list confirms that I do not need a nanny or a cook but I do need someone to help me tie up many of the important details that keep our life in harmony...hey it sounds like I need a good wife. ;-)