Reese's School Bus

My little Reese gets dropped off by the school bus everyday in front of our home. He seems so small to be coming off that BIG YELLOW BUS. LOL. But he loves it. And he is happily greeted each day by Marina and Emma. I just had to capture his arrival on video before the school year ends. His entrance is usually followed by my tackling him and smothering him with lots of hugs and kisses. Next he sits on my lap and tells me about his day at pre-school. He fills me in on who was the 'helper' that day, who was home sick, and who was sent to time-out for 'hitting friends.' Then he tells me that he wants to eat a peanut butter sandwich. That's pretty much our daily ritual. I love it!

Pretty Pink Potty Chair

We picked one up at the store this past weekend in hopes that we can get our last child out of diapers...finally! I've been continually changing diapers for almost 10 yrs now. And I'm ready to be DONE! LOL! So, since our little princess loves pink, we bought her a pretty pink potty chair, and a pack of My Little Pony underpants. (Not panties...they're underpants. After having 2 boys, I just can't bring myself to call it anything else). Marina's doing pretty well. Only a couple accidents so far, which crushed her, b/c her poor Pony pants were wet and yucky. She's in it for the treats (chocolate chips). Reese is in it for the spanks...meaning, he can't wait for us to threaten Marina with spankings when she poops her pants. After all, he's had his share. Now he wants to see her undergo the same punishment. Why is that so fascinating to him?? Middle-child syndrom perhaps?? It's pretty funny. Someday he'll realize that he was getting spanks b/c he was FIVE yrs old and still having accidents. OK. Too much info. Sorry Reese.

Shorts Season

The crisp springtime air is about to give way to 85-degree summer weather this weekend. And thus ushers in Shorts Season! There is that awkward, yet short-lived period of time when we women shed our comfortable, flaw-hiding jeans and slip into those revealing, baring shorts for the very first time that year. Our legs are awful white, and we've perhaps slacked all winter in the shaving-department. There may be some added girth in the thighs that we don't remember from last year. And it only takes a moment before we rip the dreadful shorts off and put our trusty, comfy jeans back on...at least for another few days.

But, inevitably, the weather becomes unbearably hot, and we cannot hold out any longer. We must force ourselves into those mocking little shorts and timidly make our way outside where the sun cannot seem to tan our legs fast enough! Give it a few weeks, though, and those shorts will feel like second skin. We'll hopefully have the skin color we are craving. And with a pedicure and perhaps even a good waxing...we're good to go..........that is, until we have to put on that Swimsuit. Then the torturous cycle begins afresh.

Walking Pneumonia...

Ah...Yes!
That would be the reason I was in bed fighting a 103degree fever for 4 days...hoping I could finally sleep it off. But come Sunday, the temp hadn't budged, and I was sick of fighting. So I begged Ryan to take me in to an Urgent Care facility. Although, I didn't need to beg. He was so worried about me, and about out of his mind trying to play both Dad and Mom. Bless his heart.
So, yeah, we went to the Urgent Care @ Copley hospital, and after chest xrays, it was determined that I have Walking Pneumonia. I've never had this before, and I hope I never have it again! It's miserable! It hurts to breathe, to cough, to talk, to stand. Humidity makes me feel like suffocating. And although I hated missing all the fun plans we had for Memorial day weekend (dinner in Chicago with friends, BBQ with family, etc), I am so grateful for things like antibiotics, tylenol and motrin that can be alternated every 3 hrs (I learned that as a new mom...lol), and especially air conditioning!
Even in my misery and discomfort, I cannot imagine people all around the world that suffer from ailments like this, yet have none of the commodities that give me relief. The other night, when it was too humid to sleep in my bedroom, and I had to move down to the couch where the air conditioning helped my breathing tremendously, I thought to myself, "How would I feel if I were in Ethiopia, in a medical tent, trying to recover in the desert heat?? Or if I were in El Salvador, or Africa where poverty is so rampant, and was told that there were no meds?? It really made me realize how blessed I am. Thank you Jesus.

A Profound Statement

This afternoon I was cleaning the kitchen when 9yr old Mark came up from watching tv in the basement. He said, "Mom, I was watching a cool science show on the Discovery channel..." and he went on to explain that it was a show about outer space. He then told me that the show ended with the narrator saying that our universe is far too big or complex for it to have a 'creator' and its mysteries are so deep that we'll never know how the universe came to be. Hmm...

Immediately, Mark stated, "I was so mad. I wanted to call them up or something, and tell them the truth!" Wow! What a profound statement! For a 9yr old to not only be angered by the spread of falsehood, but to immediately desire to respond with action. That was really cool. I was pretty impressed with my boy, I must say.

Of course, that led into a deep discussion about the need for us to tell the truth to the people we encounter...otherwise they may be easily deceived by messages like this one. Mark told me that he used to wonder if God was really real, because we can't really see Him. But now he's convinced because he has seen Him "do so much stuff lately." Then he ran off to go play. Hmm...that kinda made me think. What has he seen God do lately?? I'll have to ask him later. But whatever he meant by that...obviously he is thinking deeply and is thoroughly convinced at the moment. LORD, please take the mustard seed of faith in this child and grow it in abundance, to affect every aspect of his life! Amen!

The Gasoline Crisis...

I often receive chain emails regarding rising gas prices. They encourage consumers to collectively refrain from purchasing gas on a designated day. Or they suggest boycotting specific major oil companies, as if that will force those companies to lower their prices.

I have a better, and much more educated, idea. How about we force the environmentalist kooks in congress to sit down and zip it so that we can approve drilling for oil on our own soil. There is so much natural resource available within our borders and in the Gulf of Mexico. And we have the technology to drill underground without disrupting the environment. But we hear the argument that it will take too long for new drilling to make a difference in our current gas prices. Well, guess what...if Bill Clinton hadn't used that argument 10 yrs ago...we wouldn't be having this conversation.

And if I hear one more ignorant person spew that Global Warming garbage, I think I'll hurl. More and more scientific evidence is becoming available to refute this ridiculous idea. The 'Global Warming crisis' is a hoax to further political agenda. Period.

...A little bit more of nothing...

***My biggest pet peeve=bicyclists on the road. I seriously wanna run 'em over.

***My biggest question for God=why is it cold when I get into water, and then cold when I get out???

***My biggest fear=losing the safety and well-being of my kids.

***My biggest desire=to have wisdom and profound impact on my kids and their generation.

***My biggest insecurity=my lips. I used to be called 'chicken lips.' That, and my resurging muffin top.

***My biggest goal=to become more faithful...at reading the Word, and at exercising everyday. So far...so good!