Oh, of COURSE....silly me.

"What's going on here?", I ask.



















"My spider is eating.", is my 3-year-old's answer.















"Dog food?"
"Well, we don't have spider food, do we?"

The invitation

This morning I was invited to a tea party.

I haven't been to a tea party since I was a little girl, so I was so excited! 

I wanted you to meet some of the other guests.

Meet "Sea Horse Freddie"

Meet "Tiger Run Fast" (That's his Indian name, I guess)

Meet "Silly Monkey"

Meet our bird friends, "Pepper" and "Big Headed Bird"

Meet "Chocolate Donut"

And lastly, "Freddie"

It was the best tea I've ever had.

Oh yah...and I had a donut, too.

The best kind of donut...the one that doesn't add a pound.

Having children makes you humble

We've been memorizing Ephesians 6:24 around here:  "In your anger, do not sin". 

Last night, on our way to a class at church, we were having fun in the car seeing who could remember certain verses.  The last verse we recited as we got out of the car was Eph. 6:24.

After class, I went to the children's area to pick up my kids, and my 3 1/2 year old had this very "guilty" look on his face.  As I went to hug him, he told me, "I have poop in my pants." 

Let me just tell you....we have worked...and worked....and prayed...and scolded...and rewarded...and prayed some more....and rewarded some more....and so on and so on....you get the idea.  THIS issue is my button that will throw me into orbit.  NOT because I'm not willing to work on it.  But because, if you knew my son, you would know he is one of the most head-strong kids you will ever come across.  And on THIS issue, he shines. 

He CAN do it.  He CHOOSES to hold the power. 

So we have gone round and round and round.  Anyway...I digress.

So, last night, I lost my cool.  But instead of yelling...or down-talking him.....I grew cold and silent...and sulked.  He knew I was mad.  My thought process the entire time I was behaving this way, was "I don't want him to do this to PLEASE me.  I want him to make the right choice."  But I stayed angry.   And distant.

I was cold to him as he tried to engage me in conversation on the way home.  I was cold to him as I gave him a bath.  I was cold to him as I dressed him for bed and went to tuck him in.  He didn't challenge me at all.  He knew. 

Once he was in bed, I was going to just simply say his prayer, put him to bed and get out of his room.  I was still too mad to engage with him.  BUT...I decided to go ahead and ask him, "what do you want to pray for tonight?"  He said:  "I want to pray that God will help me be a big boy." 

OH.  My heart melted.  He WANTS to do differently.  He doesn't know HOW to necessarily make it happen on his own.  He GETS it....at least the asking God for help part. 

How precious.  I softened.  And then, just as instantaneously, the Lord brought to my mind, "In your anger, do not sin."...and then, "Let your GENTLENESS be evident to all."  Phil 4:5.  I may not have been harsh, but I was not gentle. At all. 

As we prayed together, we asked God to forgive Mommy for my ungentle response and attitude.  AND we asked God to help my sweet little one to ask for help from a grown-up when he needs to go to the bathroom.  Our hearts are mended. 

Today is a another day.  Thank God His mercies are new every morning.

"Hello...yes....is this poison control?"

Tonight, my 3-year-old comes bouncing into the kitchen, smiling from ear to ear, with a "milk moustache"...only it's red.  I said, "baby...what have you been drinking?" 

"My medicine!"

"What medicine?"

"My 'cough syrup'"

Uh-oh.

"Show me, sweetie, what are you talking about?"

He then happpily and bouncily (is that a word?) runs excitedly to the bathroom and shows me.

How is it even possible for a person only about 3 feet tall to reach up into a cabinet (that I, at 5'9", have to myself reach UP to get into), pull out "cough syrup", remove the CHILDPROOF LID, and consume 2 full medicine cups of this:

This is a 32 lb. kid....drinking 6+ tsps. of this!  His "normal dosage" (please don't think we dole this out like candy!) is 1 tsp. 

After NOT handling it well with my reaction, I called poison control.  They informed me that he would probably sleep.  Very hard.  Immediately.

He is.  7:00 pm.....LIGHTS OUT.  His idea. 

Lessons Mama has learned:
(1)  My kid is a make-it-happen-kind-of-guy.  If he wants something, he will make it happen.  This will make for an amazing adult...but a child to watch like a hawk!
(2)  For obvious reasons, I will be checking all the childproof lids on all the meds tomorrow. 
(3)  If I ever need him to sleep at 7:00 PM, "accidentally" leave the lid loose on the Nyquil.  I AM KIDDING, PEOPLE.....PLEASE DO NOT CALL CPS.

We're grateful he's okay.  He gave his Mama quite a scare tonight.

Letting go of expectations

Nope, I've not been feeling good.  Neither has Mommy or Daddy or big brother. 

What a way to start a New Year, huh?

We've been making lots of hot chocolate.  It's super cold outside. 

We've also watched quite a bit of Scooby Doo.

Mommy's first week of twenty-ten was not what she expected.

She really hoped to get a new, fresh start to this year. 

But.....that's not the way it's worked out really.

Mommy says that is part of what God is teaching her. 

She needs to let go of any expectations, not get frustrated, and live each day, loving her family well.

Maybe our fresh, new week can start NEXT Monday.

In the meantime, we're all getting a lot of squeezes around here:

We'll all be back up and running full speed ahead soon.

We're lovin' fall!!!

You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 

Galatians 4:10