a 4 year old mind...

i very vividly remember the things i wrote about tate under this same title years ago. it is funny how lately everything that comes out of lane's mouth needs to be written down. shane and i laugh all the time. don't get me wrong, tate is still FULL of them. there is just something about this 4 year old age that has brought out a funny, innocent honesty and curiosity in my boys.

* mom, 'e' (little boy at sitter) says miss b (young, cute gal that works at sitter) has fat boobs. i say, 'wow, do you know what boobs are?' because although we do have one female in the house we don't walk around using this term. he simply says yes and points with both fingers and big eyes at his own chest. he was surprised that 'e' did not get his mouth washed out for saying the word fat. wasn't at all concerned that he was pointing out her boobs. it was not quite as painful as the tate story about the hills by my stomach from the link above.

*as mentioned last week, we will not be watching any nature shows with snakes for a while. he will now not go in the backyard clubhouse without checking ever nook first and is not particularly fond of his bed right now since he thinks the 'wide cheeked snake lives in the bookshelf' that would be a king cobra for those of you who are not up on your snake identification.

*miss b is obviously a key figure in my young man's life, since he sees her every day of the week and she helps to care for, feed, and educate him throughout the day. it is just funny to me what he picks up on from her wardrobe and make-up choices. monday, as i was putting my mascara on, lane says...mom, why don't you wear green on your eyes like miss b. i said, "well lane, she is younger than me." and to that he says...and KINNIER too. yesssss, that is skinnier for those of you who do not know lane speak. i simply agreed and reminded him that ladies don't enjoy being reminded of how big or small they might be. he is so sweet and sensitive that he sort of felt bad. i told him it was fine and i loved him so much.

*today, we visited our doctor. we LOVE our doctor. he always comments on lane's good looks and charm. they compare hair gel and cow-lick stories. he is just a fun guy. lane had a fever and we feared he had bronchitis. turns out to be viral and just needs to run it's course. they did a flu test which was negative, but lane thought the nurse 'touched his brain' with the swab. while there, lane asked the doctor if he would be able to 'play some dolf since it wasn't as bad as we first thought.' you see, it was about 68 degrees today and he told him it would be 'a dood day for some dolf.' the doc (who referred us for speech testing for that whole g is a d sound) looked at me and smiled for the right way to answer and i just laughed and said...how about this? can he practice soccer with big brother's team tomorrow night? what are our rules doc? he told him if he was fever-free that he could join in. lane thinks he is an honorary member of every sports team that tate is on. he is darn good too and never has a problem keeping up with the big boys. :)

*one more, but i'm telling you, i've got dozens. monday night, the boys were in the kitchen. all chores complete, dogs fed, everyone bathed and ready for bed. tate was wanting to show lane something really cool he learned in computer class. i was helping him access it and lane is sort of dancing around behind me with some jello his granny had sent home with them. the baby is in the floor banging some bowls and spoons together (note to self: find better hiding spot for new william sonoma mixing bowls. not baby proof like gladware) you know, just typical kid stuff. well, i turn around and the baby had thrown up. he wasn't a bit upset, but yikes!!!! he was sort of smacking his mouth around like something tasted bad.

i say, "lane, did you give your brother a bite of that?"

he said, "no, he just ate a piece of dog food"

NICE! i explained to lane that next time he sees wyatt eating something strange that he needs to let me know. we started over on the bathtime routine for wyatt and i think shane could sense a nervous breakdown. i was laughing hysterically to keep from crying. had not slept in nights with all the coughing going on around here, so he very calmly said he would take the big boys tonight to bed. he told me to put the baby to bed and go to bed. so i took him up on it.

pay it forward...

i could not believe how many emails and offers for prom dresses that i received after my last post. thanks for your generosity and kindness. she found a dress and my sweet mom is picking her up after school tomorrow to go buy her some shoes and jewelry. bless that family and the mom's job situation. when i talked to her today to arrange the pick up, i told her to feel free to go since she didn't know my mom from adam. she was speechless and grateful.

my precious baby will be one march 10th. my sister has been so kind as you can see above. her pictures amaze me. i love this little boy so much. he is almost walking and loves to say 'uh-oh!' he LOVES his big brothers. he LOVES his daddy and he LOVES to play pattycake.

funny things from the week...don't let your 4 yr. old watch the spitting king cobra nature show with your husband unless you want to go on a 30 minute snake hunt at 2:15a.m. always keep some tylenol on hand for your 7 yr. old when those giant molars are coming in and he heard the snake hunt in session. never try and give said 'gag reflex boy' the baby's teething tablets to ease the pain or you will just be awake longer listening to dry heaving with luckily nothing productive coming up. never give a baby refried beans at a slightly later dinner time unless you wish to hear more than the birds chirping from the sound machine through the baby monitor. and never leave a sweaty soccer jersey anywhere near a fairly new puppy unless you want to beg the sporting good store owner (that luckily you worked for when you turned 16) to make you a new jersey by saturday.

hope for every man...

knowing the recent turn in the economy would likely hit hard for someone i know, i am sad to say that it has come to pass. my little sister will be moving back soon from denver. we are glad, but it came with a lay-off and with the underlying promise of less pay in the future. i sat through parent/teacher conferences tonight with a crying mom who had just lost her job. my teaching partner and i were brainstorming with her about prom dresses for her oldest and how we can find this girl a dress and my grandma can alter anything. very sad, but we tried to give her some hope and resources.

with all of the doom and gloom that seems to be lurking, i just have to rely on the hope that comes in our Savior. 'there is NONE like YOU, no one else can touch my heart like YOU do' music is such a big part of our family. when i feel like i am getting overwhelmed, i like to pick a song for the day to replay in my mind. recently, i have been LOVING Casting Crowns. shane is even leading a night of praise at my sister's church coming up and we decided when picking out songs that it could easily be a Casting Crowns cover concert.

i find comfort for myself and for the burdens of others in these lyrics:



There is hope for every man

A solid place where we can stand

In this dry and weary land

There is hope for every man

There is Love that never dies

There is peace in troubled times

Will we help them understand?

Jesus is hope for every man



i also find it challenging. that second to the last line there is telling me that i need to take part. even if i do teach public school. i will still tell parents that i will pray for them and mean it and do it.

last week was hard for me. working is hard. being a wife and mommy is so rewarding and attempting to be a great one is hard. my husband was sick last week and he scared me a few times. i was thankful for many things. my neighbor who checked on me later in the week after hearing about a few bad nights. my mother-in-law and sisters who came to my rescue with the boys for after school pick-ups and playtime. thanks!

i am, as always, thankful for my many blessings and pray that life seems easier for those who are in need and hurting. i hate to feel defeated and hate for others to feel that way too.

i know that no one really wants to read all of this, so i will put a cute picture on to satisfy that need (dad)... here is true contentment after an afternoon of playing with big brothers.