The Second Time is the Killer

Coming out of Johnny C*rino's tonight, it began to shower. We turned around to watch the rainbow appear against the purple clouds of dusk. The kids were exclaiming over the beauty when K began to preach...
K: Every rainbow is a sign of God's promise...
Abby: Yes, that He will never again flood the earth with water.
The master: No. Not with water. The next time He will destroy it with fire.
Ian: Oh, snap.

Maybe you would have to know my middle son to truly appreciate the humor of his comment, but trust me, it was hilarious!

In Celebration of Ignorance

I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to my daddy and my husband. Running a daycare is a learning experience. But not everything I'm learning is new. Rather, it is being intimately involved with so many families--learning who they are, how they work, what they struggle with--that is confirming ideas and concepts I've always believed in theory. One of those cliches I'm discovering is actually an irrefutable law: Children need a father.
So, I want to thank my daddy for giving me a childhood where that maxim of truth was irrelevant to me. For allowing me the immeasurable gift of ignorance and innocence. By committing to my mother. By providing for our family. By loving me lavishly and unconditionally--and telling me so. By taking us to the Lord's house and in turn, giving Him the place of honor in our home.
Do you have any idea how rare that is?
I am most blessed among children.
And to my husband, thank you for continuing this legacy of unenlightenment. That even though our children--with tender hearts--grieve for their friends and companions when they talk of "divorce," "custody agreements," and "court ordered visits" (and yes, little children know and use these words), it is sorrow mixed with bewilderment. They have no personal experience on which to understand these things. Pray God they never do. Even from the beginning--when you could have so easily walked away--you've stuck by me and been my true helpmate in loving and raising these children.
Do you have any idea how rare that is?
I am most blessed among mothers.

Cara's Two

Celebrating Cara's two year old birthday today. I took her out this morning and she and I got our hair cut. It was her first cut and turned out absolutely precious. The stylist called it a Dora cut, and I think she does resemble Dora now more than ever. She screamed like a banshee when we first sat down, which I figured she would and was why I put it off as long as I could. But then another stylist fished out a sucker for her and she was fine after that. Now why--after six children and running my own daycare--didn't I think of that?

When we were done at the salon we went on into J.C. P*nney and picked her out a new swim suit for her splash party. She really does not like the water, but we rented a water slide. What else can you do with a late June party in Texas? The nephews and nieces loved it, and finally--after all the party guests departed--she decided to go up with me. And then she did not want to stop.

She was cute opening her presents this year. Saying, "Oooooh," "wow!," "neat" as she unwrapped the presents. She could even label a few of them, "Shoes!" "Duck...Quack" and "phone." She got her first big girl panties and wanted to put them on right after the party. Hopefully, this bodes well for completion of the potty-training process.

I love this little girl so much. Here is to a healthy, happy second year baby girl.

Header

A word about the new blog skin. The art work is an original Abby with the words "Eight Hearts" added with permission by yours truly. Yes, I know the Bible verse has a typo. I've gone back to scrapblog three times to try and fix it but it will not save the corrected version. Let this be a lesson to us all, proof read before you export.

Saturday Nine

Saturday 9: Goodbye to You

1. Have you had to say goodbye to a good friend or lover because they were moving?

My, my, my. I really like Saturday Nine posts, but sometimes the questions just make me blush. You can certainly tell they were not authored by a little ol' fashioned backwoods Baptist girl. Ahem. My freshman year in highschool a close friend of mine moved away and I was devastated. Her father was a minister and he took a new church in another part of the state. Ironically, I remember thinking how I could never do that to my children. Hmmm...

And as for the other, I've only had one, and whither he goest, I shall go.

2. Have you ever wanted to use personal information about someone to sort of "blackmail" them? If yes, tell us about it.

As a young child, I did this routinely with my little sister. But I find even the thought of it detestable now.

3. What two things influenced the choice of your present job or to stay at home?

Opportunity and spouse's encouragement (insistence?)

4. Do you like warm weather? How warm does it get where you live? What is the best way to spend a hot, summer day?

I don't like to sweat, but I like a great many of the activities that come with warm weather. It gets HOT here. 95 today with a heat index of over 100, and the weather man was telling us to enjoy our "break" in the heat. The best way to spend a hot summer day is at the lake.

5. What do you find "hot" in a man/woman? What is the first thing you notice about someone who is hot? Do you ever think of yourself as hot?

Awww, shucks, I'm blushing again. If we can steer clear of the term "hot" I think I can answer this question. First thing I notice is eyes and smile and I've always been partial to short stocky build. Give me a man with some meat on him. I do occasionally think of myself as attractive--following a trip to the salon, a new outfit, a flattering photograph--but have not thought of myself as the other word since my go-go boots and Lycra days.

6. Are you quick to anger? How do you react when you are angry or frustrated? What do you do to cool down?

Yes. If I am really truly angry, I will cry. Is that crazy or what? And I usually recite scripture to cool down. "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry"....sing with me...

7. In your family, who is the least like the rest of you?

In the family I grew up in, it would be my older sister. She always did see things differently. But she is more like us now than she was growing up.

8. What are a few great books that you've taken along to the beach or on vacation in years past? If you aren't a big reader, what do you do to while away the lazy hours?

I always take a few good Christian historical romance and something aimed at improving my life or the effectiveness thereof when on vacation. I wouldn't say the Christian romances are great works of literature, but when you are on vacation, you deserve a little mind candy. I took a novel by Traci Paterson on this last trip and a book entitled--please don't laugh-- "You Can Double Your Class in Two Years."

9. Do you like going outside during a thunderstorm and watching the lightening?

No.

Pride Goes Before

The older four children were on a trip to a nearby waterpark today. It was their reward for participation in Sunday night children's ministry. I sent them off--declining to serve as chaperon--confident that our children would behave, regardless of our presence (though I did admonish K to stick close to Marina).
I guess you know where this is going, huh?
Who threw a fit when the adult in charge told them to put on a life jacket? Who told the adult that they didn't want to wear a life jacket? (AS IF in their whole entire life they have been allowed the luxury of desires and preferences??!!) Who sobbed and pouted and fussed until we were called? Surely not. Surely not my children.
Ian and Marina
Who dropped what she was doing and made the hour long drive to pick up their sorry--and about to become infinitely more sorry--little tooshies?
Me
Sometimes I need a little hole to crawl into.....and if one of you could be so kind as to throw the dirt in on top of me?