Swaziland

My younger sister spent 3 months in Swaziland a couple years ago. She went with Adventures in Missions and got to spend time serving and loving some amazing people there. I just saw this video on NFL.com about 2 NFL players who went to Swaziland to help out. It's exciting to see such a tiny country getting this exposure. There's great need there but also great joy in the hearts of the people.

This video reminds me of God's heart for the people of every nation. He knows and loves each of these sweet little kids and despite their need and heartbreak, He has not forgotten them. I just love that. It makes me want to get on a plane and go.....

Check out that video!

The Butterfly Show, Take 2

We went to the annual butterfly show at the conservatory last week. I was a little nervous, based on last year's experience. If you haven't heard about that, it's definitely worth the read. If you don't have a few minutes to read my post from last year, here's the short of it: within 1 minute of being there, Mr. Mister managed to step on and kill one of the exotic butterflies, much the the horror of a mom and daughter looking on.

We bravely tried again this year, and what a difference a year makes! Instead of running around like a crazy man, he was totally into it and was actually gentle with the butterflies when they landed on him. It made for a much more pleasant experience!

We love Grandma being out of school for the summer!!

Father's Day, Part 3

Last, but certainly not least, Happy Father's Day to both of our dads. We love you and are thankful for you as dads, fathers-in-law, and grandpas!

Father's Day Part 2

On Sunday morning, I helped Mr. Mister make a book for Daddy about all the things he likes to do with him. The surprise was ruined quickly when he yelled, "Daddy! We're making you a book!"

I asked Mr. Mister to tell me something he liked to do with Daddy and I wrote one on each page while he colored a picture to go with it. Here are the things he chose (all said with the classic Mr. Mister enthusiasm):

• I like to wrestle with Daddy!
• I like to jump on Daddy's back!
• I like to tackle Daddy!

At this point, I tried to suggest other things to add some variation....like going for a hike, playing frisbee, etc. But he insisted on all of these. Then he added:

• I like to get Daddy's tools and help him fix the bathroom.
• I like to say "fee, fi, oh, fum" (that would be fee, fi, fo, fum, from Jack and the Beanstalk)
• I like to play and swim with Daddy
• I like to get soaking wet in my rain boots and jacket.

This will definitely be a treasure to keep!

Father's Day

We had a fun day celebrating our Daddy, who we love and appreciate SO much!

After letting him sleep in a little bit, we had a french toast breakfast (his favorite) and then headed up to a state park to swim in the lake! It was fun but super hot with no cloud coverage at all. Not ideal for bringing a newborn along. If I was by myself, I would have lasted 5 minutes, but that's why we have daddies who can do everything. He built us a great little shade shelter out of a tarp (camo nonetheless) and some rope. It was a perfect resting place for us and a nice place for a baby to take a nap!

We had a fun afternoon and Mr. Mister did really well, despite skipping his nap. He loved playing in the lake and even got his first snow cone at the end of the day.

PS - I am well aware that our little shelter makes us look a little like hillbillies. But when you need some shade, being refined is not a priority!

June 19

June 19, 2004



6 years later...

Swimming Adventures

For the record, last night was much better. No major catastrophes or wide awake babies.

Tomorrow is the last day of swimming lessons - the day Mr. Mister gets to finally go down the big blue waterslide. Today he had to jump off the diving board (or be dropped off of it by one of his teachers to the other teacher waiting for him in the water). He had a life jacket on and they wanted to teach the kids that the life jacket will keep them above water. It was a pretty traumatic way to learn that. It seemed to be a fine line between pushing him to do something outside of his comfort zone and torture. So I was glad when afterwards he was really proud of himself. Good thing tomorrow will be more fun!

Good Night

So when I said Baby was asleep at 5:11am, I lied. It only lasted a minute. I don't even know what time he fell asleep because I ended up sleeping on the couch while he cried it out with my amazing husband who 1. serves me so well and 2. can put up with crying while he's trying to fall back to sleep.

Here's to a better night sleep tonight! Good night!

Good Morning

It's 5am. I'm bouncing my crying baby in the bouncer with my foot, Daddy is cleaning raw chicken juice off the floor. Here's how it all happened:

3:15am - Crying baby wakes up to eat. He stays awake. Wide awake.

4:15am - I finally bring him down stairs to get a change of scenery.

4:20am - I walk into the kitchen to see the freezer door open. Grrr. Wake up my husband.

4:25am -While he starts cleaning, I look online and find that the USDA actually says you can refreeze meat if it was defrosted in the refrigerator (I think an open freezer is the same). Check it out.

4:45am - almost done cleaning. I pick up a bag of previously frozen chicken breasts and hear a splash as liquid pours out onto the floor. There was a hole in the corner - raw chicken juice.

That is gross anyway, but I really really really hate raw meat germs. I am overly protective (or obsessive?) about raw meat when I cook.

4:46am - With me almost in tears and baby still crying, Daddy gallantly finishes cleaning up the gross stuff and I resort to the bouncer and my blog.

5:11am - baby asleep. Mommy very tired. Daddy needs to get up soon for work and Mr. Mister will soon be awake.

Hello, World!

I'm 5 weeks old now but my mom hasn't blogged a lot about me because she hasn't been able to think of a good blog name for me yet. (I don't know what her excuse is for the lack of pictures she's taken.) If you have any good ideas, leave a comment. I'm ready to share some of the blog spotlight with my big brother!



Since you haven't heard a lot about me, here's a quick update:

• I like to eat. Often.
• I also like to keep my mom and dad on their toes by projectile vomiting every once in a while. It's pretty funny when it gets all over them and the couch.
• I used to sleep all the time and they kept asking to see my eyes. So now I show them my eyes and they try to get me to go back to sleep. I can't figure them out.
• I finally figured out that I'm supposed to sleep when it gets dark and quiet in the house. But, I miss my mom so about every 2 or 3 hours, I like to wake up and eat just so I can spend some quality time with her.
• My big brother really likes me. He makes funny faces and gives me kisses and likes to hold me. But he also likes to grab my feet or push my bouncer really hard. I get him back by spitting up - he hates to see it and yells, "MILK!" in a panicked voice.
• I think I might have some problems in my tummy. I usually cry after I eat and most of the time that I'm awake. I'll have to ask the doctor about that when I go on Saturday.
• I'm really cute. My mom gives me lots of kisses and talks to me in a funny voice. I'm glad I can finally make eye contact with her. Just wait till I smile...I think she'll really like that.

When I cry a lot, there are two things that help me settle down. One is to be swaddled. Especially with the miracle blanket. It looks like I'm in a straight jacket but it really does help me calm down to sleep. The other thing is sitting in front of the fan. That air feels so good - now I know how those dogs with their heads out the window feel.

Well, I hope you can help my mom think of a good name for me because I'm excited to make some more appearances on this blog!

Boys

I try to limit the number of blogs I read, because I could easily spend all of my down time reading them. But here is a new one that has been so worth my time. It's called The MOB Society: For Moms of Boys by Moms of Boys. It has only been in existence for about a week, but I have already gained much insight from it.

I love the mission of the women who contribute to it: "Reaching the hearts of boys for the Gospel and preparing a generation of men to love the Lord." That is my desire in raising our boys - to not just raise well behaved kids who eventually become responsible adults, but to raise boys who know and love Jesus and who spend their lives for the sake of the Gospel. It is both a privilege and a huge responsibility to raise boys to be men like this. I hardly have the words for it. I am often overwhelmed by how much I desire that for my sons, but how hard it is to walk it out in daily life.

I am also sometimes overwhelmed by how hard boys can be. Especially because I'm not one and I don't always understand them. So I daily face the tension of wanting to love them in a way that models the love of the Father and not always knowing exactly how to do that. How do I remain full of compassion, grace, and patience in the face of challenge and frustration? How do I keep an eternal perspective when it seems like I can barely make it to nap time? How do I let boys be boys when that might be uncomfortable for me? What does it look like to foster their sense of action and adventure, even when that might not seem safe? How do I embrace loud and dirt when I really prefer quiet and clean? How do I allow them to be rough and tough and wild but also understand the value of obedience and respect? How do I encourage them to be all that they were created to be? These are just some of the questions I think about regularly as I try to figure it all out.

So that's why I really like this blog. Several different women contribute to it, which provides a variety of perspectives and experiences. But all are written with the goal of helping moms of boys answer these tough questions as we seek to raise up boys who will become men who love the Lord.

Here is part of one post that I really liked. If you relate to any of this in any sector of your life, I encourage you to check out this blog.

That’s what most parents want for their children…safety. But the truth is that being safe and being brave do not really go hand in hand, because God does not call us to a life of safety. We as mothers of boys have to be careful not to stifle the brimming warrior in our little men. We should keep them safe the best we can, but also encourage adventure. My prayer is that my fears would not keep my boys from playing with sticks and stones because I am worried they will break their bones. That I would not keep them from climbing trees and building forts, digging in dirt while wielding a cowboy gun or knight’s sword because I am concerned with messes, dirt, and blood.

(From the post He Does Me In)

Boots

These are Mr. Mister's rainboots. He wears them every day for at least part of the day. At night he sets them up near his bed so they can watch him sleep. He gets comments on them wherever we go. But he doesn't do it for the reaction...he just loves wearing his boots.

This is such a picture of joy to me.

A toddler in a t-shirt, a diaper, and ladybug rainboots. Not worrying about what people think. Just loving life in his boots.

(Yes, they are on the wrong feet. He puts them on himself.)

Swimming Lessons

Today was Mr. Mister's first day of swimming lessons. He loves to swim. He wakes up every morning and asks to go to the pool. One day this summer, he spent 2 straight hours in my parents' pool. So he was super excited about swimming lessons and he even squealed with excitement as we pulled into the parking lot this morning. But then, for some reason, he was kind of out of it during the lesson. I think he was a little distracted by the big blue water slide that was nearby. He has great memories of riding it at the end of swimming lessons last year. It may be a long two weeks trying to keep him focused in his class!

I do know that he had fun because tonight, about an hour after we put him to bed, I went to check on him and he rolled over and said, "Can we go to swimming lessons?" He thought it was the morning!

Thanks to Daddy for braving the chilly morning and cold water today...

And here is the real reason he comes... these are the fun things they get to play on for the last 5 minutes of class.

Future Heisman?

Will he win a Heisman Trophy someday...


...or follow in his daddy's footsteps?



Here are my boys wearing homemade do-rags. After Mr. Mister saw a football player wearing one, he wanted to wear one, too. So Daddy, being the fun daddy that he is, created these out of a baby blanket, a burp rag, and a paper towel.
And Mr. Mister wore his to church. It was another step for me in giving him freedom in getting dressed as an expression of who he is!